Buch lesen: «Reunited At Christmas»

Chapter One

Dr. Liam Prescott had always loved Christmas. When it came right down to it, there was no place he would rather be celebrating the holiday than in his hometown of Love, Alaska. Candy canes. Twinkling lights. Peppermint hot chocolate at the Moose Café. Pine trees at the ready for decorating. Caroling from door to door. Normally there wasn’t a single thing about it he didn’t enjoy.

He’d been putting up a brave front these past few weeks, but he still felt as if he had a huge hole in the middle of his heart. It was especially hard over the holidays to deal with the loss of a loved one.

This year he would focus on Aidan. It would serve as a distraction from everything they had lost two years ago. The sound of his four-year-old son’s tinkling laughter as he enjoyed the spirit of the season would be the highlight. To see it unfold through Aidan’s eyes would be wonderful. Despite the fact they were still grieving, he wanted to give his son the most memorable Christmas ever. Although he would try his best to enjoy the festive season, it was still incredibly difficult. The loss of his wife in an avalanche search-and-rescue mission two years ago continued to sit heavily on his chest like an anchor.

Liam walked down Jarvis Street, pausing to peer through the window of the five-and-dime so he could check out the toys on display. So far he had a few items stashed away for Aidan, but nothing that would knock his socks off. He needed something fantastic that Aidan could rip open on Christmas morning and feel ecstatic about. Maybe if he focused on his son’s joy he wouldn’t have to deal with his own pain.

He regarded the red toboggan with a critical eye. Red was Aidan’s favorite color. His son was getting to the age where he wanted to fly down the smaller hills in town without his father cramping his style. I’m a big boy, Daddy. Aidan’s words buzzed in his ears. His pluck and grit made him smile.

Every day Aidan was growing, both physically and emotionally. He was starting to ask questions about his mother and the tragedy that had befallen her and irrevocably changed both their lives. Liam always tried to be as honest as possible, while still protecting his son’s innocence. He wished that he could tell Aidan that he himself understood why Ruby had been taken from them. But he didn’t understand. Not one little bit.

People often said losing a loved one was like navigating a treacherous, winding river. As far as he was concerned, it was much worse. He knew he should have pushed past the initial overwhelming grief stage, but every time he thought about his sweet, beautiful Ruby, he found himself floundering in a tidal wave of loss.

How did a person ever make peace with losing the love of a lifetime? He still hadn’t found an answer to that question. Liam had come to terms with the idea that he had to move forward with his life, but he still ached for Ruby. He still agonized about the things he could have done differently. He continued to ask God why He hadn’t spared her.

The insistent buzz of his cell phone had him digging in his coat pocket. A quick glance at the screen displayed his brother Boone’s number at the sheriff’s office.

He tapped the phone with his finger. “Hey, Boone,” he answered as he took the call “What’s going on?”

“Where have you been? I’ve been calling you for the last hour.” Boone’s voice had a frantic quality.

“I’m right here on Jarvis Street, heading back to the clinic,” Liam explained. “I just finished eating a few minutes ago.”

Liam had stopped in to eat lunch at his other brother’s coffee bar, the Moose Café. No doubt the din inside had prevented him from hearing his phone ring.

“Can you come by the sheriff’s office right away? It’s important.” He hadn’t imagined it. Boone’s voice sounded tight with strain.

“What happened? Is it Jasper?” Liam asked, inquiring about their grandfather, Mayor Jasper Prescott. His pulse began to race wildly. As patriarch of the Prescott family, Jasper was well loved. At times irascible and feisty, he could also be tender and wise. And due to his heart problems, they had almost lost him not too long ago. His health was a constant source of worry.

“No, it’s not Jasper. You have to prepare yourself—” The line crackled. Boone’s voice was swallowed up by static.

“Boone! Boone!” he called out. “I can’t hear you. The call is breaking up.”

“Urgent. Need to tell you—” A crackling sound came across the line. Suddenly the call dropped.

Something was wrong. Liam had heard it in his older brother’s voice. The sheriff’s office was only a few minutes away. Rather than call Boone back, Liam decided to head straight over to his office. Please, Lord. Let my family be safe and sound. We already dealt with the worst when we lost Ruby! Don’t let anything take us down that road again.

Liam raced down the street, barely pausing to say hello to passersby as they greeted him. As a doctor here in town, he had a lot of clients who loved to stop him for a chat whenever he passed by. There was no time for that today. There had been something strained in his brother’s tone that Liam had found alarming. He pushed open the door to the sheriff’s office and rushed inside. Shelly, Boone’s receptionist, stared at him with wide eyes. Fear skittered through him. Normally she greeted him effusively.

What in the world is going on?

Shelly pointed toward Boone’s office without saying a single word. With his heart in his throat, Liam thrust the door open without even knocking. Boone was standing in front of his desk, his head bowed. There was a woman seated in the chair facing his desk. All Liam could see was the back of her head and shoulders.

“Sorry to interrupt your meeting. The call cut out, so I headed straight over here.” The words tumbled from Liam’s lips. His chest was rising and falling rapidly. He felt almost breathless.

Boone held up his hands. “Liam. Let’s go in the next room. I need to talk to you.” His face had a gray tinge. His jaw was tightly clenched.

Just as Boone stepped toward him, the woman turned her head around, allowing him to see her face head-on. It was a face that had been seared to his heart, mind and soul for eight years. Long, dark brown hair. Brown eyes flecked with caramel. Café-au-lait-colored skin. A heart-shaped face.

Liam let out a guttural cry. He felt a falling sensation, as if someone had pushed him off the highest branches of a mighty oak tree. For a moment he couldn’t get a breath. There was no way he could utter a single word.

“Steady!” Boone said, grabbing hold of his arms as his knees buckled underneath him.

The room began to spin. He pressed his eyes closed. What was happening to him? Nothing was making sense at the moment. Everything in his world had turned upside down.

When he opened his eyes again, she was still sitting there, regarding him with a shuttered expression on her face. Ruby. His wife. The only woman he had ever loved.

Although she had been declared dead approximately two years ago in a failed search-and-rescue mission in Colorado, she was now sitting in Boone’s mahogany chair, looking very much alive and well.

* * *

Ruby stood from her chair, wanting to be on the same level as the sheriff and the man he’d referred to as Liam. It already seemed as if she was at a distinct disadvantage in this situation. Having amnesia meant she had no tangible memories of this fishing village in Alaska, nor did she recognize the man named Liam who looked as if his legs might buckle underneath him. She was still getting used to the name Ruby. For the first year after her accident she’d called herself Kit until she had remembered her real name.

Sheriff Prescott hadn’t told her who he had been on the phone with earlier, although she had heard him speak in an urgent tone. Next thing she knew, Liam had crashed into the room like a man on a mission.

All she felt at the moment was an overwhelming sense of fear. It was the same emotion she’d been battling for the last two years. Her legs were shaking like crazy. Coming to Love, Alaska, had been an act of pure bravery on her part. She had wanted to face her nebulous past so she could move forward with her life. And now, caught in this uncomfortable moment, she found herself wishing she had stayed back home in Colorado.

Home? That was a misnomer. She hadn’t yet found a place to call home. Perhaps she never would. After seeing a story on the news about a matchmaking program called Operation Love, she had experienced a strong feeling of connection with the town featured in the report—Love, Alaska. As a result, she had ventured all the way there in the hope of getting answers. And standing here before her was a man who might be able to provide them for her.

Her entire body froze. There was so much emotion etched on the man named Liam’s face. The way he was looking at her caused something to tighten in her chest. There had been a look of absolute shock, followed by an expression of such joy that it made her want to sob. The sheriff hadn’t told her anything about who this man was, but she knew instinctively that he had been a huge part of her life. His reaction to her presence spoke volumes.

“Ruby!” Liam’s voice sounded raspy and filled with surprise. He moved toward her with his arms open. She took a step backward, overwhelmed by the thought of being touched by a stranger. The sheriff held him back, and Ruby heard him say, “She doesn’t remember you, Liam.”

Liam let out a strangled sound that caused her to flinch. It was infused with pain.

Liam. It was a nice name. Strong. Solid. He was good-looking. Rugged. He had dark brown, chin-length hair. His warm, blue eyes radiated an intensity that unnerved her. He was tall, with a rangy build. And he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her.

She shifted from one foot to the other, feeling the heat from his intense gaze, folded her arms across her chest and watched the interaction between the two men. She was good at picking up on cues. It was a skill she had honed ever since her amnesia diagnosis. These men were close. Brothers or best friends, she imagined.

Liam ran a shaky hand over his face. “W-what are you talking about, Boone?”

The sheriff still had a hold on Liam. They were face-to-face, staring each other down. Electricity crackled in the room. What had Sheriff Prescott told Liam over the phone?

“She showed up here looking for any information we could provide about her past or family connections. From what I’ve been able to piece together, she sustained a head injury that led to amnesia. She was living in a remote area of Colorado until a recent move to Denver.” Boone let out a sigh. “I couldn’t believe it when she walked into my office.”

Liam shook his head as if in disbelief. His face held a dazed expression. He swung his eyes back to her. “Ruby,” he said, brushing off the sheriff’s grip. He took two steps toward her. She held her ground without retreating. “I can’t believe it’s you. I feel like I’m dreaming. You’re back!”

“I don’t remember you. Or this town,” Ruby blurted. She tilted her chin up, locking gazes with him. “I’m sorry,” she said in a brusque voice. “But you need to know that before you get your hopes up.”

His face fell. It made her want to cry to see him so torn up inside. And to know that it was due to her. But she wasn’t going to mince words. Raising his hopes would be cruel.

“What do you remember?” he asked, his voice sounding ragged.

“Flashes. Moments. Bits and pieces. Something about this town feels familiar. My name,” Ruby said. “Although for a long time I couldn’t remember it, so I came up with another name for myself.”

The sheriff moved forward. “Her doctors said it’s retrograde amnesia.”

“Retrograde amnesia,” Liam mumbled. He appeared to be a bit dazed. “I—I don’t understand.”

“In my case they theorized that due to a head trauma I lost all my memories from before the accident,” Ruby explained. “I get flashes from time to time, but they’re disconnected and not grounded to anything solid. Sometimes it feels like a really fast slide show.”

Liam met her gaze. “Will the memories eventually come back?”

Ruby shrugged. “Some people do recover their memories, but the doctors have told me there’s no way of knowing whether mine will return.”

“So you don’t remember marrying me? Or being my wife?” Liam asked. His jaw trembled.

“A-are you really my husband?” she asked. She jutted her chin in Boone’s direction. “He wouldn’t tell me anything when he called you. He wouldn’t even tell me who he was on the phone with. Needless to say, I don’t like being kept in the dark. It’s pretty much been the story of my life for the last few years.”

“My name is Liam Prescott. I’m Sheriff Prescott’s brother. And, yes, you’re my wife,” Liam said. Tears misted in his eyes. He ran his hand over his face. “I’m so sorry, Ruby, that you don’t remember any of this.”

Although on some level she knew there was a possibility this man was her husband, just hearing the words come out of his mouth served as a jolt.

Ruby couldn’t help but let out a gasp. The news made her feel wobbly. She should have been prepared for this since the slight indentation on her ring finger had caused her to question whether she was a married woman. But where was her ring? Had she lost it during whatever traumatic incident had caused her amnesia?

And why else would the sheriff have called Liam down here? Liam’s emotional reaction made perfect sense now. He was a man whose wife had been presumed dead for several years. And now she was back with no warning and nothing to prepare him for the startling sight of her.

“If you’re my husband, then who is Aidan?” she whispered. It was staggering to find out that this gorgeous, emotional and rugged man belonged to her. Although she had always had a niggling sensation of having been married, there had been no flashes of this man or events from their life together.

Liam’s blue eyes lit up. Relief swept across his features. “So you do remember something? You remember Aidan?”

She shook her head, her long hair swirling about her shoulders. “No, I don’t. I’ve been wearing this. At first I thought it might be my name even though it sounded masculine.” She held up the necklace that had been hidden from sight under her winter coat. The name Aidan had been etched on the gold pendant in flowery script.

Emotion flickered in his eyes. “I gave that to you as a birthday gift. You wore it every day without fail.”

“What does it mean? Who is Aidan?” she asked, voicing the question she’d been asking herself for two years. The necklace had become important to her—it had been the only tangible thing tying her to the life she couldn’t remember.

Liam seemed to be searching her eyes for clues. “He’s our child, Ruby. Yours and mine.”

Child. Hearing that single word served as a kick in the gut. She had often wondered if she was a mother. If she was being completely honest with herself, she had known deep down in her soul that she was somebody’s mama. She remembered bits and pieces. Nothing more than fragments.

The smell of talcum powder. Cradling a newborn in her arms. Singing a soothing lullaby. A tuft of dark hair.

She sank back down into the chair, overwhelmed by the knowledge that Aidan was her son. “How old is he?” she asked, her voice a notch above a whisper. It felt strange asking questions about her own child. But she wanted to know. She needed answers.

“He’ll be five in a few weeks,” Liam said. A hint of a smile played around his lips.

“Five,” she said with a nod. “That’s a great age.” Why had she just blurted that out? What did she know about five-year-olds?

“He’s a wonderful boy. You’d be proud of him,” Liam said. “You two used to be inseparable.”

Ruby had no idea what to say to that. It hurt terribly to know that she couldn’t remember precious moments with her own flesh and blood. A child she had carried in her womb and given birth to and nurtured. A boy who had been emotionally tied to her. Pain unlike any she’d ever felt before ricocheted through her. She had felt lost ever since she’d woken up in Colorado with no memories of who she was or where she belonged. Although she hadn’t thought it possible to feel more agony, finding out about her son and husband filled her with a sense of yearning to fill all the holes in her memory.

They must have loved her, and in return, she must have loved them back.

Lord, please help me. I’ve been stumbling around in the dark for so long. But now a big bright light is being shined on my past and yet I feel nothing but confusion. I’m still uncertain about who I am and where I’m going. I’m a mother and a wife, but I’m not sure I know how to be either of those things.

Liam shoved his hand through his hair. He let out a huff of air and exchanged a look filled with hidden meaning with the sheriff. “Aidan. I have to bring you to see him, Ruby. He prays for you every night.”

Ruby raised her hand to her trembling lips. Just thinking about a little boy uttering prayers for her was enough to make her come undone. He’s not just any little boy, her voice buzzed in her head. He’s your son. Your flesh and blood. That raised the stakes even higher.

She shook her head as a tidal wave of emotions rolled over her. Trudy and Ezra had been concerned about this very thing happening. They had wanted to make the trip with her, but after two years of being under their wing, she had needed to do something without their sheltering arms.

But everything was rushing at her now, like a freight train at maximum speed. Suddenly she started taking rapid breaths of air. It felt like she couldn’t breathe. She folded her arms around her stomach and began deeply breathing in and out.

“Ruby! Are you all right?” Liam took the final few steps toward her, quickly swallowing up the distance between them. She felt his hands touching her. There was something comforting about his hands resting on her shoulders. It was the oddest thing, since he was technically a stranger to her, and she always felt wary of people she didn’t know.

“It might be a good idea to give her some space,” Boone said to Liam. “This could be very overwhelming for her,” he explained, casting Ruby a concerned glance.

With a begrudging look on his face, Liam took a few steps back. Boone followed suit.

“If you’re not feeling well, I can get you something to drink or take you to my clinic,” Liam said. “I’m a doctor here in town.”

Liam was a doctor? She shouldn’t be surprised by the news. He exuded a kind and authoritative air. It wasn’t hard to imagine him treating patients or calming a distraught child who needed shots. Ruby didn’t know whether there was a part of her that was remembering something from the past or whether it was strictly her imagination, but a picture of Liam outfitted in a white lab coat, a stethoscope hanging around his neck, flashed before her eyes.

“I’m fine,” Ruby said. “I think everything is just catching up to me.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “The plane ride. Being back here. I know you’re saying this is where I’m from, but I feel like a newborn filly finding its legs.”

“Ruby, I know this can’t be easy for you, but this is a blessing for our family. God answered our prayers.” He locked eyes with her. “And now I need to bring you back home where you belong so you can reunite with Aidan.”

Oh, no! She didn’t think she was quite ready for that. Ruby wanted to see her child, but she was terrified. What would she say to him? Would he expect her to be a certain way or hold him in a special manner? She didn’t know a single thing about being a mother.

“I hadn’t planned on anything like this,” she said lamely. “I—I don’t know what I would say to him. How do I explain that I don’t remember him?”

“If you don’t face this, you might never really be able to move forward.” Liam’s voice held an intensity that reverberated throughout the room. “Part of that is meeting your son.”

Ruby bit her lip. A feeling of anxiety swept over her. Had coming to Love been a huge mistake? Everything was happening so quickly. In a matter of minutes her life had dramatically changed, so much so that she wasn’t sure she could keep up with all the shifts.

“Can Ruby and I have a moment alone?” Liam asked, looking over at the sheriff, who nodded before stepping out of the room.

Once they were alone, Ruby felt a sudden shyness take over. This tall, good-looking man with the soulful, intense eyes was her husband. He belonged to her. And she to him. The weight of it settled over her like a warm blanket. Even though she couldn’t remember him or any specific details about their life together, she felt a tremendous pull in his direction that shook her to her very core. She fought against a sudden impulse to run all the way back to Colorado where she’d been safe from this gorgeous, rugged man who seemed to want the world from her.