A Little Ray of Sunshine_A Christian Romance

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  “A couple?”

  “You don’t know?”

  “Okay. Fine. I bought a couple of four packs of them.”

  “Eight chocolate bars, Ryan?”

  “Hey, I’m just making up for lost time,” Ryan said. “I plan to share some of the chocolate with Hannah.”

  “She’s such a sweet girl,” his mom said. “How well did you get to know her? Pretty well, I’d assume.”

  Ryan set the uneaten portion of his chocolate bar down on the counter. “We did talk a lot, so I suppose I did get to know her well enough. She wasn’t in the best shape for long talks though, and she slept a lot of the time, but even the short conversations we had added up over the course of the time we were together.”

  “So she has no family?”

  Ryan broke off a piece of the chocolate then set it back on the wrapper. “She said her dad died from a workplace accident when she was young, and her mom passed away when she was around eighteen. I don’t know the details of her mom’s death, just that it was from a long illness.”

  “No grandparents or siblings?”

  “No siblings, no, and she said that she’d never had any sort of contact with her mom’s parents. Her dad’s parents have passed away.”

  “Have you told her that her friends are welcome to come here to see her?” his mom asked as she added cut up carrots to a pot on the stove.

  Ryan ate another piece of chocolate, trying to formulate his answer. “I…uh…I don’t think she really has any, Mom. From what she said, the people she had the most contact with before she was kidnapped were her co-workers. The people from the aid organization. She didn’t mention any other friends during our conversations.”

  “And she hasn’t wanted to contact them,” his mom commented. “So I’m guessing they weren’t all that close.”

  “I would assume that as well,” Ryan said as he broke off another piece of chocolate. He could hear the concern in his mom’s voice, and he knew that she was prepared to mother Hannah within an inch of her life. All she could see were the empty spaces in Hannah’s life, and already she was making plans to fill them.

  But what if that wasn’t what Hannah wanted?

  Before his mom could say anything more, he heard the front door of the house open, and soon his siblings began to filter into the kitchen. From the amount of food his mom had been cooking, it wasn’t a surprise that most of his siblings were present. He slid his candy stash into the bag from the store, then jogged up the stairs to put it away in his room.

  As he walked past the door to Hannah’s room, he paused to listen for any noise. He lifted a hand and rapped softly on the door, figuring if she was sleeping, she wouldn’t hear it. The door swung open a few seconds later.

  “Hey,” he said, taking in Hannah’s change of clothes. She wore a pair of baggy jeans and a loose, long-sleeve, dark blue T-shirt. They looked quite a bit like the clothes he’d picked up for himself, so apparently she had decided to follow his strategy, just as she’d said. “We’re going to be ready to eat supper soon.”

  “Let me get Jason,” Hannah said. “He’s just in the swing. I was going through some more of my boxes.”

  “Are you finding what you’re looking for?”

  She lifted Jason from the swing then came back to the door. “I’m not really looking for anything in particular. Just seeing what’s there. Seeing what they shipped to me.”

  “Here, let me take him,” Ryan said as she joined him in the hall. She hesitated only a moment before handing Jason over.

  “Thank you. He gets a bit heavy at times,” Hannah said. “I think he’s gaining weight faster than I’m regaining strength.”

  “There’s lots of arms available to help you out,” Ryan said.

  “I understand that, but I’m his mom. I want to be able to hold him as needed.”

  “In due time, Hannah. It took you a year to lose that strength. It’s going to take more than a few days for you to get it back.”

  Hannah wasn’t sure how many times she needed to hear that before she believed it. As a nurse, she shouldn’t have had that hard a time grasping the truth of that statement, but she was impatient. As long as she struggled with her health and strength, she couldn’t move forward with her life. And if she couldn’t move forward with her life, she couldn’t put what had happened in Afghanistan—and Ryan—behind her.

  Once they were seated at the table, filled again with faces that were becoming more familiar with each passing day, Steve said grace then people began to fill their plates. Large serving bowls of chicken and dumplings sat on the table, but instead of passing them, each person just handed their plate down to the people closest to the serving dishes.

  When Hannah got hers back, she stared down at the food, convinced there was no way she was going to be able to eat it all. However, the first bite was incredibly good, so she knew she was going to try her best to clean her plate. Unfortunately, her stomach called a halt about halfway through. A glance at Ryan’s plate revealed he been able to eat more than she had, but he still hadn’t cleaned his plate either.

  She was once again seated with Ryan on the other side of Jason, and to her left sat Sammi and her husband, Levi. Hannah had noticed that Levi was quiet, usually not talking unless someone addressed him directly. Given the conversations, some of them heated, going on around the table, it appeared that it was a good thing a few of them were quiet.

  “Have you found anything else you need for Jason?” Sammi asked after she’d finished chatting with her sister and Grace about the pregnancy.

  “Not yet, but like I told your mom, he seems to be growing bigger by the hour,” Hannah said.

  “That’s good.” Sammi gave her a smile that looked very much like Ryan’s. It was weird that even though she’d just become familiar with his smile in the last week or so, she was already seeing it in others. “I’ll bring you some other clothes that are the next size up for him.”

  “Thank you very much. I’ll be getting him some things soon, so you don’t have to keep bringing stuff over.”

  Sammi’s fingers rested on her arm for a moment. “Don’t feel you have to rush. I’m happy to see the clothes getting some use. We have lots since Stephanie and Ella are close to the same age so we couldn’t pass much stuff between them. We ended up with a bunch of gender neutral things since we were buying with a thought to the future and hopefully having boys one day. I’m glad the clothes are getting used sooner rather than later.”

  “Did you find out ahead of time what you were having?”

  “Yeah, we all did, and I’m sure Grace will find out this time around too.”

  Hannah wasn’t sure what she would have done if she’d had the option to find out the sex of her baby during her pregnancy. As it was, she was glad he’d been a boy. He might not have been treated as well had he been a girl.

  “We’re just hoping that Grace can carry to full term this time,” Sammi said.

  “Was there a reason she delivered early with Olivia?”

  “Not really. Although she did have a lot of emotional stress going on around that time, so that may have played a role. I’m sure her doctor will keep a close eye on her this time around.”

  “Have you talked to her about this weekend?” Makayla asked from across the table.

  “Not yet,” Sammi told her then turned to Hannah again. “We ladies are going to have manis and pedis this weekend and then an early dinner, if you’d like to join us.”

  While the idea held some appeal for Hannah, she wasn’t sure what to do about Jason. “Can I think about it?”

  “Of course,” Sammi said with a smile. “Whatever you’re comfortable with. Just know that you’re welcome.”

  After supper, Hannah retreated to her bedroom once again with Jason. Though she knew that they wouldn’t have minded her staying downstairs, she didn’t want to encroach on Ryan’s continuing reunion with his family.

  After the nurse arrived, they gave Jason a bath then the nurse prepared his
final bottle for the evening. While Hannah gave it to him, the nurse chatted about her day and, once again, her kids and grandkids. When the bottle was finished, and Jason had been burped, Hannah rocked him until his eyes drifted closed then she put him down in the crib.

  “Sleep well,” the nurse said. “We’ll see you in the morning.”

  Back in her room, Hannah grabbed her laptop and settled down in the comfy chair near the window. She’d heard there was a forecast of snow overnight, but from what she could see out the window, it hadn’t started yet.

  Reaching beside the cushions, she pulled out the notebook she’d found in one of her boxes. Thankfully, it had been nothing more than a place to make lists or reminders, so whoever had found it to pack away hadn’t found her personal notes. Those had been written on her computer then uploaded to the cloud to save.

  Opening to the page where she’d clipped the pen earlier, Hannah read through the list she’d made of things she needed to do. She still had to contact her bank, and also figure out what she needed in order to get Jason a birth certificate. But right then, she had something else she wanted to spend a little time on.

  Though she was eager to return to nursing. Hannah was also realistic. There was no way she could handle a nursing shift in her current state, and probably not even for some time to come. But an even bigger issue than her level of strength was the hours she might be required to work. There was no way she’d be able to find a daycare for Jason that operated within the hours she’d likely need. That left her with having to find work in either clinics or doctors’ offices.

  With that in mind, she pulled up a job search site and began to see if anyone was hiring. She didn’t anticipate finding something right away, particularly since she couldn’t work immediately, but it would help her gauge whether staying in Winnipeg would be realistic or not. Though a part of her wanted to make that decision based on what Ryan did, it likely wouldn’t matter since his home and job weren’t somewhere she could move to, even if she wanted to.

  As she scrolled through job listings, she jotted down notes, then she did a little research of daycares in the area, also making notes about those. She was glad that her phone allowed her to view her current location because she was very unfamiliar with the area.

  Finally, when she couldn’t stop the yawns from overtaking her, Hannah set her things aside and got ready for bed. There had been no definite plans put in place for the next day, but she was learning to expect anything, and a good night’s sleep would help with that.

  It was barely nine the next morning when it became clear that the day was going to be different from others so far. First, it was the call from the doctor while Hannah was eating breakfast, asking if she could stop by later that morning for a chat. Next was something that Ryan received on his phone that completely changed his countenance and his mood.

  Hannah had no idea what had chased away his smile and left a tense scowl in its place, and apparently he wasn’t going to share it with her. As it turned out, he didn’t have to. A short time later, the doorbell rang, and Steve disappeared, only to reappear a few minutes later with four men behind him.

  The first man to step into the room was tall with dark hair, piercing blue eyes, and a firmly set jaw. He wore a dark gray suit with a white shirt and blue tie and gave off a commanding air. Given that he’d been the first one in, Hannah deduced he was someone of importance.

  Behind him came another man in a suit, but his face, while still serious, didn’t hold the same intensity as that of the first man. His blond hair was styled, giving him a polished look.

  The two men that came after them were dressed more casually, particularly the man using crutches. He wore jeans and a long sleeve T-shirt, much like what Ryan was wearing.

  The man on crutches moved passed the other three and headed right for Ryan who had gotten to his feet. The tension on Ryan’s face eased as the two approached each other. Ryan wrapped his arms around him, and the man did the same, his crutches falling to the floor.

  Though Hannah could hear murmurs of conversation from them, she couldn’t decipher their words. When they finally parted, the stranger kept one arm around Ryan’s shoulders.

  The other casually dressed man picked up the crutches and handed them to his friend. “So glad to see you again, man.”

  “You too, Than. How’s Lindsay?”

  “Big as a house, but she’s never been more beautiful,” the man said, his broad smile showing even white teeth against his tanned skin. “Due any day.”

  “Then why are you here, dude?”

  “We brought Lucas’s jet, so if I have to get back quickly, I can.” Then he shrugged. “And I wanted to see you again. We barely had time to say hello on that helicopter.”

  Oh, so he’d been one of the men who had rescued them.

  Ryan cleared his throat then turned his gaze to her. “Hannah, I’d like you to meet some of the people I work with.” He held his hand toward the two men wearing suits. “This is Marcus Black and Alex Thorpe. They are the founders of BlackThorpe Security. This is Than Miller who was in the helicopter that flew us to Kabul. And this,” he said, thumping the shoulder of the man beside him, “is Tyler. He’s not just someone I work with, but he’s also my best friend.”

  All four men came to shake her hand with Marcus being the last. He peered down at her, his gaze so focused she felt a bit like a bug under a microscope.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Hannah. How are you finding things since your release?”

  “Ryan’s family has been wonderful at helping me out and caring for Jason and me.”

  “That’s great, but really no surprise. Ryan has always been a wonderfully generous man, so it comes as no surprise that his family is that way as well.” His gaze moved to Jason who she held in her arms, and his expression immediately softened. “Your son is beautiful.”

  “Thank you. And thank you also for the role you played in my rescue,” Hannah replied, not certain what else to say. She knew that Ryan was upset with some of these people because of his kidnapping, so the tension in the air was thick.

  “I’m glad we were able to help. It was a double blessing to find you along with Ryan.”

  “I’m very grateful for that.” She glanced over at Ryan, seeing a scowl on his face as he stared at Marcus. “Now, if you’ll please excuse me, I’m just going to take Jason up to his room.”

  Though she really had no reason to take him upstairs, she was eager to escape the tension. Plus, she didn’t really want to hear—again—how Ryan was upset about them being kidnapped and how he wished it had never happened.

  She let out a long breath as she made her way up the stairs, feeling immediately better at having left the tense atmosphere behind.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “Can I get you gentlemen some coffee?” his mom asked after Hannah had left the kitchen. “Why don’t you all have a seat at the table there?”

  Ryan wasn’t sure what to make of this impromptu visit. He wished that Tyler had given him some sort of head’s up, but when they’d talked briefly the day before, he hadn’t mentioned anything about a visit. Ryan had hoped for a little more time to work through his feelings before having to face Alex and Marcus, but apparently that was not to be.

  He wished that Hannah hadn’t left the room, but he could understand why she had. She was barely comfortable around his family, so there was no way she’d be at ease around these men. Especially Marcus, who scared most people with his intensity. How he’d managed not to scare off his wife or traumatize their kid, Ryan didn’t know.

  His mom set a plate with muffins and cinnamon buns on the table while his dad brought over a tray with mugs, cream and sugar, and the glass carafe from their coffee maker.

  Then he said, “We’ll just leave you to your conversation. If you need anything, Ry, we’ll be in the family room.”

  Ryan watched them leave the kitchen then looked back in time to see Alex and Marcus exchange a look. Meanwhile, Than had moved tw
o cups from the tray to place in front of him and Tyler. He filled their mugs then set the carafe back down, turning the handle to face Alex and Marcus.

  “So how have you been doing, Ryan?” Than asked. “We didn’t get much chance to chat on the helicopter.”

  “Doing okay. My appetite is still recovering, and I’m tired a lot, but it could be worse.”

  “It could be, for sure,” Tyler said. “I’m grateful that, in spite of how long you were held, you’re not in worse shape.”

  “How are you?” Ryan asked, still not used to seeing his best friend on crutches.

  Tyler shrugged. “It’s taking longer than I had hoped to be able to walk again, but the doctors don’t want to take the chance of my back giving out without the support of the crutches. Hopefully, with continued physio, I won’t need to use them much longer.”

  “Ryan.” Marcus’ tone was firm as he took control of the conversation.

  Reluctantly, Ryan turned his focus to the man sitting across the table from him. His hands were cupped around his mug, but he didn’t lift it to take a drink.

  “Alex and I owe you an apology.”

  The words acted like a pin in the balloon of his anger. Slowly it began to seep out of him, though he still wasn’t prepared to let it all go.

  “We should have listened to you,” Alex said when Ryan didn’t reply to Marcus’s statement.

  Ryan swallowed then said, “You should have let me do my job. I was hired to alert you to situations like that. I tried to do that, and you brushed aside my concerns like they meant nothing. Like you didn’t trust my abilities.”

  “We do trust your abilities,” Alex said. “We always have. That’s why we hired you.”

  “We were blinded,” Marcus stated bluntly. “We wanted this mission to follow through because it could have opened doors for future opportunities.”

  “So you overlooked my advice because of money?” Ryan asked. “When has money been more important than what we do at BlackThorpe?”

  “It never has,” Alex said. “What we were hoping for were more contacts in the Middle East, but not for money. More contacts would have hopefully provided safer situations for any of our teams going over there. So yes, we overlooked your concerns in hopes of gaining that. In hindsight, that was wrong of us.”