Grinning, Caitlin gave a wave with one hand, carrying the tray and her bag of medical supplies in the other.
She took the dishes into the kitchen and finished stacking the dishwasher, then cleaned the granite counters and swept the floor.
After checking the cleanliness of the dining room, she went into her bedroom and set down her medical bag, fluffing at her hair in the mirror over the dresser and reaching for her handbag for lipstick. If she left now she could get back for a late lunch with Rayna.
A message on her phone said that Doctor Taggart had time for a quick meet-up at eleven-thirty before his lunch hour.
Caitlin had just applied a thin layer of lip color, when, without warning, a horrendous noise shook the wall behind her.
She turned around and stared at the wall where her door to the hallway was located. A piercing noise grew louder and she covered her ears.
“What’s going on?” she yelled, but she knew that whoever was making the noise couldn’t hear her. It sounded like heavy machinery, but what would something like that be doing in the house? She’d recognize a hand saw or an electric motor, but this was different.
A blast of cold air shot across the room when a crack split right down her bedroom wall. Before she could move, the crack grew with a speed that was shocking, snapping like a toothpick.
A moment later the sheetrock pushed its way inside her room, falling in great chunks and then breaking the door jamb.
Chapter 10
Pink insulation fell through onto her carpet. Dust clouded up into her eyes, and she began to cough.
“Stop!” Caitlin cried out. Flinging open the door, she charged through into the work area. “Stop sledge-hammering my bedroom wall!”
Caitlin stopped and stared. The downstairs master bedroom had been gutted and completely opened up, but the concrete floors were intact. Only the 2x6 framing was left. Bits of insulation and wood chips and muddy footprints were everywhere.
A partial wall was still open to the outdoors. Sheets of heavy plastic were tacked to the opening, but icy cold air came through. An industrial sized heater was blasting heat to keep the work area above 32 degrees.
Two guys turned to stare at Caitlin who was waving her arms like a crazy woman. She dropped her hands. Power tools and work benches littered the space. The ceiling was open to the new trusses, the scent of fresh pine strong.
“You just knocked my bedroom wall down!” she yelled, pointing to the east wall.
The men didn’t respond, just looked past her.
Sensing someone behind her, Caitlin whirled around to face Quentin Hudson. “Are you trying to take the house down?”
“Only your bedroom.” His mouth quirked up as if trying to get her to smile, but Caitlin wasn’t smiling.
“Come and look.” She spun on her heels and led him into her room.
Quentin studied the partial crack and the spilling insulation. Caitlin coughed again from the dust which was finally beginning to settle.
“Hm. Didn’t think it had come through so far. The walls on the plans are incorrect. Come look.”
“Look at what?” She was losing patience. “You knocked down one of the pictures on the wall, too. The glass is cracked. Rayna is going to be upset and I don’t want her worrying about anything right now.”
Before he responded, Quentin reached down and picked up the painting of Snow Valley that Caitlin had admired the previous evening. “At least the painting is intact. That’s good. I can redo the glass and the frame.”
“Rayna—I mean I will get it reframed. You have a new wall to fix, buddy.”
“It’s my painting. I have the framing and matting supplies at home. I can do it tonight and it will save you time and the cost.”
“What do you mean it’s your painting? It was on the wall of this guest room. My room.”
Quentin didn’t answer her question directly. He pointed to the bottom right corner of the landscape. At first, Caitlin didn’t understand what he was trying to tell her and then she saw the artist’s initials, a thin black line of bold letters scrawled across. QCH.
“QCH,” she said, realization dawning on her. “You’re QCH. You painted this?”
He gave her a faint smile. “I gave it to Rayna and Wade for Christmas. She kept pestering me for one of my pieces.”
Caitlin shook her head, trying to absorb what he was saying. “I thought you were a contractor. A home builder. Foundations, walls, roofs, that sort of thing.”
“I am.” He shrugged. “But I have other hobbies. Do you?”
“Do I what?”
“Like to do anything besides nursing? Or midwifing? My mother was a nurse, too” Quentin said. “When I was young we had a neighbor who went into labor and her husband was out at the ranch. There were no cell phone towers out here back then so my mother delivered her baby at home.”
“Why didn’t she take her to the hospital?”
“No hospital back then either. And no time to get to Billings.”
“Okay,” Caitlin said, brushing back her hair. “That’s pretty fascinating. But you’re telling me you’re an artist? Like with oil paints and brushes.”
“Yeah, that’s what I use. Sometimes water colors. I don’t actually call myself an artist, but I guess so.”
Caitlin looked down at the painting again, the swirl of his brush, the vibrant colors, the details. “It looks like a photograph. You’re incredibly talented.”
He lifted his shoulders. “Thanks. You haven’t answered my question yet.”
“What question?” Caitlin frowned. “Oh, you mean—” she stopped, suddenly aware how hard her heart was beating. “I actually love art galleries. And music. I like music.” Tears pricked behind her eyes. Good grief, was she going to cry in front of him now? Music had always meant Stefan. And now he was gone.
“Do you dance to this music?”
“You’re awfully nosy, but yes, I do like to dance. I used to dance a lot, but not so much anymore.”
Before Quentin responded again, he bent over and picked up a paper that had fallen off the wall. Caitlin stared, blinking to bring it into focus. Her Fortune Teller list!
“That’s mine!” she yelped, lunging forward to snatch it out of his hands. He caught her fingers in his as the paper changed positions. His hands were warm and when their skin made contact something strange happened inside Caitlin. She felt breathless. Excited. Nervous. And then, she was furious at herself.
No, she wasn’t going to fall for this annoying, red-haired Irish lumberjack man. Despite his sapphire eyes that made her lose her balance and all sense of reality.
Quentin held onto the corner of the paper for a moment longer, glancing at the black marker numbered list and scotch tape. Finally, he released it into Caitlin’s hands.
“It looks like you enjoy fortune telling, too.”
“Don’t you dare laugh, Quentin Hudson. You have no idea what this is. No idea!”
His face was stoic. “I’m not laughing, Miss Caitlin Webster. Not at all. I’m merely intrigued.”
“Well, stop being intrigued because you’ll never know. End of story.” She quickly folded up the paper and tucked it under her arm so he couldn’t reach it any longer, desperately trying to regain her dignity.
“If you say so.”
“So.” Caitlin gulped in air. “What about my bedroom? What the heck are you doing knocking out half my wall?”
“As I was saying before we started discussing paintings and dancing and fortune telling, my guys were off by about half a foot. The original plans to this house I got from town hall are a little wrong. We had to move some electrical wiring. I’ll fix the wall and have you patched up by tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Do it now.” Caitlin stopped, realizing how demanding she sounded. This wasn’t her house after all. “Actually, I’m leaving right now. I have an appointment, and I don’t want to be late.”
Quentin gave her a small salute and departed. Cold air seeped through the split in her wall
and she shivered. Perhaps Rayna had a room heater she could borrow later. Tucking her Fortune Teller List into her purse, Caitlin stomped to the laundry room next.
Her coat was hanging there on a rod, clean and brushed like new, for which she silently thanked Mrs. Davies.
When she walked down the hall to head to the foyer, she passed the construction space where the master suite was being renovated to make room for the baby’s nursery. She felt eyes on her and tried not to give in and turn around.
Once outside, she shivered like crazy just opening her car door. Her hand shook when she inserted the key into the ignition, and it took all the way to town before the car was warm.
She recognized the Snow Valley clinic when she arrived. Parked, and found Doctor Taggart exactly where he said he’d be.
She was ushered into his private office and a handsome, regal-bearing man entered a few moments later.
“I’m pleased to meet you, Doctor Taggart,” Caitlin said.
“And I you, Miss Webster.”
“Please call me Caitlin. Even where I come from, we’re casual at work. Except the nurses still call the doctors, Doctor,” she added with a smile.
He smiled with her. “Did you get a chance to look over Rayna’s records?”
“Yes, and I did an exam this morning. She’s dilated to two but holding steady as are the contractions. They stop when she’s in bed, which is good. Everything else looks great. Her health is good. Baby is active and perfectly in size for thirty-three weeks.”
“Good to hear that. It’s great to have a midwife in town. My wife and I are expecting our first child, but she’s not as far along as Rayna.”
“Congratulations,” Caitlin said. “I understand this hospital is still fairly new.”
He nodded. “We expanded it from the small clinic that was here the past twenty years, but we’re grateful to have a bigger facility as well as technicians that can perform CT Scans now as well as other radiological tests.”
“That’s wonderful, and so much easier than having to send patients to Billings.”
“I’m hoping we can have a longer meeting sometime and you can tell me any new research on midwifery since you just graduated from the course. I’m not an OB, but have done my share of births during my residency and after arriving here two years ago.”
“Exchanging information and special cases is one reason my boss agreed to my temporary leave of absence.”
“I hope you enjoy Snow Valley. We’re a town that likes to celebrate holidays and seasons big time so just dive into the festivities. We can get a little snowbound during the winter and I know folks would love to meet you.”
“Thanks, I will. And thanks for the warm welcome. I’ll let you get to your lunch.”
“Stay in touch.”
Doctor Taggart walked Caitlin to the door and she headed back to her car with the urge to do a bit of exploring. But first, she was starving. Down Main, she spotted a burger joint called Big C’s. The food was spectacularly greasy and delicious. Hot, crisp seasoned fries and the biggest homemade hamburger she’d ever had. Even her favorite San Francisco hamburger shop couldn’t touch this.
Taking her soda with her in the cup holder of the Altima, Caitlin drove slowly through town. Every driver waved as they passed, despite the fact that they had no idea who she was.
On a side street, a group of kids were making a snowman. Rolling the final ball to create the head. The young people were bundled up in so many layers, they looked like snowmen themselves. When they began throwing snow balls at each other, Caitlin got the feeling she was watching a scene out of a 1960s television show.
Remembering that she’d forgotten to pack a few of her makeup supplies, Caitlin put Dove’s into her GPS and found the store again. Not that it was terribly far. A couple of blocks, but she still kept getting turned around. There was no ocean to tell her which direction was west and no Oakland hills to tell her which way was east.
The store was a mish-mash of sundries, groceries, and hardware. Caitlin found the makeup aisle and was pleased to find the brand of mascara and eyeliner she usually used. A nice soft pink lipstick called to her so she stuck that in her hand-carried basket.
At the check-out, the young gal running the cash register was busy chatting with the customer in front of her.
After Caitlin paid for her items, the cashier whose nametag read Sheila, grabbed a hand-lettered card the size of a large postcard and handed it over with the receipt.
“This is an invitation for next Friday afternoon at George Holbrook’s ranch. There’s going to be sledding and sleigh rides and hot cocoa and scones. The whole town’s coming. Please come so you can meet folks.”
“Why, thank you,” Caitlin said. “It sounds like fun. I’ve actually never gone sledding or sleigh riding.”
“It’s time to start if you’re going to live in Snow Valley.”
“Oh, I’m just here temporarily. I’m helping Rayna at the Starry Skies.”
“Oh, you’re the cousin midwife. We all know about you.”
A laugh burst out of Caitlin. “Seems everyone does.”
“We mean that in a good way. You’ll make friends in no time. And come to church on Sundays. Nearly everyone goes, unless they’re a complete atheist. And even then, the non-believers come to the potlucks and socials.”
“Sounds nice, actually.”
The girl smiled. “This place has a pull on people. Even if you leave, you’ll end up coming back.”
Caitlin laughed. “You make Snow Valley sound almost, well, mystical.”
Sheila nodded. “It is magical in a really nice way. A town you can live in your whole life and feel blessed and enriched. Oh, don’t forget to enter our drawing over here! We have a Valentine Drawing every year. You’ll win a $100 gift certificate for the store and a months’ supply of chocolate. Who can resist that?”
“Not me,” Caitlin admitted. She filled out the card with her name and cell number and put it into the big plastic red heart sitting on the counter.
“Winners will be announced at the Valentine’s Day dance. The Iron Stix used to play when they were growing up here, but they’ve gone big time now. Even building up a recording studio outside of town at a place Clay Jett calls The Barn.”
“The Iron Stix. Cool name. So they’re from Snow Valley?”
Sheila nodded. “They’ve produced albums and gone on tour. Clay Jett plays bass, a girl named Amber with a fabulous voice is the lead singer and Clay’s fiancée Paisley is now part of the band, too. They’re engaged to be married sometime later this year.”
“That’s impressive,” Caitlin said, even as she tried not to grimace at the mention of a local band—including fiancée’s and engagements. It reminded her too much of Stefan and Painted City. The pain was still too raw.
Chapter 11
Back in her vehicle, Caitlin glanced down at the winter party invitation. There was a map to the sledding event’s location, including the time and what to bring. If Rayna didn’t need her, perhaps she’d attend just to see what a winter event in a small town was like. Wade should be home that Friday night, right?
“Speaking of Wade,” Caitlin murmured when she pulled into the Starry Skies. His pickup truck with the Snow Valley county logo was parked here.
Her cousin’s husband greeted her when she closed the front door
“Caitlin, you’re here!” Captain Wade Kinsella gave her a quick hug. “I know you arrived almost two days ago now. I feel guilty to be so scarce.”
“No worries. That’s why I’m here. It’s great to meet you at last.”
“Thanks for giving up your life to come help us out. We’ll never be able to repay you.”
Caitlin waved away his words. “I’m glad to help. I’m just not sure I’ll ever get used to these bitter temperatures.”
“You’ll have to come back another winter and take up cross-country skiing. Honestly, Snow Valley will make a mark on your heart.”
The Fire Chief was definitely ha
ndsome, from his perfect features to his easy smile. Captain Wade seemed to lack any sort of vanity or pride, which was refreshing. Rayna had found herself a good man.
“So how’s my wife and baby?” he asked now, raiding the refrigerator while Caitlin shrugged out of her coat and gloves.
“They’re perfect. Everything looks well. Don’t worry about them. I think Rayna will go full-term, but she has to stay down.”
“Just tackle her if she comes downstairs.” Wade’s eyes caught hers and his mouth quirked into a smile.
“Will do,” Caitlin joked in return.
“I know she’s bored,” he went on. “She’s usually a bundle of energy. She figured she’d be running the B&B and half the town all through the pregnancy.”
“I’m afraid not with a first baby at her age.”
“Hey,” Wade paused, pressing his lips together thoughtfully. “I don’t know much about pregnancies, but everything’s okay, right? I mean, the baby’s healthy and all that? I know Doc Taggart sent blood and amniotic fluid away to a lab for testing.”
“I read his charts and there is no sign of birth defects or Down’s Syndrome in the lab results if that’s what you two are worrying about. I’m sure he told you.”
“He did,” Wade nodded. “I just wanted to hear it again.”
“I completely understand. Now go up and see her and keep her from watching reruns any longer.”
“I’ll check out Quentin’s work first and go right up. Is he still here?”
“I have no idea. I’ve been gone the last few hours. But he did a number on the guest room wall.”
“Huh?”
“The room I’m using downstairs. A crack that took down part of the guest room wall and turned into air conditioning.”
“I’ll make sure he gets right on that,” Wade said.
“Oh, I know he will. I already gave him an earful.”
Caitlin hung up her coat and scarf, tucking her gloves inside the pockets and dropping her handbag on the bed.
Winter in Snow Valley (Snow Valley Romance) Page 16
