“Were you following me?” Savanna suddenly accused, remembering how she thought she’d imagined Georgia in the mall. Georgia’s shoulders shook as she tried to hold herself together.
Another emotion crashed down on Savanna when she saw Georgia’s face fall and tears come to her eyes.
“I just want to see my granddaughter,” she whispered hoarsely. “I hardly have any family left.”
Savanna glanced at Jason, her heart hurting for the older woman. It couldn’t be easy having a son who wanted the good life and friends more than family.
“You didn’t have to try to take her away in order to see her,” Savanna said at last. Of course, any visits would have to be monitored, but maybe she could allow Georgia to meet Aubrey.
Eric stood then. “It looks like my part in this is done. Sam, good afternoon . . . Savanna, I’m sorry.” Those looked like bitter words for him to utter, rushed and late as they were. He strode out the door much like he’d walked out of her life. After hearing what he had to say about his own daughter, Savanna knew it was best for Aubrey not to know him. She had many other people who loved her and wanted her.
Jason wrapped his arm around Savanna’s shoulder and said to Georgia, “You have Savanna’s number. We can talk about this later.”
Savanna nodded, “Right now we need to look for Cassie.”
“Is this the best way to look?” Savanna asked in the car. Jason drove while they both scanned the side streets for Cassie’s car. They’d stopped in several different places she might go.
He sighed. “Honestly, probably not, but I’m not sure what else we can do. Is there anywhere else she liked to go? Or went to with Mike? Somewhere special we haven’t thought about?”
Somewhere special for her and Mike . . .
“You were here the last two years,” Savanna thought out loud. “I feel horrible for not being around more, for not visiting or calling more.” She rubbed her temples. Her eyes hurt from straining and squinting, trying to see everywhere from inside the car.
“Hey, honey, we all have our own lives and problems, too. You tried to be there for her, but you were going through a lot,” he reminded. “You’re here now, right?”
She nodded.
“I was here the last two years.” Jason seemed to be talking to himself. “What did they do together?”
“Where did they go?” she prompted.
“The hills. Mike loved driving out to go four-wheeling.” Jason’s voice filled with excitement. “They picked berries and even went camping. The hills, that’s gotta be it.” He pulled over and grabbed his cell phone to call several people, one after another, listing a couple different areas around Eugene. Savanna was thankful other people would recognize the nicknames for these different campgrounds and wilderness areas, because she wouldn’t have a clue.
It was hours later when her cell phone rang with Cassie’s ID song. “Thank God!” Savanna cried as she hit the talk button.
She skipped hello. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, and I’m sorry, Savanna. Kent said how worried I have made everyone.” Cassie’s shaky voice carried sadness. Savanna glanced at Jason and whispered, “Kent found her.” She vaguely remembered him as one of the other firefighters.
“What were you doing? Why didn’t you call?” She didn’t want to sound angry, but she couldn’t understand why Cassie hadn’t cared about letting people know where she was.
“I couldn’t. The cell wouldn’t get reception. I was out of gas. I didn’t know what else to do but walk down the road toward town.”
She must have been a ways out. Savanna sighed, relieved, even if she didn’t understand it still.
“I heard that sigh, and I know. I should have gotten more gas, but I started driving and ended up way up on the mountain, and then I had to take several turns to find the main road. I felt closer to Mike up there.” She ended quietly, and Savanna couldn’t hold onto any anger.
“Where are you? We’ll meet you.”
Together, Jason and Savanna ran to the car and started driving. When they reached Cassie, Savanna hurried to her friend and grabbed her like they’d been apart for a decade during wartime.
“I’m sorry,” Cassie whispered again, wiping the tears that were running down both her cheeks.
“Stop saying that. It’s okay now.” She felt Jason waiting behind them. For once, Cassie didn’t tell him to take a hike. She just held onto Savanna.
“How did mediation go?” Cassie asked. “I can’t believe I missed it.”
“I can’t believe you remembered when you’ve been lost. It went fine. Great. Eric wasn’t even interested in Aubrey; it was all his mother, just like you thought.”
Cassie laughed, a small soft sound of relief. It was a genuine laugh that Savanna hadn’t heard in a long time. “I told you it would be fine, right?”
She paused instead of answering, and Cassie’s eyebrows came together.
“Savanna, is there something else?”
“Cass, she was so sad and broken, and just wanted to see her granddaughter. Once Eric finally showed his true self, she fell apart. She just wanted to see Aubrey. So I told her we’d talk about it.”
Cassie smiled. “You always were a soft one, wanting to help others, but I agree. I’d want to see my grandbaby too.” They’d taken a step back and her gaze fell on Savanna’s hand. The light must have caught the diamond sitting on her finger. Savanna held her breath as Cassie looked back at her face and then behind Savanna where Jason stood waiting. New tears shined her warm brown eyes. “I owe you guys an apology.”
Savanna embraced her. She wasn’t the same joyful, laughing woman, but she was getting there. “No, everything’s all right now.”
Cassie stepped back and then took a step toward Jason. Slowly, she took another. “I’m sorry I’ve been so mad at you. I don’t know how I could have handled it differently, but I don’t want to go on like this anymore.”
He smiled, his own brown eyes watery, and took a step toward her so they were standing face to face.
She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. “I just miss him so much. And it didn’t have to be that way.”
Jason pulled back and Savanna could see his eyes, blazing with regret, sadness, and pain. “I’m so sorry I didn’t listen to your dreams. I thought I was helping.”
“Jason, I just meant Eric didn’t have to die. I don’t blame you. We do things and have to live with them, and you didn’t do anything with wrong intentions. I know that now. I know you lost Mike too.”
He couldn’t talk through the tears but just pulled her into a fierce hug. “Thank you for saying that.”
“I just kind of lost it and took it out on you. I’m so very sorry.” Cassie spoke into his shoulder and reached out blindly, knowing Savanna was right there. Savanna grabbed her hand.
“Cass, I understand,” Jason said. “I lost it too. I wrecked my jeep in the process and almost drove Savanna away. But we’re going to be okay. All of us.”
Savanna’s mind took a still frame that would be burned into her memory for the rest of her life. She finally saw her two closest friends hugging.
Cassie looked at Savanna to ask, “Where’s Aubrey?”
“My mom’s watching her.” Thank goodness she had her mom around now.
“Let’s go over there, all of us,” Cassie suggested.
Jason motioned, and they followed him to the car and then talked all the way there. Margaret met them on the street with Aubrey on her hip.
“Oh, Cassie, come hug me!” Margaret looked over Cassie’s shoulder at Jason and Savanna. She didn’t miss the fact that they were all there together. “Let’s go have some hot cider and get you warmed up. It’s chilly out here.”
Margaret and Cassie headed in, but Jason held back. He pulled Savanna by one hand into his arms for a long, drawn-out, emotional kiss.
“I was worried that today would be a horrible day,” Savanna said, “And it was difficult, but it turned into one of the bes
t days of my life.”
His eyes gleamed. “My Savanna, whose strength brought all of us back into the sunlight. Let’s go celebrate!”
The End
Return to Table of Contents, or a different story:
A Cowboy For Christmas
More Than Memories
The Enemy’s Son
Embers of Hope
Turn the page for info on
More Than a Promise, Book 2 of the Second Gift Series.
Also Available:
More Than a Promise, Book 2 of the Second Gift Series
(Cassie’s Story)
http://amzn.com/B00A5TAVXM
Cassie escapes to Ocean View Stables on the Oregon Coast to cope with the three year anniversary of her husband’s death. She’s starting to dream about her future again and possibly romance. A safe romance, that is, where people don’t die. She runs into Ethan Caldwell, the cute boy who teased her through grade school. He sure grew up – into a man who’d catch anyone’s eyes. Now he’s a single dad to nine year old Isabel, who talks about her parents getting back together…as soon as her mom is out of rehab. Then maybe her mom can watch her while her dad goes on his work trips. Apparently Ethan has some kind of dangerous, secretive government job. This isn’t at all what Cassie is looking for! So why is she running full speed into another broken heart?
New Release November 2012:
A Spy For Christmas – A Christmas novella
What’s more dangerous? The Oregon wilderness, hit men, or the heat in Grayson’s arms?
http://amzn.com/B00A8AMIGQ
Watch for another Christmas novella December 2012
And Promises Fulfilled in early 2013.
About The Author
Kristen James loves writing romances set in Oregon with dreamy heroes that will melt your heart. She enjoys the outdoors and watching wildlife in her yard and on the river by her house. Besides reading and writing, she loves traveling, cycling, hiking, berry picking, canoeing, fishing, and camping, especially doing these with her family. Life should be an adventure!
Visit www.writerkristenjames.com to learn more and read her blog. Connect on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WriterKristenJames and Twitter at @writerkristenj. She loves to interact with readers.
Amazon author page and full book list at http://amazon.com/author/kristenjames
License to Love: Holiday Box Set (Contemporary Romance) Page 62
