When he entered the master suite, his gaze scanned the room, taking in the lovely stone fireplace, the cozy sitting area, the two walk-in closets, and the fabulous sauna and master bath. This place was fit for a king… And a queen. A deep feeling of loneliness swept over him. This was the worst time of day when Belle was asleep, and he was alone. Those painful memories always came flooding back. He hadn’t expected the move to prevent that from happening, but he did hope that someday soon they’d begin to fade away.
Kicking off his shoes, he headed toward the bathroom. When he was in the shower, he let the warm water flow over the back of his neck, and that helped with some of the tension. But it also made him long to run his hands over the silky smooth skin of his wife. It wasn’t fair that she had been taken from him so prematurely. They’d barely begun their lives together. But at least he’d had six wonderful years with her. That was more than some people had. Not everyone was lucky enough to meet the love of their life. At least he had, and he clung to that thought like a lifeline. Later, while lying in bed, he was thankful for all the blessings in his life, and with heavy lids, he quickly fell asleep.
The next morning, he was abruptly awakened by a steady shaking of the bed. He opened one eye a crack and found Belle bouncing on the foot of it. “Careful,” he warned, “Or you’ll bounce yourself right off.”
“No, I won’t. I do this all the time on my bed. I’m practicing for gymnastics.”
Carter opened both eyes now, stretched his arms, and sat up. “You don’t take gymnastics.”
“I know. But I want to.”
He lifted a brow. “If that’s what you want, then talk to Maggie and ask her to set you up in a class.”
Belle plopped down on the bed. “Really? I can?”
“Of course. You know I support you in all your interests.”
She flung herself across the bed and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Daddy!”
Suddenly overcome with emotion, he sucked in a deep breath, inhaling the clean, young scent of her skin. “How about some pancakes?” he asked, swallowing the hard lump that had formed in his throat.
Belle giggled. “Ha, ha! Maggie beat you to it. She’s already got them on the grill.”
“Maggie’s here already? Well, then we better get up and put some clothes on. You know how she hates when we let her meals get cold.” Maggie Friedman had been their housekeeper, cook, and nanny since Belle was a baby. The older woman ran the household flawlessly, and they both thought of her as a member of the family and would be lost without her.
“Meet you downstairs in five minutes,” Belle said, jumping off the bed and heading for the door.
“You got it.” After she left, Carter dressed quickly, determined to beat his daughter to the kitchen. It was a game of theirs that they’d been playing for years, and nine times out of ten, Belle won.
When he entered the lovely sunlit room, he spotted his daughter munching on a pancake at the far end of the table with a huge grin on her face.
“You did it again, little one,” Carter said to Belle as he strolled over to the stove to kiss Maggie on the cheek. The short, stout woman had salt and pepper hair cut short to keep her tight curls under control. “I didn’t expect you to get here so early. Are you all moved in?”
“I am indeed. I’ve even got a load of laundry going.” She plopped a stack of pancakes onto a plate and handed it to him.
“You’re an amazing woman, Maggie.”
“I’m glad you think so,” she said with a wink, filling a plate for herself and following Carter over to the table.
Belle had already devoured her breakfast and was about to go outside to play when she suddenly began to cough and wheeze. Carter ran for her rescue inhaler, but it took an exceptionally long time to work. Her doctor had warned him that that might happen as her attacks had been getting worse for the past six months. Since she was unable to take a daily preventative medication due to having experienced severe side effects, her possible treatments were getting very limited.
Carter had hoped and prayed that moving to the country would help her condition, but now he was having doubts about that.
As if able to read his mind, Maggie said, “Don’t worry, Mr. Johnson. It’s only Belle’s first day here. It’s going to take some time before we start to see an improvement in her.”
Carter tried to offer up a smile, but he was barely able to. ‘I hope you’re right.”
“Why don’t you go and walk off some of that stress? It’s not often you get to enjoy the outdoors, and for late June, the weather is perfect. Not too hot or humid. I’ll get Belle set up on the couch in the family room where she can watch cartoons. Don’t you worry, she’ll be fine.”
Maggie was right about him needing to relieve some of his stress. “I won’t be long,” he said before heading out the French doors to the patio. He walked briskly across the perfectly manicured lawn over to a lightly wooded area. He leaned up against an old oak tree and sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. If he lost Belle too, there was no way he’d be able to carry on. He hated to think like that, making it a point to push such depressing thoughts from his mind, but after the episode today, it was impossible to do that. He had to face facts. Belle’s condition was serious, and if he didn’t find something that would help it, she could be in grave danger.
He stood there, leaning against the tree for some
