part0034

Willa parked in the lot of the camp, looking around in surprise at the nicely appointed cabins and buildings that made up the central core. She hadn’t taken the time to appreciate it last time.

There were several workers loading construction materials into the back of a pickup. “Good afternoon,” she called to them in the still bright, late afternoon. “Is Lee around?”

“She’s down by the woodshop with Les,” one of the men replied without looking at her.

“I’m going to go find Maggie,” Nicole announced.

“Sure.” Willa gave her a wave and headed down a path she assumed would lead her further into the heart of the camp.

She skirted the side of the building she suspected was the shop, squinting up through the overhanging trees to see more men working on the roof. She smiled when she heard Lee’s voice nearby. A mixture of anticipation and dread swirled in her belly, but she walked on knowing she had to make things right with her.

“Just drop them over the side,” Willa heard a woman’s husky voice call out. “We can store them in the maintenance shed.”

She assumed the voice belonged to Les, the maintenance chief she hadn’t met yet.

She picked her way beneath the low-hanging branches around the building and emerged out from beneath the trees into the sunshine. She shielded her eyes and smiled hesitantly when she saw Lee and the other woman look her way, their expressions changing from surprise to alarm.

Les yelled, “No, wait, Joe!”

“Will, get back!” Lee shouted and waved frantically.

Willa stopped, looking up in time to see a flash of movement from the roof and a large, flat object drop from above.

Instinct took over and she dove to the side, crying out a split second later when she hit the ground and something impossibly hard and heavy slammed into her left foot, sending pain streaking through her ankle and up her leg.

“Ah, damn,” she hissed, gripping her leg, trying to get it out from under the weight pinning it to the ground. She tugged, the pain making her dizzy. Lee was beside her a moment later.

“Will, hold on. Don’t move.” Lee placed a hand on her shoulder. “Les, help me.”

Willa gritted her teeth, unable to stifle a groan of pain, when the weight lifted from her leg, the throbbing intensifying. “Oh, Christ, that hurts.”

“All right, easy, Will,” Lee soothed as she carefully rolled up her pants and unfastened her sandal. She turned Willa’s foot gently, displaying the rapid swelling around her ankle. “Ah, shit, it could be broken.”

“Is she all right?” a male voice called from above. “Oh, man, we didn’t see her. She was under the tree.”

“It was an accident, I know.” Lee waved up at them, her gaze focused only on Willa. “Just finish up here. I’ll take care of her.”

“Sorry.” Willa pushed herself up on her elbows with a grimace. “Not the entrance I had in mind.”

“No kidding.” Lee sat back on her heels wincing in sympathy. “Think you can make it to my place?”

Lee helped her up, her grip tightening around Willa’s waist when her leg immediately buckled when she put weight on her foot.

“Mmm, damn,” Willa gasped, her hand shooting out to Lee for balance.

“I can probably carry you,” Lee offered. “You’re like what, a buck ten soaking wet and three apples high?”

Willa managed a scowl at her. “One twenty-three and I’m five four. That’s average, I’ll have you know.”

Lee gripped Willa’s wrist and slung her arm across her shoulders. “Come on.”

“Almost there,” Lee encouraged in an effort to hide her worry. Willa’s breathing was labored and her face a mask of pain, sweat beading across her forehead. She could put very little weight on her left leg at all.

“Here.” Lee eased Willa down on the sofa, pressing her back to recline and gently lifting her legs, slipping all the throw pillows underneath her left leg to keep it elevated. “I need to take a better look. Are you comfortable enough?”

Willa shifted against the sofa and winced. “Yes, it’s okay.”

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far.” Lee held Willa’s foot in her hand. “Did you hear a crack at all?”

“Not over the sound of getting hit by a ton of bricks.”

Lee placed her hand flat against the bottom of Willa’s foot. “Can you press against my hand?” She felt pressure against her palm, stronger than she expected. “Good. Can you move it side to side?”

Willa frowned in concentration, staring down at her foot as if willing it to move, jerking it from left to right with effort.

Willa winced. “Ah, that’s it. I think it’s just a sprain.”

Lee pressed against the bones in her ankle gently. “Does it hurt when I do this?”

She shifted to the surrounding tissues, palpating gently. “Here?”

Willa cried out, jerking her foot. “Mmm, yes, that really hurts.”

“Okay, okay.” Lee moved her hands away. “I think you’re right and it’s a sprain, but it’s a bad one and you need an X-ray to make sure.”

“It’s not fine, Willa. You just got slammed by a bundle of shingles that by all rights should have snapped your leg—or worse. I can drive Nicole to get your car and she can—”

“Lee, I’m not going to the hospital. It’s just a sprain.”

Lee stared at her hard deciding how much of an argument she was going to make of this. She agreed that it was likely just sprained. She was probably just looking for a way to get Willa away from her. She couldn’t think clearly when they were this close, and now Willa was hurt and all Lee wanted was to take care of her. “I’m going to get you some ice and something for the pain.”

She returned with a dishtowel which she carefully draped over Willa’s foot, setting a moldable ice pack over the top of her foot, covering both sides of her ankle. “How’s that?”

“Good.” Willa sighed, relaxing against the back of the sofa.

Lee handed her two brown tabs and a bottle of water. “Ibuprofen.”

“I wish I had something stronger for you.”

“How about a large glass of wine?”

Lee eyed her, lips pursed. “I guess you’ve earned that.”

She returned with a drink for them both and sat on the edge of the sofa and dropped her head into her hands, dragging her fingers through her hair. Her heart hurt at what had happened between them. “Willa, what are you doing here?”

“I need to talk to you.”

“I don’t have anything else to say.”

“Well, I do.” Willa pushed herself up onto her elbows. “I don’t know what happened last night but I’m not leaving things like that with you.”

“Nothing has changed, Will. I’m sorry about the way I reacted last night. It wasn’t fair of me. Whatever is going on with you is none of my business, but I won’t be manipulated and I can’t go through this again. So, just do what you came here to do and leave me out of it.”

“I definitely am not trying to manipulate you, Lee, for any reason. I really hate that’s how I’ve come across. Yes, I knew you were here and I hoped to reconnect with you, but beyond that I don’t have an agenda.”

“There’s no story here, Willa,” Lee said sharply.

“I promise you, I’m not here looking for a story. I already have more stories than I know what to do with. I just wanted a place to write and maybe find some common ground with my sister, but…”

“But what?” Lee asked.

“But I think a story may have found me anyway. Things have been going on since Nicole and I arrived that I’m having trouble explaining. I’m worried, and god help me, a little scared. I think I may need your help.”

Lee sighed, studying Willa and seeing nothing but naked truth in her open and honest expression. A truth she wanted more than anything to believe. Before she could speak, the door crashed open and Nicole and Maggie came piling in.

“Oh, no, Willa!” Maggie cried. “We heard what happened. Are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m okay. Thank you. It was just an unfortunate accident.”

Nicole smothered a laugh. “Les said you got hit with a shingle.”

“Not a shingle,” Lee snapped, her patience being tested from every direction, “a bundle of shingles easily weighing seventy pounds. She could have been killed, so lose the attitude and try to show a little compassion for your sister, huh, Nicole?”

Nicole flushed with embarrassment, lowering her eyes at Lee’s reprimand. “Sorry.” Her eyes flicked to Willa. “Is there anything I can do?”

“Yes, actually.” Lee stood, pulling her keys from her pocket and handing them to her daughter. “Go with Maggie to the first aid cabin. Get me a four-inch elastic bandage, medical tape, and an air splint. Do you know where those are?”

“I’ll find them, Mom.” Maggie nodded seriously.

“Take a flashlight.”

“We’ll be back in a bit.” Maggie grabbed Nicole’s arm and pulled her from the room.

Lee waited for the door to close before she picked up her glass of wine and took a long drink, eyeing Willa who was watching her hopefully. “You better tell me what’s going on.”

“Are you going to do the same?”

“What do you mean?” Lee hedged, looking away.

Willa raised a brow accusingly. “Lee.”

She threw up her hands. “Sure, why the hell not. You, of all people, deserve to know.”