Forgotten Angel

Chapter 2-1

Two

Becky closed the canopy on her truck and returned to the tiny cottage that had been her home since she’d moved to Wyoming. She couldn’t decide if it was admirable or pathetic that all her belongings fit easily in the back of her truck. She also couldn’t decide if she should be disappointed that she had neither seen nor heard from Justin since she’d left his house on Saturday, but she wasn’t surprised.

I wonder how long it will be before he realizes I’m gone.

With a shrug, she returned her attention to her landlady as the two of them completed the final walkthrough.

“Everything looks great, Becky,” the middle-aged woman said. “Thank you.”

“If it’s all right, would you mind just mailing the r****d for the security deposit to this address?” She tugged a small sheet of paper out of the back pocket of her jeans and handed it to the woman. “My parents’ phone number is on it, as well, because there’s no cell service in Northstar.”

“Absolutely. I’m sorry to see you go, but I’m happy for you. Call me if you ever need a reference.”

“Thanks, Jody.”

“Good luck, honey.”

Becky dropped the keys to the cottage into Jody’s upturned hand and watched as the older woman locked the cottage, waved goodbye, and climbed into her Subaru. After Jody drove away, Becky wondered if she would even miss Wyoming. The Jackson Hole area was stunning, but she’d always been a visitor here. Of course, that’s all she had been in Northstar for the better part of the last decade, and apprehension quivered through her. Would she be able to find her old balance, or would the shift in her family that had happened with the birth of her little brother, who was now nine, require her to find a new one?

Time to find out. Becky slid in behind the wheel of her truck.

She’d said her goodbyes to the rest of Justin’s family yesterday, her truck’s gas tank was full, and there was nothing left to do, so she drove toward the pass between Wilson and the Swan Valley. She turned her music up and enjoyed the drive with thoughts of home floating delightfully through her mind as she passed through Idaho Falls and continued north on I-15 across the sagebrush plains rimmed by distant, summer-bare mountain ranges. Relief mingled with joy and blossomed into excitement the closer she came to home, escalating as the interstate climbed the deceptively formidable Monida Pass and crossed the border into Montana.

The skies remained a stunning blue littered with a few popcorn clouds all the way to Northstar, and Becky mused that, after a string of sullen, overcast days, it appeared that even the weather was in a better mood now that she was going home. Beneath those pristine skies, the Northstar Valley was every bit as breathtaking as her heart remembered, and a weight she hadn’t been conscious of lifted.

Because it was well after six, Becky headed directly to the cluster of cabins at the secluded end of Wellman Creek Road where everyone would be celebrating her cousin’s birthday. She navigated her way around the rocks and bumps with the effortless assurance of years of practice. There was one thing new, however, that gave her a bit of a jolt and drove home that things had changed in her absence. Instead of heading straight up to the gate and beyond to Uncle Ben and Aunt June’s cabin to see Luke, she followed the old logging spur that curved away to the left just before the final climb up to the gate.

As she came around the hairpin corner that was Luke’s favorite thinking spot, her cousin’s cabin came into view. It sat up the hill a little ways with a commanding view of the Northstar Valley to the south. Since the driveway was packed with vehicles, Becky pulled her truck off to the side of the road in the pullout at the edge of the switchback and stepped outside. A soft breeze brought the mouthwatering and smoky scents of the barbecue to her, and her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast.

She hiked up to the cabin with a grin plastered to her face as she took in the sight of so many of her loved ones gathered on the deck. Her parents and little brother were there along with the entire Hammond clan, the O’Neils and their brood, Luke’s parents and siblings, and Ryan’s parents, grandparents, and twin brother. Coach Wells was also present, and Becky was as happy to see him as she was to see everyone else.

As soon as she reached the deck, she went directly to her cousin. Ryan was perched on his lap, curled in his arms, and even as tired as she undoubtedly was, she was beautiful, perhaps more so now than ever before because the same undimmed happiness and pride that shone brightly in Luke’s blue eyes also glowed in her green ones. Becky couldn’t be more thrilled for them both. When they started to get up, she motioned them to remain seated and leaned down to hug them.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said. “But I couldn’t miss this.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” Luke replied. “Where’s Justin?”

Becky sighed. Now was not the time to go into detail about that, so she said simply, “Let’s just say I won’t be missing anything else from now on.”

“You’re moving home?”

“I am.”

Luke beamed. “Now it’s a perfect birthday. Great timing, by the way. Ryan and I are about to announce our daughter’s name.”

“Finally,” Luke’s little brother muttered.

Becky nearly laughed, overcome by a robust giddiness at being surrounded by her family. She glanced around to locate the baby and found her tucked possessively in the arms of Ryan’s mother. Becky couldn’t see much of her but a dusting of fine blonde hair and was impatient to hold Luke’s daughter, but she didn’t ask just yet, figuring she’d have far more opportunity to do so than Jillian. She listened as Ryan explained why she and Luke had chosen their daughter’s name—to honor the two women who’d supported them through every trial they’d faced in their lives—and nearly choked up.

“We’d like to officially introduce our daughter to you as Ashleigh June Conner,” Ryan said.

“Perfect,” Uncle Ben said, voicing Becky’s immediate thought.

While congratulations were offered, Becky stepped away from her cousin and his wife to embrace her parents. It wasn’t like she’d hadn’t seen them at all since she’d followed Justin to Wyoming, but today was so remarkably different than any of her hasty visits. Her father didn’t say a word but hugged her for a long time with a strength that said plainly how much he’d missed her and how glad he was that she was home. She clung to him, realizing just how thoroughly she’d missed the comfort and protection of his arms. That, at least, hadn’t changed, and she knew it never would, no matter how much her family changed.

It’s a special kind of love between a daughter and her father, Becky mused, glancing briefly over her father’s shoulder at her cousin, who had regained his daughter from his in-laws.

“I love you, Daddy,” she whispered, tilting her face up to meet her father’s adoring gaze.

“I love you, too, darling,” Andy replied. “Always.”

“Why didn’t you tell us you were coming?” her mother asked, shoving her husband aside to hug Becky as tightly. “Not that I care. I’m just glad to see you.”

“Well, you’re going to be seeing a lot more of me,” Becky murmured. “Honestly, I just made the decision two days ago, right after Luke called to tell me about his daughter’s birth.”

“You’re really moving home?” her brother asked.

“Yep. Which means you and I are going to be spending a lot of time together bonding, little man. I’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for.”

James, evidently, had not yet reached the stage of being too cool to be completely ecstatic about his sister’s return and launched himself into Becky’s waiting arms. She lifted him off the ground with his arms wrapped tightly around her neck. In that moment, all her worries about no longer fitting into her family seemed silly and childish.

“I can’t wait,” he said. “We’re gonna have so much fun!”

“You bet we will.”

“All right, James,” said a masculine voice behind her. “It’s my turn.”

Becky set her brother down and swiveled on her heel to see her uncle and his wife standing patiently beside her. She first embraced her uncle, suddenly reminded of the day more than twelve years ago now that he’d shown up in Northstar as unexpectedly as she had today. That day was perhaps even more momentous because Becky had gotten her uncle back that summer and gained an aunt and a cousin she adored.

“What’s wrong, Becky?” Ben asked softly.

“Not a damned thing,” she answered. “Everything is right. My family is whole and happy again, and I’m here to see it.”

Ben chuckled knowingly and stepped aside so she could hug June.

“It’s so good to have you home,” her aunt said with a bright smile. “Why don’t you go steal Ashleigh away from her father before someone else does? I’ll bring your dinner over in a minute. Burger or steak?”

“Uh, burger, I think. Thanks, Aunt June.”

Becky joined her cousin and his wife at the table and held her hands out, wiggling her fingers. “All right, Papa, my turn.”

Ryan stood up for a moment to stretch, and Luke leaned over to carefully hand his daughter to Becky, then pulled his wife back onto his lap and kissed her soundly. Shaking her head and beaming, Becky turned her attention to their daughter. She was so tiny and so new but utterly perfect. As her eyes swept over Ashleigh’s delicate face, she wondered if this little girl would ever understand how truly special she was. Tears threatened, and she hastily blinked them away as adoration and joy and a love as deep as any she imagined she’d feel for her own child swamped her.

“She’s a beautiful little girl,” Becky murmured. “And so much more precious for everything the two of you have been through.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Luke said. He lightly took his wife by the chin and kissed her again, then touched his forehead to hers. “I am truly blessed.”

“I think you two get worse every time I see you,” Becky said with a laugh. “You do know that you have the rest of your lives to be together, right?”

“Yep,” Ryan replied. “And we plan to enjoy every second.”

She rested her head on Luke’s chest again for a few moments, and a poignant, blissful smile softened her features. Becky glanced away, feeling like she was intruding on a private moment.

“Um, Becky?” Luke asked. “I’m not sure he’ll show up, but we invited Shane to the party. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were coming.”

“I appreciate the heads up,” she replied quickly in an attempt to avert the usual ache of regret. She sighed, then trailed a finger over Ashleigh’s silken cheek as she accepted the inevitable. “Since he’s moving home, too, I suppose I’ll have to get used to dealing with him on a regular basis.”

“It certainly seems that way, and maybe that’s not a bad thing even if it feels like one right now.” There was something decidedly prodding about his tone, but in his way of telling her to think about it, he didn’t give her a chance to respond before shifting topics. “So… Justin. What happened?”

Becky shrugged. “I finally got tired of the bullshit.”

The arrival of June and Ben with dinner interrupted their conversation. Becky’s stomach growled again when the delicious aroma hit her, but she was in no hurry to hand Ashleigh back to her parents or to anyone else, so she let her burger sit while Luke and Ryan ate. The rest of the families gathered closer around the table to eat, and the chatter centered on the newborn with occasional wise cracks about Luke’s age. He took them all in stride, as was his nature, and Becky’s face ached from smiling.

Luke and Ryan’s adopted son, Alex, who was now a junior in high school, offered to take his new sister so Becky could eat. Grudgingly, Becky gave her up as her hunger at last won out. There would be plenty of time later to hold Ashleigh, she reminded herself, all too aware that it had become a habit to squeeze as much time with her family as she could into a few ridiculously busy days that never left her satisfied. As soon as Alex took Ashleigh, the same dopey grin shared by everyone present spread across his face, and for a moment, the changes in him were sharply apparent. The last vestiges of boyhood were fading fast, she mused and wished she’d had more time to get to know him. She was pleased to see that he’d entirely shed his initial shy wariness just as Luke had after June had adopted him.