The Country Guesthouse

by Robyn Carr

  “You excited, Owen?” Noah asked.

  Owen shrugged. “I’d sort of like to put it off. I’ve been having too much fun lately and I think I’m getting lazy.”

  “Hannah says everyone has jobs to do,” Noah wisely lectured.

  Owen laughed. “She’s a slave driver,” he said.

  “Am not,” she said from behind him. She stood in the doorway, watching him say goodbye to Noah.

  “Are, too,” he said, his lips lifting in a smile. “Noah, my car is packed. I’m going to say goodbye and get out of here before I talk myself into staying.”

  “We’ll come on the porch,” Noah said, giving Romeo a pat on the rump to get him up.

  Noah reached for his crutches and Owen scooped him up. “I’ll give you a lift,” he said. “You can sit with Romeo on the porch and try not to get in my way while I say goodbye to Hannah. I have some serious kissing in mind.”

  “I’m starting to think you like all that kissing,” Noah said.

  “Me?” Owen asked. “Nah. I just don’t want her to feel ignored.”

  “That was a total fib,” Noah said and Owen tickled him.

  Noah and Romeo waited patiently on the porch while Owen and Hannah kissed and hung on to each other beside Owen’s truck. Owen lifted her chin and looked into her brown eyes. “I want you to have fun, stay busy, be around the people you like, fill your days and if you think of it, take pictures of Noah and Romeo. And listen, if there’s Wi-Fi anywhere, I’ll email, but I’ve been told that’s unlikely. But I want you to have fun so it goes by fast.”

  She laughed at him. “I plan to. And yes, I’ll be very careful and lock the doors. But we’re going to be fine. I think we said everything last night.”

  “Last night,” he whispered, pulling her close. “That was amazing.”

  “I think that falls into the royal send-off category.”

  “I will admit, I haven’t been bid farewell like that before,” he said. “It almost makes me want to plan more trips.”

  “Wait till you see the welcome-home party,” she said, giving his lower lip a lick. “I’ll miss you. Please go. You’re wearing me out. And I have things to do.”

  He gave her a last quick peck, whacked her on the butt and climbed into the truck. Romeo let out a mournful yowl but he didn’t move away from Noah’s side. Once the truck disappeared down the road, Hannah turned to Noah. “Breakfast?” she asked.

  He gave a nod. “Then what?”

  “I have some ideas. Let me get some of my chores done and then we’ll talk over all the things we can do while Owen is visiting the biggest cave in the world.”

  “Wish I could see that cave,” he said.

  “I think you’re going to have many exciting travels in your life,” she said. “We should look through Owen’s books and make a list of all the places you’d like to go.”

  * * *

  That first day that Owen was gone, Hannah and Noah went to town and met Leigh for lunch at the pub. Then they went to the firehouse—Connie Boyle was working and was more than happy to show Noah all the fun stuff. Noah sat behind the wheel in the big fire truck and Connie showed him how to turn on the lights. They spent some time in the kitchen, where one of the guys was making cookies. They went out to the Crossing and Helen convinced them to pluck some fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden but then talked them into staying for dinner, as well. Because Noah had promised Romeo they’d be back in two or three hours, first they had to go home and get him. “Because he knows the time,” Noah said. “He could get upset.” They got him and brought him back so he could have a nice romp with Beau.

  The next day they went to therapy, then swam with Romeo. Sully came over and he and Noah fished off the dock for a while. They went shopping one day in Colorado Springs, then dropped by Cal’s house for a visit and again stayed for dinner. “I guess the word is out,” Hannah said. “If Owen’s away, I won’t be able to feed myself and Noah.”

  They swam and fished and kept their appointments all week. After almost a week, Hannah told Noah she had a surprise for him. They went to Colorado Springs to a place Connie suggested and Hannah got a tattoo on her right shoulder blade that said Noah; it was inside a heart that was inside a flower. She showed him the picture first to make sure he approved.

  “It’s kinda girlie,” he said.

  “I’m kinda a girl,” she shot back. “It doesn’t make you girlie!”

  “Are you getting one for Owen?” he asked.

  “I’m not quite ready for an Owen tattoo yet, but I’ll think about it.”

  They read, watched movies, hiked the trail behind the Crossing, swam, fished, went into town for hamburgers and ice-cream sundaes, visited their friends.

  One of the most enlightening visits Hannah paid was to Sierra Boyle, something she’d been meaning to do since first meeting her when the family gathered at Sully’s place. Helen and Sully agreed to keep Noah for a couple of hours so she could have some adult time. She wanted to talk about Sierra’s experience in adopting Sam but she got way more than she bargained for.

  “We were fostering Sam, our adoption application pending, when Sam’s grandmother suddenly changed her mind and asked for him back. She wasn’t that old but she was beset by some chronic medical conditions and really in no shape to take care of a baby. She could barely lift him out of the crib. It was a nightmare. I found him sobbing, soaked and dirty in his crib. I was just about ready to kidnap him and run for my life, but I called Cal.”

  Hannah was stunned silent for a moment. “Sierra, have you perhaps heard? Noah’s grandmother has recently turned up, looking for some kind of connection with him. She’d like custody but two courts have refused her so far. Cal is helping us.”

  “Us?” Sierra asked. “Does that mean you and Owen...?”

  “Owen is as invested in Noah’s well-being as I am. He’d like us to be a family. I’m trying not to lose my head. It seems to make sense to take it slow. If it’s the right thing to do, it’ll soon become apparent, right? But tell me about your custody battle for Sam!”

  “It didn’t take long for Sam’s grandma to realize she wasn’t up to the job, but there were long days leading to that realization and I fell apart. It took me about one day to love Sam so helplessly that there was just no turning back.”

  Sierra told Hannah the whole story—Connie had responded to a vehicle accident and pulled Sam from the wreck that took his young mother’s life when Sam was just four months old.

  Then it was Hannah’s turn to go through the events that led to asking Sierra about the minefields of adoption and how to handle the invasive presence of extended family members like Noah’s grandmother. By the time a couple of hours had passed, what she would have described previously as a friendly acquaintance became a bonded friendship. Hannah couldn’t wait to tell Owen all about it when he got home.

  That night at two in the morning the phone rang, jarring Hannah awake.

  “I had a signal,” Owen said triumphantly. “I don’t know how long it’ll last. I may lose you.”

  “Tell me quick—is it wonderful?”

  “It’s unbelievable,” he said. “When Noah is stronger and has more endurance, I’m going to bring you both here. I am getting some great pictures.”

  “We’ve been looking through your books, making lists of places we’d like to see. Most of them are shrines or temples that involve steep climbs of millions of steps.”

  Owen laughed. “Incentive,” he said. “How is he doing?”

  “Fantastic,” she said. “We’ve been busy every minute so we hardly miss you, but I promise when you get home, I’ll make you feel welcome.”

  “Don’t knock yourself out,” he said, a laugh in his voice.

  “I really do miss you very much,” she said.

  “And you haven’t had any problems?”

  “None,”
she said. “The weather is beautiful, high seventies, sunny, and there are a million people around. Vacationers, I think. Most of the long-distance hikers on their way to Banff have passed through, but there are a few stragglers. We’ve been spending time with all our friends. The one thing missing is kids Noah’s age, but he doesn’t seem to be bothered by that. He has Romeo, his best friend. And I have a nice surprise for you—”

  The connection was suddenly lost. She had no way of knowing how much of that he might’ve heard. “Oh, Owen, you big tease,” she said to the phone. “Only four more days...”

  * * *

  She was thinking about a lazy day around the lake anyway, but Owen’s middle-of-the-night phone call made that even more desirable. She took her coffee onto the porch in the early morning and caught a couple of young deer grazing on the big lawn that separated the house from the barn. She’d been there only about three minutes before the sound of a car disturbed the deer and they scattered. She squinted. She didn’t know the driver. She was just about to run into the house and lock the door behind her when the driver stopped in the drive, got out of his running car and stood behind the door. “Hannah Russell?” he asked.

  “Do I know you?” she asked.

  “I doubt it,” he said. “I have something for you.”

  He held up a piece of paper. He didn’t turn off his car but took several steps toward her. He mounted the porch stairs as she backed away. He held the paper toward her and she took it warily. He wasn’t the postman after all.

  “You have been served.”

  He turned and bolted back toward the running car. To her relief he backed away, made a three-point turn and headed off Owen’s property. She opened the paper and saw it was a summons to family court.

  Mrs. Victoria Addison was suing for custody of Noah in Colorado.

  * * *

  “Try not to panic,” Cal said to Hannah. “I’ll get in touch with her attorney and find out just what she’s asking for. I can’t imagine that she has a leg to stand on if she hopes to take Noah back to Minneapolis and raise him. First of all, custody has been established. The wishes of his mother have been carried out. Second, she has no history with the boy. Third, he’s a special-needs child and she hasn’t cared for him for even a day since his birth, so his routine must be unknown to her. Fourth, according to this letter Erin wrote before her death, Victoria has a biological son who frequently lives with her who could be a danger to Noah. I could go on and on, listing the reasons this seems like a preposterous request. Too little, too late on her part.”

  Hannah had called Cal immediately and Cal told her that Maggie was home, as was Elizabeth. Maggie offered to watch the children play in the great room while Hannah met with Cal in his office.

  “Do I have to try to explain this to Noah?” she asked.

  “Let me find out what I can from her attorney. He’s licensed to practice here but his office is in Minneapolis.”

  “Isn’t that unusual?” she asked.

  “Not so much. It’s possible he has vacation property here and made sure he was licensed to practice law here. Or maybe he plans to retire here. I was originally licensed in Michigan, but Colorado has licensing reciprocity with Michigan, which means I didn’t have to take the bar again to practice here, but I did have to apply, fill out a lot of paperwork, get credentialed here.”

  “So if I ran back to Minneapolis, I wouldn’t escape this suit?”

  “Her custody has already been denied in Minneapolis, remember?” he said. “That judge upheld the ruling in Madison. I highly doubt Judd Tamaris is licensed to practice here but the good news is we don’t need him to practice. We can use him as a witness and he can work up video depositions from other close friends that we can use in court. Given that Erin worked for Judd for years, he was very close to her and her situation, is the executor of her will, and he explained he and his family considered her a close friend. But defending this custody is not what worries me. What I want to know is why? Why does a grandmother who never visited her grandson now want to raise him? Is it sentimental? Something like this happened to Sierra...”

  “I know,” Hannah said. “I had a nice long visit with her and she told me all about Sam’s grandmother.”

  “For a few days, it was harrowing,” Cal said.

  “I think Victoria is about sixty-five,” Hannah said. “I don’t know anything about her state of health or fitness but Noah isn’t very able. Owen had to install a shower bar for him and he still fell a couple of times. I’m strong and these arms have complained some at the weight when I’ve carried him from room to room but I’m getting stronger. If he’s not that easy for a young, fit woman to manage...”

  “That’s what I mean,” Cal said. “Something more might be going on here.”

  * * *

  Later that evening when all was quiet and Romeo had had his romp around the yard, Hannah pulled Noah onto her lap. “I have a question for you. Do you remember your grandma?”

  “No, but I think I have one,” he said. “Do I have one?”

  “Yes, you do. In Minneapolis. Your grandma and your mom didn’t agree on much. I think it’s safe to say they didn’t agree on how to take care of a little boy. That’s why your mom specifically asked me to be your guardian.”

  “Okay, good,” he said.

  “I’m pretty happy that I got to be the one,” Hannah said.

  “Me, too. When is Owen coming home?”

  “A few days. Are you excited?”

  “I’m very excited,” he said, grinning. “Is he coming home late or early?”

  “I think he’s coming late, like, after dinner. But he’ll call and let us know when to expect him.”

  “Then I think we should wait for him to eat and make him something that’s his favorite, like ice cream. He loves ice cream.”

  So much for the grandma subject. Noah thought he had one but hadn’t seen her. He wanted to be with Hannah. Wasn’t that good enough even though he was only five?

  * * *

  Owen texted Hannah that his initial flight out of Ho Chi Minh City had been delayed but they’d be taking off at the soonest possible moment. He had given Hannah his flight information so she could follow his progress on the computer. She texted him back, Get sleep if you can, be safe, we’re waiting for you.

  The whole way to Vietnam he kept thinking about canceling, going straight home. While preparing for the expedition into Hang Son Doong cave, he thought about changing his mind and leaving. Once he started into the cave, he made a pledge that he just wouldn’t do this anymore; no more long trips. He wanted his family—Hannah and Noah and Romeo. He missed them to distraction, finding it so hard to concentrate on his photography. He had to carry several extra battery packs for his cameras and tablet and was surprised at the end of each day to find some amazing shots. He couldn’t wait to show them to Hannah and Noah.

  There were about twenty civilians on the expedition, plus five guides, two park rangers, two chefs and a bunch of porters. Owen was the only American. Though there was a slight language barrier, he made friends with a Brazilian couple and a Chinese man. There was an Australian woman who must be independently wealthy because she’d been traveling the world for a couple of years, particularly taken with biking tours, yet she was in her early sixties and fit as a boxer.

  The trek through the cave was safe but challenging. It took two days of jungle hiking to get to the cave, five days to get through to the end, then a turn that took them to the second entrance. They camped at night. Seven straight days of hiking and camping. Food and water was either carried or had been delivered prior to them entering. The cave had its own ecosystem. The Vietnamese guides spoke Vietnamese, Cantonese, French and some pretty impressive English. Hang Son Doong wasn’t open to the public yet and it might be years before it would be, but these special expeditions, booked years in advance, were gaining in popularity.


  The cave was incredible. There was a large lake and a sandy beach on which they camped two nights, parts that were dark and narrow, a rain forest, an area that was so high a fifty-story building could fit under the dome. A Vietnamese guide who Owen was sure had never been to New York City said that a New York City block could fit inside the cave. The flora was magnificent; there were exotic birds sighted.

  When Owen was asked about his life at home, he said that he had a woman and her little boy living with him and he assumed they would be together forever. “Marriage?” they asked.

  “I will do anything to make her happy,” he said.

  After emerging from the cave, he cleaned up in a visitor’s center, showering and changing clothes. He headed straight to the airport. He carried on his camera and computer equipment, checked his backpack full of mostly dirty clothes. He was exhausted. Ordinarily he would spend a couple of days resting, hydrating, sampling local cuisine and getting back to his fighting strength, but he had pared this trip to the bone, so ready to be with his woman again. His woman and his boy. He sat on the plane during the delayed departure and plugged one card after another into his tablet—not the best viewing medium—and was amazed by the beauty of the photos. He had been so unfocused, they shouldn’t be this good. He couldn’t wait to show Hannah.

  From Ho Chi Minh City to Denver was over twenty hours. They touched down at ten at night. He didn’t text Hannah. He just got his backpack, his car, and headed home, knowing they would be asleep. But when he got to the house, all the lights were on even though it was midnight.

  He went inside, dropped his duffel and backpack. “Honey, I’m home,” he said quietly.

  Hannah unfolded from the couch and ran into his arms. Romeo nosed open Noah’s door and joined the party.

  “Why are you up?” he asked, kissing her whole face.

  “I was watching your flight online and knew you were on your way. Noah couldn’t make it. I carried him to bed a couple of hours ago.”