a giant Christmas tree that was currently unadorned.
Aidan came in behind them with her purse and Maddie’s backpack in one hand and a suitcase in the other. He was followed by Jim, who carried a few more suitcases.
She wanted to tell them not to bother bringing everything in since they were only staying one night, but she didn’t have the chance before Aidan set her things down on a chair and swept the woman into an affectionate embrace.
He bent down and kissed her cheek. “Sue, darling, you are more gorgeous every time I see you.”
The woman blushed and shook her head. “And you’re still a rascal, aren’t you?”
“Sue and Jim have been with me for many years,” he said to Eliza and Maddie.
“Almost since the beginning of Caine Tech. What has it been? Twelve? Thirteen years? You bought that little ranch outside San Jose and hired us to look after you and we’ve been doing it ever since.”
“Something like that. She and Jim retired a few years ago but I managed to talk them out of retirement for a while to help me get things organized here at Snow Angel Cove.”
Sue gave her another hug. “When he called to tell me he was bringing you here, Aidan told me everything that’s happened to you today. I’m so sorry, honey.”
She ached in every muscle and under normal circumstances she would have tried to extricate herself from the woman’s hug but she found something so comforting and warm and genuine about it.
Tears welled up, much to her dismay. “Thank you,” she murmured with a watery smile, trying to wipe them away on the cuff of her sweater before anybody noticed.
“You probably haven’t had time to eat a thing all afternoon, have you, what with going to the emergency room and all. Well, I hope you’re hungry. I’ve got vegetable beef soup on the stove and fresh rolls just set to come out of the oven.”
Maddie perked up. “I love fresh rolls!”
“You and me both, young lady,” Jim said with another of those slow, sweetly charming smiles.
“We’ll work on bringing in your things while you grab a bite to eat,” Aidan said.
“I don’t need everything,” she said. “We’ve got boxes and boxes in my car. Just the suitcases you’ve already brought in should be sufficient for one night.”
“Are you certain? We don’t mind bringing in whatever you think you might need.”
“Positive. I should be fine.”
“In that case, I’ll have dinner ready for you quick as a wink,” Sue said.
Eliza wanted to protest that she wasn’t hungry. What she needed most was a horizontal surface to stretch out on. Maddie needed to eat, though.
“If you care to wash up, there’s a powder room just down that hallway. First door on the left.”
“Come on, Maddie.”
She almost didn’t want to look in the big carved wooden mirror in the lovely little half bath. The damage was as bad as she feared. She had a darkening bruise above her temple and an abrasion on her cheek. Her hair wasn’t as bad as she feared but running a brush through it was an exercise in pain for both her head and her sprained wrist.
By the time she set Maddie’s hair to rights, she had to stop and lean against the sink for a moment to catch her breath.
When they returned to the great room, they found Sue, Jim and Aidan seated at a massive dining table on the other side of the pass-through fireplace.
Maddie quickly climbed into the chair next to her new friend.
“I like your house,” she told him. “It’s pretty.”
He smiled. “Why, thank you. This is the first time I’ve seen it since I bought it last August. I’m amazed at all the work that has been done in just a few months.”
“Only a little paint and some varnish,” Sue said, ladling soup into bowls. “I’ve had the cleaning crew working their fannies off, I can tell you.”
Maddie giggled. “You said fanny!”
“Why, so I did.”
“That’s a funny word. Fanny, fanny, fanny.”
“Maddie,” Eliza said in a warning.
Sue chuckled. “I’ll have to be more careful. I’m afraid Jim and I might both need reminders that we’re not on the ranch with roughneck cowboys. Now, eat up while it’s warm.”
“We have to pray first!” Maddie exclaimed.
Aidan cleared his throat. “Why don’t you go ahead.”
Maddie offered a sweet prayer, asking a blessing on the nice lady who cried because her hotel burned down and for the nurses at the hospital and for Dr. Mendoza, her own cardiac specialist. She even remembered to bless the food before saying amen and taking a bite of her roll with the next breath.
Conversation flowed between Aidan and his caretakers—who were obviously more to him than just employees. Eliza listened with half an ear. She was so tired. She judged it couldn’t be later than 7:00 p.m. but she couldn’t see a clock anywhere to confirm her guess.
Though it was grand and spacious, with those huge log supports in the great room and the wide wall of windows, it seemed...cold, somehow. The lodge reminded her of a new hotel in Boise she had toured about a month prior to opening, before all the finishing touches had been added to give it a welcoming air.
“How are you holding up?” Aidan asked.
“Okay, for now.”
“Would you prefer a tray in your room? I should have thought to ask.”
Yes. Quite desperately. She wanted a long, hot shower and then a bed. But she could manage to keep it together for a few more moments. “No. This is fine. It’s delicious, Sue.” The rolls were perfect, crusty on the outside and fluffy on the inside while the soup was probably the best she had ever tasted, even though she could only manage a spoonful or two.
“Thank you, darlin’. It seemed just the thing for a stormy night.”
She would have expected Aidan Caine to dine on gourmet meals every night but he seemed more than content with the rather humble fare.
“Oh. I almost forgot the pasta salad,” Sue said.
She headed out of the dining room just as a phone rang. Aidan pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. He glanced at the number.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been waiting for this call. I’ve got to take it. I’ll be right back.”
He excused himself and answered the phone on his way out of the dining room as Sue came in from the kitchen Eliza could see through a doorway.
“Where is he going?”
