Evergreen Springs by RaeAnne Thayne

Author:RaeAnne Thayne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HQN Books
Published: 2015-10-10T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

SOAKING IN EVERGREEN SPRINGS on a December afternoon was even more amazing than Devin had hoped.

The water was the perfect temperature for it and even after just a few moments, she could feel the tension of her crazy workweek slipping away.

“This is the life, eh?” Archie Peralta beamed at her, just his head and shoulders visible above the water’s surface. His thick graying mustache had little crystals of frost in it. Fortunately, he hadn’t worn his Speedo but a pair of board shorts with palm trees on them that had looked almost fashionable before he slipped into the water.

“It is, indeed,” she answered.

She looked around at her yoga class enjoying the water, each looking at least a decade younger as they soaked. They had all needed this, just a brief respite from their worries and burdens. Archie had been devoted to the care of his wife, stricken with Alzheimer’s, until she died a short time ago. Paul Weaver, a retired dairy farmer, had the beginning stages of Parkinson’s. Eppie and Hazel Brewer, sisters a year apart who had married twin brothers, both had arthritis.

Each of the other senior citizens in the water coped with similar age-related ailments.

If she didn’t know them already and hadn’t treated many of them, she never would have guessed. Right now, they were all laughing together, relaxed, happily splashing each other like children on a hot summer day.

Tendrils of mineral-scented steam rose up all around them in wispy columns as they soaked. From what Cole had told her about Evergreen Springs and her study of the history of the local mineral springs, she knew the local waters contained sulfur for skin health, boron for building muscle mass and strengthening bones, magnesium for energy, and potassium, which helped reduce high blood pressure. The sodium level was high in the local waters, which some claimed eased the pain of arthritic symptoms.

In addition to the soothing waters, this particular hot spring was perfectly situated, with a lovely vantage point of Lake Haven and Haven Point. The relaxing view was a form of therapy all its own.

If Cole ever opened it up to the public and charged admission, he could make a mint. She completely understood why he protected it so assiduously, though. Too many people would ruin the secret magic of the place.

She looked over at the smoke coming from the chimney of the humble little hut beside the water and felt a funny ache in her chest again. She had arrived at the ranch not knowing quite what she would find and discovered that not only had Cole plowed the road to the spring but he had also set a fire in the changing hut to warm it for them.

“Iris used to tell me about this place.” Sharon Bybee wore a flowered bathing cap as cheerful as her smile on her steel-gray curls. “She was always inviting me to come and have a soak. I can’t believe I never took her up on the offer. I could have been enjoying this for years.

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