“Of course I did. I’m a man of my word, and your quick progress deserves a reward. Not everyone tumbles down the side of a hill, cracks her head, is in a coma for a week, looks like she went a few rounds with Pacquiao and strolls out on her own two determined feet less than a month later.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.”
The open friendliness in his gaze nearly made her melt faster than the milkshake. Why couldn’t she have grown up in a normal home with loving parents who didn’t teach her to manage expectations? Who instead told her to go after whatever lofty goal she might have—including seeing if anything was possible with the man in front of her. Of course, she could ignore what she’d been taught…
“So, you ready to go?”
“Yeah, but I have to wait for Paige to get off work.”
“No, you don’t. I’m your chauffeur back to Logan Springs.”
“What? It’s the middle of the day. Don’t you have patients to see?”
“Nope. Dr. Mills is covering today because I’m covering for him next weekend when he flies to Seattle to visit his parents.”
“But don’t you have something better to do?”
“Are you kidding? What’s not to like about a drive down the Paradise Valley on such a beautiful day?”
If she thought spending time with him up until now had been nerve-racking, how was she going to deal with the close proximity of being in the same vehicle?
“I don’t want to be an imposition.”
“Just stop that,” he said. “You’re not an imposition. I’ve been ordered to the ranch anyway. Wedding planning.”
Her heart dropped all the way to her feet. “Wedding planning?”
Damn if her voice didn’t break. Thankfully, Roman didn’t seem to notice.
“Yeah, Justin popped the question.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful. Please tell them I said congratulations.”
“Will do.”
Justin McQueen and Melody Redmond looked more in love with each other every time she saw them. She and Paige had both wondered what it would be like to have a man look at them the way Justin looked at Melody, like she was the only woman in the world. Now Anna wondered if she’d ever be able to imagine a guy other than Roman in that role.
“Well, I can enjoy this milkshake just as well, probably more, outside this building.” She got to her feet before Roman could offer any help.
Instead, he grabbed the two bags containing her belongings. “Your chariot awaits.”
“Why didn’t you get a milkshake, too?” she asked as they walked out the exit into the glorious sunshine.
“I did. It didn’t last long.”
She laughed. “It’s not that long of a drive from there to here. Did you give yourself brain freeze?”
“Maybe a little, but it’s hard to resist something you want so much.”
She knew he was talking about a milkshake, but her skin tingled nonetheless. Truer words had never been spoken. Though she’d told herself over and over that she should let go of the fantasy of being with Roman, she couldn’t help imagining for a moment that his words were about her.
“So, why are you helping with the wedding planning?” she asked when they were both in his truck and headed through Livingston. “Isn’t that usually the bride and groom’s thing?”
“Oh, don’t worry. This is definitely the bride’s thing, and when Melody Redmond summons one, one goes.”
“You make her sound bossy.”
“Not bossy, but the woman ran a large company. She’s used to commanding the troops, so to speak. But we don’t mind—not too much anyway. She’s part of the family even if she doesn’t bear the name yet.”
Something stirred in Anna’s middle. What would it be like to be a part of the McQueen family? It wasn’t even their money that attracted her. They just seemed so close-knit and happy to be together whenever she saw them out and about. No matter how many movies she watched or books she read in which there were big, happy families, she couldn’t quite grasp what that would actually feel like.
Hard to imagine what you’d never had.
“I’m sure it’ll be a lovely wedding.” Chances were it would be the type of event that got its own magazine spread, even though both Justin and Melody seemed like very down-to-earth people despite the numbers on their bank account balances. Still, there was no denying people of their stature usually had extravagant weddings because everyone went into marriage thinking it would be the only one. About half the time they were right.
Conversation seemed to fall away as soon as they cleared the southern edge of Livingston and drove into the beauty of the Paradise Valley. She sipped the last of her milkshake as she took in the view of the Absaroka and Gallatin mountain ranges at the edges of the valley as if she’d never seen them before. The glint of the sun off the Yellowstone River warmed parts of her that had grown cold while cooped up in first the hospital then the rehab center. She anticipated the sense of freedom flowing through her only increasing as she got closer to Logan Springs and finally back in her own home.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Roman said.
“You don’t realize how much you take normal, everyday life for granted until it’s snatched away from you. I think I might actually sleep outside for a week.”
He chuckled a little at that, then went quiet again.
“I didn’t think to ask if you wanted to stop by to visit your grandmother before we left town.”
“No need. She barely ever remembers who I am anymore. And I called to check in after Marty brought me a phone. She hadn’t even noticed that I’d not been by.”
“I’m sorry.”
Anna shrugged. “Just one of those things.”
Despite her grandmother not being the softest, most caring person ever, she was still the only family Anna had. Even though Helena was still alive, there were many days when Anna felt as if she’d already lost her only living relative. And yet, just knowing that Helena was still living and breathing, even if she didn’t remember Anna, was a tether to family, to not being completely alone in the world.
“I think dementia is one of the cruelest fates anyone can suffer. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone,” he said.
“I agree. I can’t imagine anything worse than knowing you’re going to forget the people you care about, will eventually even lose any memory of yourself.” She took a breath and stared out her window. “It must be a thousand times worse than how I felt when I woke up from the coma, and that scared me half to death.”
“I’ve seen patients succumb to a lot of different things, but my hope is that I go instantly when the times comes. Anything that is inevitable but makes a person linger is just cosmic cruelty, if you ask me.”
Anna looked over at Roman, whose gaze was focused straight ahead on the highway. There was no mistaking he was a strong person, but she sensed he was remembering a time when he hadn’t been.
“Were you afraid that would happen to you?” she asked, then thought that was an awfully personal thing to ask someone you weren’t closer to than she was to Roman.
“Yeah. On more than one occasion.” He glanced over at her before returning his attention to the road. “If I’m being honest, I still worry about it.”
A jolt of concern not for herself went through Anna. “But you’re still cancer-free, right? Have been for years?”
“As of my last annual exam, but the thought is always in the back of my mind.”
She shifted her eyes to stare at the road disappearing under Roman’s truck. “I suppose that’s normal once you’ve gone through something like that.”
And it showed that no matter how much money someone had, disease or disaster could strike them just as easily. Maybe she and Roman weren’t so different after all.
“Yeah. You live your life and don’t dwell on it, but you never forget it.”
“Great. I guess I’ll be worried about falling into a coma for the rest of my life.”
“That’s no
t the same thing. It was the result of a one-time injury. After you fully recover, you should have nothing to worry about. It’s not like a disease that can go into remission but come back at some future point.”
She wanted to believe him, but the thought of going to sleep and not waking up again was almost as frightening as slowly losing her mind.
Thankfully, their conversation drifted to more inconsequential things than life and death as they drew closer to Logan Springs. When they reached the edge of town, she told him what street she lived on. When he turned onto Valley Avenue, she noticed a series of colorful balloons attached to trees and mailboxes.
“Someone must be having a birthday party,” she said.
But then he pulled into her driveway and she saw the large “Welcome Home” banner hanging over her front steps.
She looked over at Roman, wondering if it was possible he’d done this but was unable to voice the question. If he hadn’t, she’d feel a fool.
“Don’t look at me. This was all Paige.” He glanced at the porch. “Speak of the devil.”
Anna shifted her gaze toward the house and saw her best friend hurrying down the steps, a wide grin on her face.
“I’m so glad you’re home,” Paige said when she opened the passenger door of Roman’s truck. Anna barely got her feet on the ground before Paige wrapped her arms around her as if she’d been lost at sea for a year.
Like a whirlwind, Paige turned to escort Anna toward the house. Anna glanced over her shoulder to find Roman grinning as he retrieved her things from the back of the truck. It hit her that in a matter of minutes, Roman would drive away from her house, leaving her back with her old life—the one in which he didn’t visit her every day. Gone were the days when she could privately look forward to seeing him, talking and laughing with him. She suddenly wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed with a good book and try to reacclimatize to her normal life.
But as soon as she walked through her front door, she knew that wasn’t happening anytime soon.
Chapter Eight
Roman was just stepping across the threshold of Anna’s house when he heard the people assembled inside call out, “Surprise!” Startled, Anna took a step backward. Instinctively, he dropped everything he was carrying and reached up just as she bumped into him. He gripped her shoulders so that she wouldn’t fall. The last thing she needed after the injuries she’d sustained was to fall and hit her head. In that moment, he sort of wanted to wrap her in thick Bubble Wrap.
She quickly stepped out of his grasp. “Sorry.”
“No harm.”
She shifted her attention back to the people assembled in her living room, and the look on her face made her appear as if she was wondering if the people were really there or a figment of her imagination.
Paige clapped, obviously happy that her surprise was indeed a surprise. Anna scanned the crowd, which included Katie, who also worked at the library, and the library volunteers, several local business owners, including Roman’s cousins Lena and Dinah, and even Marty.
“I wasn’t expecting this,” Anna said.
“That’s why it’s called a surprise party, silly,” Paige said as she wrapped her arm around Anna’s and led her toward the kitchen, where a cake from Dinah’s bakery sat in the center of the table.
“Paige said your favorite flavor was chocolate,” Dinah said as she picked up the cake knife.
“It is.”
“Wait, before we cut that gorgeous cake, we need some photos.” Paige started arranging people around Anna, who still looked a bit dumbstruck by all the activity.
Roman watched her closely, ready to step in if he thought it was becoming too much for her.
“Come here, Roman,” Paige said, waving for him to join everyone else at the other end of the table.
“I can take the photos,” he said without moving. From that vantage point, he could watch Anna. He ignored the voice that was telling him the reason why he wanted to was only partially medical in nature.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Paige said. “You helped get her here. You have to be in the picture.”
“You heard the woman,” Lena said as she took Paige’s phone and waved her cousin toward the gathering behind the cake.
He stepped up to the edge of the crowd, but Paige tugged him toward the middle. Right next to Anna. A sudden awkwardness that this positioning could be interpreted as meaning more than it did crept over him, so he was careful not to touch Anna. He clasped his hands in front of him, picturing himself in his lab coat, professional in every way.
But he wasn’t Anna’s doctor. He was her friend, right? But if that was the case, why was he suddenly so concerned about touching her?
He told himself he simply didn’t want a single person to even think there might be any impropriety. Even though he wasn’t officially her physician, he had still spent time with her in the hospital, had checked in on her, had driven her home. Sometimes assumptions spread faster than the truth, especially in small towns.
“You okay, Roman?” Lena asked after taking the first photo. “You look as stiff as a fence post.”
Hell, why did she have to point that out?
“Sorry, just making room for everyone.”
“Chill. It’s not as if I’m trying to fit the entire town in one shot.”
He wanted so badly to glance over at Anna, to see if she was reading anything into what Lena had said about his stance. But he kept his gaze forward, loosened his posture and smiled.
After the picture taking was done, he casually gravitated away from Anna, talking instead to his cousins, Marty, Nell Jansen who owned Springs Pizza, and basically anyone who wasn’t Anna. But he kept an eye on her as he chatted and ate his piece of cake. When he noticed she was beginning to look tired, slower in her responses and her smiles weaker, he started to call an end to the party. But Paige beat him to it.
“Okay, everyone. Thanks so much for coming to welcome Anna home, but I think our girl needs to get some rest now.”
Though she tried to smile and not show it, he could tell Anna was relieved. He’d been conflicted about the welcome home party idea at first, concerned it might be too much too soon, but he’d come around to the idea that it was important for Anna to see she wasn’t truly alone. That she had friends and support if she needed it.
He waited until everyone was gone but Paige before he headed for the door. Anna accompanied him.
“Thanks for the ride home. And the milkshake.”
“You’re welcome. Call if you need anything. You still have my number, right?”
“Yes, but you’ve done enough already. You can get back to your regularly scheduled life.” She smiled, but for some reason it seemed a bit shaky.
He wanted to correct her, to say that nothing he’d done for her was an imposition. But he didn’t know exactly what or how he wanted to say it, and he definitely didn’t want to do so with an audience. So instead he gave a nod to Paige, a quick smile to Anna, and turned to leave. As he left the balloon-festooned street, an odd sense of loss pressed down on him. He headed to the ranch, hoping to rid himself of the feeling through some hot, sweaty work that had nothing to do with dispensing medical advice.
*
Despite a desire to watch Roman as he left, Anna shut the door and turned to clean up the kitchen.
Paige waved her off. “Go sit. I’ve got this.”
“I’m not an invalid, you know.”
“No, but you still need to rest. That’s more people than you’ve had to interact with in a while.”
“You obviously don’t realize how many people come in and out of hospital rooms at all hours.”
“That’s not the same. And besides, it wasn’t all bad. After all, you had the handsome Dr. McQueen visiting regularly.”
Anna looked at her friend with suspicion. “Whatever you have up your sleeve, just forget about it. There is nothing between me and Roman.”
“But do you want there to be?”
“No.”
<
br /> “If they gave out awards for being terrible liars, you would be the grand champion.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Why can’t you just admit that you like him?”
“Of course, I like him. He’s a nice guy and helped pass some of the endless hours in the hospital.”
“Now why would he do that?”
“Um, because he’s a nice guy.” Anna didn’t need Paige putting illogical hopes in her head.
“Does he read to all the patients in the hospital like it’s story time?”
“I have no idea.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Maybe it’s because I was the only one in a flipping coma.” Anna pressed her hands to her temples. “I’m going to go lie down for a bit.”
Paige’s expression changed to one of worry. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s just a headache, probably from eating so much sugar.”
“You only had one piece of cake.”
“I’d already had a milkshake earlier.” Anna knew she’d made a mistake the moment the words left her mouth.
Paige grinned. “So Roman got you the reward milkshake. I bet he doesn’t do that for other patients, either.”
Anna sighed and shook her head before turning and heading to her room. But once she’d shut the door behind her and stretched out on the bed, it was weird how strange it felt after so long lying in institutional beds. And the quiet seemed weird, too, broken only by the sounds of Paige moving around in the kitchen and a lawnmower on the next street over.
But this was what she’d wanted, what she’d longed for every day since she’d awakened in the hospital. And yet she felt out of sorts, as if life still wasn’t back to normal. Maybe once she got a good night’s sleep in her own bed, showered in her own shower with her own shampoo, and made breakfast in her own kitchen, the lingering sense of being a visitor in her own life would disappear.
She must have drifted off because when she woke, the room was dark though she could see a sliver of light shining underneath her bedroom door. Her body felt heavy and for a frightening moment she wondered if she was coming out of another coma. But Dr. White had said that a recurrence was highly unlikely. And he was a neurologist, so he should know, right?
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