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To Carly’s immense gratitude, her new landlord had been compassionate about her situation and come up with a solution. He owned an apartment building in the mountain town of Spruce Lake. In the summer it would be demolished and a new complex built in its place, but in the meantime, he had a vacancy available. If she could find herself a job in Spruce Lake, the apartment was hers. He assured her he could easily fill the vacancy in the Denver apartment she’d be leaving.
Carly had jumped at the opportunity, knowing that resort towns were often in need of massage therapists. She had her own massage table and could supplement her income by offering massages to people in the privacy of their homes.
Nearly two months had passed since that fateful day in Denver. Carly hadn’t told her parents about the firebombing and her move to Spruce Lake; she hadn’t wanted to worry them. Instead, she’d been upbeat in her emails and Skype calls.
And there was another reason she hadn’t wanted to come clean about her move. She knew Jerry kept in touch with her folks. She didn’t want him to learn where she was.
Her children had settled into Spruce Lake Elementary and were loving it. Carly liked the warmth of the community and was gradually building a client base of locals and tourists. Charlie went to daycare a couple of days a week while Carly worked. She also did a few shifts at the local spa. Finding a reliable after-school sitter for the children on the days she had to work hadn’t been too difficult—until yesterday.
If she could have replayed yesterday, she’d never have left her children with a sitter she didn’t know. And if Sarah O’Malley hadn’t come to their rescue, Carly had no idea what she could’ve done. The O’Malleys were the kindest, most giving people she’d ever met.
But the raw anger, the fear and desperation she’d experienced when she realized Charlie was missing still ate at her.
“You’ve been so … generous … and we don’t …” she started to say, but then the floodgates opened. The tears she’d held so tightly in check after the fire, the emotions she’d suppressed all through the endless night, flowed.
Conscious that she was making a complete fool of herself, Carly blubbered an apology. But warm arms enveloped her and Carly turned to cry on the offered shoulder, finding it was Mac who’d silently reentered the kitchen.
“There, there,” she heard Sarah say. “Let it all out, dear. You’ve been holding it in, being brave for too long.”
Sarah was right; she had been holding it in, putting on a brave face for her kids, and now that they’d left the room, she’d fallen apart.
“I’m sorry,” she said to Mac, lifting her head and seeing the huge damp patch on his shirt. A wad of tissues got shoved into her hand and she tried to staunch her running nose and wipe at her eyes. Mac rubbed her back in soothing circles and said, “You lean on me all you want, Carly.”
Carly sobbed at the warmth and compassion in his voice and wished her father could be there for her.
When she’d composed herself a little, she looked up into Mac’s eyes and in a vulnerable moment admitted she wished her father was there. And then she wished she could take back her words, because they were too revealing. It was too much to admit to these people who until last night were strangers.
Megan hugged Mac as well, and said, “I wish I’d had a dad like Mac. I’m so glad I married Luke.”
Grateful for Megan’s lifeline, Carly wondered what Megan’s family history had been for her to make a remark like that.
“Let’s not overdo it!” When Mac finally managed to struggle out of their embrace, he was blushing. Molly got up from her blanket and came over to nudge his leg, whimpering as if in agreement. “Women!” he muttered good-naturedly, grabbed his hat and took off out the back door.
Sarah chuckled and said, “I think the estrogen overload was getting to him.”
Megan smiled, dabbing at her eyes. “He needs to get used to it. He has a wife, three daughters-in-law and five granddaughters.”
That broke the remaining tension in the room and the rest of the occupants laughed.
“Women!” This came from Luke and Megan’s son, Cody, whom Carly had learned was the result of a holiday romance Luke and Megan had had sixteen years earlier. They’d only recently been reunited and still acted like newlyweds. Sasha, Daisy and Celeste were by Luke’s ex-wife—the mention of whom had caused Sarah’s lips to purse and Luke to change the subject.
Carly hadn’t quite got all the family relationships sorted out, but they were gradually falling into place.
Like his grandfather, Cody grabbed his hat and headed out the back door.
“I agree with them,” Luke said. “There are way too many women around here.” He kissed his wife and removed his hat from the peg near the back door, then followed his father and son out to start work.
“I’d better check in with the office,” Matt said, standing.
Jack glanced at his watch. “And I have an appointment with Frank Farquar. Seems the mayor wants me to build a stronger porch swing for Louella.”
“Louella?” Carly asked.
“The mayor’s pet pig,” Will explained. “She was hanging around with me at the fire. I’ll introduce you sometime.”
The brothers said their goodbyes, leaving Carly and Sarah alone in the kitchen. Carly stood, ready to clean up, but Sarah indicated she should sit.
She took a seat opposite Carly, poured more coffee and said, “Now, tell me, dear, how I can help?”
“You’ve done so much for us already. I don’t know what we would’ve done without you.” Sarah had produced clothes and pajamas for her children last night, since they’d had only the clothes they were standing in. Carly appreciated how Sarah did everything without fuss, saving her children from any further distress. If it had been her own mother in similar circumstances, it would’ve felt as if Carly was swept up in a tornado. Carly’s mom thrived on drama. It was one of the reasons she hadn’t turned to them after Michael’s death. And now that her dad was ill, there was no way Carly would even think of adding to his problems.
“Dear, I know you lost everything in that fire. I’m pretty sure the only possession you have left is your vehicle, and that got so much water damage parked where it was, it’ll take a while to get fixed.”
Carly nodded. She needed her minivan for work. Not that she had a job anymore since her mobile massage table was destroyed in the fire. She wished she’d had it in her van, but she’d left it upstairs because Mrs. Polinski had booked a massage after Carly’s appointments at the spa. And now she’d inherited the Polinskis’ dog.
Yesterday as they were loaded into the ambulance, Mrs. Polinski had asked Carly to look after Molly while they were in the hospital, but as of this morning, Molly was homeless. When Carly had called the hospital to find out how they were doing, she’d been put through to Mrs. Polinski, who’d been very upset that they’d be moving back east with their son and daughter-in-law. Apparently, their son’s wife didn’t want Molly coming with them. The old lady was understandably upset about Molly, and Carly promised to see what she could do. Unfortunately, Mrs. Polinski had misunderstood and thought Carly was adopting the dog.
So now it looked as if Molly belonged to her. Could her life get any more complicated? Oh, yeah, it could. Molly was due to be spayed the week after next and she’d just bet that hadn’t been prepaid!
Although Carly had no possessions left in Spruce Lake, at least she had her precious children. And that was all that mattered. From what she’d been able to glean talking to the babysitter afterward, there’d been a tremendous explosion that shook the building, followed shortly after by one of the other residents screaming, “Fire!” Then all hell had broken loose.
Tiffany had grabbed the three oldest children and fled down the stairs, just as Carly had pulled up outside the building. When Carly had asked her where Charlie was, she admitted she’d forgotten all about him. Carly forced the memory of that horrible moment out of her mind and told herself, Charlie is fine. Your children are all fine. You will get through this.
“I have nothing left,” Carly said. “I hadn’t gotten around to taking out insurance on our possessions.” Meager as they were, she added silently.
“I feel so overwhelmed! I don’t know how I’m going to get my business going again.” She fought the tears that threatened. Feeling sorry for herself wouldn’t get her anywhere. She needed to find some money to buy a new massage table and start earning again. She’d resented Michael for spending their savings on frivolous toys she’d had to sell for a tenth of their value when he’d died. And now she’d been just as reckless by not insuring their possessions.
“So you don’t have any savings?” Sarah asked.
Carly took a deep breath. She’d already told Sarah about her dad’s stroke and how she didn’t want to burden her parents.
“There’ve been too many bills to pay lately, what with moving costs, getting established in the apartment, paying for utilities—it all costs money.”
Afraid the older woman would see her as a loser for not having saved anything, she quickly added, “But I have a home in San Diego. It’s rented out. When my husband died I used the insurance money to pay off the mortgage and our credit card debts. Then …” Carly didn’t want to go into why she’d decided to leave San Diego, didn’t want to talk about Jerry Ryan getting too possessive of her. She’d tried letting him down nicely, but it had become very uncomfortable. In the end she’d used the excuse that she needed to get out of San Diego, to start her life anew.
“Unfortunately, the global financial crisis meant I couldn’t sell the house for anything near what we paid for it. So I decided to rent it out and relocate. The rent helps with my expenses for now, but there’s not much left over once all the bills are paid. In a few years, when the real estate market’s recovered, I’ll sell it and buy something here—if I can afford to.”
Sarah’s smile lit up the room. “So you like Spruce Lake? In spite of the fire?”
“I love it. My children are happy at school, even though we’ve been here such a short time. And Spruce Lake is delightful. It has everything I could ask for.”
“I’m so glad you like our little town. I fell in love with it, too, on my first visit with Mac.”
“I’d like to get established in my own business here, build up a good client base, but without a massage table, I’m going to have to cancel the appointments I had booked for next week.” Carly brushed her hair back and said, “Well, I guess I’d better get cleaned up and make an appointment with the bank manager. Plead with him to lend me enough to buy a new one so I can get started again.”
“That’s the spirit!” Sarah said, lifting Carly’s own spirits immensely. “I like the way you think, Carly.”
“I don’t know how to thank you. You’ve done so much for me. You’re a godsend,” Carly said. “In fact, last night I woke up and wondered if I was dreaming. Not about the fire, but about how kind you were. How safe you made me feel.”
Sarah rewarded her with another smile. “You’re welcome, dear. Now, you go see if you can get an appointment today. I’ll clean up here.”
“Oh, no, you don’t! Look at this place! It’s a disaster.”
Sarah glanced around. “True,” she agreed. “But I like it that way. Makes me feel needed. You run along.” She made shooing motions. “I’ll have the girls help me clean up. You don’t mind if I rope Maddy in, do you? That’s how they earn their allowance.”
“What a good idea. I’d get the boys to help, too, but they seem to have taken off to watch Luke with the horses.” She could see her boys through the kitchen window, sitting on the corral fence as Luke worked with a horse.
“They’ll get their turn,” Sarah assured her. She took Charlie from Carly’s arms and sat him in a high chair, then gave him a piece of toast. “He’ll be fine here with me. And if you have to go into town this morning, I’ll watch the children.”
Carly was about to say “thank you” yet again when Sarah held up her hand. “I know. I know,” she said. “Carly, it’s my pleasure. I love having this house full of people. Now, off you go.”
CARLY WENT INTO THE living room, looked up her bank’s number and called using the house phone. She’d been in such a panic that she’d left her cell phone in her minivan when she’d leaped out. It was too water damaged to ever work again.
Five minutes later, Carly’s hopes had been completely dashed. After she explained the situation to her bank manager, he’d refused her a loan. Since she hadn’t applied for a credit card, not wanting to be hit with high interest rates if she was late with payments and with the memory of the debt Michael had built up so easily, Carly only had a debit card. But there was barely enough in her account to buy a pair of warm winter boots for herself to replace those she’d lost in the fire. She wore clean white tennis shoes to her spa appointments, wanting to look professional and be comfortable. But tennis shoes were useless for walking in snow and ice, and since it was winter, she’d be doing a lot of that.
Carly sat on the sofa, bit her lip and forced herself not to cry. How many more things could go wrong with her life? As if sensing her melancholy, Molly waddled into the room and curled up on Carly’s feet. Carly reached down to rub the dog’s ears. “Poor girl, you’re missing your owners, aren’t you?” she asked, then jumped as a wad of money was thrust under her nose.
She stared at it, bewildered.
“Take it,” Adam said gruffly.
“I … I can’t do that.”
“Yeah. You can. I heard your half of the conversation. You need it more than I do.”
Carly shook her head and glanced up at Adam. “Thank you, but no. I’ll find some way to get my business up and running again without accepting charity.”
“Then give me a massage and I’ll pay for it.”
“I don’t have a table,” she pointed out.
He shrugged and proffered the money again. “So go buy a table with this and then pay me back with a massage.”
Carly couldn’t help smiling at his logic. “You’re talking a lot of massages!”
“I’ve got a feeling I’ll need them after I’ve met with my supervisors today.”
Remembering the conversation before Adam had come downstairs this morning—his family was concerned about disciplinary action for disobeying his battalion chief’s orders—she said, “I … I hope it goes well for you, Adam. What you did was nothing short of heroic.” Her eyes filled with tears and she dashed them away. “I’m sorry I’m being so emotional. I’m not usually this weepy, but when I think of what might’ve happened to Charlie if you hadn’t found him. And Molly, she’s such a sweet dog … I … can’t … help … it.”
“Yeah. Well,” he said, scratched Molly’s head and left the room.
His sudden departure shocked Carly so much that she stopped crying. Must get more control of emotions! she told herself, and looked up. Adam had left the wad of notes on the coffee table.
She took them to the kitchen.
Sarah heard her entering, turned around and smiled. “How’d it go?” she asked.
“I, ah,” Carly faltered, and held out the notes to Sarah.
“Goodness! That was quick,” the older woman quipped. “Did he send you that through the phone line?” she asked with a grin.
“Quite the contrary. My ex–bank manager doesn’t want anything to do with me. Adam gave me this, but I can’t accept it.”
Sarah’s eyebrows rose. “And you told him so?”
“Of course.”
“And?”
“He said I can work off the debt with massages.”
“Who said that?” Megan asked, coming into the kitchen.
“Carly’s bank manager won’t let her have a loan to get her business up and running again, so Adam’s given her an advance payment for services to be rendered. That way she can buy a massage table,” Sarah explained. She rubbed her shoulders. “Hmm. I think I need to prepurchase a ten-pack of massages. Do you do discounts for friends?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye.
“You know perfectly well I wouldn’t consider charging you,” Carly said, and wagged her finger at Sarah.
“Then you can charge me,” Megan said. “I’ve heard prenatal massages are wonderful for expectant moms.”
“They are,” Carly agreed. “But I couldn’t charge you, either! You’ve already given me half your wardrobe,” she said, referring to Megan’s generous offer of clothes.
“I won’t be able to fit into them for a while yet, so you’re welcome.” Megan brushed off her concerns. “Now, when can I book my first massage?”
“As soon as I can get a table,” Carly said, shaking the money at her.
“Can you buy one locally?” Sarah asked. “If not, we could make a run down to Denver.” She glanced at Megan. “After all, I have a nursery to furnish for my next grandchild, and although I like to buy locally, there are a few things I can’t get up here.”
“True!” Megan said, her face lighting up. “I feel a shopping trip coming on!”
Carly wished she could join in with their enthusiasm, but she simply didn’t have the funds. She hadn’t counted the money Adam had given her, but there couldn’t be enough for a massage table, could there?
“You look worried,” Sarah said. “If you can’t buy a table around here, I really did mean we could take a trip to Denver.”
Carly forced a smile into her voice and said, “Let me make a few calls, and if I can’t buy one here today, I’ll take you up on that.”
Megan pulled out her cell and said, “You know, I think the other women in my prenatal class would love to sign up for some treatments with you.”
“So would the ladies in my quilting group,” Sarah chimed in. She, too, pulled out her cell. “Let’s all meet back here in half an hour and see what we’ve come up with.”
Chapter Three
Exactly thirty minutes later, they met back in the living room. Sarah produced a list of at least a dozen names. “And more to come,” she promised. Megan had an equally long list.
“Then that settles it,” Carly said. “The trip to Denver is on, if you’re still offering, because I can buy a massage table direct from the wholesaler.”
Sarah rubbed her hands together. “I’ll make sandwiches for the men’s lunch. If you like, Carly, we can leave the boys here under Luke’s watchful eye. I checked on them before, and he and one of the hands are teaching them to ride. I don’t think you’ll be able to drag them away to go shopping.”
When Carly nodded, Sarah went on. “Now, we’ll take Charlie and the two little girls. Daisy will want to stay here with her father. Sasha may or may not want to come with us.”
