ALASKAN DAWN
Excerpt
Copyright 2015 by Edie Claire
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.
ALASKA
Chapter 1
“I’ve decided to go to Alaska,” Haley announced.
There, she had said it. Her tone had been just right, too. Gentle, but firm enough to show that the topic wasn’t open to debate.
Her sister’s eyes widened with alarm. “Now? But you can’t!”
Micah’s screeching plea made Haley wince, even though it was exactly what she expected. As were the brimming tears and trembling lower lip that followed. Micah wasn’t ordinarily this irrational. She had always had a tendency for emotional outbursts, true, but Haley hadn’t seen her sister this unraveled since they were teenagers. The strain of the last month had taken its toll on her.
On both of them.
“I can, and I am,” Haley answered, gentling her voice further. If she didn’t handle this right, Micah would go into a full-blown meltdown, which was the last thing either of them needed. “There is absolutely no medical reason I can’t get on a plane and spend a few days somewhere else besides here. My staying in Newport Beach won’t make the results come back any faster.”
“No, but—” Micah bit her lip, no doubt struggling to come up with a rebuttal that would hold some sway with her logical-minded sister. Haley knew exactly what Micah was thinking. She always knew. They were twins, after all, even if they couldn’t be more different.
“But what?” Haley prompted. “Don’t you think one of us should at least take a look at Uncle Randy’s property before we decide to sell it?”
“I don’t see why,” Micah retorted. “Of course we’re going to sell it. What would we do with some shack in the middle of Alaska?”
“Who said it was a shack?” Haley replied. “We don’t know what shape it’s in. That’s my point. Maybe the place would make a nice summer getaway.”
Micah frowned. “You know perfectly well that neither one of us has ever had the slightest desire to even go to Alaska.” Her lower lip started to tremble again. “You’re just looking for an excuse to leave town!”
Haley held her sister’s gaze. Micah’s clear blue eyes, wavy blond hair, and curvy figure had always rated her “the pretty one.” Haley, in contrast, was tall and lean, with straight, chocolate-brown hair and penetrating green eyes that, while not unattractive, had earned her the dubious compliment of being dubbed “the responsible one.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Haley replied calmly. “Everything you just said is true. I do want to get away for a few days. Is that so wrong?”
Micah’s eyes flashed with panic. She had no real reason to demand that her sister stay put, and they both knew it. They also both knew that, if reasoning failed, emotional manipulation would be next.
Micah’s eyes welled up with tears again. “This is because of last night, isn’t it? I told you I was sorry! I know I shouldn’t have pulled you and Mom into it, but I was just so upset with Tim. When he—”
“It’s not just about last night,” Haley broke in. Witnessing the horrendous argument between Micah and her husband the previous evening had been painful enough at the time. She had no stomach for hearing it rehashed this afternoon, which her sister would certainly do if given the slightest encouragement. “It’s the entire situation.”
“I know that all this testing has been difficult for you, Haley,” Micah pleaded. “It’s certainly been more than you signed on for, and I appreciate everything you’ve done more than I can say. But running away now won’t help anything, and I need you here while we wait. I’ll go crazy worrying otherwise!”
I need you, Haley. Please? Pretty please?
No other expression encapsulated more perfectly the current of Haley’s life — the insidious undertow that, more and more now, she was certain would eventually drown her. They were twenty-nine years old. When they were little, Micah was shy and had needed her. When they were fourteen and their father died of a heart attack and their mother fell apart, it was Haley who had been Micah’s rock. When they were in college and Micah struggled with anxiety, Haley had been by her side. Only when Micah had gotten married did Haley allow herself to believe that her sister would finally be all right without her. Then came the miscarriages. More anxiety. The depression. Now, they were here.
Was she running away?
Hell yes, she was.
Haley leaned forward and laid her hands on her sister’s arms. She would not be manipulated. Not this time. “Micah,” she said heavily. “You will worry no matter where I am. But I need to get away. I need a change of scenery. Some fresh air. Something to take my mind off those test results and reduce my general stress level. How many times have the doctors told us that stress is our worst enemy?”
Micah clenched her jaws a moment. “I know you’re right,” she admitted. “But I still don’t want you to go. Surely we can figure out something to take the stress off without your having to go so far away!”
“I need this,” Haley dared. “I need it for me.”
“But you can’t leave without taking my baby!” Micah fired back.
A flash of heat rose in Haley’s cheeks. She would not lose her temper with her sister. They had played that scene out many times before, and it never ended well, for either of them. She had agreed to serve as her sister’s surrogate, and she would see that commitment through to the end, come what may. “That is true,” she replied, working hard to keep her voice level, even as she wanted to scream. “But I promise to take good care of both of us. You know I will.”
Micah looked away. A tear coursed down one cheek. “How long?” she squeaked.
Haley released a breath with relief. “A week. I’m leaving the day after tomorrow.”
Micah whirled back around with another panicked look. “They have OBs in Alaska, don’t they?”
“Of course they do. I’ve already looked one up, so I’ll have a number just in case. But I won’t need it. I’m not due for another visit for nearly three weeks.” Haley searched her sister’s eyes. She was certain that the real, relatively mature Micah was still in there somewhere. But all Haley’s efforts to help her sister regroup and refocus had failed, and she was losing her own sanity in the process. “I’ll be fine. The baby will be fine. We’ll be back before you know it. Okay?”
Micah swiped the tear off her cheek and nodded. “I know you wouldn’t do anything to put the baby at risk, Haley. I’m sorry if I snapped at you. If you really think a change of scenery would do you good, then go. But just for a few days. And stay in touch, okay?”
Haley started to nod, but stopped herself. She and Micah didn’t lie to each other. Her survival plan might not be fully formed yet, but she knew it would not include answering texts every three and a half seconds. How she would block out the constant barrage of angst streaming from the cell phones of both her sister and her mother, she wasn’t sure. But that shoe would have to drop later. Preferably after she was on a plane.
Haley ignored her sister’s question and smiled. Right now, she had Micah’s blessing for the journey. It was more than she had hoped for. Certainly more than she’d be likely to get from their mother.
“Have you told mom?” Micah asked, seemingly reading her twin’s mind.
Haley shook her head. “Not yet.”
“She won’t like it,” Micah predicted. “She’ll tell you pregnant women shouldn’t fly or something.”
Haley allowed herself a sigh. “I’m sure she will. But I’m going anyway. I’ll call her tonight. I want to know what she remembers about Uncle Randy.”
“All I remember is his having a beard and talking on and on about nothing interesting,” Micah said glumly. Neither of the girls had known their uncle, aside from one brief visit he had made to California when they were eight. Haley’s father had only rarely mentioned his brother’s existence, and Haley remembered no more about him than Micah did. But she would be forever grateful that the man had remembered his nieces in his will. With luck, the rural property he had left them would have no cellular service.
“Where will you stay?” Micah asked anxiously.
Not for the first time, Haley cursed the mind-reading thing. “I don’t know yet. If I can get the keys to Uncle Randy’s place and it’s decent enough, I may stay there. If not, I’m sure I can find a hotel. The property’s only a couple hours from Anchorage, and the nearest town looks like it’s a tourist destination, so I shouldn’t have any problem. It’s not like I’m going to the wilderness, Micah.”
Although...
Haley stopped herself. The fact that the word “wilderness” held such unexpected appeal was telling. She was hardly the outdoorsy type. The closest she’d ever gotten to camping was summer Girl Scout retreats at Camp Scherman where she and Micah had slept on bunks in lighted cabins and “roughed it” by walking outside to the restrooms. Living in a beach town, her mother’s idea of vacation had always been a week in Las Vegas or Reno. Haley herself had not ventured from the West Coast in years, with the exception of brief trips to Chicago and Houston on business for the firm, which didn’t count. Her own dreams of a getaway extended no further than visions of fluffy white bedding in a five-star hotel where she checked in with an alias and drowned her cell phone in the toilet.
This sudden, fierce craving for the solace of a spider-filled cabin in the middle of nowhere had to mean something. God knew she hated spiders. Most likely, it was a warning sign.
She planned to heed it.
Impulsively, she reached forward and gave her sister a hug. “Thanks for understanding.” She stepped back and headed to the door of her sister’s apartment to let herself out.
“Haley?” Micah called after her. “Just...” Her voice cracked, then broke off. Her eyes filled with tears again.
Just come back okay, please? Both of you.
Haley smiled back at her sister through eyes that were equally moist. “I promise,” she replied.
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