Teardrop Lane (25 page)

Weary from the drive and the burden of her worries, Rose chose not to deliver the clinic supplies upon her return to Eternity Springs. Instead, she set her alarm for half an hour earlier than usual, which would give her enough time to run by the clinic before picking up Daisy and Galen from Cicero. She hadn’t expected to toss and turn all night, but she should have. She really hadn’t been sleeping well at all.

When the alarm sounded, she ignored it for fifteen minutes, then dragged herself out of bed. She had to rush, including skipping her morning coffee, and as a result, she was a little frazzled and quite grumpy when she carried the first of three cardboard boxes into the clinic.

Discovering Sage there, lying in wait and wearing a scolding expression, didn’t cheer her up one bit. Once her sister opened her mouth, Rose got downright cranky.

Sage demanded, “What’s wrong with you?”

“Excuse me?”

“I hope I can. Are you consciously trying to sabotage your relationship with Cicero?”

Rose momentarily went still, then tried to recover with a breezy, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Sage spat a word that would have earned her son,
Racer, a spanking had he said it. “You haven’t acted like yourself for the past two weeks. This isn’t like you. Something is going on. What is it, Rose? Did Cicero cheat on you or something?”

“What? No!”

“I didn’t think so. It’s obvious that he’s in love with you.”

Rose closed her eyes, her heart aching, as Sage recapped his visit to the clinic the previous night. “Maybe you didn’t come out and tell an outright lie, but you darn sure misled him and me. That’s not like you, sister. I want you to tell me just what the heck is going on.”

In the face of her sister’s direct command, Rose could no longer keep the news or her fears to herself.

“I have a lump in my breast,” she said.

For an instant, Sage’s countenance reflected a sister’s natural concern and consternation, but then she shifted into physician mode, firing off a series of medical questions for which Rose had few good answers.

“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Sage demanded.

“I haven’t had a biopsy.”

A frown line creased the bridge of Sage’s nose. “What did the ultrasound show?”

When Rose didn’t immediately respond, she said, “Honey?”

“I haven’t had an ultrasound, either. I haven’t seen my doctor.”

“And you found this lump two weeks ago?”

“Ten days.”

“Rosemary Jean Anderson! What in the world are you thinking?”

“That I’ll get around to it when I’m ready. It’s my body, my decision.”

“That’s bullshit,” Sage shot back, her voice vibrating
with anger. “You aren’t alone this time, Rosemary. You have people who love you.”

Sage couldn’t understand. She had someone who loved her
.

“Hunt has never said those words to me.”

“I’m not talking about Hunt Cicero, though I do believe he loves you. I’m talking about me. About Colt. About Racer. We’re your family and we definitely love you and we’re not going to run out on you if times get tough.”

Rose gritted her teeth. “No, I’ll be the one running. Moving, anyway.”

“What are you talking about?” Sage snapped, shaking her head. “Moving? Move where? Why?”

It would destroy her to leave, but if the cancer was back, she’d do it. Why stay here? Why watch the people she loved deal with her cancer? It would be as bad as the disease itself. Not to mention the fact that the small town clinic was merely that—a small town clinic.

“If the cancer is back, if it’s spread, I won’t be able to stay in Eternity Springs. We’re equipped to deal with many medical issues here in this clinic, but cancer treatment isn’t one of them. You can’t argue with that.”

“I don’t care if you move to the moon for treatment, I’ll be at your side.”

“But your family, your life, is here. You’re pregnant, for heaven’s sake.”

“Airplanes do exist, you know. And guess what? Celeste can fly on them, Nic and Sarah can, and Ali and Cat. Savannah. Hope. Maggie. Shoot, I think I’ll buy Moon Airline stock today.”

Rose didn’t respond.

“What is the matter with you?” Sage roared. “You know better. You can’t ignore this. Waiting kills people!”

Provoked, Rose shot back. “I’m afraid to find out, all
right? We’re doctors. We know all the realities, all the statistics. But as a patient, it sucks, Sage. Because at the end of the day, in this, that’s what I am—a patient in denial.”

Blinking rapidly, Rose tried to keep the tears from falling. “I don’t want to know, Sage, but not knowing is making me crazy. I’m scared to death to face this monster again!”

The anger drained from Sage’s face. She reached for her sister and wrapped her in her arms. Rose clutched her in return, and sheltered by the loving embrace, allowed the tears to flow.

“I know you’re afraid,” Sage soothed. “I’m afraid, too. It’s totally rational.”

“Fate is such a vicious bitch. Just when I begin to hope and dream again. When I begin to think that maybe, just maybe, I might get my own happy ending, it kicks me in the teeth. Oh, Sage, I’m angry. Bone deep furious. Not just for me, either, but for Hunt and the kids.”

“He won’t desert you like Brandon did. He’s not a scumbag.”

“I know that. But I can’t put them all through another bout of cancer. Those kids just lost their mother! They’re just beginning to heal. I can’t rip open that wound. It’s better I stop this now before we all get in too deep.”

Sage grabbed a tissue from a nearby box and wiped tears from her sister’s cheeks. “I think that ship already has sailed. I won’t make a call on what’s between you and Cicero, but those children are already in your heart and you’re in theirs. So, let’s do what’s best for those kiddos.”

Sage made it all sound so damn easy.

It wasn’t
.

“We need to start with an exam,” Sage continued, her tone brooking no argument. “We can do this a variety of ways. We can do a preliminary exam and sonogram here
right now, we can call Lynda Rydzell and ask her to work you in, or we can call your oncologist in Denver and take his first available appointment.”

Rose drew in a deep, shuddering breath. How much easier her burden seemed now, having shared it with her sister. And yet, she still wasn’t ready to face a diagnosis.

“I’ll call Lynda.”

“Do you have your phone on you?”

“No. I’ll call her later.”

Sage gave her a look. “I have her number. We’ll call now.”

Ten minutes later, Rose had appointments with her regular doctor in Gunnison for an exam and possible biopsy later that afternoon. Once she disconnected the phone call, Sage said, “Colt is out of town himself today, but I’ll call Nic and see if she’ll watch Racer for me.”

“No,” Rose said. “Don’t do that.”

“You’re not going on this appointment alone.”

“No, I won’t. I’ll ask Hunt to go with me. If I’m going to face this monster, I might as well do it. The drive will give us the chance to talk things over.”

“What about the kids? I’m happy to babysit.”

“With Colt away? Five kids and you pregnant? Not a good idea, Sage. If we do a biopsy, Lynda said she’d rush the results. I’ll stay overnight to get them.” Rose considered a moment, then said, “Celeste is already scheduled to watch the children after school. I’ll ask if she’s able to watch them overnight if need be. If not, I’ll go down the list. Someone will step up. I’m sure.”

“You let me know if they don’t.” Sage reached for her sister and gave her another hard hug. “We will deal with this. Whatever happens, we will deal.”

“Okay.” Rose glanced at her watch and said, “I need to run. Hunt will be needing to get to work.”

“You let me know if he can’t go with you, okay?”

“I will.”

Rose meant it when she said it, but when she stopped by the cottage to pick up Daisy and Galen for the morning, she found that Cicero had already left for the studio. Celeste and the two youngest children waited for her.

“Hunter knocked on the kitchen door early this morning,” Celeste said. “He needed to get to work early and asked if I could watch the children until you arrived.”

Relief at the reprieve washed over Rose. She didn’t want to face Cicero. Not yet. Not until she knew something one way or another. Sage’s heart was in the right place, and she appreciated her caring and concern, but now that she was away from it, she really wanted to do this thing by herself.

She’d gone through cancer alone last time and she’d beaten it. As precedents went, that wasn’t a bad one to follow.

“He was in a bear of a mood,” Celeste continued. “Dealing with creative types can be challenging, can’t it? But oh, so exciting, too. There’s nothing like a creative fire to stoke the passions, don’t you agree?”

“It does keep life interesting,” Rose replied as she gathered little Daisy into her arms and held her tight.

For the next few hours, Rose did her best to soak in the simple joys of the morning and forget about the afternoon’s impending storm clouds. She took Daisy and Galen on a walk, read to them, and baked chocolate chip cookies with Galen while Daisy napped. She packed picnic lunches and spread a blanket in the rose garden, and after they munched on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, carrot sticks, and sliced apples, they lay on their backs and found shapes in the clouds.

She dropped the pair off at Maggie Romano’s bed-and-breakfast with a heavy heart. How would she bear to walk away from these little guys? How would she survive walking away from Cicero?

If the cancer had returned, if this was a new cancer, she’d fight it hard, just like she’d fought the first time.

Her body might survive, but what about her heart?

Cicero wanted to tell Gabi he didn’t give a flip about dreamweavers or whimsies or anything else to do with stocking the retail shop, but he bit back the words. It wasn’t fair of him to take his bad mood out on his partner. Gabi had worked her ass off to get the doors open at Whimsies—and with sales better than expected before the official grand opening, she deserved praise. Just because Rose’s recent attitude and actions had shoved a particularly sharp thorn into his paw didn’t mean he had leave to bite Gabi’s head off.

Though if he heard one more word about wedding playlist selections he swore his head would explode.

“Hey, Cicero?” Gabi called. “It’s almost three o’clock and I worked right through lunch. I’m starving. I’m going to make a sandwich run. Do you want something from the Blue Moose? Today’s specials are roast beef or chicken salad.”

Lying on his back beneath the leaky bathroom sink, he gave his wrench a twist. “Beef.”

“Be back in a bit.”

The jangle of bells on the front door signaled her departure. Alone in the shop, when the wrench slipped and he barked his knuckles, he didn’t think twice about letting loose with a stream of inventive curses. While blood pooled and pain throbbed, he asked himself why the hell was he playing plumber when he should be blowing glass? His time could be much better spent. He had three commissioned pieces due by the end of the month in addition to the Albritton albatross hanging around his neck. With all the turmoil surrounding the kids, he’d not come near to re-creating the creativity of the island.

Instead, he lay flat on his back fighting a rusted hunk of metal and brooding about the woman in his life.

Emotion churned in his gut like a bad egg salad sandwich. He was disgusted with himself. He’d gone out of his way to avoid Rose this morning rather than confront her. He’d run off and sulked and nursed his little baby feelings instead of facing her like a man. How chicken was that?

“You’re losing it, Cicero,” he grumbled, wiping his bloody knuckles on his jeans before tackling the stubborn bolt once again. He put extra torque into the effort to loosen the bolt. Finally, it gave.

He wished his temper would give, too. It was counterproductive.

He replaced the washer, and as he tightened the bolt, he heard the door bells jangle again. “Did you forget your wallet?”

“It’s me,” Misty called, then moved to stand in the bathroom doorway. “The new sign out front looks really good.”

“Thanks. What are you doing out of school?”

“We had early release today.”

“Did I know that?”

“Yes. It’s on the calendar on the refrigerator, and I told you before you left this morning.”

“Oh.” He set aside his wrench and scooted out from beneath the sink. Grabbing for the towel hanging from a ring above him, he wiped his hands and asked, “Where’s your brother?”

“A birthday party. I told you that, too.”

“Oh.” He did remember that now. “And you have piano lessons, don’t you? Why are you here instead of there?”

“I want to talk to you about something.”

A note in her voice sounded a warning. This wasn’t going to be a casual conversation. He closed his eyes
and fought back a wave of frustration. He didn’t want or need more drama.

Since when does it matter what I want or need?

He bit back a sigh and rolled to his feet. Misty wore jeans and a red T-shirt with the Whimsies logo on the front. He’d designed the logo, but Gabi must have ordered the shirts. The graphic looked darn good—though he didn’t know how he felt about his nine-year-old niece advertising “Come Play With Fire” across her chest. He twisted the spigot on the sink and eyed the plumbing closely. So far so good.