When We Fall, Contemporary Romance (Last Frontier Lodge Novels Book 6)

by J. H. Croix

  “Got your keys?”

  She tugged them out of her jacket pocket and handed them over. He closed the door, leaving her alone in the quiet car. It occurred to her it should tell her a lot about how she felt that she didn’t even consider driving. She was just too weak. She was starting to bounce back and the tingling in her leg had disappeared, but she didn’t have it in her to try to drive home, or to even argue about going to the doctor with Quinn.

  Quinn walked beside Lacey into her cabin. She’d surprised him by not arguing about going to see her doctor, which gave him the opportunity to meet the only other doctor in Diamond Creek, Dr. Rita Marshall. Lacey clearly felt comfortable with her, so he was relieved for that. He hadn’t been too focused on the professional aspect of meeting Dr. Marshall, although he was pleased to find her gracious and kind. She already knew he’d accepted the position from Dr. Daniels and had explained there were more than enough patients to share, so competition wasn’t a concern.

  He was feeling caught in the middle with Lacey. He had his own ideas about what might help, but he knew he was far from objective. He was beyond relieved with Dr. Marshall’s approach. She’d prescribed a brief regimen of corticosteroids and made a referral for another MRI. She hadn’t allowed Lacey to leave without an injection to start her medication and scheduled Lacey for a check up within the week. Lacey had been quiet on the drive home. He was so stirred up inside, he was relieved for the silence. Before last night and before the lightning hot attraction between them had gone from an idea to reality, he’d have been worried for her. Now, he was wrestling with a powerful need to protect her. He didn’t want to leave her alone tonight, but he wasn’t so sure how she’d feel about that.

  Once they were in her cabin, Lacey eyed the woodstove. “I should probably start a fire.”

  He glanced from her to the woodstove and back again. “I’ll take care of it if that’s okay.”

  She chewed her lip and stared at him for a long moment. Her auburn hair was tied back in a ponytail. Between the wind and her run, many locks had fallen loose. Her freckles stood out against her pale skin. Even tired, she was beautiful. He shackled the urge to pull her into his arms.

  “That’d be great,” she finally said. “Mind if I take a shower? I’m all clammy from running and then getting cold on the beach.”

  “Of course not. You shower, and I’ll get a fire going.”

  She turned and started to walk to the stairs.

  “Hey, promise you’ll call out if you feel weak again,” he said.

  She stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked over at him. She rolled her eyes, which let him know she was feeling better. “Promise. But I’m actually feeling a little better. That shot Dr. Marshall gave me is already helping.”

  “Good. I think you’d have been feeling better anyway, but the corticosteroids should help with the inflammation that triggered this.”

  She grinned. “You just can’t help talking like a doctor.”

  He shrugged. “It’s what I do. Now go get in the shower and warm up.”

  Once he heard the water running, he stepped onto the front porch where he’d seen a rack full of chopped wood. He carried an armful inside and quickly laid the logs in the woodstove and started a fire. By the time Lacey came downstairs, the heat was beginning to filter through the chilly cabin air. His breath caught when he saw her. Her cheeks were rosy, and her jade eyes were luminous in her face. She wore a pair of sweatpants that hugged her curvy hips and emphasized her strong thighs before they flared out, swinging around her ankles as she walked. She’d topped those with a fitted t-shirt and a sweatshirt than hung open, leaving a way too tempting view of her breasts. He had to force his eyes away and focus on her face as she made her way to him where he stood by the kitchen counter.

  “Much better,” Lacey said as she reached the counter and pulled a stool out to sit. “Whatcha doing?”

  “Waiting for the water to boil.” He pointed to the kettle starting to hum to the stove.

  She grinned. “What for?”

  “I figured something hot was called for. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or something else?”

  She cocked her head to the side, her smile widening. “Hot chocolate.”

  “You’re gonna have to tell me where to find it,” he replied, smiling widely. His relief at seeing her back to herself was palpable.

  After he served her some hot chocolate and made some coffee for himself, he joined her at the counter. She took a slow swallow and sighed. “Delicious. I finally feel normal again.” She paused, tracing the edge of the counter with her fingertip. Her hair fell in a tousle around her shoulders when she looked up at him. “I’m really glad you got the job,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean to derail your afternoon like this.”

  “I’m glad you called me.” His chest tightened at his words, realizing what it must’ve said about how she felt that she called for help. Lacey wasn’t much for asking for help. He couldn’t recall any other time she’d needed it, save her two falls during their Katmai trip.

  “Maybe we should order takeout to celebrate. I’d say we should go out, but I’m too tired for that. We’ll have to save that for another night,” she said, her voice interrupting his thoughts.

  “Works for me. What do you want?”

  “You pick. We’re celebrating your new job. For takeout options, if we pick up, we have more choices. If we want delivery, it’s Glacier Pizza. That’s the only place in town that delivers.”

  “Glacier Pizza it is.”

  Lacey slipped off her stool and walked to the counter on the other side. Opening a drawer, she pulled out a menu and tossed it to him.

  Chapter 9

  Lacey jogged up the steps to her parents’ house, pausing on the deck to look out over the field. Snow had fallen again last night, leaving the landscape sparkling where the sun struck it and melted the thin layer of snow. She scanned the horizon, her eyes traveling along the peaks and valleys of the mountains across the bay. Her childhood home was only minutes from the small cabin where she was staying. It was lower down the hill toward town and had a more open view of the bay. She knew the view by heart. At the moment, she needed the comfort of the familiar.

  She’d slept in Quinn’s arms last night, although nothing other than that happened. Oddly, the intimacy of being close to him like that after him witnessing her hardly able to walk again made her feel vulnerable. She’d woken beside him and wanted to stay there all day. Her body had betrayed her again with need thrumming through her, but she’d shoved it away. He must’ve sensed something because even though she could feel the hard, hot length of him against her leg, seeing as she woke plastered to his side, he benignly offered to make coffee when she leapt out of bed and practically ran for the shower.

  He’d left to run a few errands in town and go back to the lodge. She’d promised herself she’d talk to her mother this morning. Even if this ‘whatever’ she had going on didn’t turn out to be MS, she knew she needed to cue her family in, although it grated on her to consider it. Talking about it made it seem as if something would come of it. If it weren’t for Quinn being around yesterday, she’d have needed to call one of them. She turned away from the view and gave a quick knock on the kitchen door before stepping inside.

  “Hey Mom!”

  “Upstairs, hon. I’ll be down in a minute. Help yourself to coffee or tea,” her mother called out.

  Lacey hung her jacket on the coatrack by the door and kicked off her running shoes. Her mother had a fresh pot of coffee ready, so Lacey poured herself a cup and sat down at the small round table by the windows. Growing up, their home had always been a bustle of activity between her and Marley and their various activities. While Marley had various computers and projects strewn about the house, Lacey’s sports gear was scattered in a trail behind wherever she went. Her father was gone for a few weeks on another fishing trip. He used to fish more frequently when they were younger, but now he only went once a year. At the sound of footsteps comin
g down the stairs, she glanced over to see her mother walking into the kitchen.

  Holly Adams smiled warmly and stepped to the booth to drop a kiss on Lacey’s cheek. “Hello dear.” She moved past Lacey and poured herself a cup of tea before joining Lacey at the table. Lacey and Marley had inherited their mother’s auburn hair and green eyes. Holly’s hair was streaked with silver now, but her green eyes were as bright as they’d ever been.

  “How’re things at the hospital?” Lacey asked, figuring she’d start with the usuals. Holly had been a nurse at the local hospital for many years. She’d decreased her work schedule in the last few, but Lacey wasn’t so sure her mother could ever stand to retire. She genuinely loved her job and was beloved by residents for her kind manner at the hospital.

  Holly took a sip of coffee and shrugged. “Same, same. Busy as always. There was a car accident on the highway outside of town last night, so I worked late. Four teens with one of them driving way too fast. Thank goodness they’re all going to be okay!”

  “Good to know. I’m sure they got your little lecture on driving,” Lacey said with a wry grin.

  Holly chuckled. “I decided to save it for today when they’re feeling a bit better. Anyway, how are you? I saw your car yesterday at Raven’s Beach and figured you must’ve gone for a run.”

  Lacey grinned. She loved that her mother had adopted her childhood name of the beach. As she considered how her afternoon had gone there, her grin faded. She needed to just get this off her chest. She took a deep breath and eyed her mother.

  Holly’s eyes narrowed. “Are you okay?”

  “Well, I suppose it depends. I came by today because I thought you needed to know I’ve had some medical issues recently, including yesterday when I went for a run.”

  Her mother’s eyes widened, and she angled her head to the side. “Please tell me you’re okay.”

  “Mom, obviously I’m okay. Look at me. I’m sitting right here, completely fine. I wasn’t sure about talking to you sooner because I didn’t know if it was necessary. So here’s what happened…”

  She quickly summarized the events in Katmai, her subsequent visit to the hospital in Anchorage, and then what happened yesterday afternoon. When she got to the end and looked over at her mother, her chest tightened and she had to swallow against the lump in her throat. Her mother looked so concerned. Making it even harder, she didn’t scold Lacey for not telling her sooner, although Lacey knew she might be just about biting her tongue off at that.

  “Maybe I should’ve said something sooner, but I don’t think anything will come of it. The doctor in Anchorage said sometimes people never have another episode, and Quinn said the same thing. After he came to get me yesterday, he made me promise to talk to you soon. I was going to anyway, but it’s just… I don’t know, I didn’t know what to say. I just hate it. I don’t like feeling weak and I want it to go away.”

  Holly looked at her thoughtfully and took a sip of coffee. “Even if it’s MS, you don’t need to turn it into more than it is. I completely understand it would be frightening, especially for you…”

  Lacey cut her off. “Why especially for me?”

  Her mother’s gaze softened and she reached across the table to squeeze Lacey’s hand. “Because you’re Brawny. Ever since you two gave each other those nicknames, you’ve lived up to it. I don’t think you rely on your strength and daredevil spirit because of a silly nickname, but I do think the name stuck when you were kids because it fit so perfectly. The way your strength defines you, it’s probably a bit more scary to feel weak out of the blue that like.” Her mother paused, her eyes considering. “You might need to think about the fact that this might not go away.”

  Lacey stared at her mother, a panicky feeling rising inside. In the short time since she’d experienced any of what was going on, she’d been mentally kicking and screaming. She didn’t want to have to think about any possibility other than this whole thing becoming a surreal memory. She forced herself to take a breath and looked over at her mother. She didn’t want to argue because she knew it would only worry her mother. Instead, she took a sip of coffee and nodded slowly, striving to be nonchalant. “Maybe, but I don’t see any point in thinking the worst right now. I’ll wait and see.”

  Her mother’s perceptive gaze held hers. If her mother thought it was worth arguing her point, she decided against it. “Well, be that as it may, don’t you dare keep hiding this from us. If Quinn hadn’t been there yesterday, what would you have done?”

  “I would’ve called you or Marley. I really would have. It’s just he was here, and he already knew what might be going on, so it was easier to call him.”

  Holly was quiet for several beats before nodding slowly and shifting gears. “What did Dr. Marshall think?”

  A few days ago, it would have bothered Lacey to no end to have to answer questions about what her doctor thought, but at the moment, it was a bit of a relief. The emotional weight of trying to talk about it was too close for comfort, so focusing on the dry, medical details seemed easier somehow.

  A little bit later, after her mother hugged her tightly at the door, Lacey started her walk back to her cabin. As she threaded her way through the trees, her phone chirped. A look at the screen showed a text from Marley.

  Where are you? Your car’s here, so I know you’re somewhere nearby. I stopped by to see if you wanted to grab some lunch. It’s freezing out, so I’m waiting inside.

  Lacey picked up her pace a little bit and quickly tapped out her reply.

  Walking back right now. See you in a few.

  Within a few minutes, she was jogging up the steps to her cabin. Marley opened the door to greet her.

  “Hey there!”

  “Hey yourself,” Lacey replied, stepping inside and closing the door behind her.

  Marley and Gage’s daughter Holly was on the couch gnawing on her tattered stuffed parrot. Lacey stepped to the couch and ran her fingers through Holly’s soft hair before dropping a kiss on her forehead. “Hey little miss, nice to see you.”

  Holly stared up at Lacey with her wide green eyes and gurgled something impossible to interpret with the parrot in her mouth. Lacey laughed softly and plunked down on the couch beside her.

  “Lunch would be perfect. Where do you wanna go?”

  “The Boathouse is having locals specials all week,” Marley replied.

  “Let’s go then.” Lacey stood and leaned over to lift Holly into her arms.

  After the short drive into town, Lacey carried Holly as they walked into the Boathouse Café. The café was in a renovated diner that retained its original warm feel. The diner counter had been updated with polished mahogany and served as a bar. The kitchen grill was visible to one side of the bar with copper cookware hanging above. The booths and tables were also polished wood with a variety of rich colored curtains adding brightness to the space. Once they were seated and Holly was settled in her high chair, Lacey looked out over the bay. With the café situated on a bluff by the ocean, the view here was phenomenal. Clouds obscured the sun from this morning now with wind scudding across the water and leaving the surface choppy.

  After they ordered, Lacey looked over at Marley and contemplated whether she was up for a replay of her conversation with her mother earlier. She decided she’d rather get it over with than delay further.

  “You know how you asked if I was okay last week?”

  Marley had been adjusting the tray on the high chair and swung her eyes to Lacey, her gaze sharp and perceptive. “Of course. Something’s up. I tried to pry it out of Quinn, but he wasn’t much help. Spill it.”

  Lacey experienced a flash of gratitude for the kind of friend Quinn was. With a deep breath, she repeated everything she’d discussed with her mother earlier, including the doctor’s visits. When she was done, she looked over at Marley. Marley’s face was tight and her eyes concerned.

  “Why didn’t you say something sooner?” Marley shook her head sharply. “Scratch that. I know exactly why you didn’
t say something sooner. You’re the badass of the family, so this must be driving you nuts. What did Dr. Marshall say? When will you know if this is something more?”

  Lacey sighed. “Same thing as the doctor in Anchorage. It annoys the hell out of me everyone keeps saying this is still one episode, but Quinn says it’s because an episode can last weeks or more. I did a little internet research, which Quinn said is not the best idea, but anyway, some people wait years before they’re formally diagnosed with MS because there has to be more than one episode and they have to confirm nerve damage in more than one location. Whatever. All I know is this sucks. Either way, I’m pretty sure this is all just gonna fade into nothing.”

  Their waiter arrived at that moment and delivered their drinks and an appetizer of mini halibut tacos. He also filled Holly’s small cup with water before departing. Lacey quickly transferred several of the tiny halibut tacos onto her plate before pushing the rest over to Marley. They ate quietly for a few minutes before Marley spoke again.

  “I don’t really know what to say. I want to tell you not to worry, but I’d be worried as hell.”

  Lacey took a sip of her water to wash down a bite of food and nodded. “I’m focusing on the fact there’s a good chance it’s nothing.” Now that she’d managed to get these uncomfortable conversations over with, she didn’t want to dwell. There wasn’t much else to say and talking about it sent anxiety churning through her. “Mind if we move on now that I got that off my chest. I should’ve said something sooner, but I guess I was wishing it would all go away. Hopefully it still will, but for now, there’s not much else to say.”

  Marley held her gaze for a long moment, her eyes warm and concerned. “I suppose you’re right.” Her expression softened and she smiled slyly. “Maybe you could tell me what’s up with Quinn.”

  Lacey felt her cheeks heat and damned her tendency to blush. With their fair skin and auburn hair, she and Marley were both blushers. She was about to say something when their waiter arrived again, this time serving their salmon burgers and sweet potato fries, along with a tiny grilled cheese sandwich for Holly. The interruption distracted Lacey enough that she wasn’t flushed straight through when she finally looked over at Marley again.