“Sure. See you later, Sierra.”

“Nothing, ” Connie said.

“Maybe it was farther away than she thought?”

He shook his head. “Statewide, no fatal involving a seventeen-year-old boy.”

“What if she had his age wrong?”

“There were forty fatalities in the whole month and one sixteen-year-old boy died. In Pueblo. No seventeen-year-olds. That’s as close as it came. And there’s no obit for a boy named Brandon.”

“Maybe I didn’t get the details right,” Sierra said, completely confused.

“She made it up, honey.”

“Why would she do that?” Sierra said.

“Who knows why people make up wild stories. For attention? To get out of something they don’t want to do? Some people just can’t help it—they’d make up a lie when the truth is more interesting. I don’t know about you but when someone flat-out lies to me, I don’t trust them anymore.”

“I just don’t get it,” she said.

“That’s the woman you really wanted to be friends with, right? The one who let you down. The one who doesn’t like animals?”

“Yep.”

“Hmm. My advice? Back away slowly.”

He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.

—Friedrich Nietzsche

Chapter 16

SIERRA AND CAL left for Denver to catch a plane early in the morning on Sunday. She left from Connie’s house. A couple of hours after she left Connie decided, it being Sunday, he’d drive to Denver, too. But he was going to see his mother. He called her to let her know he’d be driving up from Timberlake. When he got there, he and Molly went to the door. Janie Chambers opened the front door and beamed.

“Well, now, who is this?” she asked, bending to pet Molly.

“Her name is Molly,” he said. “I’m dog sitting for a friend.”

“She’s beautiful. She’s very excited.”

“It was a longer drive than she’s used to, I think.”

Only then did Janie hug her son. “It’s been a while. I made us lunch. I’m sorry but Beaner said he couldn’t come over. He had some plans he didn’t think he should cancel. Just between you and me, I bet he’s going to be out on the lake with friends.”

“That’s okay,” he said. “I wasn’t staging a family reunion or anything. I’ll catch up with him. But he’s okay?”

“He’s great, Connie. He’s so busy with work and school and friends that I hardly see him anymore. This house is just a stopping-off place for him. But come in the kitchen and tell me what you’ve been doing. Does your friend need a bowl of water?”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Janie set down a bowl of water and Molly went after it greedily.

“Now she’s going to want to go out,” Connie said. “What’s up with work?” he politely asked while she fixed them a couple of drinks. She had coffee and got Connie a large cola.

Janie told him about some of the cases she was working on. She was an insurance adjuster; she surveyed accidents and other damage to try to put together estimates for their clients. Then she asked him about work and he told her about a few of their recent emergencies, fortunately all came out all right.

“Isn’t it funny the way we both ended up in professions that deal with accidents?” she asked. “Want to go ahead and tell me what’s on your mind?” she asked.

“There’s nothing specific,” he said. “The friend whose dog this is. It’s a girl. A woman.”

Janie smiled at him. “So, you’re seeing someone?”

“Yeah. Her name is Sierra. She’s awesome.”

“Um, Connie,” his mother said. “Why don’t you seem particularly happy about it?”

“Oh, I am,” he said. “I’ve never even known a girl like Sierra. Woman. She’s thirty so she’s not a girl, right?”

Janie laughed. “Some women get their undies in a twist about that. I might have even scolded you about that sort of thing when you were younger, but there are bigger fish to fry these days. If it’s any consolation, I go out with the girls every other Friday night. The youngest of us is forty-five.”

“Well, Sierra’s really something. I met her back in March. Several months ago. Hard to believe it’s almost fall. She’s the sister of a friend from Timberlake. She lives at Sully’s place and helps him out around the Crossing. Plus, she works at the diner in town a couple of days a week.”

“Tell me all about her,” Janie said.

“Well, she’s pretty, of course. But not flashy at all—she likes jeans and shorts and stuff like that. She’s probably the smartest girl I’ve ever met. She spent about six years in college. Part-time because she had to work. She’s funny. She’s always reading. She rescued Molly here from a jerk who was mistreating her. And... I don’t know...”

“Connie,” Janie urged gently.

“Listen, I’m probably in over my head already so advice is out the window. But I think she’s in trouble.”

“Oh no,” Janie said. “What kind of trouble?”

“She’s not coming right out with it. I mean, she’s been letting information about herself, her past, dribble out a little at a time, like she’s afraid one of these days I’m going to say I can’t deal with it. And she’s got some real challenging stuff, like her dad has been struggling with mental illness his whole life. Complicated, right? She got in some messes before she came to Colorado and she wanted me to know some personal stuff before we got, you know...”

“Yes, Conrad,” she said, smiling. “I know.”

“I guess you want to tell me to be careful here, right?”

She frowned and gave her head a slight shake. “What do you mean?”

“You and me, we both have had our issues with the opposite sex,” he said. “You had two lousy husbands and I had one train wreck of a fiancée. Obviously we can’t pick ’em all that well.” He laughed. “And the funny thing is, Sierra thinks she can’t pick ’em.”

“Well, obviously her luck is changing,” Janie said. “Now, Connie, are you going to blame me for your father and stepfather? Because I don’t think it was my fault. You know I had a lot of counseling. I might not have had the best psychic abilities but those men seemed very nice when I first met them before they became verbally and emotionally abusive. I did my best but I couldn’t stay with either one of them. And I’m sorry if that just makes you paranoid about relationships. It wouldn’t hurt you to get some counseling. I’ve had a few nice relationships since then.”

“What relationships? You didn’t have relationships,” he said.

“Okay, I had a few steadies along the way. You haven’t lived with me since my second divorce, remember. And I doubt Beaner would consider his mother’s dates to be interesting news. I’ve been seeing a very nice man for the last couple of years and Ted is a good, kind, respectful man and he makes me very happy. Believe me, my radar is on! I’m happy with Ted.”

“Ted?” Connie said. His mother was fifty-seven. “You’re just friends!”

Janie rolled her eyes. “I admit we’re not a very exciting couple, but we’re not dead yet. I’m just sorry I didn’t meet a man like Ted decades ago. But then Ted even confesses he probably wasn’t the best husband on record as a younger man.” She smiled. “I kind of like that he doesn’t blame his ex-wife for everything.”

“Why don’t you get married, then? Why don’t you live together?”

“Well, Connie, we might, now that you mention it. We talk about marriage sometimes. Maybe we’re a little set in our ways and Ted has his own kids and grandkids to look out for. He helps them all out a lot. I’ve been in this little house for sixteen years, since Beaner was in elementary school. I’m not sure I’m anxious to share my space with a boyfriend.”

“And I never lived here,” Connie said.

“I know. That was kind of hard for me, but I think you made a good decision. The Vadas family was such a great family for you. Not just Rafe, but his parents, too. I was struggling to get on my feet and glad you didn’t have to struggle, too. Can you imagine, changing schools your senior year? Plus, living with a recently divorced mother who was always an emotional wreck?”

“You weren’t,” he said. “You seemed relieved to be rid of that SOB.”

“I was that, too,” she said with a smile. “What’s this all got to do with your girl?”

He took a breath. “She scares me to death.”

“You?” she asked with a laugh. “You’re not afraid of anything. And that usually scares me!”

“I don’t want to make another mistake, but I think I’m too late. I don’t think I have it in me to back away from her now—I’m pretty sure I love her. And I have a bad track record.”

“Connie, it makes perfect sense for you to look at that last relationship and try to understand how you could’ve known it wasn’t right for you. Or maybe there was something to understand about Alyssa that you ignored, something that might’ve saved you making the wrong choice. But frankly, I think it was Alyssa who made the mistake.” She arched her eyebrows. “How’s that working out for her?”

“She keeps trying to make up. As recently as a couple of weeks ago. But, never...” He swallowed. “All those feelings are gone.”

“And you’re moving on.”

He thought for a second. “To what?” he asked. Really he was asking himself. It was the question he’d been struggling with. “When Alyssa broke the bond I was furious. I hated her. I hated him more, but I was the one who suffered. Chris Derringer sure didn’t seem to suffer. And he didn’t change his ways, either.” He laughed without humor. “Oh man, did I suffer. No one wanted to come anywhere near me—I was loaded for bear. I was humiliated and betrayed and half-insane. I was so angry. I got depressed. I got out of shape and gained twenty pounds or so... So much for the divorce diet!”