Page 9 of Unexpected Union

A half hour later, after having a cup oftea, Audra wandered down the worn path through the trees to thelake. There were wooden docks jetting into the water along theshore with rowboats and tandem paddle wheels tied up to each.Several boats dotted the expanse of the lake as other vacationerstook advantage of their availability.

She’d met the guests in the two neighboringcottages yesterday afternoon. Spotting Bart and Patty battling oneof the paddle wheel boats, she waved. They grinned and waved back,obviously delighting in their attempts to control the direction ofthe unwieldy craft using only the bicycle pedals.

Audra watched and laughed. They were soyoung, so happy, so in love—but then honeymooners were alwayscheerful. For a moment her smile faded.

She’d had such high hopes for her ownmarriage. They’d been eroded during the months she and Mitch hadlived together. How different their marriage had turned out. She’dexpected more—more than Mitch could deliver anyway.

Now all she had was a few happy memories anda truckload of regrets.

Suddenly feeling very old at twenty-eight,Audra turned and ambled along the shore. It was peaceful here. Sheought to be able to regain her sense of self, make plans for thefuture. Make the hard decisions that faced her.

“Hello young lady,” Mrs. Carmichael greetedher. The elderly woman and her husband smiled at Audra from theirseat on a fallen log near the beach. In the shade, it was protectedfrom the sun, while offering a perfect view of the lake.

“Lovely day, isn’t it?”

Audra stopped to visit with the neighbors onthe far side of her cabin, the Carmichaels. The opposite end of thespectrum from the honeymooners, she thought whimsically. Marriedmore than fifty years, they still retained a glow of love.

Which only served to prove it could bedone.

Audra chatted with them for a few minutesthen moved on. Long, happy marriages could be achieved. Shewondered what the secret was and why she apparently lacked whateverit took.

Audra had not known how to deal with Mitch’stendencies to put work before all else. She never remembered herfather doing that before he’d died when she’d been young.

It was obvious in retrospect that arguingand pleading had been the wrong approach. But would anything havechanged the out-come?

Returning to the cottage after a niceramble, she pushed open the door to the living room, moving quietlyin case he was still on the phone.

Mitch lay on the sofa—fast asleep. His cellphone had dropped on the floor beside him.

She tiptoed over and studied him, aware ofhis powerful masculine appeal even in sleep. She’d loved waking upfirst when they’d lived together savoring that quiet time when shecould watch him sleep. The warmth of the memories filled her—andshe smiled sadly, remembering all those times she’d had him solelyto herself. There’d been no work to interfere, no priorcommitments. Just the two of them in their own world.

Which usually ended as soon as he awoke eachday.

Picking up the phone, she checked to makesure it was not still connected. Laying it quietly on the coffeetable, she headed for the kitchen.

As she nibbled a sandwich for lunch, shespeculated about his accident. Tessa hadn’t said what caused it andonce the initial panic had eased, Audra hadn’t pursued it.

She’d been shocked how strong her ownreactions had been at hearing the news. Once she knew he was goingto be all right, she’d deliberately distanced herself. She had toprotect herself because getting involved with Mitch again wasn’t anoption.

Still, she was curious. Had the crashinvolved a drunk driver? Had anyone else been hurt? Was he trulygoing to be completely okay again?

Would he forgive her for not telling himabout the baby?

His cell phone rang. She jumped up and ranto get it. Before she could reach it, however, Mitch woke andsnagged it from the table. Slowly he sat up, speaking, thenlistening.

He met Audra’s eyes, and gave a half wave,his attention immediately caught by the caller.

Some things never changed, she thought wrylyas she climbed the stairs for an afternoon nap, one of the luxuriesof vacationing.

His doctor hadn’t intended for Mitch tocontinue work, she thought as she slipped off her shoes and laydown on the comfortable bed. So if he was going to ignore thatadvice, he’d probably be better off at the office than trying to doeverything from a remote cabin.

As she drifted to sleep, she could hear themurmur of Mitch’s voice. What could be so important he couldn’ttake a few days to relax and recuperate?

Mitch ended the call and looked around therustic living room. He needed to get his computer hooked upsomewhere to receive the lengthy brief his secretary wanted tosend. With his recent concussion he found it extremely difficult toread the tiny print on his phone.

There was no sign of any wifi hookup. Helooked in cupboards and along the shelf that held an assortment ofpaperback books. Nothing. When he powered up the laptop, itcontinued searching for a connection though there was none inrange.

He didn’t need this frustration on top ofthe news he’d discovered this morning. For a moment he wonderedwhen he’d feel in control again. Or would having a baby disrupt hislife so totally he’d never get it back on track?

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