by Robyn Carr
But he’d watch the situation closely. He had that undercover agent, Romeo. If anyone could make a kid talk it was a big Great Dane.
Then he read for a couple of hours about cerebral palsy and what appeared to be diplegia—he read about physical therapy, about prognosis. It was quite hopeful.
The next thing he knew, Romeo was whining to go out in the early morning before it was even entirely light. Owen held him off as long as possible. When he did open the door, Romeo ran barking onto the lawn and chased a couple of does. When he came back a moment later, he looked like he was grinning.
“That was just plain rude, Romeo,” Owen said. “They were girls, for one thing. And they weren’t bothering you.”
“And one of them looked very preggers,” came a voice from across the yard.
There sat Hannah on the porch, a cup of coffee balanced on the arm of her chair. He walked over to her. “She was pretty quick, though, wasn’t she?”
“Oh, she skedaddled. Would you like a coffee?”
“You’ve got a pot on?”
“I’ve been up awhile. How do you take it?”
“Black. Thanks. That’s very neighborly of you. Especially since you weren’t expecting me to be hanging around.”
“That dog is going to save my life,” she said. Romeo came up on the porch and nudged her. “Yes, you are a handsome dude.” Then she went inside to fetch the coffee.
“I take it Noah is sleeping in,” Owen said, accepting the cup.
“He had a restless night and now he’s fallen back to sleep. Sometimes there are things like muscle spasms or contractures—tightening. Sometimes his legs hurt and jerk. A little massage helps.” She sipped her coffee. “It helped more when his mom did it but he’s stuck with me.”
“This must be such a hard transition. For both of you.”
“It’s going to take a lot of getting used to. But he’s so brave and good-natured. If I toss and turn I wake up mean as a bear.”
Owen grinned. “Were you ever married?” he asked. “No, wait, that was personal. I apologize.”
“You’re okay. No. I was engaged. Twice. I’m glad I discovered it wasn’t a good idea before the vows. You?”
“I went through a divorce ten years ago, but I’m still on friendly terms with my ex, though she remarried.”
“That must be a little awkward...”
“Nah, it’s okay. We didn’t want any of the same things but she’s a very good person. A good friend. We rarely see each other but she checks in sometimes, asks me where I’ve been lately. I check on her sometimes, less often. I’m not as outgoing or social as she is. She married a man who loves being around lots of people and I live on a lake in the mountains and travel alone.”
“You’re not that antisocial,” she said. “You’re sitting on the porch with me and it’s not even seven. We’re having a coffee klatch.” She pulled her feet up and held her cup with both hands. “And while you didn’t intend to impose, I’m very happy for the company.”
“If you ever need space, just say so,” he said.
“Oh, I will. I’m not some withering flower. But honestly, with the situation as it is right now, having another adult to talk to is... I don’t know... Fortifying. A little later today I’m going to run over to the Crossing and say hello. As I was leaving your place last time I stopped there for coffee and met the owner and his wife. Nice people.”
“Helen and Sully are a couple but not married. Wonderful folks. You said something last night about your girlfriends? About Noah and your girlfriends? I’m not sure I got that reference right...”
“We went to college together, four of us. Me, Erin—that’s Noah’s mom—Sharon and Kate. We met freshman year and hit it off. We were actually a few of the poor kids—we couldn’t afford to live on campus or join sororities. We all had jobs and as many credits as we could carry, not to mention loans. By our second year we could afford to share a crappy off-campus duplex because none of us could stand living at home another minute. We helped each other study, find jobs and boyfriends, became each other’s therapists and confidantes, and I swear, without each other, we would not have gotten degrees. Sharon and Kate are both married with kids and Erin and I were in their weddings. Erin never did get married. And I had to call off two weddings. I am not planning a third.”
“But Noah...?”
“Suffice it to say, there was no man in the picture.” And she closed the door on that topic.
But Owen was stubborn. “Where’s his male influence? Grandpa? Uncle?”
“Erin had many good friends and if you’d known her you wouldn’t be at all surprised to learn that there were even a couple of really nice ex-boyfriends at her memorial. She was close with a lot of people from work, from her neighborhood. She was active in the community. She was involved with the Cerebral Palsy Foundation and a couple of other support groups. Noah had been with the same babysitter for a long time and she has a lovely husband and a few kids. Saying goodbye to her was almost as hard as saying goodbye to his mom. But at least we can Skype and visit Linda and her family.” She glanced over her shoulder and lowered her voice. “Noah’s grandpa is dead and his uncle is a bad person. Erin was very clear in her will and to her friends, her half brother is not to be part of Noah’s life. Erin and her mother have been estranged for years. That’s all I have to say about that.”
“I didn’t mean to pry,” he said uncomfortably.
She lifted one corner of her mouth in a sly smile. “I wouldn’t want you to think I kidnapped him.”
“I’m sure you didn’t,” he said. Then he grinned. And he could see in her eyes that she knew he had probably checked her out as much as possible.
“Good for you,” she said. A bit of a ruckus behind her caused her to turn and see Noah struggling out the door, using his crutches. “Good morning, cowboy,” she said, getting up. “Oh, good for you, using just the crutches. You feeling kind of strong today?” She looked at Owen. “The braces give him more independence and freedom but the crutches help him with the balance. He’s building muscle strength in his legs. It’s taxing, though.”
Noah completely ignored her as he went straight for the dog. Romeo sat up and gave Noah a good-morning kiss.
“If you’d been up a little earlier, you would have seen Romeo chase off a couple of deer,” Hannah said.
“It was very rude of him,” Owen said. “Those ladies were just grazing, not bothering anyone.”
“How’d you know they were ladies?” Noah asked. “You look under ’em?”
Owen laughed. “I didn’t have to go to that much trouble. The bucks have antlers and the does don’t. Same with the elk. The guys get the headgear and they use it to fight each other. Or to defend themselves and their does. You’re going to learn a lot on this vacation, aren’t you?”
“I guess,” he said, not taking his hands off Romeo. And then the big dog flipped over on his back, making his belly available. “What are you gonna do today?” he asked.
“Well, I’ll take Romeo for a hike, I’ll work in my shop a little while, I might fish. You like to fish?”
“I only did it once,” he said.
“If you’re not busy later, we can go out on the dock. About that dock—you have to be with Hannah or me. The water is pretty deep. If you lost your balance and fell in with your braces on, you’d sink. A life jacket would be a good precaution but even that might not be enough. You can’t flap your feet with the braces. You have to be with an adult who can swim. Noah, did you get that?”
“Uh-huh,” he said, scratching Romeo’s belly.
“What did I say?” Owen pushed.
“I can’t go on the dock without you or Hannah because I could sink and drown.”
“That’s good enough,” Owen said.
“Want some breakfast, buddy?” Hannah asked.
“Can Romeo have som
e breakfast?”
“He eats only dog food,” Owen said. “I’ve got it at the barn. He doesn’t look like he’s starving.”
“I’m going to mess up some eggs,” Hannah said. “Would you like to join us, Owen? In your house,” she added with a laugh.
“Now, it’s not my house for two weeks. I don’t want to get in the way. But okay, I could eat. Then we can start our days.”
What lies behind us and
what lies before us are
but tiny matters compared
to what lies within us.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
3
Noah did not seem at all intrigued by the possibility of going to a campground until they got there. Hannah had completely forgotten about Beau, Sully’s yellow Lab.
“Well, howdy do,” Sully said when he saw Hannah. “I heard you were coming back, without the executive team this time. Nice to see you again.”
“Good to see you, Sully. Sully, this is my best guy, Noah. We’re a team now. Noah, this gentleman, Mr. Sullivan, owns this campground and this is Beau, his dog.”
Noah was immediately rubbing the dog behind his ears. “Does everybody here got a dog?”
“Nearly,” he said. “How do you like my lake?”
“Is that whole lake yours?” Noah asked.
“Nope, but I claim the part of it that’s up against my land and have the use of the whole thing. Would you like to throw the ball for Beau? Or would you like a cold drink or something to eat? Or would you like to be left alone?”
“Can I throw the ball, please?” Noah said.
“You bet.” Sully stuck a hand under the counter at the cash register and pulled out a tennis ball. The second he did that, Beau started to prance. “My advice is throw the ball into the yard before you go down the porch steps. Beau sometimes gets ahead of himself and knocks people down.”
“I will,” Noah said.
Silence hung in the air while Noah and Beau went outdoors. Noah clip-clopped in his heavy shoes that held the braces, and Beau’s nails against the wooden floors went tickety-tickety-tickety. Then they heard Noah yell, “Go get it!”
“I didn’t know you had a child,” Sully said.
“I didn’t,” she said, keeping her voice down. “Right after I met you my best friend passed away. She got sick, had complications and in just a matter of days she was gone. Noah was her son. Years ago she asked me to be the guardian to her children if she was ever lucky enough to have them and I said yes. Of course, I said yes. And I asked the same of her. Neither of us had family to do that. So here I am, a few weeks later. Noah has always known me as Aunt Hannah, a girlfriend auntie he saw a few times a year. I woke up one morning and my whole life had changed.”
“Damn near that same thing happened to Helen,” he said.
“Really?”
“She is Aunt Helen, raised her niece from the age of four. Her niece is Leigh Shandon, the town doctor at the urgent care, so it all worked out in the end. I’ll get her to come over on her break. She’s writing on the porch.” He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and texted Helen.
“Want to get a drink and sit on the porch, where we can keep an eye on the boy and his dog?”
“Excellent idea,” Hannah said. She reached in the cooler for a diet cola and followed Sully. By the time she was sitting at a table with him, Noah was working that dog like a trainer. When Beau returned the ball, Noah had him sit, stay, fetch. Then Beau returned the ball again and Noah rewarded him with many hugs and petting.
“What’s up with the braces?” Sully asked.
She explained Noah’s condition, his limitations but good prognosis. “The hardest part for him right now is that he’s growing and suffers some muscle contractures and pain, but he’s getting stronger all the time. This might be a setback, losing his mom. She was his best cheerleader.”
Helen walked over from the house to the store and joined them on the porch and chatted for a while, listening to Hannah’s story, then briefly telling her own.
“It was so similar, except it was my little sister, pregnant at eighteen, then a routine surgery when she was twenty-two went awry and we lost her. From that point on, it was the two of us, just me and Leigh. It was both the hardest and best part of my life. I am grateful for every day of it. As you will be, I’m sure.”
“It’s a gift,” Hannah said. Then in a whisper she added, “I’m so afraid I’ll screw it up.”
“I know,” Helen said. “Every parent says that.”
“Well, I did screw it up,” Sully said. “But Maggie turned out great in spite of me. You want a sandwich, sweetheart?”
“Oh, thank you, Sully,” Helen said. “That would be so nice. Hannah, how about a sandwich for you two? It’s probably break time.”
“You guys,” Hannah said. “You make me feel like a visiting relative!”
“Locals turn into family around here,” Helen said. “That’s how Sully made me love him. He wooed me with lunch. And other things.”
When Sully brought a plate of sandwiches out, Hannah called Noah to come.
“Just a little while longer, Hannah! Please.”
“Come and eat,” Sully said. “Bring Beau with you. You can play again after lunch. I can’t have you wear out my dog.”
“’Kay,” he said. As they were walking toward the porch, Beau was jumping at the ball and Noah just gave it to him. When he got to the porch, he said, “It’s better if Beau carries the ball, I guess. I’m not going to make him fall down.”
* * *
By the time they got back to Owen’s house, Owen was on the dock, sitting in a canvas deck chair. A couple of fishing rods were standing up, balanced in the slats, their lines out. Noah went nearly running to the dock and Romeo got up, wagging in anticipation.
“Owen, whatcha got there?” Noah said.
“I’m doing a little fishing. You want to try?”
“Is it okay?”
“Of course. I invited you.”
Noah fished for an hour before he caught anything and giggled at the way Romeo barked at the fish. About a half hour later, Noah got up to go ask Hannah for some drinks. Romeo jumped up with excitement and accidentally knocked him off the dock and into the water. With lightning speed, Owen reached those long arms down into the water, grabbed Noah’s collar and hauled him up onto the dock before he could sink.
Hannah, hearing the commotion, came running, her feet pounding on the dock. But what she saw was a soaking-wet Noah, sitting on the dock, laughing so hard he snorted.
“Oh, Noah, did you fall in?”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Noah said between giggles. “More like some big horse knocked me in.”
“I told you he’s a little clumsy.”
“You need dry clothes right away. I don’t want you getting a chill.”
“I’m not getting a chill. And I only got one fish so far and Owen threw him back!”
“I have an idea,” Owen said. “It’s after four. Get cleaned up and dried off and I’ll take you out for dinner. We’ll go to town to Shandon’s. They have the best burgers in Colorado and the biggest ice-cream sundaes I’ve ever seen.”
“Owen, you don’t have to do that,” Hannah said.
“It’s the least I can do! Romeo tried to dunk my fishing buddy! I haven’t had anyone to fish with for a long time. What do you say, Noah? Want to go out to dinner?”
“Can we, Hannah?”
“If you’d like. But let’s please get you dried off and warmed up.”
Noah squished and laughed all the way back to the house. Hannah made him take a warm bath and helped him get into dry clothes, as much as he would let her help. She had to use the blow-dryer on his shoes and muttered, “First thing we’re going to do is get another pair of these shoes...”
“They cost a million dollars, my mom sa
id.”
“Then I’ll have to get a loan,” she said.
In an hour Hannah and Noah were sitting politely on the porch, patiently waiting. “I could go get him,” Noah said.
“It’s only five. Let’s not be overanxious.”
But just about then, Owen came out of the barn. He walked across the yard and said, “I see you’re ready to do the town. Can we take your SUV, Hannah? You’ve got Noah’s booster all hooked in.”
Owen drove, the seat pushed all the way back, Noah laughing at how Owen had to fold up his long legs and his knees still hit the steering wheel. It was as if Noah had never been out to dinner before—he yammered the whole way. Does Romeo ever get to go in the truck? Can Romeo fetch? Are you gonna have a hamburger and ice cream? How long you been fishing? How long you been here? Your whole life?
Hannah sighed and just chuckled. Once at the pub and seated in a booth, they looked at menus and Hannah said, “I think the burgers are huge. Do you want a kid’s size or do you want to tell me what you want on your burger and share it with me? Because I won’t be able to eat a whole one anyway.”
Noah chose to share and in no time their table was filled with the most beautiful food. And it should not have surprised her that Owen knew a lot of people, but then, anyone who lived around here for a while would be well acquainted. A few local firefighters were there and stopped by to say hello, which thrilled Noah. They even invited him to drop by the firehouse sometime to sit on the big engine. The pub’s owner, Rob Shandon, introduced himself to Hannah and Noah. Owen introduced them as his rental guests.
“Aren’t you usually out of town when the place has guests?” Rob asked.