The glint of something black at the corner of her eye caused Kelly to stop in her tracks.
What was that?
Her pulse started to race as she scanned the surrounding trees, searching. Was someone there? Or was it her imagination? The image of black-garbed Gothboy hiding behind the trees, spying on her, darted through her head.
Suddenly ebony wings flashed through the sunlight as a raven took flight from a snow-laden evergreen branch. Kelly watched the large bird as it flew high across the pasture.
See? It was a bird. Nobody’s hiding in the trees. Get a grip.
Reaching the barnyard, Kelly noticed some of the alpaca peeking at her from the corral. “Too deep for you guys?” Kelly called out to the animals as she slogged through the fluffy Colorado powder heading to the barn.
The pungent smell of hay tickled her nostrils as she stepped inside. Already aware of Kelly’s arrival, the alpaca clustered around the corral fence, watching her. Kelly scanned the interior of the barn, searching for traces of the fire. She found a patch of blackened hay and dirt at the far end.
“It’s too bad you guys can’t talk,” Kelly told the attentive alpaca, who were observing her carefully. “You could tell me who did this.” Kelly kicked at the blackened spot.
She walked over to the corral fence and rubbed the noses of those alpaca that were brave enough to venture close. Only a few came forward. They all watched her carefully, but most kept their distance. Kelly wondered if they missed their first owner. Geri Norbert had been willing to kill to keep these beautiful animals and her ranch.
“Am I still a stranger?” she asked the bravest of the herd, who kept pushing his face up for attention. “I hope not for long. Maybe this spring I’ll get to spend more time with you.” She gave the big gray male a farewell pat. “But right now, I’ve gotta go, before that road ices over.”
As she turned to leave, Kelly noticed a red metal can on a nearby shelf and a kerosene lantern hanging from a nail on the adjacent post. Maybe it
was
a squatter, like Burt suggested, she thought as she closed the barn door and headed toward the driveway. After all, the place had been vacant since last summer. Jennifer had told her about people trying to sneak into empty canyon homes, taking up residence when they could get away with it. Maybe they started a fire to keep warm.
Trudging back to the canyon road, Kelly let all those conflicting thoughts bounce around inside her head while she trekked through the snow. Jennifer’s suspicions, Burt’s rationalizations, the bad feeling inside her gut. Was the truth somewhere in the middle? Reaching the road at last, Kelly unlocked her car and jumped inside, revving the engine as soon as she turned the key.
Come on, warm up,
she urged the heater. Shivering, Kelly pulled onto the road and aimed her car down the canyon. Back home to Fort Connor. Home to hot coffee. She shook her travel mug. Empty.
Rats.
She could really use some coffee now. Even hot chocolate would do as long as it was hot.
Kelly briefly wondered again if she was cut out to live up here in the canyon. It was definitely colder. A helluva lot snowier, too, she thought as she steered around a gentle curve, the road ahead angling down. What would it be like to drive these icy roads all winter? she wondered. Would she be able to come into town every day? Would she want to?
The car picked up speed. What if she was snowbound up here with a blizzard? Would she go nuts with only Carl to keep her company? No friends across the way like it was now. Maybe she could keep the cottage and stay in town during the winter. Maybe she’d only go up to the canyon on the weekends. No, that wouldn’t work. Who’d feed the animals?
Her car swerved around a curve in the road, and Kelly jerked the wheel to steady it, braking to slow down. But the car didn’t slow. It kept picking up speed as the canyon road wound down the mountain. Kelly pushed hard on the brake this time. Nothing. The car kept picking up speed, faster.
What was wrong with her brakes?
Kelly pumped the brakes now, again and again, but nothing happened. Her car kept picking up speed as the canyon road descended. A truck suddenly appeared in the opposite lane, and Kelly fought the wheel to avoid him and keep from heading into the ravine alongside, where trees and boulders dropped off into deep crevasses.
Oh-my-God!
She panicked. Her brakes were gone, and she was going over sixty miles an hour! She had to do something fast. She grabbed the gearshift and jammed it into low gear. There was a sharp screech of metal, and the car slowed. But it didn’t stop. Down, down, down, it hurtled.
Steering around a curve, Kelly’s heart sank. Up ahead was the steepest decline of all—twisting, turning, winding curves. Her car started picking up speed again, faster and faster.
She’d never make it down the canyon. She’d crash and die. Unless . . . unless she crashed before she got to the bottom. Before the car picked up any more speed. She’d be going over ninety miles an hour by the time she reached bottom. She wouldn’t have a chance.
Spotting the boulders up ahead around the curve, Kelly froze for an instant.
Good God.
Could she make it around that curve? If she didn’t, the boulders would kill her for sure!
Suddenly she saw them. Thick bushes along the side of the road.
Quick, over there!
said the little voice in her head.
Now! Crash now!
Kelly listened and jerked the wheel to the right, aiming straight for the bushes.
It happened in a flash. Kelly was in the brambles, then—
wham!
All of a sudden she was swallowed by a huge white marshmallow. And then she went to sleep.
“Oh, my God, Kelly! What happened?” Megan cried as she peeked around the white curtain dividing the hospital emergency exam rooms.
Kelly looked at her friend’s horrified expression. Megan’s face was almost as white as the curtain. Even though it hurt to make the gesture, Kelly beckoned Megan inside the cubicle to join the rest of her friends who circled her examining table bedside. “It’s okay, Megan. My brakes failed coming down the canyon. Thank God for air bags.”
“She’s lying, Megan,” Jennifer retorted from the corner. “She has a concussion and a broken ankle.”
“She’s damn lucky to be alive,” Steve said, standing beside Kelly. “Lots of people have crashed on that canyon road and died.”
Kelly had to agree. She
was
lucky. Every muscle in her body ached, her head felt like it was about to explode, and her left ankle, well . . . she hadn’t felt anything that painful since she’d slid into third base at college and collided with the baseman, cracking three ribs.
“Yeah, well, I thought I’d be one of them. That’s why I headed for the trees halfway down.” The side of her head throbbed again.
Damn.
Even talking hurt.
“That’s probably what saved you,” said the orthopedic resident who stood at the foot of the narrow table, carefully wrapping plaster-soaked gauze strips around Kelly’s ankle.
Kelly stared at her throbbing left ankle. It was fat and getting fatter as the stocky young man kept wrapping the strips.
Damn.
A cast. She’d never had a cast. Not in all her years of sports and athletic injuries. Never until now.
Double damn.
She’d be clunking around for weeks. She tried to scowl at the injury, but that made her head hurt even more.
A fair trade for your life, don’t you think?
the little voice inside reminded her. Ohhhh, yeah, she admitted to herself, giving silent thanks once again.
Megan ventured into the small enclosure, which was filled already. “I bet your car is—”
“Totaled, yes,” Burt interrupted from where he stood beside Jennifer, frowning. Worried frowning, too. Kelly recognized that expression and felt guilty at being the cause of it.
She glanced around the circle of concerned friends’ faces. Not a smile to be seen. Steve, Jennifer, Burt, Megan, even outspoken Lisa, who normally would be all over Kelly, fussing, sat silently chewing her lip.
“It’s been towed to the dealership,” Steve added. “Since it’s Saturday night, they probably won’t be able to look at it until Monday. But I figure it’s gotta be a total loss, Kelly. I mean, the ER guys told me you crashed right through the bushes and into the tree along the ravine.” He shook his head. “Damn.”
“Okay, I think we’re just about done here,” the doctor announced, wrapping the last strip around Kelly’s ankle. Her huge ankle. “I’ll go write up a prescription for some painkillers. You’re going to need them when the anesthetic wears off for this foot.”
“Thanks, doc, but it’s my head that’s killing me right now,” she said, rubbing her left temple.
“Well, these will help your head, too,” he said, scooting back the metal stool as he rose. “Your head is going to pound for a while yet. Oh, and let me grab some crutches from supply while I’m at it.”
Kelly flinched, even though it hurt like the devil. “Not crutches. . . .”
Lisa, who hadn’t spoken a word since getting there, leaped to her feet and pointed at Kelly. “Not another word!” she ordered, her face a thundercloud. “If I see you without those crutches, I swear to God, I’ll beat you with them myself!”
Kelly had to laugh, even though it hurt so much tears came to her eyes. All her friends were laughing.
“Uhhh, I don’t think that’s the right response, Lisa, but you made your point,” Steve said.
“Looks like you’re going to have lots of help during your recovery,” the young doctor said with a twinkle in his eye. “The pain will let up after a few days when the swelling starts to go down. But your right ankle looks sprained as well. So you won’t be getting around much for a while. I’ll be back in a minute,” he said, before disappearing around the curtain.
“I can stay with you for the next few nights, Kelly,” Megan offered. “I don’t want you to be alone. And you’re gonna be pretty uncomfortable.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Kelly countered. “I’m sure I’ll be okay.”
Lisa fixed Kelly with her professional physical therapist’s expression. “You’ve never had a broken ankle, have you? Well, I have, and it hurts like hell the first couple of days. Face it, you’re going to need our help.”
Now she was beginning to feel like an invalid, and Kelly didn’t like it, not one little bit. “I’ll be okay, really,” she demurred.
Lisa arched a brow. “Wait’ll you try to stand up.”
Kelly glanced about the circle of friends and saw them all nod in silent agreement.
Well, damn.
She guessed she really was an invalid. A temporary invalid, at least.
Just then, the young doctor slipped around the curtain again, holding a slip of paper in one hand and crutches in the other. Kelly tried not to scowl. It hurt too much.
Twelve
“Sit down here, Kelly. We’ve fixed an extra chair with a pillow for your leg,” Mimi said, gesturing toward the knitting table.
Kelly wanted to respond, but it was all she could do to make her way through the adjoining yarn room without yelping in pain. After two days, her broken left ankle had finally stopped throbbing and the pain had diminished to a dull ache. But her severely bruised and nearly sprained right ankle was supporting all her weight and sent spasms of pain shooting up her leg in protest.
“Thanks, Mimi,” Kelly managed after she’d finally clumped her way around various yarn tables and bins. She sank into the proffered chair, grateful to be off her crutches.
Who would have thought the journey from her cottage to the shop would be so exhausting? Kelly was breathless with exertion, which shocked her. She was an athlete, for Pete’s sake. She thought her stamina would make recuperation a breeze. So far, it had been an ordeal. Simply getting to and from the bathroom was a major project. Everywhere she went, she clumped around and bumped into things, and she hurt like hell. When would it stop?
“Here, you go, Kelly,” Megan said, plopping Kelly’s knitting bag and laptop on the table. “I know you want to do some client work, but my advice would be to take it easy. Stick to the knitting, okay?”
Boy, she must really have turned into an invalid. She couldn’t even carry her knitting bag. “Thanks, Megan. Go back home and get to work. You’ve nursemaided me long enough.”
Megan grinned. “Well, I leave you in good hands. Mimi will mother you, and Lisa will kick your butt if you don’t do what she says. That’s the perfect combination. I’ll be back later in the afternoon and take you home. I saw a pizza in your freezer.”
Kelly waved goodbye, just in time to see one of the café’s waitresses place a mug of Eduardo’s coffee in front of her. “You’re a lifesaver, Julie, thanks.”
“Anytime, Kelly. I’ll keep refilling it, compliments of Pete.”
Everyone was babying her. She couldn’t do anything for herself. She needed help getting dressed, getting around, going up and down steps—everything. Showering would have been funny—complete with her left foot wrapped in a plastic bag—if it hadn’t been so frustrating.
“Wow, free coffee. I should break something more often,” she said, mustering a wry smile as she took a sip.
“Now you settle in with your scarf, and I’ll keep checking on you,” Mimi said, patting Kelly on the shoulder. “Oh, by the way, Connie returned from her winter vacation yesterday. She had a fantastic trip and says she’s still operating on a Caribbean rhythm. So don’t be surprised if she starts to samba while she’s working around the shop.”
Samba, huh? I’d be happy to walk straight,
Kelly thought as she retrieved the raspberry and pink yarn from her bag. Now that she was incapacitated, she could finally finish the scarf. At least she’d have something to show for her recuperation.
Kelly picked up the needles and started the knit stitch. After several moments of focused attention, Kelly relaxed into a comfortable knitting rhythm. She noticed the knitting also took her concentration off her aching ankle.