All She Ever Wanted (Cedar Valley Novel Book 1)

by Christina Butrum

  “I had a feeling it was him,” she said. “Even the night of the fire.”

  Liam raised an eyebrow. “How could you have known?”

  She shrugged. Jake doing something so irrational out of jealousy was hard to imagine. She couldn’t imagine the despair this would cause his parents. What the hell had he been thinking? “In a way, I feel like this is all my fault,” she said, aware of Liam’s disagreement as he shook his head. “All of this happened because of the stupid reunion. If I hadn’t ever come to Cedar Valley, you’d still have your bar and nothing bad would’ve ever happened.”

  Liam took hold of her hand, pulling her close. “First of all, none of this is your fault. And second, I’m deeply offended that you throw me into the category of bad happenings because of the reunion.” His chuckle was silent as he gently squeezed her arm. “And last, but not least, I’d rather have you than that bar, any day.”

  25

  Leah left the blueprint planning to the contractors while she took over the other major details that related mainly to the business of the bar. The guys had given an estimated time of completion, and she was just as excited as Liam for it to be done. Within the first month, she had quit her job at the doctor’s office and had completed her move to Cedar Valley.

  Her boss had told her good luck with her adventures, but not to come back if things didn’t work out. At the time he said it, she panicked, but soon realized that this had been her dream, her goal in life, and nothing was going to mess this up.

  She had plenty of time on her hands, and had spent the majority of her time brainstorming. She had everything written down and she was ready to share with Liam and his family.

  She dialed Liam’s number. He answered on the third ring, and without giving him time to say hello, she said, “I’m calling for a family business meeting.”

  She heard hammers echoing loudly in the background. She heard shuffling and figured Liam was moving to a different location so he could hear her. She heard silence for a minute, before Liam asked, “What’d you say? I couldn’t hear with all of this noise around here.”

  She smiled at the thought of him working hard in the mid-day sun—sweat covering his well-defined, tan muscles.

  “Leah, you there?” He said, interrupting her thoughts.

  She cleared her throat and said, “Sorry, I was just thinking… Never mind that. I’m calling for a family business meeting.”

  “Okay, that’s something different.” She allowed him a minute to think it over. “What for?”

  She really didn’t know how the family ran their business. With all the excitement of remodeling and then the fire, they hadn’t actually discussed how the business was run. “I should let you get back to work. I’ll work on the details and talk to you tonight about everything.”

  She heard the hammering getting closer, before Liam said, “Are you sure? I can take the day off.”

  He was always so willing to put things on hold for her—something she was trying to get used to. Something she knew would take a while.

  “No, it’s fine. Go ahead and finish what you’re doing there, and I’ll see you later.”

  “Okay, I won’t be too long. Looks like storm clouds are rolling in from the west.”

  “Be careful, and see you after bit,” she smiled, putting her phone down next to the open laptop in front of her.

  The business may have been running great just the way things had been before the fire, but they had been given a fresh start, with the help of the insurance company and the Williams. A bittersweet reminder that there’s always a positive to be found in every negative. She wanted nothing more than to make sure the bar would be everything it had been, and more.

  The kitchen floor creaked as footsteps landed gently behind her. She twisted around in her chair and was greeted by Rosie. “Good morning, dear.”

  “Good morning, Rosie.” She quickly closed out of a few programs on her computer before Rosie could see—not that it was a problem if Rosie saw anything, she just wanted to discuss everything with Liam first.

  “What are you working on so early in the morning?” Rosie grabbed the pot of coffee Leah had freshly made and filled her favorite cup. She moved slowly to the table, sitting down across from Leah. She smiled at Leah as she dipped her spoon into the sugar and stirred it into her coffee. “Must be something important if you’re up before the crack of dawn.”

  Leah smiled. She had only been staying there—living there—just over a month, and Rosie’d already scoped out her sleeping habits. She wasn’t a morning person at all, and this morning she had witnessed the sunrise. She couldn’t remember the last time she had watched the sunrise.

  Rosie set her spoon to rest on the napkin beside her cup, and waited for Leah to engage in conversation. She quietly sipped on her coffee as she watched Leah study the computer in front of her.

  Leah leaned over the top of her computer and said, “I can’t tell you everything, because I need to run it by Liam first, but I’m working on stuff for the bar.” When Rosie’s face lit up with amusement, Leah explained, “I wanted to do something for the business, and since I don’t think anyone should trust me with a hammer, I decided to work on the logistics here at home.”

  Rosie reached for the morning newspaper and said, “I trust that whatever you’ve got planned out on that computer is going to be a perfect addition for the business.”

  “There’ll be a family meeting in the next couple of days to discuss everything,” Leah said.

  Rosie’s eyes widened at the mention of the meeting. “That’s something new.”

  Leah chuckled and said, “That’s exactly what Liam said when I told him.”

  “I don’t think they’ve ever had a meeting as a family,” Rosie admitted. “At least, not since I’ve been here.”

  “It’s not a bad thing that they haven’t, and it’s not bad that there will be one,” Leah assured her. “I just think that if we discuss everything together, no one’s left out and everyone will be on the same page.”

  Rosie pointed a finger at Leah with a slight smirk on her face. “You’re going to be a great edition to the business,” she said matter-of-factly. “And to the family.”

  Comforted with Rosie’s approval, Leah shut her laptop and decided to make breakfast. “Are you okay with scrambled eggs and toast, or would you like pancakes and the whole nine yards?”

  Rosie chuckled. “Don’t be silly. You don’t have to cook for me,” Rosie said, standing slowly from her chair and moving closer to the stove. “It should be me making you breakfast.”

  Leah shook her head. She refused to be waited on. It hadn’t gone unnoticed that Rosie had been walking a bit slower, and with a limp, the last few days. She wasn’t too worried, but she definitely wanted her to take it easy. “You just sit over there and enjoy the coffee. I’ll enjoy the conversation while I cook up something quick.”

  Rosie didn’t argue. Instead, she made her way back to her chair and sat down. Leah could see how bothered she was to have to sit by and watch. “I don’t mind cooking. Actually, I really enjoy it,” Leah explained. Rosie had a pained look on her face when Leah walked to the table. “I promise.”

  A slight grimace crossed Rosie’s face, followed by a silent moan. Leah reached over to Rosie and touched her shoulder. “Rosie, are you okay?”

  Rosie shrugged and tried to say something, but Leah wasn’t sure what she was trying to say. “Rosie, do I need to call an ambulance?”

  When Leah lifted Rosie’s chin with her hand, she could tell something was wrong—horribly wrong. The whole right side of her face drooped, as Rosie sat there quietly, with a look of fear in her eyes. Leah’s first instinct was to holler, but with no one else home to hear her, she had to figure this out on her own. Working as a medical receptionist had its perks, like knowing when there was an actual medical emergency—like what was happening now.

  She sat Rosie back in the chair so she wouldn’t fall forward while she quickly shut the burners off on th
e stove, but she quickly noticed that Rosie was sliding out of the chair, and hurried to her side. “Rosie, I’m going to call the ambulance. Everything’s going to be okay, all right?”

  She planted herself next to Rosie, making sure she didn’t fall from the chair. She stretched her upper body across the table, with her hand stretched out to grab her phone. It was just an inch or so out of her reach. She pulled back and grabbed the wadded up newspaper. She needed to get her phone. Rosie needed an ambulance. Not being able to move away from Rosie, she stretched across the table once more and using the wadded up newspaper, she hit at her phone, attempting to get it to move within her reach. After struggling for a minute, the phone finally budged and moved a few inches, closing the distance her fingers needed to reach it. She gripped it tightly and brought it to her. One glance at Rosie told her that things weren’t good and she was declining quickly. She dialed 911 and waited impatiently for the 911 operator to answer the phone.

  “911, what’s the location of your emergency?”

  She scrambled to remember the address. Of course she wouldn’t remember the address in the desperate time she needed it.

  “Is there an envelope with the address on it? Like a bill or maybe an address label?”

  Leah searched the table with her eyes. She tried to remain calm for Rosie’s sake, but her insides were screaming at her as adrenaline washed over her in waves. “Please, I can’t leave her side. I’m holding her up in the chair. Just send help, please!” She could only beg for so long without losing control of her emotions.

  “Ma’am, I need an address to send the ambulance to,” the operator calmly explained.

  “Oh, my God!” Leah nearly shrieked, as she felt the weight of a semi-conscious Rosie against her side. “Rosie, stay awake. Stay with me! I’m on the phone with 911 right now.”

  “Is this the Spencer residence?”

  “Yes!” Leah shrieked into the phone, adrenaline taking control. “Yes, it is! Please, send the ambulance! Please!”

  “Can you tell me exactly what’s going on and how old Rosie is?”

  So many questions to answer as the time quickly passed by. Leah was beyond frustrated, and so far beyond scared to even think straight, but one thing she knew when she saw it—was a stroke. “She’s having a stroke! Get people here now!”

  Leah could hear tones in the background before she heard the operator say the address and a quick explanation of what was going on.

  “Okay, they’ll be on their way shortly,” the operator explained, again in the same calm voice she had from the beginning. Leah wondered how she could remain so calm when something so scary was happening. “Are you able to stay on the phone and answer a few more questions for me?”

  Leah almost said yes, but the thought of Wes and Liam hit her hard. “No, I can’t. I need to call her family.”

  Her voice was shaken and her legs were weak as they rattled with adrenaline and fear. She wrapped her arm around Rosie in an attempt to sit her up straight, but was unsuccessful. Rosie was now slouched forward with her head against the table.

  “I have to let you go!” She shouted into the phone.

  “Okay, if anything changes before the ambulance gets there, don’t hesitate to call 911 again,” the operator said.

  The operator barely got the whole sentence out before Leah hung up and dialed Liam’s number. Praying that he’d answer quickly and not ask any questions.

  “Hey there, we’re just finishing up—”

  Leah cut him off as she shouted, “You need to get home now!”

  “Leah, what’s going on? Is everything okay?”

  “Liam! Now!” She had no time to explain as Rosie slid farther forward. “Grab Wes on your way! There’s no time for questions! It’s Rosie!”

  She hung up, slamming her phone down on the table in front of her. She prayed for Liam to hurry up and get there, but also prayed for the ambulance to hurry faster. She wasn’t sure how long she could hold onto Rosie. Her arms were like jelly as Rosie’s weight pressed down against them.

  There was a loud knock at the front door followed by a familiar voice that called out, “EMS. We’re coming in.”

  “In the kitchen! We’re in here!” Leah hollered out.

  Only when she saw the medics rush into the kitchen, was she able to take a deep breath and step back out of their way.

  They asked several questions as they loaded her onto the cot and strapped her to it. Medications, allergies, last oral intake, last time seen “normal,” and time of onset. She answered them the best she could and explained that Liam would be here with his grandpa any minute.

  While they were hooking Rosie up to oxygen and placing a pronged hose into her nostrils, Leah grabbed a hold of Rosie’s hand and squeezed it, only disheartened when Rosie was unable to squeeze back—the true sign, along with the others she had witnessed, of a stroke.

  “We’ll take good care of her, Leah,” the female medic, Megan, tried to assure her, with an uncertain look herself.

  She knew Rosie was in good hands, the best actually, because of her granddaughter, Megan. But that didn’t help calm her fears. She had grown attached to Rosie. Rosie was like a second mother to her.

  She watched as they loaded her into the ambulance and the male medic shut the doors behind his partner as she climbed in next to Rosie. He looked at Leah and asked, “Do you want to ride with?”

  Leah shook her head, bringing a hand to her trembling mouth. The medic nodded and hurried to the driver’s side of the ambulance. She wanted to ride with, but she needed to wait for Liam and Wes to get there. She needed to be with them.

  * * *

  “What’s going on?” Leah heard after heavy footsteps from the porch. Liam rushed inside and she met him by the front door. He was distraught, but once he looked at her, everything stopped, and he quickly grabbed her in his arms. She fell into his embrace, sobbing heavily into his already drenched t-shirt. She told him about Rosie between sobs, hoping he understood.

  He rubbed her back and said, “We’d better get going.”

  She nodded as she grabbed for the Kleenex that sat on the stand next to the door.

  They hurried to his truck, where Wes was waiting with a mixed look of panic and sadness. Her heart ached for him. She couldn’t imagine what he was thinking.

  She climbed into the middle seat and buckled herself in. Liam slammed the truck into drive and they hauled ass out of the driveway.

  Even though the roar of the engine was loud and almost deafening, Leah heard nothing but silence as her heart pounded in her chest and her eardrums thumped with each heartbeat.

  Liam broke the silence as he reached over her and held tightly to his grandfather’s hand. Wes sat quietly with tear-filled eyes and a trembling mouth. “What actually happened?” Liam’s voice interrupted the deafening pounding in her ears. She tried to talk, but emotion had caused lumps to form in her throat. “What do you think is wrong?”

  “I… we…” she tried to explain. “We were in the kitchen talking about things while I made breakfast, and the next thing I know…” she let her words trail as she thought of how frantic the morning had been. The fear came rushing back and she closed her eyes, trying to ignore it—only making it worse.

  “What happened?” Liam asked, his knuckles white as his hand gripped the steering wheel. “Did she fall? Was she in pain?”

  His questions hit her like bricks as she tried to find the right words to say to explain what had happened. She wasn’t a doctor, but she was almost a hundred percent sure Rosie had a stroke.

  “I think she had a stroke,” she said, so quietly it came out almost a mumble.

  “What?” Liam asked as he slammed the gas pedal to the floor. Tension creased his face as he guided the truck along the curves of the road in the valley. They were still fifteen minutes, if not farther, from the hospital. “A stroke?”

  A quiet sob escaped Wes as he covered his face with his hand. Leah grabbed his free hand and gave it a gentle squeez
e. She patted the top of his hand with her other hand, trying to reassure him that everything would be okay, even though she wasn’t exactly sure how okay everything really was.

  26

  “Can anyone give us an update?” Liam stood impatiently at the receptionist desk of the ER while Leah sat next to Wes in the waiting area.

  “I can’t lose her,” Wes mumbled, under his breath.

  She grabbed his hand and hung on tightly to it. “Hey, let’s not think like that.”

  He shrugged and looked at her. She could see his pain, as the tears welled up and dared to fall. She wouldn’t allow him to think like this until they knew something. “Have faith that she’ll be okay. She’s a strong woman,” Leah said. “She’s strong.”

  “Stubborn’s what she is,” Wes said, allowing a quick smile to escape through his tears.

  “See, that’s what I mean,” Leah said.

  Wes nodded, looking toward the entrance of the ER. “You know she hates hospitals?”

  Leah couldn’t imagine how anyone could like a hospital, but she went along with what he wanted to say. “Does she?”

  He sighed and took a deep breath. “She’s probably scared. She needs me back there with her.”

  Liam placed a hand on his grandfather’s shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. “We’ll see her soon, Gramps. We just have to wait.”

  The receptionist called out to Liam and motioned for him to come to the counter. He nodded and walked back toward Leah and Wes. “She said the doctor will be out in a minute with an update.”

  Wes’ body jerked as he inhaled deeply, only to fight back his emotions, but failed as a heavy sob escaped, with the release of his breath. As she tried her best to comfort him she saw a white coat from the corner of her eye. She looked up as the doctor approached them. He clasped his hands and said, “I’m afraid I have some terrible news.”

  With that, Wes almost fell from his chair, but Leah caught him and held him, with help from Liam. “Not my Rosie, please, not my Rosie. I can’t live without her. Please, God…” His words were halted by all the emotion he had held back. His body jarred against Leah as she held him tightly against her.