by Kat Brookes
She wanted to jump at his offer, never passing up an opportunity to see her son. But Emma had extended the invitation. “I wouldn’t feel right riding to church with you after accepting your mother’s invitation to go with them.”
He smiled. “Believe me, it’s not the method of getting you to church that will make Mom’s day, but the fact that you will be joining us for this morning’s services. She’ll want to introduce you to everyone.”
“All the same, I would feel better about it if I were to ask her first.”
“If it will set your mind at ease,” he said, “run it past my mother. You can let me know when it’s time to leave. Now eat.”
“Eating,” Hannah told him with a laugh as she placed another syrup-covered bite into her mouth. She watched him go, a smile on her face. It was nice, in a way, to have someone looking out for her. In her case, several someones, as the Wades were a very caring family. Her father would like them very much. Lord knows, Garrett had already scored major points with him by saving her life and the baby’s.
As she sat alone, finishing her breakfast, Hannah thought about everything that had happened since the flood. She’d given birth to a beautiful baby boy who already owned her heart, and then spent two nights tossing and turning in her hospital bed because Austin was so small and frail, and fighting to breathe. And then she’d learned that he needed even more specialized care because of the jaundice that had set in. In those three days, Garrett had so selflessly taken time away from his own life to run her back and forth to the hospital to look in on her and Austin. Who would have thought it could get any harder? But it had, the moment she’d left the hospital without the baby she’d carried with her for so long. Not even two whole days and it felt like she’d been away from Austin a lifetime.
How many more days would she be without the precious child she’d brought into this world? How many more days would she be dependent on Garrett and his family? Not that they’d ever, not even for one second, made her feel like she was an imposition. If anything, she’d found herself enveloped in the caring warmth of Garrett’s family. They treated her as if she were one of their own, which touched her deeply.
And Blue, with her adorable curiosity and sweet nature, had stolen Hannah’s heart from that very first moment. Her unexpected questions and adorable comments had not only put a smile on her face, it had helped put Hannah at ease as she was welcomed into Emma and Grady Wade’s home.
For all the bad that had come her way the past couple of years, Hannah still couldn’t help but feel blessed. Blessed to have had the Wades come into her life. Blessed to have made a special connection with Emma and Autumn that she hoped would carry on once she’d returned to Steamboat Springs. And blessed to have Garrett as her anchor during the stormy weather that was her life.
Chapter Six
Hannah stood beside Garrett on the front sidewalk just outside of the church, smiling politely as Emma Wade introduced her to several of her close friends following that morning’s service. Everyone had been so warm and welcoming to her, with several of the women offering advice on caring for a newborn that Hannah appreciated more than they would ever know. Once she went back to Steamboat Springs, she was going to be on her own with the raising of her son.
A man in a lawman’s uniform came over to them. “Tucker,” he greeted with a nod before turning to Hannah. “You must be Miss Sanders,” he said, removing his cowboy hat.
She nodded and then looked to Garrett.
“Hannah, this is Sheriff Dawson.”
“Justin,” he corrected. “Since I’m not here on official business. I was just passing by on my way back from a one-car accident I got called out to on the outskirts of town. Figured I would stop and say a quick hello.”
“Speaking of getting called out,” Garrett said, pulling his phone out of the front pocket of his dress pants. “I forgot to turn my ringer back on after church.” As he did so, he glanced at the screen with a frown.
“Something wrong?” Hannah asked.
“Probably not,” he said, his attention fixed on the phone. “But it appears that I missed a call while we were attending this morning’s service.”
“If you need to return the call, I don’t mind waiting,” Hannah assured him with a smile. “Truth is, I’d feel better if I knew that I wasn’t keeping you from your work completely.”
He looked to Hannah apologetically. “I won’t be long.”
“Take however long you need,” she told him, meaning it. He had done so much for her, setting a large part of his own life aside. He’d been more attentive to her feelings and her needs than her husband had ever been. Why couldn’t she have met Garrett first, when her life was simpler? Happier. Hannah quickly pushed thoughts of Garrett aside. She was going through an emotional time and he was being kind to her like the good Christian man he was. Nothing more.
“No need to worry, Garrett,” the sheriff said. “I’ll keep her entertained until you get back. I’ve got all kinds of stories to tell her about you and your brothers while we wait.”
She didn’t miss the playful grin Garrett’s friend aimed in his direction. “This sounds like it could get interesting,” Hannah said, unable to resist joining in on the fun.
Garrett shot a warning glance in his friend’s direction and then his gaze shifted back to Hannah. “I really do need to see what this call was about. Don’t believe a word he has to say about me. None of it’s true.”
She laughed. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.”
“I won’t be long,” he told her. Then, bringing the phone to his ear, he stepped into the parking lot, away from the chattering church crowd.
“So, if we go by your not believing a word I have to say, I should begin with telling you what a nice guy Garrett Wade is.”
Hannah couldn’t help herself, she laughed, drawing a few glances their way, Garrett’s included as he paced an empty section of the parking lot.
“In all seriousness, though,” Justin said, “Garrett Wade is one of the best men I know, but I suppose I don’t have to convince you of that. Not after he put his own life in harm’s way to save yours.”
“And my son’s,” she said, finally getting a little more comfortable with referring to Heather’s little boy as her own. “And you’re right. I need no convincing where Garrett is concerned. He’s gone above and beyond what most people would have done to help me out. I’m truly blessed to have had him come into my life. Even if it’s only for a short while.”
“Speaking of your son,” the sheriff said, “how is he doing? Garrett told me they were going to keep him in their care until he’s a little stronger.”
She forced a cheery smile. “He’s holding his own and getting stronger every day.” Her smile was merely a front for the fear she felt when she allowed all the what-ifs to creep into her thoughts. And, despite all the extra prayers she had sent heavenward while sitting in church that morning, Hannah knew she wouldn’t feel completely at ease until she had Austin home with her for good. Visits to the hospital, which she made every day, thanks to Garrett, weren’t the same as having her baby home where she could watch him sleep, could hold him anytime she felt the need. It was a constant reminder that he wasn’t strong enough, healthy enough, to be in her life the way she longed for him to be.
“I’m glad to hear it,” he said and then reached into the front pocket of his uniform shirt and withdrew a card. “As soon as you’re feeling up to it, I’d like to get together with you to finish the report I started on your accident. For my records and for insurance purposes. There are parts of it that you have to supply answers for.”
A frown overtook her smile. “I’m sorry to have held your paperwork up. I never even gave that any thought.”
“It’s not like your mind hasn’t been focused elsewhere.”
She nodded. “True. But you have a job to do.”
“Another day or
two won’t make a bit of difference.” He handed her the card he’d pulled out of his pocket. “My number is on there. Just give me a call when it’s convenient, and I’ll run out to the ranch to get your information.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow to set up a time. I’m already keeping Garrett from his normal work schedule. I won’t be responsible for keeping you from doing your job, too.”
“Garrett is self-employed,” he told her. “He’s free to adjust his vet and ranching schedules as need be.”
She was grateful that he was a close friend of the Wades, and that it was a small town, otherwise she might have been answering his questions from her hospital bed. Lord knew she’d had enough on her mind in the hospital without having had to relive her near-death experience on top of it.
“Sounds good.”
“Justin,” Garrett’s sister-in-law greeted in that sweet Southern twang of hers as she came over to join them. “We missed you at church this morning.” Having witnessed the ease with which Autumn interacted with others at Sunday services that morning, Hannah found it hard to remember that she had only been a part of the Bent Creek community for a short while.
“I took the morning shift, so Wyatt and Lloyd could join their families at church.”
“From what I’ve heard, and from more than one Wade brother mind you, all you do is work,” Autumn said with a disapproving frown. “How are you ever gonna have a family of your own to attend church with if you’re working all the time?”
He chuckled. “Maybe you ought to be giving this scolding to Jackson. As far as I know he’s not married yet either. Besides, someone’s got to protect this town. In fact, I was on my way back to the office after getting called out to a single-car accident when I saw that church had let out. I figured I would stop and say a quick hello.”
“No one was injured, I pray,” Hannah said.
“No,” he said with a shake of his head. “The car sustained a small dent in its fender, and the runaway cow it crossed paths with sustained an even bigger dent to its pride.”
“It’s so nice to live in a place where the only real crime is an occasional yard-break by a cantankerous animal,” Autumn said with a smile.
Justin chuckled, nodding in agreement. “Our town is definitely blessed with truly good people.” He glanced toward Garrett who was pacing the other end of the parking lot, and then turned back to Hannah. “Garrett looks to be pretty wrapped up in something. I need to get going. Can you tell him I’ll catch up with him this week sometime?”
“I’ll tell him,” she said with a smile. “It was nice to meet you.”
“The pleasure was all mine,” he replied, and then, with a tip of his cowboy hat, he walked away.
“He’s so nice, but like Garrett,” Autumn began as they watched the sheriff walk away, “he can’t get past the heartache to find love again.”
Hannah looked to Autumn. “Garrett had his heart broken?” Even as she asked the question, she had to wonder how any woman could walk away from a man as good and giving as Garrett was. Poor Garrett. Her heart went out to him, knowing all too well how it felt to have one’s heart trampled over. No wonder he’d been so sympathetic to her own failed relationship.
“He doesn’t talk about it,” his sister-in-law explained, “but Garrett was head over heels for a girl he dated when he was in high school. Chances are they would have gone on to get married, but she got sick and was diagnosed with leukemia. He spent hours on end with her at the hospital as she went through aggressive treatments, but it wasn’t enough. I think Garrett’s dreams died right along with Grace.”
Hannah gasped, her eyes welling with tears. “How awful for Garrett and that girl’s family.”
“Please don’t say anything to him about her,” Autumn pleaded. “It’s not something he talks about. I only know because Tucker and his momma told me what happened when I was teasing Garrett about needing to find him and Jackson women to make their lives complete. Garrett walked away without a word, later apologizing for it, but I knew then why he had reacted the way he had.”
Her heart ached for Garrett and the emotional pain he had suffered, to have loved and lost so young. And he must have cared very deeply for Grace to have shut his heart off the way he had in the years since. Would he ever get to a place where he could move on and open his heart up to love again? Garrett deserved to find happiness after what he’d gone through with Grace. Something came to her at that moment. “Autumn, was Grace at the same hospital Austin is at?”
“Yes.”
She had no idea how Garrett had been able to deal with being there again. Especially for hours on end, which he had done while Hannah had been in the hospital.
“Which is why we were surprised when he insisted on being the one to take you to the hospital that day,” Autumn remarked. “If he hadn’t been able to bring himself to step through those doors to check in on his brother during Jackson’s stay there, what if he couldn’t do it for you once he got you to the hospital? That’s why Tucker and Jackson followed the two of you there as soon as they’d put the fence back together.”
“They were at the hospital, too? I had no idea.”
“Neither did Garrett,” she replied. “They waited outside long enough to know you’d have somebody there for you, just in case Garrett needed them to take over.”
But Garrett had seen things through, despite the pain it must have caused him to do so. The more she learned about Garrett, the more deeply he weaved his way into her heart. “I had no idea. That was so thoughtful of them. But I feel awful that Garrett had to do something so painful to him because of me.”
“Don’t feel bad,” Autumn told her. “He chose to be there for you. And we are all thanking the good Lord for bringing you into our lives, most especially into Garrett’s, because your being here has forced him to push past some of that pain he’s held in for so long. In fact, I think as hard as it has been, it’s been healing for him.”
Hannah had no chance to reply as Garrett returned to where he’d left them standing on the sidewalk. She looked up into his handsome face, noting the lines of worry knitting his brows. It was clear that the lengthy call had been anything but an uplifting one. “Everything okay?” she asked.
“I’m afraid not,” he said with a troubled sigh.
“What happened?” Autumn asked, her expression every bit as serious as Garrett’s.
“One of Brad Wilson’s cows got out of its pasture, a young calf, actually, and got struck by a car.”
Hannah looked to Autumn. “That must be the single-car accident Justin told us about.”
“The good news is that the injury appears to be below the calf’s knee, so there’s a good chance she won’t have to be put down. Bad news is I’m not going to be able to run you to the hospital like we’d planned. I have to head out to the Wilson farm and tend to the calf’s leg. You can ride home with Mom and Dad, and I will run you to the hospital later.”
“Of course, you need to go see to that poor cow,” Hannah said without hesitation. “I know Austin is in good hands. Jessica will be there with him this morning and part of the afternoon.”
“Jessica?” Autumn said, looking to Hannah.
“One of the nurses in the neonatal care unit Hannah’s gotten to know pretty well,” Garrett explained.
“There’s no need for Hannah to go back to the ranch,” Autumn said. “Tucker has to see to a few things at the main barn after we get home. Hannah can ride with us to our place, and then she and I can go to the hospital together in my car.”
Hannah was about to tell her that she could wait until later when Garrett got home, but then she recalled the conversation she’d had with Autumn while he was on the phone. If she could get to the hospital without his having to take her, then she would. “If you’re sure.”
Autumn waved a hand, shooing that thought away. “Nonsense. I’m gonna be sitting at
home twiddling my thumbs while Tucker is down at the barn. I’d much rather be spending the afternoon with you and seeing that sweet little boy of yours.”
“Thanks, Autumn,” Garrett said with a grateful smile. He looked to Hannah. “I’ll see you later.”
She watched as he walked away in long, hurried strides.
“I’ll go get Tucker,” Autumn said, starting back toward the church.
Emma came over to join Hannah. “Garrett’s leaving without you?”
“He got called out to tend to an injured cow. Autumn’s going to take me to see Austin today.”
“I see. You know I’d really like to see that little one of yours again,” Emma said. “If I took you a day or two a week it would give Garrett a chance to work on ranching business, and me a chance to spend some time with that sweet baby of yours.”
“I’d like that,” Hannah replied, realizing at that moment that Austin would grow up without the warm love of a grandmother. One he could spend Sunday afternoons with. Bake cookies with. There would be no aunts or uncles. But he would have a grandfather who would adore him, she thought, trying to focus on what she did have.
“Then we’ll arrange it,” Emma said.
Hannah couldn’t help but wonder if Emma was offering because she really did want to spend time with the little boy she had helped to bring into this world, or if it was more a mother’s attempt to keep her son from having to do something Hannah now knew was an emotional hardship for him. Either way, it was what needed to be done, because Hannah would do anything to keep him from spending more time than necessary in a place that held such sad memories for him. Even if it meant her spending less time with Garrett, a man she’d grown surprisingly fond of in the short time she’d known him. A man she’d come to care very deeply about. And because of that, she would do whatever it took to keep him from having to face the pain of his past, something he did every time he took her to see Austin.
* * *
“I have to say that my dress looks much better on you than it ever did on me,” Autumn said with a smile as they walked out to her car.
