“Oh... I just—” She paused. “It was going to be hard to see you and then walk away, and—” Her voice caught.
“I know,” he said. “It was going to be misery.”
“So I thought I’d just head out, and maybe call you from the road,” she said.
“How far did you get?” he asked, his voice low.
“I’m not out of town yet,” Taryn said. “I’m actually at the hospital.”
“What?” His body went cold. “Is it the baby? Is everything okay?”
“The baby is fine,” she said, and he heard her voice soften. “It’s Granny. She fell and twisted her ankle last night. I found her this morning on the floor of her kitchen.”
“Oh, God—”
“Yeah, but I called an ambulance, and we’re at the hospital now,” she said. “The doctor has seen us, and they’re wrapping up Granny’s ankle. No break, thank goodness, but she’ll be off her foot for a while.”
“What can I do?” he asked.
“We could use a ride back to her place,” Taryn said. “I rode in the ambulance with her.”
She needed him...
“I’m on my way,” he said. Noah headed out into the hallway, pulling the door firmly shut behind him. “And Taryn?”
“Yeah?” He could hear some voices behind her, sounding like they were talking to her grandmother. Her attention was already being pulled away, and he understood. But he had to tell her this much—
“I’m not going to Seattle,” he said.
“Noah—”
“I’ll explain when I get there,” he said. “Just thought you should know.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
GRANNY WAS TRANSFERRED to a room where they could wait for their ride home. She was still in her nightgown, but the hospital had lent her a robe, and there was a blanket over her good leg. The doctor had offered to let Granny stay the night so that they could x-ray her foot again in the morning when some of the swelling had gone down, but Granny didn’t want to stay any longer than absolutely necessary.
“I’m fine,” Granny said. “Or I will be. I hate hospitals. Let me go home.”
“She can’t be left alone,” the doctor told Taryn seriously. “She’s much frailer than she seems to think. That foot will need more medical attention, so you should bring her to her family doctor in the morning.”
“I will,” Taryn said.
“And at her age,” the doctor said, lowering his voice, “she really shouldn’t be living alone. That fall was a scary one, and she needs to have people checking in on her, at the very least. But like you experienced, even coming by once a day isn’t necessarily enough.”
“I know,” Taryn said. “We’re working on that as a family, I can assure you. And I won’t be leaving her alone.”
After the doctor departed, Taryn pulled a chair up next to her grandmother’s bed. Her foot was bandaged, but the toes that peeked out were bruised.
“Granny, your hearing is excellent, so I know you heard what the doctor said,” Taryn said quietly. “You need people.”
Granny looked away.
“I get it!” Taryn said. “I’m just like you. I’m fiercely independent, and I want to do everything on my own. You know why? I’m afraid of being a burden, and I’m afraid of getting attached to someone and having them stop loving me, or stop wanting me around.”
“You have some issues, then,” Granny said, but there was a teasing twinkle in her eyes.
“Granny—” Taryn wasn’t going to be put off.
“Fine...” Granny sighed. “I might understand those feelings. But dear, I’ve taken care of an ailing husband alone, and I’ve lived alone for too many years now. I don’t think I’d be good company.”
“Then be nicer,” Taryn said.
Granny turned down her lips.
“I’m serious,” Taryn said. “Granny, you take pride in chasing people off. The only other option here is an old-age home where people are paid to take care of you.”
Granny reached out and caught Taryn’s sleeve. “Not that!”
Taryn was stunned by her grandmother’s fierce clutch.
“I know I can’t live alone, Taryn, but I can’t go to an old-age home! They’ll be strangers, and they won’t care what happens to me.”
“I don’t know what to say, Granny,” she said. “I’d love to bring you with me in Denver.”
“Not Denver.” Tears welled in Granny’s eyes. “I have so many memories in this town. Not all of them sweet, but all of them mine. And I don’t want to leave it. I know I need help, and I might need to hire someone at this point, but I don’t want to leave my town.”
“Okay,” Taryn said softly. “I understand.”
“You might want to look at how much you’re like me, after all,” Granny said. “Being strong is a good thing—you don’t bother anyone much. But time sweeps past faster than you realize, and before you know it, you’ve pushed away anyone who might have been there for you—”
An image of Noah rose in her mind—his kind eyes, his fervent voice as he told her that he’d be willing to make a life with her. Was Taryn doing the same thing?
“Granny,” Taryn said slowly. “I have an idea, but I’m not sure how you’ll feel about it.”
“Oh?” Granny looked up.
“I’m going to have a baby, and I’ll need help. You’re getting older, and you could use a hand. What if we...banded together? What if I moved in with you? I’ve been offered a job here in Mountain Springs, and I could take it. I’d be closer to Noah so he could visit his son, and I could be here with you.”
Granny’s eyes lit up. “You’d do that? I’d dearly love a baby in my house again.”
“We’ll talk about it,” Taryn said. “I don’t want to push you when you’re fragile.”
“Fragile? Hardly,” Granny said. “Move in with me, Taryn. I’ll be more of a help with that little one than you realize. We’ll take care of each other. I have steam left in me, you know. I’m not about to abandon myself to a rocking chair in the corner.”
Taryn leaned over and kissed her grandmother’s cheek.
“I love you, Granny.”
“I love you, too, Taryn,” Granny said. “But can I give you a tiny piece of advice?”
“Sure,” Taryn said. “I’ve been dishing out enough of my own, haven’t I?”
Granny nodded toward the door. “That man loves you. And that kind of love doesn’t come around as often as young people think...”
Taryn glanced in the direction her grandmother was looking, and she stopped short. Noah stood in the doorway. His dress shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and his shirt was open at the neck. His dark gaze met hers, filled with concern and longing.
“Hey...” he said, and the last of her defenses crumbled. If this was going to be that dreaded goodbye, it was going to tear her heart out.
Taryn got up and went over to Noah. He didn’t pause a beat; he just pulled her into his arms and lowered his lips over hers. She leaned into his embrace, and she felt like her heart might break inside her chest.
“I’m staying here,” he whispered, pulling back. “I’m following my gut on this—I’m following my heart. I’m not going to Seattle, and I’m going to ask something of you—”
“Noah—” she started to say.
“No, let me finish,” he said softly. “I’m in love with you. And you love me, too. I know I wanted this careful, tidy, adult-centered life, but that was before you and the baby. He’s changing what I want, the future I want, and that’s not a bad thing, Taryn! I want to be a father...with you at my side. I never wanted it with anyone else. But I want it with you.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure in my life,” he said. “So I emailed the hotel people in Seattle and told them that I’m going to be a father, and I
can’t take the job. I know you might not want to give me a chance yet, but I’m going to be here if you change your mind. And if you need anything—anything—I’m going to be the guy who provides it.”
The baby squirmed, and Taryn looked over her shoulder toward her grandmother. Granny wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that she was watching them with full attention.
“If it weren’t for the baby—” Taryn started her old argument.
“If it weren’t for our son, I wouldn’t have realized everything I was missing,” he said. “But I’d still be wondering about the incredible woman I met that night. Taryn, I love you. This isn’t about being noble—this is a fact. And if you turn me away, I’m not going to stop loving you. I’m not Glen, okay? I’m not trying to be some hero. I’m just trying to be with the woman who fills my heart.”
Taryn felt like her head was spinning.
“Noah, what if...I was willing to do this?” she said.
“Wait—” He caught her gaze. “We need to be really clear here. Don’t just try to be nice, or I’ll just hear what I want to hear.”
“What if I wanted to be a family—the three of us, together?” she said.
“Really?” he asked breathlessly.
“Yeah.” She nodded.
“I’m all in,” he said, and pulled her for another kiss. She leaned against his solid chest, and the baby squirmed again. When she pulled back and looked up into his warm gaze, she felt a wave of happiness.
“I told Granny I’d be taking care of her—” she said.
“She’s welcome to live with us,” Noah said with a grin. “But Taryn, I’m serious. If we’re doing this, I want to do it right. I want to be coming home to my wife—”
“And her grandmother,” Granny piped up.
“And her grandmother, and my son,” Noah said with a soft laugh. “I want all of it, Taryn. I want you to marry me.”
Marriage... This time, it felt right. This wasn’t a man trying to do the right thing in the face of an accident. This was the real thing—this was the kind of love she’d been afraid to long for...
“Yes,” she whispered.
Noah grinned and kissed her again, then he looked over her head toward her grandmother.
“Mrs. Cook, do I have your blessing?” he asked.
“And then some,” Granny replied.
An orderly came into the room with a wheelchair then, and Taryn watched as Noah helped her grandmother into the chair. He was tender and careful, and once the old woman was settled, he looked up at Taryn with such love, her eyes misted.
This was what the rest of her life looked like—a tall, handsome man who’d help her take care of the ones they loved, and year after year to roll out in front of them.
She slipped her hand over his muscular arm, and her heart gave a little leap. There was a wedding to plan, and she knew the perfect place for the vows that would begin their happily-ever-after.
Mountain Springs Resort—there was nowhere better!
EPILOGUE
ON A BRISK morning in early October, Taryn awoke to the sound of her newborn son’s whimpers in the bassinet next to the bed. She instinctively tried to sit up, and felt the pain of her C-section incision. She grimaced, then let out a slow breath and pulled herself up a little more slowly.
“Noah...” she murmured.
“Hmm?” Noah sat up, his eyes still shut. “What?”
Taryn couldn’t help but smile at her husband’s bleary confusion. She’d had their son three days earlier, and Noah had been by her side the entire time. Then he’d brought them home to the house they’d bought together—the one with the generous in-law suite where Granny stayed. She had her own kitchen, but she liked coming in to eat with Taryn and Noah, and they enjoyed her company. Granny had softened considerably over the past two months.
“The baby’s awake, Noah,” Taryn said.
“Okay...” Noah pushed back the covers and got up. He headed around the bed and leaned over the bassinet, now more awake. He’d started to grow his beard back, and it was short and scruffy looking at this stage—she liked it. What was it about Noah that whatever he did, she seemed to like it?
“Hey, there, Tommy,” Noah said softly. “You hungry again?”
Taryn watched as Noah scooped his son out of the tiny bed and softly kissed his downy head before he handed him over to Taryn to nurse. Tommy was a big baby, and he latched on immediately for his breakfast. Noah sank onto the edge of the bed and watched their son drink.
They weren’t completely settled in the house yet. There were still boxes stacked in the corners, and it would be a few weeks yet before everything had a place, but their friends and family had all pulled together to help them move. It was amazing how quickly that could happen with many willing hands.
“How are you feeling?” Noah asked.
“Sore,” she admitted. “But better than yesterday.”
She looked at Tommy—his downy chestnut hair, his plump little cheeks and those big, round eyes that looked up at her as he drank.
Noah leaned over and pecked her lips. “I think I hear Granny in the kitchen. I’m just going to go check on her...”
Taryn shot him a smile. “Sure. You know where to find me.”
Noah wrapped a bathrobe around himself, and headed out of the bedroom. Noah and Granny had bonded, and he really seemed to enjoy Granny’s blunt, no-nonsense attitude. He’d also gotten rather protective of the old lady, and he’d made sure Granny had what she needed within reach—her tea things, her little stash of canned soup that she liked to make for lunch.
Noah was home on parental leave for four weeks, and Taryn wondered what it would be like when he went back to work—how much he’d miss them.
Tommy gave a squawk of protest, so she changed sides and readjusted her nightgown as he continued to nurse. He was so precious, so perfect, that looking down at him filled her heart to the brim. She ran her hand over his tiny arm, and her wedding band glistened in the low light.
Their wedding had been a small one—just the two of them in a chapel in town. They had already booked the lodge for a proper reception in the spring, long enough after Tommy’s birth for them to be able to celebrate with everyone they loved best. It was a little untraditional, but Taryn didn’t mind. Nothing in their love story had been traditional, and it suited them just fine.
Noah poked his head back into the bedroom.
“Granny has decided she’s making us breakfast,” Noah said. “I’m just going to... I think she might need some help, you know?”
“Go,” Taryn chuckled. “But I don’t think she’ll burn anything down.”
“Not today,” Noah said.
A couple of minutes later, she could hear Noah and Granny talking to each other, and a minute after that, Noah appeared in the bedroom doorway again.
“I’ve been sent away,” he said.
Taryn chuckled. “She’s fine. What’s she making, toast? Oatmeal?”
“Oatmeal,” he confirmed.
Noah crawled back into bed next to her, and he leaned his cheek on Taryn’s shoulder, looking down at their son.
“He’s really something, isn’t he?” Noah murmured.
“Yeah...” she agreed. “He sure is.”
Noah kissed her shoulder, his scruff tickling her skin, and then leaned back against the pillows. Taryn glanced over at him, and they exchanged a smile.
“I love you,” she said.
“I love you, too, beautiful.”
Tommy finished up, and Noah reached for him.
“Come here, buddy,” he said quietly, and pulled the baby onto his chest, and then put an arm around Taryn, too. She closed her eyes, enjoying the musky scent of her husband’s chest. She touched Tommy’s fingers with the tips of hers.
Through the window, the sun was rising, and a brisk autumn wind
whistled around the house. Inside, everything was warm and snug, and from the kitchen, Taryn could smell the scent of coffee brewing.
It was perfect—so perfect, that she’d never been able to imagine it in all of her wildest daydreams. She’d never thought she’d see Noah again, let alone marry him and trust him like she did.
“I never knew I wanted this so badly,” Noah murmured.
Taryn knew what he meant. She felt the same way. Neither of them could have anticipated this future together, but it was perfect. A little family that filled her heart, and this time she knew that it would last.
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781488074585
Rocky Mountain Baby
Copyright © 2021 by Patricia Johns
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Harlequin Heartwarming June 2021 Box Set Page 23