Chapter Seven – Alison
Alison’s second shift at Bear Bluff Hospital flew by in a whirlwind of patient care and chart updates.
With one of the other nurses calling in sick, she’d been asked to help over in the pediatric ward. A request she had happily accepted. Not that she liked seeing children sick. Far from it. If she could, she would have waved a magic wand and made each and every one of those kids healthy. But there was something about their resilience, about the way they held onto hope and found joy even in the smallest things, that inspired her.
It was a reminder that life was meant to be lived, no matter the obstacles.
The small-town hospital already had a familiar feel, as if she had been there longer than a couple of days. And despite her initial nerves, she was settling in more easily than she had expected.
But in the quiet moments between patients, her thoughts drifted—again and again—to Jay.
Was he recovering well? Did he remember anything new? Was he eating properly?
Was he thinking about her?
This morning, when she had visited his room, she had found him restless, trapped in some kind of dream. And when she had reached out to try and wake him and her fingertips brushed his skin…
She had felt it.
A shock of recognition, a spark of something deep and undeniable.
The warmth had stayed with her throughout the day, lingering on her skin, as if Jay’s presence had imprinted itself onto her very being. Now, as she changed out of her scrubs, and pulled on her coat, she debated whether she should swing by his room again before heading home.
Had he missed her? Had he wondered where she was?
Or—more likely—had he not given her a second thought?
Just a quick peek, she told herself. Purely professional.
But as she walked down the corridor toward Jay’s room, something felt different.
There was no irresistible pull toward him. No quickening of her pulse at the thought of seeing him.
She paused at the door, gripping the strap of her tote bag. Through the small window, she could see him lying on his side, his face hidden from her, his breaths slow and steady.
He was asleep.
She should walk away. Leave him in peace.
Alison hesitated, then pressed her palm lightly against the door, willing herself to feel that connection again.
But it was gone.
If it had ever been real.
She turned away, her fingers curling into her palm as she pulled her hand back. She should be thankful the feeling had faded. That whatever strange connection she had felt was nothing more than a trick of her mind.
Because developing feelings for a patient, especially one as complicated as Jay Thornberg, would only lead to trouble.
And trouble was the last thing she needed.
Alison pushed the elevator button and waited, her thoughts a jumble. The ding of the doors opening was a welcome distraction, and she stepped inside, exhaling slowly as the doors whooshed shut.
The ride to the ground floor was mercifully quick. As she stepped into the main reception area, the low hum of voices, the occasional beep of monitors, and the shuffling of papers filled the space with a soothing familiarity.
“See you tomorrow,” Alison called to the receptionist, who was deep in conversation with a young doctor.
“Have a good rest of your day,” came the reply with a quick wave before turning back to the doctor.
The early summer air was refreshing as she stepped through the hospital’s sliding glass doors. Sunlight filtered through the tall trees lining the parking lot, casting dappled shadows on the pavement. She paused for a moment, breathing in deeply, savoring the contrast to the sterile, climate-controlled hospital air.
Then, with purposeful strides, she crossed the parking lot to her car. She might leave one Thornberg behind, but she was about to drive across town to pick up Tessa and then head to the Thornberg Ranch. Mary and Waylan had been so kind to offer to babysit, and maybe that was what Alison needed more than anything. Friendship.
Not a dreamy, complicated attraction to a vulnerable man. To Jay.
Hadn’t she learned long ago that dreams were just that, dreams?
Intangible. Elusive. Unattainable.
And Jay was a dream. A nice dream, but a dream, nonetheless.
Alison slid into the driver’s seat, tossing her tote bag onto the passenger side. As she started the car and pulled onto the road, she let a small smile creep onto her lips. Tessa was going to love this surprise.
She hadn’t told her daughter about the visit to the Thornberg Ranch, not wanting to disappoint her if plans fell through. Now, as she drove the short distance to Bear Creek, she smiled to herself as she pictured Tessa’s face when she found out.
From what she’d learned today in the pediatric ward, the Thornbergs were very generous with their time, and many of the children had visited the ranch at one time or another, feeding the horses, petting the goats, and running wild like little farm hands. Tessa would be over the moon.
It also set Alison’s mind at rest. From what she’d learned today, Mary and Waylan, and their sons were good people. People she could trust with her daughter. Which was an incredible relief.
She’d been willing to trust her own judgment. But her ex-husband’s nagging voice, telling her she was too trusting, too naive, had made her second-guess every decision for years. This time, though, she felt confident. The Thornbergs were salt-of-the-earth kind of people. Or so she’d been told.
She was early, so she parked outside Bear Creek Elementary and strolled over to the school gates, where she waited as a stream of children poured out of the building, When Tessa appeared, talking animatedly to her friends, a lump formed in Alison’s throat.
Tessa looked so happy, so confident, so different. As if there had been a weight on her little shoulders that had now lifted.
“Mommy!” Tessa squealed as she caught sight of Alison. She broke into a run, her backpack bouncing wildly on her back.
Alison crouched down, arms wide open as Tessa barreled into her.
“Guess what, Mommy?” Tessa’s voice was breathless with excitement. “We learned about different types of clouds today! And Miss Henderson said I could keep my cotton ball craft! Look!” She proudly held up a piece of blue construction paper, where tufts of cotton had been glued in neat clusters.
“It’s beautiful, sweetheart,” Alison said, brushing a strand of blonde hair from Tessa’s flushed face. “You can tell me all about it in the car.”
Tessa beamed, hopping into the back seat as Alison strapped her in and handed her a small container of grapes.
As Alison pulled out of the parking lot, she threw a teasing glance at her daughter in the rearview mirror. “Tessa, I have a surprise for you.”
Tessa’s eyes widened. She chewed quickly before swallowing. “A surprise? What is it? Tell me!”
Alison smiled, savoring the anticipation. “Remember how much you loved the petting zoo at the fair last year?”
“Yes!” Tessa practically bounced in her seat.
“How would you like to visit a real ranch?”
Tessa’s mouth formed a perfect ‘O.’ “Yes! When?!”
Alison chuckled. “Right now. We’re going to the Thornberg Ranch.”
Tessa’s jaw dropped before she shrieked with delight. “The Thorny Ranch?!”
Alison laughed. “The Thorn-berg Ranch.”
Tessa clapped her hands together. “Jenna says her sister’s friend Tilly lives there, and she has horses! Real ones! And goats and…everything!”
Alison laughed, feeling a lightness she hadn’t known in months. “I’m glad you’re excited. Mary is the mom of one of my patients. She invited us to drop by so you can meet everyone and see the place.” She tried to keep her voice even, casual, as though the mere thought of Jay didn’t make her heart do a funny little skip.
“Great!” Tessa said, stuffing another grape into her mouth, her little legs swinging in excitement.
Alison hesitated before continuing, bracing herself for her daughter’s reaction. “They’ve also offered to babysit.”
Tessa paused mid-chew, then swallowed. “Babysit?” she mumbled, her forehead scrunching in confusion.
“Yes.” Alison glanced in the rearview mirror at her daughter, waiting for the inevitable follow-up question.
Tessa locked eyes with Alison in the mirror, her eyes sharp with suspicion. “Why do I need a babysitter?” she asked, her innocent gaze filled with questions. “I thought your shifts worked around my school day.”
Alison bit her lip. How did she explain this?
How could she tell her five-year-old daughter that sometimes, just sometimes, Mommy needed something outside of being a mom and a nurse?
That she needed time to be...more?
Guilt wrapped its fingers around her chest, whispering that she was selfish for even considering it. Maybe she should cancel her plans to meet the other nurses for a drink.
It wasn’t as if she had definitely agreed to go. It wasn’t as if they would miss her if she wasn’t there…
But wasn’t it good for her to meet new people? To build a life in Bear Creek, not just exist in it?
She took a deep breath, steadying herself. “It’s not just about my shifts, sweetheart. Sometimes things come up that I can’t predict. I just want to make sure we have some extra help from people we trust.”
Tessa chewed thoughtfully, considering this. “Okay.”
Alison exhaled, relieved it hadn’t turned into a big deal. Though her own internal battle raged on. Ronald had always made her feel guilty for wanting time to herself. Every decision had been a battle, every choice scrutinized. Even now, miles away from him, his voice still lingered in her mind, planting doubt and insecurity.
Was she being a bad mother for wanting a night out? For needing an evening of adult conversation?
She gnawed at her lower lip. What if Tessa started to resent her for not being there every single moment?
What if she grew up feeling...neglected?
She didn’t want to make mistakes.
But wasn’t she entitled to some small piece of happiness? A support system? A way to build a balanced life?
She sighed, knowing the answer. No matter what choice she made, she would never fully escape the guilt. It was woven into motherhood, stitched into every choice, every sacrifice.
Tessa’s voice pulled her back. “But Mommy, you’ll still be here to tuck me in, right? Like always?”
Alison’s heart squeezed. “Of course, sweetheart,” she said gently. “I’ll always be here to tuck you in.”
“Unless I’m at a sleepover.” Tessa’s tone shifted to casual excitement, already moving on.
Alison smiled, the weight on her chest easing a little. “Unless you are at a sleepover.”
“I really love it here,” Tessa added, gazing out the window, her small fingers trailing shapes on the glass.
“Me, too,” Alison murmured, meaning it with all her heart.
The road to the Thornberg Ranch wound through rolling fields of golden wheat, the stalks swaying gently in the late afternoon breeze. Farmhouses were scattered along the way, their red barns standing proudly against the backdrop of pine-covered hills.
Tessa had returned to her cloud craft, her tiny hands pointing out real clouds in the sky as she tried to match them with the ones on her construction paper. “Look, Mommy! That one is a cumulus !”
“I see it.” Alison chuckled, letting her daughter’s joy fill the car as the road grew steeper and the houses farther apart. It was so quiet up here, so remote. But oh so beautiful.
“Oh, here it is,” Alison announced as she spotted the wooden sign at the ranch’s entrance, the bold letters carved deep into the wood: THORNBERG RANCH.
Tessa twisted in her seat and pressed her face to the window, as Alison pulled off the road and came to a stop. “This is the Thorny Ranch?”
Alison laughed, correcting her again. “The Thorn-berg Ranch.” She unbuckled her seatbelt. “Want to help me open the gate?”
“Yes!” Tessa scrambled out of her seat and jumped out of the car, her sneakers kicking up dust on the gravel. She stopped in the middle of the dirt road, her head tilted back, staring at the towering pine trees surrounding them. “Look how tall they are!” she gasped, spreading her arms wide as if she could measure their height. “They’re like giants!”
“They are,” Alison agreed, staring up at the high branches, as she caught hold of her daughter’s enthusiasm and twirled around slowly until the world seemed to spin on its own.
“Come on, let’s go!” Tessa ran ahead to the gate, and stood on her tiptoes, trying to unlatch it.
“Need some help?” Alison called, walking over more slowly, taking in the surroundings as the world slowly stopped spinning.
“I got it!” Tessa declared as she finally unlatched the gate, which swung open with a creak. She looked back at her mother. “I’ll hold it open while you drive through.”
Alison hesitated, looking around them, scanning the area to check nothing was lurking in the trees, waiting to pounce. They were high in the mountains and there was a chance there might be wolves or bears around. But the forest seemed quiet, with only the chirping of birds and the rustle of leaves to break the silence. She nodded. “Okay, but stay back.”
“I will!” Tessa beamed and held the gate wide as Alison walked back to the car and drove forward slowly, keeping a constant watch on her daughter.
Once she was through, Tessa shoved the gate closed with a dramatic grunt, then dusted off her hands like a professional rancher. Alison chuckled, hopping out again to check the latch was secure before they both got back in the car and continued the journey to the ranch.
“I see it!” Tessa pointed excitedly as the main house came into view.
Alison followed her gaze. The Thornberg house was a large, rustic building with a wraparound porch and a well-kept yard. But it didn’t look out of place. In fact, it blended so well into its surroundings that it looked as if it had stood here for centuries. Alison could almost smell the wood smoke and feel the warmth of a winter hearth just by looking at it.
Alison headed for a cluster of trucks and SUVs and parked alongside them. Before Alison had even cut the engine, a figure appeared on the porch.
Mary. She waved energetically, her smile wide and welcoming.
“That’s Mary,” Alison said. “Shall we go say hello?”
Tessa nodded eagerly. “I should’ve brought Bumpkin. He’d want to meet everyone, too.”
Alison smiled. “Next time.”
As they stepped out, Tessa immediately grabbed her mother’s hand. An unspoken gesture that conveyed all the nervous excitement and hesitation of a child venturing into new territory. In answer, Alison gave it a brief reassuring squeeze.
“Alison! So glad you could make it!” Mary hurried down the porch steps to meet them.
“Hi, Mary,” Alison said, as Tessa pressed against her thigh. “This place is beautiful.”
Mary beamed. “We like to think so. And this must be Tessa! Hello there.” She bent down to Tessa’s level.
“Hello,” Tessa replied, loosening her grip on her mom’s hand just a little.
“I thought we could go inside and have some lemonade and some cookies. Freshly baked,” Mary said. “Then we can go and meet the horses. What do you say?”
“Cookies!” Tessa said and let go of Alison’s hand, racing toward the porch steps.
“You didn’t have to go to any trouble,” Alison said, as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and the desire to run after Tessa threatened to overwhelm her.
“It’s no trouble,” Mary said, linking arms with Alison. “And anyway, today is a celebration of sorts.”
“It is?” Alison asked as they reached the porch steps.
“Yes,” Mary replied, her voice thick with emotion. “It’s not every day your son comes home.”
“Jay?” Alison asked.
“You didn’t know?” Mary stopped and turned to face Alison.
“No,” Alison said as she processed the news. So that was why she’d felt nothing for the man in the hospital bed.
But she sure felt it now. That unmistakable pull. That irresistible urge.
Mary studied Alison’s face for a moment too long, the kind of look that searches for something beneath the surface. Then she nodded as if she had found what she was looking for. “Life is full of the unexpected, isn’t it?”
And in that moment, Alison was convinced that what she felt for Jay was not a figment of her imagination. It wasn’t a dream. It was real. And undeniable.
But did Jay feel the same way?