Either way, this was his marriage and he wasn’t going to let anyone else determine its fate. “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it,” he said, a slight edge to his voice.
“Just make sure that you protect Ruby in the process,” Kyle said.
Cold, harsh anger flared inside him. “She’s my wife, Kyle. I’ve always had her best interests at heart. Since the day we pledged our lives to one another, I’ve always kept that vow. That’s never going to change.”
For a moment they stared each other down. The tension between them palpable.
All of a sudden Kyle broke the tension by sticking out his hand. Liam reached out and clasped it. Kyle pulled him in for a hug.
“You’re a good man, Liam,” Kyle said. “And I’ve always admired you as a husband and father. I just don’t want Ruby hurt any more than she’s already been.”
Kyle was protecting his sister the same way Ruby had always watched over him and kept him out of harm’s way after their parents’ deaths. It was ironic that Kyle thought his sister would be the one to get hurt in all of this. Because ever since Ruby had taken off her wedding rings and asked for a separation, Liam’s own heart had been on life support.
* * *
Ruby had been sitting by Aidan’s bed for about ten minutes now. At first he hadn’t wanted her to come inside his bedroom, but once he’d allowed her entry, he had buried his face in his pillow and refused to talk to her.
Finally, Ruby reached out and gently turned him on his side.
“Hey, buddy. I know you’re angry, but acting like this isn’t the answer.”
Aidan looked at her through red-rimmed, puffy eyes.
“Go away. You’re just pretending to like me. I heard what you said to Uncle Kyle out there.”
“And that upset you.”
Aidan sat up and faced her. “Yes. Parents are supposed to love each other.”
Ruby bit her lip. How in the world could she explain this so her son would understand it? He was only a little boy. One who seemed very invested in the idea that his parents would walk off into the Alaskan sunset together. She didn’t want to break his little heart, but she also didn’t want him to invest in a pipe dream.
“Aidan, right here, right now, I’m going to make a promise to you. I’m never going to lie to you. I’ve been away for two long years. You know all about how I lost my memory, so you have to remember that loving your father isn’t something I remember. Love builds over time and I’ve only been back for two days.”
“W-what about me? Do you love me?” His voice trembled. She could see the longing in his eyes, the heartfelt desire to be loved by his mother. It was the most natural thing in the world.
Ruby hesitated for a moment before answering. She wanted to make sure she spoke from the heart. It was strange to acknowledge it, but she did love her son. Her feelings for him were the most natural, powerful emotions known to mankind. It was innate and instinctual. She knew without a doubt that she would sacrifice her own life to save his. Yes, indeed. It was love.
She reached out and tweaked his nose. “Yes, I love you, Aidan. As surely as the moon glows in the night sky, I do.”
He scrunched his face up. “Then how come that’s different than loving Daddy?”
“For some reason I don’t need to have all my memories intact to tell me that what I feel for you is love.” She put her arm around him. “Remember, I carried you around in my tummy for nine long months. We bonded before you even came into the world.”
Aidan gifted her with a beatific smile.
“So maybe you can learn to love Daddy all over again. Right?” he asked with his head cocked. “Then we can be a real family.”
“Um...well, it’s possible, Aidan. But I don’t want you to count on—” A knock on the door interrupted her.
The door opened and Liam peered in, his eyes full of questions. “How’s it going in here?”
“What do you say? Did we get everything straightened out?” Ruby asked, leaning in to tickle him. Aidan burst into giggles and tried his best to fend her off.
“Better,” Aidan said with a grin in his father’s direction.
“Why don’t you come out here and spend some time with your uncle before he takes off?” Liam asked. “He’s meeting some friends in town.”
“I still need to show him my fire truck,” Aidan said, jumping up from his bed.
“And after your uncle leaves we’re going to talk about throwing the fire truck,” Liam said in a stern voice. “That was unacceptable.”
“I’m sorry I did that,” he said, his voice full of contrition. With a nod from his father, Aidan scooted out of the room.
As soon as they were alone, Ruby heaved a tremendous sigh. “I know you’re probably wondering what happened. Long story short, Aidan overheard Kyle and I talking about us. He was pretty upset to hear I don’t remember being in love with you.”
Liam walked over and sat beside her on the bed. “He wants the fairy tale. With all the trimmings.”
“And I burst his bubble. Great move on my part,” Ruby said with a groan.
“I know this can’t be easy for you.”
“It’s not. It’s the worst feeling in the world to not be able to remember who I am and the things I felt, the people I cared about, the very things that made me Ruby Prescott,” she admitted, sniffing back tears. All of a sudden she felt like a stranger in a foreign land. Nothing made sense at the moment. Her brain felt fuzzy and her soul was weary.
Liam reached out and grazed his knuckles against Ruby’s cheek. Instead of shying away from his touch, she felt comforted by it. “Please don’t cry. That could bring me to my knees.”
“I feel like I’m letting everyone down.” Her voice trembled. Seeing Kyle and disappointing Aidan had cemented it. She was fumbling through town without a clue as to anything more than her name and a few remembrances...snippets in time that didn’t amount to a hill of beans in the scheme of things. She couldn’t access the memories that mattered most. Loving and being loved.
What is the point of even staying here in Love? As soon as that thought escaped, her son’s innocent face flashed before her eyes.
“What? Disappointing us? That’s not true,” Liam said. “I realize you agreed to stay on here in town because of our son. I don’t think I’ve expressed in words how grateful I am. You could have left on the next seaplane back to Denver. But you didn’t. You had a little faith in me. I’m asking you now to have some in yourself.”
“I suppose I’m feeling a bit sorry for myself at the moment. Everyone remembers me and, on some level, they expect me to have memories of them. But, for the most part, I don’t. At the Moose Café I saw the sadness in Paige’s eyes when she realized it wouldn’t be wise to hug me. She remembers me as her dear friend, but that doesn’t really mean anything to me. And she could see it! Same thing with Kyle. I could see the love shining in his eyes and I felt a connection, but I keep beating myself up for not feeling more motherly.” She pressed her hands against her heart. “What if these memories never come back? Where does that leave me?”
“Give yourself a break, Ruby. You’ve barely been back in town for forty-eight hours. The memories might come back to you, but if they don’t, you can still build bridges with the people in your life who care about you. Look at you and Aidan! He still thinks you’re a rock star.”
“I wish that I felt that way about myself,” she said. “At the café earlier, my hands were shaking like a leaf.”
“We all get scared sometimes,” Liam said. “You should see me when I have a patient whose illness is challenging to diagnose.”
“I must have been brave to be in the search-and-rescue profession.” Ruby hadn’t asked many questions about her previous line of work. She was really curious about it and what had led her down that road. Liam had told her
that both her parents had died in a car accident. Perhaps that had motivated her to rescue others so their families wouldn’t have to deal with the loss and heartache.
She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but Liam seemed to stiffen at the mention of her job. Maybe it was a touchy subject due to the Colorado mission.
“You weren’t afraid of anything. Not ever.”
“So I was tough?” she asked.
“As nails,” Liam said. “Nothing ever scared you...not wolves or bears or delivering Aidan without a single pain reliever. You’ve always been a mighty warrior.”
“What about you? Were you afraid when I went out on a mission?”
“I was always afraid of losing you...your job scared me. Not that I wasn’t proud of you, because I was awed and humbled by your service. But in my heart I was always dreading the day when I would get a call saying you’d been injured or worse.”
“And worse happened, didn’t it?” She couldn’t imagine Liam having to deal with the terrible news from Colorado. His wife had gone to rescue people, only to perish in the process.
“It did. And the bottom fell out of my world.”
Something glimmered in his eyes that hinted of deep pain and loss. This man had been through the ringer. She wished she could do something to take away everything he’d endured at the loss of her. But it wasn’t possible. At the moment all she could do was pray. She prayed for Aidan. And Kyle. She also prayed for her and Liam, that somehow all would be revealed to them in the weeks and months to come. And that whatever decisions they came to about their marriage and her future here in Love, they would both be at peace with them.
Chapter Seven
Liam sat in the office of his clinic, waiting for his ten o’clock patient to arrive. As it usually did, his mind wandered to Ruby. For the past week he had been trying to figure out ways to help Ruby settle into her old life. At the moment he remained stumped. How could he help his wife find her way back?
The situation was weighing heavily on him. He hated to see Ruby suffer. It reminded him way too much of how unhappy she’d been in those dark days before she’d left them for that last rescue operation. There had been a lot of tears and arguments leading to the unraveling of their marriage.
Just thinking about it made his chest tighten and sweat gather on his forehead. Losing Ruby seemed to be a recurring theme in his life. He didn’t know how he could stand to do it another time if her unhappiness caused her to leave town. It was the main reason he was holding back and trying not to invest too much emotionally in their relationship even though she had decided to stay in town for an indefinite period to see how things played out. What if she ultimately decided it was too difficult to remain in Love and headed back to Colorado? The truth was that Aidan wouldn’t be the only one with a broken heart. His own would be shattered...and not for the first time.
After hearing the jingle of the bell on the front door, he cast a quick glance at his desk clock. His patient, Myrtle Maplethorpe, was early today. Liam wouldn’t be surprised if she had arrived early to get the scoop about Ruby’s return. He got up from his chair and walked into the reception area. Cameron was standing there with Emma cradled against his chest. She had her thumb firmly rooted in her mouth and her eyes were closed. His niece looked as sweet as ever. Wanda, his receptionist, was gazing at Emma with adoration.
"I was just about to buzz you, Doctor Prescott," Wanda said, her expression sheepish. She walked behind the front desk and sat down.
“Hey, Cam. What brings you over here?” Liam greeted his brother.
Cameron’s features looked pinched. A frown marred his brow. “I think Emma might be sick. She’s been fussing quite a bit. She wouldn’t go down for her nap today and she feels a little warm.”
“Does she have a temperature?”
“I’m not sure. I figured I would just bring her over here so you could check her out. Paige is at that meeting over in Homer today, representing Lovely Boots. Declan flew her over. I’m on Dad duty.”
Lovely Boots was a corporation based in Love that sold genuine Alaskan boots created by Hazel. A majority of the proceeds went toward the town of Love in the hopes of improving the local economy. “Let’s go into one of the rooms so I can check her out,” Liam said, ushering his brother down the hall.
Once they were inside, Liam reached out for Emma. At first she resisted, snuggling deeper into her father’s chest. With all the gentleness in the world, Liam plucked her out of Cameron’s arms and placed her on the examination table. Her eyes flew open and for a moment tears welled in her eyes. “It’s okay, Emma. It’s me. Uncle Liam.” His voice was soft and tender.
Emma immediately turned and held her arms up toward Cameron. A small cry escaped her lips. “Shh, sweet baby girl. Uncle Liam needs to examine you so he can make you feel better.”
He’d never quite seen such a tortured expression on Cameron’s face. There was nothing like being a father to tie you up in knots.
“Why don’t you hold her while I take her vitals?” Liam suggesting, realizing Cameron needed this for comfort as much as Emma did.
Relief washed over Cameron’s face as he picked up Emma and rocked her in his arms.
For the next few minutes Liam examined his niece. “She has a temperature. It’s 102.”
“That’s high,” Cameron said, biting his lip. “Poor little thing. I knew something was off.” He pressed a kiss against Emma’s cheek.
The moment Liam checked in her ears he hit pay dirt. “She’s got a double ear infection, Cam, which is no doubt making it difficult for her to lie down. It increases the pressure and pain in her ears. Has she had one before?”
Cameron shrugged. “Not that I know of. At least not in the last eight months or so.”
Cameron’s answer referenced the fact that he had only known his daughter Emma since Paige had brought her to Love eight months ago. For the first fourteen months of her life, Cameron hadn’t known of Emma’s existence. Upon her return to town, Cameron and Paige had quickly fallen back in love and gotten married. They were now happily raising their daughter together.
“She’s going to need a course of antibiotics and some drops for the ear pain. We don’t want this infection to get any worse.”
“I’m glad I didn’t wait to come in. This way Emma will be on the mend right away.”
“I’ll call the prescription in to the pharmacy. I think I have some drops here somewhere.” Liam turned around and rummaged in his cabinets. “Here we are.” He handed Cameron a vial of drops that would take away some of Emma’s discomfort. He winked at his brother. “This way you and Paige might not have to stay up all night with a screaming child.”
“Bless you. It sure comes in handy having a doctor for a brother,” Cameron said with a grin.
“Glad to hear it,” Liam said. It made him feel good inside to know that he’d made his brother’s road a bit easier. It was worth all the years of struggle and schooling to be able to make his beautiful niece feel better. Being a doctor in his Alaskan hometown was extremely gratifying. He truly believed it was his calling and that God had led him on this path.
“I’ve been meaning to catch up with you,” Cameron said. “I know you’ve been really busy the last few days.”
“It’s been a whirlwind, that’s for sure.”
“So, how does it feel to be reunited with Ruby? It’s pretty incredible, huh?”
“I feel blessed.”
“And? What else? I know Ruby has amnesia, but has it been romantic between the two of you? Moonlight and roses?”
“No, it hasn’t,” Liam said in a curt voice. “Ruby doesn’t remember me. She has no inkling of what we were to one another. The love we shared. The ups and downs.”
Cameron frowned. “Downs? You two were perfect together. Blissful.”
“That’s n
ot true,” Liam snapped. Cameron’s eyes widened. “Sorry,” he apologized. “I didn’t mean to snap at you. Before Ruby went on that Colorado mission, the two of us were having problems. We couldn’t agree on her job. I thought she was tempting fate by putting herself at risk on these various missions, and she had no intention of giving it up. We went round and round about it with no resolution.”
“Seriously?” Cameron asked, appearing stunned. “I had no idea you were going through that. From the outside looking in, the two of you seemed so content.” He ran his hands over Emma’s hair. She had fallen asleep on his chest.
“I didn’t tell anyone. I thought Ruby and I would work it out ourselves. Until the day she took off her wedding rings and asked for a legal separation. It was the day before she left us. We had been fighting nonstop... I guess she had reached her breaking point. Truthfully, so had I. But I never imagined us not being together. Until she threw it out there.”
“Liam. You would have worked through it if—” Cameron’s words dangled in the air.
“If Ruby hadn’t been presumed dead on that Colorado mountain?” Liam scratched his chin. “I don’t know. It broke my heart when she took off her rings. And even though I prayed we would find our way, we never got the opportunity.”
“But you have it now, don’t you?” Cameron asked. “She’s back... God led her straight to Love and toward you and Aidan. That has to mean something.”
Liam swallowed past the bile rising in his throat. “It’s hard to put my heart on the line again, knowing that if she remembers the past she might toss me aside all over again. Maybe she really, truly, had fallen out of love with me. Perhaps that’s why she hasn’t had a single memory about me...and what we were to one another. And I’m starting to feel guilty about making her believe everything was peaches and cream between us, when that’s far from the truth.”
Reunited at Christmas Page 8
