by Tina Beckett
She missed riding. Missed the freedom that came with galloping across the fields after a stray calf or riding the fence line in search of breaks or gaps.
She missed a lot of things.
But most of all she missed Greg.
She put a hand on the slight bump on her abdomen and wondered again if she’d done the right thing in leaving. But how could she have stayed when each day she’d have wondered if he regretted being with her? Regret being tied down to a relationship and kids?
Something in her had hoped he’d come after her and prove her wrong, especially once he realized she’d knitted that hat especially for him. But he hadn’t. She’d have to make a decision about her house in Alaska pretty soon. And there was a job in the Boise area that looked promising, at a pediatrician’s office.
No more oncology. No more reminders of her past.
She stopped short as a realization struck her. Sometimes you needed to face the past in order to tackle the future.
Gathering the reins, she gave Poncho’s sides a slight squeeze with her legs and he immediately responded. His walk was a bit more energetic on the way in than it had been on trip here. No need to guide him at this point, he knew the way home by heart.
Her own words came back to her. Sometimes you need to face the past in order to tackle the future.
Wasn’t that what Greg had done? He hadn’t turned his back on the pain of his sister’s death. Instead, he’d faced it on a daily basis with every patient he treated. Patients like her, like Martha Brookstone. Patients like Claire Taylor.
How was Claire?
Hannah had flown out of Alaska almost immediately so she had no idea if the woman had recovered or not. She’d left Greg to deal with the situation on his own.
A wave of nausea went through her. She’d taken the coward’s way out. Yes, she’d had Greg’s best interests at heart but, thinking back on it, how much easier had it been to simply drop a note on his desk and clear out without ever having to face him?
Too damn easy. Her mom used to say that was a sure sign you were doing the wrong thing.
A sound in the distance brought both her and Poncho’s heads up. Her mount gave a whinny of recognition as another horse made its way toward them. It had to be Glenda, her mom’s horse. She squinted. The figure on the mare’s back was too wide to be her mother. Surely her dad wasn’t out here riding. Even the easy, collected canter Glenda was doing would be difficult for him to maintain for more than a couple of strides. And this rider was perfectly at home at the gait, his form flawless.
Poncho tried to break into a trot but Hannah held him back, a feeling of unease rolling over her. What if something had happened to her father?
When the rider was about fifty yards out, Hannah leaned forward, trying to figure out who was in the saddle.
Oh, God. That’s why the person looked so familiar.
It was Greg.
On a horse!
She pulled Poncho to a halt, half wondering if she’d gone crazy. Greg didn’t know how to ride. He didn’t have time to do anything other than work. She didn’t want Poncho moving suddenly and spooking Glenda. Except Greg knew his way around a horse. She’d swear it from his posture, the way he held the reins gathered in his left hand while his right rested quietly on his thigh.
He pulled up beside her. “Hi.”
“You ride.” The inane comment drew a laugh from him.
“I haven’t in a long time, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to pay dearly for it tomorrow but, yes. I do. It feels good.”
“How’s Claire?” Poncho stepped sideways, anxious to be on his way.
“She’s almost fully recovered.”
Relief washed over her. “That’s wonderful.”
“That’s not why I’m here, though.”
She licked her lips. “I kind of figured.”
Greg turned his horse so they were head to head. “I came to ask what you meant by your note.”
“I, uh…” She shrugged. “I could tell you weren’t happy. I decided to make it easy on you.”
“Easy on…” Greg swung off Glenda and held his hands out for Poncho’s reins. “I’d rather not have this conversation on horseback.”
Hannah didn’t have much choice but to follow his lead so she dismounted and let him tie the horses to a nearby bush.
She stood still, not convinced this wasn’t all part of some strange hallucination. But when he came back and she realized he was wearing her father’s broken-down cowboy boots, she knew he was very real. In Idaho. Riding her mother’s horse.
“You decided to make it easy on me?”
“Yes.”
He took two steps forward and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight against him. His scent washed over her, clean, earthy and smelling like horse, and she couldn’t keep herself from leaning into him.
When he spoke, his voice was low. “If this was easy, I don’t ever want to face hard.” He paused. “I love you, Hannah. What on earth gave you the idea I was unhappy?”
Her heart flipped over in her chest. He loved her? Surely she hadn’t heard that correctly. “I—I didn’t want you to have to choose between me and your job.”
He kissed the top of her head. “That choice was already made.”
“But you looked miserable at the hospital.”
Greg’s hand slid through her hair. “I’m upset any time there’s a problem with one of my patients. You saw what happened with Mrs. Brookstone.”
“Yes.” Although it made her sad that it had taken the woman’s illness to bring them together, she thought Martha would be pleased if she could see them now. “But you didn’t want a wife or children. You said as much.”
He chuckled. “I did. Stupid people say stupid things sometimes.” Holding her away from him, he looked into her face. “My life was so wrapped up with my work that I didn’t think I had anything to offer anyone else. But I’ve realized that without you I don’t have much to offer to anyone…not even my patients. My heart wouldn’t be in it anymore.”
“But your sister—”
“Would approve. All she ever wanted was for me to follow my heart. And my heart is here. With you.”
Hannah sighed, believing at last. “I love you, too. Are you sure you can do this?”
He cupped her face. “For the past two weeks I’ve found out what I can’t do. And that’s live without you. I think Stella agrees with me.”
“She found my note?”
“Yes. And she opened your present—which I hadn’t been able to do.” He pulled the hat from his back pocket. “Thank you for worrying. It gave me the nerve to finally come after you.”
“I’m so very glad you did.”
He leaned in for a long kiss. The parts of her that had gone into hibernation slowly came back to life. When he pulled away, he leaned his forehead against hers, one hand curving over her abdomen. “Will you come back to Alaska with me?”
“Yes, but first I have a better idea.” She took him by the hand and led him toward the horses. “My folks have a little cottage that sits about a hundred yards from the main house. It’s where the ranch foreman used to stay. I don’t think they’ll miss us if we spend an hour or so over there. We can sneak in through one of the back windows.”
He laughed. “I don’t think we’ll need to use the window.”
“Really? And why’s that?”
He lifted his hand, something shiny dangling from his index finger. “Your mom gave me a key to the front door.”
EPILOGUE
HANNAH stood over the crib and watched the twins sleep.
Simon and Bethany huddled at opposite ends of the space, still looking incredibly tiny, although at a little over five pounds each they were good-sized. “It’s almost time, munchkins.”
She held a sealed envelope in a shaking hand, wondering what news it contained.
Greg loved these little ones as much as she did, doted on them every second that he was home, which was a lot more often than she expe
cted. He didn’t seem to be able to stay away for longer than six hours at a time.
In fact, they’d bought a house closer to the clinic so Greg could come home for lunch or whenever there was a lull between patients. And it was also close enough to the hospital that she didn’t worry about keeping him away from anything urgent.
“And he’s not miserable after all,” she whispered to the babies.
Neither was she. In fact, Hannah was insanely happy. She’d go back to work in another month, and the timing was perfect. Fishing season would be over, and Greg’s parents had offered to come up and help out. Between the heart-to-heart talk Greg and his father had finally had and the birth of the twins, the hard feelings between the two men had been eased. They were both stubborn and prideful, but Bethany’s memory would serve as a permanent link between them. Greg’s mother was a sweet woman, and Hannah knew the twins would be in good hands with both of them.
The front door clicked shut. “Hannah? I’m home.”
Greg’s voice reverberated around the house, and she winced when one set of eyes opened and then the other.
Awake. Again.
She smiled. It was all good. Sneaking from the nursery and hoping to get a few minutes alone with her husband, she padded out to the front room.
Greg caught her around the waist and pulled her against his body before kissing her breathless. After six months of marriage he still held her like he couldn’t get enough.
And that was fine by her because she couldn’t get enough of him either.
Once she caught his eye, she held up the envelope. “The results are in.”
His smile faded as he looked at her hand. “Did you open it?”
“No. I wanted to wait for you to get home. I think we should do it together.”
He brushed a long strand of hair behind her shoulder. Over the course of her pregnancy her hair had grown six inches and was shiny and healthy again. Just like she felt.
A thin cry from one of the twins went up.
“Oh, no. They were stirring when you got home but I was hoping they’d go right back to sleep.”
“It’s Bethany, I’ll get her.”
Hannah was amazed that he could tell their cries apart so easily, but he could. Thirty seconds later he strolled out of the room, a baby snuggled in his arms. Wide blue eyes stared up at her daddy and little fists waved from beneath her blanket. Hannah smiled then went over to the couch and waited for him to join her. He did, kissing his daughter’s forehead as he sat.
He stared at Bethany for a long time then looked up at her. “It doesn’t matter, you know. It won’t change anything.”
“Don’t you want to know one way or the other?”
“Not really. Unless you do.”
Hannah frowned, not sure where this sudden reluctance had come from. Was he afraid the twins weren’t his? Was he afraid he wouldn’t feel the same way about them?
“I’m their father. It doesn’t matter whose D.N.A. they carry.” He took the envelope from her hand and set it unopened on the coffee table. “We’ll keep it in a file somewhere, in case they need or want to know someday. But I’m okay with never opening it.”
“Are you sure?”
Securing Bethany in one arm, he reached for her with the other, sliding his hand beneath her hair and pulling her close. “As sure as I am that I love you,” he whispered.
A wave of happiness burst over her as his lips touched hers, and Hannah knew without a doubt this was where she belonged. In the arms of the man whose love stretched as far and wide as the northern lights across a dark Alaskan sky.
* * * * *
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IMPRINT: Medical
ISBN: 9781489274199
TITLE: ONE NIGHT THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
First Australian Publication 2018
Copyright © 2012 Tina Beckett
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Mills & Boon®, Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, N.S.W., Australia 2000.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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