Rollover Read Free

York, American to Atlanta, Delta to Albuquerque. Done. She repacked, made her apologies to the tour director, tried to get a few hours’ sleep, then, a cab to Heathrow, a window seat and thirteen plus hours to think. And not know.
    It was a fledgling relationship barely three months old but with all the promise in the world. Dreams coming true, everything she could ever want. The summer had been brutal. Her husband of twenty years gets out of prison only to die in a flash flood, his body washed away. She buries an empty box, but then miraculously Eric shows up with all the bravado and pushy arrogance that she’d come to hate. But he did sign the divorce papers. Was she ready for another relationship? Yes, a hundred times, yes.
    â€œDo you ever think about us?” She’d asked Dan when he dropped her off at Albuquerque’s Sunport, then bit her lip. Stupid thing to ask. Somewhere in some how-to-trip-’em-to-the-floor manual she’d just crossed over into the dating no-no’s.
    â€œNo.”
    She poked him not too gently in the ribs.
    He looked down at her, a smile pulling up one corner of his mouth. “If you can’t take the answer, don’t ask the question.” Then he was laughing, taking her into his arms, nuzzling her neck. “You know the answer. Why do you ask?”
    â€œBecause suddenly I’m having separation anxiety.”
    â€œHey, easy, I’ll be with you in a week.” He playfully bit her earlobe and then made a snuffing sound in her ear.
    She pulled back to look at him quizzically, “What was that?”
    â€œPuppy snuffs. Simon asked me to say good-bye.”
    Both laughing now, they walked into the airport holding hands. Maybe the question hadn’t really been answered, but the last kiss didn’t leave much to imagination and the feeling was mutual.
    So where did that leave her now? She simply could not stand to lose this man. The torment of not knowing was new to her, absolutely foreign to her very being. She was so much a put-the-problem-on-the-table-and-deal-with-it type. And suddenly she had no control. But she had the time—free of having to report to work every day. She was six weeks into a year’s sabbatical from the local university and maybe the trip to Ireland would be put on hold…again…but she was free to help Dan. Make certain he would heal and they would be together. There was some satisfaction in that.
    ***
    She sighed. A person simply could not fly from the East to the Southwest quickly.
    It was beginning to feel like she’d been in the air half her life when finally she walked into a restroom at the Sunport. Leaning across a sink, she stared in the mirror and did a quick evaluation. At forty-almost-six she was too old to bounce back quickly from a lack of sleep. Stress indelibly etched itself at the edges of her eyes and a sallowness replaced a normally creamy complexion.
    She shook out a green-and-gold paisley silk scarf, pulled her thick dark hair back, wrapped the scarf around the low ponytail one time and tied it at the nape of her neck. Peach lip-gloss, a pinch to her cheeks, and time to evaluate. Better. The scarf gave her some color but the image staring back still looked drawn. Oh well. She headed for a stall, slipped into fresh jeans, a long-sleeved olive-green cotton sweater, and running shoes. Might as well be comfortable.
    It seemed to take another eon to pick up her luggage, catch a shuttle to the rental lot, and complete the paperwork at the Enterprise desk, but finally she was on the road. It was already early Wednesday morning.
    Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center was on St. Michaels Drive to the right off of St. Francis, one of Santa Fe’s main drags. Carolyn had said she’d meet her in the lobby and was true to her word.
    â€œAnything new?”
    Carolyn shook her head and simply hugged her. “I’m so glad you’ve come. I know your being here will make a