The Loner's Thanksgiving Wish

He pulled a reflective foil blanket from his backpack and tucked it around Cade, then gently rested his hand against his brother’s cheek. “Cade—can you hear me?”

No response.

A heavy fist clamped down on Jack’s heart as his thoughts raced through a litany of fears for his only brother. Internal injuries could be hemorrhaging unseen. He could have sustained a serious brain injury or damage to the spinal cord. He’d fallen more than an hour ago. If he wasn’t responding right now, what were the chances of an extended coma … or death? Lord, please take care of him. Please keep him safe in Your hands—let his injuries be minor, and please, please help him heal. “How is he, Jack?” Jasmine’s voice shook. “I’m so scared for him.”

Whatever his own fears, inciting panic at this point wouldn’t do anyone any good. He considered his answer carefully. “I don’t see any significant external wounds. At least, he isn’t bleeding through any of the bandages so far. And I haven’t found obvious fractures. Of course, Cade isn’t awake to tell us where he hurts most, and I’m not a doctor. I also don’t have a radiologist’s X-ray report in front of me. We’ll have answers soon, though.”

Desperate hope flared to life in Jasmine’s eyes. “So that’s good?”

“Yes, it is. And his heartbeat, color and breathing are surprisingly steady given what he’s just been through.” Trying to stay positive in light of the very serious possibilities made it hard to meet her earnest gaze.

“Then why doesn’t he wake up?” Tears trickled down her dirt-smudged cheeks.

“Maybe he just has a concussion and will be coming around soon.”

“What if it isn’t that? What if …” Her voice trailed off.

Jack sighed heavily and glanced toward the other woman, who had stepped away when he arrived and now stood at the far edge of the ledge with her head bowed, her long black hair veiling the side of her face. “I don’t have the answers. But we’ll have him out of here in no time, and the E.R. will be ready for him. They’ll figure everything out.”

She sniffled and backhanded the tears from her face. “I just can’t believe this happened, and it’s all my fault. If I had agreed to go back to the car instead of insisting on going up the trail …”

“But it isn’t your fault. A terrible coincidence, maybe, being at the wrong place at that very moment. But you couldn’t have predicted it would happen.” He studied her closely. “What about you? Looks like you need to be checked over, too.”

She lifted a cautious hand to her face. “Just a few bumps and scrapes. Maybe a little sprain of my wrist. It’s Cade who needs your attention. Not me.”

“You’ll still need to be seen in the E.R.” Her color had improved and she appeared to be calmer since he’d first arrived. He moved next to her, noting that her skin was warm and dry as he took her pulse and blood pressure. Both normal.

He gently bandaged a laceration on her arm, then examined her swollen wrist and wrapped it with a splint and a firm, supportive bandage.

“I’d guess that the doctor will want an X-ray of your wrist at the very least, and you might need some sutures.”

He slowly straightened and pulled off his gloves, then donned a clean pair as he returned to Cade and knelt at his side. He looked over his shoulder at the other woman. “And what about you, ma’am?”

She still stood facing away from him, her arms wrapped around her slender waist, but now she turned slowly toward him with a tentative expression. “Hi, Jack.”

He felt his jaw drop and his heart lurch against his ribs. If he’d discovered the Queen of England standing in front of him, he couldn’t have been more surprised. Just seeing her slammed him back to his tongue-tied teenage years.

“Mei? What on earth …”

Mei Clayton had always been pretty. Her delicate features and dark eyes had made her seem as exotic and untouchable as one of his mother’s porcelain figurines. But now, ten years after high school, she was no longer just pretty—she was beautiful. “I was hiking and had intended to do some climbing farther up the mountain.” She dropped her gaze to Cade’s still form. “I’m so glad I was close by with my climbing gear. When Jasmine and Cade fell, I did what I could.”

He’d seen her rope dangling down the face of the cliff, and didn’t even want to imagine such a fragile woman making that dangerous descent—especially because it was at least ten feet too short. One false move and she might have fallen to her death. “You are one brave woman. And you did a fine job with the first aid, too.”

“I just wish I’d had more rope for the trip down.”

He cleared his throat, still feeling a little stunned at running into her in such an unlikely place. “I’d heard that all of you had to be home by Christmas. What brings you back home so soon?”

Her expression clouded. “My brother is missing somewhere in the Everglades. I wanted to be here with my mom while we wait for news.”

“I’m sorry. I haven’t seen Lucas since I left for college, but I remember that he was always a capable guy … and very independent.”

“One of the reasons he and my parents didn’t see eye to eye. I hear he hasn’t even been back here since graduating from high school. Still, he managed to put himself through veterinary school, so I just know he’s going to be a success. If.” Her voice trailed off.

“Lucas is a resourceful guy.” Jack rechecked Cade’s blood pressure and pulse, then examined his bandages for any seepage. “I’ll bet your worries will be unfounded when he suddenly turns up one of these days.”

“I sure hope so.” She bit her lower lip, as if debating about saying more about her brother. “How long until Cade gets to the hospital?”

“The other two guys on the rescue team are looking for a good route for bringing him up. The EMTs and an ambulance are on the way. Maybe an hour?”

“Oh, that long,” she breathed. She rested a hand on Jasmine’s shoulder. “I guess we’d all better be praying then.”

Jasmine nodded. “Believe me, I already have.”

Jack held Cade’s hand as the ambulance bounced and swayed down the rugged mountain road toward town and listened to the steady beep of a monitor mounted on the wall. “He looks stable, right?”

Sue, the EMT who had chosen to ride in back, was sitting on the bench next to Jack. She glanced up at the screen and nodded. “From what I see, I think he’s doing well, all things considered. He’s one very lucky boy.”

“I just wish he would wake up.” Jack gave his brother’s hand a squeeze. “I haven’t seen him this quiet since he was a newborn—and that wasn’t for a very long stretch at a time.”

“I’m sure the docs at the hospital will be doing MRIs and X-rays to make sure he—” She peered at Cade’s face. “I think I saw his eyelids flicker. Cade, can you hear me?”

A moment later Cade’s eyelids fluttered, then opened halfway.

“You’re in an ambulance. You had quite a fall, cowboy.” Jack brushed a wayward lock of hair from Cade’s forehead, willing him to say something. Anything. When he didn’t, anxiety snaked through Jack’s stomach and began tying it into a tight knot.

The EMT leaned over so she could look directly into Cade’s eyes. “What’s your name?”

His brow furrowed, as if he were calling up a distant memory, before he finally silently moved his lips to form his name.

“Do you know where you are? What town you live in?”

He stared blankly at her.

“Do you know what day it is?”

Again, a blank look.

The EMT sat back on the bench. “The doctors will be checking him for a concussion. But it’s a really good sign that he’s waking up and that he’s at least oriented to his name.”

A good sign, maybe, but Jack longed to hear Cade’s voice. To hear him crack a joke—or even renew their old argument about Cade’s decision to marry so young. Anything that would show he hadn’t suffered a serious head injury.

“I’m here with you and I’m not leaving,” Jack reassured him. “We’ll make sure the docs fix you up good as new.”

But Cade didn’t answer, and Jack’s heart grew heavier with each passing mile.

Chapter Three

At the small community hospital, Mei sat with Jasmine in one of the exam rooms and listened to the bustle of activity several rooms away.

“We should hear something soon, honey,” she murmured, holding the girl’s trembling hand. “Don’t worry. So far the news has all been good, right? The doc doesn’t think you have any fractures or internal injuries. You’ll be out of here in a little while.”

During the past several hours, a nurse had been in to clean Jasmine’s scrapes and take a health history. Later, a doctor with Angela Kerber, M.D., embroidered on her lab coat provided an exam and several sutures to close a laceration. Results of the X-rays and the CT of Jasmine’s abdomen were due back anytime.

But Jasmine’s attention had been riveted on Cade since the accident, and she’d barely paid attention to the doctor’s words about her own condition.

“I don’t care about me. Cade is the one who fell the hardest. When are they going to tell me about him?” Clad in a thin exam gown and wrapped in a white cotton blanket, Jasmine sat at the edge of her gurney and shuddered. “Maybe … they’re afraid to let me know.”

“But he’s fully awake and talking now. So that’s a great sign. And we’re both praying for him, right? And I’m sure his brother is also.”

Jasmine glanced at the big white clock on the wall. “Arabella left for Denver this afternoon with her girls to see Jonathan. I just wish she could be here, too.”

“When will she be back?”

“N-not ‘til late this evening.” A tear slid down Jasmine’s cheek. “Wh-what if he doesn’t m-make it?”

Footsteps stopped just outside, and the curtain rustled. Jack cleared his throat. “All right if I come in?”

“Absolutely.” Her gaze lowered, Mei slipped out of her chair and made room for him to reach the side of Jasmine’s gurney.

Even without meeting his eyes, she was all too aware of his strong, muscular build—toned and refined and even more powerful than the boy she’d admired back in high school. He’d matured to a good six feet, with an aura of easy confidence that surrounded him. Did all of the local gals still hang on his every word, and bask in his trademark smile? That charming, sidelong grin had sure melted hearts back in high school.

She could personally attest to that.

“Thought I’d better come in and check on you two ladies,” he said, his voice low and warm. He bent down a little to meet Jasmine’s gaze straight on. “Cade is worried about you, so I told him I’d see how you’re holding up in here. Looks to me like you’re in fine shape. Any good news yet?”

Jasmine grabbed on to his arm with both hands. “I’m okay, but the nurses won’t tell me anything about Cade, and they wont let me go to him, either. Is it bad?”

“We’re still waiting for the results of his CT scans and X-rays. But so far, so good. He doesn’t seem to have any fractures, anyway.” He searched her face, and gently tucked a long strand of her hair behind her ear. “He cares a great deal about you, but you already know that.”

“Thank you, Jack. Please tell him that I’m fine. I just wish I could get out of this room and go to him.”

“I’m heading back to him right now. I’ll let him know.” Jack glanced over his shoulder at Mei and winked. “Keeping Jasmine here all this time must’ve been a challenge.”

A light, witty response would’ve been perfect.

Or a thoughtful expression of concern.

But now, feeling as awkward as she’d been back in high school, Mei could only summon a small shrug in return, and memories assailed her as she watched Jack leave the room.

“You two have known each other a long time, haven’t you?” Jasmine asked, giving Mei a curious look. “Like, did you two ever date?”

Surprised, Mei laughed. “Whatever gave you that idea?”

“He’s handsome. You’re pretty. You’re both nice and about the same age.”

Oh, the simple logic of youth—imagining that anything in the world was possible if only one wished for it. “No, we never did.”

Jasmine fidgeted on the gurney. “So tell me all about things back then. When Cade’s mother came to town and all.”

“Haven’t you and Cade talked about all of that already?”

Jasmine made a face. “His version. But guys skip all the good stuff.” “Good stuff?”

“The details.” She shot yet another impatient glance at the clock. “And the way things are going, we could be here forever.”

“So you’re bored and need a distraction. Okay … very well.” Mei pulled a chair closer to Jasmine and sat down. “This is a small town, and it was even more quiet ten years ago. Jack was a grade ahead of me, but I still remember the day he showed up at elementary school.”

“Love at first sight?” Jasmine teased.

Mei folded her arms over her chest. “Not then or now, young lady.”

“Please—go on.”

“His mother had just married my uncle Charley, and newcomers in school weren’t that common in this dusty ranching town back then. But although most new kids were withdrawn at first, Jack had a chip on his shoulder from the first day I saw him walk into Ms. Berkow-ski’s fourth-grade classroom. He made no effort to talk to anyone on the playground or anywhere else.” She released a breath. “Now that I’m a teacher, I realize he was probably trying to hide the fact that he was scared. He was facing a lot of changes in his life, with a new stepfather and a new school.”

Yawning, Jasmine swung her legs up onto the gurney and rested her head on the pillow. “Cade says Jack was mad about his mom’s marriage. He says Jack and Charley never got along.”

“I wouldn’t know about that. I just know that Lorelei’s marriage to Charley lasted only a few years—not much beyond Cade’s birth—but she and the kids stayed on in town nonetheless.”

“So did you and Jack ever get to be friends?”

Mei smiled. “Have you forgotten elementary school? Boys are a lower life-form at that age. Wrestling and yelling and being rowdy.”

“What about high school?”

“Different social circles, I guess.”

Jasmine levered herself up on one elbow to look at Mei. “Did you know Cade?”

“I saw him around town. He was the cutest little boy ever, with those big brown eyes.”

“Then why didn’t Charley try to be a good, attentive dad? He had shared custody, but Cade says he failed to show up most of the time and yelled a lot when he did have Cade with him. It’s so unfair.” Her expression clouded. “And it’s even unfair now.”

“Why is that?”

“You should hear the things he says about Cade and me getting married.”

“About how young you both are?”

Jasmine rolled her eyes. “Everyone has brought that up. He’s worse, saying crazy stuff about how I’m in cahoots with your grandpa George’s ‘clan’ since I’ve been living with Arabella. And how Cade has no business getting mixed up with the likes of them. Granted, Charley’s always been volatile, but these accusations are ridiculous!”

“There’s some bad history between the two sides of the family,” Mei said carefully.

Jasmine snorted. “Old history.”

“Painful, to some.”

“But it’s all in the past. I know about how your grandpa cheated his brother in some sort of land deal that left George rich and Samuel poor, and how Samuel has been mad ever since.”

It was hard coming up with a defense of anyone’s actions—but Samuel’s side of the family tree had found endless ways to cause trouble over the years in retaliation. “Maybe … Charley is only following his father’s lead, then.”

“But it shouldn’t drive Cade and me apart. It just isn’t fair.” She sighed. “That’s why I’m thinking about putting on a big Thanksgiving dinner all by myself for both sides of the family. If I can get everyone face to face, maybe they’ll finally grow up.”

Ah, the innocence of youth. “It might not work out quite that way.”

“But someone needs to try,” Jasmine said with a stubborn lift of her chin. “And because I have the most at stake right now, I guess it needs to be me.”

“What does Cade think of all this?”

Jasmine’s mouth twitched. “He doesn’t think anyone will show up, but I think they will. And he knows how much this means to me.”

“Just be careful to not pressure people too much, honey. I’m not saying you don’t have the right idea, but there’s a long, long history between some of these people, and what some of them have done to seek revenge against each other has left a lot of open wounds.” She shrugged. “Maybe some battles aren’t worth the cost.”

“Well, this one is.”

Mei arched a brow.

Jasmine yawned again and closed her eyes, and in a few minutes her breathing became deep and even. Poor thing—she had to be exhausted from all she’d been through.

Mei grabbed the only magazine in the cubicle—an old Sports Illustrated—and settled back in her chair with the magazine unopened in her lap. Life could sure change in a second. A dangerous landslide, the unexpected arrival of Jack McCord …

He’d been just another boy to her during elementary school, but she hadn’t shared the rest of the story with Jasmine. Things certainly changed in high school, when his dark, sun-streaked blond hair and tall, muscular physique reminded her of a Californian surfer and his reckless, defiant attitude promised trouble. His bad-boy allure had been undeniable.

But beneath that tough shell of his she’d glimpsed something else that had touched her heart. A flash of pain and loneliness in those mesmerizing blue eyes, coupled with an undercurrent of simmering anger that flashed fire if anyone mentioned the name of his former stepfather.

Mei had known from the first moment of girlish attraction that, though he was far beyond the reach of a shy nobody like her, they were far more alike than anyone could’ve ever guessed. Soul mates, she’d thought then, with the naïveté of a young girl.

She’d tried to hide her secret, painful crush on him. Then she’d been humiliated beyond measure when her cousin Vincent somehow ferreted out her feelings and broadcast them throughout the school with vicious glee.

The gentle sympathy in Jack’s eyes when they bumped into each other in the school library a few weeks later had made her humiliation a thousand times worse because then she’d known that he’d heard the gossip and felt sorry for her.

Her one saving grace had been that he’d gone off to college somewhere on the West Coast and had shaken the dust of Clayton, Colorado, off his feet long ago, while Mei had headed for college in the opposite direction the following year. She hadn’t expected to ever run into him again.

Yet her traitorous heart had picked up an extra beat at just seeing him again. She’d been sure that he would’ve forgotten her—it would be no surprise. She’d been nearly invisible back in school, just an inconsequential shadow in a sea of boisterous students who’d excluded her.

Though if Jack had looked her way, there wouldn’t have been any chance to date him.

She shuddered, remembering once again the vehement dislike between the two branches of the Clayton family tree. Maybe Jasmine and Cade’s generation would finally bring peace to the family, but that hadn’t been a glimmer of a possibility before.

Grandpa George’s side was filled with good-hearted, hardworking folks, whereas his brother Samuel’s side was filled with resentful ne’er-do-wells who seemed to cause endless trouble … or so her parents had always said.

That Jack had once been associated—even briefly—with the family from the other side of the tracks had made him completely off-limits.

It felt good to be older now. Mature. Beyond caring about high school cliques and the subtle social structure that existed even within her own family. In twelve more months she could leave and never look back.

A young doctor with curly auburn hair slipped into the room, and Mei shook off her thoughts.

Jasmine immediately sat up straight. “Dr. Kerber—is something wrong? Is Cade all right?”

“First you, young lady.” A flicker of a smile softened the woman’s stern expression. “Your CT scans, X-rays and labs show no indication of internal bleeding, no fractures. Everything seems to be normal … other than a mild wrist sprain and some minor lacerations, scrapes and bruises.”

“I’m free to go?”

“Yes, but I still want someone to be with you for the next forty-eight hours. You experienced quite a fall, and head injuries can still fool us no matter what the tests say.”

“She lives with my cousin Arabella Michaels,” Mei interjected. “Supervision won’t be any problem at all.”

“Good, good.” Dr. Kerber looked down at the clipboard she held in the crook of her left arm. “The nurse will be here in a bit to give you a tetanus shot, Jasmine, some going-home instructions regarding your sutures and warning signs of any head injury complications. I’d guess that you are going to be pretty stiff and sore for a few weeks, and you will probably experience headaches. Do you have any questions for me?” “Just—”

“About Cade. I know.” The doctor smiled. “He signed a permission form so I could share his information with you.” She shook her head in wonder. “Given the distance of the fall and the massive weight of the boulders that went down with the two of you, it could’ve been so much worse. All I can say is that God must have been with you both. You not only survived but missed serious head and spinal cord injuries—all too common in this kind of accident.”

“God was with us.” Jasmine closed her eyes briefly. “I’ve never prayed so hard in my life—especially afterward when Cade was bleeding so much.”

Dr. Kerber glanced again at her clipboard. “He wasn’t quite as lucky as you, I’m afraid. He has a severely sprained ankle and significant, deep bruising. It took ten sutures to close up that laceration on his head and another eight on his arm. He also has a severe concussion and some mild confusion, so I’m keeping him here for observation for a day or two.”

“A concussion?” Jasmine paled and grabbed for Mei’s hand. “That sounds bad.”

“I think he’ll be fine, but I just don’t want to take any chances. After he’s discharged, I’d strongly recommend that he stay away from contact sports, rodeos or any other activity that might place him at risk for a second head injury.”

A tear trickled down Jasmine’s cheek. “We were supposed to get married next month on Christmas Eve.”

The doctor smiled gently. “Don’t worry. Give him a few weeks to heal and you’ll never guess that he’d had such a close call.”

Mei freshened up in the ladies’ room at the hospital, then drove to her mother’s home on Bluebird Lane, at the northwest edge of town, and parked out in front. Lisette Clayton stepped onto the wide porch of the two-story brick house before Mei could reach the front door.

“Hi, Mom.”

Widowed for years now, she still wore her silver hair in a short, perfectly coiffed style, and always dressed elegantly. Today, her gold necklace and hoop earrings picked up the subtle tones of her champagne cashmere sweater set and matching slacks. As usual, her French manicure was flawless.

She hugged Mei briefly, then scooped up Albert, the fluffy white Maltese dog at her feet. “I was surprised to hear you’d decided to come now instead of waiting until Christmas.”

“Change of plans,” Mei said, choosing her words carefully.

“Well, do come on in. I can’t believe it’s this cold already, and it’s only the first of November.” A wry smile briefly touched Lisette’s mouth. “I thought you’d arrive much earlier, so I had your cousin cater our lunch today. She dropped it off before she left for Denver.”

“Arabella?” Mei felt her stomach rumble in anticipation. “The pies she brought to Grandpa’s funeral luncheon were incredible.”

“I’m glad she opened a business that matches her talents.

I had her bring pastries for our breakfast, too. I’m not much of a cook anymore.”

“It’s a lot of bother when you’re on your own.” Mei shouldered out of her crimson down jacket as she stepped into the marble-floored entryway and tossed it onto the fanciful Victorian settee she’d loved as a child. She took off her shoes, and followed her mother down the central hall leading past the formal living room, parlor and dining room to the spacious kitchen. “I—oh, wow.” Nothing seemed familiar as she stepped into the room and surveyed the rich, dark cherry cabinets and granite countertops. French doors now opened up to a snow-covered patio and, beyond, a charming, snowy view of Silver Creek.