Up to Snow Good - Kelly Collins Page 0,53
with this dump.”
Cindy said, “Patrick, please.”
“What? I’ve got responsibilities now.”
“Now that’s enough,” Max said. “You’re out of line.”
“You just wait and see how far out of line I can get.” Patrick looked Max over, then snarled at Lauren. “You want a big vote? You want me to make some calls? Yeah, I’ll make some calls, all right,” Patrick said, stomping across the lobby and to the big double doors. “I’ll make plenty of calls, but they won’t help.”
Cindy called after him, but she got no answer. The poor girl broke into a desperate sob, leaning against Lauren. She wrapped her arms around the girl and rocked her gently, stroking her hair and looking at Max with a new worry that he well understood.
Losing the lodge affected not only her and Max, but there were other lives in the balance, lives that were only a bleep on a monitor, but no less important.
Chapter Forty-Five
Lauren
Lauren lay in bed beside Max. Even through all the doubts and concerns, they’d found and secured the love they’d been denied for so many years.
He had sacrificed everything for her and proven himself to be the man she hoped he would be. Whether she could be the woman who would rise to the occasion, she didn’t know.
No matter what happened, she was determined not to falter. She’d face it with the courage they’d shared and would be ready to sacrifice as much as Max had.
She couldn’t sleep, so she slipped out of bed and put on a robe. She stepped out into the darkened lodge and walked down the hall, listening to the wooden floorboards creak under her bare feet.
She approached the stairs and looked down at the great room, able to imagine the throngs of visitors from bygone years. She could still see her parents mingling among them, warm smiles all around as the pine logs crackled in the fireplace. The snow was thick in those years, and the good feelings were easy to find.
She moved down the stairs and to the couch in front of the fireplace. She’d sat there, falling in love with Max, a place where her own parents had sat on so many quiet evenings. She dipped her head forward, eyes closed as her hands clasped at her chin in prayer. She prayed for Max, for Patrick and Cindy, and for Ruthie. She prayed for Eaton and Jane and Max’s grandmother. Lastly, she prayed for herself and the lodge.
Lauren nodded, satisfied, and opened her eyes. She looked around and remembered her parents in their youthful glory. She was flush with emotion, tears ready to spill from the corners of her eyes. In her memory, they were standing arm in arm in complete contentment.
Her soul calmed, and she could almost hear their voices in the back of her brain.
We love you. We always have and always will, no matter what.
The weeping began, her mouth twisting into a frown, brows cramping, and tears softening her focus through their watery sheen.
“Lauren?” She turned to see Max sitting down on the couch beside her. “Are you all right?”
She nodded, wiping her eyes and leaning into his embrace. There was no way to describe what she was thinking or feeling. She didn’t have to because Max knew the secrets of her heart. She let him pull her close for a reassuring squeeze. He was there; she was with him, and her parents were with her in spirit.
The only answers left would be resolved the next day by the most influential people in Moss Creek. Lauren and Max would face them together, and they would probably lose. Eaton Hunter could take their home and their livelihood, but he could not take their love.
Chapter Forty-Six
Max
Max looked out over the packed town hall. People milled about and murmured, many glancing at him and Lauren. There was no way to know what they were saying or thinking, but with their sad expressions and shaking heads, he wasn’t encouraged. He turned to Lauren, who was by his side where she belonged. While she was grateful for their reunion, she was also resolved to losing everything.
Eaton sat at a table near the bench. Max’s grandmother Ethel was there, an immobile presence in her chair, with Jane taking her place between the two. A sad shake of Pop’s head told Max everything he needed to know about his father’s mood. He’d had no change of heart, not that Max had expected it.
Even though he’d prayed for it, he wasn’t surprised his request didn’t get