"You better take that as a yes, or I did something wrong."
Chapter Seventeen
A LIGHT SNOW was forecast for the first Saturday in December, but so far the weather was fine, partly cloudy and no snow. Sam was glad. She had plans she didn't want the weather ruining. When she heard car doors slam shut and saw Jake head for the front door, she joined him.
After warm hugs were exchanged, a bag of bagels handed over, and jackets taken and placed into the foyer closet by Sam, Cali asked, "Whose idea was it to have us all over for breakfast?"
"It was Sam's," Halie responded, "and Jake's of course."
Cali laughed. "Of course. Well, I wanted to say thanks. It's so nice to be here again, and so good to see you all." With her last words, her eyes drifted to Ronni.
The glance didn't go unnoticed, as Sam held Halie's eyes with her own before she focused on Cali. "You're more than welcome, and we're glad you could come," Sam said. "Why don't you guys go ahead and sit at the table while we wait for Corrine and April. I'll take the bagels into the kitchen. They smell so good. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to hold off. The garlic bagel's calling my name."
"Lucky me," Halie said, as Sam disappeared into the kitchen.
Two minutes later, Jake sprang up and ran to the front door barking seconds before the doorbell rang. April and Corrine stood outside on their stone steps.
After sturdy hugs were again exchanged, they all settled back around the dining room table.
"How much food did you bring?" Halie asked. She held two bags of donut boxes. "First these guys pick up enough bagels to feed a couple families and then you guys bring enough donuts and coffee to feed an army."
"Well," April started, "The way I see it, you can't go wrong if you overestimate. Besides," she paused, "we all know how much you like to eat."
Halie gave April a playful slap. "Very funny, but other than Cali, I've seen you all do a pretty good job of putting it away yourselves."
"Guilty," Ronni replied, tapping her belly. "No, seriously though, I'm so glad we're all here too. What a difference a couple of weeks make."
Corrine reached for a sesame seed bagel. "I'll say, and how lucky we all were. Other than a few scratched up faces and April's sore shoulder, we did okay."
"I read they rescued the guy Halie was skiing with, Colin Mitchell, the one she was hired to photograph, though they think he may have been the cause of the avalanche above the ski school," Sam informed everyone.
"I thought the avalanche was caused by the tremor?" Corrine said.
"Only the one by Teton Pass that we got caught in. The other they're blaming on him. He was skiing in a restricted area, and restricted for good reason. Halie said they argued about it on the mountain that morning, and when she wouldn't go with him, he fired her. When she left him, he went into the lodge, but when he came out, he must have skied the restricted trail anyway."
"That's infuriating," Corrine said.
"You can add thoughtless and asinine to the list of words describing him. He called from the hospital during the week to apologize to Halie. We were surprised to hear from him. He sounded remorseful, but unfortunately, he'll have to live with what he did the rest of his life. Lucky for him not more people were killed. Three in total, including at the Pass, but lots more injured," Sam said.
Halie's facial expression grew more serious as she set her cup of coffee on its saucer. She addressed April. "The woman behind me in the ski school, Justine. Did you find out if she made it?"
"No, she didn't," April said, "but she was also very ill. She shouldn't even have been at work, but she said it helped to take her mind off things. She wasn't being paid, she just hung around. She couldn't do much, but she liked talking with me and the kids, and other people. Justine had lung cancer--they didn't give her much time. As sad as losing her is, her dying quickly may have been a blessing in disguise for her. I miss her though. She always cheered me up, when I should have been the one cheering her up. That's the kind of person she was. The kids loved her too."
"I think most things happen for a reason," Cali said, "even if we can't understand why. It's possible God sent the White Dragon for a purpose."
"When the avalanche hit and we were standing on the deck at the base lodge, I heard you whisper "˜White Dragon' but I didn't think anything of it at the time. What's that all about?" Ronni asked.
"Since the Middle Ages, in Europe there's been an old riddle passed around from generation to generation--"˜What flies without wings, hits without hands, and sees without eyes?'--the answer is The White Dragon--the avalanche. My mom's partner told me about it many years ago when I was still a kid. It stuck with me for some reason. An avalanche exemplifies the powerful forces at play in nature and solidifies the fact that nature and White Dragons have and will continue to demand our respect," Cali said.
"Respect Colin certainly didn't show," Halie said. "The name's perfect. It was a White Dragon, the way it swooped over us. I think though that this dragon may have realized what happened and sat above us, above our group of kids at Alpine Crest, and held back the weight of the snow until rescuers came. I think it protected us from being crushed."
"It very well could have," Cali agreed. "I also read in the paper that an avalanche breaker existed at the bottom of the mountain in front of the condos and the ski school. Without it, I don't think anyone wants to ponder what the outcome would have been."
Cali barely got her last word out before Jake jumped up, ran toward the front windows, and barked incessantly.
"I believe that's my cue to make more coffee," Sam said.
"What are you talking about now?" Halie asked.
"You'll see."
A CARAVAN OF vehicles led by Halie's co-worker Susan Weston made their way in front of Sam and Halie's property.
"What the heck?" Halie said as she neared the front door.
Sam put her arm around Halie's waist. "This was all Brian's idea. He organized the whole thing. Susan told me about it. Tommy told Brian what happened during the time you guys were buried, and he felt so bad about what he did to us, he wanted to fix it in some way. He called our garage door guy and is having the side of the garage door that his friend Toby vandalized replaced. He's paying for it from his job at the ranch with Charlie and money from his savings. He got everyone we know together. When other people from town heard about it, they wanted to be here too, to show their support and make a statement that they don't tolerate hate in this town either."
"I--I--can't believe it." Tears streamed down Halie's face. She wiped them dry with the back of her hand.
Sam kissed the side of her face. "Things have a way of working themselves out. We just have to be patient."
Halie turned. "You all knew about this didn't you? That's why you brought enough food for an army, isn't it?"
The facial expressions which followed, along with avoided eye contact, gave them away.
"I knew something was up, but I couldn't figure out what. What about Brian's friend Toby?" Halie asked.
"The sheriff met with him and his family. He'll get a healthy taste of community service sprinkled with sensitivity training administered through a troubled youth program," Sam replied. "It's so strange. Before all of this happened, I helped rescue his dad from Phelps Lake, where he'd injured his ankle. The guy was arrogant and critical of me at first, but warmed up rather quickly after he realized the predicament he was in and that he had no choice but to rely on me. I wonder if he filled his son with hateful thoughts early on in his life. I could see that in him. It's funny how things happen sometimes."
"That is strangely ironic," Ronni said. "His dad's confiscating his car, so maybe something did rub off on him that day you found him. He's going to let us fix it at the shop, but he's not giving it back to his son until he completes his training and every hour of service the judge sentenced him for."
"You don't think that'll make Toby even more mad and resentful against us though?" Halie asked.
"Not a chance. He'
ll work at the Jefferson Hill Healing Center. They handle long term and acute care AIDS patients, including children with AIDS. He doesn't know how lucky he is to live the life he's living, but he soon will. I suspect he'll get to hear some interesting stories too, stories that will put real faces and souls behind the bodies he sees. His false ideas will be tested," Sam added. "Brian will take the sensitivity training as well."
"That's good. I guess we better stop standing around then and greet our guests," Halie said. A smile stretched from one side of her face to the other. "And get them fed," she added. "As for you," Halie said to Sam in a hushed tone while everyone else put their jackets on and headed out the door, "you, I will pay back later. You better conserve your energy. You're going to need it."
"No doubt," Sam said.
About the Author
Regina lives in the mountainous suburbs of Northern New Jersey with her partner of twelve years. She's earned Bachelors' degrees majoring in accounting and biology, with a minor in German. She's also a Certified Public Accountant and works for the Federal Government protecting the taxpayer's interests. In addition to writing fiction, she loves the outdoors and enjoys hiking, kayaking, reading, watching football, and trying out new vegetarian recipes. White Dragon is Regina's second novel. Her first novel, Love Another Day, won a 2012 Alice B. Readers' Lavender Award certificate.
Another Title From Regina A. Hanel
Love Another Day
Plagued by nightmares and sleepless nights after a tragic loss, Park Ranger Samantha Takoda Tyler longs for a calm day at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. But when she's summoned to the chief ranger's office and introduced to Halie Walker, a photojournalist working for The Wild International, her day is anything but calm. When she's assigned to look after Halie, their meeting transforms into a quarrelsome exchange. Over time, the initial chill between the women warms. They grow closer as they spend time together and gain appreciation for each other's work.
But Sam's fear of loss coupled with rising jealousy over an old lover's interest in Halie grinds their budding relationship to a halt. Halie finds that anywhere near Sam is too painful a place to be, and Sam is unable to find the key to open the door to a past that she's purposely kept locked away.
With fires raging out West and in the Targhee National Forest, Sam works overtime, helping fill the staffing shortage. She misses Halie and wants to take a chance with her. Before she gets the opportunity to explain herself, Sam learns the helicopter Halie is on has crashed. Ahead of an oncoming storm, Sam races to the rescue. Can she save the woman she loves? Or will the past replay, closing Sam off from love forever?
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