The Winner Takes It All. Alison Roberts

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      “What?”

      “Charming.”

      “You’ve never been one for charming,” she said. “You thought Leavenworth was, and I quote, ‘a Bavarian-inspired tourist trap on steroids.’”

      He had said that of the small town on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains. “I liked climbing there.”

      “Nothing else.”

      He’d liked spending time with her in Leavenworth. A glance at the speedometer made him ease up on the gas pedal. “Hood Hamlet is different.”

      “Different, how?”

      “There’s something special about it.”

      “Special?”

      He nodded. “Almost…magical.”

      She half laughed as if the joke was on him. “When did you start believing in magic?”

      He understood her incredulous tone. A year ago he would have laughed at such a thought himself. After Blaine died, Cullen’s belief in any kind of “magic” had died, too. He hadn’t believed in anything that wasn’t quantifiable—whether it was a diagnosis or a cure. Everything had to have an explanation. The one thing in his life that defied reason—his relationship with Sarah—had blown up in his face. “It’s hard not to believe when you’re there. A lot of people feel the same way.”

      “Must be something in the water,” she joked.

      A trained scientist like Sarah wouldn’t understand. He’d been the same way until three things had changed his mind—the rescue of two climbers trapped in a snow cave last November, the town pulling off its Christmas Magic celebration in mid-December and Leanne Thomas getting engaged on Christmas Day. The three events had defied logic, but had happened anyway. “Maybe.”

      “The mountain air, perhaps,” she teased.

      “You never know.” But he knew it was neither of those things.

      “Whatever it is, I hope it’s not contagious.”

      “I have no doubt you’re immune as long as Mount Hood remains dormant.”

      He expected her to contradict him, if only to argue with him. She didn’t.

      “What else does the town have beside magic?” Sarah asked.

      “The people. It’s a great community.” He’d realized how supportive they truly were with the numerous offers of help following Sarah’s accident. “Very welcoming to strangers. That’s how I ended up moving there. I’d driven up to Mount Hood on a day off. I had lunch at the local brewpub and met the owner, Jake Porter. When he found out I was involved with mountain rescue in Seattle, he told me about their local unit, OMSAR. He invited me to go climbing, and we did. I met a few more people. One told me about a cabin for rent. Next thing I knew, I was signing my name on a year lease.”

      “That’s serendipity, not magic.”

      “Semantics,” he countered.

      “A year lease is a commitment.”

      “It’s worked out fine.”

      “That’s great, but I prefer a month-to-month lease.”

      Of course she would. A month-to-month marriage would have been her first choice if that had been allowed. “You’ve always liked to give yourself an out with everything you do.”

      Sarah stiffened. “I know better than to back myself into a corner.”

      She’d always been independent, but she sounded defensive, as if the world were against her. He hadn’t meant to attack her. “Someone might be there to help you escape.”

      “I’d rather not deal with the consequences if they’re not.”

      So jaded. He hoped their separation hadn’t done this to her. “People can surprise you.”

      “They usually do, but not in the way I expect.”

      Cullen wasn’t sure what she meant, but the tip of a knife seemed to be pressing against his heart. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer, but curiosity compelled him to ask the question. “Does that include me?”

      “Yes.”

      The knife pierced his heart. Her answer shouldn’t have surprised him. She was impulsive and impatient with a tendency to erupt like the volcanoes she loved so much. He’d tried to take care of her when they were married, but she’d pushed him away. He’d tried to make her happy, but she never seemed happy enough. A lot like Blaine. Cullen’s jaw tightened to the point of aching. “Care to elaborate?”

      “You’ve been great about my accident.” Gratitude shone in her eyes. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

      He felt the tension in his jaw ease. “Couples in our situation can be friendly to each other.”

      She nodded. “Especially when divorce is what we both want.”

      The knife dug a little deeper into his heart. “It is.”

      A cheery love song played on the radio. The upbeat tempo was the antithesis of how he felt. He fought the urge to press the power switch so the music would stop.

      “I’m glad you found the place you belong,” Sarah said.

      “Hood Hamlet is the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time.” He remembered the list he’d put together of places they could live after he finished his residency. Portland had been near the top because of the Cascades Volcano Observatory in nearby Vancouver, Washington, but he’d never considered Mount Hood. And wouldn’t have if they’d stayed together. “The only drawback is everyone wants to know everybody’s business.”

      She clucked her tongue. “Typical small town.”

      “I sometimes forget how small.”

      “Does that mean people are going to be talking about us?” He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “They already are.”

      “Why is that?”

      Cullen shouldn’t have said anything. His stomach roiled.

      “Why?” Her voice rose.

      His palms sweated. He wiped one on his jeans. “No one in Hood Hamlet knew I was married until your accident.”

      Her mouth gaped. She closed it. “Why didn’t you tell them?”

      He didn’t want to admit he’d been nursing a wound so deep when he arrived in town he wasn’t sure he would recover. But he had. And he was doing fine until she’d crashed back into his world. “You were no longer a part of my life. I could start over in Hood Hamlet with a clean slate once the divorce was finalized.”

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