Blaze of Winter: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance (23 page)

Up close, the roughly forty-foot-high tree looked even more majestic. Huge boughs were bedecked in long strands of lights and strings of whole, fresh cranberries. Large, gold ball ornaments were nestled in the dark green needles. And the fragrance was intoxicating—a deep,
rich, evergreen scent that epitomized everything about the holiday season. Avery looked over at Kate. “It’s beautiful.”

“Oh, yes. Just stunning,” Kate agreed. Then she coughed into her hand.

“Are you all right?” Avery asked.

“Yes, yes, dear,” Kate said between coughs. “It’s just the cold air.”

Avery frowned. Her aunt’s cough was getting worse, whether or not she wanted to admit it. “Let me know if you need to go home,” she said quietly. Kate nodded.

A few moments later, Luke Bedwin walked up to them. “Looks nice, doesn’t it?”

“Very,” Avery said. “Were you responsible for getting this monster up?”

“I built the stand, but I had loads of help.”

“You did a great job.”

Luke smiled. “Thanks. Just happy to contribute to the festivities.” He gave Kate a sideways glance, but her aunt was still staring at the huge tree, and she didn’t acknowledge him. “Catch you later,” he said, before moving off into the crowd.

As soon as Luke disappeared, Kate turned to her. “What were you talking about?” she asked, somewhat distractedly.

“What a great job Luke did with the tree.”

“Ah. Yes. The tree,” Kate said, waving her hand, before coughing again. This time it went on for more than a few seconds.

“Are you warm enough?” Avery asked. She was getting more concerned. “You did make that appointment with Doctor Kensington, didn’t you?”

“Tomorrow morning. And yes, I’m warm enough.”

“Good.” The last thing she needed was for Kate to fall ill just as she started to recover from the chemo. Her health was precarious, and Avery wanted to make sure she took care of herself.

“Evening, ladies,” a deep voice spoke.

“Why, Theo, how nice to see you,” Kate said, seemingly recovered from her coughing fit. “Won’t you join us for the ceremony?”

“I’d love to,” he said, eyes gleaming at Avery. “You have a prime spot.”

“Thanks to my niece here,” Kate said, a smile blooming on her face.

Avery nodded and looked away. She couldn’t very well mention to Kate that she wasn’t keen to talk to Theo tonight. Not with the way Kate was looking at the two of them, and not with him standing right there.

“Have you seen the lighting ceremony before?” he asked.

“No,” Avery said, shaking her head. “Somehow I seem to miss it every year, but I always manage to catch the tree once it’s lit.”

“It’s really something. By the way, I wanted to tell you that my writing is going better than ever. Your suggestion to focus on the
Lorelei
’s shipwreck has really paid off.”

“Really?” she said with some surprise, looking up at him.

“Really,” he said, his smile warming her from the inside out. There it was. The look she’d been waiting for. The look that said he’d seen her laid out naked before him. And liked it. What was it about this man that disarmed her?

“There’s something I’d like to check out, though. I thought maybe you could help me.”

“What’s that?” she asked warily.

“I’ve examined the beach spanning the wreck site during the day. Now I need to do it at night. Would you like to come?”

“I—” She swallowed. “I don’t think that would be such a good idea,” she whispered so that Kate wouldn’t hear.

“Why not?” he replied, leaning in closer, turning her rejection into something more intimate than she’d intended.

“Because it’d be late.”

“I’ll provide the coffee or cocoa. Your choice.”

“It’ll be cold.”

“I’ll keep you warm.” Their heads were bent together now and she could smell him, a mouthwatering scent of man and sea. She forced her libido down.

“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of. I know what methods you like to use,” she said wryly. They were methods she
liked
.

Theo pulled back and laughed. “God, you’re amazing.”

“I don’t know if you mean that in a good way or a bad one,” Avery muttered.

Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, he bent his head again, so that only she could hear what he was saying. “A good way,” he said softly. “A very good way.”

Before she got a chance to come up with a retort, Royce Hogan stepped up to the microphone, which had been set up in front of the tree.

“Good evening, everyone,” he said, smiling broadly. “And welcome to the eightieth annual Star Harbor Christmas tree lighting. Tonight’s festivities mark a huge milestone. When we first started this tradition eighty years ago, the balsam fir was only half as large as it is tonight, and it was bedecked in garlands made of cranberries and popped corn. We couldn’t rig electricity to the Green to illuminate the tree, so we used candles, which were immediately snuffed out for fear of fire. It was a far cry from the lavishly decorated beauty we have before us tonight. Still, we’ve paid homage to that first tree with the beautiful, local cranberry strands you see here tonight.

“Before we go any further, I’d like to thank several people who made this evening possible. First, Luke Bedwin, who built the frame and stand for our gorgeous tree. Next, Joanne and Will Martins, who donated our lovely cranberries, and the students at the Star Harbor Elementary School who threaded them for us. Thanks to the members of the Episcopal Church for putting up all the wonderful decorations. I’d be remiss if I left out Lexie Meyers and Andy Neiman, who provided all the food and drink for our party tonight. And finally, I need to thank Theodore Grayson, who donated this magnificent balsam fir to Star Harbor for our celebration.”

Cheers and claps could be heard all around the Green.

Royce continued. “And now, as tradition dictates, we’ll ask the oldest person in Star Harbor to come and light the tree. Mrs. Hortense Cook? Where are you, Mrs. Cook?” Royce peered around the crowd.

An elderly woman approached, assisted by her granddaughter Melinda, whom Avery recognized from the LMK. Spry for her age, which Avery guessed to be about ninety, Mrs. Cook gamely gave a wave, then placed her hand on the switch to light the tree. The moment she clicked it on, the tree was gorgeously illuminated.

A huge cry erupted from the crowd. Avery clapped along with the rest. Once the cheers had died down, she turned to Theo. “Why didn’t you tell me you donated the tree?”

He shrugged. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

“
They
seem to think it is.” Just then, a man came up and patted Theo on the back. He still had his arm around Avery, so she felt every thud. She looked up at him. “If you don’t mind,” she said disdainfully, looking at his arm.

“Oh, but I do,” he said. “Mind, that is.” The arm stayed around her shoulder. She glanced at Kate for support, but Kate was busy talking to someone.

“Where’s Emma?” Avery muttered, looking around for her sister. Finally, she spotted her, standing near one of the hors d’oeuvres tables with Jimmy. He’d just handed her a drink and they looked happy and content. Avery sighed.

“You’re stuck with me,” Theo said, as if reading her mind. “Is that such a bad thing?”

“In theory, yes. In practice, no,” she said, before she could help herself. It was the truth. Rationally, she knew he was exactly the kind of guy she shouldn’t want. Sure, he was gorgeous and confident, but he wasn’t long for Star Harbor and he probably had a dozen women back in San Francisco who were pining for his return. Yet somehow, when she was with him, near him, it seemed right. She knew she was deluding herself—there was no way this could last—but it was getting easier and easier to fall for this man. Unfortunately, she couldn’t turn off her brain
forever. And now that they’d made love and she knew exactly how good he could make her feel, it was going to be even more difficult to keep her body on board with what her mind was telling her to do.

“Your sweet little lips make your insults that much more exciting,” he whispered.

Avery opened her mouth to respond, but before she could do so, Luke was back. “Avery,” he said. “I have something to show you. Mind if I borrow her?” he asked Theo.

“Not at all,” Theo said smoothly, disengaging his arm from her shoulder.

“I’ll be right back, Kate,” Avery said, before she followed Luke through the crowd. When they reached the refreshments table, Luke stopped and poured her a glass of punch. Without a word, he handed it to her. She took a sip. “Thanks. What did you need to show me?”

Luke smiled and poured himself a glass, too. “Nothing.” He drank the whole thing in one swallow before giving her a grin. “Just wanted to rile up our Theo. Can’t have him thinking you jump when he says so.”

Avery smiled back. “Thank you,” she said softly, knowing she had a real friend in Luke.

CHAPTER 20

“So what are you saying?” Avery asked Julie Kensington, concern coloring her voice. “That Kate isn’t doing well?” It was the morning after the tree-lighting ceremony, and the two women were inside Julie’s office, which was just off the examination room.

“I’m saying more than that,” Julie said calmly, tucking a pen into the pocket of her white coat. “Based on her symptoms, Kate seems to have a combination of pneumonia and bronchitis, not uncommon in patients who are immunosuppressed, but her health is likely to get worse if we don’t get these conditions treated fast. Before she has even more difficulty breathing, I’d like to have her admitted to Cape Cod Hospital. They have an excellent acute care center and Kate’s going to need a full course of intravenous antibiotics, something I’m just not equipped to administer here.”

“I knew she was coming down with something,” Avery said. “She was just getting worse and worse over the weekend, and right after the tree-lighting ceremony she got this horrible hacking rasp. Her last chemo treatment was just about a month ago and she’s been running herself ragged ever since. I should have stopped her from overtaxing herself.”

“It can take a few months or more after chemotherapy ends for the immune system to return to full strength. You brought her in as soon as she spiked a fever, which was the right thing to do. She’s weak, but you caught it in time and we can treat it,” Julie said firmly. As she spoke, her sandy blond ponytail flicked over her shoulder.

Avery’s social-worker brain kicked in. “I have to call Emma,” she said. “There are so many doctors and tests and treatment plans. I need to start making lists of the medications Kate’s taken and everything she’s on now. I’ll need her medical records, as well as the dates of her last checkups.”

“We’ll work together to get all of the information compiled,” Julie said. “I have absolute confidence that the doctors at CCH will take good care of your aunt. And I would be happy to act as a liaison for Kate. I have all her medical history and I consider her a friend, besides. Would it help if both of us acted as her advocates?”

“It would,” Avery said, happy to have someone else to share the burden. Managing care was always a challenge with her own clients and she prided herself on getting it right the first time, every time. But Kate’s care was something else. This was personal. This was family. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” Julie gave her a kind look, her hazel eyes softening. “I’m always here for you. Both of you.” She glanced down the hallway. “First order of business is to get your aunt to the hospital. I don’t want you to panic, but I need to stress the urgency of the situation. Do you think you can drive her there now, or should I call an ambulance?”

Julie’s insistence that she get Kate to the hospital immediately made her more calm, not less. Avery was good in emergencies, and composed under fire. It was just the buildup that made her crazy, as she tried to figure out every permutation of what could go wrong and how she could fix it. “I can drive. On local roads, it’s ten minutes, max.”

“Good. Get her there safely. I’ll put in a call to the attending physician and will fax over all the records. They’ll have a plan set up for you as soon as you walk through the door. I’m guessing she’s going to need to be there for four to seven days, depending on how bad things are.”

“Okay.” She could manage it. All of it.

Carefully, she and Julie helped Kate into the front passenger seat of Avery’s little car. Kate looked even worse now, her face pallid and her breathing shallow. It was heart-wrenching to see her aunt in such a terrible condition, but Avery took comfort from the fact that she’d soon get the help she needed.

Avery didn’t need to roll down the window to hear Julie’s parting words. “Drive safely.”

Happily, there was very little traffic and she made it to CCH in good time. Kate was admitted immediately, and Avery stayed close by her side all morning as she was pricked, prodded, and probed. Julie’s office had faxed everything over, so things ran smoothly. Kate was given oxygen and placed on an IV. Emma came over quickly, and stayed for as long as she could before going back to work. Now Kate was sleeping, if not comfortably, then more easily than she had been. And the attending physician, a competent older woman with an authoritarian air but a warm smile, told her that Kate was going to be fine. Avery was relieved, to say the least.

Still, by the time Julie showed up at five, Avery was exhausted. The pace of the hospital was frenetic, and negotiating her aunt’s care, even with Emma’s help, had taken a lot out of her.

“How is our patient doing?” Julie asked.

Avery sighed. “Better, thank God. Her breathing is steady, but they say it’ll take a few days for her lungs to start to clear.”

Julie shook her head. “It’s amazing how effective the human body is at keeping out invaders when it’s healthy. And how poor it is when it’s weakened.”

“I feel terrible. Kate’s been doing so much. She hasn’t slowed down at all. That’s what probably set this off.”

“You don’t know that for certain. It’s more than likely she just caught some kind of bug going around. Unfortunately, because she’s recovering from cancer, it probably hit her harder than it would a healthy person. We usually don’t caution patients in remission to stay away from friends, but we do suggest they steer clear of sick people. I don’t think it’s necessary for Kate to stay inside all the time, but you might suggest that she take it easier. And don’t blame yourself, Avery. Kate has a mind of her own.”