* * *
• • •
Reality didn’t truly catch up with Sara until she exited the plane in Anchorage, Alaska, and it dawned on her that she didn’t know where to go. The last few days had been a hellish emotional roller coaster of anger, guilt, and finally excitement. She’d done it, she’d actually quit her job—or her family—and was following her heart. Chloe had been thrilled. In fact, none of this would have been possible without her encouragement. Not only had she backed Sara’s decision, she’d also managed to get her mother, Ivy, on board. They’d both shown up at Chris’s house to lend their moral support when Sara told her own mother what she was doing. As predicted, her mother had been speechless at first, then furious. Oddly enough, it was her aunt Ivy who soothed the troubled waters for her. In the midst of her mother’s guilt-inducing tirade, Ivy had walked up to her sister and thrown an arm around her shoulder. Then she’d said, “Joan, at some point in every parent’s life, we have to trust we raised our kids right and let them go. Momma and Daddy did the same thing with us.” She then turned to Sara and took her hand. “Your daughter is an amazing woman, and I know you’re proud of her. She’s given three years not only to her brother but to you as well. I know you’ll miss her, we all will. But it’s time for her to spread her wings and see where they take her.”
“But what will we do? Chris depends on her . . . and so do I. You know I’ve never handled my household stuff alone. I wouldn’t know where to start.”
“I’ll help you get organized,” Ivy said firmly. “I’ve always taken care of things like that, and there’s nothing to it. As for Chris, he can either hire someone from an agency or maybe it would be something you’d like to do. Kaylee is in school all day now, so the hours are less. And I think it would be good for you to have a purpose again.”
Her mother had been rather subdued after that. She hadn’t tried to discourage Sara, nor had she offered any assistance. She had agreed to watch Chloe for a day until Chris returned. They had all jointly decided not to tell him the news while he was on vacation. Ivy had even said she’d watch Kaylee until they made other arrangements. Everything had gone much better than Sara had imagined. Except saying good-bye to her niece. That had been sheer hell, and she’d come close to calling the whole thing off. Weirdly enough, it was her talk with Chris on the day Gabe had shown up that kept her from backing out. His unhappiness over not having a stronger bond with his daughter and his resolve to do better. Yet that would get pushed to the side with Sara there. They’d settle back into their old routine, and before any of them knew it, Kaylee would be grown. And second chances might be possible in some things, but you couldn’t relive a childhood once it was gone.
Even if things didn’t work out with Gabe, she had no intention of picking up where she’d left off. It was time for a new chapter—some kind of change was in everyone’s best interest. How simple it was to walk away from my life.
Sara shook off that depressing thought as she followed the signs to baggage claim. She was determined to surprise Gabe, but she had no clue how to accomplish it. She couldn’t show up at his house, because she didn’t know his address. She did know the name of the military base he worked at—hopefully she could find out more there. She collected her suitcase and walked outside to hail a taxi. When they reached the base, she asked the driver to wait for her near the gate while she walked over to talk to the soldier stationed there. His expression remained impressively impassive when she said, “Um—I’m here to see Major Gabriel Randall.” Before he could respond, she added quickly, “I know he’s supposed to be on leave for the next month, but I . . . don’t have his address, and I wanted to surprise him.”
She saw it then, a glimmer of amusement that was so brief, she wondered if she’d imagined it. “Do you have an appointment with Major Randall?” he asked, seeming to already know the answer.
“No, this is personal.” Lowering her voice, she added, “I came all the way from North Carolina. Major Randall bought my plane ticket, all right? I think that implies that he wants to see me.”
He glanced around to where a couple of other soldiers were talking a few feet away. “Listen,” he said in the same hushed tone she’d used, “even if I wanted to help you, lady, I couldn’t. We’re under strict orders that no one goes past these gates unless they’ve been cleared ahead of time. And I gather that Major Randall didn’t do that if he wasn’t expecting you. So you’ll need to contact him and make other arrangements.” When she opened her mouth for one last plea, he shook his head. “I’m sorry, but even if I let you pass, you’d be stopped and escorted out at the next checkpoint.”
She thanked him, then returned glumly to the car. “Where to, miss?”
“Well, unless you know how to find someone who lives here without an address, then I have no idea,” she grumbled.
“He’s in the military?” he asked, waving a hand around.
“Yeah. It’s a really long story, but I wanted to surprise him. And I don’t have his address. He, um, just moved here recently, and this is my first visit.” I sound like a stalker. “Er—he’s my boyfriend, and we had a fight a few days ago. So I didn’t want to let him know I was coming. Plus, he’s not likely to respond anyway—you know, due to the argument. But—”
“If you show up at his door, you figure he’ll have to hear you out,” he guessed, shaking his head as if to say, Women.
“Yep, that pretty much covers it. Only now, I don’t see that happening. I hadn’t counted on this area being so big and the military being so . . . uncooperative.” God, he must think I’m an idiot.
“They can’t just let anyone in, right? But I do have a suggestion. My aunt runs a restaurant in town called Maxi’s. Lot of the soldiers hang out there. If anyone’ll know your guy, it will be her. And if she doesn’t, she could ask around for you.”
“Really?” Sara said excitedly. “That would be amazing. Could you take me there? Heck, I’ll even buy you lunch.”
He nodded, giving her a big smile in the rearview mirror. “You got yourself a deal. My name’s Hank. How about you?”
“It’s Sara. You have no idea how much I appreciate this, Hank. I was about ready to go back to the airport and fly home.”
“No promises,” he warned. “But my aunt never forgets a face, or a story connected with it. If your man has been in there or is known to anyone around these parts, then she’ll remember it. Plus, she’s buddies with every local business owner, and I know if I ask, she’ll check around for you.”
“Thank you, Hank. Truly, I’m very grateful that you’re doing this for a stranger.”