DENISE TIGHTENED THE BELT on her cotton robe as she waited for the coffee to brew. Although she’d grown used to having the big house to herself, it felt good to have some of her family back home with her, even if it was only temporary. She’d been a widow for more than ten years—she’d long since gotten used to the silence. But having people in the house was better—especially when those people included any of her grandchildren.
Kent walked into the kitchen. He’d already showered and shaved. She studied his dark slacks, light blue shirt and patterned tie.
“Nervous?” she asked as she poured them each a mug of coffee.
“A little. I really want to get the job.”
Kent was back for a final interview at Fool’s Gold High School. He would be coming in with the possibility of running the department when the current head retired in a couple of years.
“Not that I’m not thrilled to have you moving back to town,” she began, staring at her son. “But I want you to be sure.”
Kent gave her a smile that was so much like his father’s it made her chest hurt. “Mom, we’ve talked about this already.”
“As if that matters. I want you running toward something, not running away.”
He held up his hand. “Don’t hold back, Mom. Tell me what you really think.”
“You know what I mean. You and Reese have gone through so much in the past couple of years. I want you to be sure.”
“I am.” He set down his coffee and leaned against the counter. “Lorraine isn’t coming back. I know that. Staying in that same house is hard on both Reese and me. Too many ghosts. I want to start over—it’ll be good for both of us. Where better than here? The town is great. Reese already has friends here from all our visits. We have family. I want to be here, Mom.”
“Okay. If you’re sure.”
“I am.”
She took another sip. “I’m sorry about Lorraine.”
“No, you’re not.”
She sighed. “I’m sorry you’re hurt.”
“That I’ll believe.”
Denise had hated being one of those mothers-in-law who never approved of the woman their son married, but she’d been unable to help disliking Lorraine from the second she’d met her. Clichéd or not, the woman wasn’t good enough for her son. She was beautiful but cold. Denise remembered wondering why someone so ambitious and determined had married a guy who wanted to be a math teacher.
Their marriage had been tumultuous from the first day, with Lorraine walking out several times. Eighteen months ago she’d announced she wanted a divorce. She’d left again, but that time she hadn’t come back.
While Denise felt terrible for Kent, the person she most ached for was Reese. Lorraine rarely saw her son and had missed his birthday a few months before. Talk about a selfish…
“You sure you don’t mind me staying here?” Kent interrupted her line of thinking.
“It’s a big house. I’ll enjoy having the company. I’m more worried about you.”
He grinned. “A guy in his thirties, living with his mother? I’ll be a chick magnet.”
“I think you will be. When you’re ready.”
The smile faded. “I’m not. I thought I’d found what you and Dad had. I thought she was the one. Maybe for me she was, but it doesn’t really matter. She’s gone.”
Denise wanted to tell him not to give up. That he was too young and there was too much life to be lived. But she learned a long time ago that it was better to hint and nudge than outright direct her children’s lives.
“All that can wait,” she said, while thinking that once he was here and settled, she would find a way to introduce him to a few women around his age. There were plenty in town. “First you have your final interview.”
“Speaking of which, I’d better get going.” He crossed the kitchen and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Mom. You’re the best.”
“I’ll believe that when you get me a plaque.”
Kent left. Denise walked to the window and looked out at her backyard, remembering how life had been different when Ralph was alive. Better. Before him, there had been Max, whom she’d also loved. She’d been very lucky, she reminded herself. Even now, as she kept her secrets, she couldn’t ask for much more than she’d been given.
About a half hour later, a very sleepy Reese wandered into the kitchen. He wore a T-shirt over loose pj bottoms and his hair was sticking up all over.
“Hey, you,” Denise said fondly, walking over and hugging him. “How are you feeling?”
“Better. My face doesn’t hurt at all, just like Dr. Bradley said.”
“That’s good news.”
Reese hugged her back, then slumped at the table. Denise crossed to the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of orange juice.
“I can make waffles for breakfast,” she told him as she poured. “What do you think?”
He grinned. “That would be great.” He took the glass she offered and thanked her. “Grandma, do you know there are lots of kids at the hospital?”
“Yes.” She collected ingredients. “There’s a whole floor for children. It’s called pediatrics.”
“I guess I knew that.” Reese frowned. “Kids get sick, too, but it was weird to see them there. A lot of them are really, really sick and have to stay there a long time. If they have cancer or something.” He reached for his glass. “One of the nurses told me.”
Denise felt an instant protective need to shield him from life’s unpleasantness, then reminded herself that learning about other people’s hardships often helped a child to understand compassion.
“It must be very hard for them and their families,” she said.
He nodded. “Plus it’s summer and they can’t be outside playing.” He put the glass back on the table. “Do you think I could visit a couple of the kids? Ones who don’t have any friends close by? Maybe we could play a computer game or something.”
Pride filled her. Not only in Reese, but in Kent for getting it right with his son. “I’ll talk to your aunt Montana. She takes therapy dogs to the hospital regularly. She’ll know who to ask.”
“Sweet.”
He grinned at her and at that moment, he reminded her so much of her boys when they were his age. Kent might have hideous taste in women, but he was a wonderful father. At least his ex-wife hadn’t been able to take that away from him.
THE FOOL’S GOLD LIBRARY had been built around 1940. It had been a WPA project, complete with carved columns and twenty-foot murals. Montana loved the library. She loved the sweeping stairs leading to huge carved double doors, the stained glass windows, and the ever-present scent of old dusty books.
Before going to work for Max, she’d had a job at the library. She’d enjoyed her work and had been offered a full-time position. Even though she’d known she probably should have accepted, a voice inside had told her that her true passion might lie elsewhere.
Fortunately, Mrs. Elder, the head librarian, was the forgiving sort. When Montana had approached her about starting a summer reading program using therapy dogs, Mrs. Elder had been enthused.
They were starting small, with a single dog and three students. The premise was simple. Kids who had trouble reading worked with a tutor for half an hour. The tutor went over the vocabulary list, and made sure the students understood what the words meant. Then the students read a book aloud to a dog.
Montana had chosen Buddy. Not only was he gentle and supportive, he tended to worry. Montana had noticed children responded to doggie concern with reassurance. But any kind of reassurance required a little bit of confidence, something the students who couldn’t read tended not to have.
Mrs. Elder introduced Montana to a skinny boy about Reese’s age. “This is Daniel.” The librarian smiled at the boy. “Daniel, I’d like you to meet Montana and her dog Buddy.”
The boy glanced at her, his eyes barely visible through his long bangs. “Hi.”
The word came out more like a sigh than a greeting and Montana figured he wasn’t excited about spending a warm summer afternoon in the library.
Mrs. Elder nodded at them and left.
They were working in one of the small rooms off the main library. As Montana had requested, there were several beanbag chairs and large pillows on the carpeted floor. When a child was reading to a dog, it helped for everyone to be at eye level.
Montana sat on a beanbag chair and patted the one next to her for Daniel. “Buddy is very excited to hear the story. I was telling him about it earlier, and he can’t wait.”
Daniel slumped onto the floor, then rolled his eyes. “Dogs don’t get excited about books.”
“How do you know?” Montana asked. “Buddy isn’t having a very good day and stories make him feel better.”
“You can’t expect me to believe that.”
“Of course I do. Look at him. Does he look like a happy dog?”
Daniel dutifully turned toward Buddy. As always, the dog’s expression was one of concern, as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“He does look kind of sad,” Daniel admitted. “But reading isn’t going to help. Dogs don’t care about stuff like that.”
“Really?” Montana picked up the two books Daniel had carried in. She held them both out to Buddy. “Which one?”
The dog lifted his left paw and tapped the book on the left.
Montana handed that one to Daniel. “See, he has an opinion.”
Daniel’s eyes widened. “Whoa. I’ve never seen anything like that.” He turned to the dog. “Buddy, you really want me to read you this story?”
Maybe it was Montana’s imagination, but she would swear the dog nodded.
“Okay.” Daniel looked at Montana. “You’re not going to stay are you?”
Montana rose to her feet. “Nope. You’re on your own.”
She left the room, but hovered just outside the open door. Daniel began to read, his progress painfully slow. He sounded out each word, stumbling every now and then, but pressing forward.
She’d come up with the idea of having the dog pick the book a few weeks ago. Teaching the trick was easy and if it helped the kid believe, then it was time well spent.
She glanced at her watch, then headed outside. She would check on Daniel in ten minutes.
She’d barely settled in the shade of a large oak tree when her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out.
“Hello?”
“Montana? This is Fay Riley, Kalinda’s mother. Have I caught you at a bad time?” Fay sounded beyond tired, as if she hadn’t slept in days.
She probably hadn’t, Montana thought, remembering how small Kalinda had looked in the hospital bed.
“This is a good time. How can I help?”
Fay sighed. “She’s having a bad day. The pain is horrible and she can’t sleep. Would it be too much trouble to bring Cece by? I think it would really help her. I’m not trying to make you feel guilty,” she said in a rush. “Oh, hell. Maybe I am. I’m desperate.”
Montana could hear the strain in her voice, along with tears. “Of course I can bring her by. I’m at the library and I’ll be here another hour. Then I’ll go get Cece. So about three-thirty?”
“That would be great.” Fay swallowed a sob.
“It’s okay,” Montana said softly. “I’m happy to help any way I can.”
“I appreciate it. I’m sorry to be so weak, it’s just the burns. They’re so horrible and I don’t know what to do.”
“You’re with her and you love her.”
“If only that were enough.” She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry. You’re being wonderful and I’m…”
“I understand. At least as much as I can.”
“Thank you, Montana. This will mean so much to both of us.”
After they hung up, she put the phone back in her pocket. There was no way she could get what that family was going through. There was no way anyone could, unless they’d been through the same thing. All she had to offer was the company of a small poodle. Today that would have to be enough.
MONTANA RODE THE HOSPITAL elevator, a clean and excited Cece in her arms. The poodle seemed to recognize the setting. Montana wondered if her quivering was at the thought of seeing Kalinda or Simon. The little dog had liked them both, although Simon was by far her favorite.
If she were being completely honest with herself, Montana wouldn’t mind a little Simon time, as well. Not just for kissing, although that was pretty fabulous, but also to talk to him. She wanted to know more about his life. She wanted to find out about his scars—how he’d gotten them and why he didn’t get them fixed.
She stepped out onto the floor and headed to the burn ward. After checking in with the nurses’ station, she walked toward Kalinda’s room. Fay moved into the hallway and spotted her.
Although it had only been a few days since Montana had brought Cece by, Fay looked more exhausted and frail than she had before. The dark circles under her eyes looked permanently etched into her skin and her mouth trembled with what Montana would guess was overwhelming emotion.
“Thank you for coming,” Fay said quietly. “Kalinda’s in so much pain. The nurses keep telling me they’re doing what they can, but then she cries for me to help her and there’s nothing…” Fay swallowed. “I’m sorry.”
Montana felt helpless. “Don’t apologize, please. This is so hard for you and your family. You need to vent, so feel free to use me.”
“You’re very kind.”
Montana wasn’t sure of that, but she would do whatever she could.
“I didn’t tell her the dog was coming,” Fay admitted. “She’ll be so happy.”
“Cece is pretty excited, too.”
They went into the room. To Montana’s untrained eye, the girl’s burns looked worse than they had before. The raw skin was more angry, the smell worse. Cece quivered and squirmed to get out of her arms, as if she remembered Kalinda from her last visit.
The girl opened her eyes. “Oh, you brought Cece.”
“I thought she might make you feel better,” her mother said.
Kalinda managed a shaky smile. “Thanks, Mom. She does.”
Montana set Cece on the bed. The tiny poodle walked carefully across the blankets to Kalinda’s side. She stared at her for a few seconds, then licked the girl’s fingers. Kalinda managed a weak laugh. “She likes me.”
“Of course she does,” Montana told her, feeling a bit of emotion herself.
Cece curled up beside Kalinda. The girl petted her gently, her eyes closing.
“This is nice,” she whispered.
Fay motioned for Montana to follow her into the hall. “Can you stay for a bit? I was thinking she might relax enough to sleep.”
“Of course. I’ll sit right here.” Montana looked at her. “Why don’t you take a break? Get something to eat.”
“I’m not hungry, but I would love to take a shower.” She glanced back toward the room. “I hate to be away from her.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Montana pulled a book out of her purse and held it up. “I promise.”
“The nurse has my cell number if anything happens.” Fay still hesitated. “I wish it had been me instead of her. Everything about this is so hard. The pain, the healing, all the surgeries. She misses her friends but they’re too far away to visit. Plus, I’m not sure her friends would want to see her while she looks like this.”
Montana remembered her mother telling her about Reese’s desire to visit children in the hospital.
“Do you think she’d like a visitor closer to her age?” she asked. “My nephew is ten. I could bring him by for a few minutes.”
Fay looked more worried than pleased. “Could he handle it? I wouldn’t want him saying anything that might hurt her feelings, or acting shocked.”
“I’d talk to him first. We could go online and do some reading about what she’s going through, so he knows what’s going on. Reese is a pretty good kid. Plus, Kalinda’s hands aren’t burned very much, so maybe they could play a game or something.”
Some of the worry faded. “I would like her to see someone other than me and the staff,” Fay admitted. “We’d have to make sure it was a good day. So far there haven’t been very many of those.”
“You think about it,” Montana told her. “In the meantime, I’ll talk to Reese and his dad. If Reese is game, we’ll do the research so he’s prepared.”
Fay nodded. Tears filled her eyes. “We’re not from around here. We only came to Fool’s Gold because Dr. Bradley’s here. He’s the best. And everyone in town has been so welcoming. It’s very unexpected.”
Montana impulsively hugged her. Fay hung on for several seconds, as if she needed the support.
“If you need anything, just let me know,” Montana told her. “Whatever it is, I can probably figure out how to get it.”
“Right now a shower is plenty.”
Fay collected a change of clothes from the small suitcase she had stored in her daughter’s room and went down the hall. Montana slipped back into Kalinda’s room. The girl was asleep, her hand tucked protectively around the little dog. Cece’s head rested on the child’s palm.
“You do good work,” Montana whispered.
Cece’s tail wagged, but otherwise she didn’t stir. Montana settled in the chair and opened her book, but instead of reading, she found herself offering a prayer for the child who hurt so much and the others in the world who were just like her.
MONTANA SAT ACROSS from her friend. Pia looked beyond pregnant—she was swollen. While her face, arms and legs were still their usual size, her belly was more extended than Montana had thought was possible, and her poor ankles were the size of balloons.
“Are you really okay?” Montana asked, trying not to wince as she stared at her friend.
“However bad it looks, it feels worse,” Pia said with a sigh, as she shifted to get comfortable in the oversize chair. “Don’t elephants stay pregnant for a couple of years? How do they do it without going crazy? I’m so ready for these babies to come. Twins are supposed to be early, but are mine? Of course not.”
She rested her hand on her belly. “I’m bloated and gross and whiny. Raoul is going to leave me.”
Montana smiled. “He adores you.”
“He adores me, not the freak I’ve become. I swear, if I had any medical training, I’d take the babies out myself.”
“I don’t think I could watch that,” Montana admitted. “What does the doctor say?”
“To be patient. That every day the twins stay in me is better for them. I used to like Dr. Galloway, but I’m starting to think she’s part of a conspiracy. By the time these babies are ready to be born, they’ll be eligible for college.”
Montana was torn between sympathy and amusement. “Anything I can do to help?”
“Listening is nice. So thank you for that.” She shifted slightly in the chair, then groaned. “The thing is, I don’t know if it’s going to get any better when the babies are born. What if they hate me?”
Pia had been worrying about that for a while now, Montana thought. Pia had never considered herself overly maternal. Despite that, when her friend Crystal had died and left frozen embryos in Pia’s care, she’d taken the extraordinary step of having them implanted.
“Your babies are going to love you,” Montana said firmly. “You know they are.”
“Only because they won’t know any better. I’ll be the only mother in their life. What choice will they have? Can you bring by one of the mean service dogs?”
Montana frowned at the non sequitur. “We don’t have any mean service dogs. By definition of their job, they pretty much get along with everyone.”
Pia whimpered. “I thought if I could make a difficult dog like me, I would have a better chance with my babies.”
Montana rose and crossed to her friend. She bent over and hugged her. “You’re making yourself insane.”
“It’s the hormones. Okay, a little of it is me, but it’s mostly not my fault.”
Montana straightened and returned to her seat. “Try to relax. You’re going to be a great mom. You agreed to have someone else’s babies. That’s how much love you have to give.”
Pia sniffed. “I’ll try to remember that.” She drew in a breath. “Let’s talk about something else. How’s the world? I haven’t been out in it for a couple of weeks. I’m either here or at the doctor. Is there still a sky and trees?”
Montana laughed. “Yes to both. The planet orbits the sun and the days progress.”
“Good to know. You’re doing well?”
“Yes. I’ve started the summer reading program at the library. The dogs and I make the usual rounds at the nursing home and assisted living places.” She hesitated, wondering if Pia could help with one of her more pressing problems. “There’s a new doctor in town. Simon Bradley. He’s a gifted plastic surgeon who mostly works on children. His specialty is burn victims. He goes to a place for two or three months to help, then moves on. Mayor Marsha came to see me and wants me to convince Simon to stay in Fool’s Gold.”
“You’ve got to love our mayor.” Pia leaned her head back against the chair. “Do you know if he likes sports? Baseball, golf, that sort of thing?”
“No, but aren’t all doctors into golfing?”
“I think so. Let me talk to Raoul. Maybe he and Josh and Ethan could take Simon golfing. Or at least out for a drink. Guy bonding and all that. What does he like to do?”
Montana remembered Simon’s intense, toe-curling kisses but didn’t think that was what Pia meant. “He doesn’t talk about much other than work. Kent and Reese were in a car accident about a week ago and—”
Pia nearly came out of her chair, a trick considering how pregnant she was. “What? I didn’t know about this. Are they okay? What happened?”
Montana was on her feet again, hurrying to her friend’s side. “Sorry. I thought you knew. They’re both fine. You have to relax.” Raoul would kill her if Pia went into labor because she’d gotten upset.
“I’m fine. When did this happen?”
“Right before the Fourth. Kent wasn’t hurt, but Reese got a few cuts on his face. Simon worked on him and he’s not going to have much in the way of scarring. Mom invited him over for a belated Fourth of July dinner. Even she couldn’t get much information out of him.”
“What do you think of him?”
Montana considered the question. “He’s very solitary. Fierce when it comes to his work and his patients, but otherwise, he’s quiet. He doesn’t talk about himself. If my mother couldn’t get him to talk, then even a professional CIA operative would have trouble extracting information.”
Pia laughed. “That’s true. Denise isn’t obvious about it, but she usually ends up with whatever information she wants.”
“He’s not a traditional loner,” Montana said. “I think of those people as choosing to be by themselves. They prefer their own company. With Simon, I wonder if it’s coming from the outside. I know that doesn’t make sense, but it’s like it’s imposed on him.” She paused. “He has scars on his face and neck. From a burn. From one side, he’s beyond gorgeous, but from the other…”
“He’s a monster?”
Montana half smiled. “It’s not that bad, but I keep thinking something could be done about the scars. Does he keep them like that to have physical proof for his patients that he knows what they’re going through? Or am I being naive and assuming something that isn’t true? But what happened to him? He’s never said and I don’t know how to ask.”
She paused, only to find Pia staring at her.
“What?”
“Wow.” Pia grinned. “You’ve fallen for him.”
Heat exploded on her cheek and she ducked her head. “Don’t say that. I think he’s interesting. It’s nothing more than that.”
“It’s a whole lot more than that.”
It was the kisses, she thought. How was she supposed to ignore them?
“Even if he was my type, I’m sure not his.” So far she’d managed to avoid being anyone’s type.
“Why? From what you’ve described, you might be exactly what someone like him needs. But I won’t embarrass you by talking about it anymore. Let me think about different ways to convince the good doctor to stay in town. Does he have any family?”
Montana stared at her blankly. “Family?”
“You know. Kids. I’m assuming there isn’t a wife.”
“Not that I know of,” Montana told her, even as the W word bounced in her head. A wife? He’d never said and she’d never thought to ask. “He’s never mentioned anything.” He’d more than hinted he was alone. But still. A wife?
It was a question that needed an answer very, very soon.