Hummingbird Lake by Emily March Read Free Book Online

jungle and hot savannah. Rid herself of screams and the haunting melody of little voices singing childhood Christian hymns. When she finally stepped away from the easel, her right arm ached and her eyes felt gritty, but the door to the past was firmly shut. Exhaustion hit her like a fist. She thought longingly of her bed, but she didn’t have time for a nap today. She had to be in Gunnison by noon to catch her flight, and she still had to pack.
    She looked forward to the trip to Fort Worth and the reception for her show at Art on the Bricks gallery. Not only was Steve Montgomery one of her early supporters, he was an all-around nice guy. He reminded her of her father, which was totally weird because except for the similarity in age, broad-shouldered build, and graying hair, the Colonel couldn’t have been more different. Steve was kind and indulgent, and he laughed easily and often. Her father had been the typical army leader—tough,tenacious, and hard-charging. He didn’t tolerate mistakes, lazy afternoons, flights of fancy, or cowardice.
    No wonder he’d so often looked at Sage as if she were a changeling.
    Which made her wonder why she thought of her dad every time she spoke with Steve. “Your mind is a scary place, Anderson,” she muttered as she cleaned her brushes.
    She spent the next hour packing and tidying her home, then departed for the airport. After a relatively smooth travel day, she arrived at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport and caught a cab to the boutique hotel in downtown Fort Worth where Steve had booked a room for her. She did manage a thirty-minute nap before Steve picked her up and took her to the gallery, where they spent a few hours finishing up last-minute show arrangements.
    Later over dinner, Steve studied her over the top of his glass of wine and said, “What’s wrong, darling? Are you unhappy with the show design?”
    “No, it’s wonderful. I told you I loved it.”
    “Then what’s wrong? You seem to have lost your sparkle.”
    She reached out and squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry. I’m tired. I didn’t sleep well last night.”
    “Well then, let’s get you back to the hotel and you can make an early night of it. In fact, have the concierge schedule a massage and facial for you tomorrow, too. My treat.”
    Sage grimaced and reached for her purse and a mirror. “I must really look bad.”
    “No, no, no. You’re lovely as always.” He signaled for the check and added, “I just want tomorrow to be fun and relaxing and special for you.”
    That evening, Sage managed six whole hours of sleep and awoke feeling like a new woman. She spent themorning with a sculptor whose work Vistas represented, then kept her spa appointments and snuck in a movie—an amusement she missed living in Eternity Springs—before returning to the hotel to prepare for the big event.
    Following a twenty-minute, hot-as-she-could-stand-it shower, she turned off the water and grabbed a fluffy white bath towel in the luxurious bathroom of her suite. Once she’d dried the water from her body and slipped into her robe, she used a hand towel to wipe the steam off the mirror. She peered at her reflection and sighed.
    The facial and massage had helped, but it would take a miracle application of makeup to hide the results of weeks of poor sleep.
    “You can do this,” she lectured her reflection. “You’ll go to this reception and you’ll be charming and witty and no one will know that you are running on fumes.”
    She did her hair and makeup and had taken a seat on the side of the bed to don her hose when her cell buzzed. Expecting it to be Steve, she didn’t bother to check the number before she answered. “Hello?”
    “Sage? It’s Rose.”
    Sage closed her eyes. Everything inside her went tense at the sound of her sister’s voice. “Hello, Rose. This is a surprise.”
    The surprise of the century, in fact. She hadn’t heard from Rose since when? The brief duty call last Christmas?
    “I have news I thought