Chapter Five
Ella
Sitting on the side of Maisie’s bed, I watch her chest rise and fall with each breath while she sleeps. The steady rhythm does wonders to ease the anxiety that’s been running rampant since she went missing.
We had a long talk about not wandering off by herself. I can only hope that I got through to her because she appears to be completely unfazed by the experience. She has been talking nonstop about her Prince Hero Tanner, though.
I’m beginning to worry about her obsession with the man who rescued her. But I don’t know that I have much room to talk when it comes to obsessive thoughts about the tall, bearded, broad-shouldered, tattooed man.
Seeing Maisie safe in Tanner’s bulging arms had my ovaries exploding on sight, certainly eclipsing all the worry I’d been engulfed in and warring with the relief.
Her little body, swamped in the dark blue flannel shirt he had been wearing earlier, had my heart racing with the obvious care he was taking with her.
He had been oh so gentle with my baby girl.
Kowtowing to whatever demands she had, with his lips tipping up in one corner.
He continued to hold her while his teammate Alana, who is also a paramedic apparently, checked her over.
After giving Maisie a clean bill of health, save for the scrapes on her feet Tanner had already cleaned, she and the rest of the first responders who were still here left.
Tanner, on the other hand, stayed long after everyone else cleared out.
No matter how much I tried to convince her that he needed to go, Maisie clung to him, insisting she show him around our new home.
I kept expecting him to extricate himself from the situation, but he patiently followed my daughter, asking her questions and showering her with attention.
Far more attention than her own father even attempts to give her. Hell, the most I’ve heard from that damn man today is a text saying I’m sure she’ll turn up after my frantic voicemail she was missing. His response when I texted she was located was a told you so.
Finally, by late afternoon, her eyes began to get droopy, and she fell asleep sitting in his lap as he read her favorite story about, what else, a prince saving the princess. Then he carried her to bed, just as he carried her all the way home to me after finding her.
Now he’s watching as I tuck her in. When I glance at him, the look on his face almost seems wistful, but before I can comment, he spins and leaves the room as if his boots are on fire.
I hurry after him, afraid he’ll leave without me getting to thank him.
Not that I haven’t multiple times already, but the gratitude I have for what he’s done today has me saying the words repeatedly.
They are woefully inadequate for the magnitude of what he did, but there’s nothing I can do to convey how much I appreciate it.
To say he went above and beyond is an understatement.
He’s already at the front door when I enter the living room. “You weren’t going to leave without saying goodbye, were you?” I ask.
His head drops forward as he pauses with one hand on the doorknob and the other braced on the doorframe.
I rush forward babbling, “I know you’ve been here all day and certainly have gone beyond what your job requires.
I’m sure you’re in a hurry to get back to your life, but I can’t let you leave without telling you how grateful I am for all that you’ve done for us today.
” My voice cracks. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t found her…
” I sniff as I trail off, thoughts of losing my baby still too fresh in my mind.
My arms wrap around my waist in a pitiful attempt to hold myself together.
He turns with a sigh, his face pinched. “Aww, hell. Don’t cry, sweetheart. It all turned out okay. Maisie’s none the worse for the wear. Hopefully, she learned her lesson.”
I bite down on my quivering bottom lip before swallowing the sob threatening. I give a sharp shake of my head. “But I can’t keep from thinking about how much worse it could’ve been.”
His big hand rises to cradle my jaw, thumb brushing across the apple of my cheek, swiping away the tear I couldn’t hold back.
The heat from it sparks throughout my body, warming me.
I can’t help but lean into the contact, needing the comfort he’s offering more than I realized.
Even though I was surrounded by people today, they were all strangers.
Being in a new place, there’s no one here I know to count on when things get difficult.
Then again, there weren’t many I would’ve been able to rely on where we came from. Mike turned everyone against me.
“We can’t dwell on the could’ve beens. It only serves to drag us into the depths of despair, and I promise you it’s a fucking hard place to pull yourself out of once your mind traps you there. You got your girl back. She’s going to be fine. That’s what you focus on.”
Tanner’s voice is rough, and there’s a flash of pain in his hazel eyes, telling me he’s speaking from experience.
It makes me want to know what could’ve beens are still causing him to hurt.
It makes my heart ache for the man who has shown us nothing but kindness when we were in desperate need of it.
His hand drops, stealing the heat and leaving me bereft of comfort. His hands clench into fists at his side and his lips press together before he reaches into his back pocket, producing a black leather wallet. He pulls a card from it, holding it out pinched between his forefinger and middle finger.
“Here’s my number. Call me if there’s anything you need.”
“Thank you for everything,” I reply, taking the stiff square of cardstock. My thumb runs over the indented lettering with Tanner’s name, number, and Coyote Creek Search and Rescue stacked on top of each other.
Tanner watches me for a moment longer before dipping his chin. “Glad I could help.”
Then he slips out the door, closing it softly behind him. The silence I’m surrounded by is deafening. Before it gets overwhelming, I spin, hustling back to Maisie’s room to check on her, needing the reassurance that she’s safe and sound where she should be.