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Praise for the novels of SUSAN WIGGS
“True and unforgettable.”
—Booklist on Lakeside Cottage
“Wiggs excels at portraying the delicate dynamics
among lovers, friends and family members, and her keen awareness of sensory detail ensures that the scents and sounds of Rosa’s kitchen are just as palpable as the heady attraction between the protagonists.” —Publishers Weekly on Summer by the Sea
“A human and multilayered story exploring duty
to both country and family.” —Nora Roberts on The Ocean Between Us
“Susan Wiggs tackles contemporary issues
in the crucible of family with gutsy poignancy and adroit touches of whimsy that make for an irresistible read.” —BookPage on Home Before Dark
“Wiggs tackles some very difficult family issues
in this tightly woven tale. Cleverly uncovering secrets at the perfect pace, she draws you into the tale with each passing page, allowing her characters’ emotions and motivations to flow out of the book and into your heart.” —RT Book Reviews on Home Before Dark
“Home Before Dark is a beautiful novel, tender and wise. Susan Wiggs writes with bright assurance, humor and compassion about sisters, children and the sweet and heartbreaking trials of life—about how much better it is to go through them together.” —New York Times bestselling author Luanne Rice
Also by SUSAN WIGGS
TABLE FOR FIVE
SUMMER BY THE SEA THE OCEAN BETWEEN US
A SUMMER AFFAIR
HOME BEFORE DARK
ENCHANTED AFTERNOON PASSING THROUGH PARADISE
HALFWAY TO HEAVEN
THE YOU I NEVER KNEW
The Chicago Fire trilogy
THE FIREBRAND
THE MISTRESS THE HOSTAGE
THE HORSEMASTER’S DAUGHTER
THE CHARM SCHOOL
THE DRIFTER
THE LIGHTKEEPER
Author’s Note
Dear Reader,
Thank you for spending time at the lake with Kate, JD and the kids. Lake Crescent in the Olympic Peninsula is truly one of the most magical places in the world. I hope your own summers are filled with as much love and personal discovery as Kate’s was.
Researching Callie’s story line was an eye-opener for me. According to the Centers for Disease Control, over the last five years there has been a tenfold increase in type 2 diabetes among children. This is due in large part to a sugar-rich diet (think about how many soft drinks some kids consume each day) and a sedentary lifestyle (all those hours online, playing video games or watching TV). Teenagers also tend to disregard the long-range consequences of their behavior, and they’re notorious for putting off lifestyle changes for another day. A life-threatening disease like diabetes directly contradicts a teen’s illusion that she’s invincible. The good news is, diet and exercise will dramatically improve a young person’s prognosis. Simply participating in a sport or even taking a daily walk or bike ride can change a patient’s life. She can achieve glycemic control through exercise and healthy eating. For more information, I recommend the Web site www.diabetes.org and the book In Control: A Guide for Teens With Diabetes by Jean Betschart-Roemer and Susan Thorn.
My next novel, Just Breathe, is the story of a woman whose marriage ends just as new life begins, when she discovers she’s pregnant with twins. Events take an unexpected turn when she escapes to her hometown by the sea, where she discovers that love can be even sweeter the second time around.
Best wishes,
Susan Wiggs www.susanwiggs.com
Lakeside Cottage
Susan Wiggs
To Martha Keenan, my editor and dear friend,
who shepherded twelve of my books to publication. Thanks for everything.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Heartfelt thanks to my first readers, the Port Orchard Brain Trust: Rose Marie, Lois, Susan P., Krysteen, P.J., Anjali, Kate and Sheila. I’m grateful to Lori Cross, the best reader and proofreader in the world. I am indebted to paramedic and writer Andy Gienapp, and to the Office of Public Affairs of Walter Reed Army Medical Center—per your request, I’ve fictionalized significant details about the hospital layout and security routine so no one gets in trouble.
I’m grateful to Annelise Robey of the Jane Rotrosen Agency for her input. And to my agent, Meg Ruley—thanks for being a true believer.
PART ONE
“… as you all are aware, the President looks forward to visiting some of our brave troops at Walter Reed on Christmas Eve. It’s an opportunity for the President to thank those in our military who have served and sacrificed to make the world a safer place, and make America more secure. He will also give remarks to the medical personnel at Walter Reed and thank them for the outstanding job they do. However, because of the space limitations, it will be an expanded pool. So it will probably just be one camera, and then the correspondents will be able to attend it ….”
—The White House, Office of the Press Secretary
“Everybody loves a hero. People line up for them, cheer them, scream their names. And years later tell how they stood for hours in the cold rain just to catch a glimpse of the one who taught them to hold on a second longer. I believe there’s a hero in all of us who keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams.”
—Spider-Man 2
One
Washington, D.C. Christmas Eve
The ambulance backing into the bay of Building One looked like any other rig. It appeared to be returning from a routine transport run, perhaps moving a patient to the stepdown unit, or a stabilized trauma victim to Lowery Wing for surgery. The rig had its customary clearance tags for getting through security with a minimum of hassle, and the crew wore the usual crisply creased navy trousers and regulation parkas, ID tags dangling from their pockets. Even the patient looked ordinary in every respect, in standard-issue hospital draping, thermal blankets and an O2 mask.
Special Forces Medical Sergeant Jordan Donovan Harris wouldn’t have given the crew a second glance, except that he was bored and had wandered over to Shaw Wing, to the glassed-in observation deck on the mezzanine level. From there, he could view the ambulance bays and beyond that, Rock Creek Park and Georgia Avenue. The trees were bare and stark black against a blanket of snow, ink drawings on white paper. Traffic trundled along streets that led to the gleaming domes and spires of the nation’s capital. A fresh dusting of powder over the 147-acre compound gave the Georgian brick buildings of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center a timeless, frozen, Christmas-card look. Only the activity at the intake bays hinted that the campus housed the military’s highest level of patient care.
Although there was no one around, Harris knew he was being watched.