Eternity Springs. The first step has been taken here, at Angel’s Rest.”
“Angel’s Rest,” Sage repeated. “I like it.”
Sarah pursed her lips in thought, then nodded. “It’s a great name. It’s a perfect fit.”
Nic met Celeste’s gaze. “We need to tell Zach. We need to bring her back and give her a proper burial.”
“We will.” Celeste’s smile warmed the room. “In good time. As soon as Eternity’s long winter is over.”
For a long moment, the room remained silent but for the hissing and crackling of the fire. Then Celeste, being Celeste, shifted from wise woman to girlfriend and said, “Now, how about we pop in the DVD? I have a hankering to see the new year in with Bond, James Bond. Sarah? Pass me the cookies, would you, please?”
NINE
February
Nic gave the pastry bag in her hand another twist to move the pink icing toward the tip and asked herself one more time why she’d volunteered to help Sarah bake cookies for the Father-Daughter Valentine’s Day dance. Ordinarily she enjoyed the event, held annually at Eternity Springs Community School. She adored seeing the little girls all dressed up and standing on top of their daddies’ shoes as they danced around the gymnasium. It brought back good memories of Uncle David and the way he’d stepped up to the plate, insisting she attend the dance with him her first year in Eternity Springs despite the fact she’d considered herself too old for such nonsense.
Secretly she’d been delighted. Her father certainly never would have participated in such an event. Even before Bryce P. Randall III turned his back on Nic’s mother, he’d had little to do with his accidental offspring.
In contrast, Uncle David treated her like a princess. His princess. That first year he had bought her a wrist corsage for the Father-Daughter Valentine’s Day dance, led her out onto the dance floor, and taught her the basic steps of a waltz. She’d fallen head over heels in love with both her uncle and the annual event that night.
This year was different. This year the very concept of Valentine’s Day left her feeling a little sick. Mostly, though, she was angry. Fiercely, hotly, savagely, insanely, every-appropriate-adverb-she-could-think-of angry.
She needed a good, complicated animal case at the clinic to distract her. Instead, all she had on her books were shots for a cat and boarding for two dogs. It was difficult to make a living as a vet this time of year in Eternity Springs.
As she traced pink icing around the edge of a cookie, her telephone rang. She set down the pastry bag, sucked a smear of sweetness off her finger, and rose to answer it. She didn’t bother to check caller ID before lifting the receiver and saying, “Hello?”
“Nic. Hi. This is Gabe Callahan.”
Gabe. Her fist tightened around the receiver as she calmly said, “Hello.”
“I, uh, returned to Colorado last night. I left in a hurry and forgot my phone. Thanks for picking up the dog, by the way. My trip came up out of the blue. I hope you’ve been able to find a home for him since I’ve been gone. Anyway, now that I’ve recharged my cell, I see that you called?”
Only two dozen times. At least. Nic’s gaze fastened on the water bowl on her floor as she asked, “Can we talk? In person?”
Again, another pause. “Okay.”
“I’m making cookies for an event at the high school the day after tomorrow, so I’m tied to my kitchen for a while. Can you come by here?”
“Sure. When?”
“As soon as possible.”
After a moment’s pause he said, “I’m in town. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Nic closed her eyes. Okay. All right. She was ready.
No, she needed more time.
You don’t need more time. You’ve been trying to reach him for the past two weeks. “Good. I’ll see you then.”
She thumbed the disconnect button, then stood for a moment, staring at the phone. “Heaven help me.”
Like a prisoner approaching the gallows, she climbed the stairs to her bedroom. There she made a quick swipe through her hair with a brush and added a little blush to her uncommonly pale cheeks. She glanced down at her shirt, frowned at the icing smudges, then moved to her closet and perused her choices. She picked black. It suited her mood.
When the doorbell rang, she straightened her spine, squared her shoulders, and lifted her chin. You can do this. You know what you want, know what you need. You can do this.