LITMIR.BIZ

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She desperately wished that she’d never needed or wanted it. She wanted to take what she had of it and throw it into the nearest river. At least then maybe she would feel clean. At least then maybe she could start over. But something told her that even that drastic measure wouldn’t heal the wounds she was carrying.

      Angry with herself, she put down the phone, walked over to the dining table and grabbed the handbag she’d tossed there earlier. Seeking privacy didn’t mean she had to totally hide from life. And if she did cross paths with Dr. Marshall Cates, she could handle it. After all, he was just a man.

      A man who would look at you with disgust if he knew you’d once been Mia Hanover, a woman who’d killed her own mother.

      For a brief moment, Mia shut her eyes tightly and swallowed hard as the memory of Nina Hanover’s death filled her mind like a dark cloud. Her adoptive mother had been a woman who’d worked hard as a farmer’s wife, who’d always tried to give Mia the best in life. She’d been a sweet, loving woman until the alcohol had taken her into its awful grip.

      With a groan of anguish, Mia shook her head and hurried out of the cabin, wallowing in guilt and self-pity wasn’t going to fix anything. She had to get out and get her mind on other things.

      A half hour later, in downtown Thunder Canyon, she parked her rental car in front of the Clip ’N’ Curl. Even though Mia had made use of the fancy beauty salon and spa located on the resort, she felt much more comfortable here in this traditional, down-home beauty parlor. Here the women dressed casually and everyone talked as though they were all family.

      Since the majority of the women at the resort appeared to use the Aspenglow for their beauty treatments, Mia figured the patrons of the Clip ’N’ Curl were local residents. In fact, a few days ago when she’d visited the place, she’d heard a couple of the women complaining about the traffic problems that the influx of tourists had brought to Thunder Canyon.

      Since Mia was one of those tourists, she’d simply sat quietly and listened to the other customers discussing the Queen of Hearts mine and how the recent discovery of gold there had turned the town topsy-turvy. Several of the women felt that the new money was a wonderful thing for the little town, but others had spoken about how much they hated the traffic, the crowds and the loss of Thunder Canyon’s quaintness.

      Money. Gold. Riches. The subject seemed to follow Mia no matter where she went. If she could manage a walk-in appointment today, she hoped the shoptalk would be about something different. The last thing she wanted to think about was the money Janelle, her birth mother, had showered upon her and how drastically it had changed Mia’s once simple life.

      Leaving her small rental car, Mia walked into the Clip ’N’ Curl and waited at the front desk. The small salon was presently undergoing major renovations. Only three stations were up and working amid the chaos of working carpenters. And today all three styling chairs were full while only three empty chairs remained in the small waiting area.

      Figuring she’d never get an appointment, Mia turned to leave the shop when one of the hairdressers called out to her.

      “Don’t leave, honey. We’ll make a place for you. Just have a seat. There’s free coffee and muffins if you’d like a snack while you wait.”

      “Thank you. I’ll be glad to wait,” Mia told her, then took a seat in one of the empty plastic chairs.

      As Mia reached forward and picked up one of the style magazines lying on a coffee table, the woman sitting next to her said, “Your hair looks beautiful. I hope you’re not planning to cut it.”

      Easing back in the chair, Mia glanced over to see it was a college-aged woman who’d given her the compliment. Short, feathery spikes of chestnut hair framed a round face while a friendly smile spread a pair of wide lips.

      Mia smiled back at her. “No. Just a shampoo and blow-dry. I’ve tried short hair before and believe me I didn’t look nearly as cute as you.”

      The young woman let out a quiet, bubbly laugh. “Thanks for the compliment, but compared to you I’m just a plain Jane.” She thrust her hand over toward Mia. “Hi, I’m Marti Newmar.”

      Mia shook Marti’s hand and as she did she realized it had been months, maybe longer since she’d felt a real need to communicate with another woman just for the sake of talking and sharing ideas. Dear God, maybe this quaint little western town was beginning to help her heal, she thought.

      “Mia Smith. Nice to meet you.”

      Marti’s nose wrinkled at the tip as she thoughtfully studied Mia. “I think I’ve seen you somewhere. You live around here?”

      Trying to push away the cloak of wariness she constantly wore, Mia said, “No. I’m a guest at Thunder Canyon Resort.”

      Marti’s lips parted in an O, then her fingers snapped with sudden recognition. “That’s it. That’s where I’ve seen you. In the resort lounge.”

      Mia relaxed. She should have known this young woman had to be a local and not someone from Denver or Alamosa, Colorado, where she’d lived for most of her adult life.

      “Yes, that’s probably where it was,” Mia agreed.

      “I just started working at the coffee shop in the lounge a few days ago.” She laughed. “I’m still learning how to make a latte. I grew up on a nearby ranch and the only kind of coffee my parents ever drank was the cowboy kind. You know, throw the grounds and water into a granite pot and let it boil. This fancy stuff is all new to me.”

      Warmed by the woman’s openness, Mia smiled at her. “I’m sure you’ll learn fast.”

      “I hope so. Grant Clifton, the guy that manages the resort, was kind enough to give me a job doing something. You see, I’m trying to get through college and the cost is just awful. I got a partial scholarship on my grades and this job should help with the rest of the expense.”

      Marti’s situation was so familiar to Mia that she almost felt as though she were looking in a mirror. Five years ago she’d entered college with hopes of getting a degree in nursing. But at that time her father had already passed away and, using what little money she and her mother could earn at menial jobs, she’d had to settle for taking one or two classes at a time. Those years had been very rough and discouraging. It had been during those terribly lean times in her life that her priorities had gone haywire. She’d begun to think that money could fix everything that was messed up in her life. She’d been so very, very wrong.

      “Whatever you do, don’t give up,” Mia encouraged her. “It may take you a while to find your dream, but you will.”

      Nodding, Marti said, “Yeah, that’s what my mother keeps telling me.” Tilting her head to one side, she continued to study Mia. “Have you met many people at the resort?”

      The young woman’s question instantly brought the image of Marshall Cates to Mia’s mind.

      “A few. I’m not…much of a social person.”

      “Hmm. Well, there’re all sorts of good-looking men hanging around there.” She gave Mia an impish grin. “But I only think of them as eye candy. I’m not about to let some smooth-tongued devil change my plans to become a teacher.”

      “I’m sure some day you’ll want to marry. When the time is right for you,” Mia told Marti, while wondering if that time would ever come for herself. At one time, Mia had dreamed and hoped for a family of her own. Now she would just settle for some sort of peace to come to her heart. Otherwise she’d never be able to give her love to anyone.

      Marti shrugged in a ho-hum way. “I don’t know. I’ve seen my older sister get her heartbroken over and over again.” She looked at Mia. “You know Dr. Cates? The hunk that works at the resort?”

      Every nerve in Mia’s body suddenly went on alert. What was she going to learn about the man now?

      “Vaguely,” she said, not about to elaborate on the surprise encounter she’d had with the

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