Chapter Nineteen
“You’ve only been married a few weeks.” Mom was flabbergasted when Eve showed up with her things. She followed her to and from her car. “Why are you getting a divorce? Don’t you love Hayden?”
Yes. He’ll never know how much.
“It’s not about love, Mom. It’s about safety. Katie’s safety.” And making a show of that taking precedence to her love life. Eve carried in another suitcase from the car, setting it on the floor of the small bedroom she was to share with Katie again.
Her daughter was out on the back patio, playing with Poppy.
“Katie will learn how to be safe on the ranch,” Mom insisted, dogging Eve’s steps. “Surely, she learned her lesson after spending a night in the open with Irene. Just look at her. It doesn’t seem to have affected her.”
“It had to, Mom.” Eve imagined that Hayden had emerged from every hardship the same way, camouflaging his hurt.
“That’s true,” Mom said in a subdued voice. “I just wish—”
“Mom.” Eve faced her mother, forcing strength in her words when she felt none.
She was operating on force of will alone.
“Are you willing to bet my custody on a four-year-old’s ability to judge what’s right or wrong?
What’s safe or dangerous? That’s a tough ask when Irene is like Peter Pan, enthusiastically pulsing in and out of reality.
Katie adores her. And Irene… Even the doctor can’t predict when she’ll regain her faculties. We had to leave.”
“But you love Hayden,” Mom said, fighting the wrong battle.
“Yes. If it wasn’t for Steven…” Eve hugged her mother quickly. Briefly, so she wouldn’t start to cry again. “It doesn’t matter. I need to go to the county clerk tomorrow and see how to annul my marriage.”
“Annul?” Mom’s brow furrowed.
“Divorce. Annulment. What difference do the terms make?” When it meant she wouldn’t be with the man she loved?
Her mother started to cry. “I never thought you’d divorce Hayden. You’re so good at fixing disasters, especially within a family. And he was more of a family man than Steven could ever be.”
“This is the fix,” Eve admitted morosely. “The best fix for Katie.”
“Mama!” Katie wailed from the back porch. It was a tearful wail.
Eve ran out the back door.
Katie was crying, and Poppy sat swishing her orange tail as if agitated. “Poppy scratched me.” Katie revealed a trio of red scratches on the back of her hand. “We can’t stay here, Mama. Poppy doesn’t like it. We need to go back to Hay-Hay. Poppy doesn’t scratch at Hay-Hay’s.”
Eve drew Katie into her arms. “I’m sorry, bug.”
“Don’t you see?” Mom said, joining them on the back porch. “There’s danger everywhere you go, Eve. You should stay where you’re loved if only because love makes everything easier to bear.”
But Eve refused to be swayed.
*
By mutual agreement, Hayden and Rhett decided not to attend the livestock auction. Dr. Merritt had offered to do a home visit for Irene, and they both wanted to be present for his exam. Thankfully, Hayden had set a minimum price he’d accept on the stock he had for sale.
Not that the auction was top of mind. Hayden was crushed by Evie’s departure.
He sat in a chair in the living room, hunched over, elbows resting on his knees and hands clasped tightly, his mind a hot mess.
There would be no more mornings with Katie as his wake-up alarm.
No more family feeding time with Mike. No more teasing banter, warm smiles, deep conversations, or soft kisses. No more…love.
Love sucks.
But he’d known that for far too long.
Outside, Sadie and Piper sat in the porch rockers with kittens in their laps. The rocker where Katie used to sit with them was empty.
Love really sucks.
He hadn’t realized how bad until now.
Rhett sat in the corner of the couch; long legs stretched far in front of him. “After the doctor leaves, you should go into town to talk to Eve.”
“Don’t.” Hayden clasped and unclasped his hands. “I can only handle one emergency at a time.”
“That’s not true.” Rhett gave Hayden the kind of disparaging look only siblings flashed each other with immunity—challenging disbelief. “After Dad died, you were putting out fires right and left and…”
Doc came downstairs.
Both Bennett men came to their feet.
“Irene is resting peacefully upstairs.” Dr. Merritt set his backpack down on the floor and looked at them each in turn with that calm demeanor Hayden had always respected.
“At this stage in her recovery, your grandmother’s brain is struggling to hold on to recent information, especially painful truths like your grandfather’s passing.
To her, it may feel as if he’s just stepped out of the room, or like she’s waiting for him to come in from the barn or the range. ”
“She’s been searching for something for weeks.” Hayden silently cursed. He should have seen it sooner.
“Gran was looking for him,” Rhett said.
Doc nodded.
“So…” Hayden drew a deep breath, trying to hold on to his composure. “We need to remind her that he’s gone all the time?”
The doctor shook his head. “Correcting her every time will only cause fresh grief, confusion, or even agitation. I often recommend something called compassionate redirection. That means meeting her where she is, emotionally. If Irene asks where Clyde is, you might say something like, ‘He’s not here right now, but I’m here with you,’ or gently change the subject to something that brings her comfort, like a favorite memory or photo. ”
“Lie to her, you mean.” Rhett frowned.
Again, Doc shook his head. “I know it can feel like you’re not being honest. But in cases like this, the goal shifts. We’re trying to preserve her peace. It’s a different kind of care. Loving care. There is no right or wrong.”
Hayden blew out a breath, wishing Evie was here. Wanting to hold her hand and lean into her strength. He rubbed the back of his neck. “How likely is it that she’ll wander off again? If it’s high, shouldn’t we put her back in Oak Hill?”
Dr. Merritt took a leaflet out of his backpack and handed it to Hayden. “Let’s see how things go the next few days. With a little preparation, you can keep better track of her. Here’s a little information to help.” He swung his backpack to his shoulder.
“We’ll do our best,” Rhett assured him while Hayden studied the list of precautions to take when living with a memory-challenged patient.
Doc turned toward the door but paused, reversing course. “You’re lucky. You have Eve to help you. Irene told me what a blessing she’s been. She even remembered her name.”
“She remembered Eve.” Rhett gave Hayden a significant look.
“Don’t start, bro,” Hayden said before walking the doctor out.
When he returned, Rhett was waiting for him in the foyer.
“I can’t talk about Evie now. I need to check with the auction yard.
” Anything to keep his mind off Evie and the challenge ahead with Gran.
“The sale should almost be done by now.”
“The taxman cometh,” Rhett referred to their overdue taxes in an ominous tone. And then, he clapped a hand on Hayden’s shoulder. “But your wife go-eth. I think your marriage takes precedence over a stock auction. They’ll call you when they have a total for the sale.”
“Butt out.” Hayden walked past him toward the kitchen. “I need coffee.” Exhaustion was setting in. It had been a long couple of days without proper sleep.
“You have a family to think about, Hayden.” Rhett dogged his heels into the kitchen. “You, Eve, and Katie. That means priorities shift.”
I have a family.
Hayden pondered that while prepping the coffee machine for a fresh pot, removing the old filter and putting in a new one. “You’re forgetting one thing. Evie made her choice.”
And it wasn’t me. It couldn’t be me.
“The fact is that I can’t guarantee Katie’s safety.
” Hayden spilled coffee on the counter. He wiped up the spill easily with a flimsy paper towel.
He couldn’t as easily clean up the mess he’d made of his marriage.
“That’s Evie’s priority. I knew that when I married her.
” He’d taken those vows, knowing his role was to block child custody and living location challenges from Steven. “And I failed.”
“She’s scared.” Rhett took out the cookie tin from the cupboard and offered Hayden a chocolate chipper. “Steven put the fear in her. But family can work together to keep each other safe.”
“No.” Hayden set the coffeemaker to brew. “Not this time.”
“You have a lot to learn about the resiliency of love.”
Hayden gave Rhett a hard look. “Why are you giving me marital advice? Your marriage didn’t turn out so well.”
Rhett shrugged. “Because when I look at you and Eve, I see a stronger bond than I had with Kristin. You have something worth fighting for.”
Hayden’s heart clogged his throat.
“You’re afraid. I get it.” Rhett put the cookie tin on the counter. “But Eve’s afraid too. Afraid what happened yesterday with Gran is going to repeat itself. To be honest, I’m afraid of that happening with Sadie and Piper. As for you and me. We have to make sure our girls are protected.”
Our girls. Katie is my girl as much as Steven’s.
Or she could have been. Hayden felt loss in every cell of his body.
He sagged against the kitchen counter. “Evie… She made me believe I could be more than I am.” Someone who could stay on this ranch with her.
He didn’t think he could stay without her.
“She showed me how to forgive and…I don’t know what to do now. ”
Rhett bit into a cookie, considering Hayden. “The thing you have to ask yourself, Hayden, is can you live happily without Eve and Katie?”
“I don’t want to.” The honesty in those words scared Hayden.
“Good.” Rhett got down two coffee mugs. “Now we just need to figure out how to win her back.”