“Yes. I came up with it last year.”
He nodded. “It tastes like you. I mean, like something you’d create.”
She took a sip from her own mug, willing her heart rate to return to normal. She’d thought it had been hard seeing him in South Dakota at her grandmother’s funeral and then again at the hospital when Morgan was there—seeing him now, in her shop, was so much harder. It was as though pain had just trespassed on her sanctuary.
“I have to tell you, Alana, I was so glad you called me when Morgan came down with appendicitis. Hearing your voice again after all these years—it brought back a lot of memories. Good memories.” Rusty leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. “I’ve missed you.”
He had a few more smile lines, but he was still the same Rusty, every bit of him. Alana felt eighteen years old again as she looked at him. She self-consciously tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’ve missed you too,” she said. “In fact, seeing you again also jiggled some memories loose for me. I’ve been thinking about the good old days quite a bit over the last week or so.”
A look of regret shot across his features. “I wish those were all happy thoughts for you, but I know they weren’t, and I’m sorry.”
Alana shrugged one shoulder, trying to look casual. “You were right. What did I know about the world? You were a man, and I was a girl. I couldn’t have been your equal partner. I was foolish to think it could have worked between us.”
He took a sip and then set his mug down on the table. “How have you been, Alana? Really?”
Alana didn’t pretend not to know what he was talking about. Her relationship with Vince had been the talk of their small farming community. “After my divorce, I left home and got some education under my belt. Then I came here and started up this little shop. Aspen Ridge has been exactly what I needed. It’s quiet, but I get enough business to keep me afloat. I have good, good friends, and you know that Rory lives here too.”
Rusty nodded.
“I feel centered here, calm, at peace. I honestly have everything I’ve ever wanted.” Except you. The words remained unspoken, but she felt them as though they had been shouted.
“I’m glad to hear that. I really am.”
“What about you? I heard some interesting rumors while I was in town for Grandma’s funeral.”
Rusty chuckled, but it must have caught in his throat because he began to cough. He grabbed his mug and took several swallows. “Um, yeah, life’s taken me down an unusual path too. Tori and I were together for a while, and then one day, she decided that being married to a country vet wasn’t her style and she left. We didn’t have any children, which was good because they weren’t in the middle of it, but bad because I really wanted them. Tori never did, though, and I didn’t know that about her. I’d thought we were on the same page all the way down the line.”
“Where is Tori now?” Alana asked.
“Living in Chicago. She was so tired of living in a little community that she went and found one of the biggest towns she could. As far as I know, she’s happy.”
“And do you hear anything about Vince?” She wasn’t sure why she asked—it just slipped out. She’d never loved him, but she had been his wife for however short a time it was, and she did care what happened to him. Even if he was a scumbag.
“He’s a truck driver working out of Rapid City. I’ve run into him a few times. He seems to be doing all right. Has a wife and a little boy about five years old, I’d say.”
Alana nodded. She hoped he was treating them right. Thanks to her, he had a police record, and maybe that had been enough to scare him straight. “So, tell me, Rusty. What brings you to town? Aspen Ridge isn’t exactly a bustling center of commerce—you must have a specific reason to be here.”
“I do. I wanted to see you.”
She blinked and leaned back in her chair. “To see me? Why?”
“Because I’ve missed you. Because we didn’t get a real chance to talk while you were in town. Because if I didn’t, I would always wish that I had.” He met her eyes with a frank gaze. “You and I are still connected, Alana. We always will be.”
She closed her eyes against the truthfulness of his words. There would always be that bond, that strange oneness they’d formed back when she worked for him. It was like the tug of a rope bringing her closer to him. She’d tried to ignore it for years, but now, sitting here with him, it felt almost like a tangible pulse between them. “I know,” she said softly. “But what does it mean?”
“I don’t know.”
She opened her eyes and saw him staring at the floor.
“I’m on my way to San Diego for a conference. I decided to come through here so I could see you. I’ll be there for a week and I’ll be coming back this way again. I’d like to stay for a day or two, spend some time with you. Figure out whatever this is.” He waved his hand back and forth between them. “I haven’t forgotten you, Alana. Not for one minute. And I need to find out why.”
“You should know that I’m seeing someone.” It felt so good to be able to say those words, to put up an emotional barrier to protect herself from whatever was about to happen. The universe had been telling her to put the past behind her and prepare for new possibilities . . . but how could she put the past behind her when it was here, staring her in the face?
“If you’d rather I not come back, I’ll stay away,” Rusty said. “But to use your own philosophies for my benefit, there’s a reason for this. There’s a reason for us to see each other again. And I’d like to find out what it is.”
She nodded a couple of times. “All right. Yes. Go ahead and stop back in on your way home. It’ll be good to see you.”
Rusty chuckled. “You don’t really mean that. You’re sitting there right now, wishing I’d just go away.’
“You always were perceptive.” She stared into her cup for a moment, her gaze needing a place to be. “This is hard, I’ll admit, and I’m not sure what you’re hoping to accomplish by being here. But all right. Let’s figure it out. I’ll make time for you. There’s a huge hotel up at the ski lodge, or there are a few bed-and-breakfasts here in town where you can stay. I’ll let Adam know you’ll be here. He’s my boyfriend.”
Rusty nodded. “Fair enough. I’ll see you in a week.”
She stood when he did and walked him over to the door. He reached out and laid his hand on her shoulder. “Thanks, Alana. This means a lot to me.”
“You’re welcome.”
After the door closed behind him, she leaned against it and exhaled loudly. What was he hoping to learn or gain or prove? And why could she still feel her arm tingling from when he touched her?
Chapter Nine
Alana hadn’t slept at all the night before. She’d even brewed up some chamomile tea and pulled out the most boring book she owned, but nothing she did had taken Rusty’s face out of her mind. Finally, around three in the morning, she’d turned on Netflix and watched some murder mysteries, trying to lose herself in the fiction because her reality was so messed up.
She got ready on automatic and headed down to the shop. Surprisingly, the person on her mind as she approached Thyme in a Bottle wasn’t Rusty, but Melinda. She had the irresistible urge to check in with her friend before starting her workday. Maybe she just wanted to talk about Rusty—Melinda was always good for a chat. Alana saw her car parked outside Woolgathering as she turned onto Main Street. Good—she could visit with her friend at the shop instead of having to go over to her house.
Alana tugged on the door handle and was surprised to find that the shop was still locked up tight. That was odd—it was one minute after nine, and Melinda was always right on the dot. Alana cupped her hands around her eyes and tried to see inside, but not a single light had been turned on. This was so strange. She pulled out her cell phone and sent her friend a quick text. Are you okay? I’m standing outside.
She waited for another minute, then dug in her purse for her key chain. She and Melinda had exchanged shop keys the
previous year just in case they’d ever need to have a spare. She’d almost thought it was a silly idea at the time, but Melinda had insisted, and now Alana wondered if she’d been having a premonition.
“Melinda?” she called out as she entered the store. She heard nothing, so she pulled the key from the lock and closed the door behind her. “Melinda?”
She rounded the first aisle of yarn and saw Melinda lying on the floor, apparently unconscious. She ran to her friend’s side and dropped to her knees, checking her pulse. It was very faint.
“Yes, I need an ambulance at Woolgathering on Main Street,” she said to the emergency operator who answered her cell phone call. “I just found a cancer patient unconscious on the floor.”
* * *
Adam came dashing into the waiting room where Alana had been pacing the floor for the last hour. He had never looked better to her than he did in that moment—the relief she felt nearly made her knees buckle. “Where is she?” he asked, not bothering with preliminaries. That was just fine by Alana—Melinda was the priority right now.
“Through those doors.” Alana indicated with her head.
Adam strode up to the nurses’ station. “I’m Dr. Adam Harris. I have privileges at this hospital, and you have one of my patients back there. Melinda Reynolds.”
The nurse punched some buttons on her computer. “Yes, Dr. Harris. I see you on our list, and if you’ll follow me, I’ll take you right back.”
Adam turned to Alana. “I’ll let you know as soon as I find out anything.”
“Thanks,” she barely had time to say before he disappeared.
Alana tried to sit down and stop pacing, but she was so jittery, she had to get back up and keep moving. How long was this going to take? Why didn’t they know anything yet? Thank goodness she’d had the thought to go check on Melinda. It was moments like this that confirmed her belief that the universe was watching over them, somehow guiding them where they needed to be.
When Adam came back out some time later, his face was grim. “Come with me,” he said, glancing around the waiting room and slipping his hand under Alana’s elbow. He guided her down the hall to an area that was a little more private. “Melinda’s test results were delivered to my office this morning, and I had them faxed here as soon as I arrived so these doctors could see them too.” He passed a hand over his face. “She’s not doing very well. The cancer has spread farther throughout her body, and her system is being attacked from several directions now.”
“Even with the chemo?”
“Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. It’s a risk we take with every patient. I wish there was one answer for everyone, one magic pill or cure-all, but there’s not.”
Alana couldn’t wrap her head around it. “She seemed to be doing better.”
“She did. But we just did some ultrasounds, and we can tell even before we do a CT scan that she has large tumors on her liver. They’ll be wheeling her down for more tests in a minute, but that preliminary look tells me this isn’t good.”
Alana stared at the wall, unable to process what he was telling her. “Melinda’s my age,” she said. “She’s not very old.”
“Cancer doesn’t discriminate.” Adam placed his hand on Alana’s shoulder. “Are you all right?”
“I don’t know,” she answered truthfully. “I just thought she was going to make it, you know?”
“We don’t have a conclusive prognosis for her yet,” Adam said.
“Oh, don’t pull out your fancy doctor speak with me,” Alana replied, batting a hand at him. “We both know you’ve been trying for five minutes to break it to me gently.”
He nodded. “You’re right. I believe she has a matter of weeks. Of course, once the CT scan is done, we’ll know more.”
Alana pressed on her temples with her fingertips. “I’m glad you were able to get here so quickly.”
“Well, truth be told, I was already halfway here. I decided I needed to come see you.”
“You’re turning this into a rather bad habit, aren’t you?”
He smiled. “I can think of much worse habits to have.”
“And what did you want to see me about?”
“Well, given all this, I’m not sure it’s the right time . . .” He gestured to the hospital around them.
“It must be important if you were coming here in the middle of the day when I know how busy you are,” Alana protested. “Just tell me.”
“Okay. I was coming because of this.” He slid his hand behind her head and brought her toward him for a kiss. She leaned into him and enjoyed the moment. Rusty flashed through her mind, but she pushed him out and concentrated on Adam. This was where she wanted to be—with him, in his arms.
“So, you left your office and drove an hour each way just to kiss me?” she asked when Adam pulled away.
“That’s right. I did. Is that a problem?”
“No, not a problem.” She trailed her finger along his jawline. “I rather liked it.”
“Good. Because I might do it again.” He smiled, but then his eyes grew serious. “About Melinda. There’s something I can do, but I don’t know if I should.”
“And what’s that?”
“I could go in and try to remove some of the diseased portions of liver. It might not do any good whatsoever and it might make her feel worse, which is why I’m hesitant. In fact, there is a risk that she might not make it off the table. I typically wouldn’t do this type of surgery on a case so advanced, but something’s nudging me to try—whether it’s your friendship for her or what, I don’t know. But let me talk to some colleagues and gather some different opinions, all right?”
Alana barely dared to breathe. If this worked—even if it just bought Melinda a little more time—she couldn’t even process it.
Adam led her over to a chair and lowered her into it. “I’ll be back in a little bit. I’ve got some calls to make, and I need to take another look at those test results. Will you be all right? Can you call another friend to come sit with you?”
Alana nodded. “I’ll call my sister-in-law.”
“All right.” He bent down and kissed her swiftly. “Call my cell if you need anything.” He disappeared down the hall, and Alana texted Morgan. It was still during business hours, so she wasn’t expecting a reply. And she really wasn’t expecting Morgan to show up at the hospital, but that’s exactly what she did just twenty minutes later.
“Hey,” Morgan said, taking the seat next to Alana and reaching for her hand. “What’s going on?”
Alana filled Morgan in on everything that was happening with Melinda, concluding with, “And this hospital is so small, I don’t know what they can really do for her here. What if they have to transport her to Denver? That would be miserable for her.”
“It’ll be all right,” Morgan assured her. “Her doctor’s in there with her now, right? That’s what you just said? He’ll make sure she gets everything she needs.” Then Morgan nudged her with her elbow. “And if I stick around long enough, I can meet this guy, right? Come on—can I?”
Alana nodded. “Yes, you can meet him. And things have gotten maybe a little more serious than they were last week.”
“Serious? Oh, I like the sound of that. And he’s not a jerk anymore?”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far.”
Both women looked up at the sound of Adam’s voice. He was leaning against the wall, smiling at them.
“Oh, hi. I’m Alana’s sister-in-law, Morgan. And I habitually say the wrong things at the wrong time. That’s sort of my job around here.” Morgan stuck out her hand, and Adam shook it.
“It’s good to meet you, Morgan. And to answer your question, I’m sure I’m still a jerk. But thankfully, Alana is a very compassionate and forgiving person.”
Alana couldn’t sit quietly. “What did you find out, Adam?”
“I found out that I can do the surgery, but we’ll need to fly her to Denver.”
“I was worried about that.”
“We’ll sedate her before we load her onto the helicopter, and it’s a very short ride. We’ll barely have taken off before it’s time to land again, and I’ll go with her.”
Alana reached out blindly for his hand, and he took it. “When will you leave?”
“Probably not for about two hours. We’re having a helicopter sent from Denver to get her, as this hospital doesn’t have one on standby. Then there’s the paperwork and so forth.”
“They should get a helicopter here.”
“Yes, they should.” Adam pulled her to his chest, and she cried until his shoulder was wet.
Chapter Ten
Morgan drove Alana to Denver while Adam rode with Melinda in the helicopter. Alana closed her eyes, feeling the movement of the car as it navigated the curving canyon roads. “Adam’s a good doctor,” Morgan said. “I googled him when you first told me his name—he’s got an amazing reputation.”
Alana opened her eyes and looked over at her friend. “You googled him? Isn’t that kind of stalkerish?”
“Well, he came in your shop and yelled at you. I think that entitles me to be a little stalkerish, don’t you? I mean, what if we needed to get a restraining order or something?”
“Point taken.” Alana closed her eyes again. “Rusty came by the shop yesterday.”
“Wait. What? Rusty’s in town?”
“He stopped in on his way to some conference or another in California. Says he wants to spend a few days in Aspen Ridge on his way back.”
Morgan was quiet for a moment. “Is that good or bad?”
“I don’t know, to be honest.” Alana tugged at her seatbelt. It suddenly felt like it was strangling her. “I can’t explain it. He walked in, I looked up and saw him, and suddenly, I felt vulnerable, exposed, like I was just waiting for him to hurt me again. That was all seventeen years ago and I’m an adult now, but that didn’t seem to matter.” She passed a hand over her face. “And it’s not like he meant to hurt me—he just didn’t love me. That’s not something I can hold against him.”
In The Stars (Main Street Merchants Book 6) Page 7
