Annie ran toward her mother and hugged her for a long time. “How are we ever going to thank you for what you’ve done?”
Her mom teared up. “Seeing the two of you looking like a pair of lovesick teenagers is all the thanks I’ll ever want.”
“We couldn’t have had the kind of honeymoon we needed if we hadn’t known she was with the two people she adores.” So saying, Chase engulfed Annie’s mother in his arms.
“Where is she?” Annie could hardly wait to see her.
“She and your dad walked are over to the Rossiters to visit with Rachel’s parents. The drove up from Oakhurst this morning to spend the weekend. I just took a pie out of the oven and was about to go over there myself.”
“It smelled like heaven when we walked in.”
She smiled at Chase. “Roberta told me apple was your favorite. I wanted you to have something to munch on when you got back.”
Annie’s husband gave her mother another squeeze. “If your daughter didn’t make me so happy, we would have come home yesterday as planned. I think I’ll grab myself a slice of it right now while it’s hot.”
He headed for the kitchen ostensibly because he was hungry, but he’d left them alone on purpose for a moment to let them catch up in private. The two women shared a knowing glance.
“You’ve turned him into a different man.”
“I’m married to the most wonderful man alive.”
“So am I. Aren’t we lucky?”
“Oh, yes—we are!” Annie couldn’t resist hugging her mom again. “How did Roberta handle it? Really, I mean.”
“Much better than I would have supposed. Chase’s decision to stay in his house made all the difference. She and Nicky have drawn close over the last week. I heard her tell your father she wouldn’t mind a little brother.”
Annie needed to squelch that dream right now. “Chase’s injuries have made it impossible for us to conceive, Mom. I’m glad Annie likes Nicky so much because he’ll be the closest thing she ever gets to a little brother.”
“Oh, honey. I’m sorry.”
“I am too. Chase is such a loving father, he deserves to go through the whole experience with me, but we have to be grateful he came back to us at all. And we could adopt.”
“Of course.” She cocked her head. “You’ve matured beyond belief, you know that?”
Knowing your husband could die at any time had a way of waking you up to reality, but Annie kept that painful knowledge to herself. “I recognize a miracle has happened. I’ll never take it for granted.”
Chase walked in on them. He flashed her mom a guilty look. “I think there’s a half a pie left. It was ambrosia. I hope you don’t mind.”
“I’d mind if you didn’t eat it.”
“Let’s all go over to Vance’s and pick up our daughter. Where’s your parka?”
“In the closet.”
“I’ll get it for you.”
As soon as Chase helped her mom on with it, they left the house. The snowfall of a few days ago still glistened pure white. When they rounded the corner, Annie spotted the kids out in the front yard with Vance and Rachel. They’d made a snowman with a ranger’s hat on top.
Wouldn’t you know it was Nicky who spotted them first. “Uncle Chase! Hooray!” He jumped up and down like a crazy man and started running toward them.
Roberta just came running and passed him. Chase ran to meet her and scooped her up in his arms. He carried her to Annie and all three of them hugged. Then Nicky joined them and there were four.
Chase kissed her. “I believe you’ve gotten heavier while we’ve been gone.”
“It’s only been eight days, Dad.”
Annie smiled to herself. Nothing got past her Roberta. The girl had been marking time.
“Was it that long?” he teased.
“Yes.” She hugged him hard around the neck.
Nicky demanded to be heard. “Did you guys have fun?”
“That’s what I want to know.” Vance had just walked over to them, his blue eyes dancing.
Annie picked up their son and hugged him. “We had so much fun we couldn’t believe it.” Rachel burst into laughter.
“What did you do?”
Chase lowered Roberta to the ground and took Nicky from Annie’s arms. “We played Fish and Monopoly and read books to each other.”
“You did? What kind?”
“I’ll tell you about them as soon as I look at your snowman.” In the distance Annie could see her father with Minnie and Ted, Rachel’s parents, coming down the front steps. She gripped her daughter’s hand and they all headed toward it.
“Roberta and I made his stomach.”
“Good job! Hey—” Chase blurted. “How did he get hold of my hat?’
Nicky burst into laughter. “It’s Daddy’s old one! You’re funny, Uncle Chase.”
Roberta smiled up at Annie. What a perfect day.
Don’t think anything but perfect thoughts, Annie. Not today.
WHILE ROBERTA WAS in the tub, Annie walked Chase out to the garage. After he climbed in the cab of his truck he leaned out the window to kiss her. He didn’t dare engulf her the way he wanted to or he’d never find the strength to leave.
“I’m worse than Roberta. I don’t want you to go to work.”
“We knew this day had to come.”
“I didn’t know it was going to be this hard.”
“You think I did?” he said in a husky voice before opening the door so he could feel her in his arms once more.
“We’re pathetic.”
“We’re worse than that. I’m an hour late.”
“The guys will understand.”
“That’s the problem. I’m going to be the butt of every newlywed joke for weeks!”
Her eyes glowed. “If I can stand it, you can.”
As long as she was here when he got home, he could stand anything. “If there are no emergencies, I’ll be back at seven.”
“Stay safe, darling.” She plied a hot kiss to his mouth before backing down so he could start the engine.
He pressed the remote to the garage door and backed out. She was still standing in place when he closed it.
Through a special arrangement with Mark on the phone last night, Chase was able to wangle another day off. After a certain private discussion with his daughter, he’d decided to consult with his heart doctor in Merced.
Roberta had talked with Ted about his heart condition. She’d learned that his doctor told him his heart would never get better because the technology wasn’t there to repair it. Then everything changed and a revolutionary operation had made him a new man.
After hearing that, Roberta urged Chase to have his doctor get in touch with Ted’s doctor in Miami. Maybe something could be done. With so many soldiers returning from war carrying injuries like Chase’s, Ted said it might be possible new surgical techniques were developing that could help.
Chase had just spent a week in paradise. He wanted it to go on. If something could be done for his heart, he was prepared to go through with it, especially with Roberta urging him. Indebted to his wonderful daughter, he drove as fast as conditions allowed to reach the clinic.
Dr. Winder’s staff said they’d find a way to fit him in. He didn’t mind waiting. An hour later he was shown into an examining room. When the doctor came in, Chase didn’t waste any time explaining why he’d come without an appointment.
The doctor took another X-ray. With his own eyes Chase saw that the shrapnel was still in the same place.
“It’s a good sign that nothing has changed, but I understand if you want to consult with another surgeon. Of course, anything’s possible. Leave the information with my secretary and she’ll fax your records to him today. When he’s looked at the film, we’ll consult and I’ll get back to you.”
Chase couldn’t ask for more than that. He thanked the doctor and headed back to the park, still able to put in a half-day’s work. Around quarter to four Roberta showed up at his office. Th
ey had a root beer and talked about his appointment with the doctor.
For the next week he led the life he’d always envied the married rangers. The three of them had decided to live in Chase’s house. With everyone’s help they’d started moving Annie’s things in after work each evening. Before long her home would be freed up to house another ranger.
At this point Chase’s house looked like a furniture store, but he’d never been happier. Once everything was accomplished, they’d drive to Oakhurst with Vance and his family. He knew a place where they could pick out dogs for the children. Life didn’t get better than this.
He tried to keep his negative thoughts from surfacing. On Tuesday morning while he was in a conference with Vance and a group of rangers, his doctor’s office called him. He flashed the chief a message that he had to take it and stepped out of the room to his own office.
“Chase? Dr. Winder here. This is what I’ve learned.” After he’d explained everything he said, “Think about it and then get back to me.”
“Of course. Thank you.”
While he sat there shaken by the information, Vance slipped in and shut the door. “What’s going on? The look on your face wasn’t normal. Is Annie all right? Roberta?”
He expelled a heavy sigh. “They’re fine. This has to do with me.”
“Go on—”
“Last week Roberta urged me to get another opinion about my heart, so I went for a checkup in Merced.”
“That’s why you weren’t around.”
Chase nodded. “A new X-ray didn’t show any change, but he agreed to consult with Ted’s heart surgeon in Miami.”
A stillness surrounded Vance. “What was the outcome?”
“He’s done half-a-dozen successful surgeries with my particular kind of injury.”
Vance let out a low whistle. “What’s the ratio of failure?”
“It’s still experimental. If mine were to fail, they’d install a pacemaker. Of course there’s always the risk of death with any surgery.”
“So you have to decide whether you want to live with what you’ve got and wonder every day if it’s going to be your last—”
“Or I can go for the surgery and take my chances. At least with a pacemaker I wouldn’t have the same kind of worry unless it malfunctioned.”
His friend muttered something unintelligible under his breath. “Does Annie know any of this?”
“No. I’ll tell her tonight.”
He threw his head back. “Just when I thought things were going to get fun around here…”
Tell me about it.
Later that evening, after they’d kissed Roberta goodnight, Chase led his wife to the living room. “Do you mind if we talk for a little while?”
She grinned. “What’s the matter? Do you have a wife who’s too eager and wearing you out already?”
“Yes, thank heaven!” He drew her into his arms and they sank down on the couch together.
“All right,” she said, moving off his lap. “I know when there’s something on your mind besides me.”
They smiled at each other, but his slowly faded. “I need to tell you about something I’ve done.” Without wasting time, he related everything. She was so quiet afterward, he picked up her hand and kissed her fingertips. “What do you think?”
An eternity passed before she said, “I think you have to do it for all our sakes. We’re a family that has to take every day on faith.”
THE WAITING ROOM for heart surgery patients was on the sixth floor of the hospital in Merced. Annie had been sitting there over ten hours, trying to be brave for Roberta, who was watching cartoons with Nicky. Vance and Rachel had come with them yesterday when they’d checked Vance in to get him prepped. They’d been here for her every second and had taken turns entertaining the children.
Though he was heroic himself, Vance was looking more grim with every second that passed. Due to the secrecy involved, Ted’s doctor had flown out to do the surgery with Dr. Winder. Early this morning, before they’d begun giving him the anesthetic, she’d kissed her husband one more time.
“Children have God’s ear,” she whispered. “He’s not going to fail us or our daughter now.”
His eyes were the color of storm clouds outlined in silver. “You’re my life. I believe it if you say it.”
She fought the emotions threatening to overwhelm her. “I say it because I believe it, too.”
“Annie?” he cried.
“Yes.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, darling. See you this afternoon.”
Except that it was early evening now. The memory of their conversation kept playing over in her mind until she wanted to scream. Rachel had brought her a sandwich and a drink, but she’d only been able to eat a portion of it.
Convinced something was wrong, she sprang to her feet and hurried out of the room toward the nursing station. She saw Dr. Winder come out of the no admission doors.
He lowered his mask. “Mrs. Jarvis? I was just coming to tell you the shrapnel was removed and Chase is going to live a long life.” She almost fainted for joy. “We had a tense moment when he started hemorrhaging, but we were watching for that to happen and stanched it in time.”
The tears gushed down her cheeks. “How soon can I see him?”
“He’s been closely monitored all day. If everything proceeds on schedule, he’ll be transferred to a private room soon. Call the nursing station at nine o’clock. They’ll know where he is so you can visit him for a minute.”
She nodded. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
He waved her off before she flew down the hall to the waiting room. Everyone got up when she appeared. “The operation was a success!” Rachel let out a cry of joy. “Chase is going to be fine!”
“Oh Mom!” Roberta launched herself at Annie, sobbing her heart out for happiness.
“Thank God,” Vance whispered.
Annie repeated the same prayer in her heart.
“MR. JARVIS?”
He turned his head toward the nurse who’d just entered his room.
“Do you feel strong enough to have a couple of visitors?”
Chase felt like cursing—he’d been waiting for his family to come for what seemed like hours—but he said simply, “Yes.”
“We don’t want you getting tired. They can only see you for a minute.”
The suspense was killing him until he saw his precious daughter approach the side of the bed. Annie was right behind her.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes, sweetheart.”
“Hi, Daddy. How do you feel?”
“Wonderful.”
“Mommy said your heart is all better now.”
“It is, and that’s because of you.”
“How come?”
“For showing me what I needed to do.”
“I can’t wait till you come home.”
“I’ll be there soon.”
“The nurse says I have to leave now. I love you.”
“I love you more. See you tomorrow.”
After the nurse walked her out, Annie drew closer. Their eyes clung, saying all the things they couldn’t say aloud.
“I was told not to touch you, darling. Do you have any idea how hard that is for me after learning that you’re never going to have to worry about your heart again?”
“They told me I couldn’t touch you either or I might get too excited. The problem is, I can’t shut off the memories of our honeymoon.”
“Chase? You sound tired. I’m going to leave. The nursing station knows where to reach me. We’re at a hotel around the corner. I’m only a minute away. Is there anything you need before I go?”
“Besides you?”
She made a sound that could have been a laugh or a cry. “Besides me.”
“Tell the chief we’re going to start having fun around here. He’ll know what I mean.”
“I adore you, Chase. Sweet dreams, darling.”
Sweet dreams after all these
years…
Who would have thought.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-3955-9
THE RANGER’S SECRET
Copyright © 2009 by Rebecca Winters.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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The Ranger's Secret Page 18
