Tuesday Tales, From the Word BOARD

Welcome to this week’s Tuesday Tales. It’s hard to believe we’ve reached then end of July! This was always a bittersweet time for me because it meant the summer was half over and the school year would be starting soon. Now that I’m retired, it’s just another month down.

This week our word prompt is BOARD. I’m continuing with Forever in my Heart.

The book not only has a blurb now, it has a cover. All I need to do is finish writing it. Shouldn’t be too difficult!

Love is immortal, but it will take a miracle to heal these bruised and broken hearts.

Michael Branscomb swore off women years ago, after getting jilted by the woman he loved and trusted. The last thing the confirmed bachelor wants or needs is a wife and children, but you don’t always get what you want. A deathbed promise to his twin brother has to be honored. The problem is, the lady involved may not agree, and with good reason.

Six years ago, Callie walked in on her fiancé and her sister and walked right back out again—out of the house, their lives, and the town—and did her best to forget it all, including the magical Christmas wedding she’d planned. Changing her name in a bid to start over, she’s made a new present and future for herself, intent on cutting all ties to the past. If she’s lonely at times, well that’s the price she pays protecting herself from more heartbreak.

But sometimes, things are easier said than done, especially when the past shows up on her doorstep, carrying twin girls, and proposing marriage—on the very date she should’ve wed his brother.

Can Callie and Mike overcome the pain of the past to give love a chance and provide their orphan nieces the family they deserve?

Here’s this week’s scene. Enjoy.

Staring ahead, even in the gloom, Mike could see the carnage. Luke had swerved to avoid the bull moose on the opposite side of the road, but not fast enough to avoid the collision. The animal lay on its side, his back legs obviously broken. Someone had shot it, ending its misery, but it was the sight of the vehicle that stopped Mike’s heart. From here it looked as if the face of the escarpment and Luke’s SUV were one. For all intents and purposes, the front of the vehicle no longer existed, the windshield replaced by the solid rock wall.

While collisions with deer and elk were common, hitting a moose during a storm like this was rare. But it was mating season, and a bull moose in rut stopped for nothing. This weather kept most people at home. Why the hell had Luke left the resort? It wasn’t as if he couldn’t afford to wait another day. With the snow and ice, stopping in time to prevent the accident would’ve been impossible.

The whine of the firefighter’s saw ripped through the air, followed by the sound of metal being torn apart. Over to one side, two EMT’s loaded a body in a black bag into the back of an ambulance.

He swallowed. Cassie! The new mother would never see her baby girls grow up.

Tears slipped down his cheeks. He knew there’d been problems between her and her sister—she hadn’t shown up for the wedding nor the christening last month. Would she have the decency to come for the funeral?

He swiped at his tears and turned back to the officer.

“Where is he? Where’s my brother?”

“It looks like they’ve finally managed to get him out. They’re strapping him to the back board. The EMT said Cassie died on impact. Luke … well, he’s hanging on. He was calling for you earlier.”

“I need to see her.”

He shoved Jacob out of the way. He’d only taken one step when the man touched his arm.

“Stop. Mike. I know you’ve seen some awful things, but better you don’t see that. The EMT said she died instantly. Probably never knew what hit her.” He looked around the vehicle to the driver’s side. “They’ve got Luke on the stretcher.”

Mike exhaled, his breath wobbly and pain-filled. Even in the rain, he couldn’t mistake the copious amounts of blood.

That’s it!

Stay safe and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales