THE NEXT DAY was a period of expectation for Carrie. She’d decided not to tell Keegan anything about his son’s visit until they were in his car on the way to the airport the following morning. That was about as much of a surprise as she could pull off with a man like Keegan, a man who craved answers to life’s most perplexing questions. There was no chance she’d get him to drive the whole distance to the airport without knowing exactly why.
Carrie was happy. Her nerves were on edge, but the anticipation felt good. She didn’t think she’d sleep a wink the night before.
And almost as if he knew she’d planned something pretty spectacular for him, Keegan had been caring and kind and affectionate without being pushy. She enjoyed the occasional peck on her cheek, the touch to her shoulders and arms as he passed by. Without talking about the changes, they had definitely become more than accident victim and Good Samaritan. He’d done no more than kiss her, yet he had made her feel secure and comfortable in his presence ever since she’d first met him.
She didn’t know what they had become to each other, but their time in the cabin was relaxed and natural, and Carrie didn’t want to think about the day her leg would be healed and she would have to leave. She didn’t love Keegan, but she liked him more and more. When she opened her eyes in the morning, she liked knowing he would be the first person she’d see. When she ate across the table from him, she liked being the one he talked to. When they watched a movie together, she liked when he paused the film so they could talk about what was going on in the plot. But love him? No, all these things weren’t love, were they?
On the other hand, in one week, her feelings for him had grown to be as deep and profound as she’d experienced with any of her other boyfriends. She was beginning to believe that love, even an intimate relationship with a man, wasn’t an emotional impossibility for her.
Late Friday afternoon, he came and sat beside her on the sofa. “Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve,” he said. “You probably make a big deal out of that holiday. Party dress, dancing, kissing at midnight.”
“Last year, I pruned trees in a greenhouse until the ball dropped in Times Square,” she said. “For real excitement I kissed a rose petal.”
He squeezed her shoulder. “You’ll do better than that this year. Sorry I can’t take you out for a fancy dinner, but we can go to the diner if you like. I’m not much for dressing up these days, and you aren’t getting around so well anyway.”
She smiled at him. “Why don’t we just let New Year’s Eve take care of itself? And as far as my leg is concerned, I practiced walking without the crutches, just using the boot, and I did quite well.”
“Good for you. A real step forward, pardon the pun.” He waited a few minutes before saying, “Did you call your office in Michigan?”
“I did. Told my supervisor I had been in an accident and I would need a bit more time to heal before I could come back to work.”
“Wow.” Keegan grinned. “The whole truth and nothing but the truth. How did he take the news?”
“Actually he offered to come pick me up, but I told him I wanted to wait awhile longer on my car. He understood all that foreign car, steering box jargon. But, Keegan…?”
“Yeah?”
“He’ll come whenever I ask him to. You don’t have to keep me here until I start to smell like week-old trout.”
“So far I don’t have a problem with your smell.” He paused as if he wanted to say more.
“But you do have a problem?”
“A small one. I’d like to ask you some questions, get to know you better. Is that okay?”
She’d thought she would dread this time in their relationship, but instead, she figured it was right for Keegan to want to know more. “Sure, ask away.”
He put a hand on each of her shoulders and turned her gently to face him. “I don’t know what’s going on here exactly, Carrie. When I pulled you out of a snowdrift, I sure didn’t expect we’d still be together a week later. As a matter of fact, I spent the first couple of hours wondering who I could pawn you off on.”
“That’s flattering,” she said.
“I know, but as far as my relationships with women go, this one must be running on Duracell batteries to have lasted this long.”
She covered one of his hands with hers. “My relationships don’t really have staying power, either. So, okay, ask me questions. We might as well see if you like the answers. What do you want to know?”
He sighed heavily. “I know you have family. Sisters, a father, assorted animals…”
“Yes.”
“And you’re close to them?”
“Yes.”
“Then why haven’t you told them about the accident and your injuries?”
She clasped her hands in her lap, stared down at them. She feared he would think her answer bordered on the absurd, but she said it anyway. “Because my father, who has always watched over me as if a black cloud loomed on every horizon, warned me not to drive in the snowstorm.” She frowned. “He more than warned. He practically threatened.”
“Turns out he was right,” Keegan pointed out.
“Yes, and that makes it all worse. But there’s another reason. My father is a renowned cardiologist in Fox Creek. He always kept track of my asthma. Sometimes I felt like he was monitoring every breath I took.”
“That can be tough, but it’s hard to find fault with a caring father,” Keegan said.
“I know that, but you’re supposed to see this from my point of view. I want to live my own life without the strict regimen of always taking my illness into account. I love my job, but sometimes I think my decision to work in nature was a direct rebellion against my father’s constant worrying.”
“I suppose that makes sense.”
“He continually advises me to come home and live at Dancing Falls. If he learned about how I disobeyed him and ended up, well—” she glanced at her walking boot “—like this, we’d only argue, and who knows where that might lead.”
“And you don’t want to take that chance?”
“No. I can’t. My relationship with my father is a long story about an even longer battle fighting for my independence. Being the baby of the family has its rewards, for sure, but if the baby has an ongoing physical condition, then the rewards are too often outweighed by the obstacles.”
His hand came to rest on her nape. He gently massaged the tense muscles. “And your father never let you forget you had asthma?”
“Right. He has worried about me my whole life. He’d probably keep me in a bubble if he could.”
“But you’ve been here a week. You’ve been outside, around a dog. You’ve experienced stress, which I’ve heard is a trigger for asthma. The temperatures have been bitterly cold. And you haven’t avoided any of my scraggly trees.”
She smiled.
“And at least to me, you seem to handle your condition very well,” he added.
“I do handle it well now. But when I was a kid, I was reckless, and I had a number of problems. My father can’t seem to forget those times. He was furious when I joined the Forestry Service. If it hadn’t been for my mother, I probably wouldn’t have pursued the career I love.”
“And doesn’t your mother support you now?”
“She would, I’m sure, if she could.” Carrie drew a deep breath and told Keegan about her mother’s illness.
“I’m sorry, Carrie,” he said.
She looked into his eyes. “Don’t misunderstand. I love my father. He is a wonderful, caring man who is burdened with responsibilities no one should have to face. And he feels he’s the one person who must protect everyone, save everyone, even from themselves.”
Keegan nodded. “And if you’d told him about the accident…?”
“He would have ignored his own welfare, set out on that cold, bitter day in the middle of a blizzard and come to get me. Instead, you found me, and, Keegan…?” She grasped his hand. “You have allowed me to be myself, the person I want and need to be. My father can’t do that. To him, I am sickly. I need care and guidance.”
“To be fair to your father, I know that asthma is an ongoing condition that has no cure.”
“True, but it can be controlled, and I control mine. I take a daily medication and have my inhaler with me at all times. The problem with my dad stems from my childhood when I wasn’t so careful. Unfortunately he has seen me in distress too many times, and he can’t forget that I’m older and not so careless now.” She inhaled and blew out a deep breath. “We have had some serious fights about this topic.”
“I can imagine.”
“My sisters are more understanding, but even they treat me like an invalid sometimes.”
Keegan’s eyes, the greenest she’d ever seen, stared into hers. “I hope I haven’t treated you that way. I certainly don’t think of you in those terms.”
“No. You’ve been wonderful—for the most part.”
He laughed. “Great. A qualified compliment. But the truth is, the day before I met you, I didn’t care if I was wonderful to anyone, except maybe my son, and he doesn’t count since he’s so far away.”
“He counts,” she said with a bit too much conviction. “You call him twice a week, and he knows he can call you.”
“Yeah, he knows. But he doesn’t.”
“Maybe that will change,” she said.
“Maybe. So how long are you going to wait before telling your family? Can you keep up the lie for three more weeks until you’re cleared to drive?”
“No, probably not. I can’t stay with you that long.”
She watched his face for any sign of agreement. After a moment he said, “But your car isn’t ready yet.”
“No, it isn’t, so there’s not much I can do right now. When it is fixed, I’m still hoping to drive myself back to Michigan by using the walking boot.”
“Carrie…”
“Only if it’s safe,” she added. “Otherwise I guess I’ll have to call Larry, my supervisor, to come and get me. I won’t be able to do much work in the field, but I can at least monitor some experiments I’d been working on.” She grinned at him. “That’s two…”
“Two what?”
“Questions. Any more?”
“The rest are personal,” he said. “I’m not sure you’re ready for that. Let’s call it a night.”
“Sure, and, Keegan…”
“What?”
“I have a hunch we’ll have a terrific New Year’s Eve, so get a good night’s sleep.”
He stood from the sofa, leaned over and kissed her forehead. “My, Miss Foster, that sounds intriguing. My reporter’s mind is running on all cylinders.”
Oh, dear, she might have given him the wrong idea. “Don’t get too carried away,” she said. “You’re still a grumpy hermit, and I’m still a freeloader with a broken leg.”
She fluffed her pillow and stretched out on the couch. All at once the wrong idea was starting to sound like it might just be the right one. Closing her eyes, she willed herself to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a wonderful day.
* * *
CARRIE WAS DRESSED for the day when Keegan emerged from the bedroom at eight wearing his faded pajama bottoms and a long-sleeved thermal shirt. He didn’t usually sleep so late, but Carrie was glad he did this day. He would be well rested and cheerful when she told him where they were going.
“You look nice,” he said in a yawn. “Got plans?”
He was making a joke, but she hoped she did look okay. She wore comfortable boot-cut jeans to accommodate her walking boot and a light blue sweater with a few sparkles around the neckline. She didn’t want to scare Taylor by showing up in her usual sweatpants and T-shirt.
“I might,” she said, answering his question.
He clasped his hands behind his back and stretched. “Am I included, because I don’t remember you going over any schedule for the next few hours.” He headed to the kitchen and turned on the coffeemaker. “On the other hand, I can’t imagine who else you have made plans with.” Looking over his shoulder, he added, “Jeanette?”
“Don’t be silly,” she said. “What’s for breakfast? Can I help?”
“I’ll make eggs.” He brought the toaster to the dining table and plugged it into the nearest outlet. “Sit. You’re on toast duty.” He supplied her with bread, a knife, butter and jam before he went to work on the eggs. “I noticed you avoided my question. Are we back to having secrets?”
She slid two pieces of bread into the toaster. “Keegan, get serious. I’m pretty sure you and I have many secrets yet.”
Even with a view of just his profile, she could tell he was smiling. “True that,” he said.
“But don’t jump to any conclusions,” she said. “I plan to tell you everything when the time is right.”
“And since you’re dressed so fancy, with all those sparkly things, am I to assume that the same is required of me? Because if it is, I’m not going to like it.”
“No. You can dress in your customary Paul Bunyan clothes…” The ones she secretly adored. “But you might want to shave.” So when you give me a hug of appreciation, I won’t feel the whiskers.
They ate, as was Keegan’s habit, with the TV tuned in to a news channel. He made comments about the questionable political scene, frightening world events and the many mistakes he was sure leaders were making. “Another day in paradise,” he said, picking up the dishes.
“You should have stayed a reporter,” she said. “That way you’d have an outlet for all these complex opinions you have. Truthfully, they’re wasted on me. I happen to like most everything about the world we live in.” In case she sounded too naive, she added, “Well, there are some things I would change.”
He gave her a warm grin. “I just might be starting to appreciate your optimism.” He hung up the dish towel he’d been using. “I’ll get dressed now for what I’m guessing is a New Year’s Eve celebration of drinking beer and soda at a local pub in faux, not-even-breakable crystal glasses.”
She smiled. “Not even close.”
He reappeared after a shower and shave wearing a roomy brown-and-tan-checkered shirt over a clean brown Henley tucked neatly into his jeans. His hair, still damp, showed signs of attempted styling. Still, strands fell over his forehead looking adorably messy and touchable. “What am I ready for?” he asked.
“A drive,” she said. “And we’d better get going. It’s a two-hour drive, and we have to be there by one o’clock.”
He plopped down in his easy chair and rested his hands on his knees. “Okay, that’s it, Carrie. I need more to go on, so spill.”
“I know you do, and I’ll tell you everything when we’re in the car. Can’t you just trust me for right now?”
His features looked uncertain, as if he were actually debating an answer to her question. What if he told her that no, he couldn’t trust her? Luckily he nodded as he rose slowly from the chair. He moved forward as if his next steps might lead him into a pit of quicksand.
Carrie sympathized with him. A life as a reporter in the most dangerous locales must have made him cynical about trusting anyone.
“Let’s go,” he said. “As far as we’ll get anyway.”
She pointed him east toward a major interstate highway when they left the campground. Carrie kept up an animated conversation about the scenery, the weather, speculation on what Duke and Delores were doing today, what plans her family might have, and general questions about how Keegan had spent previous New Year’s celebrations.
After more than an hour had passed, he said, “I’m not going another mile without knowing our destination Carrie. It’s not that I think you’re part of some guerilla army planning an ambush, but my past has taught me to expect what might be in the road before I get there. So tell me where we’re headed.”
She sighed, knowing she had to tell him now. He’d been more than cooperative. She consulted the GPS on her cell phone. “Okay. Take exit twenty-three and head south toward Riverside Drive.”
“Riverside Drive? That’s the address of the airport. We didn’t drive all this way just to watch planes take off and land, did we? ’Cause I have to tell you, Carrie, I’d rather be watching football.”
“No, of course not. We’re only here to watch one particular plane land.”
“What plane? What are you talking about?” His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Who’s coming in on that plane?”
She’d been so sure, so confident of her plan. But suddenly his eyes, suspicious, alert to a potential problem, his mouth, curled downward into a frown of anticipated trouble, made her think that just maybe Taylor’s arrival wouldn’t go as she’d hoped.
She clasped her hands tightly in her lap and stared at his profile, trying not to concentrate on the muscles in his temple throbbing. “The plane is coming from Seattle, Keegan. It lands at one fifteen, and Taylor is on it.”
He swerved off the road but quickly righted the Tahoe. “What did you say?” His glare made her want to shrink into the seat. If they hadn’t been going sixty miles an hour, she might have considered jumping out.