Harlequin Heartwarming December 2020 Box Set

by Cari Lynn Webb, Linda Warren, Mary Anne Wilson

  “Ethan. Nothing.” Georgie inhaled, forcing her racing heart to slow, and sank into the rocker. “Ethan agreed to treat Zach’s horse.”

  “Assess,” Ethan called out from behind the checkout counter.

  “Treat.” Georgie studied the chessboard on the table and hid her grin. “We all know Ethan is going to treat Rain Dancer. He just doesn’t want to admit it yet.”

  “Lot of that going around these days,” Big E said.

  “No one will admit Georgie is the one who caused this.” Pops tapped his forehead, near a large square bandage, and grimaced at her. “Can’t wear my favorite hat now. Always win when I wear that hat, too.”

  Georgie picked up Pops’s white knight and placed it in attacking range of Big E’s queen. “Family looks out for family.”

  Pops eyed the board and released a smile. He dipped his chin at Georgie. “This doesn’t make up for my oversized bandage, but it’s a start.”

  Georgie relaxed into the rocker. Helping Pops had been the right thing to do and they both knew it. Zach had told her he was doing the right thing, too. How could walking away ever be right? She rubbed her chest. She’d be walking away soon enough herself. “I have it on good authority that family comes first.”

  Both Pops and Big E leaned back in their chairs and regarded her.

  Big E tilted his head toward the game board, encouraging her to take his turn. “Then, as family, we’re allowed to look out for you in the same manner.”

  Her grandfather’s looking out surely included matchmaking. He’d helped complete her sister’s online dating profile and spent weeks in an RV with her dad, who’d taken on the matchmaker mantle. Georgie moved Big E’s queen to safety and blurted, “I just helped Zach with his horse. That doesn’t mean we have a future together.”

  “I only put you and Zach together on an airplane.” Big E removed his hat and hung it on the back of his chair, as if settling into the conversation. “The rest was and is up to you two.”

  “Really?” She let her disbelief stretch through her tone.

  “I don’t have none of those Cupid’s arrows.” Big E patted the pockets of his plaid flannel shirt as if to prove his point. “Neither does Pops.”

  Still, Georgie had heard rumors about Big E’s antics with his grandsons. She wouldn’t put it past the wily gentleman to have Cupid on speed dial.

  Pops slapped his knee. “Certainly would have come in handy with some of these young couples.”

  “They do seem to struggle.” Weariness sank into Big E’s tone.

  “Too many ways to talk now.” Pops tapped a silent beat on his leg.

  Big E touched the corner of his eye and looked at Georgie. “Used to be when you wanted to say something, you looked a person in the eye and said it.”

  Zach had looked her in the eye and claimed he loved her. He’d looked slightly ill at ease and none too pleased over the admission. Butterflies hadn’t flapped inside her chest. Her feet hadn’t been swept off the ground.

  Love was better left alone. Not shared. It was far from perfect.

  “Got the words wrong plenty, too.” One side of Pops’s mouth ticked upward. “But eventually you got the words right.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with technology,” Georgie argued. She’d be relying on it to stay in touch with her sisters. It wouldn’t be the same, but she’d already accepted that well before she met Zach and the Blackwells. She’d adjust to the distance, the same as she’d adjust to Zach not being in her life. She cleared her throat. “Technology keeps us connected over long distances.”

  Big E set his rocking chair in motion casually, as if he always spent his days sitting around at Brewster’s. “Speaking of distance, Dr. Cummings’s offices are exactly one block away from here.”

  Her grandfather’s voice, easygoing and mild, slammed inside Georgie like a dozen of those arrows neither of the men possessed. Not Big E, too. Zach hadn’t understood her need to honor her mother’s memory. Would her grandfather?

  Pops pointed his thumb at the front entrance. “Out the door, then turn right, and you’ll run into Dr. Cummings’s sign.”

  “You talked to Estelle and Iris.” How could such lovely older ladies cause so much of a commotion? One of the pair should consider running for Falcon Creek mayor, given their ability to change the town’s business landscape with only one suggestion and a piece of paper. She had to get Iris to give her the paper or ask her to tear it up.

  “Didn’t have to talk to Iris or Estelle.” Pops set his hand on his bishop, then paused, considered the board. “Although it’s always a pleasure to see them.”

  Georgie liked the women, too. Wanted to be more angry about their interference. But frustration filled her. She wasn’t the doctor her dad wanted her to be, and now she’d suddenly let down Iris and Estelle, too.

  “Folks been asking us about you all morning,” Big E offered.

  Georgie opened and closed her mouth. She simply wanted to honor her mother’s memory the best way she knew how. Why was it that, to do that, she felt like she was letting so many people down?

  Big E set his elbow on his knee and leaned toward her. “I just want to know what your mom would want you to do.”

  “My mom.” Georgie curled her fingers around the armrests. That was simple. “She’d want me to do what made me happy.” All her mom ever wanted for her girls was for them to be happy.

  Georgie was happy inside a lab. But she’d been happy caring for Rachel and Eli. Challenged and energized delivering Katie’s baby. Yet it was the aftermath—seeing Rachel eating again, talking magic dragons with Eli and meeting baby Holly, knowing she’d made a difference, that she’d touched their lives—that had fulfilled her in a way she couldn’t quite explain. Took her beyond happy.

  Honoring her mother’s memory meant touching as many lives as possible. In the biggest way possible. Her research work would allow her to make that kind of impact.

  Fly, Georgie. Spread your wings and never be scared to look down and see how far you’ve gone.

  “All good mothers want their kids to be happy.” Big E leaned closer and locked his gaze on hers. “I’m talking for you specifically. What would your mother advise you to do?”

  “Moms know their kids the best,” Pops said. “My mom warned me I’d be calling her for her skillet corn bread and brisket within a week of leaving home. Promised there was no better cooking than a home-cooked meal.”

  “When did you call her?” Big E rubbed his hand through his gray hair.

  “Second night, I called for her recipe. Had no kitchen in my truck, mind you.” Pops leaned his head back against his chair. “But I had my pride.”

  “Nothing to apologize for.” Big E glanced at Georgie.

  Pride was not sending her to London, was it? Like Ethan, she was terrified of failing a patient. But she wasn’t hiding inside her lab the way Zach had accused her.

  “Mom served brisket and corn bread when I returned home eight months later.” Pops rubbed his stomach. “Best thing I’d ever eaten.”

  Alice swooped in, carrying two cups of coffee. “Dad, not the brisket story again.”

  “There’s a lesson in every story,” Pops argued.

  “That your favorite food is brisket and corn bread.” Alice set the cups and some napkins on a small side table.

  “My mother knew I’d be miserable away from the ranching life even before I did.” Pops picked up his coffee cup and sipped. “That’s the lesson.”

  “I think Georgie has had enough lessons for one day.” Alice touched Georgie’s arm and smiled. “Come on with me, Georgie.”

  Georgie stood.

  Alice wrapped her arm around Georgie’s waist and squeezed the same way her mother had after Georgie had spent all night cramming for an exam. Or after Georgie had skipped a pep rally to study on a Friday night. Or after she’d stayed too late
at the library and missed family dinner again. Her mom had always wrapped Georgie in her love and strength.

  “I’ve got peppermint brownies in the back,” Alice whispered. “Warm brownies cure everything from minor arguments to bad moods to heartache.”

  Her mom had always had chocolate chip cookies at the ready and a strong shoulder like Alice Gardner’s. Georgie leaned into Alice, grateful for the woman’s support and the moment to remember her mom.

  Never forget to come home, Georgie. Home is what gives you the courage to fly.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  ZACH CLOSED HIS hotel-room door and headed to the lobby of the Falcon’s Nest Hotel. He hadn’t slept more than an hour, and even that had been fragmented into ten-minute naps. He could have stayed in his car, but the below-zero windchill and heavy snowfall had forced him into the hotel for the night.

  Georgie’s accusations had forced him awake. Would Cody be proud or disappointed in me? Am I too afraid to belong someplace? Will I ever have the courage to stop running?

  He’d punched the pillows. Stuffed them over his face. Turned on the TV. Opened the curtains to the pitch-black skies. All to block Georgie’s voice. All to avoid everything he hadn’t wanted to face.

  After midnight, his grief had rolled into the room like a boulder. Inescapable and inevitable.

  For the first time since he’d buried his brother, he acknowledged his grief rather than turning away. Rather than running. He mourned the loss of his brother taken too soon. His horse’s declining health. And his childhood—the one his mother’s addictions had stolen from his brother and him.

  He’d watched the sun rise and accepted that he’d always be raw inside from his brother’s passing. Some wounds never quite healed. But that wasn’t a reason not to laugh or remember Cody and the good moments. That wasn’t a reason not to live.

  He supposed he had Georgie to thank for his new perspective. Would she be pleased or challenge him to do even more? He shook his head, vowing to stop thinking about her once he left Falcon Creek.

  He stepped up to the reception desk of the Falcon’s Nest Hotel and handed the manager his key. The manager gave him a printed room receipt and a message from Brewster’s to stop in before he left town. Assuming Frank had received the special vitamin blend Zach had ordered for Rain Dancer, he headed to the supply store. One stop and he’d be on the road, free of Falcon Creek.

  If only he felt like cheering and speeding out of town. Rather, he welcomed the delay as if content to linger.

  The store was surprisingly empty; even Pops wasn’t in his usual rocking chair. Although, it was Christmas Eve and families were most likely home preparing for Santa’s arrival and family gatherings.

  Zach stepped up to the checkout counter and rang the bell labeled Press for Service.

  Ethan walked through the warehouse door, stepped behind the counter and pushed a piece of paper toward him, his expression neutral. When he spoke, his tone was detached. “Just need your signature on this.”

  Zach took his cue from Ethan and a pen from the holder. Nothing more needed to be said. He glanced at the paper. Confusion crowded his words. “This is a medical release waiver.”

  Ethan tapped his finger against the paper. His voice mild. “I can’t review Rain Dancer’s medical records without your consent and your signature.”

  Apparently, there was much more to discuss. Hope chased through Zach, kicking up his heartbeat. He dropped the pen and eyed Ethan. “I don’t understand.”

  “Welcome to my practice.” Ethan held out his hand. His gaze thoughtful. “You should know this comes with conditions.”

  Ethan Blackwell wanted to treat Rain Dancer. He hadn’t lost yet. Zach set his hand in Ethan’s. “I’ll accept the terms.”

  “I haven’t explained them.” Ethan grinned.

  Nothing could be worse than walking away from Georgie last night. Zach dared Ethan to try. “What are the conditions?”

  “I can’t guarantee we change Rain Dancer’s fate.” Ethan ran his hand over his mouth. “Extend his life, perhaps.”

  “I don’t want him to suffer.” Zach had watched his brother suffer for too long.

  “I agree.” Ethan nodded. “We’ll discuss that when the time comes.”

  Zach exhaled.

  Ethan smiled. “Now for the conditions. You train both my colt, Storm Chaser, and my filly, Butterfly Blue, for the rodeo.”

  Zach flattened his hands on the counter and stared at Ethan. “You’re serious.”

  “Very.” Ethan waved to an assortment of family photos filling the wall behind the checkout counter. “I have nieces, nephews and a son who will want to ride one day. If Rosie wants to barrel race, she’ll need the best. If Eli wants to be a calf roper, he’ll need the best, too.”

  “You think I can deliver the best,” Zach said.

  “Absolutely.” Ethan watched him. “I spoke to Wade McKee this morning. He told me you trained Rain Dancer.”

  “With my brother.” Zach’s voice caught. That wound inside him pulsed.

  “Then consider this a legacy you’re building for your brother, Butterscotch and Rain Dancer,” Ethan said. “A gift for the next generation.”

  Would Cody be proud or disappointed? Finally, Zach had an answer. The grief inside him settled. “I’d be honored.” More than he could put into words.

  “Then it’s settled, except for that signature.” Ethan nudged the paper closer to Zach.

  Zach picked up the pen and signed the medical waiver. “What changed your mind?”

  “There are women in my life and yours that like to set us straight when we are wrong.” Ethan picked up the paper and slid it into a folder.

  “I need to thank them.” Zach wasn’t sure he could ever thank them enough.

  “And love them.” Ethan locked his gaze on Zach.

  Love. Zach rubbed the back of his neck. Nothing calmed the stab in his chest.

  Big E held the break-room door open for Pops to walk through. Pops shuffled over to the counter, a coffee cup in one hand, a plate of brownies in the other.

  “Trust me. It gets easier when you stop trying to dodge the truth.” Ethan’s tone was full of sympathy.

  “Georgie doesn’t want my kind of love.” Zach returned the pen to its holder and avoided looking at the men. “Her words. Not mine.”

  “She wouldn’t have been in here fighting for Rain Dancer if she didn’t want your love,” Ethan argued.

  “She just doesn’t know what she wants.” Pops set the plate of brownies in front of Zach. “Alice claims chocolate cures anything. I claim it just tastes good.”

  “You have to show Georgie.” Big E picked up a brownie and waved it at Zach.

  Zach wiped his palms over his face. “How am I supposed to do that?”

  “A grand gesture,” Big E announced.

  Was that a ring? A ticket to London? Her favorite candy? “What if it isn’t grand enough?”

  “It’s not a grand gesture you need.” Ethan bit into a brownie and chewed. “You have to show her what your love means.”

  “That is exactly what a grand gesture is.” Big E frowned at Ethan and tugged the brownie plate away from his grandson.

  Pops’s head bobbed up and down. “Big E is right. Gotta have one of those.”

  “Gotta have what?” Grace nudged open the warehouse door. Alice followed her into the store.

  Both women carried boxes marked Flannel Sheet Sets and stared the men down, as if considering dropping the boxes and stealing the brownies.

  “A grand gesture.” Big E finished his brownie and wiped his hands together as if there was nothing left to discuss.

  Grace and Alice deposited their boxes on the floor. Then they each crossed their arms over their chests.

  “Every great love story has one.” Pops slid the brownie plate away from the
women as if he didn’t trust them not to take it.

  “Whose love story are we discussing?” Alice asked.

  The men all pointed at Zach.

  Alice raised an eyebrow at that. “What have they told you?”

  “Don’t listen to any of it.” Grace shook her head. “None of it.”

  “Nothing wrong with a grand gesture.” Big E tapped the cowboy hat on his head as if punctuating his claim.

  Pops touched his own head and the knit hat, then frowned. “Nothing at all.”

  “For goodness’ sake.” Alice huffed. “Zach, do you love her?”

  Zach rocked back on his boot heels and locked his knees. For the second time that day, he stopped running. Stopped avoiding and accepted the truth. He loved Georgiana Harrison. “Yes, ma’am. I do love her.” With everything he had.

  “Then that’s all you have to tell her.” Alice’s voice softened and soothed.

  “He already did.” Big E scratched his chin and shook his head. “Georgie told him to keep his love.”

  “Then show her,” Grace urged.

  “Grand gesture,” Pops muttered and nudged his elbow into Zach’s side.

  “He already showed her,” Ethan argued. The Blackwell twin had suddenly turned into Zach’s champion. “Zach took the blame last night for everything. For all of it. Only a man in love would do that.”

  “I told her I love her and wouldn’t stop her from going to London.” Zach pressed his teeth together, stopping himself from quoting the line about setting something free if you love it.

  The women’s faces had become more closed off. Even more skeptical.

  “But did you support her?” Alice asked. Her casual tone hit its mark with more force than a well-aimed, hard-packed snowball.

  Zach folded his arms over his chest as if blocking her next shot. “It’s the wrong decision.”

  Ethan’s chin dipped. He gave a small head shake.

  “But it is wrong.” Georgie should have been caring for patients. Calming their nerves and offering sensible solutions. He’d watched her. Been awed by her. She could touch patients’ lives and their families’ lives in so many ways. The same as she’d changed him. “Pops. Big E. You guys agree with me, don’t you?”