Hailey’s lip wobbled. “Yes. Thank you so much.” Shefeltlike a china doll, made of thin, fragile porcelain.
As they said good night at the door, Noah’s warm hand caressed her back. It was the only thing holding her up. The door closed, and she burst into tears, laughing and crying at the same time.
Without a word, he pulled her into his warm embrace.
“You must think I’m utterly insane,” she blubbered against his T-shirt.
“Shh … I got you,” he soothed, stroking her hair. “Always.”
And yes, he did so have her. Always.
Over the next fewdays, Chance healed and Hailey regained sleep and her wits. Though the tavern had sustained only dry smoke damage, they stayed at the Loose Moose during the cleaning process. Noah focused on the tavern while Hailey spent her time unloading, inventorying, and stocking books at Mountain Coffee. They both devoted lots of time to their pup and were overjoyed when, like before, Chance rallied in record time.
Hailey was enjoying a brisk walk from the coffee shop to the bungalow in the late afternoon when her phone rang.
Recognizing the number, she frowned at her screen. Did the call have anything to do with Mousegate? She breezed through the Moose’s front door as she picked up the call.
“Ashley?” she greeted. “What’s up?”
Ashley rushed in without preamble. “Did you hear about Cliff Meissner?”
“Cliff? N-no.” Hailey dropped her bag on the floor and darted a look toward Noah, who was prepping dinner beside the stove. “What did I miss?”
“He committed suicide.”
Jolts of electricity zapped Hailey’s nervous system. “Hewhat?”
“Cliff hanged himself. They found him yesterday at a rental condo outside of Vail. I guess he was under suspicion for something or other. Do you know anything about that?”
“Um, no. Can’t say I do. I’m pretty much out of the loop these days.”
“Oh.” That one word broadcasted Ashley’s obvious disappointment that Hailey wasn’t a source of more dirt. “Well, I just thought you’d want to know since you used to work for him.”
“Yeah, thanks.” She turned stunned eyes toward Noah. “Cliff Meissner killed himself.”
He wheeled toward her. They stared at one another for long moments.
Guilt rapidly swelled and hit her like a superwave.
As if reading her thoughts, Noah took quick steps toward her. “Don’t you eventhinkof blaming yourself. He made hischoice. What he did is totally on him, not on you—not even remotely.”
Then he opened his arms wide, and she rushed into their shelter and wept.
As Hailey lay curledin Noah’s arms later that night, she stared up at the ceiling, trying to process everything that had happened since arriving in Fall River. In a short time, her life had shifted. Seismically. While growing up, resiliency had been her mainstay, and she realized she still had it any time she needed to lean into it. She’d tried going the secure route, but that had been a fallacy. Nothing was secure, except those you loved—the tribe who supported you no matter what. And without even knowing how badly she had needed one, she’d found her tribe right there in Fall River.
Epilogue
Three months later, July4
“HAIL? COULD YOU TELL Noah and Dad it’s almost time to eat?” Charlie juggled grilled corn cobs while Reece tonged steaks onto a platter. Across a lush, sprawling green where Chance frolicked with Charlie’s dogs, Marilyn Hunnicutt shared a joke and lemonade beneath the ranch house’s covered porch with Kaylee and Vince.
Hailey perched a fist on her hip. “You know only my sister calls me ‘Hail,’ right?”
Charlie looked crestfallen. “Shit, I’m sorry.”
Such a golden retriever.
“No, no,” she laughed. “I meant it sounds like family when you say it. I like it.”
