15. West
WEST
W est gazed out his bedroom window at the snowy woods. The way the hillside rose up behind the house sometimes made him feel a little claustrophobic—as if he had been hemmed in, stuck forever in this tiny town in the middle of the frozen farmland.
But today, he saw it as he imagined Dulcie might, and he felt sheltered, as if the house were held in the embrace of the mountain.
She loved it here—that much was clear. Each day that passed, she seemed less uncertain and more confident.
And coming home to the two of them today, well, it felt like coming home to a family, not to a babysitter.
What if this were our life? What if we could do this every single day?
He knew it wasn’t realistic. She wasn’t here to stay. But he could hardly blame himself for thinking about it. Any red-blooded man would kill for the chance to come home to a happy child, a home-cooked meal, and a woman who looked like she wanted nothing more than to be there, maybe even to be his.
She sure didn’t seem like she wanted to be mine after the tree lighting.
He replayed the moment in his mind, the softness of her cheek, the way she leaned into his touch, like a flower to the light. But when her phone buzzed, she had pulled back and scurried away like she was glad for the interruption.
Maybe there’s a boyfriend back home…
The thought of it made his blood boil.
Shaking his head, he changed clothes quickly. What had gotten into him? He’d spent the years since Milly left feeling like he was done with women, at least until Elizabeth headed off for college.
Now he was playing house with this innocent young woman, doting on her publicly, and storming and raging privately at the mere thought of her having a boyfriend.
Get it together, Lawrence, he told himself. Good men don’t act like this. And you’re trying your best to be a good man.
Once he was dressed, he grabbed his phone and called his mom. She picked up on the first ring.
“West,” she said happily. “What’s up?”
“Elizabeth and Dulcie made chicken soup and a cake today,” he told her. “We were wondering if you and Dad might want to have supper with us.”
“Oh, we’d love to,” she said with a smile in her voice. “How wonderful. That girl is a gem.”
“Elizabeth had a great day with her,” West heard himself boast. “When I got home, she was giving her toys a bath in a bowl of water, happy as could be. They even organized the shelves in her room.”
Mom was quiet for a moment.
“What?” West asked.
“Oh, nothing, sweetheart,” she said lightly. “What time should we come by and what should we bring?”
An hour later, they were all sitting around the table, finishing their soup.
It was dark outside already, making the glow of the lamplight feel all the more cozy in the dining room.
The meal was delicious and the company even better.
West couldn’t remember the last time he’d had anyone over for dinner.
He saw plenty of his family, but it was usually at his parents’ house.
It was nice to have them here for a change, and to listen to them chatting with Elizabeth and Dulcie.
Dad was regaling her with all his favorite funny stories, happy to have a fresh audience.
With it full of voices and happy laughter, the house felt more like a real home than it had in a long time.
“That was the best soup I’ve ever had,” Dad said, patting his belly and smiling at Elizabeth. “What a great job you did.”
“Dulcie helped me,” Elizabeth pointed out.
“Dulcie did a lovely job too,” Mom said.
Dulcie’s face brightened under his mother’s praise, and West’s heart throbbed helplessly.
“Now it’s time for cake and milk,” Elizabeth yelled happily.
“Maybe some coffee too,” Mom said with a smile.
“I’m so sorry,” Dulcie said, looking stricken. “We used the last of the coffee this morning. I forgot to tell you, West.”
“That’s fine,” West told her. “I’ll run out and get more. You guys relax a little.”
“I wish I had my car, and I could just get it so you could unwind with your family,” Dulcie fretted out loud.
“Why don’t you just go with him, dear?” Mom said suddenly.
“I could run into the store while you wait in the truck,” Dulcie offered, turning to West.
“Uh, sure,” he said. “It would be nice to have some company. Can you keep an eye on Grandma and Grandpa, Elizabeth?”
“I’ll show them my shelves,” Elizabeth said, hopping up from the table. “They’re organized.”
“And we’ll clear the table, of course,” Mom said, winking at West.
“Thanks, guys,” he said.
He turned to Dulcie, and she hurried off to the front door to pull on her boots and coat.
It was funny to feel anticipation bubbling up in his chest. They were just running out to the store for some milk. But it was an outing with just the two of them. If he was going to do his best not to fall prey to his own feelings, then this might be as close as they ever got to a date.
Once they were ready, he held the door open for her, letting in a blast of the cold winter night.
She smiled and stepped out, her blonde hair swirling around her like a halo, and the princess scarf sparkling around her neck, bringing out the intense blue of her eyes.
How can anyone be so beautiful?
He tore his eyes away and stomped down the porch steps to his truck. It was impossible not to sense her pausing and then following after him, her footsteps light on the porch steps.
Why am I such a jerk?
He was trying so hard not to think of her as a woman, just another person, one who needed help and encouragement.
“I’m really sorry about this,” she told him quietly as he opened her door.
“It’s not a problem at all,” he told her, feeling bad that she had clearly sensed his frustration—even though it was only frustration with himself. “I really appreciate that you did so much to make Elizabeth’s day such a happy one.”
That earned him a smile so bright that it almost hurt him to look at her. She climbed in, and he closed the door gently before heading over to the driver’s side. He started the truck, and decided to let it warm up for a minute before heading out.
“You know you don’t have to do all that stuff,” he heard himself tell her.
“What stuff?” she asked.
“You didn’t have to clean her room and cook and all,” he said.
“I won’t if you don’t want me to,” she said worriedly. “I didn’t mean to overstep.”
“You’re not overstepping at all,” he said quickly. “You’re not…I just…”
He glanced over at her, and she looked so sad .
“I just don’t want to take advantage of you,” he told her, his voice a little too deep with unexpected emotion. “I’ll be happy if you just keep her safe and have fun, you don’t have to do extra things if you don’t want to.”
“Oh,” she said, sounding surprised and relieved. “I like doing all that stuff.”
He nodded slowly. All he wanted was to ask her a million questions, or maybe just gaze into her eyes.
But he had promised himself he would do none of those things. So he pulled the truck out instead and headed toward the main road. Dulcie’s eyes were on the scene outside the window, and he could hardly blame her. The farmland looked so pretty under a blanket of snow.
“Here we go,” he said, rolling down his window and coming almost to a complete stop at the covered bridge.
Dulcie had stopped looking nervous every time they crossed the bridge.
She knows she’s home now, a little voice whispered unhelpfully in the back of his head.
As they came out on the other side, his phone buzzed in his pocket.
“Hang on,” he said, pulling over.
He hated to stop and take a call, but a small-town doctor couldn’t exactly take evenings off. It could even be his parents calling about Elizabeth.
“Dr. Lawrence here,” he said, picking up on the car speaker.
“Oh, Dr. Lawrence, thank goodness,” a voice sounding both stressed and relieved said. He recognized it right away as Ellen Harris. “It’s my mom. I can’t get her to take her medicine.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” West said gently.
“I tried all the techniques we talked about,” Ellen went on. “But she’s so upset. I don’t know, I just… I don’t know what to do.”
West was pretty sure that what most people would do was take Mrs. Harris over to the skilled care facility in Burlington.
But he also knew Ellen wasn’t ready to let go of her mother just yet.
And Ellen was such a kind and efficient person that he wasn’t sure those nurses over at the facility could do any better.
They certainly wouldn’t love her mom like she did.
Kitty Harris was a lucky woman to have raised such a daughter.
“Why don’t I stop by?” he said. “Would that be all right?”
“Oh, West,” Ellen said, sounding like she was crying, or ready to.
“I was already on my way into town,” he told her. “See you in a few minutes.”
“Thank you,” Ellen murmured.
West glanced over at Dulcie.
She only gazed back at him, her eyes wide.
“Sorry. Duty calls,” he said. “I can turn around and take you home before I go over there.”
“No,” she said firmly. “It sounds like they need you now . Let’s go.”
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Very sure,” she told him.
“Thank you,” he told her, meaning it. He hated to think of Ellen being distressed, and if she was, it was a pretty safe bet that her mom was even worse off. “Kit Harris is a wonderful person. It’s a shame that she’s having such a hard time.”
They drove on into town in silence. West put all his focus on the road. He wanted to get there quickly but safely.
“I’m just going to hop out for a second here,” he told her when they reached the country store.
“I can run in and get the coffee,” Dulcie offered immediately, taking off her seatbelt.
“No, no,” he told her. “I can get it. I’m going to grab something for Mrs. Harris too.”
Dulcie didn’t argue, but she got out of the truck with him anyway.
The little store was decked out for the holidays, and in spite of the hour and the temperature, a couple of the old timers were standing out front talking each other’s ears off.
“West,” one of them said, waving.