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“That’s just awful. You must have been…” She didn’t want to put words into her mouth, since Ani’s reactions were often so different from hers. “What did you do?”
“I slammed the door on them. Then I blocked it with a chair and walked to the reception desk. I told them one of their doctors was involved in a serious ethical breach and that I would be reporting it to the state medical board as soon as I got home. Then I drove home. On the way, I realized I was still wearing my hospital gown and I broke down and started crying so hard I had to pull over. It was like everything was evaporating. My marriage, my hopes of having a child. I lost it. Then I thought about John locked in the break room, with no ride home, and I started laughing. I was a mess.”
“You’re a badass, that’s what you are,” said Molly. She liked the image of Ani taking care of business in her hospital gown.
“I don’t know. John wants us to go to couples counseling. Again. Maybe he’d take it seriously this time. But even if he did, how can I ever trust him after something like that?”
“Good question.” Molly wanted to say more, but she stopped there. Only Ani could really answer that question for herself. “In my opinion, you should think long and hard about that.”
“Yes.” Ani shifted the topic, the way she always did when it came to John. “Anyway, Charlie suggested coming after you to see if you’d found Lila yet, and now here we are. No cell service, that’s…”
“You get used to it,” Molly assured her. Should she remind her about the Wi-Fi at the general store? Maybe not. If she had a little more time away from John’s influence, maybe she’d start to see things differently.
Ani shot her a wry look. “I know there’s Wi-Fi in town. But I’ve decided to take at least a week to be completely incommunicado.”
“Good. What about the hospital?”
“I took an unpaid leave of absence. I needed a note from a doctor, ironically. I made Dr. Goldman do it. I figured she owed me.”
Molly was still laughing her ass off over that when they reached Daniel’s clearing. She paused at the edge of it, making sure no unfamiliar vehicles had arrived, or any other unwanted visitors.
“Is someone sick in there?” Ani whispered. “I don’t have any medical supplies.”
“No, it’s not that. I just need you to do an assessment. Neurological, cognitive, whatever. There’s a runaway teenager in there, and I think he might be on the spectrum. I also think he might be abused in some way, because he won’t talk about his family at all. He’s a local boy from a very…unusual clan.”
“Can you tell me anything more about them?” Ani was already shifting into professional mode.
“They’re very reclusive. They’re very well-armed. And they have a thing about red hair.”
“Excuse me? Red hair? Like yours?”
“Like mine,” Molly confirmed. “But I have no idea why, so I just threw that in for extra quirkiness. It’s probably irrelevant to whatever’s going on with Elias.”
“You never know,” said Ani seriously. “People can always surprise you. In good ways and very, very bad ways.”
28
Sam and Molly stayed outside the cabin to give Ani and Elias some privacy. Oddly, Buttercup went with Ani; he appeared to have bonded with Molly’s friend during their hike to the cabin.
Molly had been gone for longer than he’d expected, and he was absurdly happy to see her. He pulled her behind a tall spruce tree and nuzzled her neck. “What took you so long?”
“I wanted to make sure that rabbit was dealt with before I even thought about coming back,” she joked, squirming under his kisses. “And when I got to Lila’s, I found two more of our friends. Watch out, Firelight Ridge, because we’re all here. Oh my God, that feels so good, you’d better stop before…before…”
He loved those breathy sounds she made. But she had a point, so he pulled away, even though he kept his arms securely around her. “I was worried that you’d run into some stray Chilkoots out there, or a bear.”
“Neither. But it’s sweet that you worried. Did you learn anything from Elias?”
“He’s good with a knife. He skinned that rabbit like a pro.”
Sam had grown up on a farm, but he’d never had to skin a rabbit. He’d been very impressed by Elias’ quick, efficient cuts.
“Let’s move on from the rabbit,” Molly said.
“Right. I forgot you were a city girl for a minute. You’re such a natural out here.” He plucked a twig out of her hair and took the opportunity to sift his fingers through its softness. He couldn’t seem to keep his hands off her.
Her eyes half-closed under his touch. Even better than stroking her was seeing her reaction to being stroked.
“Go on,” she urged. “About Elias.”
