Chapter 37
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Ben didn’t hesitate to pick Hannah up in town when Jolene called.
Cooper was sleeping in his bed, like he had since Amber’s visit, with Will sitting next to him since Ben didn’t want him to be alone if he awoke, which had been all too common with his bad dreams.
Still, as he pulled into Jolene’s driveway, he wondered why she’d called him.
Luke could have run Hannah out to the ranch, seeing as how he had a license now.
As he exited the vehicle, he looked over as he heard a door open and slam.
Looking over his shoulder, he sighed as Hannah’s father walked across the lawn toward him.
Ben braced himself. Given the ugly pucker of the man’s mouth, he knew Dr. Montgomery planned to give him a piece of his mind.
“You proud of yourself for dragging my daughter into your mess?” he began without any pleasantries. “Do you want to get my only daughter killed? Don’t you know what that would do to her mother?”
Don’t lose your cool.
He’d had little sleep, and some of what the man said played around in his mind in the dark of night.
Hannah was in danger because of him, and even though he swore nothing would happen to her, he still feared nothing and no one could control Amber Kincaid.
“I’d move Wild Mountain herself to keep Hannah safe, and you know it. ”
He shoved his silver spectacles up his nose.
“That’s not good enough. As someone who’d treated Amber Kincaid all her life, I know things as a doctor that say otherwise.
I can’t speak more, given she’s a patient, but you’ve underestimated her this time, Ben.
I want you to tell my daughter to leave town. ”
That drew him up short. “I appreciate your concern,” he bit out, “and I share it. Thanks for coming out.”
“Wait! I’m not done with you yet.”
His harsh tone had been turning around. He eyed him tightly. “Say your piece, then.”
“James Taft showed up here to talk to my daughter—out on Jolene’s porch.”
Ben rocked back on his heels. “He what?”
“I couldn’t see her face, but she was upset, especially when he handed her an envelope. Stop tangling my daughter in your troubles.”
Oh hell…
He watched as Dr. Montgomery spun around and made tracks through his grass to his front door, slamming it with enough force to make the dog across the street start barking.
“Dammit,” he growled. What the hell else can go wrong? He strode quickly up the sidewalk.
Jolene opened the door before he could knock, jerking her chin to the house next door. “I’ll bet that wasn’t a fun conversation.”
“I’d rather tangle with a cougar.” He eased his cowboy hat off and glanced uneasily toward the living room. “Are all your Stitch & Bitch ladies gone?”
He’d heard tall tales about the so-called crafting night attended by many of the women business owners in town.
Hen-cackling laughter loud enough to raise the dead in the town’s graveyard, people said, and enough girly drinks to fuel an entire college student’s spring break.
And on some occasions, dancing on tables both in and outside, depending on the weather.
Logan had been called a couple of times to tell the gals to pipe down, which only amused the men in town and made their infamous reputation grow. Tonight, he wasn’t amused.
“I sent people home early after our visitor.”
“I heard,” he bit out. “Where’s Hannah?”
“In the kitchen.” Jolene shooed Dylan back up the stairs when he appeared. “My boys are fit to be tied, and frankly, so am I.”
He put his hands on his belt buckle. “Fill me in.”
“Taft arranged with the immigration folks to get her back into Scotland so she could stay. Forever if she wants.”
“What?” The urge to pound something was rising. “Terrific.”
Jolene tapped him on the chest. “She’s on his radar now. I don’t care if he used Amber’s threatening her as an excuse. Having him come to my home after arranging the impossible changes the landscape.”
He rubbed his unshaven jaw. “Look, it’s another tactic to keep Will’s plans at Wild Mountain from materializing.” And maybe to keep me from having her…
“I agree, but that’s not all.” She worried the turquoise beads at her neck. “Ben, he threatened her parents.”
All right, that shocked him. “How?”
“Nothing specific,” she said with a dark frown.
“But it shook Hannah. Taft’s more dangerous than Amber in some ways.
I know you two are giving it a second chance, but you need to let her seriously think about whether going back to Scotland is right for her.
I asked you to come and pick her up so I could tell you so to your face. ”
Now his anger had an outlet. “Dammit, Jolene! Don’t you think I know that?” Now I’ve got to worry about Taft fixating on her. “I love her. I couldn’t live with myself if she got hurt.”
Jolene made another shooing motion, this time to Ford. “Ben, I know all that. I don’t want to lose her either. But she needs to weigh her options. Going back to Scotland is a good path for her.”
His heart broke a little. “You like Neil for her.”
She swatted him like she would her boys. “Ben McAllister, I like the man Hannah wants for her, but yes, Neil’s a good man.”
God, how much more was he supposed to take today? First from Dr. Montgomery and now from Jolene. “Fine, I agree with everything you just said. Except Hannah couldn’t love him like she loves me.”
Jolene laid her hand on his shoulder. “We’re both straight shooters, Ben. Encourage her to think about going. I don’t think any of us would be able to forgive ourselves if something happened.”
“It’s not like you to talk scared, Jolene.”
Her eyes went flat. “I’m not, but I see enough trouble in my place to know when it’s smarter to walk away.”
When she’d only just come back to him? “Fine, I’ll talk, but I don’t like it.”
She pointed at the kitchen. “I’d only planned to give her two margaritas, but after Taft came, I ended up giving her two more. She’s overtired and a little tipsy. Probably a little scared, but she won’t show it.”
Then she left him standing in the entryway. As he started for the kitchen, he caught Dylan and Ford peering between the staircase rails, eavesdropping, worried expressions on their faces. He wished he could assure them.
Entering the Prentices’ homey apple-green kitchen, he barely glanced at the humorous signs on the walls that said The Messier The Kitchen, The More The Love and DANGER: BOYS EATING.
Hannah sat at Jolene’s chipped linoleum kitchen table.
Her ponytail was listing to the side, and she was holding her drowsy head up with her hand.
Oh, sweetheart...
Upon seeing him, her hand slipped, and for a second, he was worried about her head taking a dive before she righted herself. The light in her sleepy eyes brightened as did the smile playing across her beautiful face. “Uh-oh, somebody’s in trouble.”
He felt his lips twitch as he strolled over. “Hard to say which one of us, isn’t it?”
She grabbed him by the shirt and laid her head against his chest. “Hello, cowboy,” she lazily drawled.
God, to find her like this tonight, so easy and relaxed—so much like she used to be with him. The sight burned like salt in a wound. How was he supposed to step back and encourage her to go?
Gathering her to his chest, he held her close and pitched his voice lower, saying, “Hello, buttercup.”
She gave a delightful laugh. “You remembered!”
“Of course I do,” he managed hoarsely. “I could recite all the special nicknames you drew up for me to call you way back when.”
She pushed back and settled her hands on her thighs, looking serious. “Let’s see if you pass the test with flying colors. Go.”
He almost winced as he steadied her when she wove in the chair. “I’m supposed to call you sweet pea when you’re being especially cute. You little spitfire when you’re being fiery or fit to be tied. Rosie posey when you’re dithering or making us late. Sugarplum around the holidays—”
“And when I’m being especially sexy?” she asked with an adorable hiccup.
He muffled his laughter. “You’re my hot little mama.”
She clapped. “You get an A plus, Ben Montgomery. Now that’s a report card you won’t be scared to bring home, and I didn’t even have to tutor you.”
An ache knotted his throat, thinking about her being a teacher and him planning to give her the school she’d always wanted.
“How about you and I head back to the ranch?” he asked gently.
“I had too many margaritas,” she whispered, putting a finger to her lips. “Shh…bad example for the boys. Jolene made them go upstairs when they got home from a movie.”
“You could never be a bad example,” he told her, caressing her back.
“Maybe you’re right.” She yawned and gave a sleepy stretch. “That horrible billionaire even said he admired me. Can you believe it? He liked me being a healer and a tough girl. Of course, he was probably buttering me up to leave town after threatening my parents. Ben, he’s got devious plans.”
He stayed silent. Hannah was a smart cookie, even tipsy.
“Ben, I like feeling this way. I’ve been so worried and scared.”
Jolene had been wrong. Because she could always tell him everything. “You have cause.”
“Even Roman chamomile, lemon balm, and passionflower tea hasn’t helped like Jolene’s margaritas.”
Helping her to her feet, he kissed the top of her head and did his best to rearrange her ponytail. “You remember that if your head hurts in the morning, all right, sunshine?”
She grabbed his face and grinned. “I love it when you call me that, and you have, but I like it best when we wake up together. Ben, I think we’re destined for the hayloft.”
Her voice was so aggrieved, he almost laughed. “I was planning something a little more romantic, but let’s get you in the truck, shall we?”
“Not before I tell you what that James Taft did!” She grabbed up a manila envelope and thrust it under his nose.
“He got me back into Scotland. Can you believe that? An apology and the path to citizenship. He must really be powerful. Of course, Neil offered to help me stay too, but I couldn’t marry him. ”
Should have expected that. “Because you’re honest.”
Her head fell to his chest as she rubbed it against his shirt. “Never could love Neil like I did you, cowboy.”
She was tearing him apart here. “Yeah.”
Feeling her body go limp, he swung her into his arms and walked to the entryway. Jolene shot out of the chair she was sitting in next to the sofa in the living room.
“She out?”
“Like a little kid.” He wished he had a hand free to touch Jolene’s arm, but he settled for kissing her cheek. “Thanks again for calling me.”
“Don’t make me regret it.” She jerked her thumb toward the stairs. “As my boys know, my bark might be greater than my bite, but when the bite part kicks in, it ain’t pretty. Now, go on with you.”
He shot her a tight smile before carrying Hannah to the passenger side of the truck. Buckling her in, he closed the door softly and jumped a mile as he turned around.
Hannah’s mother was standing in a white cotton nightgown next to his truck, looking like a ghost.
“My Sarah’s gone,” she said softly in the quiet night. “Don’t let anyone take my Hannah away too.”
He cursed softly under his breath. “No one’s taking Hannah anywhere, Mrs. Montgomery. Now, let’s get you back in the house.”
Her feet were bare, he realized as he led her across the lawn. Under his hand, her thin arm seemed frail. She might be sicker than he’d thought. He didn’t have time to speculate more as Dr. Montgomery was answering his quiet knock and opening the door.
His face bloomed into outrage. “Martha! What have I told you about leaving the house?”
“But, Silas, Ben was carrying Hannah like something was wrong. Maybe you should check to make sure she’s not sick. Isn’t it wonderful she’s back? I missed her so much. Now, I’ll go turn her bed down and make her some hot chocolate.”
Ben’s mouth gaped before he snapped it shut. She was talking like Hannah was a little girl again. Dr. Montgomery drilled him with an accusatory look before taking his wife in hand and closing the door on him.
He stood there staring at the simple doorknocker, remembering all the times he’d come calling at this house. Even he’d felt the change when Sarah had died. The entire place seemed shadowed, even the bright blue door.
The shadows were back and trying to cover all that was good and beautiful and honest.
As he walked back to the truck and let himself inside, he moved a lock of hair off Hannah’s cheek. Her eyelashes fluttered, and she suddenly gazed at him with her whole heart in her eyes. “Ben, he threatened my parents. What am I going to do?”
Her tortured whisper made his throat ache, but before he could find an answer, she’d nodded off again. God help him. Would it be better for her to go in the long run?
“You proud of yourself for dragging my daughter into your mess? Do you want to get my only daughter killed?”
He wrestled with Dr. Montgomery’s words, chilled by the fact that he hadn’t truly been worried about his daughter’s life but the impact on his wife if something happened to her.
“Encourage her to think about going. I don’t think any of us would be able to forgive ourselves if something happened.”
And then there were Jolene’s words, imploring him to let her go…and into the arms of another man.
Neil. Except that wasn’t what Hannah wanted.
“Never could love Neil like I did you, cowboy.”
What in the hell could he actually do that would give anyone a win here? The whole mess was like one of Grams’ tangled-up balls of yarn.
He looked over at her sleeping soundly in her seat.
I love you, Hannah. But does loving you mean I need to let you go?
He might not have the answers, but one thing was clear. He had to find them.
Hannah’s life might depend on it.