Mending Places

by Hunter, Denise

  Just then, Micah turned and pointed to Hanna, and she quickly grabbed a flashlight and pretended to read the label. She felt heat infuse her face as she realized they’d probably seen her staring. A quick glance showed that the couple was once again engaged in conversation. Was she Micah’s Thursday night appointment? He“d never mentioned a girl friend, but they hadn’t really talked about their personal lives.

  The woman had moved closer to Micah and was brushing some thing off his sleeve. Micah repositioned his arm causing hers to fall away. The smile fell from the woman’s face, and her chin raised a notch.

  Stop being so nosy, Hanna. Honestly. She forced her attention back to the shelves in front of her but couldn’t miss the rumble of Micah“s voice, then the hiss of an angry woman. Don“t look. It’s none of your business.

  Big flashlights, little flashlights, waterproof flashlights … batteries. Don’t forget the batteries.

  The low, angry tones of the woman’s voice reached her; then, in her peripheral vision, she saw the woman storm away. What’;s this? A lover’s quarrel? None of my business, none of my business.

  Minutes later, Micah approached and dumped an armful of ropes and harnesses in the cart. He helped her select the flashlights, then they moved on to the tents.

  It was a much quieter Micah on the ride back to the lodge. During the silence Hanna sought for a way to ask him who the woman was. Why do you care so much anyway?

  The thought jerked her mind to a momentary standstill. Yeah, why do I care so much?

  Hanna tossed to her other side and squinted at the red digital numbers on her alarm clock. Twelve-sixteen. She kicked off the covers and flopped to her stomach. She felt like she was in junior high and tomorrow was her first day of school. It’s just Memorial Day weekend, Hanna, get a grip.

  But it was much more than that. It was the beginning of tourist sea son, and the lodge was booked fully for the first time in almost two years. It had always been one of the most popular weekends, but this one marked a new start. Tomorrow they would kick off the plan they’d been working on for six months, ready or not.

  And they were ready. So why did she feel uneasy? Devon was scheduled to pick up the guests from the airport. Micah wouldn’t have his first climb until Monday, when he would do a two-dayer up Mount Moran, but his schedule was set and advertised in the front lobby. She and Gram had prepared all the empty rooms today—make that yesterday—and Mrs. Eddlestein had made scones and biscotti to be served at tea in the afternoon. The van was up and running, and she had finished entering all the customer data into the computer.

  The computer. Had she saved all the information she“d entered on disk? Surely she had. She’;d been burned before, so she always saved now. It was routine for her; that’s why she didn’t remember doing it.

  But could she honestly recall putting in the disk and clicking on save? She glared at the clock. Twelve-seventeen. She knew she wouldn’t go to sleep until she checked. At any rate, she wasn’t sleepy, so she crept out of bed and slipped into her terry robe. Once out in the living room of the suite she shared with Gram, she peeked in on her, pleased to see that the excitement of the new season hadn’t kept her grandmother awake.

  Hanna grabbed the key off the hook and closed the door softly behind her. She pulled her collar tight, feeling awkward about traipsing around the hallway in her nightclothes. There were only two guests for the night, though, and they’d turned in before Hanna.

  Night sounds seeped through the log walls, reminding Hanna she was alone. The hall shone dimly with the Exit sign at the end of the corridor, but she turned into the main room of the lodge and headed toward her office. The Exit light by the main door was burned out, leaving the room in darkness. Her heart rate automatically accelerated, and she pushed back the terror that clung to her like a wet cloth.

  Thwack! Her thigh bumped what she assumed was the end table, causing the lamp to teeter. She reached out and managed to grab the shade before the whole thing toppled over, then rubbed the spot just over her knee.

  when she rounded the counter, she saw a dim light sweeping across the office. She stopped short. Then she breathed a laugh of relief. Of course. It was only the light of the screen saver flashing on the shadowed walls.

  She flipped the light switch, grateful for the overhead light that flickered on. She took a seat behind the desk and clicked on the pro gram’s icon. The gentle hum of the computer, unnoticed during the busier daytime hours, seemed unnaturally loud in the quiet of the night. She heard a car pass on the road outside and wondered what someone was doing out at this hour on a weeknight. Finally, she retrieved the information she’d typed in and slipped a disk into the drive to save it.

  A thump sounded in the main room, and her hand stilled on the mouse. What was that? A shuffling sound sent her heart into wild palpitations. It was probably just a guest getting up for a snack or getting something from his car. At this hour? her thoughts demanded.

  Her mind flashed back to the previous night when she“d checked in Mr. Humphry, a middle-aged man whose flirting wink and lingering touches had made her shudder. His overt behavior would have been offensive enough even if he hadn’t been wearing a wedding band.

  Her ears tuned in sharply. Even the crickets outside had hushed, and only the hum of the computer filled the night air. She could almost hear the beating of her own heart. What if Mr. Humphry had seen her leave her room and followed her? What if he meant to attack her? She’d worried about it before. After all, she and Gram knew nothing about their guests except their names and addresses. How many criminals had they unknowingly harbored under their roof in the past? A psycho could check in, and they wouldn’t know it.

  Her eyes scanned the room for a possible weapon. A stapler, a stack of disks, and a paperweight. She reached for the latter and stood, letting the chair roll back silently on the floor.

  Should she go out and investigate or stay here and wait? Her body, too scared to move, made the decision for her. She was at a severe disadvantage, here in the brightly lit room with only darkness beyond the doorframe. Even if she did go out there, her eyes would need time to adjust. And she would be visible to whomever was there.

  She stared at the doorway. A creak sounded. There was definitely someone there, and he was just to the left of the register where the floor board was squeaky. She raised the granite weight over her head as a shadowed figure loomed in the doorway. She froze. Her breathing came in shallow rasps.

  “Hanna?”

  There was no mistaking the deep voice. “Micah.” She lowered the paperweight. Relief gushed through her veins like water through a dam. A hand went to her chest as if to still her riotous heart. “You scared me silly.”

  “Sorry,” Micah said. “Heard someone moving around out here and wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

  She sank back into her chair, suddenly feeling weak and shaky. “It’s just me.”

  He looked around the office, as the fluorescent light flickered. “You do lock this up at night, don’t you?”

  She shook her head. “There’s not even a lock on the door. Besides, there’s nothing in here worth stealing.”

  “There’s a lucrative market for office equipment. A guest could make a copy of your entry key and rip you off one night.”

  She blinked. “Oh. I guess you’re right.”

  He shuffled for a moment, then backed up. “Guess I’ll head back to bed. Good night. Sorry I scared you,” he added as an afterthought.

  “That’s all right. Good night.”

  She stared at the doorway after he’d disappeared. Man, but he’d given her a fright! She hated feeling scared. Hated how helpless it made her feel. Reminded her too much of another time when she’d been scared and helpless.

  Hanna shook her head as if to dismantle the thought. She scooted up to the desk, clicked on the save button, closed the program, and removed the disk. Her short errand had turned into an adrenaline-pumping fright that would probably keep her awake for hours.<
br />
  It wasn’t until after she padded back to her room and snuggled up in bed that a disturbing thought jolted through her mind: When she’d seen Micah, she’d not been afraid. She’d been relieved.

  Micah lay on his back staring up into the vast darkness. He knew the nightstand clock must read after one o’clock, but he felt as if he’d just had half a dozen cups of coffee. His mind kept racing back to the moment he’d discovered Hanna in the office. He’d been relieved that it was her and slightly amused at the sight of her in her bulky robe with that useless paperweight suspended over her head. But in the flickering light of the office, he’d read the fear in her eyes and felt her immense relief in the lowering of the weight, in the sudden sagging of her shoulders. She’d been relieved to see him.

  Relieved. What a wonder that was. If it had been several years ago, meeting him alone at night might’ve been her worst nightmare. Micah flipped on his side and turned his face into the pillow. Thinking about those years, it almost seemed like it was someone else. Not him. How could he have sunk so low? How could he have been so cruel when he, of all people, knew what it was to hurt? When will I forget, Lord? When will Your forgiveness be enough?

  CHAPTER SIX

  A week later Gram dropped onto the recliner and leaned her head back. “My goodness, I’d forgotten what it was like to clean all those rooms.”

  Hanna looked at the clock and saw it was almost check-in time. According to the books, they had three parties checking in for the week end, which would fill the lodge again. The season had officially begun. “Can you believe we’re almost booked solid? I guess advertising does pay.”

  “That, and a little prayer, goes a long way.”

  “How about a cup of tea before we have to worry about checking in more guests?”

  Gram agreed, and Hanna went to the kitchen to start the tea, but the kettle wasn’t in its usual spot at the back of the stove. “Gram? Do you know where the teakettle is?”

  “You know, I couldn’t find it yesterday, either,” she called from the great room.

  Hanna checked the cupboards but couldn’t find it. Just then, Mrs. Eddlestein entered the kitchen, tying an apron around her waist. “Mrs. Eddlestein, do you know where the teakettle is?”

  “What, dear?”

  Hanna repeated the question louder, and the woman looked toward the stove, then the sink. “I surely don’t. It was here yesterday, I think.”

  Hanna heard the front door open and looked around the corner to see Micah and the Sawyer group, three teenage boys and their father, returning from their three-day trip up Mount Moran.

  “How was the trip?” she asked.

  “Sweet!”

  “Cool!”

  Mr. Sawyer gave a thumbs-up, while the shortest teen simply smiled and nodded.

  Micahs hair was damp around the collar, and his clothes were smeared with dirt.

  “I’m starving,” said the oldest boy.

  “Me too!” chimed his brother.

  “You guys are always starving.” Mr. Sawyer tousled their heads and pointed them toward their room for a shower.

  “Thanks, Micah!” One of them said, with no prompting whatsoever. “This has been the coolest vacation ever.”

  “You guys did great. Now go get a shower so I don’t have to smell you anymore.”

  They snickered and returned the compliment.

  “They’re probably right,” Micah said. “It’s been a pleasure, Dave.” He shook Mr. Sawyer’s hand. “See you at dinner.”

  Hanna had a feeling Mr. Sawyer was hanging behind to talk to her, and she was right.

  “Ms. Landin, I just wanted you to know what a treasure of an employee you have there. He told us it was his first trip with Higher Grounds.”

  “Thanks for telling me. That’s good to hear.”

  “I own my own business, and I know how hard it is to find reliable people. Just wanted you to know he’s a keeper.”

  Hanna laughed. “Well, thanks. I appreciate it.”

  He left, presumably for a shower of his own.

  “I knew he was the right choice,” Gram said from her spot on the chair. “God doesn’t make mistakes.”

  Hanna released a long breath. She’d believed all along Micah would be great with the customers, but hearing it firsthand eased her mind. That was the last untried aspect of her plan, and now it seemed everything was right on track for a successful season. “I think we’re going to be all right, Gram.”

  “Speak for yourself, child. Personally, I’m dying for that cup of tea.”

  Hanna laughed. “Oh, Gram.”

  Micah entered from the hall, still in his hiking wear, and carrying the silver kettle. “Is someone missing something?”

  “There it is,” Hanna said, going to retrieve it.

  “Where on earth was it?” Gram asked.

  “Would you believe on my nightstand?”

  “Oh my. How did it get there?”

  Hanna felt the smile leave her face. Gram had cleaned Micah’s room yesterday morning and had undoubtedly brought it in there.

  “Let’s just be glad we found it,” Hanna said and felt Micah’s intense perusal.

  “I’m the only one who’s been in your room, so it must’ve been me,” Gram said. Her brows drew down over her eyes and formed a crease between them. “Now, why in the world would I have brought a kettle in there?”

  Micah squeezed Gram’s shoulder. “I’ve been known to sleepwalk,” he said with a smile. “Maybe I decided to have a cup of tea in the middle of night.”

  It was a nice try, but Hanna knew he was just trying to ease Gram’s mind. She didn’t know about the sleepwalking, but he didn’t even drink tea. He kidded around with Gram for a moment until she seemed to for get the incident, then went off to take his shower. The way he’d handled Gram touched her heart.

  Hanna watched him go and wondered how else he would surprise her.

  Natalie checked her watch, noting that a whole three minutes had passed since the last time she checked. She sipped her Diet Coke.

  The waiter appeared again. “Would you like to continue to wait or go ahead and order?”

  “I’ll wait.” Her smile was forced, her lips stiff.

  Leave it to Keith to be late for their first date in over a year. Hanna, bless her heart, had offered to watch the boys, and Natalie had been too desperate to refuse.

  In the two weeks since the confrontation, she’d gotten nowhere trying to discover the truth. Keith’s pants became a crime scene as she rooted through pockets prior to tossing them in the laundry. Each night as she lay in bed, she quietly picked up the bedroom receiver and listened to see if he was using the downstairs extension. She went even further than that. Every night she dialed the weather number before he came home, then, in the morning she hit the redial button. Only once had a different number come up. She’d written it down but hadn’t had the nerve to call it yet.

  Paranoid. That’s what she’d become. But who could blame her? Living in uncertainty and dread was taking a toll on her. This week she’d decided to do something about it. Something constructive. Whether Keith was having an affair or not, their marriage was in trouble. She couldn’t do anything about his behavior, but she could do something about her own. She’d bought a marriage book at the Cottage Christian Bookstore and had discovered plenty of things she could improve. Number one on her list was a date night.

  And here she sat alone. He’d said he could leave the bank at closing, but where was he? Was work his only mistress, or was there someone else? why couldn’t he just tell her the truth and put her out of her misery? Not knowing was awful.

  She dabbed at the corner of her eye with the starchy cloth napkin. Stop thinking like that before all your makeup runs off your face. Blinking to clear her vision, she glanced around the busy dining room. No one seemed to have noticed her emotional lapse. She wanted to keep things light tonight, have fun like they used to when they were dating.

  Suddenly Keith slipped into the chair
across from her, and she choked back the reprimand that formed on her lips

  He held out his hand, palm up. “I know. I’m sorry. An emergency came up.” He picked up the menu. “Have you seen these prices?”

  Only for about a half hour. “They’ve always been high.” And you never complained when we dated.

  He closed the menu and sipped the iced tea she’d ordered him. As he brought the glass to his lips, she saw it.

  A long black hair hanging from the stark whiteness of his sleeve. She froze. Every muscle, every fiber of her being froze. Except her heart, which throbbed fiercely. She looked at his face as every doubt from the last week seared her memory with the same ferocity as the moment she’d found the condom on the floor.

  He noticed. “What?” he asked with annoying innocence.

  What? How about, “I found a condom in your pants two weeks ago”? What about, “You’re never at work when I call”? Or, “You have another woman’s hair dangling from your sleeve”? Her eyes filled with tears again.

  “What?” he asked again, this time with a measure of irritation.

  The waiter appeared out of nowhere. “Are you ready to order?”

  She shifted her gaze to the peach tablecloth and blinked rapidly.

  “We need a few minutes,” Keith said.

  The waiter disappeared, and she dabbed at her eyes again.

  “Do you mind telling me what this is all about? I thought this was supposed to be a nice evening out.”

  “That was before I saw that.” She gestured to the hair, which now clung to the tablecloth.

  He looked down at the table, then his shirt. “What?”

  “The hair.” She hated the tremble in her voice.

  His gaze found the evidence. He plucked it off “You’re upset about a hair on the tablecloth?” His eyes mocked her.