Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Hannah rose the following morning with a sleepy smile.
She and Ben had talked late into the night after he’d gone back to check on Cooper, who had been awake after a long nap.
Will had been soaked from a wild bathtime between the little boy and his puppy, Ben had told her when he’d returned.
He’d also thanked her again for looking after Will’s hand, which was healing nicely.
After a little coaxing, she’d talked him into showing her his photos.
Most of them were of Cooper, and seeing the tenderness with which he’d either held the young baby or smiled with his arms wrapped around him had melted her heart.
The other photos were of the horses he’d visited to buy for his pet breeding project.
Now that, he could talk about for hours, she’d discovered.
Her conclusion. Plants were to her what horses were to Ben.
Hudson made her day when he swung by at lunch accompanied by a few other hands with some of their own injuries.
His ribs were healing well and didn’t look to be broken, and the other injuries weren’t severe, thankfully—a long gash on an arm that didn’t need stitches but was still hot and red to the touch as well as a large splinter of wood in a thumb that couldn’t be pulled out with tweezers.
Neil had only sent her a look as he sat at the kitchen table editing a batch of the educational videos they’d made.
Of course, she’d already shared the news about Ben offering to build her a school, to which Neil had tried and failed to hold back his knowing laughter.
Then she’d told him she’d officially given Ben a second chance, to which he’d only said, “You let me know if he gets out of line, lass.”
Except she didn’t fear it happening, which made her wrap her arms around herself in absolute happiness.
Charlie paid a visit to discuss paying her for her services and to offer his help in moving her plants to an outlying shed for drying so she could see the ranch hands in her space.
She smiled and told him she was delighted with the help.
They had a lot of plants, to which he sent her an agreeable wink.
When she’d inquired about Ben’s whereabouts, Charlie had said he was out on the range and wouldn’t be back before nightfall. That disappointed her, as she’d looked forward to seeing him all morning.
After leaving Neil to his editing, she decided to head up to the construction site to see the progress and to check on Will’s hand. Watching the building take shape made her work here feel more concrete, like healing people on the Triple M did.
As she arrived, she was pleased to watch both Cooper and Will lift their hands in greeting as Tank gave a bark.
All three Prentice boys called out, “Howdy, Hannah!” from where they were working.
A few of the other hands preparing the foundation for the cement process also gave the distinctive upward chin nod so specific to Montana, including Ben’s father and grandfather, who were working alongside the men.
“Hannah!” Cooper yelled with a bright smile as he ran to her.
She slowed her pace and waited for him to reach her as Tank nuzzled her hand. “Well! Mighty nice meeting you here. I was coming to see your uncle Will. How’re things going?”
He looked so adorable as he wiped his sweaty hair off his forehead before pointing at his mouth. “Pretty good. We’re almost ready to pour the foundation. And do you know what? I lost another tooth today! See! Now the tooth fairy has to pay up.”
“Nice,” she said as he dug into his pocket and held out the tooth. How many times had she helped the Prentice boys pull a reluctant tooth? More than she’d liked. “What are you going to spend your new money on?”
Puffing out his chest, he grinned widely. “Lumber. I’m contributing to Uncle Will’s project too. How much lumber will my tooth fairy money buy?”
God, what a sweet boy. “I’m not current with lumber prices, but I’ll bet yours will smell absolutely delicious.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Lumber doesn’t smell delicious.”
She nodded sagely. “It does. In fact, you know how I gave you that roller ball with lavender essential oil?”
“Yeah. It smells like Grams’ dusting powder, but I haven’t gotten bit by the skeeters in days, like you said. Dad says to use it at bedtime too. Soon, I’ll know all the plants like you, Hannah!”
“Good to know.” She crouched down to be closer to him. “Anyway, there are essential oils of all sorts of trees, like pine and cedar. I’ll show you if you’d like.”
“Cool! Are you going to heal every cowpoke on the Triple M? Like Hudson?”
She laughed, petting Tank, who finally lay down at their feet. “Who told you that?”
“My gramps, when he went to lunch. Gramps said he’ll come visit you to see if you have something for his creaky old bones. He sometimes sounds just like a rusty door.”
Oh, he was so cute. “He does not.”
“He does.” The little boy put his hand to his back and took a couple of steps, making a passable creaky sound, showing his gap-toothed grin. “Gramps says getting old is a bitch. Then he says I’m not supposed to say that word, even if it’s true.”
Ah, the repetition of elders. “I’ve heard that. Tell your gramps I have just the thing. It’s called Solomon’s seal root. Keeps the joints moist so they don’t creak.”
“I will.” He put his finger to his mouth. “Hannah, you really do have plants for everything, don’t you?”
She tapped him on the nose. “Try me.”
He tucked his chin down and made a show of pushing the tip of his shoe into the ground. “Well…I was kinda wondering if you had a plant that could help my mom love me.”
Her throat clogged. Of all the requests she’d had, this one might be the most heartbreaking.
She thought of him sobbing his heart out the other night.
Now this wish… What was she supposed to say?
She tugged him closer, wrapping her arm around his side, praying for the right words.
“Cooper, there are all sorts of plants to help people love more, but sometimes they don’t want them.
Your mom and I went to school together, and she didn’t believe in plants and flowers like I did. ”
Tears glistened in his blue eyes when he lifted his little face. “Can’t you try to tell her? Please! Maybe Hudson and the other cowboys can show her how much those plants helped them. Wouldn’t that make her believe?”
He was so smart. “Maybe, but sometimes people don’t believe even when someone tells them. My father is a good example. He’s a medical doctor, and even though Dylan Prentice’s forehead healed quickly because of the salve I gave him, he won’t believe it.”
Studying his shoes, he confessed, “I don’t like Dr. Montgomery much anyway. He stabs you with a shot and doesn’t even give you a lollipop like I’ve seen doctors do on TV.”
She bit her lip to keep from smiling. “He doesn’t believe in giving kids sugar.”
He made an aggrieved sound, his cute little dimples disappearing. “Those are the worst houses for trick-or-treating. They want to give you an apple or a granola bar. I tell Papa we have to keep walking past them. Even if it’s not neighborly.”
Oddly, thinking about Ben taking Cooper trick-or-treating made her heart turn over.
How many more angles was she going to discover about him?
The other night, as she’d gone through his phone, she remembered seeing Cooper dressed up for Halloween in everything from a horse costume to an astronaut, but she hadn’t taken the thought further. She kinda couldn’t wait to see it.
Then she wondered if she’d be walking with them.
If things continued with Ben, she certainly might be.
The thought made her heart do a happy somersault.
Yes, it was early, but things between them were good.
After being in his arms again, she’d appreciated his restraint.
She’d known more than once that he’d wanted to kiss her.
“I didn’t like those houses growing up either.” She stood and held her hand out. “How about we check in on your uncle Will and then see if Reba’s made any cookies today?”
“She did.” He grabbed her hand and started tugging her toward the site.
“Gramps and I already snuck in and stole two. Right off the cooling rack. She’s going to be fit to be tied when she sees them gone.
Gramps and I were laughing like loons as we snuck out onto the front porch.
We gobbled them up before coming back here to help. ”
She’d bet Reba knew exactly what they’d done, but still hearing about his bond with Gramps was downright sweet.
She knew Ben had fond memories of Grams giving him little treats, mostly because she’d been right beside him to enjoy them.
He’d lacked a male influence growing up in many ways, what with his father and grandfather actively working the ranch like they had.
She imagined that was why Ben was all the more determined to be there for Cooper, and she admired him for it.
“I promise I won’t tell. Now, let’s go see your uncle. ”
With an engaging grin, Will immediately held out his bruised hand when they reached him. “You’re a miracle worker, Hannah. I mean, I knew. But do you see this hand? I can make a fist today. Before your salve, it looked like I’d accidentally stuck my hand in a hornet’s nest.”
“It looks awful!” Cooper agreed with a wince.
She took it gently and examined the knuckles. They were purple and green, but the bruises were healing nicely. “Yes, the swelling’s almost gone. I’m glad you haven’t overdone it. Working with an injury prevents healing.”
He wiped sweat off his brow with his arm after taking his cowboy hat off. “I’m an old expert at not pushing an injury. I also hear you’ve started healing our ranch hands. Ben was smart to set up a healing place for you. Can’t imagine why I didn’t think of it?”
When he flashed his dimples, she studied his face. Had he been holding back to give Ben the space to step up? Likely. “You have lots going on.”