Chapter Seventeen
Shanna was lonesome. Those trips with Wes to town had meant more to her than she’d realized. Christmas came and went, and it was a long cold winter. Wes left her alone to live her life, calling her once a week. He urged her to stay at the larger cabin if she had any trouble with the furnace or power at hers.
Once the snow had fallen, he’d told her she could use the snowmobile in the garage of the larger cabin. He was certain she could figure it out if there was any kind of emergency, although she wasn’t sure about that herself, despite having taken off occasionally in Mom’s car as a teenager without her even being aware. He kept a large supply of gas in the garage.
Someone was coming and restocking everything in the larger cabin, she realized one day, when she arrived and found more cash and another credit card in the envelope in the kitchen. There were even extra groceries in the fridge for her, she noticed.
But it still didn’t make up for the loneliness she felt. Occasionally, she spied on her sister, who’d moved into the family cabin on Crystal Rock Lake. She was excited to see that Anya was fixing things up.
One day, she realized that Anya wasn’t living there alone anymore. She and Eric O’Neill had apparently made up and were dating again. That’s what kept Shanna going through those long lonely days and nights.
But one day in February, Wes called, giving her some news.
“Shanna? I’ve been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I’m not sure how much time I have left,” he said gruffly. “There are some things we need to talk about. I’m going to send a friend of mine over to come and get you. He’ll be taking care of you for me.”
Her initial grief turned into panic. Would she be held hostage for the rest of her life?
“Things are going to be different. I promise,” he said softly. “You’ll understand when he arrives to pick you up.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow morning. Ten o’clock. Be there at the large cabin. Okay?”
“Alright,” Shanna answered, filled with dread.