This Place Called Home: Includes Bonus Story! (Forget-Me-Not Ranch)

by Sara Richardson

  With a quick glance in the rearview mirror, he peeled out and gunned the engine to get back onto the highway, his blood running hot and then cold.

  He should’ve been there. But he couldn’t be there all the time. What if Emery hadn’t been there? What if Agatha had been in that stable alone? Who knew how long it would’ve taken someone to help her.

  Adrenaline raced through him, but he tried to keep it under control so he wouldn’t endanger other drivers. The trip to the hospital felt like it took him about two years. He finally parked outside the emergency room and sprinted through the doors.

  “Agatha Campbell,” he said, out of breath. “My aunt. She was brought in by ambulance.”

  “Oh, yes.” Concern rounded the woman’s eyes. “I know they’re working on her right now, sir. You’ll need to take a seat and wait out here. I’ll have the doctor come and talk with you as soon as he can.”

  A fighting instinct exploded in his chest. He wanted to jump over that desk and break down the door behind her, but he simply gave her a nod and forced one foot in front of the other until he found himself in a quiet corner of the waiting room. He couldn’t sit though. Instead, he paced. Back and forth across the beat-up vinyl floor.

  Even with the other people sitting in the waiting room, a consuming loneliness weighed on every part of him. She was all he had. Agatha was all he had.

  She’d been the one who had stuck it out with him when his mom left, when his dad had chosen not to fight for his life. Agatha had been there. She’d always been there, and now he could lose her.

  Nash sank into one of the chairs that sat against the wall. He couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t save her, just like he couldn’t save either of parents.

  She couldn’t die. God, please—

  “Mr. Campbell?” A scrub-clad doctor approached the chair.

  “Yes?” He shot to his feet.

  The woman held out her hand. “I’m Doctor Lynn.”

  “Nash,” he replied doing his best to shake her hand even though his own trembled. “How’s she doing?”

  “Right now, she’s under sedation and stable,” the doctor said. “We’ve run a series of tests. We believe your aunt has had a stroke. We won’t know the extent of the damage until we bring her out of the sedation.”

  “A stroke.” His heart started to crumble. That wasn’t good news.

  “There are many kinds of strokes,” the doctor said kindly. “Thankfully, she was able to get medical attention quickly. We’re monitoring her, and all of her vitals are very strong. We’ve already run a CT scan, but would like to get her in for an MRI so we can get a better idea of what we’re dealing with.”

  “Sure. Of course. Whatever you have to do.” He swallowed back nausea. “Will I be able to see her?” What if she didn’t make it? What if he didn’t get to thank her for everything she’d done for him?

  “I’ll come back and get you after we’ve run the additional tests.” The doctor laid her hand on his shoulder as though trying to comfort him. “She’s in great hands and we’ll do everything we can to help her.”

  “Thank you.” The words barely hovered above a whisper.

  After Dr. Lynn walked away, Nash slipped outside to get some air. It didn’t help. It didn’t alleviate the roiling in his gut, the heaviness in his heart.

  He’d been telling Agatha for a long time she was doing too much and the woman refused to slow down. But now it was his job to take care of her. He had to make the tough decisions.

  Nash pulled his phone out his pocket and dialed the realtor.

  “Hey, Nash. Good to hear from you,” the man said.

  Not bothering with polite chitchat, he made up his mind. “We’re selling the ranch. I want you to put it on the market today.”

  Agatha might recover, but she’d had a stroke, and he wouldn’t do it anymore.

  He wouldn’t stand by and watch while she worked herself to death.

  Chapter 16

  Mack gazed out the window of her father’s office on the fifty-sixth floor of Denver’s tallest building.

  Beyond the suburban sprawl to the west, the mountains rose up, their snow-dusted white peaks a beautiful contrast against the royal blue sky.

  An ache deepened in her chest as she stared at the view, wondering for the millionth time how Nash was doing.

  It had been a week since he’d walked out on her, and she’d left a few messages on his phone, but had heard nothing back.

  By now, he was probably several states away at some rodeo event, but that didn’t stop her from thinking about him.

  “So you’re fine with that decision?” her father asked, folding his hands and leaning into his desk across from her.

  What decision? She hadn’t heard a word he’d said. “Um.” She glanced around the surface of his desk, hoping to see something that would clue her in.

  Unfortunately, her dad had never liked clutter. He did everything electronically so there were no papers to guide her back to the discussion they were supposed to be having.

  “You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?” He leaned back into the chair, eyeing her from behind the same horn-rimmed glasses he’d worn her whole life.

  “Sorry.” She swiped her tablet to wake it back up. If only she could wake herself up. She’d been back at work for four days, but she couldn’t seem to get it together.

  “My mind wandered.” Back to the ranch, back to Nash. Would she ever hear from him? Things had been so busy since she’d come back, she hadn’t even had the chance to call and talk to Agatha. She’d have to do that tonight…

  “Your mind seems to be wandering a lot since you’ve been back.” Her father’s tone wasn’t unkind, just searching.

  “I guess it has.” She sighed. “A lot has happened in the last month. I think I’m still making sense of it all.”

  Her father nodded. “Your mother told me about the rancher.”

  “Nash.” Oh, that ache. It felt like it would never go away. Time only seemed to make it more pronounced. “He’s a veterinarian actually. His aunt owns the ranch.”

  “Your mother was afraid you had feelings for him.” Her father shut his laptop, giving her his complete focus.

  “I do have feelings for him.” They’d only grown stronger since she’d been away. “He’s a good person. Loyal and hardworking.” Intense and passionate.

  Her father was quiet for a minute. He continued to stare at her as though reading something in her eyes. “I told your mother not to go after you. I told her to give you time. To let you come back when you were ready.”

  Of course he had. That was her father. He’d always been gracious about giving her space when she needed it. Thank God one parent had.

  “It wasn’t fair for me to stay longer.” He’d never admit he had been struggling without her. “I have responsibilities here.”

  “Responsibilities, yes.” His eyes searched hers. “But what about a life?”

  Her life here had turned upside down when she ran out on her wedding, but she didn’t need to remind him of that. “I didn’t want you to have to pick up the slack.”

  “You have a very capable team,” he said with amusement. “There wasn’t much slack to pick up.”

  “Mom said—”

  “You know she exaggerates. She wanted you home and she found a way.” Her dad’s mouth softened into a smile. “You’re not only my employee. You’re my daughter first. And something’s changed since you’ve been back. You’re not happy here.”

  “I’ve only been back a week.” She’d be much happier if she heard back from Nash, but she was beginning to think that wouldn’t happen.

  “I am happy. I missed you.” It occurred to her that she’d certainly missed him, but not her work. She hadn’t missed the emails and the meetings and the constant demand of being available to make decisions.

  “I missed you too.” Her dad leaned partway over the desk, a spark in his eyes. “You and I…we’ve always been a lot alike. That’s how I kn
ow. You crave a freedom your life here will never offer you.”

  His face took on the lecturing expression she recognized so well. “I’ve always had that craving too. But I ignored it so I could build a company. I put in way too many hours. I added way too much stress to my life. And I regret it. Once you step on that hamster wheel, it’s so hard to get off.”

  He took her hand in his. “I don’t want you to have regrets, Mack. If there’s a place you’ve found that gives you more life, that’s where you should be.”

  He was giving her permission to go back to the ranch. So why did she find it so hard to accept? “I’m not sure if they want me back.” Agatha would open her door and welcome her, but Nash had cut her off...

  “You won’t know unless you ask.”

  “What about you?” She turned the question back on her father. “It’s not too late. You don’t have to live with the regrets anymore. You could build a new life too.”

  “I’m considering selling the company.” He lowered his voice. “Within the next year or two.”

  “Really?” Mack couldn’t hide her shock. He’d never talked about selling. He used to tell her he wanted her to take over someday.

  “Your mother doesn’t love the idea, but I think it’s time.” He glanced around his office. “There’s more to life than this. I’d like to see what else is out there.”

  Yes, exactly. More to life. She needed more in her life. “Me too, Dad.”

  There was a knock at the door. Tanya, her father’s assistant, poked her head in. “Hi Mack! There’s someone here to see you. Says her name is Emery and she knows you from the Forget-Me-Not Ranch?”

  “Really?” Emery had come all this way to see her? “Tell her I’ll be there in a minute.” She stood and came around her father’s desk, leaning down to hug him. “Thank you for understanding me.” That was the best gift he’d ever given her.

  “That ranch would be crazy not to take you back.” Her father smiled up at her. “And his Nash fellow…if he’s really as good of a person as you say he is, he’ll welcome you back.”

  “I hope so,” Mack whispered. She kissed the bald spot at the top of his head. “I guess maybe you should consider this my two weeks’?”

  He waved her off. “Take a day or two to get things in order. Your director of publicity has done a stellar job while you were gone. I’ll probably just promote her.”

  “She’d be perfect.” Mack traipsed to the door, feeling lighter than she had all week. “Dinner tonight?”

  “Yes. I supposed we’ll have to break the news to your mother.” He didn’t seem any more excited about it than she was. “We’ll order a bottle of wine or two first.”

  Mack laughed. “Sounds perfect.” She slipped out the door and hurried back to the reception area.

  Emery sat in one of the leather chairs looking nervous.

  “Hi!” Mack greeted her with a hug. She would’ve hugged anyone right about now. She was going back to the ranch. It didn’t matter what Nash had said, she would prove to him that she would be there for him as long as he would let her be.

  “It’s good to see you.” She led Emery down the hall. “Let’s talk in my office.”

  The woman didn’t say anything until Mack had closed the door, then she blurted out, “Agatha had a stroke. She’s been in the hospital for a week and Nash is selling the ranch.”

  Mack’s heart dropped sharply. She didn’t know which news to react to first. “Agatha? Is she…?”

  “She’s recovering,” the woman said quickly. “Right now she has limited use of her right side, but she’s talking and she’s almost back to her old peppy self.”

  “Oh thank God.” Mack collapsed to the leather loveseat in front of the window. “What happened?” How could everything have fallen apart in a week?

  “It was right after you left.” Emery sat down next to her. “Agatha and I were going to take the pony out for a walk, and she just collapsed.”

  The woman started to cry. “It was awful. I called an ambulance, but I couldn’t do anything for her, and then it took me so long to find Nash’s phone number.”

  She blotted her eyes with her shirtsleeve. “Before Agatha had even come to, he’d called the realtor and told him to put the ranch on the market. He hasn’t even told Agatha yet, but he won’t be able to keep it from her much longer.”

  “I’m sorry.” The words gagged her. She was sorry for so many things. She never should’ve left. If she had stayed, she would’ve been there when they both needed her.

  “All those animals,” Emery sniffled. “Where are they going to go? Agatha’s going to be devastated.”

  “Maybe not.” If the ranch had only been on the market a week, they likely still had time to save it. “Come on.” Mack stood and pulled Emery along with her.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Back to the Forget-Me-Not Ranch.”

  It was time to take her dad’s advice and fully embrace a new life.

  Nash had been waiting for this call, but now that it had come, he couldn’t seem to give the man an answer.

  He pushed his tray away, the hospital cafeteria food left untouched.

  “Did you hear me, man?” Doug, the realtor, was practically shouting in his ear. “We have a full-price cash offer. I almost said yes right then because it’d be crazy to turn that down.”

  “I heard you.” It was exactly what he’d hoped for—a quick sale so he could get his aunt situated before he went back to work.

  “And?” Doug prompted. “I need a verbal go-ahead here. Call me crazy, but you sound like you’re hesitating.”

  “Yeah.” The hesitation surprised him, but it made sense. After he told Doug yes, he’d have to go back up to his aunt’s room and inform her that he’d sold the home she loved.

  “I know it’s a family property,” the realtor said patiently. “But you said yourself your aunt won’t be able to keep things up around there. Especially now.”

  “She can’t.” As much as it would kill her to admit it. The doctors called her recovery miraculous, but she still has limited use of her right side—especially in the arm and hand. And there was always the lingering possibility she’d have another stroke, even with the blood thinners.

  “So, is that a yes?”

  Nash switched the phone to his other ear. What choice did he have? “Yes.” He found it hard to swallow. “Let’s move forward with the buyer.”

  “Perfect! You’ll need to come by and sign the paperwork.” Doug paused. “Or I can bring it to you.”

  That wouldn’t be necessary. He’d have a hard enough time telling his aunt the news. He didn’t need Doug at the hospital. “I’ll stop by on my way home later tonight. Or maybe tomorrow before I head back here.” He had to find a way to tell Agatha before he signed the papers.

  “Sounds great!” the man practically sang. “See you soon.” They hung up and Nash stashed the phone back into his pocket.

  Damn. He hadn’t expected this to hurt so much. He hadn’t felt any kind of connection to the ranch until Mack—

  Nope. Not going there. She seemed to creep up in his thoughts way too often. Before he could stop himself, he pulled his phone out and found her last voicemail. Since no one was around, he played in on the speaker.

  “Hey Nash, I’m not going to stop calling. I told you I wasn’t giving up on you, and I’m not. It’s hard being back home. I miss the ranch. I miss Agatha. And you may not want to hear this, but I miss you.”

  He stopped it there. A couple of times he’d hit the call back button, but he’d ended it before her phone could ring. She’d called him three times this week, all while he’d been at the hospital sitting at his aunt’s side, helping her eat, trying to encourage her during her therapy sessions.

  He’d leave at night and go back to the ranch, and then the loneliness would hit him. He hadn’t been lonely before Mack. He’d had enough. But then he’d gotten a taste of her…

  “There you are!” His aunt lumbered to the table,
followed by her physical therapist. “See, I told you we could find him, Joan.” Agatha plopped down across from him and smiled. Other than a slight droop on the right side of her mouth, she looked the same—her eyes lit with energy, her whole face bright.

  “You told me, all right,” the therapist said. “You want me to walk you back to your room now?”

  “I think I’d like to sit here awhile.” Agatha eyed the uneaten food on his plate with a horrified look. “But maybe I’ll stick to coffee.”

  “Okay, Ms. Campbell.” The therapist shifted a serious gaze to Nash. “I can count on you to get her back to her room soon?”

  “I’m on it.” He hopped up from the table and got his aunt a cup of coffee, adding sugar and cream before he brought it to her.

  “Do I have to go back to that awful room?” his aunt demanded. “It’s dreary and it smells funny.”

  He couldn’t argue with that. “It’ll probably only be for one more night before they turn you loose.” And then they’d have to get right on looking for a place for her to live. He couldn’t seem to get those words to come out.

  “Oh!” His aunt sighed dramatically. “I can’t wait to go home! Home to all of my babies.”

  The knot in his gut tightened, making it hard to breathe. She would get to go home, but she wouldn’t get to stay there. “Agatha, we need to talk.”

  “I suppose we do.” She picked up the coffee cup with her left hand and maneuvered it to her lips, taking a sip.

  “We found a buyer for the ranch.” There was no point in beating around the bush. She always seemed to know what he was going to say anyway.

  “Is that so?” Her face didn’t change. The news obviously didn’t surprise her.

  “It’s a full-price cash offer, which is pretty much unheard of in these parts.” This was exactly what they needed. She could take the money and buy something comfortable in town.

  “I’ll find good homes for all of the animals,” he continued. “Great homes. I’m sure we’ll have at least sixty days before closing. That will give us time to get everything in order.”