Heartsong Cottage (9 page)

“Shannon, I want a series of mosaics in each of the houses—the kitchen, the baths, the fireplaces. I want you to tell Goldilocks's story in a unique and inventive way that incorporates the history of this valley and this part of Colorado.”

Excitement skittered along Shannon's nerves as design ideas fired in her mind. “How long would I have to do them?”

“All winter. As soon as they get a new roof on Baby Bear, my work crew is headed home for the winter. That was our deal when I sent them up here this summer. They worked their tails off to accomplish as much as they have, and they've assured me when they return in the spring, they can finish up before my deadline, which is Memorial Day.”

“Your crew came into Murphy's a few times this summer,” Shannon said. “They seemed like good guys.”

“They are. I've used the same men for years on a number of different projects, and they do an excellent job. They're hard workers. Gotta be that way if you work for me. Celeste assures me that you're one of the hardest workers she knows.”

Shannon smiled her thanks toward Celeste, who shrugged and said, “It's true. The girl works too hard at too many jobs, in my opinion.”

That's what happens when you're living by your wits.

“She's the poster child for burning the candle at both ends,” Celeste continued. “It's starting to show, too. You dragged into the early-morning yoga class this week. It's not like you, Shannon.”

“Careful, Celeste, you'll talk my way out of this job.”

The other woman patted her arm. “Nonsense. Bob understands that he'll need to pay you a sufficient amount to allow you to cut back your hours elsewhere. Right, Bob?”

“I pay all my people good wages.”

“And, you pay based on the job, not the gender of your employee, correct?”

“Are you asking me if I'll pay her less than I would if she were a man?”

“Of course not.” This time, Celeste patted Bob Hamilton's arm. “If anything, I expect you'll pay her a premium because you recognize what a gem she is.”

“Brought your agent with you to negotiate, did you?” he said to Shannon, though his admiring gaze remained fixed on Celeste.

Shannon didn't know how to respond to that. Before she could formulate an answer, he added, “I don't doubt you'll be very pleased with what I have to offer.”

He then named a number that almost made Shannon's chin drop in shock. This job would be a lifesaver in more ways than one.

“You bring the project in on time and on budget, and you'll earn a fifteen percent bonus, too.”

Fifteen percent?
For a second there, Shannon thought she might have to sit down.

“The plan is to hold our first family reunion here on Memorial Day weekend. I want my kiddos to be wowed when they walk inside for the first time. My crew returns mid-March. Think we can have everything finished by then?”

“If there's a holdup, it won't be because of me.” She needed to have this project done by Easter. “If I might make one suggestion. I know the local contractors because of the work I've had done at the pub and the cottage, and due to the fact that most of them are patrons at the pub. If your foreman wants to sub anything out to get a start on the springtime work, I can give him recommendations. Getting a few things done over the winter might save your crew some grief in March if winter drags on.”

“I like the way you think, young lady. So do we have an agreement?”

“I'll get started on design drawings tonight.”

They shook hands and the deal was done. Celeste and Shannon's new boss visited while Shannon made notes and took measurements and reviewed the plans. Her mind spun as she mentally reworked her schedule. Yoga. Murphy's. Heartsong Cottage. Now the Three Bears. Celeste had a point. Something would have to give. Maybe the time had come to list Heartsong Cottage with a Realtor. She'd gone the for-sale-by-owner route because the commission took too big a chunk out of her profits, but she was spending too many hours answering e-mails and Internet queries. Time now better spent here at Three Bears.

Unless I keep Heartsong Cottage. Make it my home instead of a property I flip.

The notion floated through her mind like a forbidden fantasy.

Dare she do it? Dare she even dream about sinking roots in the rich, fertile soil of Eternity Springs?

She was so tired of running. So tired of always looking over her shoulder. Ever so tired of always being afraid.

As if it were yesterday, she recalled meeting Russell Wilbarger's intense, green-eyed gaze over the spray of yellow roses atop Ted's closed casket. For just a moment, she'd seen triumph in those eyes and the first of many shudders of apprehension had crawled up her spine.

The memory put today's wild ride with Celeste into perspective. There was fear … and then there was FEAR.

Shannon turned her attention away from the past and toward the near future—since “near” was as far as she could force herself to go at this particular moment. She rejoined Celeste and Bob as he waxed on about a trout he'd pulled from the creek earlier that morning.

“The fishing is good here,” he said. “You should bring your rod next time you come up, Celeste. Wear your hiking boots, too. There's a small box canyon over the hill that is so isolated that it makes this valley look like Times Square. It has the prettiest little waterfall, though. There's a game trail that leads right to it. Makes for a nice hike. Nothing too strenuous. You should both give it a try sometime.”

“Oh? I love waterfalls.” She glanced around then asked, “Where is the trailhead?”

Bob pointed it out using a boulder and the downstairs bathroom window of Mama Bear as landmarks. “It'll take you about half an hour to hike to the waterfall. Reaching the box canyon by car would take you more than twice as long.”

Celeste pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Is it accessible by road? It might be a fun ride on the Gold Wing.”

“I wouldn't recommend it,” Bob said with a frown. “The road into the box canyon is rough. Much worse than the one leading here. Takes a four-wheeler to get to the one cabin that's there. I looked at it before I bought this property, but it was too remote for my purposes.” He described the route to reach it, then added, “The road stops at the cabin, so you'd still have to hike to the waterfall.”

“Oh, I know that road,” Celeste said. “That box canyon property was on the market for quite some time, but it sold recently. An agent out of South Fork showed it to me. He didn't mention a waterfall or I would have asked to see it despite the remoteness of the spot.”

Shannon steered the conversation back to the job by asking a question about winter road maintenance. Half an hour later, she shook hands with her new employer, said good-bye, and did her best to psych herself up for the return ride to town.

“I'm so excited for you, Shannon,” Celeste said, her light blue eyes warm with pleasure as she fitted her motorcycle helmet onto her head. “I have a feeling that this job is just what you need to make all your dreams come true.”

Assuming I survive this trip back to Eternity Springs.
“The money will certainly come in handy. I'll be able to keep Honey on at the pub.”

“I had hoped you would. Isn't it lovely when things work out this way?”

Shannon had hired Honey Tarantino in June during the height of the tourist season, and the fifty-something, newly separated Eternity Springs native had taken over cooking duties at Murphy's. In addition to tweaking a few of Shannon's pub-grub recipes to great success, she'd added the local-gossip touch that, as an outsider, Shannon hadn't been able to provide. Honey loved her job and her job loved her, but when the tourist season had ended, so too had the need for an extra pair of hands at Murphy's. No matter how many ways she'd run the numbers, Shannon had been unable to figure a way to keep Honey on—until now. “She's an excellent bartender and a fabulous cook. Frankly, the work suits her better than it does me. I'm happier with a hammer in my hand.”

“What about the yoga classes? Will you keep those up?”

“I'll continue to teach a morning class, but I imagine I'll have to drop the one at lunch.”

“In that case, the sleepyheads will simply need to get up with us early birds.” Celeste linked her arm through Shannon's. “Although, speaking of birds, a little one passed along the tidbit that Lillian Jenkins instructed at a yoga studio at Lake Tahoe before she and her husband moved to town. Perhaps she'd be willing to take over the noon class.”

Shannon grinned. “I don't know why the town council chose to hire a city manager when Eternity Springs has you.”

“I'm no manager,” Celeste said, swinging her leg over the Gold Wing's seat. “I just like to invest. In businesses. In people. I have a knack for it.”

“That you do, Celeste.” Shannon took her place behind Eternity Springs' investment angel and sent up a brief, silent prayer for safety. “Eternity Springs needs you.”

Ten days later as she prepped a wall in the kitchen at Papa Bear, Shannon recalled the conversation. Having worked late last night and being ahead of schedule despite the whirlwind trip to California to watch Cicero win the Albritton award, she decided to take that hike her boss had suggested.

She felt relatively good today. She had more energy than she'd had for a month. She finally felt strong enough to face her worries and concerns and make some decisions. She'd exercise and exorcise her ghosts.

Filled with purpose, Shannon tossed a couple of water bottles and the sack lunch she'd brought into a backpack. She grabbed a hat, her sunglasses, lip balm, a compass, and her notebook and a pencil and started out.

She had to hunt a little bit to locate the trail since brush and fallen leaves effectively camouflaged the path. Had she not known it was there, she'd never have found it. Within minutes of entering the forest, a most welcome sense of peace enveloped her.

It was a beautiful afternoon. Sunlight dappled the forest floor and the loamy scent of autumn wafted on the gentle breeze. The woods were alive with sound—the crunch of leaves beneath her hiking boots, the distant sound of a babbling mountain stream, the music of a songbird from a hidden perch above her. Shannon felt her spirits lift.

Her life had taken some curious turns, but she truly should count her blessings. She loved Eternity Springs. She had friends. She had work she enjoyed. And in the springtime, she would have a start at something else she'd always wanted. A family.

A baby.

“My baby,” she murmured, saying the words aloud for the very first time.

She'd taken the home pregnancy test a week ago. The positive result hadn't surprised her. She was attuned to her body and she'd sensed the changes weeks ago. The prospect of motherhood both scared her to death and made her heart sing. Once upon a time, she'd wanted nothing more than to be a wife and stay-at-home mom to three or four little ones. She had thought that dream had ended with Ted's death and Russell's pursuit.

Apparently, she'd been wrong.

Shannon daydreamed about sugar and spice and everything nice as she climbed the gently sloping trail over the mountain. On the downside, snakes and snails and puppy dog tails held her attention. She decided that she truly didn't care whether her baby was a boy or a girl. “As long as the baby is healthy.” That's what potential parents always said, wasn't it? For the first time, she understood how true that statement was.

The trail broke from the trees in a postage stamp of a meadow and Shannon got her first glimpse of the waterfall. It wasn't very big—the drop only fifteen feet or so—but Shannon found the spot enchanting. Rainbows of color bloomed on the mist from frothing white water at the base of the falls. Leaves of autumn red, orange, and yellow circled slowly on the surface of a comparatively placid pool along the bank of the creek. Water clean and clear revealed the presence of a speckled brown trout. A cry in the blue sky above caught her notice and she looked up to see the white-tipped wings of a hawk sailing on the breeze. It was a picture-perfect moment. Nature at its most beautiful, unspoiled. Elemental.

And she was part of it. The life growing inside her was part of it. In that moment, a sensation as powerful as any she'd ever known filled her. Joy. Gratitude. All-encompassing love.

“Thank you,” she said aloud. “Thank you for this unexpected gift, difficult though it certainly will be.”

Suddenly, she was starving.

She made her way to a flat rock beside the eddy, and she sat cross-legged and dug in her backpack for her roast beef sandwich. She scarfed it down, along with carrot sticks and an apple and the sack of trail mix she'd brought along for her mid-afternoon snack.

“Should have packed more,” she murmured. She leaned back on her elbows, lifted her face toward the sunshine, closed her eyes, and inhaled a deep breath. She gave herself five minutes to enjoy the moment and absorb the peace it offered.

Then, sufficiently strengthened, she prepared to tackle that decision-making task.

She had to decide what to do about Daniel Garrett.

Did she reach out to the man and let him know that the precautions they'd taken hadn't proved cautionary enough? Should she be honest about the baby?

Shannon scooped up a handful of pebbles from the edge of the creek and began tossing them one by one into the water.
Plop. Plop. Plop.

If her circumstances were different, she would never consider keeping knowledge of the baby from his father. She'd always thought that to be one of the scummiest things a woman could do. The fact that Daniel had already lost one child would only compound the betrayal. Guilt would eat her alive if she kept this secret.

And yet …
Plop. Plop. Plop.
Shouldn't her child's safety be her greatest concern? Didn't her child's best interests trump those of his father's? Children needed their fathers, true. But better to forgo having a father if it meant preserving life. Nothing she'd learned about Daniel Garrett led her to believe that he'd be content to live his life in hiding from Russell Wilbarger—and she dare not do anything else.