The Country Guesthouse

by Robyn Carr

  “He seems to be fine. Improving, in fact. And I’ve gotten friendly with the town doctor—if I need anything, I’m sure she can direct me.”

  “So, you and Noah are getting along?”

  “Oh, yes, absolutely. I adore him and I think he’s growing to love me.”

  “Then trust yourself. Take a little more time, then come home. We’ll have all summer to adjust and we’re here to help. It’s going to be all right.”

  “You’re right,” she said. “I want to stay. Not just for Noah—I need this, too.”

  “And you’re more than a little curious about the man,” Kate said. “Might as well see what you can learn about him.”

  Hannah chuckled with a tiny spasm of embarrassment. “Yes, that, too.”

  The next morning Hannah told Noah first. “I’ve decided we can take another two weeks, since Owen offered. But then we absolutely have to get back to Minneapolis. We have lots to do!”

  “Yay!” he said. “What did Owen say?”

  “I haven’t told him yet. Do you want to tell him?”

  “I’ll tell him!” Noah said.

  Noah got dressed and into his braces the fastest he ever had, and with the help of crutches he was practically running across the yard. He was careening like a drunken sailor and so cute. Hannah readied herself to run and pick him up, but he made it all the way without falling. From her place on the porch she could hear Noah yell, “We’re staying longer!” And she saw Owen pick Noah up and toss him into the air. One of Noah’s crutches hit Owen in the head. He winced and laughed.

  For just a moment, she worried that by taking two more weeks she had worsened the problem, making leaving even harder.

  Owen carried the boy across the yard, his crutches dangling from his arms. Romeo was prancing along behind, taking a detour for his morning constitutional. Owen’s smile was wider than she’d ever seen it.

  “This was good news to wake up to,” he said.

  “I hope this doesn’t make it worse, like if Noah and Romeo bond even more...”

  “Don’t be silly,” Owen said. “They couldn’t possibly bond any more.”

  “You do understand that’s all I have. Two more weeks. After that, I’m almost into my unpaid family leave.”

  “I get it. And you’ll be leaving before summer really hits,” he said. “You’ll still have plenty of time to establish your routine.”

  “That’s right,” she said. “So, now what?”

  “We have many things to do—swimming, fishing, visiting neighbors, taking pictures and taking walks. Maybe we should take a road trip or two and visit some of the small towns around here, check out their pubs, diners, galleries, bookstores—everything. Don’t worry, I think we’ll be busy and have great fun, so let’s not burn daylight.”

  * * *

  Owen was back to counting days. At first, with the gift of two more weeks, it seemed he would have forever with Hannah and Noah. The May wildflowers were popping up along mountain roads and around ranches and houses. They planned a full day every morning. They chose where they’d have their meals, some days staying home all day. No matter what they did during the day, each one ended on the porch, where Hannah and Owen talked and talked.

  Their routine was full, exhausting for Noah. The little guy had an hour or two nap most days. There had never been so much life in Owen’s home before.

  Then he was down to a week left. Then a couple of days.

  “You know, you can stay longer if it will help things,” he said to Hannah.

  “Thank you, that’s very sweet. But staying on any longer is like running away from a reality Noah and I really should face. Are we invited back for a visit?”

  “Many visits,” he said. “You are always welcome.”

  She was feeling so comfortable and content that it all seemed too good to be true. Then there was a strange occurrence—she saw a missed call on her phone. Wyatt. There was no message. No text. She decided it must have been a pocket dial. But it brought back that uncomfortable feeling—maybe I’m no good at knowing a good man when I find one.

  A couple of hours with Owen made her stop worrying about that. Or stop caring, she wasn’t sure.

  She went to bed, night after night, telling herself it was time to go. And then it was. She told Noah they had one more day.

  * * *

  The next morning, Hannah woke up to the sound of drizzle. It would be good for the flowers and vegetables in Sully’s garden, but it was a shame that on their last day with Owen, they’d be driven inside. On top of that, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

  “I said I’m not hungry! I don’t want stupid cereal!” Noah said angrily.

  Hannah was stunned. The perfect child had gone sour. “Would you like eggs? Toast? Pancakes? I think we have some—”

  “I’m not hungry,” he yelled, hitting the table with his fist and tipping the cereal bowl so that milk and Cheerios ran all over the table and dripped on the floor.

  “I guess what you want is a time-out. Go to your room. I’ll be in to talk to you in a minute. After I clean up.”

  “I. Want. Romeo!”

  “I don’t think they’re up yet. If I have to drag you to your room, I will. Let’s move it.”

  “I don’t want to,” he said. Then he burst into tears.

  Hannah left the spilled milk and crouched beside Noah’s chair. She felt his head. “Are you feeling sick?” she asked. “Do your legs hurt? Are you still tired?”

  “I’m nothing,” he said, grinding his little fists into his eyes.

  “Why are you in a temper?” she asked. “I’ve never known you to be so awful and mean.”

  “You’re mean!” he said.

  “Okay,” she said, picking him up. “You need a little time alone and I need to clean up the mess you made. I don’t want to see you until you’re ready to apologize. And I know you know what that means.”

  He started to struggle and kick. He had his heavy tennis shoes on and got her a good one in the shin.

  “Boy, you might be in here all day,” she said, depositing him on his bed and closing the door on the way out. She vigorously rubbed her shin, then limped to the kitchen.

  A couple of minutes later there was a knock on the door and she opened it to Owen and Romeo. Romeo had a towel draped over his back, sopping up the drizzle. “Was that Noah screaming?” he asked.

  “Yes, Mr. Cranky Pants came to breakfast this morning.”

  “Is he like that often?”

  “No! I have no idea what’s wrong. I hope he’s not coming down with something. We’ve been together 24/7 for over two months and I’ve never seen behavior like that before. Not even with losing his mother.”

  “Maybe it was bubbling up,” Owen said. “If it was, it’s good to get it out.”

  Romeo sat beside Owen, quiet and stoic. In fact, it looked to Hannah as if the dog frowned slightly. “Want some Cheerios, Romeo?” she asked, standing aside with a rag in her hand. The dog very happily cleaned up the rest of the mess on the floor.

  Hannah poured Owen a cup of coffee and they sat at the table.

  “Why does your coffee taste so much better than my coffee?” he asked.

  “Because you didn’t make it. You want me to mess you up some eggs?”

  “I’ll wait awhile, maybe eat with Noah. When he recovers. What are your plans for the day?”

  “I was hoping Noah would play outside and I could gather up our stuff. We’re going to get our bath and shower tonight, and in the morning we’ll just dress, have a little breakfast and hit the road early.”

  “I can entertain him in the barn with pictures,” Owen said. “Hopefully it’ll clear up later.”

  “I want to go over to Sully’s and say goodbye,” she said.

  “You’ll come back here for a visit, won’t you?”


  “Of course! Yes! I promise!”

  “I’ll look forward to it every day.”

  “I don’t know when, Owen. I have to figure out some things at home first, you know. I have to find my comfort zone. Our comfort zone. Then I can try to plan a visit with you. That will give Noah something to look forward to.”

  “And me,” he said. “I’ll be sure to give you the dates I’m going to be away so you... Come when I’m here, okay? I can help with Noah and Romeo won’t be with my sister, and you know Noah wants Romeo here. You take his wet suit in case you want to take a dip in one of those icy Minnesota lakes...”

  “I know I seem crazy, but I’m not.”

  They stopped talking when Romeo got up, dropping his towel on the floor. The dog walked across the great room to where Noah stood, holding his blanket.

  “Sorry,” he said very quietly.

  “Feeling a little better?” Hannah asked. When he nodded, she said, “Come here, honey.”

  He shuffled over to her and let her draw him up onto her lap. Romeo was right there, his big head on Noah’s lap. She kissed his temple. “Owen waited to have breakfast with you. What would you like?”

  “What’s Owen having?”

  “I’m having eggs. Messed-up eggs.”

  “I could do that,” Noah said.

  “Good,” Hannah said. “You sit right here. I’ll make you boys some breakfast.”

  While she was in the kitchen, she listened to them talking.

  “Let’s have some fun today, since you have to leave tomorrow.”

  “What kind of fun?”

  “Well, while it’s rainy, we’ll go to the barn and tinker with some pictures. You took a lot of pictures and I can put them on a flash drive for you to take home. I showed you some flash drives. You can plug it into Hannah’s computer or tablet and look at your pictures.”

  “Can I have some of yours, too?”

  “Of course. You can show me which ones you like. Then maybe we should have lunch at Sully’s place.”

  “Can Romeo go?”

  “If it’s not raining. If it’s still drizzling and the ground is all sloppy, Romeo has to stay home. He’s a very bad influence on Beau.”

  “And Sully doesn’t feel like washing him.”

  “And I don’t feel like taking a muddy Great Dane home in the truck. Or Hannah’s car.”

  “Thank you for that,” Hannah said. She brought over two plates. “Here you go. If you want something more, just say so.”

  “Thank you,” Noah said.

  “That was very polite of you,” Owen said. “I’m glad your manners are back.”

  Noah shrugged and sank his fork into some eggs. “I had a temper before.”

  “I heard,” Owen said. “It was awful. Don’t give Romeo eggs or he’ll poop all over. Eggs give him the trots.”

  Noah laughed.

  “He cleaned up your cereal mess and I’m bracing myself,” Owen said.

  “Yet another reason Romeo shouldn’t go for a ride in my car,” Hannah said.

  “After we get back from Sully’s, when all your stuff is gathered, I’ll help you load up your car,” Owen said. Noah instantly dropped his gaze and started stirring his eggs. “Buck up, kid. Hannah said you guys will be coming back for a visit this summer. Don’t spoil it by being angry.”

  “We are?” he asked Hannah.

  “Sure. We’ll figure out a good time. But we have things to organize at home first. Then we’ll come for a visit. Will that help you enjoy today?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Except, you know, that’s not really where I live.”

  Hannah lifted his chin. “I’m sorry about that, Noah. But it’s the way things are now and we’re going to make it good. We’re going to make new friends just like you made friends with Owen and Romeo. And we’ll visit Owen and Romeo as soon as we can. We have a big job to do and we can’t be on vacation forever. Will you help me? Just help me by trying to get along?”

  Noah locked eyes with Owen and at Owen’s very slight nod, Noah said, “I can do that.”

  “That’s my guy. Now, I’m going to do the dishes and clean up the house while you and Owen and Romeo pick out some pictures.”

  “’Kay,” he said meekly.

  Once they left, Hannah, alone in the kitchen, cried into the sink. Because she didn’t want to leave, either. She wanted to stop the clock, burn the calendar and just make this the rest of her life.

  * * *

  Hannah and Owen were so forcibly cheerful, she was certain Noah noticed it wasn’t real. They went to Sully’s and had lunch on the porch. The sun came out and Romeo loped around the campgrounds with Beau; Sully and Noah threw the ball for them for a little while. Hannah was able to thank Helen for all her help and advice.

  Back at Owen’s, Noah and Owen did a little fishing while Hannah gathered up all their things and packed everything except what they would wear to bed and then put on in the morning. Owen helped her load up her car and she proved to be very controlling about how things were arranged, making them both laugh.

  Owen cooked dinner. He made Noah’s favorite meal of hot dogs and mac and cheese, except his mac and cheese was rich and thick and made from scratch. Hannah had the passing thought that if she were to stay longer, Owen would make her fat. Nothing stuck to him; he ate all the most fattening things and was still thin.

  They played a rousing game of Candy Land after dinner. The sun just didn’t want to go down, even with the help of the Rockies to the west. Finally, Hannah told Noah it was time for his bath and bed. She even allowed that Romeo could help him go to sleep.

  It took about a half hour for bath, book, settling in. When she got back to the porch, Owen had lit a couple of candles, opened a bottle of wine and had some soft music coming out of the walls. She had no idea how he’d done it. This house he’d built, it had everything. It was a magic house.

  “Would you like me to clean out the refrigerator?” she asked him. “There’s not much and nothing has gone bad.”

  “Leave it all and sit down.”

  She sat and accepted a glass of wine. “I’ll strip the beds and toss the sheets in the washer before we leave in the morning.”

  “Please don’t,” he said. “Please leave me things to do. I think I’m going to want to be busy tomorrow. And can you check in sometimes? Let me know your progress and how the drive is going.”

  “Sure, but please don’t worry.”

  “It was a very good vacation,” he said. “I hope you feel refreshed. The weeks leading up to you coming here were so hard for you.”

  “It’s been a wonderful escape.” She sipped her wine. “My fiancé’s name was Wyatt. He betrayed me. I had to cancel a wedding. I lost hundreds of dollars in deposits. And I haven’t given him two thoughts in four weeks.”

  A huff of laughter escaped Owen. “That really was a close call.”

  “I’m going to think about you a lot,” she said.

  “Good. Because I want you to come back. Or summon me to Minneapolis. We spent every day together and yet there are so many things left to talk about. I’d like you to meet my mother. My mother and sister—they’re probably the best parts of my life. I’d even like you to meet my ex-wife. She’s a remarkable woman.”

  “I’d like to work as your assistant and go on some of your trips with you.”

  His eyes lit up. “It just so happens, there’s an opening! When can you start?”

  She smiled but shook her head. “You know I have to go. I have to get Noah settled. We have to find a routine. A routine will help him a lot, I think.”

  “You’re going to be a wonderful mother,” he said. “You’re already a wonderful mother.”

  “Everything has changed now. I was on the fast track to become regional director of sales. If I performed well in that capacity, I stood a chance of event
ually being vice president of sales. Now none of that seems important. The only thing that matters is having enough time for Noah. Enough time and money to do right by him. I’d quit working altogether, but that’s just impractical—we need medical benefits and income. I think I’m going to look around for a job with more flexible hours and far less travel. Maybe there’s something in my company...”

  “A transfer to a different department?” he asked.

  “I don’t even know what to look for,” she said.

  “Maybe you should see a counselor,” he said.

  “I don’t think I need counseling,” she said, bristling a little bit.

  “Not a therapist,” he said, laughing. “A career advisor. Your circumstances might be special but lots of people reach a point when their work is less than satisfying and they want to make a change, but they just don’t know where to turn.”

  “Huh,” she said. “I never thought of that...”

  “You could take your time. There’s no deadline.”

  “You make everything sound so easy.”

  “Hannah, it won’t be easy. But it doesn’t have to be an emergency. You and Noah can move forward at your own pace. You’ll find your groove.”

  They talked through two glasses of wine each, like every other night. Then he took her empty glass, set it aside and pulled her to her feet. He kissed her brow, a tender smooch that didn’t quite live up to the feelings she had. “I want you to get a good night’s sleep but I don’t want you to wake up with a hangover—you have so far to go tomorrow.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “I’m going to miss you. And Noah. I think poor Romeo might sink into depression.”

  “You’ll have to give him extra attention.”

  “What time are you getting up?” he asked.

  “About six,” she said. “That should be early enough. We’ll dress, have a quick breakfast, hit the road.”

  “I’ll be up,” he said. He lifted her chin and pressed his lips against hers in a sweet, firm kiss. Then he rubbed a knuckle along her cheek. “This isn’t really goodbye. We’ll talk all the time. Probably every day. We’ll see each other again soon.”