1.

R OOSTER

"You've got three minutes to get in the car!"

"Do you have to yell?" I watched Madison walk down the stairs as if she didn't have a care in the world before she angered me even further by rolling her eyes and saying, "I can hear you."

"Did you hear me thirty minutes ago when I said I was ready to go?" I asked her.

"I had to change my clothes."

" Again? "

"I didn't like that outfit because it looked too matchy-matchy with what Kerrigan was wearing," Madison explained.

"You aren't even going to be together today, so what does it matter?"

"It matters," Madison said with a shrug. She motioned toward the door and asked, "If you don't hurry, we're going to be late."

I closed my eyes and took a deep, calming breath in through my nose and held it for a count of ten before I slowly let it out as I watched Madison walk out the front door like she hadn't been the reason we were late. It didn't help that I could hear my ex-wife laughing at me from her seat behind the reception desk.

"I'll call Clark and have him take Kerri to school," Dianna offered.

"I have a better idea. I'll take Kerrigan to school, and Clark can take Mads to her appointment."

"You know that won't work."

I let my head drop forward in defeat and said, "Thanks. I owe you one."

"I'll put it on your tab," she said sarcastically as she picked up her phone to call her husband.

"If you ever try to collect on that, I'm screwed," I muttered as I turned around and headed outside. "I'll send Kerri back in."

When I opened the back passenger door of my truck, I was assaulted by the sound of something my sister and daughter considered music as I reached in to undo my daughter's seatbelt.

"Come on, Chickadee. Your papa is going to take you to school today so me and Aunt Mads aren't late for her appointment."

"Okay," Kerrigan said cheerfully as she threw herself into my arms. "Will you still pick me up after school?"

"I will try my hardest, but it depends on how long the appointment takes. You know how it goes."

"Stinkin' bureaucracy!" Kerrigan shouted angrily before she kissed me on the cheek. "Love you, Daddy."

"Love you, too, Chickadee," I told her before I gave her a kiss on the forehead. As I set her on her feet I asked, "Do you know what bureaucracy means?"

"It's the man! He screws you every chance he gets."

"I can tell you've been hanging out with Grandpa again." I said, trying to control my laughter. "Who is ‘the man,' exactly?"

Kerrigan shrugged and said, "I don't know."

"Go hang out with your mama until your ride gets here."

"Yessir!" Kerrigan said before she gave me a haughty salute.

I watched her walk up the steps to the front door as I made my way around the truck to the driver's side. By the time I got behind the wheel, she was in the building where her mom could see her.

"You can't speed on the way there," Madison said angrily as I backed out of my parking spot. "Even if we're going to be late you can't break the law."

"You took too long on purpose, didn't you?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you know if we're more than ten minutes late they'll make us reschedule." Once I pulled out onto the road, I looked at my sister and said, "There's no reason to be nervous about today's visit, Chicken Little. They're just going to run some tests."

"But if they run the tests, then get bad results back, they might make me go back to the hospital."

"If that's the case, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. You've been taking your meds like you're supposed to, so I can't see any reason that they would come back bad, but if it happens, we'll deal, right?"

"You're not the one that they're gonna poke with a needle."

"They might not do that today. Last time, they didn't need to start an IV because you were calm and relaxed enough for them to put you in the machine without any sedation."

Madison sighed and bumped her head against the headrest a few times before she said, "I have to take my shot soon, don't I?"

"Yep. We'll deal with that later, though, so there's no sense in getting worked up about it now."

"I have a date on Friday night."

"Cool.With who?"

"He's a new guy I met at the community center. He and his parents just moved here."

"Is he nice?"

"Yeah."

"Is he funny?"

"Yeah."

"Is he respectful?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Then I won't have to kill him."

Madison burst out laughing, which was the reaction I was looking for, before she said, "You wouldn't kill him, Roo! You'd probably just break his arm or something."

"Let's hope we don't have to test that theory," I mumbled. "Aren't you too young to date?"

"I'm twenty-one!"

"Exactly."

"I'm an adult."

"That doesn't mean anything if you're my sister. I want to meet this guy when he picks you up, so you need to tell him you'll meet him in the bar instead of having him come up to your apartment."

"Rooster!"

"I'm serious. I'll be able to tell if he's a serial killer and probably end up saving your life."

"Probably?"

"Keep pushing me, and I might decide not to."

"Whatever."

◆◆◆

ROSIE

"You didn't have to go to all this trouble," I said as I helped my mom clear off the table. "It's not like I'm moving to the other side of the planet."

"I know that, but I wanted to feed you a decent breakfast before you take off and start eating frozen pizza and chicken nuggies constantly."

"I've learned to cook other things!"

Mom laid her hand on my arm and looked at me sadly before she said, "Sweetheart, ramen doesn't count."

I rolled my eyes, and she squeezed my arm gently as she laughed. I put my hand on hers and said, "I'll be less than four hours away, Mom. You can visit anytime you want. You know that, right?"

"As much as I'll miss you, I know that this is the right thing for you to do, my Rosie-girl," Mom said as she let go of my arm to pull me in for a tight hug. "Go make your dreams come true, and find your peace while you're at it."

"Thanks, Mom."

"You'll come home occasionally?"

"I'm only going to be gone for a few months." When Mom raised her eyebrows in question, I said, "Yes. I'll come home to visit and call you every day just like I do when I'm here in town."

"I know the girls will be coming to see you now and then, so I'll make sure to send more frozen meals with them."

"I'm not going to starve! There's a restaurant in the lodge just a short walk away from my front door and a town full of restaurants and diners right up the road from the resort!"

"Sweetie, as a mother, it's my job to worry, but you've done so well for yourself and have your life so put together that you're making my job very difficult. The worry about food is all I've got to fall back on."

Tears filled my eyes as I hugged my mom even closer and whispered, "I think that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.

Mom pulled back, but not before she gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Go say goodbye to your father before he unpacks your truck again."

"I know how to pack!"

"I've got the food, and he's got the packing. If you weren't so awesome, we'd be able to find something else, but for now, this is where we are."

◆◆◆

The short drive to my new temporary home passed quickly as my mind swam with story ideas and plot lines that made the miles fly by. It seemed like I'd only been in the car a few minutes rather than a few hours, and before I knew it, the GPS was yelling at me to make a left at the next road, pulling me out of my musings and back to reality.

I slowed for the sharp turn that would take me off the highway and down the side of the mountain, an area I'd only seen on Google maps until now. I drove slowly, enjoying the autumn view with the explosion of oranges and yellows that meant snow would be here soon and change the landscape to a different picturesque scene.

When I pulled up in front of the lodge, I found a parking space and then gathered the receipt I printed out when I made my reservation along with my wallet. I was a little nervous but more than ready to get the adventure started.

Once I was standing beside my SUV, it felt good to stretch out. As I moved around for the first time in a few hours, I got the first look at my new home.

"Welcome to Mannin's Resort!" a cheerful voice called out. I spun around and found a smiling woman in a rocking chair with a mug in her hand. "You must be Drea."

"I am, but you can call me Rosie," I told her as I walked up the steps. "I think I spoke to you on the phone."

"A few times," she said with a smile. She motioned toward the rolling cart that held an assortment of mugs along with a large insulated carafe and asked, "Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"I'd love one!" I replied as I walked over and looked at the selection of syrups and creamers. "I thought I'd missed my chance at decent coffee since the website said that the resort cafe was closed in the middle of the week."

"We've always got fresh coffee whether they're open or not, but they do close on Tuesday and Wednesday so the owner can have a few days off between busy weekends."

"I'm sure I'll get to know her well because I don't even become human in the mornings until I'm at least three mugs in."

"Mads is going to be your best friend then," the lady said as I sat down in the rocking chair next to hers. "I'm Dianna."

"It's nice to meet you," I said as I shook her hand. I took a sip of my coffee and hummed. "This is delicious."

"Madison takes her coffees and teas very seriously. You'll never have a bad cup when she's in charge. She roasts the beans herself and even creates her own tea blends."

"She's going to become my hero. I can tell."

"We're all pretty fond of her, but since it's Wednesday, you'll have to wait until tomorrow to meet her."

"I look forward to it."

"I just got back from double-checking to make sure your cabin was ready. I think you'll be happy with it."

"I'm not sure coming here will help me the way I thought it would."

"If you came for relaxation, then you should be fine."

"I came to do some writing, but I'm not sure I'll do anything but sit on the porch and watch the trees."

"Our WiFi reaches all over the property, so why don't you do both at the same time? I've got a tray table that I use as a desk when I can't resist working outside. I'd be happy to loan it to you."

"I might take you up on that. Thank you!"

"As you probably already saw on the website, the coffee shop has breakfast items along with the magical brew, our restaurant is open for lunch with a limited menu and for dinner until ten o'clock. However, the bar is open until one, and they have appetizers available all night."

"I'm sure I'll make use of all of those services. When I get into writing, time seems to fly until I suddenly realize I'm starving."

"We've had writers stay with us before, and they seemed to get lots of inspiration from the serenity of the mountain. I hope it works the same for you."

"I'm sure it will. If nothing else, it will help me de-stress. I haven't taken a vacation in more than ten years, so I think I'm due." I jumped when something touched my leg and looked down to find a fat calico rubbing against my calf. I reached down to pet him and heard a loud purr. I was shocked when he jumped onto my lap. "Looks like I've made a new friend."

"That's Ziggy. He's one of our full-time residents who roams around begging for treats from all the guests. There are three other cats who have run of the place, too, but they officially live with my business partner in his cabin."

"He's a cat lover, huh?"

"There's not an animal on earth he wouldn't take in if the opportunity arose. It's like Noah's Ark at his place. Your cabin is the closest one to his, so if you feel the need to roam, make sure you take some of the treats in the basket next to your front door. The animals love visitors and come in really handy as an early warning sign when bears or other wildlife are nearby."

"My dad sent me with three cans of bear spray," I told her with a bark of laughter.

Dianna smiled before she said, "There's some of that in the basket by your door too."

"I think I'm going to like it here."

"When you see your cabin, you'll know it."

Once we finished our coffee, Dianna got into my SUV and directed me around the lodge to the back of the property to show me my cabin and then helped me take in my luggage and other belongings I'd packed for my extended stay.

As we stood on the front porch of my cabin, she said, "There's a grocery store just up the road. You'll find directions to it as well as the medical clinic and the hours they're open in the pamphlet on the bar. If you need anything at all, just come up to the lodge and whoever is working will help you."

"Is there someone at the desk 24/7?"

"There is."

"Thank you so much. I already love it."

"I hope so!" she said cheerfully.

"Do you want me to drive you . . ."

Dianna interrupted as she shook her head. "I enjoy walking the property to check things out occasionally, so I'll be fine. You get settled in. Come see me if you need anything or just to hang out if you get lonely."

"I'll do that. Does it get busier on the weekends?"

"It does, but we put the short-time visitors near the front of the property and keep the long-term guests back here so there's not too much traffic and craziness." Dianna walked down the steps and then waved before she said, "I'll see you later! Enjoy your stay!"

I watched her walk away and then went back inside to start unpacking. I had chosen a roomy loft-style cabin for my stay because I loved the pictures I'd seen on the website. The ground floor was an open concept surrounded by windows that let the natural light shine into the living area and the kitchen. Beneath the stairs that led up to the loft bedroom was a pantry that included the washer and dryer and a half-bath.

Upstairs in the loft, there was a king-sized bed, dresser, desk, and a full bathroom. There was plenty of light from the windows downstairs, but the steeply angled roof had skylights on both sides that let in lots too. I hoped they would let me see the stars while I was in bed at night.

"If you don't watch out you might never leave," I mumbled to myself as I decided what to tackle first - my clothes or my computer and the box of journals I'd written in over the years that included story ideas, half finished novellas, and lists of plot lines, character names, and even a few pages of how to kill the bad guy in gruesome and hopefully very original ways.

I decided to leave it all for now and go exploring the town that was going to be my home for the next month or so before I stopped at the grocery store and got a few things including my own stash of coffee supplies for those late nights when I was burning the midnight oil and needed fuel to keep writing.

Hopefully, that would happen a lot because I might be here for a while otherwise. I'd been trying to sit down and write a book for so long that I wasn't sure I'd know what to do if I finished one, but I had the perfect set-up to give it a try.

And even if I didn't succeed, it would be good for me to have some alone time and gather my thoughts on other future goals because the dream I'd always had about a happy marriage and a house full of children was quickly fading with every birthday that passed.

I knew I had other options that would help me create a family of my own, even if they didn't fit my ideal. While I was enjoying myself in these peaceful surroundings, I planned to give them more thought and maybe even do a little bit of research.

I had nothing but time on my hands, so why not?