Balancing Act, page 30
Still carrying AJ, she dashed around the side of the house.
Her first sight of the workshop stopped her cold. The building was totally engulfed. Walls. Roof. Oh God. What do I do? Even as she tried to form a plan, a boom sounded. A window exploded outward.
“What do I do?” She tried to think. Fire flow. What had Noah taught them about fire flow? He’d taught Drew! Drew would know. Thank heavens Drew was with Noah. Surely he’d still be with Noah. Drew had a tendency to go off on his own, but he’d stick by Noah’s side. Wouldn’t he? The boy was obsessed with Noah’s workshop, but he wouldn’t have sneaked in there today. Not today.
“Drew!” Willow called as she rounded the corner of the workshop, her prayerful gaze searching the window and the space beneath it. Nothing. Even as terror gripped her, she suddenly knew she was no longer alone. She turned around. Noah. Noah, with Emma in his arms and Marigold at his feet, running hard.
Drew wasn’t with them.
Willow’s heart dropped and despair rose within her. She extended her arm toward the burning building and cried, “Where’s Drew? Why isn’t he with you? Where is my baby?”
And suddenly, Noah was there by her side, wrapping his arms around her. “He’s okay, love. He’s with me. He’s right behind me. He’s okay.”
Afraid she hadn’t heard him right, she repeated, “He’s okay? He’s not hurt? He’s not burned?”
Noah shook his head. “He’ll be right here. He took his shoes off to go wading, so he had to put them back on. I didn’t wait for him, but I heard him following us.”
“Oh. Oh, thank God. Thank God.” Just then, she heard her son’s little voice calling from the forest, “Mama! Mama! Mama!”
Her knees went weak, and she started to sink to the ground. Noah caught her. “C’mon, love. We need to scoot back a bit.”
Noah moved the group to a spot he considered safe and summoned Lake in the Cloud’s volunteer fire department with a 911 call. He was still on the phone when Drew skidded to a stop next to Willow, his eyes round with worry. “Oh, this is horrible. Nobody was inside, were they? Nobody was hurt or killed?”
“No, thank God,” Willow assured him.
Drew clapped both hands on top of his head. “It’s still a terrible thing, though, right?”
Willow heard a note in his voice that put her on alert. This was the boy who survived the auto accident that killed his father. This was the boy who flipped out when he believed he’d watched a campmate drown last summer. Her son was fragile. He loved that workshop. Santa’s workshop. She needed to be careful with him. He’d come so far. She didn’t want to trip him back into a cycle of broken bones and stitches.
“Yes, honey, it is a terrible thing, but it’s a blessing because no one was hurt.”
Having finished his call, Noah said, “That’s right, buddy. Nothing is lost that can’t be replaced. That’s a good thing.”
“But it’s still a bad thing. A terrible thing. Right? Your apartment burned up! Your tools burned up! All our dollhouses are toast! That’s awful!” He all but screamed the final word. “Right? ”
“It’s awful, yes, but—”
“Thank goodness!” Drew exclaimed. “I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting.”
“For a fire?” Noah asked, his confusion evident.
“For a bad thing. I’ve been so scared. Bad things always come in threes. Daddy died and Grampy is really sick and this is a terrible thing, so it’s number three. But nobody got killed or hurt! And you can build a new workshop that’s even better because you’re a great builder, Mr. Noah. So this is the best bad thing that could happen. Everything is good now. Right? I can quit worrying!”
“You’ve been worrying,” Willow repeated softly.
“Yes! But also, I was anxious for the good things. Because after you’re finished with the bad things that come in threes, you have good things that come in threes. Now we’ll have three good things. Right, Noah?”
“Sounds good to me.” Noah met Willow’s gaze, and he gave her a look she couldn’t quite read.
The fire trucks and ambulance arrived at that point, followed quickly by Helen and then her mother. Gage showed up not long after Willow’s family. Noah explained to all that, based on the evidence he could see, he believed the source of the fire was electrical in nature. “I think the investigators will find the fire simmered in the north wall for a while and traveled through the wall before breaking through to the attic. It could have been a short. It could have been a faulty outlet. I had the electrician out two weeks ago to replace some old wiring. Could have been he got some bad parts.”
Ten o’clock rolled around while things were still in chaos. Willow liked Damon and Lisa Randall right from the first. Luckily, AJ did, too, and he was happy to go off with them to the public park with plans to meet at Cloudy Day Fun Time at noon for Emma’s party.
Helen, God bless her, put herself in charge of the dogs, loading them all up and taking them over to Raindrop Lodge for the day. Drew was fascinated by all the activities of the firefighters. Speaking to Noah, Gage said, “I know that you could give him more professional answers to his questions, but it appears his mother needs your attention more than Drew. Why don’t you let me watch him watch the firefighters? You see to your lady.”
“Excellent idea,” Genevieve agreed. “Why don’t I oversee Emma’s bath and help her get ready for the party?”
Willow wasn’t prepared to argue with any of them. Her mother and daughter disappeared upstairs, leaving Willow and Noah alone. “How about some swing time?” he asked, taking her hand. He led her around to the front of the house, facing away from the remnants of his workshop.
They no sooner settled on the porch than the rain arrived earlier than forecast. “There’s a blessing,” Noah said. He draped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her tight against him.
“If only it had come two hours earlier.”
He shook his head. “I wouldn’t change a thing, Willow.”
She drew back and questioned his sanity with a look. He grinned boyishly, and his eyes began to dance. “What?” she asked. “Are you going to score some insurance bonanza from a total loss of your barndo?”
“I’m hoping… planning… to score something a lot more valuable. Three good things. Emma.” He leaned in and gave Willow a quick kiss. “Drew.” Another quick kiss. “And you.”
This kiss wasn’t quick at all.
When he finally pulled away, Willow’s head was spinning, and her heart was thudding so hard she feared it might explode from her chest like the window had from the fire.
Fire.
“What about Denver?”
“I’m not going.”
“Because the workshop burned?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand. You didn’t fight that fire. You didn’t go into the burning building.”
“You’re right. I didn’t. But I could have. I saw the structure on fire before I saw you. Before I saw AJ. I knew that I could go in. That’s all I needed. I know that if I need to, I can. Drew was right. This fire was the best bad thing that ever happened. I love you, Willow Eldridge. I love your children. Will you marry me and let me stay home?”
Tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “We’ll have to change the name of the place. The Tannehill family won’t be hiding away from anything or anyone.”
“Good point. How do you feel about the Love Shack?” At her response, he added, “Do you want your eyes to get stuck in the back of your head, Willow? I would have thought your mother would have warned you about that.”
Then, he kissed her so completely that Willow forgot what else she intended to say.
Except for yes.
Epilogue
Black Friday
GENEVIEVE PRENTICE THOUGHT IT hilariously appropriate that she turned sixty the day after Thanksgiving.
She’d planned her party with meticulous care. She’d invited her children months in advance and gave them special dispensation to miss a family Christmas if they’d all gather for Thanksgiving in Colorado and stay for a little birthday event on Friday. Yesterday had been nice, with dinner hosted by Willow and Noah.
Noah’s brother’s wife and niece had come from Denver for the day, which had been lovely. Little Maddie had gone wild over Emma’s dollhouse, and Genevieve doubted Noah would be able to hold out until Christmas to give Maddie the one he’d made for her. They’d even had a video call with Maggie, AJ, and the Randalls from their home in California. Genevieve had been so pleased to see that Damon was a man of his word and kept Maggie involved in her grandson’s life, especially since she mourned the loss of Tom, who’d passed away in September.
But Thanksgiving was over, and today was Genevieve’s birthday. She had a surprise party to throw.
She couldn’t wait.
At precisely 10 a.m., she dialed her sister’s number. They had plans to go to Eternity Springs for lunch and an afternoon of shopping before returning for Genevieve’s “little party” that evening. “Are you ready? I’m leaving my house now.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive? It is your birthday, after all.”
“Oh, I’m sure.”
“All right. I’ll just need you to make one little stop on the way if you don’t mind.”
Ah-ha! I knew it. “Oh? Where do you need to stop?”
“At Raindrop. I left my purse in the office there yesterday.”
Sure you did. “Of course. No problem. No problem at all.”
Genevieve had figured out pretty quickly that her family wasn’t leaving her “little birthday event” plans alone. They were surprising her. The way she saw it, she was free to surprise them in turn. Turnabout is fair play, kiddos.
Wasn’t it too much fun to see it playing out just like she had expected?
Her sister was all smiles when she climbed into Genevieve’s car in front of Mountain Vista Retirement Community. “Happy birthday, little sister.”
“Thank you, Madam Mayor.”
“Has a nice ring, doesn’t it?” Helen said, preening as she buckled her seat belt.
“It surely does. You’re doing a great job, Helen. Only three months in and look at what you’ve accomplished.” Genevieve checked her rearview mirror before pulling into traffic. “Rumor has it there’s been a flurry of resignations at city hall.”
“Yes. All relatives of the former mayor.”
“Excellent news. I’ve also noticed some new stop signs around town.”
“Six new ones installed within the Lake in the Clouds city limits this month.” Helen waved at a neighbor out walking her dog, then took a moment to study her sister. “You look lovely today, Genevieve. I must admit I expected you to be down in the dumps because you’ve been dreading this birthday so much. But you’re positively glowing.”
“It’s my new face cream. I have a sample in my purse. Remind me to give it to you.”
Helen searched around the seat between her and Genevieve. “I’ll get it now before we forget.”
“You can’t. Can you believe this? I forgot my purse, too! I left it at Willow’s yesterday. We’ll have to drop by and pick it up now on our way out of town.”
“Oh. Well, maybe we should go to Raindrop first.”
“No, we shouldn’t. That would be completely out of our way.”
Helen frowned. “But what if Willow isn’t home? I’m sure I heard her say they were getting up early and going somewhere today.”
Genevieve waved away the protest. “I have a key. Besides, I’m pretty sure I left it on the porch.”
“Oh. Well, okay. That’s all right, I guess.”
“Yes, it is.” Genevieve bit the inside of her mouth to keep her grin from spreading too wide.
They hashed over Thanksgiving dinner during the drive, with the consensus being that Noah made a nice, flaky pie-crust and Willow had their mother’s bread dressing down to a T. Next, talk turned to Christmas shopping status and Helen confessed to a first. “I only have two gifts left to buy.”
“What? Today is Black Friday and you’re almost done? Who are you and what have you done with my sister?”
Helen grinned. “It’s all my new city manager’s fault. We made a bet to see who could finish first.”
“Nicole Vandersall is amazing,” Genevieve observed. “She’s a good hire.”
“I know. Lake in the Clouds is in good hands with her. My own workload is a fraction of what it was when she came on board six weeks ago. I’m well on my way to being a figurehead mayor.”
Genevieve frowned. “Does that bother you?”
Helen shook her head. “No, not at all. I ran for mayor because I wanted to fix things, not because I wanted a job.”
“That sounds about right,” Genevieve replied, unable to keep the smile off her lips as she turned onto the road that led to Willow’s home—once one passed the Triple T Ranch property. Not that they would pass the Triple T Ranch property today. This was their destination.
Helen’s eyes widened as she spied the hot-air balloon tethered to the ground in the middle of Gage Throckmorton’s pasture. “Look at that, Genevieve. Isn’t that part of Gage’s ranch? What’s he doing with a balloon on his property today?”
“Why, I do believe it is part of Gage’s ranch.” Genevieve slowed as she approached the open gate and turned into the pasture. “Let’s see, why don’t we?”
“Oh, Genevieve. We don’t have time.”
“Sure we do. The sands of my hourglass are just dribbling.”
Helen sighed. “Have you been watching soap operas again?”
Genevieve drove her vehicle up close to the balloon, the envelope a swirl in a palette of blue, purple, teal, peach, and pink. “Isn’t it pretty?”
“Your favorite colors.”
“I know.” Genevieve parked and shut off the engine. She got out of the SUV, removed a tote from her backseat, and handed it to Helen as she exited the vehicle. “These are your boots. And a warmer jacket. You’ll want to slip them on.”
“What? What! What is this, Genevieve?”
“It’s my birthday. So we’re going up, up, and away.”
“No, we’re not! You said you’d never go up in a hot-air ‘death trap.’ You’re afraid!”
“A little, yes. But I’ve spent thirty years listening to you tell me how wonderful it is, and I’m ready to try it.”
“But… but… but.”
“I trust you, and I trust our pilot. Helen, let me introduce you to Mark. I met him when I was in New Mexico. He works with the Albuquerque festival every year.”
Helen gave a little laugh. “I can’t believe this. You’re right. I’ve been trying to talk you into doing this with me forever.” A cloud crossed her face and she asked, “How long will this ride last?”
She’s worried we’ll be late to the surprise party. It took great effort for Genevieve not to giggle with glee. “Not that long. We’re just going around the mountain. Or, over it. I’m not sure which is the correct term. I know we need to get to Raindrop to, um, pick up your purse.”
Helen shot her a sharp look. “You know.”
“I’ve been around the block, Helen. Sixty times.”
“Who let the cat out of the bag?”
Genevieve waved the question off. “Change your shoes, sister, and let’s get this party started.”
She was a little nervous, but when she’d decided to make an entrance—in a manner of speaking—she knew she needed to listen to her guiding word for the year and muffle her fears. The experience turned out to be as glorious as her sister had promised. It took Genevieve about five minutes to relax, and after that, she allowed the giddiness she was feeling to catch hold.
When they rose above the mountain and rounded a curve, and Raindrop Lodge, snuggled up against Mirror Lake, came into view below, Genevieve knew that the time had come to spring the birthday surprise upon her sister.
“So, Helen, I need your assistance. Call one of my kids and tell them the surprise party has moved outdoors. I want them and everyone you invited to the party to congregate in front of the lodge.”
“You’re ruining the surprise, Genevieve,” Helen warned.
“Well, about that. Here’s the deal. I appreciate the effort you and my children put into this party. I will point out that I specifically told you all I didn’t want a big party, and I told you exactly what I did want.”
“Yes, but you had to know we’d want to do more.”
“I did. And I love you for it. Now, call one of my kids.”
Jake answered on the second ring. Helen relayed the instructions and disconnected the call as he began to ask questions. She said to Genevieve, “You can answer to them.”
“Or not.” Genevieve smiled at Mark, the pilot, and said, “We’re ready when you are, Mark.”
He saluted her and said, “Yes, ma’am.”
They descended as they approached Raindrop. Genevieve could see a crowd begin to congregate outside. It was now or never. “So, Helen. A wise man told me recently that it’s not the things you do in life that make it rewarding, but the people you do life with that make it your best life. I figure if you can do rewarding things with the people that count the most, it’s a win all around. That’s why Wednesday night, when the kids all came to my place for pizza, was so special. It’s why yesterday meant so much. It’s why today, on this birthday of all birthdays, I want to spend it with you.”
“Aw, honey. That’s sweet.”
“Actually, not so sweet.”
“Aw, honey, now I’m worried.”
“It’s my birthday, and I’m kidnapping you.”
“I know. You took me on a hot-air balloon ride when I was supposed to be taking you to your surprise party.”
“See, about that. It’s my surprise party.” She beamed a grin at her sister. “I’m taking you to Iceland.”
“What?” Helen screeched like a barn owl.
“We’ve always wanted to see the aurora borealis. Nothing is guaranteed, of course. But Iceland is our best shot.”
“The northern lights? Excuse me? I did not have booze in my coffee this morning. You have lost your effing mind. This sounds like something I would do!”
