It was ironic that by coming here and walking the path, Karl had found something he could truly commit to.
The sun rose higher in the sky while she went over and over everything that had happened.
Abruptly she stood up. She was done. Karl had made his choice and she would respect it. Even though she wasn’t sure Karl was making the right decision, or if the decision was made by Wiroo.
A mate knew best. Hannah shook her head and pressed her palm to her forehead.
It was time to go. Time to leave the mountain and figure out her own life. Karl was safe and happy, that was all she needed to know for now. She did not want to waste another day focused on her brother when the man she loved was waiting for her.
She headed back up the trail toward the enclave.
Hannah stopped as she saw O’Malley. He was talking on the phone. She tilted her head to one side and observed him. As he ended the call, she asked, “Something wrong with the bar?”
“No.”
“Don’t lie to me, remember?” Hannah closed the distance between them. “Tell me.”
“There was a water leak, but it all seems to be under control.” O’Malley attempted to brush off her concerns.
“Is that the truth?” Hannah glanced past O’Malley to where her brother had taken their place on the large boulder. She wanted to talk to him but didn’t know what to say.
“Yes, Axel has it under control.” He glanced down at the phone. “Or so he says.”
“You think he’s lying?” Hannah asked.
“I don’t think he’d tell me the truth if it was really bad. But Jake, he owns the local sawmill, he’s sending his workforce over to help out today.” O’Malley sighed heavily.
“And you are wondering why everyone is going over to help if it’s all under control?”
“That’s just about it.” O’Malley glanced over his shoulder. “Are you going to talk to Karl?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I expect it feels as if I’ve wasted your time.”
“Not at all. At least you know Karl is alive and safe.” He looped his arm through hers and walked away from the enclave. “I’m going to call Kelos and ask him to come and get us tonight if that’s okay with you.”
“It is. Wiroo doesn’t want me to tell Karl I’m his sister. She’s worried it might lead him to have some kind of a breakdown.” Hannah’s mouth turned down at the corners. “She might be right. I’m sure I read somewhere that it’s important to let memories come back naturally.”
“One thing I can guarantee is that with Wiroo being Karl’s mate, she will want the best for him. She wants him to be happy,” O’Malley assured her.
“I know, but she is making the decisions for him. He doesn’t know if he would be happier or not, because he doesn’t know what he’s forgotten.” She glanced at Karl once more, making sure he couldn’t hear their whispered conversation.
O’Malley placed a hand on her upper arm and smiled a heartbreakingly sincere smile. “If you want, we can ask Kelos to land here and we can bundle your brother on his back and fly away from here. We can get him the best medical treatment available. I’m sure his memories would come back with time and the right treatment.”
“And he will hate me forever. Not to mention Wiroo will never allow me to be part of their lives if he does remember and chooses to come back here. Which he would because he is having a baby.” She punched him lightly on the arm. “Thanks for the wakeup call.”
“I’m pretty sure kidnapping Karl would be the worst thing we could do.” He slipped his arm around her shoulders. “But if you asked me to, I would.”
“Would you?” she asked. “Even though you knew it was the wrong thing to do.”
“If that was what you really wanted. But not until I had spent a long time trying to talk you out of it.” He leaned his head on hers. “I want you to be happy, Hannah.”
“I want that, too. And I want Karl to be happy. Which I think he is.” She looked out across the vast mountain range. “This is quite a place to live.”
“It is. But it’s too quiet for me.” He took her hand and they walked back toward Karl. “What do you want to do with the rest of the day?”
Hannah looked at Karl who was flipping the poker chip between his finger and thumb. “Maybe we could hike back to the waterfall. Do you think we could get that far before Kelos comes to get us?”
“We could because we can take the easy route down the mountain.” He looked sideways at her. “Are you sure you don’t want to spend the day with Karl?”
She shook her head. “I’m worried I might say something, that I might not be able to stop myself from telling him…”
“I understand.” O’Malley led her back toward the enclave.
“This is familiar.” Karl held up the chip and studied the face of the two strangers. Or one brother-in-arms and one sister he could not remember.
“Perhaps you played poker…before.” Hannah went to Karl and stood in front of him. They had such similar features she couldn’t understand why Karl didn’t see the family resemblance. But then there were not too many mirrors in Wiroo’s house. Perhaps Karl didn’t see it. He didn’t recognize that they both shared their mother’s eyes and the straightness of her nose. That Karl had their father’s mouth…
Hannah closed her eyes for a brief moment. There was no point in torturing herself over this. She’d agreed to give Karl the time and space he needed, if her brother decided to come back to them, they would be ready with open arms. If he didn’t… That was a conversation she needed to have with her father.
“Poker,” Karl mused. “Cards, right?” His brow furrowed as if he
