“Mom, I don’t understand how you can believe that. You have no evidence that we get another chance. What if we just die and this is all there is?” She didn’t want to believe that, but faced with the reality of her mother’s passing, fear threatened to take hold, fear that this was really all that existed, that the great mystery of life could be solved with a resounding blank space of nothingness.
“That’s why they call it faith, Eleanor. If we had the answers, there would be no reason to believe. Do you remember when you were young and I took you to see that one play everyone raved about?”
Nell groaned. “Peter Pan. How could I forget? You tried to tell the actors that they had everything wrong and that they didn’t know the difference between a pixie and a faery.”
“Well, they were using the wrong names. It was a bit insulting. Humans like to be called the proper names. Why wouldn’t they think a pixie would? Tinker Bell was obviously a pixie, right down to the fact that she can hold a mean grudge.” She shook her head. “I’m getting away from my point. I remember watching you when the little pixie was dying.”
Nell smiled at the memory. “They told everyone if we clapped hard enough she would come back to life.”
“If you believed enough. It’s an object lesson. You have to have faith, Nell. You have to believe. Maybe things won’t turn out the way you thought they would. Maybe your dreams won’t all come true, but if you have faith and put good things out into the world, then you’ve done your job. Be patient, my love. These things tend to work out in the end. Even if it takes a few lifetimes.” She laid her head against the lounger, a long sigh coming from her chest. “Death is nothing to be afraid of. It’s merely a doorway to the next phase. And when you take that door one day, your father and I will be waiting on the other side. We’ll be together again. We’re always together. That’s been the joy of my life.”
Nell held her mother’s hand and tried not to cry. No amount of faith would keep her mother here. No amount of faith would keep Henry here.
“If he’s your soul mate, you’ll find each other.” Her mother had always known what she was thinking. She’d never been able to hide. “And I’m not gone, yet. We still have some time, but Nell, no more treatments. I want to enjoy the time I have left with you. I want to make some precious memories.”
She nodded, tears filling her eyes. “I want that, too.”
Her mom reached up, brushing away her tears. “And don’t count that man out yet. He obviously has some decisions to make. I believe he’ll come around in the end. Happily ever afters run in our family.”
Nell frowned. “I thought war and thieving uncles run in our family.”
Moira waved that off. “That was just a blip on the map. It will sort itself out in the end. We Finns always find our happiness. Sometimes we have to fight for it, though.”
The doors opened again and Callie walked through, carrying an even bigger tub than before. “I’ve got to get this heated. Nell, will you go and let the pedicurist in? She’s at the gate, but she needs to be buzzed in. And hurry. We don’t want to lose her. She’s the only one at Polly’s who’s willing to touch hobbit feet as they call them.”
“Hobbits.” Her mother huffed. “She should try trimming an ogre’s toenails. Sometimes the damn toenails fight back.”
Callie laughed, and her mother was off talking about all sorts of creatures. Nell went for the door. She glanced back and saw her mother smiling.
Despite everything, her mother believed things would work out. Maybe it was time for Nell to believe, too. She grabbed her robe. Normally she wouldn’t bother, but it was awfully cold outside. She slipped her phone into her pocket. Henry might call. He’d only been gone for twenty minutes or so and she already missed him. She slipped on her boots because there was a lot of snow between here and the gate.
She jogged outside, following the tracks Henry’s truck had made in the snow. She was really going to have to get him into a better vehicle. Snow fell as she raced to the gate. She could see Kelly Hansen’s compact had made it up the mountain. Kelly was Polly’s oldest daughter and seemed to be following her mother into the beauty business.
Nell hit the button and the gate began to swing open, but Kelly’s car stayed where it was, not moving. Kelly’s face stared out the front window, her hands on the steering wheel.
Was something wrong? Kelly had trouble with mild epilepsy in the past. Was she having a seizure? Nell ran out, trying to remember what she should do. The driver’s side window was open.
Kelly’s hands were shaking, her face a stark white. “Nell, I’m so sorry.”
A man sat up from the back seat. There was a nasty-looking gun in his hand, and he pointed it straight at Kelly’s eighteen-year-old head. Kelly was just a baby, but Warren Lyle was a full-grown man. The former CEO of Lyle Waste Management Systems sneered her way.
“Get in the car or we’ll see what the back of this kid’s head looks like.”
Well, at least she knew who had broken into her cabin now.
Kelly muffled a cry.
“Why don’t you let her go?” Nell asked, her heart pounding in her chest. The grounds were completely empty. Everyone was inside. An eerie silence filled the yard around her.
Lyle placed the gun right against Kelly’s head, the metal butting her forward. “You have three seconds or I’ll just kill the both of you right here.”
“Please, Nell. Please help me.” Tears poured down Kelly’s cheeks.
Help me. Two words guaranteed to bring Nell Finn running.
Two words that might get her killed this time.
Nell calmly got into the car.
Chapter Nine
Bishop sighed as he sat down at the “Internet Café.” He really shouldn’t have expected more. Night was falling and the Bear Creek Lounge and Internet Café was filling up. Luckily, the crowd seemed way more interested in a beer than in checking their e-mail since the Café portion of the place consisted of one small table and a wretchedly slow dial-up.
He bet the Stark kid had better access.
“Hey, it’s Henry, isn’t it?” A familiar redhead walked up wearing black slacks and a white shirt. She had a tray of drinks balanced on her hand.
Holly, the lonely heart. A man really couldn’t blend into the background in a town this small. “Henry Flanders. Nice to see you again.”
Holly flushed prettily. She was a lovely woman, but she just couldn’t compare to his Nell. “Sorry about hitting on you at Hell on Wheels. I didn’t know you were involved with Nell. I really like Nell. I wouldn’t try to come between the two of you. She’s so nice. Well, until you forget to recycle and then, boy, can that girl give you a lecture.”
He’d already decided on how to handle that particular problem. When Nell got mouthy with him, he would just shove his cock between her lips and the problem would be solved. Or maybe a ball gag. She would look awfully cute in full bondage. “It’s okay. I’m only here for another week or so. Maybe two. I plan on spending all my time with Nell.”
Holly nodded. “I’m glad. And I can’t thank you enough for helping out with the whole bar fight thing. Max has too much fun with stuff like that, if you ask me. He would have taken forever to end it. We were lucky you were there because that Laura girl was in some pain. I don’t know why a woman who just recently had surgery would go hitchhiking across the country, but she really doesn’t want to talk about it.”
Bishop didn’t want to talk about it either, but Holly could come in handy. “Hey, is there any way to boost this signal? It’s awfully slow.”