Woodrose Mountain. RaeAnne Thayne

Taryn nodded firmly.

       “Then you’re the one who will have to work your tail off to get there. Are you ready for that?”

       “Yeah,” Taryn said, a rather militant light in her eyes that heartened Evie.

       “Excellent. I am, too.”

       “Come on, sweetheart,” Katherine said. “Let me show you your new room.”

       Her grandmother pushed the wheelchair down the hall and, though Evie wanted to start working with the girl right away, she was aware of that twinge of unwanted compassion for Brodie as he watched his mother and daughter together—a stark, hopeless expression on his features.

       She again wanted to comfort him, to promise him everything would be okay, but she wouldn’t lie to him.

       “Did Taryn enjoy the shave ice?” She gestured to the cup Katherine had handed him when she’d taken over pushing the wheelchair.

       “She only had a few tastes but I think so. I, on the other hand, could have done without the company.”

       When she gave him a blank look, he shrugged. “I saw that little prick Charlie Beaumont at the shave-ice stand. And before you ask, no, I didn’t punch him—though I’ll be honest, I almost dumped my peach coconut on his head.”

       “Admirable restraint,” she said with a smile. She decided not to tell him she felt a little sorry for the kid, who had been vilified by everyone in town.

       “On a lighter note, I also talked to one of Taryn’s friends. She’d like to come visit sometime. Since you have requested absolute power, I guess that’s your call.”

       “I don’t need absolute power,” she muttered.

       “Visitors weren’t really a problem in Denver where we were nearly two hours away. She didn’t have that many visitors after the first few weeks out of the coma. Now that she’s home, I anticipate more of her friends may want to drop in. What do you think?”

       “Why do you consider it an issue?”

       He inclined his head toward the suite of rooms. “You saw her. She can’t carry on much of a conversation with anyone. I thought maybe it might be hard on Taryn, the constant reminders of everything she’s lost.”

       “Regular social interaction is important to teenage girls, no matter what physical challenges they’re dealing with.”