Harlequin Heartwarming June 2021 Box Set

by Patricia Johns

  “Look, she’s been through this with her ex-husband. And you know how I watched Tom and my mother split. Kids complicate things, and we all know that I’m not exactly a great father type.”

  “You’re the only one convinced of that,” Brody replied. “You’re such a typical child of divorce, man.”

  “What?” Noah said.

  “I’m serious,” Brody said. “You’ve created this perfect child-free life for yourself, and you’re so certain you can’t grow enough for your own child. I don’t believe it. With the right person, you can grow! For a child of your own—” Brody’s voice broke off. “Can I just be honest here?”

  “Might as well,” Noah replied.

  “I need my best friend in my life,” Brody said. “And you need me. Okay? You’re talking about moving on with your life, but you can’t do that without cutting out every person who ever let you down. And I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry I fell in love with her! I’m sorry I can’t turn it off. But you need me in your life, too! There’s more to life than one or two relationships, and I’m going to tell you something from my parents’ long marriage.”

  “To this child of divorce,” Noah said ruefully.

  “Exactly.” Brody leaned back. “They’ve been married for forty-six years. And that doesn’t mean my dad was the perfect husband or father. He was faithful, but he was a workaholic and emotionally distant. But over the years, he softened. He grew. He got better at relationships. Today? He’s remarkably wise. He was the one who told me that I couldn’t just give up on you. He said we men tend to be all strong and self-sufficient, and then we unload our garbage on our women.”

  “And the answer is to keep your friends,” Noah said.

  “Simple, but effective,” Brody said quietly. “We’ll be better dads as a result, Noah. And if you truly don’t love Nevaeh anymore—”

  “I’m in love with Taryn,” Noah said. “You and Nevaeh have my blessing.”

  “You mean that?” Brody asked.

  “Yeah. But tell me one thing. What made your parents’ marriage last when I haven’t seen anyone last yet?”

  Brody shrugged. “Family is family. That’s always been my parents’ motto. When you messed up, you might have to deal with an upset spouse, but as long as they were both faithful and honest, they could get through whatever bumps came at them. They stuck it out. They got over anger and resentment because they knew that our family was worth fighting for. It isn’t about being perfect—it’s about commitment.”

  Noah was silent. His heart sped up in his chest, and he looked toward his computer screen. He wasn’t perfect, but he did love Taryn and their baby. And he and Taryn had the faithful-and-honest part down pat...

  “I don’t think my orderly life is quite so satisfying as it used to be,” Noah said quietly.

  “You want kids now?” Brody asked.

  “I want my son,” Noah said. “And I want Taryn in my life as more than just his mother. I might still be kind of backward in a lot of my instincts with kids, but for them, I want to learn.”

  Brody smiled. “So what are you going to do about it?”

  “It’s not so simple,” Noah said. “She doesn’t think we’d last.”

  “Hmm.” Brody shrugged. “So prove her wrong.”

  It hadn’t been long, but Noah had one choice ahead of him that looked a whole lot different in light of his son’s arrival. So maybe he was growing already. Maybe not every gut instinct he had was going to be wrong...maybe this one was right!

  “Alright,” Noah said. “I need you to get out so I can turn down a job.”

  “What?” Brody said.

  “It doesn’t matter. I was thinking of moving to Seattle, but I’m not going across the country away from them. I have no idea what Taryn will think—if she’ll give me a chance yet or not—but I’m following my gut on this one.”

  Brody stood up and held out his hand. “I’m glad you’ll stick around. You’ll be a good dad.”

  “I’ll try,” Noah replied, and he took Brody’s hand in a firm shake.

  “We’re friends, Noah,” Brody said, pointing a finger at him as he headed for the door. “You hear me?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Noah chuckled. “You’re hard to get rid of.”

  And maybe that wasn’t such a terrible thing, after all.

  Brody shot him a grin and opened the door. “Talk to you later. Good luck.”

  As the door shut after Brody, Noah felt a certainty deep down for the first time. This was no longer a question or an internal debate. Call it a father’s instinct—one of his first. But his family needed him closer than Seattle.

  His cell phone rang, and he picked it up.

  “Noah? We’ve got a bit of a situation on the Craigsview Trail. There are some teenagers climbing some fragile trees, and they’ve been asked to clear out, but they aren’t doing it...”

  Noah heaved a sigh. Work didn’t stop, even when his heart longed for a break. But this was the job he’d be keeping. When he got back, he was answering that email, and then he’d go find Taryn.

  They needed to talk.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  IN ANGELINA’S OFFICE, Taryn had her computer set up so that Angelina could see the screen. She’d been working hard on this marketing campaign, and she was proud of her work. But she still felt that ache of sadness deep inside of her. She was leaving Mountain Springs, and she’d be leaving more than a job, or her grandmother’s hometown. She was leaving behind any romantic hopes she’d started to cherish toward Noah Brooks, and that hurt more than she’d ever imagined. She’d weathered a divorce, yet this hurt in a different place in her heart that had never been touched before.

  Being a good mother sometimes meant sacrifice, and so did being a mature woman who wasn’t going to repeat past mistakes.

  “So this is my plan for your campaign,” Taryn said. “Mountain Springs Resort is located on the edge of a glacier-fed lake, but deep inside that lake there is a spring of clear, fresh water that pushes up from an underwater geyser—hence the name of Mountain Springs. You know this, but other people don’t. This resort is a place of continued renewal, and I want to show people what that looks like in the lives of the people who visit and work here.”

  She pulled up the next slide.

  “As you can see, I’ve made a broad selection of shareable content, starting with Gayle’s and Melanie’s weddings.” She pulled up a picture from Gayle’s wedding showing the bride in her elegant dress down by the lakeshore, the water glimmering with late-afternoon sunlight behind her. “I love how Gayle restarted her life, and how simple and truly gorgeous her wedding was. I want people to see the wedding-venue options that you supply, but also the renewal of spirit that happens here, too.”

  She flipped to a photo of Melanie’s wedding. This one showed Melanie hugging her stepdaughter, their eyes shut, tears on Melanie’s lashes. This photo was taken inside the lodge, the wooden walls glowing in the low light.

  “These pictures tell a story at a single glance. Mountain Springs Resort offers more than a vacation...” Taryn went on.

  As she moved through the slides, flicking through shareable photos, some prewritten articles to be posted on the Mountain Springs website and pitched to magazines and blogs, too, she felt the strange renewal of this place inside of her. She might not have gotten her heart’s desire, but she’d learned more about herself, and become more dedicated to being the mother she needed to be. Her growth had been more like that underwater spring—unseen, but powerful, and necessary to all the life it would sustain.

  “But this resort is not just a place for guests,” Taryn said. “This is a workplace that fuels the hearts and ambitions of the employees who work here. You’re known for your fair wages, your compassion to individual situations, and your encouraging culture here. You have an author who works for you in housekeeping—” she pulled up a p
icture of Lisa Dear “—and she wouldn’t be able to focus on her writing if she couldn’t depend upon her job here. She told me that this resort seeps into her writing, and you can see why—”

  Taryn pulled up photos of the mountains, the lake, the hiking trails, and one shot from the top of those cliffs that Noah had given to her.

  “Your employees have had nothing but praise for you,” Taryn went on. “And I want to show a few photos of your workers in action—putting their hearts into creating your vision.”

  Angelina’s eyes were wet with tears as Taryn flipped through the last of the photos, and then she stopped at one final picture—Angelina standing by the lake looking directly into the camera. She looked ageless, like she was somehow a part of the lake and the mountains, the sky...

  “Everyone agreed on one thing,” Taryn said. “The secret to this resort is you. Because of you, this is a life source for guests and employees alike.”

  Angelina was silent, and Taryn watched the other woman as her lips wobbled.

  “Can I tell you something?” Angelina asked softly. “There was a time when I would have given anything to have the kind of second chance at love that my friends have had. I wanted my own second wedding—my own husband to come home to. But I made my peace with it, and threw all that misplaced love and passion into this resort. Looking at it through your eyes, I can see what I’ve made here...”

  “It’s extraordinary,” Taryn said.

  “It is.” Angelina nodded and she blinked back the emotion. “Thank you. You did an amazing job.”

  Taryn smiled. “I appreciate that.”

  “I’ve been considering hiring another executive to help out with the management of this place,” Angelina said. “I could use someone with your creative marketing vision full-time. I don’t suppose you’d consider a job change?”

  A chance to work at this gorgeous lodge, to watch the seasons change on that pristine mountain lake... It would be paradise, but it would also be hell—she couldn’t work next to Noah and not keep falling in love with him over and over again. If she wanted a true renewal of her own, it had to be back in Denver.

  Taryn shook her head. “It’s incredibly tempting. I mean, look at this place! But I have my own business to run, and I’m all set up in Denver for the baby.”

  “Understood,” Angelina said with a warm smile. “If you ever change your mind, let me know. I’d make room for you.”

  It was such a kind offer that Taryn felt a wave of unbidden emotion. But no, she had to think of her son, and of her own emotional stability right now. And that involved going home.

  They shook hands goodbye.

  “You can stay another few days if you like,” Angelina said. “Don’t feel chased out!”

  “No, but thank you,” Taryn said. “It’s time to get home.”

  And it was time to visit her grandmother one last time before she left.

  As Taryn drove away from the lodge, she glanced in her rearview mirror at the receding log-styled resort. Somehow, she felt like she was leaving a piece of her heart behind. Noah would always be in her life, but going forward, she wouldn’t have his strong arms around her, his warm kisses, his low laugh in her ear... He’d be distant—the dad her son needed, but not the husband for her.

  Taryn drove the winding road back around to the town. She’d be okay. She’d recover from his heartbreak, too, and she’d be a kinder, deeper, wiser mother to her son as a result.

  She parked in front of her grandmother’s home, and turned off the car. The thing was, even if she was still quite competent, Granny was alone out here, and Taryn might very well find herself alone when she was Granny’s age, too. Not everyone ended up with a spouse who lived as long as they did, or an adult child in the same town to check on them. And truth be told, Taryn recognized her grandmother’s stubborn streak all too well. Taryn was just like her. They were the Cook women, and they were determined to take care of themselves.

  Taryn got out of the car and headed up the walk. It was a warm morning, and birds twittered from the mature trees that lined the road. When she got to the front door, Taryn knocked and waited.

  There was no answer, and she looked through the window, but saw no movement. She sighed and pulled out her phone, dialing her grandmother’s number. She could hear the ringing of the phone from indoors, but no one answered. Had Granny gone for one of her walks, maybe?

  She was about to head back down the steps when she heard a feeble cry from inside, and Taryn’s heart leaped in her chest. She pulled open the screen and tried the door. It was unlocked, and she pushed inside.

  “Granny?” she called. “Granny!”

  The living room was perfectly clean—nothing out of place. Taryn spun in a full circle, and she heard her grandmother’s faint voice coming from the kitchen. Taryn hurried in that direction, and as she came into the bright kitchen, she spotted Granny on the floor next to the fridge. She was wearing a nightgown that was tangled around her legs, and her face was as pale as the spilled sugar on the floor next to her. One bare foot looked bluish, and Taryn felt bile rise in her throat.

  “Granny...” she breathed. “What happened?”

  “I tripped—” Granny whispered.

  “Oh, Granny...” Taryn awkwardly got down onto the floor next to her grandmother and then pulled open her purse, rooting for her cell phone.

  “I twisted my ankle,” Granny breathed. “And I couldn’t get back up again, and—” Tears leaked out of her grandmother’s eyes, trickling sideways down her face to follow gravity to the floor.

  “Okay...” Taryn dialed 911 on her phone. “I’m getting an ambulance, Granny. I’m here.”

  The 911 call didn’t take long, and an ambulance was dispatched right away. When Taryn hung up, she took her grandmother’s trembling hand in hers.

  “I’m so glad you came,” Granny murmured.

  “Me, too,” Taryn said, and looking down at her poor, weathered grandmother, tears rose in her eyes. “Granny, you can’t stay in this house alone anymore... You know that, right?”

  Granny didn’t answer, but she did tighten her grip on Taryn’s hand.

  * * *

  A COUPLE OF hours later, Noah came back into the resort, hot and tired. He’d dealt with the teenagers—some new guests on the property. The parents were horrified at the destruction their children had caused. One father promised to pay something toward trimming the damaged trees back, and everyone seemed properly apologetic.

  Those particular guests weren’t going to be using the trails for the rest of their stay. The crisis was dealt with, and Noah was glad to put it behind him. Sometimes a large man in a suit gave exactly the impression needed to get everyone jumping.

  But his mind wasn’t on the work. He needed to see Taryn, and this had already taken considerably longer than he’d wanted. His chat with Brody had gotten him thinking, and as he made his way back toward the lodge, he felt like he was being pulled in that direction by some invisible force. He’d talk to her... She had to know what had changed for him, at the very least.

  As Noah headed back into the lodge, Janelle was at the front desk, and she smiled.

  “Good morning, Mr. Brooks,” she said.

  “Hi, Janelle,” he said, shooting her a distracted smile, and headed past her toward the hallway that led past the offices. Was Taryn still in her office?

  He poked his head into the office next to his. It was empty—too empty. No purse, no tablet...not even a sweater. The garbage had been recently emptied, too. His heartbeat sped up—she could be anywhere. He pulled out his phone to check for messages, but there weren’t any. He headed past his own office and toward Angelina’s. He found Angelina at her desk, bent over some papers, her reading glasses on the tip of her nose.

  “So what happened with the trail?” Angelina asked.

  Noah gave her a quick rundown of the damage an
d how he’d dealt with it, and she seemed happy with his choices.

  “Do you know where Taryn is?” he asked.

  “She checked out this morning,” Angelina said. “She did fantastic work! I’ll have to show you what she put together for us. It’s stunning—”

  “What do you mean, she checked out?” he said, surprising them both by cutting her off.

  “She said she wanted to get back to Denver,” Angelina said. “She was ready to get home.”

  “Right...” His mouth felt dry. She hadn’t left any messages, either. No text to say goodbye. Was that how she felt about him now? The thought hurt.

  “Noah, is there something going on between you two?” Angelina asked.

  Noah looked up to find Angelina’s frank gaze locked on him. Fraternizing with the marketing contractor wasn’t going to do anything for his professional reputation. Angelina was fair, but she was also a consummate professional.

  “It’s complicated,” he admitted. “I won’t lie to you. But I can promise you that I wasn’t starting up with a work associate on company time. Taryn and I met a few months ago, so...”

  Angelina’s eyebrows slowly climbed. “Are you... I mean, feel free to tell me this none of my business, but—”

  “I’m the father of Taryn’s baby,” Noah said, throat tight.

  “Oh...” Angelina nodded a couple of times. “Wow... Okay. So you need to talk to her?”

  “I really do,” he said with a rush of relief. “And the sooner the better.”

  “Go, go!” Angelina said. “And good luck!”

  Noah shot his boss a grateful look as he pulled out his cell phone and hurried along the hall. He dialed Taryn’s number. How far down the highway would she be already? Was he going to be driving to Denver today?

  And would she even answer his call?

  Taryn picked up on the third ring, and he felt a rush of relief.

  “Noah?” she said.

  “Hey...” He paused in his office for a little more privacy. “Angelina said you’d checked out. I’d hoped to be able to say goodbye.”