Once past the city’s outskirts and the mill, she increased her speed, but was quickly passed by another vehicle, driving well above the posted limit. She recognized the truck—and its driver—almost right away.

It was Troy Nance, and he wasn’t alone.

Carolyn’s headlights revealed two people in the truck’s cab. The passenger was a woman with short blond hair, her head resting on Troy’s shoulder.

Earlier Susannah had mentioned seeing Troy with someone else. A blonde, she’d said. Not that it was any of her business, but Carolyn was curious. Maintaining a discreet distance, she followed Troy to the Roadside Inn. He parked, and the moment the blonde climbed out of the cab, it was abundantly clear that they were more than friends.

While Chrissie waited at the hospital for word on her grandmother’s condition, Troy was out with some other woman.

CHAPTER 37

“Does Dad know about Grandma?” Chrissie asked, sitting down on the waiting-room sofa.

Susannah shook her head. She’d tried to reach him but Joe wasn’t home and apparently he’d turned off his cell phone. She’d left a message, and that was all she could do for now.

“Don’t you think you should tell him?”

“He’ll call as soon as he gets my message.” She took out her cell, then noticed the sign on the wall warning against the use of cell phones in the hospital. Luckily there was a pay phone down the hall. Chrissie walked with her and stood by while Susannah called collect. Brian answered and accepted the charges.

“Hidy, ho,” Brian sang. “How come you’re calling collect?”

“Hi. Is your dad home yet?”

“Hey, Mom, what’s wrong?” Apparently her son hadn’t listened to the message.

“I need to talk to your dad,” she said without explaining.

Her son asked, “Is everything all right?”

Susannah lowered her gaze and tried not to look at Chrissie, who was examining her like a biology specimen under the microscope. “Everything’s going to be fine.” And it would be once she spoke to Joe. He was her touchstone, and she needed him.

“Where’s Joe?” she asked.

“Hey, Mom, hold on, I hear him in the garage. He was at some get-together with his dentist friends.” Brian put down the phone with a clatter.

Susannah could hear her son talking in the background, and a minute later, Joe picked up.

“Hi,” she said softly, loving him so much she wanted to weep. This time apart was wearing on her, wearing on him, too. “Mom fell and broke her hip,” she said without preamble.

“How is she?” Joe asked, immediately concerned.

“Chrissie and I are at the hospital. Mom’s in surgery now….” Susannah’s voice faltered.

“Susannah?”

“She might need to have a hip replacement.” Stifling a sob, she waited a moment before continuing. “Joe, she hit her head on a pool table, of all things, and was knocked unconscious. Altamira took care of everything. I can’t imagine what might’ve happened if she’d been at home or by herself.” These scenarios had played through Susannah’s mind ever since she’d arrived at the hospital.

“Do you need me to come over and be with you?” he asked.

Susannah knew how difficult it was for him to get away at the last minute. “I…I think it’ll be okay. I’ll have a better idea once Mom’s out of surgery.”

“Of course. Needless to say, the more notice I have, the better, but I’ll leave right now if you want me to.”

His willingness to drop everything for her touched Susannah. She wanted him to know how much she appreciated this, appreciated him, yet all she managed to choke out was a simple, “Thank you, sweetheart.”

“Anything you need? Anything I can do?”

“No. I don’t think so.” She felt oppressed by her worries—Vivian, the situation with Jake, the revelations about Doug, the conflict with Chrissie. Susannah was tired, so tired of feeling responsible for all of it. Tired of making decisions—and mistakes.

Soon afterward, the surgeon appeared, still in his green surgical gown. He explained what he’d done and the anticipated outcome. Her mother would likely spend several days in the hospital recuperating, and would be temporarily moved to a nursing home, where she’d receive the care she needed. Progress would be slow, but Vivian had come through the ordeal well.

Relieved by the news, Susannah and Chrissie drove back to the house.

“I’m glad you came to the hospital,” Susannah told her daughter.

“I’m glad I did, too,” Chrissie said. “When I read your note, I freaked. Troy drove me to the hospital, thank God. I asked him to come in with me, but he says he can’t stand the smell.”

Susannah bit the inside of her lip to keep from commenting. If Troy loved Chrissie as much as she believed, then wouldn’t he want to be with her?

“I hate the thought of Grandma in pain,” Chrissie added. “I don’t think I realized how much I love her until I found out she’d been hurt.”

“I know.” But bad as it was, the accident could have been so much worse.

The house was dark and quiet when they got home. Chrissie immediately turned on the hallway lights, and they both listened, breath held, for any alien sounds. There was nothing. The only thing out of the ordinary was a real estate business card tucked in the screen door; this was the third one. She was nowhere close to getting the house on the market. Susannah tossed the card, as she had the others, annoyed by the aggressiveness of the agents.

She hurried to her bedroom and surveyed it carefully, looking, she supposed, for another message from Jake. He couldn’t possibly know what had kept her away from their meeting.

“Mom, Carolyn’s on the phone,” Chrissie yelled from the kitchen.

Susannah hadn’t even heard it ring.

“I understand you just got in,” Carolyn said when she answered. “How’s your mother?”

“She’s going to be fine. She’s out of surgery and in recovery. The hospital said they’d phone if there was any change.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” When Susannah murmured her thanks, Carolyn said, “Listen, I know this is absolutely none of my business, but I saw Troy Nance on my way home. He’s out at the Roadside Inn and he isn’t alone, if you catch my drift.”

“Really?”

“That was an hour ago, so I can’t promise he’s still there.”

Susannah’s eyes swung toward her daughter and then to the digital readout on the microwave. “I see.”

Chrissie quickly noticed that the conversation somehow concerned her.

“What did Carolyn tell you?” she burst out the instant Susannah replaced the receiver.

“Would you be interested in a short drive?” Susannah asked instead. She wouldn’t mention what Carolyn had said unless or until it was necessary.

“A drive, this time of night?” Chrissie stared at her skeptically.

“It isn’t that late.”

“You’re not fooling me, Mom. This has something to do with Troy, doesn’t it?”

“Why do you say that?” She got her purse and car keys and, without waiting for Chrissie, walked out the door.

Chrissie seemed about to stay behind, but after a moment stomped out to the car, resembling nothing so much as a pouting eight-year-old.

“This isn’t going to work,” she muttered when she climbed in beside Susannah.

“What isn’t?” Susannah inserted the key and started the engine.

“I’m moving to Colville to be with Troy and to help Grandma, and nothing you say is going to change that.”

“I haven’t said a word,” Susannah told her.

“Yeah, right.” Chrissie gazed out the side window at the darkened street.

Silently they drove to the Roadside Inn. Susannah nearly clapped her hands with delight when she saw Troy’s truck in the parking lot.

“What’s this supposed to prove?” Chrissie demanded when Susannah parked next to it.

“Nothing. I feel like a drink. How about you?”

“Oh, please….”

“Fine, you go in on your own. I can wait here.” Susannah leaned back in her seat, feigning a relaxed position.

“What do you expect me to find?”

Acting innocent, Susannah shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”

“There’s nothing to see here, so let’s just go home. Troy and I had a long talk this afternoon, after you tried to discredit him. He doesn’t like his women jealous. He said I was his girlfriend, and if I didn’t believe that, I shouldn’t be in his life.”

Susannah sighed as if bored. “Check it out,” she said and gestured toward the tavern.

Without responding, Chrissie got out of the car and slammed the door.

Susannah winced at the anger in her daughter. All she could do now was wait—and hope that Chrissie would actually see what should be right in front of her face.

Five agonizing minutes passed before the tavern door opened. Out strolled Troy and Chrissie, arms entwined around each other.

Troy yanked open the passenger door and leaned inside the car. “You’ve got a real problem, Mrs. Nelson,” he said, shaking his head sadly. “Why are you so paranoid? Chrissie’s the only one for me.” He glared at her in unmistakable challenge. “Isn’t that right?” Turning, he bestowed a smile on Chrissie.

“Yes,” she reiterated. “My mother isn’t going to break us up. I won’t let her.”

Great, just great. Susannah had gambled and lost. Now she just looked vindictive in Chrissie’s eyes—vindictive, unreasonable and, as Troy had said, paranoid.

CHAPTER 38

In the morning, the first thing Susannah did was phone the hospital to check on her mother’s condition, which had improved. After she’d spoken to the nurse, she made a pot of coffee, desperate for a caffeine boost.

Chrissie hadn’t said a word to her during the entire ride home from the Roadside Inn. She sat there, arms crossed, shoulders back and her chin tilted as if being in such close proximity to her mother was more than she could endure.

Now, sitting at the kitchen table drinking her coffee, Susannah wondered if her daughter’s attitude had softened. She didn’t have to wait long to find out.

At eight, Chrissie came out of her bedroom, fully dressed. She entered the kitchen and stopped abruptly when she saw Susannah.

“Good morning,” Susannah said in a neutral voice.

Her daughter ignored her.

“Chrissie, listen, this has got to end.”

Her daughter scowled defiantly in her direction. “It’s my life.”

“Yes, I know, but…”

“No, you obviously don’t know,” she muttered. “Troy and I are in love.”

That made Susannah feel like gagging. “You met him less than two weeks ago!”

Chrissie’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you said you didn’t want to argue. Then why are you starting off the day doing exactly that? You undermine every decision I make. Nothing I say or do satisfies you—or Dad, either. I’m constantly under your thumb and I hate it. I hate school. Meeting Troy’s the best thing that ever happened to me. And now you want to take him away from me, too.”