Lover's Leap (17 page)

She couldn’t see it. Not with her own heart.

So what about her daughter’s heart? Could she trust Cam where Lori was concerned?

The answer to that came readily: Yes, she could. He’d convinced her of that. So she would do as Celeste suggested and summon Lori home.

Sarah pictured Cam as he’d been this morning when he and Devin stopped by Fresh. He’d purchased sugar cookies to snack on during their day-tour drive up to Silverton. When he had paused in the doorway as he was leaving and given her a knowing smile and a borderline-salacious wink, she’d melted like a sugar glaze on hot cinnamon rolls right there behind the bakery case.

Yes, she would call Lori and bring her home. Soon.

Just not too soon.

   Eight days after Sarah’s first scuba lesson, she invited Cam and Devin to dinner. It was, he decided, a surreal experience.

He sat at a table in a house where he’d never been welcome, sharing a meal with a woman who’d done him grievous harm, and dealing with the reality that the anger he nursed toward Ellen Reese and her late husband was a bitter, wasted emotion. Frank was dead, and his wife was ill. Cam would never get any explanations or apologies or even skewed parental justifications for the damage they had done not just to Cam but to Sarah and Lori, too.

Cam never used the word
impotent
in regard to himself, but it damn sure fit his feelings now as he answered Ellen’s repetitive questions with a smile on his face. He could do nothing else. He had to let his grudges go.

Doing so wasn’t easy. He was glad that Devin was there to break the ice, because even if Ellen didn’t realize the significance of the moment, Sarah did. It had been a little awkward at first.

Devin entertained them with a story about a tourist family and a cutthroat game of miniature golf, and slowly Cam relaxed. Ellen even contributed to the conversation by asking Devin if he’d caught any fish in Hummingbird Lake.

Once angling talk had been exhausted, Sarah schooled her expression into a picture of innocence, passed Devin the mashed potatoes again, and asked, “So how is Mortimer doing?”

Cam dropped his chin to his chest as Dev let out a groan and replied, “You mean the devil dog?”

As Devin gleefully told the story of how the dog had somehow managed to knock Cam’s wallet off his dresser and proceeded to eat $135 in cash and Cam’s debit card, Cam watched Sarah’s eyes sparkle and listened to her joyous laughter and decided the cost was well worth it.

Finally, Devin set down his fork, wiped his mouth with his napkin, and said, “That was the best roast I’ve ever had, Ms. Reese.”

“Call me Sarah, please, Dev, and thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“Enjoyed it?” Cam looked at his son and shook his head. “He ate enough to feed the entire baseball team.”

“Hey, I’m just a growing boy. Besides, having to eat your cooking makes me appreciate good food like this. Of course I’m going to stuff myself.”

“Why don’t you work off some of the calorie load by clearing the table for Sarah.”

“Happy to.” Devin rose and began to carry the plates to Sarah’s kitchen.

“He’s a good kid,” Sarah said as the boy left the room. “You’ve done well with him, Cam.”

“Thanks. Sometimes I have my doubts, I’ll admit. We’ve had our share of scrapes.”

“All parents do,” Ellen said, surprising both Cam and Sarah with the insightful comment.

Alzheimer’s is a peculiar disease
, Cam thought. He looked at Sarah and asked, “What can I do to help?”

“The Rockies are playing tonight, if you’d like to sit with Mom in the living room.” Sarah gently asked her mother, “You still enjoy your baseball, don’t you, Mom?”

“I like baseball,” Ellen said.

“Well, why don’t we go root for the home team, then?” Cam said to Ellen. He rose from his seat and offered her his arm. He saw Sarah in the smile she offered him in return, and the lingering resentment inside him faded away. He would be kind to Ellen Reese. She was Sarah’s mother and Lori’s grandmother, and besides, it was the right thing to do.

“Dishes won’t take long,” Sarah told him.

“Dev will help, won’t you, son?”

“Hey, I’ll do them all myself if it’ll earn me a double helping of dessert. Dad, wait till you see the pie that’s in the oven.”

“I don’t need to see it. I can smell it.”

“That pie is destined for the shop tomorrow,” Sarah said, then laughed at Devin’s distraught expression. “Just kidding.”

Cam helped Ellen Reese into her recliner, then picked up the TV remote and tuned in to the game. It was the bottom of the eighth inning, and the Rockies led by seven, so he wasn’t drawn in by the game. Instead, the photographs on the bookshelves behind the television caught his attention. He walked over to the shelf and picked up a photograph of a preteen Sarah and her parents. “She was beautiful even then.”

Ellen Reese said, “That picture was taken at Spirit Cave. We picnic there. It’s my favorite place. It’s our place. Frank and me.”

“Is it?” This was the most engaged that he’d seen Ellen Reese all evening. “I’ve been there. The view of Murphy Mountain from there is spectacular.”

Ellen blinked and asked, “Is Frank dead?”

Cam shot a panicked look toward the kitchen. “Um …”

“He’s dead, isn’t he?”

Oh, hell
. What should he say? She seemed to know already, so he answered, “Yes, ma’am.”

“Did I go to his funeral?”

“Yes, ma’am, you did.” Cam couldn’t imagine otherwise.

“And I held his hand when he died?”

Again, instinct told him what to say. “Yes, ma’am.”

She turned her gaze back to the television, and soon closed her eyes and appeared to fall asleep. Cam let out a relieved breath. Pity stirred inside him. He felt sorry for Ellen Reese. He felt terrible for Sarah and Lori. How hard it must be to lose someone you love in little bits and pieces this way. Alzheimer’s was a terrible disease, and in a way he’d not comprehended before, a family disease.

He admired Sarah for her patience, tenderness, and caring where her mother was concerned. It must be emotionally draining to be a caretaker of someone with this illness. He wouldn’t wish it on his own worst enemy.

When Ellen didn’t stir and the ball game remained a rout, Cam decided to join Sarah and his son in her kitchen. But as he drew close, he heard Sarah ask Dev if he missed Australia, so Cam paused to eavesdrop on the answer.

“I miss parts of home,” Devin said. “I miss the boat and the water and the dives.”

“I’ll bet it’s neat to go diving with your dad.”

“Yeah, except that we didn’t get to do it very often. Honestly, we spend more time together now. He worked too much.”

“I asked him how he can manage so much time away. He said he prepared.”

“He did. It also helps that he’s not there to butt into everyone else’s business, so people get their work done on time.”

In the hallway, Cam scowled.

Devin continued, “Mainly, though, it’s because when he’s around, people depend on him more than they probably need to. He’s a great boss and a good businessman, but he has a hard time saying no when someone asks him for a favor.”

“I’ll have to remember that.”

Dishes rattled, and Cam heard the dishwasher door thump shut. He started to enter the kitchen, then once again stopped when he heard Sarah ask, “So what do you like best about Eternity Springs?”

Dev’s reply came swiftly: “The guys. The Grizzlies, I mean. They’re good guys. They know how to have fun without doing crazy things.”

Hallelujah
, Cam thought. He entered the kitchen and asked, “So did I hear the oven go off a few minutes ago?”

“Hot apple pie, Dad.” The boy glanced at the kitchen clock and frowned. “Uh … any chance I could have mine to go?”

Cam cuffed him on the head. “Dev. That’s rude.”

“I was supposed to meet the guys at Drew’s house ten minutes ago. I thought we’d be done with dinner earlier. We’re having a pool tournament, and they’ll be waiting on me.”

“Then you shouldn’t have eaten half a cow,” Cam scolded.

Sarah laughed, then removed a pie cutter from a drawer. “Cut him some slack, Dad.”

It was the first time she’d used the term in reference to him, and Cam’s heart gave a little twist. He wanted to hear her say it in reference to Lori.

Sarah cut a generous slice of pie and put it on a plate. Then she wrapped the rest of the pie in foil and handed it to Dev, saying, “Share with your friends. Just make sure I get my pie plate back.”

“Awesome!” Devin said.

Cam protested, “Wait a minute … What if I want seconds?”

“Snooze you lose, Dad.” Dev leaned over and kissed Sarah’s cheek, saying, “Thanks, Sarah. You’re the best.”

Sarah softly beamed as with pie in hand, Devin disappeared out the door. Cam found himself crossing the kitchen to kiss her without making a conscious decision to do so. He took her in his arms and took his time about it, tasting her, savoring her, loving her. When she fell bonelessly against him, he wanted to swoop her up into his arms and carry her to bed, but respect of her mother’s presence in the other room dampened the urge. He could no more have slept with Sarah in this house now than he could have sneaked into her bedroom at sixteen.

Cam ended the kiss, rested his forehead against hers, and said, “Hello, beautiful.”

“Hey, handsome.”

“Thanks for dinner.”

“You’re very welcome.” She reached up and touched his cheek. “It was nice to have company for a change.”

“Your mom fell asleep in her chair.”

“That’s normal for her. She sleeps a lot. Or at least that’s the old normal.”

A shadow passed over her eyes, and seeing it, Cam asked, “There’s a new normal?”

“A new worry. Lately I’m noticing more confusion, anxiety, and agitation in the evening. They call it sundowning, and it’s a concern. If Mom develops the tendency to wander, it’s a game changer. I don’t know that I could safely care for her here at home.” She glanced toward the living room and sighed. “I’m not ready to do anything else.”

He pulled her against him and comforted her with a hug. “If I can help you at all, I will. Just ask.”

“Thanks, Cam. I appreciate that. I appreciate this. How is it that a good hug can make you feel stronger?”

“Hugs are a magic medicine.”

“That they are.” She surprised him when she pulled away from him and said, “I need to make a phone call, and I’d better do it now. Would you like to take your pie out to the back patio, and I’ll join you when I’m done?”

“Sure. Is everything all right?”

“Yes. I needed that hug more than I realized. Now, go outside and enjoy your pie.”

She sent him off with a brave smile that had him frowning as he took a seat on the porch swing. The pie tasted delicious, but he wondered what was up with this phone call. Unpleasant business, from the looks of it.

The light switched on in a second-story room, and soon he heard the muffled sound of her voice as it floated from the partially opened window. He didn’t attempt to eavesdrop, he figured he’d done enough of that already tonight. Instead, he indulged in the peacefulness of the evening.

A gentle breeze whispered through leaves of the old cottonwood tree that graced the Reeses’ backyard and carried the scent of steaks cooking on a grill. Eternity Springs in the summertime was a downright pleasant place. Even more pleasant was spending the evening with Sarah because they wanted to spend time together, not because it furthered Celeste Blessing’s Redemption Plan.

He took another bite of pie and decided he’d better add some distance onto his daily run tomorrow morning. He’d sampled way too many of Sarah’s sweets today, in the literal sense of the word, unfortunately. As he set down his empty plate, a new and disturbingly familiar sound caught his attention. “Surely not,” he murmured to himself as he rose and walked around to the side of Sarah’s house in the direction of the noise.

Aarf, arf, arf, arf
.

Cam muttered a curse as he spied the Boston terrorist go sprinting down Aspen Street with what appeared to be the remnants of a garden hose trailing from his mouth. He reached for the gate, then paused and glanced up toward the lamp-lit window. He couldn’t chase after the pup of darkness without telling Sarah where he’d gone.

He turned around and reentered the house, then made his way upstairs and followed the sound of Sarah’s voice to a bedroom converted to an office. As he lifted his hand to knock, he heard Sarah say, “Lori, let’s not fight about this.”

“I don’t want to fight, either, Mom.” His daughter’s voice came clear as church bells through the computer speakers and plunged a knife into his heart as she continued, “But I don’t want to see Cam Murphy. I don’t want to talk to Cam Murphy. I don’t want to hear what Cam Murphy thinks he wants to say to me.”

TWELVE

Sarah heard a noise and looked up from her computer screen. Cam stood in the doorway, his expression stricken.
Oh, no
. Frustration rolled through her—at her daughter for being so hardheaded and at Cam for not staying downstairs where he belonged. She refocused on Lori’s image, and her voice sharpened. “Here’s the deal, Lori. Right now what you want isn’t the issue. For once, what matters is what I want, and I want you home. ASAP.”

“But, Mom—”

“No buts. I don’t play the mom card very often, but I’m doing that now. I still pay your bills, Lori Elizabeth. You may be an adult, but you are not independent. Until you reach that point, you sometimes have to do what I say. This is one of those times. You will come home, and you will listen to the man. That’s what I’ve been asking you to do. Now I’m telling you. Do you understand me?”

Lori’s expression grew mulish. “Fine. I’ll come home for the Fourth of July weekend. How am I supposed to get there?”

“I’ll book a plane ticket for you.” The Fourth this year fell on a Friday. “Can you make the Thursday-evening flight, or shall I book Friday morning?”

“I can leave Thursday morning, but Mom, a last-minute ticket for a holiday weekend is going to cost a fortune.”

Standing in the doorway, Cam waved to catch her attention, then pointed to himself, mouthing, “I’ll pay.”

“Thursday or Friday?”

Lori released an exaggerated sigh. “I’ll come Thursday.”

“Good. I’ll email the details once I book the ticket.” Sarah knew her daughter was in no mood to listen to her now, but she never liked to end a conversation on an unhappy note, so she tried to smooth the waters by asking, “What would you like me to make for the Fourth of July picnic?”

“I doubt I’ll have an appetite.”

“Ali gave me her fried chicken recipe.”

“The secret spices?”

“Yes.”

Lori frowned, but Sarah spotted a softening in her face. “That’s not playing fair.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too. I just don’t want to have anything to do with him.”

Had he not been standing there listening, Sarah might have taken another shot at convincing Lori to give Cam a chance. Instead, she decided to end the conversation as quickly as possible. “I’ll see you on Thursday, sweetheart. I’ll book you into Crested Butte and pick you up at the airport.”

“Why not Colorado Springs? I can taxi to the storage lot and drive myself.”

“I’ll have more time with you this way, and besides, I want to save the wear and tear on your car. It’s on its last legs.”

“All right.” Lori hesitated for a moment, then asked, “You’ll come by yourself, won’t you? He won’t be there.”

One step at a time
, Sarah told herself. Besides, an airport was no place for this meeting, although she wasn’t sure where that right place was. Somewhere private. Somewhere neutral. Somewhere that Lori couldn’t run away. “I’ll be by myself, Lori.”

They said their goodbyes and ended the call. Sarah’s gaze lifted from the computer screen to settle on the vase filled with two dozen red roses that the florist had delivered yesterday. She hated being in the middle.

Cam’s voice sounded raw as he said, “She still wants nothing to do with me. Guess I’m not surprised. Why make her come home?”

“Because it’s time. Avoiding problems doesn’t solve them.”

“And that’s what I am,” he replied. “A problem.”

“For Lori, yes.”

“And for you?”

Sarah carefully chose her words. She’d called Lori home because she had the power to do so and it was the right thing to do. But that’s where her power ended. She hoped Lori would accept her father, but she couldn’t make it happen. If Lori rejected Cam, well, Sarah didn’t want to think about that. They’d deal with that when and if it happened, but in the meantime, this was still her time. She needed time to be Sarah the woman before she had to put on her mom hat and pick up the pieces.

She turned around and studied him. “Oh, you’re a problem, all right. In the past week you’ve sent me flowers and perfume. You arranged an hour-long massage at the spa at Angel’s Rest. And just today I received a special-delivery box from Victoria’s Secret.”

At the mention of the box, his look brightened. “This is the romance part I promised. I’ll admit that today’s little gift was as much for me as for you. Did you like it?”

“The negligé is lovely, Cam, but I’m reserving opinion about the underwear. I don’t know if I’m ready for thong panties. Lori swears they’re comfortable, but—”

“Whoa! Stop right there. Too much information, Sarah.”

Oh, yes
. What had she been thinking?

You were thinking about flashing him a look at what you’re wearing beneath your sundress. Face it
. She’d been humming along in a low state of arousal ever since she opened that gift box.

“Sorry,” she said. “I’m flustered. Why did you come upstairs, Cam?”

“Oh, I forgot.” He scowled and glanced toward her office window. “It’s that damn dog. He got out, and I came to tell you I was leaving to chase him down. He’s probably started a riot by now.”

“Oh.” Sarah’s heart sank. She didn’t want this evening to end on this note. She’d hoped to sit outside on the swing with him. Neck a little bit. Let him get a look at the bra he’d bought her. She started to stand, thinking she would help with the search, but he reached for his wallet and said, “Buy Lori’s plane ticket. The way my luck is going, they will have sold the last available seat ten minutes ago.”

Sarah didn’t argue about using his credit card to book the seat. No sense being stupid about this. Once the task was completed, the information emailed to Lori, she handed him back his card and said, “Let me check in on Mom, and I’ll help you look for Mortimer.”

“You’re going to leave her alone?”

“If she’s settled. I won’t be gone long.”

“What about the wandering thing?”

“She’s not actually doing it. I’m just worried that it’s in our future.”

Downstairs, she found her mother awake and staring at the television. “Hey, Mom. How are you doing?”

“I’m okay. Is it time to go to bed?”

“Sure, Mom.” Sarah glanced at Cam. “Why don’t you go on and I’ll catch up with you after I get Mom in bed?”

“You don’t have to—”

“I want to,” she interrupted. “Grab a flashlight before you go. There’s one in the mudroom cabinet.”

“Will do.” His rueful tone made her want to laugh as he added, “Just follow the barking and squealing, and I’m sure you’ll find us.”

Twenty minutes later, her mom was in bed, and she’d grabbed a jacket, a flashlight, and a dog leash and headed out. She didn’t hear barking or squealing, but the small crowd gathered in front of the Elkhorn Lodge begged investigation. She caught up with Cam at the pool area of the Elkhorn Lodge.

He stood staring in a shocked stupor at Mortimer, who sat happily beside the pool, chewing on the pool vacuum. A dozen or so people surrounded him, half Eternity Springs citizens, half tourists. The crowd buzzed. The owner of the Elkhorn was giving Cam an earful. One tourist took pictures with his phone, another with a camera sporting a lens worthy of an FBI surveillance team. Sarah threaded her way through the crowd until she stood beside Cam. “I see you found him.”

“You won’t believe this. That demon animal jumped into the pool and snagged the pool vac.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No. He jumped in, grabbed hold of the machine, swam it to the steps at the shallow end, pulled it from the water, and proceeded to eat it.”

“Oh, dear.”

“Yeah. Oh, dear. Now the owner wants me to pay for damages. Not just for the vacuum, but for pain and suffering. He says Lucifer there scared a year off his life.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Just ignore him.”

“What’s that?” Richard Perry said. “Ignore me? Why, Sarah Reese, what would your father say?”

“He’d say you should quit attempting to extort money from innocent bystanders.”

“Innocent? Innocent!” Blustering, Perry shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “He adopted that dog. That means he’s financially responsible for the destruction it causes.”

“I said I’d pay for the vacuum,” Cam said. “I said I’d pay for the pool vacuum and the hose and whatever that rubber thing was. But you’re not going to milk me for pain and suffering.” Aside to Sarah, he added, “I’m the one who is suffering and in pain because I’m the one who has to deal with the dog.”

That’s when Mortimer picked up a hunk of plastic he’d torn from his treasure and darted off again.

“Stop him!” Cam said.

“And risk a finger or a hand?” a tourist said. “Yeah, right.”

Cam turned to chase after the dog, but Richard Perry grabbed his arm. “I’ll expect my money by tomorrow.”

“Fine.” Cam turned away.

“I mean it, Murphy,” Perry called after him, spitting the name as if it were a curse. “You better not be like your no-good old man and try to run out on my bill. If you don’t show up with my money, I’ll send the sheriff after you. I’ll—”

“Oh, just stop it,” Sarah said. “You are one to talk, Richard. You never did pay my father for the window you broke at the Trading Post.”

While Perry sputtered with excuses, Sarah headed after Cam, running to catch up with his long-legged strides. She spied Mortimer trotting up the middle of the street before veering sharply into the alley between Vistas and Gabe Callahan’s office building. “I swear when I catch that dog I’m going to use him for bear bait,” Cam declared.

“How did he get out?”

“The dog is possessed, and the devil is powerful.”

Sarah couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing, and she laughed so hard that she grabbed hold of his arm and hung on for support.

“Well, I’m glad you think this is funny.”

“Not just funny. Hilarious.” She brought it down to giggles and added, “I’m sorry. But the look on your face … Oh, Cam. You do realize that rescuing Mortimer is probably the single most important thing you could have done to help propel yourself into Lori’s good graces?”

“What?” He jerked his gaze away from the alley and focused on Sarah.

“You know she wants to go to vet school. She loves animals. All animals. When she hears what you did for Mortimer, that’s going to knock a big chink in her armor against you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

He looked from her to the alley, then back to her. “I guess that means using him for bear bait is out?”

“It’d be a shame to lose the goodwill you’ve already bought for yourself.” Sarah took the lead and started down the alley.

Cam followed her, not speaking until they emerged from the alley and she paused, looking up and down the street in search of the black-and-white dog. “How will she find out about it? Will you tell her? I don’t want her to think I was trying to manipulate her or something.”

“I think that this bit of news might be better coming from Celeste. She has a gift for knowing just what to say and how to say it.” Catching sight of Mortimer, she pointed and said, “There. He just turned the corner.”

“I don’t suppose I’d still get points with Lori if we never found him tonight and he ended up lost?”

“I doubt it.”

Cam gave an aggravated sigh, then linked her fingers with his and deliberately slowed their pace, turning the chase into an evening stroll. Sarah wasn’t about to complain. There was something quite lovely about walking hand in hand with a lover on a beautiful summer evening.

“Three days,” he murmured. “How do you think we should orchestrate this meeting?”

Lori. He was thinking about their daughter. Was that really a twinge of jealousy she felt?
Don’t be ridiculous, Sarah
.

“I do have an idea about that. Do you think Jack would mind if we used Eagle’s Way again? It’s private and comfortable, and I know she’d like the opportunity to see it.”

“That’s a good idea. I’m sure Jack wouldn’t mind.” He brought her hand up to his mouth and pressed a kiss against her fingers. “If we’re at Eagle’s Way, she’ll have a harder time running off if she gets the urge.”

Yes, that thought had occurred to Sarah, too.

“What if that’s what happens, Sarah? What if she flat out tells me to get lost?”

She gave his fingers a comforting squeeze. “Don’t borrow trouble, Cam. You have enough of it as it is with Mortimer.”

He groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

They lost sight of the Boston terrier twice but were able to pick up his trail by asking bystanders if they’d spotted the dog. Soon Sarah realized they were almost to the house that Cam had rented. “I’ll bet he’s gone home.”

“No.” Cam glanced toward the house “You think?”

“Better check.”

Sure enough, when Cam unlocked the front door and escorted Sarah inside, they discovered Mortimer curled up on a pillow inside his crate. “I don’t get it,” Cam said. “Was the dog we chased not this one, after all? Could he have a doppelgänger?”

“The evidence suggests otherwise,” Sarah replied, motioning toward the chewed remnants of a black plastic hose tucked into one corner. “How did he get out and back in?”

Cam took a closer look at the crate. “The latch isn’t fixed. It’s bent. And look.” He pointed toward some telltale paw prints on the floor, then followed them toward the kitchen, where the door to the basement stood open. The prints led straight to an open basement window and the answer to how Mortimer had achieved the evening’s mischief.