There would be no welcoming smile from her mother today. Tess could almost hear the crackle of the fire that night so long ago, almost smell the smoke. She looked at the closed door. Her hand hovered over the doorknob. What would she find inside? Stevie never stayed in bed past six. Even after Abby was born, Stevie had been in the kitchen fixing breakfast by six.
She cleared her hoarse voice and tapped on the door. “Stevie? It’s me. Are you awake?”
“Tess, get in here so I can hug you.”
Her sister sounded normal, and the pressure pushing Tess away from the door eased. Tess twisted the doorknob and peeked inside. Stevie lay propped against the pillows with her Bible in her hand. A gray pallor pinched the color from her cheeks, and she looked like she’d gained at least twenty pounds. She put down her Bible and held out her hands. “Come here right now.”
The room looked nothing like it had when her parents were alive, and Stevie’s smile welcomed her. Tess flew into her sister’s embrace. In spite of the heat in the room, Stevie’s skin was cold and dry to the touch. She held Tess in a fierce hug that brought tears surging to Tess’ eyes. She’d stayed away too long. Tess hung onto Stevie even after her sister let go.
Stevie grasped Tess’ shoulders and pushed her away to look in her face. “You look marvelous, Tessie. I’m so glad to see you. Abby will be thrilled. She’s in the back meadow with her dad.”
“I can’t wait to see her.” She sat on the edge of the bed and took her sister’s hand. “What’s wrong with you, Stevie?” she asked, keepng her voice soft.
Stevie’s fingers tightened on hers. She licked her lips. “I’m going to be fine, Tessie. Don’t look so scared. We’ve had few rough weeks, but it’s getting better. I’m not dying or anything.”
“You’re still not saying what it is. Is it—” She couldn’t say the word cancer.
“I’m fine. Really.” Stevie gave Tess’s fingers a gentle squeeze. “I’ve got lupus. Isn’t that just my luck—a disease that hates heat when I live in Arizona.”
“Lupus?” Tess wasn’t sure what it was, though she knew she’d heard of it. It was some kind of autoimmune disease, wasn’t it?
“I know I look like the Pillsbury Doughboy, but it’s the steroids they have me on. I’m feeling much better, but fatigue still knocks me down at times. I’d hoped to meet you at the door.” Stevie’s eye-lids were half closed, and she was beginning to slur her words.
At least it wasn’t cancer. Tess consoled herself with the thought. Her sister was the one thing stable in her life, even if she didn’t get to see her as often as she liked. Tess patted Stevie’s hand. “You need to sleep for a while. I think I’ll go see Abby and Rory.”
Stevie’s eyes popped open. “Did you see Chase?”
“Briefly. He was his usual charming self, though he did agree to pasture Wildfire for me. Are you sure you don’t mind me bringing him home for a while? It seemed reasonable since I was going to be living so close.”
“I don’t know why you resent Chase so much.” Stevie’s lids drooped again.
You mean other than the fact he took my place? Tess didn’t say the words. She tiptoed from the room and closed the door behind her. Backing away from the door, she bumped into Chase in the hall. She skidded on the tile and began to fall, but he steadied her with a hand on her arm. Jerking away, she crossed her arm and glared up at him. “Why didn’t you tell me she was so sick?”
His blue eyes held disdain. “If you’d been any kind of sister, you would have seen it for yourself, just like the rest of us did. But you were too busy running to take time for family.”
Though his words stung, she lifted her chin and managed not to flinch. “It’s not like I was goofing off, Chase. Do you have any idea how many fires I’ve fought, how many lives I’ve helped save this year?”
“Tess Masterson, super hero. You still don’t get it, do you, Tess? Sometimes the bravest thing we do is get out of bed in the morning and do our duty by the ones we love. It’s easy to run away from responsibility.”
“I never ran away!” Conscious of her sleeping sister, Tess lowered her voice. “You won, isn’t that enough for you, Chase?” She stomped past him and headed for the front door. She heard his boots clicking on the tile as he came behind her.
Quickening her pace, she flung open the screen door and ran to her Jeep. She clicked the lock as he put his hand on the door. He pounded on the window, and hoping to irritate him, she flashed a victory smile as she drove away in a plume of red dust. Why did he bring out her childish side? She should be bigger than that, able to rise above his jibes. Another reason to hate him.
Table of Contents
Cover Page
Title Page
Copyright
Contents
Dedication
Prologue
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-one
Twenty-two
Twenty-three
Twenty-four
Twenty-five
Twenty-six
Twenty-seven
Twenty-eight
Hawaiian Language Pronunciation Guide
Words Used in This Book
Acknowledgments
Dangerous Depths
Colleen Coble, Dangerous Depths
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