EPILOGUE
Scarlet finished tying Tessa’s new skates and then steadied her as Cameron fastened the strap of the hockey helmet under her chin.
“Let’s go, Daddy!” she said impatiently.
“Hang on a second. Let’s wait for Scarlet.” He flashed a smile at her. “Even if she is a slowpoke.”
“Slowpoke? I can skate rings around you, Hainstock.” She gave them both an indulgent smile. “You two go on ahead. I’ll catch up as soon as I get my skates on.”
“Okay, sweetheart.”
Cameron led Tessa to the chair he’d brought out to the large patch of ice on the lake that he and Ethan had cleared of snow. Tessa pushed the chair around the ice, encouraged by her father’s praise.
“Scarlet, look! I’m skating!” Tessa called.
“You’re doing great!”
Scarlet smiled fondly at Cameron and Tessa. Her family.
Sometimes it was hard to believe how much her life had changed in such a short time. In a week, she and Cameron would be married in a simple ceremony at the lodge. Tessa would become her stepdaughter. Happiness made her heart swell with joy.
Still, despite her joy, questions about the past nagged at her. Who was the man her mother had loved as a teenager and continued to love as a married woman? Had she really been planning to run away with him?
She tightened the laces on one skate and pulled on the other. Somehow, she had to find the answers to those questions or they’d never leave her and her sisters in peace.
But how could she uncover the truth after so many years when almost everyone involved was dead? She closed her eyes and sent a silent prayer heavenward.
Mom, Daddy, please help us find the truth so we can have peace.
Harper and Maggie joined her on the bench and set their skates beside them. Harper unlaced her boots. “I haven’t skated since we were kids. I hope I remember how.”
“If you have trouble staying on your feet, maybe Tessa will let you borrow her chair,” Maggie teased.
“Smart ass.” Harper paused and looked out at the frozen lake. “It’s going to sound a little crazy, but I feel like Mom and Daddy are nearby when we’re out on the lake.”
Scarlet smiled at her sister. “I think that’s a nice sentiment.” If Harper was comforted by the belief, she was happy for her.
Maggie finished lacing her skates and got to her feet, doing a little spin on the ice in front of them. She stuck the pick of her skate into the ice to bring herself to a stop.
“Still got it,” she said with a grin. “Thank you, Grandma, for all the figure skating lessons.”
She skated off, did a couple of little jumps, then skated backwards towards them, her skates criss-crossing in perfect precision.
“Show off!” Scarlet shouted. Maggie made a little bow and laughed.
“Are you guys ready?”
“Give me a minute,” Harper said.
“Scarlet!” Tessa took a few tentative steps without leaning on the chair. “Look at me! I’m skating!”
“You are! You’re skating all by yourself, Tessa,” Scarlet called. A minute later, Tessa lost her balance and fell on her bottom. With a helping hand from Cameron, she pushed herself to her feet once more and took a few more steps. Scarlet’s heart filled with love.
“Isn’t she adorable?”
“She is. And you’re going to be a wonderful mother,” Harper said. “Now, help me up. I may need to lean on you a bit.”
Scarlet and Maggie got her to her feet and Harper took a few tentative steps. “I think it’s coming back to me, but don’t let go.”
Scarlet gripped her waist. “We’ve got you, sweetie.”
They each took one of her hands and slowly made their way around the perimeter of the ice surface. As the sun lowered in the western sky, Scarlet gazed out over the frozen surface of the lake and in the distance, she saw a flash of yellow. When she looked more closely, she saw a yellow canoe drift across the ice. Two people were inside the canoe, their paddles moving in perfect synchronization. The fading sunlight glinted off a woman’s red hair. Scarlet blinked, and when she looked again, they were gone.
She gasped. It happened so quickly, she couldn’t be sure it had been real.
Of course it wasn’t real.
“Scarlet? Something wrong?” Harper asked.
“No, no. Everything’s fine.” She couldn’t stop herself from looking one last time, but there was nothing in the distance except the frozen lake topped with frothy drifts of snow.
“You’re sure?” Harper had always had a knack for reading her. As much as she trusted her and Maggie, she wasn’t ready to share what she’d seen, whatever it was. She made herself smile.
“I’m sure.”
Ethan approached and came to a quick stop in front of them, his skates sending up a small shower of ice. “Can I take my wife off your hands, ladies?”
“You are welcome to her. Good luck!” Maggie said with a laugh.
“Hey!” Harper laughed, too, then happily skated off with Ethan, who held her securely.
“I’m going to do some spins,” Maggie said. “You okay, Scarlet?”
“I’m fine. I’ll catch up with Cameron and Tessa.”
With a wave, Maggie skated off. Scarlet hurried in the opposite direction, reaching for Cameron’s outstretched hand. He brought her gloved hand to his mouth for a kiss. “I love you,” he said.
“I love you, too. To the moon and back.”
Cameron grinned at her. “To the moon and back. Come on. Let’s take Tessa for a spin.”
“Let’s go all the way around the rink one more time before it gets too dark. Think you can keep up, Tessa?”
“Yes!”
They skated on and Scarlet listened to Tessa’s excited chatter with half an ear. Maybe what she’d seen had simply been a trick of the light. It was possible she’d so wanted a glimpse of her parents that her mind conjured them up for her. Or maybe it was something more.
Scarlet glanced over her shoulder, hoping to catch a glimpse of the canoe and its passengers once more. There was no one there, but she could feel their presence. A feeling of warm happiness swirled in her chest and radiated through her body.
Mom, Daddy, I love you.
“Are you two ready to go inside now?” Cameron asked.
“I’m ready,” Tessa said. “Can we have hot chocolate?”
Scarlet smiled. “Absolutely. With whipped cream, too. Let’s go home.”
Cameron leaned over for a brief kiss. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than at home with my two favorite girls.”
Scarlet smiled back at him, her heart overflowing with love. “Nowhere else at all.”
The End
Thank you for reading “Secrets and Solace”. If you enjoyed the story, please leave a review at your favorite retailer. Reviews allow writers to keep writing new stories for you!
Now, read on for an excerpt from “Truth and Solace”, book three in the Love at Solace Lake Series. Thank you!