Chapter 1: Teach Me: Chapter 1

The hospital doors slide open to welcome in a nurse, her purse slung over her shoulder. Coming in for her shift, I’m guessing.

I really should get out of the car and go in there. Jed texted about an hour ago to tell me that my dad was awake. I do really want to see him.

But going in there means leaving Henry, something I’m just not ready to do.

“I’m already hours late, Abbi. I have to get to my plane.” Henry delivers that softly, his hand squeezing my thigh.

“I know. I’m sorry, it’s just…. How long before you’re back in New York, do you think?”

We’ve just reconciled in his hotel room and now he’s flying back to Alaska and I’m staying in Pennsylvania, and I have no idea when I’m going to see him again.

I fight the tears that are threatening.

And fail.

He reaches up to brush them away from my cheek. I’m so thankful that Henry’s driver stepped out of the car as soon as he pulled up to the curb, giving us privacy.

“It’s hard to say. I need to bring these engineers to the site to assess it for the ski hill I want to put in. Then I’m flying to Colorado to meet with the builders who put in the runs at our Aspen location.”

I fight the cringe. I can’t hear “Aspen” without thinking about the disastrous night back on the grand opening weekend, when I believed Henry was sleeping with another woman and I let my broken heart be distracted by Henry’s masseuse, Michael.

The weekend that, technically, I cheated on Henry.

I regretted it when it happened because I’d used Michael. But now that I know Henry lied to me, that he never slept with Roshana Mafi….

I force that stomach-churning guilt aside for now. “Can’t someone else do these things? I mean, you’re the CEO. You own Wolf Hotels now.” Or a controlling 61 percent of it, anyway.

He smirks. “This isn’t just some other hotel. You know that. I don’t trust anyone with it.”

I nod, trying to contain my emotions. I know how important Wolf Cove—and Alaska—is to him. He spent his childhood summers there. He considers it home. “So, I guess….”

“We’ll keep in touch.”

I can’t help the frown. Keep in touch? That sounds like something casual friends say.

“Hey.” He grips my chin between his thumb and index finger. “This isn’t going to be easy, Abbi. I warned you. We lead very different lives, and right now, you’re stuck here. You could be stuck here for a long time.” He softens that reality by drawing the pad of his thumb across the bottom of my lip.

He’s right. That tractor that rolled over Daddy did a real number on him, breaking multiple bones and puncturing his lung. It could have been much worse but, still, it’s going to be months before he’s back on his feet and running the farm. “I know, it’s just….” I settle my gaze on his steely blue eyes, still amazed at how they can sometimes look so cold and hard, and yet other times melt my heart with their softness and warmth. “What is this? What are we?”

Henry officially fired me this morning, more a joke than anything. I left so abruptly that I hadn’t had the opportunity to hand in my resignation, but it was pretty clear I was quitting anyway. Either way, I’m no longer a Wolf employee, which means that dating me isn’t against company policy. Even though Henry would say he can do whatever the hell he wants now that he has controlling share, I think it would still bother him to be so blatantly and openly disregarding his own corporate rules. He has a lot of pride in the Wolf name.

He sighs. “We’ll figure things out as we go. You need to get in there and spend time with your family. And I need to get back to doing what I need to do. Okay?”

“Okay.” I know Henry enough to know that’s as far as this conversation is going. I nod. Do I need an official label for what we are? Or is it just enough to know Henry’s in my life? That he cares about me. Because I know he does. He dropped everything to fly across the country with me because he didn’t want me sitting in a plane for ten hours alone, given the tragedy. He’s gone out of his way to make sure my dad has the best trauma surgeon in the country and that my family is set up in his hotel while we’re here. He’s been carrying around a picture of me—the one the Japanese photographer Hachiro took that day so long ago—in his portfolio.

I know he cares.

The question is, will it be enough?

“So… I guess I’ll see you when I see you?” I reach up to graze his handsome hard jawline, admiring the feel of his soft, freshly shaven skin.

“Something like that.” Henry turns his face to kiss my fingertips, and then he leans in to capture my lips with his, his tongue finding its way in to brush against mine in a slow, erotic dance that’s not outright scandalous but is probably inappropriate right in front of the hospital. “I love this mouth of yours,” he murmurs, taking the back of my head in his hand to deepen the kiss.

And I love you.

I’ve felt those words sitting on the tip of my tongue, threatening to tumble out, since he stepped onto the plane yesterday morning. I’ve somehow managed to hold on to them though. It’s too soon for me to tell him. We’ve only just reconciled.

Henry breaks away with a groan. “Okay, you really need to go or I’ll be unzipping my pants right here.”

My blood rushes with the thought, my fingers digging into his forearm. I didn’t get nearly enough of him this morning. “Maybe I want you to,” I tease, catching his earlobe between my teeth.

“I don’t think fuckface and his parents would enjoy the show so much though.”

“What?” I spin around to find Jed with Reverend and Celeste Enderbey standing on the sidewalk.

Staring.

The Reverend and Celeste have the decency to look away when we make eye contact, but Jed continues staring at me, a mixture of shock and hurt filling his face.

They saw me come in with Henry yesterday. Sure, I told them he was my boss when they asked. If they were wondering what was going on… I guess they have their answer. “I guess I’m going.”

I reach for the door.

Henry’s hand seizes my thigh, holding me in place. “Just so we’re crystal clear…”

I turn to find a hard gaze on me. “When I say ‘let’s see where things go’ that means make sure he keeps his fucking hands off you. And that goes for every other asshole out there, too.”

Maybe it’s odd that my heart swells with his words, but I smile anyway. It’s his way of telling me he cares. “I only want you, Henry. Always.”

He opens his mouth, and I hold my breath, wanting him to tell me that he only wants me, too. That he misses me already.

That he loves me.

“I’ll call you later.”

My cue to leave. “Bye, Henry.” I force myself out of the backseat. Thank God Jed and his parents have already gone inside. It allows me the chance to watch his car pull away in private, my throat thick with emotion for that man.

With a sigh, I turn to face the hospital doors.

And prepare for what my life back in Greenbank, Pennsylvania, is going to be like.

~ ~ ~

“Daddy, you’re awake!”

I run to his bedside and take his hand in mine as I peer down at him. He’s not a weak man by any means; a lifetime of farming has made him strong. And his bones are far from being old and brittle; he’s only forty.

Yet he lies here frail and broken, his hand limp within mine.

“Abigail,” he whispers. “Your mother said you made it home.”

I feel Mama’s heavy stare from across the bed. She’s angry with me for leaving to see Henry. “I did. Last night. How are you? Do you hurt anywhere?”

Finally, he smiles. “I don’t feel a thing. These meds are great.”

My bottom lip wobbles a little; it’s hard to see him like this. He’s never been hurt before. Hardly ever been sick. “You shouldn’t pick fights with tractors.”

He makes to laugh, only to scrunch up his face as if in pain.

“None of that, now. You need to rest.” Finally, I hazard a glance at Mama. Her eyes are lined with heavy bags and her short brown curls are matted. Aunt May brought her clothes, so she’s changed out of her nightgown at least, but I know she couldn’t have slept much in these chairs, her 370-pound frame too large to fit comfortably. “Why don’t you go and get some rest? Henry said the suite will be available to us for as long as we need it. For as long as Daddy’s in the hospital.” Which could be weeks. Just another way in which Henry has been generous to my family.

“That won’t be necessary. Reverend Enderbey has a cousin who lives just on the other side of the city. He said there’s a room there for me.”

I frown. “But the hotel is five minutes away.”

“We’ve already taken too much of that man’s generosity.”

“Who’s Henry?” my dad interrupts.

“Her boss. He was flying out this way so he gave Abigail a lift on his plane,” Mama answers for me. She makes it sound like it was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

Like there’s nothing going on between Henry and me, though she damn well knows there is.

“Well, that was awful nice of him.” He looks to me. “I’d like to thank him. Is he still here?”

“No, he’s gone,” Mama cuts in. “And Abigail is home to stay.”

Why does that sound like a punishment?

Daddy looks to me. “Is this true?”

I sigh. “I’m staying for as long as you need me. I quit my job in Alaska and I’ll defer school for a year to help keep the farm going.”

He frowns. “I’m sorry for being so careless. I don’t know what happened.”

“Hush, now. All that matters is that you are alive and on the mend,” Mama chides.

“It’s the busiest time of the year, Bernadette.”

She takes Daddy’s other hand. “It’ll be fine. We’ve still got Jean. Now Abigail’s here. And Jed quit his job so he can help us with the farm until it’s time to leave for school.”

“What?” I burst out. That means I’m going to have to deal with Jed all day, every day, for the next six weeks.

“Isn’t it great?” Mama smiles wide. “We’ve got plenty of help. The Reverend will be putting out a call during service this Sunday, but we’ve already got people offering to come and help with the animals and the hay.” She pats his hand. “The Lord is good. This is his doing. He’s watching over us.”

His and Henry’s, though I’m guessing Mama hasn’t mentioned the fact that Henry pulled major strings, called in enormous favors, to fly in Dr. Eisenhower.

Daddy smiles back at Mama, seemingly satisfied with her answer, and then turns to me. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, Abigail.”

“I know. I missed you so much.” I didn’t realize how much until just now. I was so focused on getting away from Jed and Mama, I forgot that I’d also be leaving him behind.

“You look stronger. And your hair….” He frowns. “Is it just me or is it a bit darker?”

“Don’t worry, that’ll fade soon,” Mama answers for me—again. “We’ll have our Abigail back in no time.”

I can’t help the glare I throw her way. No you won’t, I want to say. That Abigail is gone for good. If not for Daddy’s current situation, I would say it, but I don’t want to upset him.

“Tell me about Alaska. What was it like?”

Breathtaking.

Eye-opening.

Heartbreaking.

Life changing.

Finally, I settle on, “It was beautiful, Daddy. You really need to go there one day.”

“You think I should?” There’s a twinkle in his eye. Daddy hasn’t gone more than one state over in any direction his entire life.

“Yes. They have lots of hunting up there.”

“Really? And did you see any wild animals?”

I grin. “A grizzly bear, Daddy.”

His eyes widen. “In the resort?”

I giggle. “No. Out in a clearing. Henry and I were collecting wood and—”

“Darling, I think you need your rest. You can hear all about Alaska when you’re better.”

A scowl takes over Daddy’s face. “Would you let the poor girl talk, Bernadette? I haven’t seen her in months!”

The shock on Mama’s face must match the astonishment I’m feeling. Daddy never raises his voice.

The rhythmic beep of his heart monitor starts speeding up.

“See? You need to calm yourself down, Roger. Abigail, please go and fetch some water for him.”

I duck out of the room in search of a nurse. I find Celeste Enderbey instead.

“How is he doing?” she asks in that soft voice of hers, automatically reaching for my hand. I’ve forgotten how small she is. Next to her, I feel like a giant and I’m only five foot five.

“He seems to be doing all right,” I assure her. “I’m going to get him some water. You can go in.”

“I will. I came to tell you that your Aunt May has already left. She had to get ready for the dinner shift.”

“I figured as much.” The Pearl is the hub of Greenbank, especially on the weekends.

“We need to be on our way home shortly, too. The Reverend would like to prepare for tomorrow’s sermon.” Jed’s father’s name is George, but Celeste has taken to calling him the Reverend when she’s talking to anyone else, including us.

“Can I get a ride with you? I feel bad, leaving everything at the farm to Jean to manage.”

“Absolutely.” Her eyes graze over the Northgate College sweatshirt I’ve been wearing since yesterday, hanging open to reveal the fitted tank top beneath. Something Mama wouldn’t approve of because it shows too much of my figure. “You seem… different.”

Is this because of the make-out session she witnessed half an hour ago?

I’m not sure what she wants me to say so I just smile. “Gotta get that water.”

Her hand tightens its grip. “Please forgive him, Abigail. You two are so good for each other.”

I heave a sigh. I hate disappointing Celeste. She’s such a kind and loving woman, so opposite to Mama in every way. Every time I ran over to the Enderbeys’, I knew that I’d be greeted with a smile and her gentleness. I’ve secretly considered her a second mother for years.

Finally, she releases me and disappears into Daddy’s room.

When I slip through the door five minutes later, the Reverend has joined them. Where Jed is, I have no idea.

“…we had to be patient, waiting for Jed to find his way back to us. Now it’s Abigail’s turn and we must be patient again.” The Reverend’s hand is on Mama’s shoulder. “The man values money and power above all else. He will get bored soon enough.”

“But he’s preying on her innocence like a—” She spots me and straightens abruptly, her words cutting off.

They’re talking about me.

About me, not being enough for Henry. About Henry getting bored of me.

The Reverend doesn’t have to glance back to know I’m there. In a much louder voice, he says, “We’ll all be praying for a speedy recovery, Roger.”

“We are so blessed to have you in our lives.” Mama grasps his hands. “Thank you for all you’ve done to help us. Jed is a godsend.”

“Your family will be well looked after during this time.”

They all turn to face me, fake broad smiles plastered across their faces.

“Ready, Abigail?” Celeste asks.

“Sure.” Ninety minutes trapped in a car with them. Can’t wait.

“Actually, I want to talk to her for a minute, alone,” Daddy says.

Celeste takes her husband’s arm. “We’ll wait for you outside.”

Daddy looks to Mama, waiting. She doesn’t take the hint. “You too, Bernadette.”

For the second time in ten minutes, her face is full of shock. “But, what could you want to talk about that—”

“That’s between me and my daughter.”

With a huff, she manoeuvers her body around the hospital room furniture and disappears out the door.

“Lord, has that woman always been so overbearing, or does it just take being trapped in a hospital bed with her hovering over my every breath to realize it?”

I stifle my giggle because I’m not sure if I’m supposed to find that funny. “She means well.”

He sighs. “Now take a seat and tell me what’s really going on with this boss of yours.”

What do I say to him? As much as my dad was kind to me over the whole Jed disaster, assuring me that Jed didn’t deserve me, I know he’s always liked Jed, and I know he loves having Jed around to help with the farm. Jed was always keen on learning about milking cows and fixing farming equipment, about how to grow grain, and when to bale hay. He’s a natural at it. It’s always just been assumed that he’d take over at some point.

Is my dad going to tell me that Henry will get bored of me, too?

Because I can’t take hearing that from him. It’s already in my head, plenty.

“Abigail….”

“I love him,” I blurt out. “I don’t love Jed, Daddy. Not anymore. Maybe I never really did, because it didn’t feel anything like it feels with Henry.” Right now, I don’t even like Jed much, though I have to give him credit, he’s here when my family needs him.

“Is what your mother said about the plane true? That he was ‘going this way?’”

I shake my head. “He only arrived in Alaska the day before your accident. He’s going back there now. And the doctor you had? He’s the best trauma surgeon in America and Henry flew him in especially for you.”

That earns a brow lift. “Does your mother know that?”

“She does.”

A knowing look fills his eyes as he nods. “She doesn’t want you with this man.”

“I know, Daddy. But it’s not her choice. It’s not anyone’s choice but mine and Henry’s.” And I’m not letting anyone get in the way of us being together again.

He gives my hand a light squeeze. “Just remember, it’s coming from a place of love. We’re all worried that he’s gonna hurt you.”

“I’ve already been hurt, plenty, Daddy. Remember? By Jed.” The godsend, according to Mama.

A sad smile touches his lips. “I do remember. I’m glad to see you happy again.”

I am happy.

And stronger.

And smarter.

And petrified.

“Go on, now. They’re waiting. Your mother’s probably hunting for a glass to press up against the door.”

I giggle because he’s right. “I’ll come back for a visit as soon as I can.”

He chuckles softly. “See you soon.”

I find Mama and the Enderbeys waiting just outside the door.

Mama pounces on me right away. “What was that about?”

“He just wanted to ask about Henry.”

“So then why send me out of the room?”

Because I wouldn’t get a word in edgewise, perhaps? I simply shrug.

She turns to Celeste. “He’s never done anything like that before. I’m telling you, something’s not right with him since he woke up. I think he must have a head injury.”

“Maybe you’re right. But wouldn’t the doctors have seen something in all the tests they ran?” she asks.

“Who knows? We’re always hearin’ about things that get missed. Remember that surgery rag a doctor left inside that woman? Closed her right up and sent her home with it inside! The woman was in complete agony before they believed her.” Mama talks like she personally knows the woman, when I’m sure it’s just a byline she saw in a newspaper once and filed into her memory for future reference, when the need arose. She loves doing that. I think she feels it makes her sound knowledgeable.

“You should definitely mention it to the doctor, then,” Reverend Enderbey suggests.

“Yes, you’re right. I will. So, you’re off now?”

“We are.”

“Come here, baby girl.” She reaches for me, pulling me into a fierce hug. For all that she is, I don’t doubt that Mama loves me very much. “I’m so happy to have you home. You’ll find your room the same as when you left it. All your clothes are there, too, so you can find somethin’ more suitable than what they made you wear up there.”

She just can’t help herself.

“And make sure you make it to service tomorrow, Abigail. And confession.” Under her breath, but loud enough for me to hear, she mutters, “Lord knows you’ll need that.”

This time I don’t bother hiding the eye roll.

If you only knew, Mama.