“It’s okay if it is.”
“You and Mom need your space. It’ll get crowded in this cabin with the four of us.”
“Eh.” Zeke shrugged. “We don’t mind cozying up.”
She loved that about her parents. No matter how long she spent away, she always knew there was a place for her at their table and in their hearts.
“Anyway,” Zeke said as he took Laney’s little hand within his own to walk her over to the play kitchen he’d set up in the cornerof the family room. “As I said before, whenever you need me to spend time with my precious grandbaby, you just say the word. Retirement is lonelier than people let on.”
“You miss the firehouse?” Sarah speared the tines of her fork into the fluffy pancake and lifted a bite to her mouth. Goodness, these were even better than she had remembered, rich and gooey with that kick of peppermint at the end as a delightful chaser.
“I miss feeling useful.” With a gentle tug on the knees of his pantlegs, Zeke groaned softly while he lowered to the floor to sit criss-cross-applesauce with his granddaughter. “And watching Laney makes me feel useful, so don’t go robbing me of that joy.”
Any lingering guilt Sarah had about leaving her daughter vanished when the two of them got to work mixing up pretend pancakes of their own. Even when Sarah had retreated upstairs to get ready for the day, she could hear their playful laughter filling the cabin with life and love. By the time she had her favorite tote bag slung over her shoulder and her keys in her grip, her father and her daughter had pulled every piece of play food, kitchen utensil, and pot and pan out of the plastic kitchen set. It was a mess of the very best kind.
“You sure you’re okay with—?”
Zeke immediately halted her with a raised hand. “More than okay. Now, out you go to seize that new life you deserve, Libby. It’s yours for the taking.”
She could only pray those words held true, hopeful that her future was a story yet to be penned with a library of possibilities just around the corner.
CHAPTER 2
“What am I supposed to do?”
Lance Major fought back a frown. He disliked most things related to the doctor’s office, from the cold, sterile chair to the paper gown they’d insisted he wear. But what he disliked the most was the news Dr. Franklin had just delivered to him.
“You could slow things down a little, Lance.” The doctor inclined his head and crossed his arms over his chest, making his white coat bunch. “I don’t know. Maybe take up a new hobby. Pick up a book.”
“I have snowmobile tours to conduct.” Without meaning to, Lance rubbed mindlessly at his offending knee. “We’ve got reservations on the calendar to fulfill.”
“Brady is fully capable of taking those on.”
Of course, Lance hadn’t considered that Brady, the employee they’d hired a year ago during the winter rush, was Dr. Franklin’s son. And the doctor was right. Brady was fully capable of carrying the load. It just wasn’t one Lance was ready to hand over.
The doctor turned abruptly, withdrawing a small notepad from his pocket to scribble something down.
“Another prescription?” Lance was already taking more painkillers than he cared to admit.
“I’m prescribing you something, but it’s not what you think.” Dr. Franklin handed the slip of paper to Lance.
“A library card?”
The physician gave a single nod. “I want you to go down to our local library and check out a book. And then I want you to read it every day until you’ve finished the entire thing.”
Had Lance ever done that? In high school, he was definitely the sort of student that skimmed the pages of any required reading, only reviewing what was necessary in order to pass the test. And even today, he couldn’t help but feel like he was being tested all over again.
“You want me to read a book?”
“As I said before, I want you toslow down.” Dr. Franklin punctuated the words. “But I know you, Lance. I’ve been your doctor since you were knee-high to a grasshopper. You love the adventure of the great outdoors. Now you’ll just have to find that within the pages of a good book instead of out on the slopes.”
This wasn’t a prescription; it was a sentence. Lance would go stir crazy if he couldn’t get out on that fresh powder in one form or another. If he wasn’t allowed to ski or snowmobile, he’d have to find another suitable way to seek out that adrenaline rush.
“I don’t think I’m much of a reader.” Lance crumpled the paper in his palm and tossed it into the open trashcan near a metal filing cabinet. Of course, it bounced off the rim and landed right next to the bin, a missed shot. Figured. “What about slower-paced activities? Maybe tubing or sledding?”
“All which involve an inherent amount of risk. Lance, I know your original injury occurred years ago, but the fact that you so easilyre-injure it makes me think it’s time to start seriously reconsidering your current pace of life. Right now, it’s just a strain, but next time?” Dr. Franklin shrugged. “You coulddislocate it, or worse. And if it gets to the point of surgery, you’ll be laid up for longer than the time it takes you to read a book.”
Lance knew the doctor was right, but admitting his limitations wasn’t something that would come easily. Because this is who Lance was. What he was known for. His buddy, Holden, was the smart one. Sure, Holden was still what most would consider active and adventurous, but his competitive nature started in the classroom and spilled into other areas of his life.
