Chapter 20 Hailey
HAILEY
Hailey awoke the next day to the sound of voices drifting up from below.
Her eyes flew open and everything came back to her at once. She was in the guest room at Ransom’s house and those voices were probably Travis and Mae.
Smiling, she sat up and stretched a little. The guest room had only one small window, and the view was all pale gray and blinding white.
Her memory took her back to last night and she was amazed all over again.
Did I really make friends with a dog and walk through a snowstorm with her?
She found she was eager not just to see the kids and Ransom, but also to check on Henrietta and her babies.
I guess people do change sometimes, she thought to herself as she slipped out of bed and headed to the bathroom.
Waiting for her on the counter were all her clothes from last night, clean, dry, and folded neatly, along with a brand-new toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste.
She smiled at the sight. More proof that people could change.
The old Ransom would never have been so attentive to the details of making her comfortable.
Well, he was a high school student, not a grown man, she reminded herself. And I was hardly perfect either.
But now that she was home, now that Ransom was settled, now that she seemed to be working on her fear of the dogs he spent his days training… Was there a chance for them?
If she was being honest with herself, she had to admit that this dream had been in her heart from the moment he’d appeared before her in that snowy field the first night she’d been back in Trinity Falls and his eyes captured hers.
She brushed her teeth, showered, and dressed quickly, then headed downstairs, her heart fluttering with anticipation.
The small second floor of the A-frame had a balcony overlooking the open family room and dining area below. She could see three German shepherds sleeping under the Christmas tree, along with a black and white sort of collie-type dog.
And Henrietta was cuddled up near the hearth in what looked like a plastic kiddie pool with a comforter in it, soaking up the warmth of the fire with her babies.
But Ransom and the kids were nowhere in sight, which meant they must be in the kitchen, which was also open, but underneath where she was currently standing.
Sure enough, when she got down the steps she could hear the radio in the kitchen and smell something absolutely delicious cooking.
She stopped by the fireplace first though, to check on her friend.
“Good morning, Henrietta,” she whispered, crouching to pat the mama dog, whose tail whacked the blanket in a return greeting. “I hope you slept well.”
“Hey there,” a deep voice said from behind her, reverberating through her chest and making her stomach do a little flip-flop.
She could hear the smile in Ransom’s voice, and she was already smiling herself when she turned to face him.
“Good morning,” she told him softly. “I just wanted to say hi before I came out to the kitchen.”
His dark eyes slid from her to the dog and back again, and his face was filled with warmth.
“I like her new bed,” she added, indicating the plastic pool.
“Well, we can’t have the puppies crawling away,” he said with a smile. “I actually built a special wooden whelping bed for them, but it’s out in the barn. We still had the kiddie pool in the basement from when the cousins used to visit in the summer when Willow and I were kids.”
“Good thinking,” Hailey said. “She seems really content in there.”
“Well, take your time with her,” he told her. “We’re making bacon and eggs and there are biscuits in the oven.”
“Oh, wow,” she sighed happily.
“It’s a cold day and there isn’t much else to do,” he told her. “I figured the kids would enjoy cooking.”
“Those are Anna, Elsa, and Olaf, right?” she said, pointing to the dogs stretched out around the Christmas tree. “And who’s that?”
“That’s Shadow,” he said with a smile. “She’s new here. Helena Fox down at the shelter called me about her. She’s very smart, but it turns out she’s not really disciplined enough to be a guide dog. I’ll find her an important job though.”
“You’re kind of like a casting director,” Hailey realized. “But for dogs.”
“Kind of,” he said with a chuckle. “I guess the most important job is figuring out what a dog will be good at, and then refining their training to help with it. My three are all too lazy to be guide dogs or work for the police, but they’re great at helping me train new pups on basic obedience.
And Shadow is a little too playful for formal work, but I’m thinking about whether she might be able to do comfort work, or maybe something else.
She’s super quick to pick up new things. ”
“Henrietta is really smart too,” Hailey said, turning back to the mama dog. “I’d swear that she understood everything I said to her last night.”
“I’d believe it,” Ransom said. “She was smart enough to open the latches on the gate and your barn too.”
“You little rascal,” Hailey said fondly to the sleepy animal.
“Don’t worry,” Ransom said. “I’m investing in new latches.”
“I guess it wouldn’t be so bad if Henrietta came to pay a visit now and then,” Hailey offered with a smile.
“That’s fine,” Ransom said, a note of surprise in his voice. “Call me anytime you want a canine guest. But she’s not allowed to invite herself anymore.”
Hailey laughed and looked up at Ransom again.
He was so handsome with his dark hair falling over his forehead and a twinkle of humor in his brown eyes.
She felt like a schoolgirl again, completely besotted, her heart throbbing as she lost herself in his gaze.
Suddenly, it was like a veil fell over his face and all the humor and warmth were gone. He frowned and straightened up.
“Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes,” he said gruffly as he headed back toward the kitchen.
Hailey stayed put for a moment, trying to figure out what she had done wrong.
“Hailey, Hailey, you’re awake,” Mae yelled as she ran into the living room. “It’s Christmas Eve and we’re making breakfast, come on.”
In all the commotion, Hailey had completely forgotten what day it was.
“Good morning, Mae,” she said, hopping up. “I can’t wait to see what you made. It smells delicious.”
Mae grabbed her hand and led her to the kitchen. Shadow jumped up and trailed along with them.
“Shadow wants to cook too,” Mae laughed.
Travis stood on a footstool by the sink, carefully washing dishes.
“Wow, Travis,” Hailey said. “You can do anything.”
“I like helping,” he said modestly. But his smile told her how pleased he was at the compliment.
“What can I do?” Hailey asked Ransom without meeting his eyes. She didn’t want to offend him again.
“The biscuits will be ready to come out in a few minutes, and we’re holding the bacon warm,” he said. “I’ve got the eggs ready to scramble as soon as the biscuits are out and cooling. Why not grab a cup of coffee and relax?”
“I could get used to this,” Hailey told Mae with a smile.
“My daddy likes to cook,” Mae said, her face dead serious. “He says it makes the house feel like home.”
“He’s right,” Hailey said, her heart squeezing a little. “It sure does.”
She poured herself a mug of coffee and fixed it up before heading over to the center island to sit and keep everyone company.
Ransom was on the other side at the stove, right across from her, but his eyes didn’t meet hers for even a second.
“After this, I guess I should see if the power is back on at my place,” she said, wishing she didn’t have to go. But it wasn’t right to impose on Ransom’s family, especially when he was being a little distant.
“No,” Ransom said firmly. “It’s not safe out there.”
“I made it over here last night,” she pointed out.
“You got lucky,” he told her. “You can’t see what’s under the snow, and we have plenty of space here.”
“Still, if the power’s on—” she began.
“It isn’t,” he told her. “We can see both houses from Mae’s room upstairs and there are no lights on. You must have lost the line at the street.”
“Fine,” she said. “I guess I can stay a little longer.”
“I’ll dig out the driveway today,” he told her. “Then you can go when the power is back on.”
She nodded and took a sip of her coffee. It was still super-hot, but she needed something to distract herself from Ransom. He was being so protective and so cold at the same time, it was giving her whiplash.
The timer for the oven dinged, and Ransom bent to open it just as his phone started ringing. It was good to know that the cell service was up and running again, even if she didn’t really have anyone she wanted to call.
“Go ahead and get it,” Hailey told him, hopping up. “I’ll deal with breakfast.”
She could tell he was going to argue, but when he glanced at the phone screen he frowned.
“Yeah, okay,” he said, swiping the screen and lifting the phone to his ear as he headed out of the kitchen. “Wolf? What’s up?”
Shadow trotted after him and Hailey smiled at the dog’s desire to keep busy. Ransom might have called her playful, but mostly she seemed content as long as she was able to stay close to the action.
“Here we go,” she said to herself, grabbing an oven mitt and pulling the biscuits out. “Oh, wow. They look really good.”
“That’s Grandma’s recipe,” Mae said. “They’re the best.”
“They sure are,” Hailey agreed with a smile, remembering the Saturday mornings in high school when she used to stop by the farmhouse to visit.
Ransom’s mom would place a plate in front of her with a steaming hot biscuit, a generous helping of butter melting on top along with a smear of strawberry jam or apple butter.
“Do you know where the butter is? And any other toppings you like?”
“I’ll get them,” Mae said importantly, heading for the refrigerator.
Hailey turned her attention to the eggs. Ransom already had a pan with a pat of butter waiting, so she turned on a burner, melted the butter, and poured the eggs in.
“I think I have a job for Shadow,” Ransom said as he came back into the kitchen.
He looked delighted and Shadow wagged her tail at the mention of her name.
“What kind of job?” Travis asked, climbing down from his stool.
“She’s going to learn how to help a little girl who has seizures,” Ransom said. “Won’t that be great?”
The expression on his face was so filled with wonder and happiness that it almost hurt to look at him.
Here he was with a lovely home, his beautiful children, and a job that allowed him to help people. Of course he was happy. He didn’t need Hailey or anyone else around to be fulfilled.
I would only make his life more complicated, she realized sadly.
“Hailey, the eggs,” Mae said suddenly.
They were steaming and she had clearly just made a giant, round, overcooked egg mass.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, feeling awful for getting so distracted that she had ruined breakfast. Even the kids had done their tasks perfectly.
I’m the only thing in this house that doesn’t belong, she thought to herself.
“That’s not a problem,” Ransom said right away. “We’ll just make an omelet.”
He took over from her, flipping the eggs and then grabbing shredded cheese from the refrigerator.
As she watched, feeling defeated, Travis came over and grabbed her hand.
“It’s okay, Hailey,” Travis told her softly. “Everyone makes mistakes.”
“Thank you,” Hailey said, moved.
“Do you want to play games with me after breakfast?” Mae asked, darting over to join them.
Hailey glanced up at Ransom for some sign of approval. Obviously, she would love to play games with Mae after breakfast. But if Ransom didn’t want her here, then maybe it was better to try to get back to the house after all, or at least go back upstairs and stay out of the way.
His expression softened and he nodded to her.
“Yes,” she told Mae, feeling grateful. “I’d love to play games with you after breakfast.”