Winter Wonders

by Delia Latham

  Brady laughed. “Name’s Brady Merckle. I’m the pastor of a church in Cambria, where the pieces of your broken plane still mark your bumpy landing. I happened to be nearby the crash site. Miss Angie and I did what we could for you and your sister until the ambulance arrived.” He’d done far less than Miss Angie, but he couldn’t and wouldn’t explain all that. Miss Angie had indicated he should keep those strange events between the two of them. “I was planning to drop in on Kalani next, but I guess I need to know what I should call her instead of…well, her name.”

  “Who’s Miss Angie?” Kai’s gaze narrowed on Brady’s face. The young man clearly wasn’t eager to divulge too much information about his sister.

  “Miss Angelina Love. She owns Paradise Pines Lodge, a couple miles outside of town. Your plane is scattered in several rather ugly heaps of metal on a piece of her land.”

  “Oh.” Kai heaved a hefty sigh. “I’m thankful my sister and I are alive, but I gotta admit, I’m not eager to hear what my business partner has to say about me destroying our puddle jumper. She wasn’t anything fancy, but he was proud of her. So was I. The two of us rebuilt the old girl from what was basically a shell. It was quite a process—fun, yeah, but also frustrating, time-consuming and downright discouraging now and then.”

  “I’m so sorry, Kai. What happened up there?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t even know. Frank and I checked her out, as we always do before any flight. She was in great condition. Not a single problem—at least, none that we detected.” His expression turned glum. “Clearly we missed something. She just started making weird noises, dipping and diving like a stunt plane, which she’d never been and wasn’t intended to be—and I’m not a stunt pilot.” He sighed. “I don’t even know how to explain it. It was like someone else took over, and I wasn’t able to regain control.”

  “You, uh…” Brady hesitated. He was on touchy ground now. “You hadn’t been drinking, had you?”

  Kai stiffened and glowered at Brady. “Not a chance. I don’t drink, and even if I did, I’d never touch the stuff before a flight—especially with my sister on board.”

  If he was lying, Brady saw no sign of it in the man’s voice or expression. “What about meds? You’re not taking anything that might have caused a reaction?”

  “No, sir. And before you ask, I don’t do drugs. I may not be Einstein, but I’m not stupid either.”

  Brady chuckled. “I believe you, Kai. No need to get all defensive. I’m just curious about what happened—as I’m sure you are.”

  The younger man held Brady’s gaze for a long, tense moment before his shoulders relaxed and he blew out the breath he’d been holding. “I am. Not that it really matters, I guess. We’re alive, and that’s what counts for now.” He gave Brady a shaky smile. “’Course, when my parents and my partner get through with me, I may not think that’s such a blessing.”

  Laughing, Brady stood and squeezed Kai’s shoulder. “I think you’ll find your family—and your business partner—will just be glad you survived.” He pushed his chair back against the wall and hiked a brow at the patient. “So, you gonna tell me what I should call your sister to keep from losing my head?”

  Kai’s burst of laughter warmed Brady’s heart. He liked the guy, and he had a good feeling about him. “Kalani changed her name to Winter when she decided to be a journalist. Said Winter Wonder sounded more like a celebrity than Kalani Wonder.” He rolled his eyes. “We’re twins, and I love her with all my heart, but I’ve never understood that decision. I try to respect it, but—” A big, open grin spread across his face. “I have to admit, I call her Kalani every once in a while to get her dander up, just for the fun of it.”

  Brady managed to laugh, but he felt a little sick as he told Kai goodbye.

  Winter Wonder. Why hadn’t he figured that out? The woman worked for that television station up in Cornelius Cove. They focused solely on Central Coast news, and Winter Wonder was the star of their human-interest segment.

  Brady had listened to her news spot a couple of times, but he tended to avoid all but top world events. Hearing other folks’ private lives revealed to the world, or watching them squirm while some journalist unearthed secrets for no reason other than “a good story”—well, that just wasn’t his cup of tea. He’d hate to be the poor fish squirming on the end of that kind of hook.

  That’s why he’d come to Cambria ten years ago—to avoid the hungry questions of the press, and to remove himself from a public who could be ardent fans one moment and snarling beasts the next.

  Avoiding Winter Wonder entirely would probably be the prudent thing to do. But he couldn’t. Despite everything, Brady was a minister. He’d been on the scene when the Wonder siblings crashed to the ground, and that gave him an unofficial responsibility to look in on them, make sure they had everything they needed and were as comfortable as possible.

  He made his way to room 210, but stopped outside the door and bowed his head. “Father, I’m not sure what You’re up to with all this, but please lead and guide me. Shine a light on my path, and don’t let me stray from Your will. If I can help this brother and sister, of course I want to do that.” He opened his eyes, then sighed and closed them again. “On the other hand…Lord, if You can see Your way clear to letting this cup pass from me, I’d sure be happy not to have to drink it.”

  Then he opened his eyes, lifted his chin, straightened his shoulders, and strode into Kalani Winter Wonder’s hospital room.

  

  

  What could be more frustrating than being stuck in a bed when she had no reason to be? Winter felt fine. A few scratches on her arms and legs bore witness to the fact she’d been in a plane crash the day before, and she couldn’t deny being sore all over, as though she’d been run over by a semi and lived to tell the tale. Her right leg, in particular, protested with the slightest move. But her head was clear, and she had no broken bones to show for the experience.

  Why wouldn’t the doctor just release her? She had a job to do and a brother to look in on. According to every person she’d asked, Kai was OK, but she wouldn’t completely believe them until she saw him for herself.

  Tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap.

  Startled, Winter’s gaze flew to the window. Her nurse had told her she was on the second floor, so—aside from the fact she was in a hospital—it seemed strange that anyone would be tapping on her window.

  What she saw stole her breath and made her wonder if the doctors had overlooked a head injury after all.

  A stunning cardinal hovered outside her window, vivid red wings fluttering. The instant Winter spotted him, he executed a beautiful dance of wings. For her benefit? The bird then perched on a narrow ledge, tilted his body to the right, fluttered his left wing, and repeated the process in the other direction. Then he lifted off the ledge and flew in a slow circle around the window’s perimeter.

  Winter’s lungs protested, and she pulled in a breath, never taking her gaze from her bright visitor. The cardinal landed on the ledge again and tapped on the window with his beak before flying to a nearby branch—still within Winter’s range of vision—where he gave his wings one last graceful wave. Then he simply sat there. Watching her.

  Pupule.

  Would she ever break the habit of thinking in Hawaiian when she couldn’t make English work? In her own defense, it was crazy—in any language. No matter what it looked like, that silly bird wasn’t watching her. Even the little show outside her window hadn’t been for her benefit. A female cardinal must be somewhere in the vicinity. The little creature was merely courting, and Winter happened to be a fascinated witness.

  Except that explanation didn’t seem quite so plausible when the cardinal returned to the ledge every twenty minutes or so, tapped out a hello, and danced for her again.

  Winter stared at the window, her heart pounding in both wonder and dread. She probably should ring for a nurse and confess to having hallucinations. But if she did that, they’d wheel her out
of this room and put her through a bunch of tests, and she’d miss the cardinal’s next show.

  Tap-tap-tap.

  She gasped when the sound came from behind her. Her door, not the window. She turned her head too quickly, and a sharp pain raced from the top of her neck into her shoulder. “Ouch!” Winter glared toward the door, and then stared.

  Ka anela kanaka. The angel man. But…he’d just been part of her dreams, hadn’t he? Her heart beat out a noisy, clamoring tattoo. She opened her mouth, and closed it. How was one supposed to greet an angel who looked like an incredibly handsome, dark-eyed, smiling, perfect man?

  “Sorry if I startled you.” He hiked one eyebrow and dipped the other. “May I come in?”

  She nodded, but didn’t attempt an answer, certain her voice wouldn’t make it past her tight throat anyway.

  The man—who didn’t have wings—crossed the floor to stand at her bedside. He was tall. At least six feet, and maybe an extra inch or so. Vivid, sapphire blue eyes held a charming twinkle, enhanced by the unruly lock of black hair that fell over his forehead. If he was a real man and not a heavenly being, his smile alone would leave behind a trail of swooning females.

  Winter swallowed hard. Divine being he might or might not be, but her own heart was doing a fine job of swooning even now.

  “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

  She shook her head. “N—no. Huh-uh. Uhm, I mean, I wasn’t asleep.”

  He chuckled. “Well, I have a feeling you’re being polite. Thank you for that.” He tilted his head, narrowed his gaze, and let it roam her face, leaving a trail of warmth wherever it touched. “How are you feeling today?”

  “Fine. I’m fine, thank you.”

  He twisted a pair of firm, full lips to one side, bringing out a single dimple and accenting a strong chin with the slightest of clefts. “You sure about that?”

  Winter gave herself a mental shake and managed a shaky smile. “Yes, I’m OK. I’m just surprised to see you. I—I thought you were a dream, and then…well, obviously, you’re not.”

  “A dream, huh?” His soft, warm laughter eased the tension in Winter’s chest. “You were a little out of it when I saw you last, but you seemed to think I was an angel at the time. Why is it you keep thinking I’m not real?”

  Oh, he was real, all right. Too real, and far too good-looking.

  “So you were there, at the crash?”

  “Well, a few moments afterward, yes. My friend and I tried to help until the ambulance arrived. I’m glad to see you looking so well.”

  “Thank you. I—”

  Tap-tap-tap.

  Winter spun toward the window. “He’s back again.”

  “I do not believe this.” Her visitor’s deep, rich voice flowed over her senses like warm honey—rich, smooth, and oh-so-sweet. “He found you.”

  Still mesmerized by the avian performance outside her window, Winter didn’t look away, but she stiffened in response to the strange words. “What do you mean?”

  “The cardinal. He was there, at the crash site yesterday.”

  The bird flew to his perch in the nearby branch, and Winter turned to study her visitor. “What are you talking about?”

  “He was there.” He glanced around the room, pulled a chair close to her side and gestured toward it. “If you’ll allow me to sit with you a few moments, I’ll tell you all about it.”

  4

  “You’re saying this cardinal—or one who looks like him, which is pretty much every other cardinal in existence—nestled against my face and maybe even healed a wound on my head?”

  Brady nodded. “Yes.”

  “O Ia wale nō...Kamehameha.” The green in Winter’s eyes had almost obliterated the gray. She shook her head. “I’m sorry. What I said was, ‘That’s just crazy.’ You seem like a really nice man, but I think you maybe had one nip too many last night.”

  He laughed. “I can’t say I blame you for thinking so, but I don’t drink. Nary a drop. Ever.”

  Dark eyebrows that matched the long eyelashes in contrast with the gold of her hair rose up under her bangs. “You’re kidding. Never? Who doesn’t drink these days—at least socially? I mean, other than old fogies and Christian fanatics.”

  Brady grinned.

  The woman’s eyes widened. “Oh, no. Which are you?”

  “I believe you’d probably call me a religious fanatic. I pastor a small church in Cambria.”

  Her cheeks pinked. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.” She rolled her eyes. “OK. Help me out here. Any advice on how to remove a firmly lodged foot from one’s mouth?”

  “Bite it off?” At the shocked expression on the patient’s face, Brady relented and laughed—probably louder than he should have within the walls of a medical facility, but he couldn’t help himself. “I’m kidding. Seriously.”

  “You’re kidding seriously? Is that even possible?”

  “Aha! Got me back.”

  “Maybe a little.” Her smile revealed a dimple in one cheek and accentuated the cute, barely-there cleft in her chin. “But you have to admit, I wouldn’t have made such a fool of myself had you not tried to shock me with that ridiculous cardinal tale.”

  “A true tale. I don’t have the kind of imagination to come up with something like that on my own.”

  “So this bird landed on me while I was sleeping, or unconscious, or whatever, wrapped his wings around my wound, laid his little red head on top of it, and made me all better.”

  “All I know is that he sat on your shoulder and pulled that wraparound stunt with his wings. After which, the wound on your head was gone.” He held up a hand when she tried to interrupt. “And you did, in fact, open your eyes and look at me after the bird went away. I mean, you really looked at me. You’d tried to take things in earlier, but I’m not sure you were aware. You just said you had a really bad headache and asked about—” He broke off as puzzle pieces came together in his head. “Pardon me for asking, but are you having any unexplained pain? I don’t mean just being sore from the crash. I’m talking about real pain that the doctors have no explanation for.”

  She eyed him as if he’d grown an extra ear between his eyes, but she nodded. “Actually, yes. My—”

  “Wait.” Brady interrupted and held up a hand to silence her. “Let me. Your right leg.”

  “How—?” She huffed out a breath. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those psychic preachers who looks into a person’s soul and somehow divines their secret sins and hidden ailments?”

  Although Winter was clearly trying to make a joke of her question, unease clouded her eyes.

  “No, not even close. But if you happen to know a preacher like that, I’d be interested in meeting him.” He laughed.

  She did too…after studying his face for a moment. “You really had me going there for a minute. So, if you’re not a mind-reading miracle man, how did you know my right leg is hurting, for no apparent reason?”

  “Just a hunch. I just left your brother’s room, and he’s doing great…except for a killer headache, even though there’s no sign of a head injury—not even a little bump or a scratch. However, I happen to know that when Miss Angie and I found you two out at the crash site, Kai’s right leg looked downright scary. He has a pretty impressive cut on his leg that he doesn’t feel at all—says it’s just a scratch. And you…well, you had that nasty laceration on your head.”

  “Oh.” She blinked, but didn’t seem freaked out. “Well, that makes sense. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier. Kai and I have always had some kind of twin connection. We often share each other’s pain, and even symptoms of illness.” She smiled, and her eyes went a little hazy. “When we were kids, I was exposed to chicken pox in my class at school. I got sick, had the fever and the all-over achiness. But Kai…”

  She smiled at Brady and nearly stopped his heart. Dear Lord, this woman was beautiful!

  “He got all the itchy, nasty blisters.”

  “Ouch. Poor Kai.”r />
  “Yeah. But then again, I endured the dizziness and vertigo when Kai had an awful inner ear infection. So it balances out, I guess.”

  “That’s amazing.”

  “Well, it can be interesting, I’ll give you that.” She plumped her pillow and pushed a button to raise the head of her bed. “Kai has forbidden me from ever bearing children, for obvious reasons.” She tilted her head and narrowed those killer eyes. “So, you mentioned Miss Angie. Who is that?”

  “That would be me.” The voice came from behind Brady.

  He grinned and turned to welcome the older woman with a hug. “How did you get here?”

  “Oh, Raine and Summer came by. They’d heard about the crash, and insisted they had to see for themselves that I was all right. You’d think I’d been in that plane myself.” A pleasant trill of musical laughter filled the room, despite the soft timbre of Miss Angie’s voice. “I asked them to bring me to the hospital, since they were coming into San Luis Obispo anyway. I had a feeling someone would be around to take me home.”

  She patted Brady’s cheek and gave him a saucy grin and a teasing wink, and then turned to the patient. “And you, my dear. Don’t you look lovely, considering you came hurtling out of the sky in such a frightening manner!” She took Winter’s hand. “When they let you out of here, you’re coming to the lodge. My rental apartment is empty—which absolutely never happens. Now I know why God didn’t send anyone to Paradise Pines for the winter. He knew you and Kai would need a place to stay.”

  “Why, thank you, Miss Angie!” Winter’s warm smile sent a jolt through Brady’s heart. “I’m sure Paradise Pines is lovely, and sometime I’d be delighted to take you up on your offer, but I can’t right now. As soon as they let me out of this bed, I have to get back to work. I’m in the middle of an assignment, and this little detour has thrown quite a wrench into the works.”

  Brady swallowed his disappointment, though Winter’s polite refusal of Miss Angie’s offer didn’t surprise him. As sweet and beautiful as the lodge owner was, this young woman didn’t know her. Winter was a strong, independent journalist with a definite mind of her own. She wasn’t likely to go along with being told what to do.