Read Online Mending Places by Denise Hunter - Free Book Online Page A

Devon called from the office door in his typical greeting. “Boats are all locked up for the night. Do you have my shuttle schedule ready?” His gaze dragged down her body, then back up.
    She shifted uneasily, then slid the advertising proof back on the desk. “Not yet; just a sec.” She pulled up the page with tomorrow’s reservations. “How did today go?”
    “Great except for the tipping incident.”
    He’d told Hanna at lunchtime about the three teenage girls who’d tipped over their canoe in the middle of the lake. “They probably did it on purpose, just to get you to rescue them.”
    “Nah, they were just fooling around.”
    Hanna stared at the reservations calendar. “That’s odd.”
    “What’s wrong?”
    She got up and leaned her head around the corner to the dining room where Gram was doing a crossword puzzle. “Gram, do you know why there’s fewer rooms booked than there were last night? I’m sure we were full.”
    “Yes, honey, we had some cancellations today.”
    “Were they part of the same group?”
    “No, I don’t think so.”
    Hanna went back to her desk. Three rooms empty. That meant they’d received three cancellations in one day. Odd. “Well, let’s just hope that doesn’t happen too often.”
    “What’s that?”
    “Nothing to worry about, just a few cancellations. You still have three parties to pick up at the airport.” She wrote down the times and handed him the paper.
    “Thanks. See you tomorrow.” He winked.
    Hanna looked away from him and studied the calendar. She’d taken two cancellations herself in the last week but had thought nothing of it. The schedule was still pretty full, though.
It’s just a fluke. Nothing to worry about.
    Later that day, as she talked with Natalie on the phone, she realized there were plenty of other things to worry about.
    “Give me the number. I’ll call it,” Hanna said.
    Through the phone she heard Nat sigh. “I don’t know. Part of me is afraid to know for sure.”
    After a long pause, Nat agreed. “All right, do it.” She rattled off the number, and Hanna jotted it down.
    “I’ll call you right back,” Hanna said, then hung up.
    She punched in the number, wondering what she’d say. The number was probably only a friend of Keith’s or something. There was every—
    “Hello?”
    The voice was female, but she sounded too young to worry about.
    “I’m sorry, I probably have the wrong number, but do you know a Keith Coombs?”
    She waited for a reply. The pause stretched too long.
    “Who is this?” the woman asked.
    The question caught Hanna off guard. And made her stomach tighten in a knot. “Do you know Keith?”
    There was a noise in the background, a TV maybe. “Don’t call here again.”
    The phone clicked in her ear.
    Hanna dropped into her chair. That didn’t sound good. Though the woman hardly admitted knowing Keith, she hadn’t denied it either.
    She picked up the phone again, this time dreading what she’d have to tell Natalie.

CHAPTER SEVEN
 
    Hanna was running through the woods, the branches around her blur ring in her rush.
Hurry, you ’re going to be late.
Late for what? She didn’t know, but it was something important. The path ahead forked.
Which way, which way?
She looked over her shoulder and saw nothing but shadows.
    She turned, taking the fork to the right.
Where am I?
The woods seemed an endless maze of trees and bushes. Then she saw light ahead and knew where she was. It was the woods behind the lodge. She was almost there.
    She entered the light and stopped. Suddenly the sun was shining, casting a beautiful glow across the lake. White wooden chairs, filled with guests, formed a large block in the sun-dappled yard. Her grandfather approached, wearing a suit and tie, and extended his hand. She put one glove-encased hand in his and smoothed her wedding gown with the other.
    “It’s time,” he said.
    She smiled, barely able to contain the joy bubbling in her soul. He tucked her hand through