Cinderella's Guardian Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  Also by Khloe Wren

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  Cinderella's Guardian

  Fire and Snow: Book Two

  Khloe Wren

  Published by Rogue Phoenix Press

  Copyright © 2014

  ISBN: 978-1-62420-075-5

  Electronic rights reserved by Rogue Phoenix Press, all other rights reserved by the author. The reproduction or other use of any part of this publication without the prior written consent of the rights holder is an infringement of the copyright law. This is a work of fiction. People and locations, even those with real names, have been fictionalized for the purposes of this story.

  Dedication

  To my parents.

  Thank you for your endless support and love.

  Prologue

  Two and half months ago

  With the AIS Gymnastics Hall filled to capacity for the final Olympic Nomination Trials, Tina Anderson stood before her mother wearing her brand new long sleeve leotard in the Tasmanian team colors of navy and red. She was so nervous her stomach was filled with butterflies. This was it. Her last chance at making the Olympics. At twenty years old she was rapidly getting too old to compete at these high levels.

  She knew her routine, was sure she could do it. But in front of so many people, the prospect of failing was a crushing weight pressing down on her. With trembling fingers, Tina checked to see if her bun was still secure and every strand of hair slicked back where it should be. As she did, she looked at her mother. Ms. Gloria Anderson stood proud, her bleach blond hair perfectly styled, makeup flawless. The fitted low cut blouse showed off every inch of cleavage her pushup bra gave her. Her tailored charcoal grey suit pants fitted in just the right way to show off the curve of her hips. The three-inch stiletto heels looked out of place down here on the floor. A wave of cold flowed through her as she watched her mother raise her hands to check if her hair was all in place. Focusing on her face, Tina hoped to find some reassurance. But all she saw was expectation. No love, no kindness, just ice cold determination and expectation.

  The same as always.

  Tina had realized years ago her mother enjoyed living through her, loved the glory of being able to brag about her daughter's accomplishments. When she found out Tina had made the Olympic Trials, she'd thrown a huge party to make sure everyone knew.

  "Okay Tina, you're up next. Do me proud and leave them all dead in the water."

  The words her mother spoke were encouraging but her tone was flat and serious. Over the last few months Tina had started to wonder if her mother loved her at all or if she only loved her accomplishments.

  Before she could get too buried in those thoughts, the announcer's deep booming voice came over the PA system announcing she was up at the uneven bars. She walked towards the platform, stopped briefly at the bowl of chalk to dust her hands, then fitted her wrist grips on her way to the starting position in front of the apparatus. She closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths while she mentally ran through her routine and gave herself a little pep talk.

  I can do this, I've been training since I was eight years old; I know my routine by heart.

  When the buzzer sounded she stepped forward, raised her arms, bowed to the judges then jumped, grabbed hold of the lower bar and swung herself up to start her routine.

  The coolness of the bar felt good under her grip, the familiar sensation of her flesh sliding around the timber grounding her. Everything was going brilliantly, her kip and hip circles were perfect and her Stalder flawless. She spun around the upper bar in a Backward Giant, she let go of the bar with her right hand and flipped herself over, ready to descend into a Forward Giant. She went to grab the bar with her right hand but missed; her left slipped and she found herself adrift, desperately reaching for the upper bar. She panicked, tried to focus over her racing heartbeat that pounded in her ears, to search her mind on what to do to save herself.

  She felt the lower bar connect with her left thigh. A loud crack accompanied a level of pain more intense than any she had ever felt before. The soft floor mats broke her fall as spots swam before her eyes, her coach and teammates crowded around her. As her vision began to dim, she desperately searched for her mother's face but was unable to find it before darkness was all she saw.

  ~ * ~

  As Tina broke through the surface of consciousness, she was greeted with her mother's voice, raised and angry.

  "You need to come and get her." Pause. "I don't care. My life doesn't have room for this in it." Pause. "Yes, just like I didn't have room for you in it all those years ago." Pause. "So help me, Dale, if you don't get your ass up here to collect her, I'll be dropping her off at your doorstep."

  From the pauses she guessed her mother was on the phone, and from the words spoken, her mother was dumping her on her father. A man she hadn't seen in over four years.

  Dale Anderson had always been kind to her. Every year he dutifully posted presents and rang for both her birthday and Christmas but that was about it. Whenever Tina had asked him why, he would tell her that he'd love to ring more often but couldn't. He would always refuse to elaborate on why. He'd told her she could ring him whenever she wanted, and as long as he wasn't offshore on a rig, he'd always answer her calls. She'd tried to ring a couple times only to discover that her mother had somehow managed to have his number barred from both her mobile and the house phone. She'd always felt guilty over her parents' breaking up. Whenever she'd thought back over those years surrounding her parents' divorce, she'd always drawn the conclusion that it had been the stress of being apart, with her and her mother in Sydney, while her father remained in Tasmania. But maybe it wasn't. From what she'd just overheard, her mother would have left him regardless.

  She heard her mother sigh before pushing back into her hospital room. Tina's heart rate began to race as anger coursed through her.

  "Oh, you're awake, sweetie."

  "How dare you?"

  Her mother's eyes widened before she blinked with feigned innocence.

  "How dare I what?"

  "Call me sweetie after what you just said to Dad. And don't try to deny it, I heard you."

  Tina's temper rose higher as her mother's mouth opened and closed, obviously she was searching for a plausible lie.

  "Don't bother with a response, mother. The look on your face says it all. Why don't you just go? I know you have so many more pressing engagements on your schedule than comforting your only daughter. I'm sure Dad will be here just as soon as he can get a flight, wouldn't you say?"

  "I never said—"

  With a tone laced in ice, she cut off her mother. "Get. Out."

  Tears burned her eyes but she refused to allow them to fall so long as her mother was there to witness them. Straightening her spine and brushing imaginary creases from her shirt, Gloria slung her handbag over her shoulder before heading to the door.

  "Well, I do have the party over at the Wilson's tonight. I'll tell them how sorry you are that you are unable to make it. Good bye, Tina."

  The second her mother strode from the room, Tina squeezed her eyes shut as tears leaked out. Behind her closed lids, her accident played like a movie bringing her
focus back from her mother and onto why she was in a hospital to begin with.

  My leg!

  In a panic her eyes flew wide open as she twisted her head to the side to look down her body. Her left leg was encased in a weird metal contraption which started at her waist. There were long rods running down the length of her left leg to below her knee. What truly had her blood running cold were the pins. Thick metal pins attached to the rods disappeared into the bandages on her thigh. She had a horrible feeling those pins were attached to her femur, probably holding the thing together.

  Tina had no control over the great heaving sobs that racked her body. Certainly her career in gymnastics was over now, and so was her mother's use for her. Understanding, of why her mother had been so quick to abandon her, slammed into her. There would be no more medals or awards for her mother to brag about. Her suspicions confirmed; yes, her mother had been living through Tina's accomplishments, relishing the glory of being the mother of an elite athlete.

  A torrent of emotions overwhelmed her and her body shook under the pressure of them. Pain from her leg shot up her spine in protest of her body's movements, but she couldn't stop the tears. Tina buried her face in her hands as she tried to deal with the fact her entire life would have to completely change now. As she cried, she stupidly craved the loving embrace of her mother, but she wasn't here. And probably never would be again. A fresh stab of agony sliced her heart and bruised her soul, making the pain in her leg feel like nothing more than a paper cut.

  Her tears slowed when she felt a warm hand rubbing her shoulder and upper arm. A soft calming voice spoke kindly to her.

  "Tina? Honey? Are you in pain? Can you tell me what's wrong?"

  Tina lowered her hands as she stopped crying and started hiccupping through the last few tremors. She looked up into a lovely round face. A nurse stood over her with an expression filled with worry, concern and compassion. Kind of what she had expected—wanted—to see in her mother's face.

  "My leg hurts." Not half as much as my heart bleeding out does, but no drug is going to fix that.

  The nurse smiled kindly at her. "The doctor will be in shortly to do some tests and explain to you anything you want to know. But in the meantime, I'll give you another shot of morphine for the pain."

  Tina relaxed back into the bed as the nurse injected the drug into her chest port. She welcomed the numbness it brought on. The pain in her leg eased and her mind became fuzzy. Allowing herself to fully fall under the morphine's effect, she drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

  ~ * ~

  Dale hung his phone up with a frustrated growl. He was sick to death of his ex-wife. Days like today, he really wanted to wring her neck. Their daughter would possibly not walk again with her injuries and all she cared about was getting back to her damn social life. Thankfully he was on his two weeks off rotation, so he was home and could make the trip up to Sydney to collect his daughter as soon as he could get a flight.

  Shit, he hadn't seen Tina in what? Nearly five years? When Tina had won the state championship in gymnastics, Gloria had decided to take her to Sydney to further her career. Dale had not agreed. Sure, he was proud of his little girl, but at fifteen she did not need a career.

  But he had loved Gloria and Tina; wanting to see them happy he gave in. Working oil rigs out in Bass Strait meant it made sense for him to stay behind in Tasmania while they went off to Sydney. Soon after, once it was clear that Tina was going to go far with her gymnastics, he'd received the paper work announcing their separation.

  His heart had shattered that day.

  He hadn't realized Gloria had been so unhappy with him. He'd tried to ring her but she refused his calls. She even refused him contact with Tina. Twelve months later the divorce papers came. It had felt like a blowtorch to his chest when he'd signed those damn things. Being off shore on the oil rig so much meant he didn't have a chance at fighting for custody so he'd signed that over too, although he had made sure the court orders contained phone call provisions. He could ring Tina on her birthday and Christmas. There was nothing Gloria could do about it. Gloria had already proven she'd never let him have any contact without the court's say so.

  It was now clear as day that Gloria didn't love their daughter, just as she'd never loved him. He'd fallen in love with Gloria the first time he saw her in high school. She'd loved that he was the best footballer and was the best-looking bloke there. Apparently, that was all she'd loved. He chuckled humorlessly. Gloria had always been all about the glory.

  My poor little sweet pea.

  She must be scared and hurting so much to learn her mother didn't care when she needed her so much.

  He rang the airport and booked the first available flight then snatched his suitcase from the floor in his walk-in-closet. He dialed the hospital to obtain more details on Tina's injuries and well-being. Once he got off the phone from the hospital, he rang work. From what her doctor had said, it was going to take more than two weeks to move Tina and for her to settle in here in Tasmania. His boss, Greg, was sympathetic to the situation and told Dale to take as much time as he needed, just give him a call when he was ready to come back. With a heavy heart, he put his phone on to charge. Something about Greg's tight tone had him thinking getting back on the rig wasn't going to be that simple.

  It was probably going to be at least a few weeks before he could bring her home from the hospital, and she'd be in a wheel chair for some time. The doctor had warned him she might need it permanently. He could only imagine how Tina was coping with it all. The absolute best-case scenario still never had her going back to competition level gymnastics. As he packed his case, he thought about all the changes he was going to have to make. He was going to have to keep working so a nurse or caretaker of some kind was going to be needed, at least until she learned how to care for herself and move around in her wheelchair. Damn, the wheelchair. His house was going to need some major renovating to accommodate it. He didn't mind doing anything required to keep his daughter happy, he just worried about accomplishing it all in time. Especially without him here to supervise it all being done. Maybe he could ring around to a few of his friends and have one of them oversee the renovations while he was in Sydney. For starters, the bathroom and front steps would have to be done before Tina could move in.

  ~ * ~

  "Was that Dale Anderson's car that just went racing past, for the third time today?"

  Robyn looked up from the appointment book at Barbara, her friend and employee.

  "What kind of car was it?"

  "Black dual cab Toyota Hilux—that's his car isn't it? He sure looked like he was in a hurry too."

  "That's his car all right. Wonder what's happened..." Robyn let her voice trail off as she thought about what would have Dale in such a spin.

  The elderly lady sitting in front of Barbara, getting her hair permed, spoke up.

  "Oh, you haven't heard the news? Poor man."

  Robyn gritted her teeth to ward off the sudden desire to throttle the woman. Why did little old ladies have to gossip? Couldn't they just spit the information out already?

  "Don't tease, Doris. If you know something, please, do tell." Barbara coaxed.

  A sneer curved Robyn's lips. Where Robyn would have probably fisted Doris' hair and demanded the information, Barbara gently reprimanded her while she requested the story. Whatever. So long as it worked.

  "Dale's daughter, Tina, had an accident at the Olympic Trials. The word is she might not walk again," Doris let out a decidedly non-ladylike snort of disgust before continuing, "and that hussy, Gloria, just walked out on her. Poor girl. Fancy your own mother walking away from you without a care when you need her most. Apparently, she rang Dale earlier today, ordering him to come get her. No doubt she had to rush off to get her nails done or some such rubbish. Naturally, Dale is running around to get things organized before he flies out to go get his daughter."

  "What kind of things does he need to organize?" Robyn's mind was working overtime. She had alway
s fancied Dale but had never been able to catch his eye. This may just be her opportunity to take her place in his life.

  "Well, he's going to need to renovate his place quick smart. No way can a wheelchair get up those front steps of his, for starters. I believe he's also looking for a caretaker for her, for when he has to go back out working those rigs of his. Just until Tina learns how to cope on her own, I'm sure." Doris sighed loudly. "Only twenty years old and having to learn how to live in a wheelchair. So sad."

  That got Robyn thinking, she was no renovator but she could be a caretaker. How hard could a twenty year old be to look after? She'd better get in quick before someone else offered.

  "I'm just heading out for a bit. You're right to handle things, Barbara?"

  "Sure thing, boss." Barbara finished with a wink, indicating she knew full well what Robyn was thinking.

  As soon as Robyn was out the back door, she was dialing Dale's number. A number she'd pinched from Gloria's phone many years ago but never had the courage to use. He picked up on the third ring. "Hey, Dale here. Who's this?"

  "Hi Dale, it's Robyn. Robyn Taylor, we went to school together. Don't know if you remember me or not?"

  "Sure I remember you. What can I do for you?"

  "Well, it's more what I can do for you. I heard about your daughter's unfortunate accident and wanted to offer my services in caring for Tina."

  "Oh, um, great. That would be a big help. Do you have experience with this kind of thing?"

  "Nothing professional, but I used to help with my cousin. He's been in a chair his whole life."

  She didn't tell him that all she did was bitch and moan to her mother that they had to look after the brat every time her aunt had needed a break.

  "Ah, okay. Well, I'm guessing Tina won't need a lot of help anyway. I'm not going to be able to stay off the rigs for very long unfortunately, so she'll need help with her rehab stuff and maybe a little with getting around. That type of thing, do you think you'll be right with that?"

  "I'm sure Tina and I will get along just fine."

  "Yeah, sure. Look, I'm under the pump at the moment and need to get moving. I'm not sure when I'll need you to start. Can I get back to you once I return with Tina?"