Chapter 25
Zane watched Mabel drive away. His lungs were stinging from the smoke inhalation and coughing. She’d left so quickly that he hadn’t even had a chance to tell her the truth about Carolina.
His head throbbed with pain as he thought of the photo of him and Carolina. It did look bad. If the tables were turned and Mabel and Dallin Conforth were in a photo like that? Even just the thought of that had Zane nearly bellowing out with hurt.
Not that he could yell. Despite the masks and protective equipment they used, his lungs were shot and his body weak.
Not wanting to wake Styles, he called Mabel from his room, hoping she’d answer but not surprised that she didn’t.
She was wounded, and she was only protecting herself from further perceived harm.
Her life had been so full of loss—no wonder she thought the things she did about Carolina.
He texted her a couple of times, briefly, knowing words on a screen weren’t going to help much.
His sleep was crappy—he wasn’t sure how much he actually got. And when seven finally came, he helped Lorelei by carrying a still-sleeping Styles to her car.
Figuring he might as well be up for good, he quickly got ready to go. All thoughts, everything in him, churned toward Mabel. He had to see her and explain.
But first, he had an obligation to stop by the fire site.
Partway through the drive there, he looked over at the passenger seat to realize that almost without thinking, he’d grabbed the translucent glass sculpture whatchamacallit from Food ‘N’ Friends—the one that held layers of varying colors of sand.
The thing was ugly. But desperation and sleep deprivation were strong factors at the moment.
And, well, he needed to use anything that might help him make Mabel understand the depths of his feelings for her.
Before Zane even parked his truck along the road near the water tower, he noticed the transformation that had taken place in the few hours since he’d left.
Burn marks scarred the alfalfa fields surrounding the water tower.
It smelled of smoke, wood, and rot. The tank that was supposed to eventually hold water again was busted open on the ground.
The timber planks that once held it up were almost unrecognizable, with one of them having already fallen.
Grief coursed through Zane. What would they do now?
At least the fire looked to be almost completely out, the pops and sizzles from steam and smoke down to a soft murmur.
He walked out a ways to Liam. Slinging his ax up above his head, Liam brought it down hard on a piece of charred lumber, an old crossbeam from the water tower. It was like he was chopping Silver Plum’s history down splinter by splinter.
“Hey,” Zane said to Liam, watching as he took another slice through the wood.
Liam didn’t respond, just shot him a glare before continuing to chop.
“You all right? Need a break?” Zane asked.
“Nope. I’m fresh. I’ve only been here a couple of hours.” Liam’s voice was harsh, and the harshness was more than smoke-related.
Zane stood quietly. “I’ll come back in a little while and relieve you.” He hesitated, not sure if he should leave with Liam so out of sorts.
“What are you doing, man?” Liam asked, resting the head of the ax on the ground in front of him.
“What do you mean?”
Liam glanced at Zane and frowned. “Bringing that woman to Weston and Ruby’s engagement. Seriously? After all that’s happened with Mabel?”
“You need to get your story straight, Liam. Because that’s not what happened. I didn’t know she’d be there. I didn’t come with her, and I didn’t want her there.”
Liam opened his mouth to protest, and Zane stopped him.
“Sorry, my friend, but you’re wrong. I know about the post and the photo.
” He shook his head and bit the inside of his cheek.
“I know how that looks. All I can say is that, yes, I met Carolina Jorgenson at the Bartlett event Saturday night. And she’s a nice person.
But I don’t have any feelings for her.” Zane’s arms went in the air.
“She’s friends with Weston’s cousin. For some reason, that meant she had to come to the proposal.
That part is still unclear to me. But I don’t like Carolina.
” The last of his words came out in a hoarse whisper. “I’m in love with Mabel.”
Liam crossed his arms and leaned onto the end of his axe. “Okay.” His face was serious a moment before the beginnings of a smile appeared. “I can tell you mean what you say.”
Zane shifted his weight and reached for the ax. “I need to take a few swings, man.”
Liam’s brows went way up. “No, you don’t. You need to go to Mabel and talk with her.”
Mack walked over with a scowl, looking like he’d gotten about as much sleep as Zane had.
Liam held up his hand. “Don’t worry. There’s a logical explanation. But it’s something I’ll tell you, not him. Because he’s going to go find Mabel.”
Mack grinned, but before he could say anything, a compact car pulled up on the shoulder of the country road, and a woman in a business suit got out and walked toward them.
“Mack Duncan? Hello.” It was Liza Jorgenson. Her lips knit together tightly as she gave a slight nod. “And Zane.” She smiled as she reached up to pat him on the shoulder before surveying the scene. She gestured to Mack and Liam. “Looks like you’ve been hard at work.”
It was unsettling having Liza there on their territory with such a mess of destruction everywhere.
“I saw the post,” Liza said to Zane. “The one with the photo of you with our family?”
Mack only stood, looking back and forth between them, a confused expression on his face.
At Zane’s nod, she continued. “It bothered me. And it kept bothering me for the longest time. I know Marlene personally, and she seems to have put our little tiff all those years ago at the front of her mind. Finally, I got so sick of what was eating at me, and I wanted to come and apologize for the fallout that has happened, as evidenced by all the comments on that post.”
“Comments?” Zane asked.
“There are more than a hundred comments on Marlene’s post, back and forth from Silver Plum lovers and haters to Bartlett lovers and haters, and everything in between,” Mack said, biting down on his lip.
Liza glanced at each of the men. “Anyway, I’d like to offer an olive branch.”
“I’m listening,” Zane said. He doubted this olive branch could be related to the real problem at hand: that Mabel was hurting from a perceived connection between Liza’s daughter and him.
“I have information about the arsonist.”
That was not at all what Zane expected her to say.
Liam let out a grunt.
“Somehow I doubt that someone with a vested interest in Bartlett’s water supply could be a reliable source,” Mack cut in.
“I assure you it’s legitimate. I’ve just come from the county sheriff’s office. There will be an investigation, and I hope it will help in repairing this landmark in your community.” She looked across the way at the pieces of lumber charred and stacked in haphazard piles.
She handed a paper to Zane. “You can show this to your mayor when you’re done.” She offered a smile to Mack. “It details how the perpetrator came forward early this morning.”
“Already? Are you sure?” Mack asked, stepping near to Zane so he could see the paper.
“Yes, I’m sure. So far, his story checks out.
” She glanced around them and dropped her voice.
“It was a family feud of some kind. The rancher who owns this property outside the fifty-yard perimeter around the tower? He was the one who built that illegal dam. But get this. His brother, who lives in Bartlett now, started the fire.” Her countenance darkened.
“The dimwit only intended to burn down some rickety old fence of his brother’s.
Out of anger that he built the dam? I don’t know.
All I know is the fire got out of hand, he got scared and bailed, and this is the result.
” She held out her arms and took in the scene.
The men could only stare, their mouths dropping open. It was too crazy of a story to be believed. Zane read through the paper as quickly as he could. It did seem to line up with his initial thoughts on the area of origin.
A pained look crossed her face. “I’m truly sorry that a citizen of my town did this,” she said.
“I promise you I will do whatever I can to get him prosecuted and to get you the funds needed to recoup this loss.” She lifted a shoulder.
“I think this can be a wake-up call. Yes, this was a family argument gone wrong. But I hope it serves the purpose of highlighting the need for change. I hope bringing this to light can be a step toward healing our two communities.”
“Zane Taylor, I advise you to leave the premises,” Raylene warned, glancing behind her. As no-nonsense as her words were, her expression and tone were light.
He approached the nurse’s station where she sat. “I’m not here to work. And the suspension will be over in less than two weeks.”
“Then why are you here?” She continued to type on her computer, but her slight smile couldn’t be contained.
“Is there some sort of rule that says I can’t be in here?”
“As far as I know, there isn’t. Especially if you’re in need of emergency services.” She smirked as she looked him over.
“I need to talk to Mabel, if she’s available. For just a couple of minutes. Please.”
Raylene shook her head and rolled her chair away from her desk to better look at him. “She’s not here.”
Frustration built inside of him. He’d stopped at Mabel’s place first, but Bryce had told him she was at the hospital. Maybe he’d given him false information?
He sighed and pinched his brow with his thumb and forefinger. His headache was only growing worse.
“But she is probably in another department in the hospital today,” Raylene supplied, rearranging the pens in a can on her desk.
“Really? Great. Can I try to find her?”
She held up her hands. “I’m not saying anything, but if you walk back out the ER doors and reenter the hospital like a normal person, it’s not like I’d need to try and stop you.”
He thanked her as he hurried back outside and within minutes was walking along the corridors of the hospital. Heart pounding, he thought of seeing Mabel again. This was going to work—it had to. If he could explain everything to her, she’d feel it. The truth was the truth. It would stand on its own.
Finally spying her down near the stairwell on the second floor, he broke out into a jog. If he could be so lucky as to have found her while she was on break, he’d better hurry and take advantage of the little bit of time he had.
“Zane?” Mabel frowned as he neared her. Her hair was pulled back off her face. She was beautiful in her purple scrubs. They were a slim cut, not the baggier versions he usually saw. He ached to pull her close.
“Mabel, do you have a minute? I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.” He was suddenly out of breath.
She opened and closed her mouth, and then her dimple creased. “My break’s over. I have to go back to the surgical unit.”
He found himself nodding. “Okay, that’s okay.”
“What’s that?” She pointed to the glass sand sculpture in his hand.
He’d almost forgotten he was holding it. What made him think it was a good idea to bring it in there?
He turned it over in his hands and laughed. “It’s ugly.”
“Hideous. What color is it? Pea-green? Chartreuse?”
“I don’t know. It was a Food ‘N’ Friends special.” He glanced at her.
She nodded. “That makes sense, then.”
“I guess I brought it because it reminds me of you.”
She took a step away and glanced at her watch. “Gee, thanks.”
“Just the sand in it. You probably don’t remember our fight on the rafts, do you?”
She chewed on her lip before answering, grabbing at the chain that hung over her collarbone. “Yes. I do remember that.”
“It was an impulsive purchase, and I—” He switched it over to the other hand, feeling foolish. Dr. Conforth would have brought her something a lot nicer, guaranteed. How had this whole attempt to explain himself and tell her how much he loved her gone off the rails this badly?
“I really have to go, Zane.” She wrapped her arms around her middle as she took a step toward the double doors of the surgical unit.
“Yes, you do.” He moved to the doors to push the door to open them for her, but they were locked.
Her dimple appeared as she gave a half-smile. “You have to have a badge.” She lifted hers to the pad on the wall, and a beep sounded as the doors opened.
He panicked at the thought of her leaving, and his words came out quickly.
“I need you to know that I didn’t bring Carolina to the proposal.
And I didn’t know she was going to be there.
Her best friend is Weston’s cousin.” A rush of air left his lungs, still burning from the smoke. “You’re the woman I love, Mabel.”
She shook her head. “But I saw the photo of the two of you.” She swallowed hard and pressed her hands to her middle. “You can see the connection between you. It’s plain as day.” She lifted a hand and swiped it down through the air. “I have to go.”
He wanted to follow her, to beg her to believe his words. But he wasn’t going to add breaking into a secure area of the hospital to his growing rap sheet.
He needed to come up with a new plan.