Harte's Peak Read online

  “Your family?”

  “He was the liaison between my mother and me, had been since he met me. But then he didn’t want me to talk to my sister, Amy. Maybe he thought she would talk some sense into me.”

  “Did she?”

  “Yes. When she finally came to see me against his wishes and found me thinner than I’d been on the runway. Sick and pale. She told me that no matter what other people thought of Kevin, he was obviously not taking care of me.” She shrugged.

  “What happened?”

  “I didn’t leave right away, but then I found out he had been unfaithful to me, and when I told him I knew, he denied it. I asked him to stop. To give our marriage a chance. I tried to get him to go to counseling, but he wouldn’t listen. I tried to make it work, Ryan, but I had no choice. To this day my mother doesn’t get it. She’s clueless. She won’t understand that I tried. But Kevin, in his controlling way, wanted both worlds, and when I wouldn’t hear of it…” She stared off into the corner. “Anyway, that’s why I stopped going to church.”

  “Because of Kevin?”

  She nodded. “He convinced our church leaders that I’d been the bad wife, that I’d had the affairs and chosen to end the marriage. Kevin has a big personality, and he ambushes people who are trusting and openhearted.”

  “They blamed you?”

  “They sided with Kevin. I felt abandoned. A divorce is always difficult, but particularly when you lose your support system.”

  Ryan’s body tensed. He’d not trusted Kevin from the beginning. “I don’t know what to say, except that you deserved better than that.”

  “Don’t feel too sorry for me. I got a generous settlement in the divorce. Courtesy of a good attorney, not Kevin. But it allowed me to start over here in Harte’s Peak, buy my own home. And buy this café.” She looked around as though she was watching a child who had grown up too fast.

  His heart clenched.

  Vera might lose everything. She’d already started over once before. It wasn’t fair.

  “Vera, you won’t lose your house or your livelihood.” Not if he had anything to do with it.

  She smiled with such warmth that heat settled in and around places inside his heart. Don’t go there, Ryan. Don’t get ahead of yourself.

  Only a few stragglers remained in the café, and Annie closed up the register when he got up to leave. He didn’t want to, but he had the late shift.

  “I’ll walk you out.” Vera followed him outside to the parking lot and stood next to his truck.

  “Tomorrow at the gym. Meet you at five.”

  She nodded and then unexpectedly brought her arms up around his shoulders and hugged him tightly. “Thank you,” she whispered the words in his ear.

  His arms went around her waist, and he pulled her closer. Today she smelled like vanilla. Forgetting himself, he traced the curve of her face, finding impossibly soft skin. Until now, he hadn’t realized her beauty ran much more than skin deep.

  So much more.

  Annie, observing through the pane glass window, jerked him out of his daze and he let Vera go. He didn’t want to start anything he couldn’t finish.

  Vera’s vulnerability showed in every angle of her porcelain-like face. What she needed right now was a friend.

  And he resolved to be that friend.

  

  As the days passed, filled with agonizing trips to the gym and exhilarating days on the mountain, Vera grew used to Ryan, growing comfortable with his opening the doors for her, holding out a hand every time she fell, and never missing a chance to talk about the foundation.

  Rather than annoy her as it had in the beginning, she found it endearing that the man would not give up. And even though it meant he had less time for his own runs he gave her pointers every day.

  In two days, she’d face her qualifying race.

  They both would.

  Ryan had a much better chance than she did, but warmth spread in her because the two of them were a team.

  When it came time for Maggie’s baby shower, Vera took the day off from training, her first since she’d started this pursuit of the purse.

  The college tour Maggie’s daughter, Lexi, had planned conflicted with her mother’s baby shower. Lexi was a little disappointed, but she’d made the trip with Jack.

  Vera arrived with the cake as Lexi’s grandmother, Paula, was repositioning a table.

  “Good. The cake is here. Put it in there, dear.” Paula directed her to the kitchen.

  Vera found Maggie sitting on the stool in the kitchen, dark circles under her eyes. “I’m trying to stay out of their way. I’ve had a backache all day and I’m already exhausted. Good timing, huh?”

  “Rest and enjoy yourself. You’re to do nothing else today, but receive presents and eat.” Vera opened the refrigerator and set the cake inside.

  “I can’t wait for Jack and Lexi to come back. I miss them so much already.” Maggie sniffed. Since getting pregnant, it was not uncommon for Maggie to cry during commercials for kitty litter. .

  “When will they be back?”

  “Their flight home leaves tomorrow morning.” Maggie reached for a potato chip from the trays of snacks on the counter.

  “How does Lexi like the college?”

  Maggie had already expressed her fear that her daughter would move across the country to attend school. “Apparently, she loves it,” Maggie said, sounding as if she delivered a eulogy.

  “Don’t look so sad. It’s not written in stone. Something tells me she’ll want to be nearby to dote on her little brother.” She rubbed Maggie’s back.

  Vera’s gift, two packages of diapers, sat in the trunk of her car. She couldn’t face bringing them in yet. Vera wanted to buy something better, but according to her sister, diapers were the best gift one could give a new parent. For now, they’d have to do.

  If she won this tournament, or if Ryan did, she’d buy Maggie a much better gift. Not that it would make any difference to Maggie.

  “I’m supposed to talk some sense into you,” Maggie said.

  “About what?”

  “The tournament. What’s gotten into you? It sounds too dangerous.”

  “Ryan told you about the race?” What else had he told Maggie?

  “I saw him at church, and he assumed I already knew. But why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Maybe because I knew you’d try to talk me out of it?” Of all the differences between her and Maggie, their risk tolerance was the greatest.

  “Ryan asked me to do that, and I hoped you’d listen to reason,” Maggie said.

  “He’s still trying to do that? I thought he’d given up. I wish both of you would have a little more faith in my abilities.” Vera frowned.

  “It’s not that. I’ve never even known you to ski. You told me the last time you had was during that photo shoot in Telluride. That was years ago. You showed me photos, remember?”

  “So what? It came back to me like I thought it would.”

  “Enough to compete with those pros?” Maggie’s face flushed, and for a moment, Vera regretted that she had any part in the tension written there.

  “I’ll manage.”

  “You’re asking a lot of a woman in my condition, but something tells me I’ll spend the next couple of days on my knees.” Maggie shuffled a bit on the stool.

  “Thank you.” She’d take Maggie’s prayers any day of the week.

  “So how is the training going?” Maggie switched to full-on support mode and Vera breathed a sigh of relief.

  “The gym is not my favorite place, and it never will be, but it’s grown on me. And Ryan has been great, I have to admit.” More than great. Kind of dreamy, actually. Yesterday she had been sure he’d wanted to kiss her. But he must have thought twice about that. She’d told him all about her sordid past. A guy like Ryan needed a good woman and that certainly wasn’t her.

  Vera’s phone rang. She excused herself and pulled it out of her purse.

  “Ms. Carrington? This i
s Sally Wentworth from the Home is Where the Heart Is Foundation. Your name came up on our list and we can start the process as soon as we get your application and lender information.”

  “List? What list?”

  “The list of applicants who need assistance,” Sally said.

  Vera’s cheeks burned. She could feel the heat spread all the way down to her toes. “I don’t know where you got your information, but I didn’t apply to any list. There must be some mistake.”

  “I don’t think so. It’s right here. Someone put you on the list.” Sally spelled out Vera’s name and gave her home address. She had the right person. “So, do you still need the assistance or not?”

  She couldn’t speak for several seconds. “I’ll call you back.” Vera threw her cell phone back in her purse.

  Ryan. The nerve of that man. He’d completely disregarded what she wanted and added her to the list.

  She counted to ten and tried to calm down. This wasn’t the time or the place. She’d deal with Ryan soon enough.

  Maggie had moved and now sat in Jack’s recliner chair. A gutsy move, because it might be hard for her to get out of it.

  The guests arrived and before long, the party was in full swing with a large crowd of friends.

  Vera was in charge of the games and there were plenty of silly ones to play. Katie, from the bookstore, had directed her to a book with several great ideas.

  The time to open gifts arrived, and true to form, Paula had purchased the expensive stroller. At least Maggie had what she wanted. Even Vera’s gift of diapers was well received.

  After the cake was served, everyone gradually started to file out and leave tired Maggie alone to rest. The party had drained her. Her face looked flushed and sweaty.

  Paula left after helping Vera take down all the decorations and clean up the kitchen.

  “I can stay if you want.”

  “I’m afraid you have to. I think I’m in labor.” Maggie winced. “Help me up.”

  “Not funny. The party games are over.” Vera offered a hand and pulled Maggie out of the recliner.

  “I’m not kidding. How I wish I was. Jack’s not going to be here.” She started to cry.

  “It’s too soon, isn’t it? Can’t you do something?”

  “What exactly do you expect me to do?” Maggie asked, still sniffling as tears ran down her cheeks.

  “I don’t know, but there has to be something.”

  “Nothing will stop the baby from coming,” Maggie groaned, and the sound startled Vera. Oh mercy, she was serious.

  But premature babies did not do well and even though the size of Maggie’s stomach indicated she had a full grown one in there, how could anyone know for certain that the baby would be healthy?

  Calm down. Breathe.

  “But I don’t know what to do.” Vera fought to keep the panic out of her voice.

  “Take me to the hospital, dummy.” Maggie moaned and clutched her stomach.

  Of course, she could do that. In fact, she could do it quickly. Finally, a legitimate reason to speed through town. “I thought the baby wasn’t due for another four weeks.” She opened the back door of her car and eased Maggie inside.

  “No one told him. He will probably be ornery like his father,” Maggie said.

  “Someone should have told him,” Vera mumbled under her breath even as she realized that it made no sense. She got behind the wheel and hoped that the vehicle would be able to rise to the challenge. She’d observed the speed limit since she’d traded down, so she wasn’t sure how fast it could go.

  Tonight they would all find out.

  As she ramped up the speed, she fully expected Maggie to tell her to slow down. She revved the engine up to sixty-five on the narrow country road, a dangerous attempt for an inexperienced driver, but she could handle it.

  Maggie groaned from the back, “Hurry!”

  Oh, no, her best friend, who always followed the rules, wanted her to go faster. The sound of despair in Maggie’s voice caused a chill to run down Vera’s back. She floored it.

  Like clockwork, the siren blared loudly and the bright lights flashed.

  “Sorry, Maggie. I have to stop.” Of all the times to get pulled over.

  “Do it!” Maggie screamed. “You can get a police escort.”

  Why hadn’t she thought of that? Probably because Ryan was on duty and she was still too angry to speak to him. It would be difficult not to give him a piece of her mind. He shouldn’t have called the foundation on her behalf. He should have respected her wishes.

  She pulled over and jumped out of the car to meet Ryan.

  “Vera, what are you thinking?” he asked. “Do you have any idea how fast you were going?”

  “Maggie’s in the backseat, and she’s about to have her baby. I need to get to the hospital. Now.” She opened the car door so she could demonstrate.

  Maggie lay stretched out in the back, red faced, panting, and sweaty.

  “Now do you see?” Vera put her hands on her hips. “Am I vindicated?”

  He frowned. “We’ll have to talk about that later. It’s better to get to the hospital in one piece, and the way you were driving, I’m not so sure about that.”

  “The way I was driving? What are you trying to say? Listen, I know how to handle a car. I was doing fine.” She pointed her index finger in his direction for emphasis.

  “Seriously? Because what I saw—”

  Maggie interrupted with a blood curdling scream. “It’s too late. The baby’s coming!”

  8

  This couldn’t be happening. His best friend’s wife was about to give birth in the back of a car, and Vera wanted to argue about her racing skills.

  Maggie screamed.

  Vera didn’t move. “What do we do?”

  He’d wasted time arguing with her. There were so many things to do at once: radio dispatch for help, place flares on the road for safety, find some way to keep the baby warm, get blankets or towels, and deliver the baby.

  Deliver the baby!

  How was he supposed to do that? He’d had the same amount of CPR training as every other officer on the force, but he prayed he wouldn’t need it. As for delivering babies, there was nothing in the manual about that.

  He calculated how Vera could best help him. Panic was etched on every angle of her face in a way he’d never seen before. He had to calm her down, because he desperately needed her. He grasped her shoulders and tried to get her wild gaze to focus on his own. “Here are my keys. In the trunk of my cruiser, I have a thermo blanket and a first aid kit. Bring that back to me and anything else you think we can use.”

  No time for the road flares. His cruiser with flashing lights behind Vera’s car should be enough of a warning to any passing motorists.

  He worried about the cold–approximately thirty degrees and definitely not the ideal kind of temperature for a newborn. They’d have to get the baby warm immediately.

  He radioed dispatch for help and explained the situation. They’d send the paramedics and an ambulance. Unfortunately, unless they traveled at Mach 5 they were going to be too late.

  He crouched outside the back door, halfway in. Maggie was stretched out on the small backseat sobbing.

  “This is not happening. Not here. Not now.” Maggie shook her head.

  “Look at me, Maggie.” He took her hand in his. “You can do this.”

  They were out of time.

  Ryan sent up a prayer. God was with them in this little car on the side of the road. He was always with them. Like He was with Ryan every time he went down the slopes, heart in his throat. And He would get them through this.

  Vera arrived with the first aid kit, the thermo blanket, a towel he kept in the back for trips to the gym, a flashlight, a gallon of drinking water, and a granola bar.

  “Are you hungry?” He took the first aid kit, thermo blanket, and towel and let her hold the rest for now.

  She stared at the granola bar. “I grabbed everything.”

 
; “I need you to turn the car heater up as high as it will go. We need to keep it as warm in here as we can for the baby.”

  He took the water and poured some over his hands.

  “What else can I do?” Vera got back in the car and bent over the front seat to reach for Maggie’s hand.

  “Pray for my baby,” Maggie begged between moans.

  “I will,” Vera whispered.

  Ryan exchanged looks with Vera. He hoped she would pray for him, too. Right now, he needed it.

  “Dispatch, can you patch me through to the paramedics? Walk me through this?” He controlled his voice to what he hoped would be a soothing tone. No need to let Maggie know he had no clue what he was doing. He opened up the first aid kit and found a pair of plastic gloves.

  “Hey, Ryan. It’s Tagg Redfield with County. I’m going to walk you through. First check for the baby’s head.”

  Ryan held his breath when he saw the baby’s head clearly visible and continued to listen to Tagg’s instructions.

  “I want you to support the neck when the head comes out, and it may be any second now. Nature is pretty much going to take its course. When the baby comes out, wrap it in something warm. We’re ETA four minutes.”

  “Did you hear that?” Ryan encouraged Maggie.

  Maggie shook her head. “I have to push!”

  Vera brushed Maggie’s hair aside. “It’s OK. We’re here. Your baby is going to be fine.”

  By the second push, the head was all the way out.

  With the towel, Ryan supported its neck. “You’re doing great,” he assured Maggie.

  Maggie moaned and pushed again, and the baby’s shoulders and torso slipped out into Ryan’s waiting hands, a milky white substance covering its body. He wiped the baby off with the towel.

  Vera handed him the thermo blanket.

  He wrapped it around the newborn, and then lifted him into Maggie’s arms.

  “Thank You, God. It’s my baby boy. He’s OK.” Maggie cried.

  The infant let out a loud squeal a second after being born. That had to be a good thing.

  Relief flooded through Ryan. “I’ll be right back.” Ryan stepped away and shut the door to keep the heat inside.