He nodded. “I didn’t want to leave you, but I couldn’t stay. I had no future in Minnewasta.”
“I know.” She sat up straighter. “You were pretty convincing. You made me believe you and Cheryl were an item and that you were seeing her even while we were together. I thought the two of you were laughing at me.”
“No, never.” He gripped her hand and looked into her eyes “I was never with her. The first and last time I kissed Cheryl Bradley was on the day you found us together. I staged the whole thing so you’d believe I didn’t want you.”
“Cheryl told me you only kissed her that once.” She lowered her head and blew out a breath. “That hurt more than anything. I think I could have understood you needing to get away, but the way you did it…”
“I had to make you believe I didn’t want you. I was afraid you’d try to follow me to California, and I think your grandfather was, too. You weren’t even fifteen, Maggie. I could barely take care of myself back then.” He looked at their joined hands. “If I’m completely honest, I didn’t want you to come with me. Instead of going to school, I would have had to find a job and look after you.”
Maggie lifted his hand to her lips and kissed his fingers. “You would have resented me for holding you back. Whether you’d stayed in Minnewasta for me, or if we’d somehow managed to run away to California together, eventually you would have come to see me as a burden.”
“Maggie, no—”
“Yes,” she said firmly. “That would have been the worst for me. Maybe Grampa did us a favor.”
“Some favor.”
She couldn’t help but smile at that. “I’m sorry it took me so long to work things out.”
“You don’t have to apologize.”
“I think I do.” She kissed his fingers once more, then brought his hand to her cheek. “I’ve never told you what you mean to me, then or now. It’s hard for me to talk about the things in my heart.”
He gently caressed her face. “I know.”
“I don’t want you to go.”
“Then give me a reason to stay.”
He wasn’t going to make this easy for her. She lifted her chin and looked deeply into his grey-green eyes. Despite her shaking hands and pitching stomach, despite the fear threatening to turn her tongue to stone, she had to find the courage to tell him the truth.
“I want you to stay because I want to make a life with you here in Minnewasta. I want you to stay because no one else in the world makes me feel the way you make me feel. I want you to stay for the best reason of all.” She paused, her mouth impossibly dry. “Because I…because I love you. I’ve always loved you.”
Her little speech exhausted her. She was as winded as if she’d run a marathon. But seeing the smile blossom on his face instantly energized her.
“I love you, too, Maggie Cat.”
His lips descended on hers and, finally, she knew she was truly home.
EPILOGUE
Maggie held Scarlet’s left hand securely as they walked along the shore of the lake while Harper did the same on her right. Making sure their pregnant sister didn’t slip on the remaining bits of snow and ice was paramount for Maggie. Now that April had arrived, the ice was beginning to break up on the lake, leaving patches of open water. But winter wasn’t ready to give up the fight. Overnight, a strong north wind had pushed great chunks of ice onto the southern shore. The wind continued to roar its fury, making her pull her knitted hat a little more securely over her ears.
“Willy went to the police today,” Harper said. “He went on his own and told them about what happened to Mom and Daddy, and how he was responsible for their deaths. The police called to tell me.”
Maggie gripped Scarlet’s arm. “What’s going to happen? Will he go to jail?”
Harper shook her head. “I’m not sure. Their deaths were an accident, but he lied and pointed the finger at Daddy. He has to atone for what he did.”
“I’m glad Willy confessed,” Scarlet said. “At least we don’t have to turn him in ourselves. But if there’s a trial—”
“If there’s a trial, we’ll get through it together. We’ve got our family now,” Harper said, putting her arm around Scarlet’s waist. “Whatever happens, the truth will come out and Daddy’s name will be cleared. The important thing is that we know the truth.”
“I wish Grandma and Grampa could have known the truth.” Maggie wondered if knowing how and why her daughter died would have been easier on Grandma Dorothy.
She shivered at the thought. Nothing would have made her daughter’s death easier to bear.
Scarlet snuggled close. “You’re shivering. Are you cold, Maggie?”
“A little. The wind coming off the lake has quite a bite.” Maggie checked her watch. “I should head back to town soon. Phyllis will have dinner waiting for us.”
“How’s your deal with Phyllis working out?” Harper asked.
Maggie grinned. “It’s perfect.”
She and Luke had been living with Phyllis since they got back together, and the arrangement suited all three of them. Luke and Maggie handled maintenance and cleaning around the house, and Phyllis enjoyed cooking for them. Since Reese lived down the block, he was a frequent visitor, giving her and her father the opportunity to forge a relationship. Someday, she and Luke would get a place of their own but for now, it was more important they all be together.
“We should go back to the lodge,” Harper said.
“In a minute,” Maggie said. “There’s a reason I asked you to come for a walk with me. I wanted to show you this.”
She pulled off her glove to reveal the engagement ring Luke had given her the previous evening. The gold band and solitaire diamond sparkled in the dying rays of the sun.
Scarlet sucked in a breath and grabbed Maggie’s hand. “Oh, my God! Our baby sister is getting married, Harper!”
Tears shone in Harper’s eyes. “I’m so happy for you, sweetheart. Luke is perfect for you.”
“He is. He’s the best man I know, and I love him so much.” The joy Luke had brought into her life made her happier than she’d ever been. She only hoped she made him just as happy. Somehow, she knew Abby was looking down on them with approval.
“I’m glad you don’t have trouble saying those three little words any more,” Harper said with a laugh.
“No, no trouble at all. I’ve had a lot of practice over the last few weeks. And if I haven’t told the two of you lately how much I love you, I’m telling you now.”
Scarlet kissed her cheek. “We love you, too, Maggie Cat. Let’s head back to the lodge.”
As they turned around, the sound of a woman’s laughter drifted across the lake. Abby’s laughter. Maggie abruptly stopped walking. “Did you hear that?”
“What?”
“A woman laughing.”
“Are you sure? I didn’t hear anything.” Scarlet tucked her hand into hers once more. “We’d better get you home. The excitement of your engagement is making you hear things.”
“Very funny.”
Maggie continued walking, but as she looked back at the lake, two women in a yellow canoe waved at her. She jerked to a stop and sucked in a breath.
Harper steadied her, concern in her eyes. “Are you okay?”
Maggie glanced toward the lake once more, but all she saw was late afternoon sunlight glinting on a patch of open water.
“It’s crazy, but I swear for a moment I saw a canoe out there.”
Scarlet swallowed. “Was it a yellow canoe?”
Harper gasped. “You saw it, too?”
“I did. Once. Last winter. We were all out skating on the lake, remember? But I was the only one who saw it. It happened just before my wedding.”
“I saw the yellow canoe last summer, a few days before my wedding. And now Maggie’s getting married…” Harper’s voice trailed off.
Holding hands, they gazed out at the lake, letting the cold wind whip around them. But the wind no longer sent a chill up Maggie’s spine. Warm
th enveloped her. Comforting peace wrapped around her heart, filling her with love and thankfulness.
“They’re happy for us,” she whispered.
Her sisters didn’t ask who she meant. Instead, they nodded in understanding.
Several minutes passed. Finally, Scarlet squeezed her hand. “We need to go. Our families are waiting for us.”
Together they walked back to the lodge, hand in hand.
The End
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Lies and Solace
PROLOGUE
Harper Lindquist stood on a wooden crate and handed her grandfather a wrench, watching in rapt attention as he disassembled an outboard motor. She was fascinated by the inner workings of the motor and the way Grampa Bill knew how to coax life back into the old beast.
Grampa raised an eyebrow at her. “Don’t let Grandma see those dirty hands. Make sure you clean up before you go back to the lodge.”
Harper held up her hands to inspect them. They were covered in dirt and grease gathered under her nails. She stopped herself from wiping them on her T-shirt. The last time she’d done that Grandma had scolded, saying she should be more like her little sister Scarlet. Scarlet never got dirty or ruined her clothes. Harper had been hurt and embarrassed when Grandma called her a filthy little hellion. She said that at ten years old, she should be learning to bake, not hanging out in her grandfather’s garage like a grease monkey.
But Mom had defended her, telling Grandma it was just an old T-shirt and could always be washed. She’d kissed Harper and helped her scrub the grease from beneath her nails. As much as she loved her grandparents’ fishing lodge in northern Minnesota, she’d be glad to go home to Minneapolis, away from Grandma Dorothy’s critical eye.
But as the summer dragged on, she began to worry that they were never going home.
“Grampa, is Daddy going to live with us again?”
Grampa Bill heaved a sigh. “I don’t know, child.”
Harper frowned. That wasn’t the positive reassurance she’d been hoping for. Daddy had moved out of their house in the spring, leaving a huge hole in her family. In the months before he left, Harper had heard arguing between her parents and had caught snippets of words and phrases she didn’t fully understand, like “unfaithful”. And some she did, like “divorce”.
When school let out for the summer, Mom packed their things, bundled her and Scarlet and baby Maggie into the car and drove to the lodge. Mom said they’d stay there until she worked some things out. Harper had no idea what that meant, but she’d been ecstatic when Daddy had shown up unexpectedly today.
Harper ached to have him back home. She wanted things to be the way they used to be, when Daddy used to kiss Mom and play with her and Scarlet. He was often away for work, but when he was home he was the best daddy ever.
“Why doesn’t Daddy want to come home? Doesn’t he love us anymore?”
Grampa Bill laid his big hand lightly on her head, sadness etched in the weathered lines of his face. “Harper, your daddy will always love you, no matter what. But sometimes adults have problems they need to work out. Your mom and dad are talking. That’s a good thing. Maybe that means they’re both willing to try.”
Harper nodded. She hoped they tried real hard so they could all go home together.
Willy Eklund, Grampa’s handyman, stumbled into the garage, his breathing labored and his eyes wild with fear.
“She’s in the water! He hit her!”
“What are you talking about?” Grampa asked.
“Miranda! She was arguing with her husband, and then he hit her with one of the oars. Miranda fell in the water and he jumped in after her, but I never saw either of them come up again.”
Miranda? Mom? The wildness in Willy’s eyes scared her. Why would Daddy hit Mom? Were they okay?
“Where did you see them?”
“Around the point. I was on the shore, picking blueberries.”
“Get a boat ready, quick. We’re going out.” Grampa turned to her and she could see he was scared. Her stomach clenched like when she was going to throw up. If Grampa was scared, it was really bad.
“Run to the lodge. Tell Grandma what happened. Tell her to call the police. Go!”
She nodded and ran, tears streaming down her face.
Fear made her stumble on the path and skin both knees. They had to be okay. They just had to be.
CHAPTER ONE
Twenty-Two Years Later
Harper woke abruptly, groggy and unsure what had disrupted her sleep. Then she heard it. Bang, bang, bang. Someone was pounding on the front door of the lodge and ringing the doorbell over and over.
She groaned and threw back the covers, shivering when her bare feet hit the cold wooden floor. As she slid her feet into slippers and threw on her robe, she checked her alarm clock; twelve-ten a.m. Who could be at her door at this hour in the middle of a January blizzard?
Whoever it was, she couldn’t let them freeze on her doorstep. Tying the belt on her robe securely, she hurried to the door.
As Harper tried to open the heavy wooden front door, the howling wind ripped it out of her hands and sent it crashing against the wall. A cold gust blew snow into the foyer, instantly chilling her to the tips of her worn slippers. A snow covered man stepped over the threshold and, struggling against the wind, pushed the door shut. He brushed the snow from his dark hair as he turned to look at her, and Harper’s breath caught in her throat. Whoever he was, with his dark brown eyes and chiselled cheekbones, he was easily one of the best-looking men she’d ever seen.
“I’m really sorry about this,” he said. More snow fell to the floor as he brushed off his overcoat. The smell of wet wool and citrusy aftershave filled the small foyer. “I hit the ditch this afternoon on my way here to our meeting, and I had to wait for hours till a snow plow came by and pulled me out. I haven’t seen a blizzard like this in years.”
Harper blinked at him. This was the guy she’d waited on tenterhooks to meet all afternoon, the guy who held the future of her lodge in his hands. “Are you Ethan James?”
“Yes. You must be Harper Lindquist.”
“Yes.” She conjured up a polite smile. “Welcome to Solace Lake Lodge.”
He pulled off his gloves and extended his hand. “Thank you. I’m pleased to meet you, Ms. Lindquist. Again, I’m sorry to wake you at this hour. This wasn’t exactly how I’d hoped to begin our business association.”
It wasn’t the way she’d wanted to begin either. She’d been corresponding by email with him for two weeks, ever since he’d responded to the ad she’d placed in the Minneapolis Star Tribune looking for an investor willing to put up the money necessary to bring the lodge back to life. She’d been thrilled when Ethan James told her his employer, Hainstock Investments, wanted him to visit the lodge to investigate its possibilities. He’d told her Mr. Hainstock himself was very excited about her property.
“When you didn’t arrive by four, I assumed you’d decided to postpone the meeting because of the storm.”
He grimaced. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t smart enough to do that. I tried calling you, and then discovered I didn’t have cell service. I’m really sorry.”
She’d been crushed when he didn’t show. She’d spent days planning her presentation, cleaning the lodge, even deciding what to wear.
Get over it, Harper. There wasn’t anything she could do about it now. But perhaps she could still salvage the meeting
. Time to play the gracious host. “No problem. I’m glad you made it here safely. Can I get you anything? Are you hungry?”
His smile was almost comical in its relief. “Starved.”
She couldn’t help smiling back. “That I can do something about.”
She hung his damp overcoat on the coat tree near the door, taking in the designer label. The elegant dark grey suit he wore obviously didn’t come off the rack at Suits-R-Us. It fit him perfectly, from his broad shoulders to his narrow hips. Even after hours stuck in a ditch, Ethan James looked like he stepped off the pages of GQ.
She, on the other hand, looked like a homeless person. Despite telling herself to buck up, she couldn’t resist a glance down at her ancient pink chenille robe, worn fuzzy pink slippers, and pajama bottoms emblazoned with images of Mickey giving Minnie a smooch on her mousy lips. Her hair was likely a tangled mess and she could feel crusty things in the corners of her eyes.
Great.
Sadly, the homeless part was frighteningly close to the mark. If she didn’t convince Mr. Hainstock’s representative that Solace Lake Lodge was a viable investment opportunity, she really would be homeless.
Harper squared her shoulders and plastered on a smile, trying to forget about her less than professional appearance. Instead, she channeled the confident air of the businesswoman she was striving to be. “Why don’t you follow me into the kitchen and I’ll fix you a snack.”
“Thanks, that sounds great. Do you mind if I use your washroom first?”
“Of course. Right down this hallway and to the left.”
“Thanks.”
While he headed toward the bathroom, Harper hurried to the kitchen. Her mind whirled with excitement and trepidation. With Ethan James in the lodge, at least she had a fighting chance to save her home.
After washing her hands, she pulled the roast beef from the fridge that she’d sliced earlier in anticipation of serving him lunch. She buttered a couple of fresh buns, and reached back into the fridge for mustard, dill pickles and the plate of carrot and celery sticks she’d prepared. At least her previous work wasn’t going to waste.
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