by Mary Leo
As it was, they had stopped as they approached the cabin so she was hopeful they were simply a false alarm of some sort. Either way, she wanted a bed in the worst way.
Hamilton escorted her to her bedroom, then helped her out of her coat and scarf. She wore a large sweatshirt and skinny jeans. She didn’t feel like taking either one off, but her jeans were wet, so they had to go.
“Could you help me get out of my jeans?”
“Sure,” he said as she sat on the bed and he bent over to tug at her jeans. Normally, she would have thought the whole thing was sexy, but not today. Not now.
She slipped right into bed, and Hamilton tucked her in.
“Are you sure you’re feeling okay, Gaby?” He got down on one knee to be closer to her, and gently swiped her hair off her forehead. Her lips curved into a warm smile. “I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to you.”
“Your grandfather took care of me. I’m sure of it. I could feel his presence when I was out there, lost in fear. He was by my side the entire time.”
“You really think so?”
Hamilton looked almost childlike when he asked the question, reminding her of all the times he’d snuck into her room at night when they were kids to play card games or chess or to simply sit side-by-side and bad-mouth their parents.
“Yes, I do.”
He stood. “I’ll get that hot chocolate going, then I’ll let you get some rest. I’m also going to put in a call to my old doctor to come check in on you later. I’m pretty sure he lives on this side of the avalanche now.”
Normally, she would balk at the presumption that she might need a doctor, but the with the way she was feeling, a doctor’s exam would be welcomed. Once again, she was thankful for Hamilton’s concern for her health, and that of their baby’s.
“Thanks,” she told him.
“I’ll get some wood, and start a fire in the fireplace. That should take the chill off this room,” he said, then left the room, and as soon as he left, she wanted him to come right back. She missed him.
But that wasn’t possible?
Was it?
She remembered how she had missed him terribly during the school year when they were kids, but her mom had always cautioned her to not fall for him. She remembered one night in particular when her mom had seemed excessively mean.
“There are plenty of fish in the sea,” she’d said. “If you hook your line to that Winchester boy you’ll never know what else you could have caught.”
“But I don’t want any other fish,” Gaby had told her. “He’s the only one I want.”
“You’re just a little girl. You don’t know anything. Trust me on this. I’m older and wiser. You might catch a millionaire or even a billionaire or the next president of the United States. Then we can all live in the White House and direct people to cater to our every need. We’d be so rich you could have anything you wanted.”
“Anything?”
“Yes,” her mom had said emphatically.
“Then I want Hamilton to be my best friend, and he could come live with us in the White House.”
“He won’t be able to do that.”
“Why not? You said I could have anything I wanted?”
“Your husband won’t let you.”
“Then I don’t want that mean ol’ husband. I want Hamilton.”
“Well, by then, he won’t want you!”
“Why not?”
“Because by then he’ll have caught his own fish, and it won’t be you. Now go to sleep.”
Then her mom had turned off all the lights, and slammed the door shut. Gaby hated the dark, and hated whenever her mom would shut the door. She’d always felt so alone and scared. But Hamilton had given her a small flashlight that ran on rechargeable batteries. She’d sneak it into her bed for nights when her mom had gotten excessively mean. Whenever she turned it on, she felt as if he was with her.
She still carried that little flashlight whenever she traveled. She’d brought it with her to the cabin, and had already used it the first night she’d slept in Hamilton’s grandparents’ old room. It made her feel safe and secure . . . just like it always had.
Gaby remembered how she cried for an entire week after that conversation with her mom, and only stopped when she decided her mother had made it all up.
Unfortunately, according to Hamilton’s Facebook page, it had all been true. He had caught another fish, and her name was Sharon Smith.
Gaby rolled over and cried herself to sleep.
***
Hamilton could hear the concern in his mom’s voice as he held his phone to his ear.
“JT phoned and told me what happened out there in the snow today. Is Gaby okay?”
“I put in a call to my old doctor, Doc Holiday, who now happens to live less than a mile from here, and he agreed to stop by this evening to check in on her,” Hamilton told her.
“Good idea. He delivered you, you know.”
“Yes, Mom, I know. He was my doctor until I left home.”
“He’s a good man. Only does house calls now, so you called the right doctor. I hope Gaby hasn’t been doing too much since the avalanche. I know he’d put her on bed rest.”
Evening had finally arrived and Gaby still hadn’t awakened. His mom had called earlier, but he’d been asleep, and only now was he able to talk to her.
“She’s been sleeping ever since I brought her home. She seemed fine. Did JT tell you she worked her way out of the trunk of her car?”
He had made the hot chocolate for Gaby, but by the time he’d come back into her room, she had fallen asleep, so he placed the cup on the nightstand and covered it with a saucer. Then he’d gone back to his own room to rest.
“Yes. She’s always been clever and resourceful. Gets it from her dad.”
“Her mother would disagree.”
“Don’t get me started on Gaby’s mom.”
Hamilton remembered how his mom always disliked Jennifer Venti, but he never knew why. “So why do you dislike her so much?”
“I don’t want to say.”
“Mom, it’s time to tell me. I want to know.”
She sighed. “Fine, but this is just my opinion. She can be quite meddlesome and had always badmouthed men, especially when it came to Henry. I’m surprised Gaby has any kind of relationship with her dad the way Jennifer has carried on about him.”
“Maybe he deserved it, after all, he cheated on her mom and he’s had several more wives since then.”
“Henry has a good heart, and women like Jennifer take advantage of him.”
“Are you defending his immoral actions? I’m surprised at you.”
“I’m not saying he was a saint. I’m just saying it takes two to ruin a relationship. Besides, he’s a changed man. He’s found his Must.”
“His what?”
“The thing he must do. His calling. His purpose on this planet. We all have one, but for most of us, we can’t see what it is because we’re bogged down in things that don’t mean anything to us.”
“Let me guess. His calling is to run a restaurant.”
“No sweetheart, that’s your Must. His Must is to write a cookbook with all the recipes he’s developed over the years. Henry is an artist with food, and he’s finally going to do what he loves most . . . share his recipes with the world.”
“What about his restaurant?”
“He’s thinking of letting it go.”
A million ideas and thoughts raced through Hamilton’s mind. “Does he have a buyer?”
“He doesn’t want to sell it, exactly. He’d like to go into a partnership with a chef who would take it over and make it his or her own.”
“And I suppose he already has someone in mind?”
“He sure does.”
“Is it someone local? Is it someone I might know?”
“Yes, sweetheart. It’s you. He’d like to go into a partnership with you.”
For the first time in a lot of years, Hamilton was speec
hless. Was his grandfather actually manipulating the entire town or what?
Chapter Fifteen
“Yep, just keep yourself in this here bed for the next few weeks and everything will be fine,” Doc Holiday said in that gritty voice Hamilton recognized from his youth. It had been over eight years since Hamilton had seen the good doctor and he looked exactly the same, tall and lean, scuffed cowboy boots, jeans and he wore the same rodeo buckle he’d won when he was in his early twenties for bronc riding. Of course, it was well worn now, but Hamilton could still make it out.
The man was a throwback to the old west. He reminded Hamilton of his grandfather, sturdy, honest, and confident in his abilities.
Gaby tried to get up, but couldn’t quite lift herself off the bed.
“But I can’t stay here. My doctor is in Los Angeles. I live in Los Angeles.”
“Seems to me you were born right here. Heck, I think I delivered you, and it looks like I’ll be delivering your little one as well. Ain’t no sense in getting all worked up about anything. You’re in good hands with the Winchesters. Catherine and her boys will take good care of you. And once that road opens up again, I’m sure your dad won’t want to stray too far from your side. Now you just go on and relax. Let Hamilton here take good care of you.”
“I’ll do my best,” Hamilton assured him.
Maddie had popped in to visit Gaby earlier in the day. Maddie had doted on her, making sure she was comfy, and assured her that if she needed anything to let her know, and she’d do her best to take care of it. Hamilton knew her friendship and dedication meant a lot to Gaby, and she’d been smiling ever since she’d left the room.
And now that Doc Holiday had laid down the terms of Gaby’s near future, Hamilton was happy Maddie and Ciara were close by to help Gaby accept the reality of delivering her baby right here in Plymouth Rock.
“From the looks of your belly, I’m going to wager that you’re carrying a girl. Am I right?” Doc asked, as he stood next to the bed, gathering his thermometer and stethoscope then depositing them in his black case.
Gaby proudly nodded. “Her name is Autumn.”
This was news to Hamilton. Gaby had never mentioned a name before.
“That’s a mighty nice name, a strong name, one that fits in with this here town. You got a middle name for your little rascal?”
“Grace,” Gaby said as her gaze met Hamilton’s. “After Hamilton’s grandmother. Her name will be Autumn Grace Winchester.”
Hamilton let out the breath he’d been holding. From the way Gaby had been talking, he felt certain she’d changed her mind about giving up their baby. If that were true, he’d be the happiest man on the planet.
Now all he had to do was convince her to marry him. Easy, right?
But this was Gaby he was fantasizing about: stubborn, tenacious, disappearing Gaby who grew up completely opposed to the whole idea of marriage.
Doc Holiday took a step back, grinning. Then he turned to Hamilton. “I had a hunch this was your baby, but I wasn’t sure. Congratulations, son.” They shook hands, then he turned back to Gaby. “Congratulations to you both. May she grow up strong and proud just like her Grandma. Now, if you two will excuse me, I’d like to get back home. Got me a houseful tonight. Fortunately, the family drove in from town and from the airport early this morning, way before the avalanche. I think Jefferson senior had a little something to do with the timing of that there avalanche. The way I hear it, all the cars stalled on either side, right before that mountain of snow came plowing down blocking the road. It was a miracle nobody got hurt or trapped, a lot of rattled nerves, but no injuries. Makes my job easy.”
“I thought my car was the only one to stall. Hamilton got me out of there so fast, I never had a chance to talk to anyone else,” Gaby said. “Are you sure their cars stalled?”
“Yep.”
“Everyone’s?”
“So far, that’s the consensus.” He walked to the bedroom door with Hamilton leading the way out.
“A true miracle,” Gaby repeated rubbing her big belly.
Once Hamilton escorted Doc Holiday out, he quickly walked back to the bedroom and sat on the bed resting his back on the headboard next to Gaby.
“From everything you said to Doc, it sounds as if you changed your mind about keeping our baby. Am I right?”
Hamilton held his breath, hoping against hope that everything he said, was absolutely true.
“Ah-huh,” she said then rested her head on his chest. He stroked her hair.
“So, you’re going to keep Autumn Grace and not give her up for adoption?”
“Not a chance.” She yawned. “She’s our miracle baby. Besides, I don’t think Grandpa Win would be very happy if she wasn’t raised a Winchester.”
Hamilton kissed the top of her head. “You don’t know how happy this makes me.”
“I don’t know why. I don’t know the first thing about being a mother.”
“But that’s not true. You’ve already taken the first step. When you thought you might die out there, your one thought was about protecting your baby.”
She pushed herself up and looked at him. “I don’t remember telling you how I felt in that car.”
A wide grin stretched across his mouth. “You didn’t have to. The fact that you changed your mind out there in the snow, tells me that you were in mama bear mode, and you liked it. Liked how it made you feel.”
“I’ve never felt anything like it before. It was as if I knew I was the only person on the entire world who could save my baby, and there was nothing, short of my own death, that would keep me from giving up.”
“That’s why you found your way out of the trunk of your car.”
“Exactly.” She rested her head back on his chest. “How do you know me so well?”
He wanted to say because I love you, but he wasn’t sure she was ready for his commitment. For now, it was enough that little Autumn Grace Winchester had a mommy and daddy who would move heaven and hell to make sure she was safe.
Gaby’s breathing slowed to a consistent rhythm, and Hamilton knew she had fallen asleep again. As he watched the fire burn down in the fireplace, and held Gaby in his arms he knew he never wanted the feeling he had at that exact moment to ever end.
Tomorrow, he told himself before he drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow I’ll call Henry Venti to see what he has in mind as a partnership for his restaurant.
Chapter Sixteen
Gaby pretty much slept in for most of Wednesday, waking only to use the bathroom, change into flannel pajamas, down a little food, and visit with Ciara and Maddie. Hamilton had been in and out of her room all day, showering her with food, drinks and even a board game or two.
Her mother had called several times, but Gaby hadn’t answered. Instead she’d texted to tell her she was fine, but that was it. The good thing was her mom wasn’t very good at texting, so Gaby didn’t have to read a bunch of negative replies. She hadn’t told her mom yet that she was keeping Autumn because she knew what the backlash for that would be. She’d already experienced her mother’s wrath when she’d decided not to abort the baby. Gaby certainly wasn’t up to arguing with her now about her decision to keep Autumn Grace.
Just the logistics of this decision was enough to give Gaby pause. Sure there were the long term factors to consider, but more importantly, there were the short-term necessities she had to decide on. Like, where she would live. How she would make a living. And how would she afford a new crib, and clothes, and high-chairs, car seats, bouncy chairs, and countless other things she needed to buy for a baby.
Gaby was flat-out broke. She barely had enough money for her co-payments at the doctor’s office. If she hadn’t been able to charge this trip, she wouldn’t have been able to come out . . . and that would have been a huge mistake.
She knew living with her mom was out of the question. And besides, she hated LA and never wanted to go back if she could help it. But living in Plymouth Rock brought on its own set of challenges. Wo
uld she move in with her dad? He certainly had a big enough house, but she had no idea who he was living with now, and he most certainly was living with someone. Her dad hated being alone for any length of time.
She realized she could depend on Hamilton for financial support for their baby, but she’d have to find her own way to support herself. Plus, if what her mother said was true, and if his Facebook page was right, Hamilton was in a relationship with another woman . . . that he had cheated on and lied about.
Which proved her mom’s point: Even the most honorable of men cheated and she simply couldn’t abide by that.
She thought it was too bad that Hamilton wasn’t more like his grandfather . . . or was he?
The thought drifted through her mind and as it did, the light on her nightstand went out, and the fire in the fireplace roared brighter.
“Okay. Okay. Maybe my mom was wrong about Hamilton. He is more like you than I think.”
The light switched back on and the fire banked back down.
“Geeze, Grandpa Win, I get it.”
As evening encircled her with its dark warmth, she could hear voices coming from down the hall or outside, she couldn’t be sure. But whatever everybody was doing, Gaby wanted to be a part of it.
She picked up her phone and called Hamilton.
“Yes?” he sounded happy and she could hear his brothers and the girls in the background.
“What’cha all up to? Sounds like you’re having fun with whatever it is. Can I come out and play, too?”
Hamilton didn’t answer for a beat, then he said, “Yes. I think we can make it work. I’ll come get you in a few minutes. Don’t move. I’ll take care of everything.”
Ten minutes later, Hamilton walked into her room, red faced from the cold, wearing his coat, a black knit hat, and gloves. “Okay, cupcake. Scout and Ciara put a bonfire together, and we fixed up a place just for you. But you’ll have to bundle up tight. It’s cold out there.”
Hamilton shed his coat and gloves, revealing a crisp white shirt that clung to his chest and flat stomach, then he walked over to her open suitcase perched on the chaise and pulled a cream colored sweater, a long-sleeved white cotton tee, and jeans out of her suitcase, then helped her to get dressed. She stood and pulled off her top. She wore a lacy transparent bra that barely covered her ample breasts. Her baby belly looked more beautiful than ever in the warm glow of the roaring fire coming from the hearth. She was simply stunning to look at and to watch.
