Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
She was making a Hurt Buster roller for Cooper—a simple blend of olive oil and a couple of drops of lavender essential oil—when someone knocked on the door.
Heading to the front, she blinked in surprise at the person standing there. “Ben, what are you doing here? Is Cooper okay?”
He cupped her cheek tenderly, his handsome face grooved from sorrow but somehow filled with peace. “Thank you for what you did with Cooper. For understanding. For being you. I have a mind to hug you. Would that be all right?”
She didn’t hesitate. Stepping closer, she wound her arms around the strong, solid warmth of his body. The fit was still perfect, and her heart gave a quiet sigh. She felt like she was coming home. “I’m so sorry. Ben, it must have been awful for you.”
His hands cradled her to his chest gently, as if she were the most precious piece of china. “It was, but there have been some surprising silver linings.”
“I’m glad.” She rubbed his tense shoulders before drawing back to caress his jaw. “I feel awful about what my return has stirred up.”
“So you’re feeling bad too, huh?” He chucked her under the chin.
“Please don’t. None of this is your fault.
Although I’m not one to talk. Grams told me to stop punishing myself.
In fact, can you craft a tea for me? Something that doesn’t taste like bathwater?
Because I’ll drink it by the bucketful. I don’t want to walk around feeling like this anymore, carrying around all this blame and guilt. ”
A light seemed to shine in her chest. She felt so aglow inside. He’d always tried to be so tough, but in the face of such hurt, maintaining that veneer was costly. “I can make you a tea. I was actually preparing something for Cooper to ease the hurt and calm him down when he’s upset.”
A breathtaking smile broke out across his handsome face. “Well, aren’t we lucky to have someone like you helping us. Thank you.”
His gratitude was evident in his deep voice, and it made her feel special and grateful that he was accepting of her gifts. “You’re welcome. Is there anything else I can do?”
“Yes, in fact. I wanted to do something special for him. He loves a good cookout with roasting marshmallows, and he asked me to invite you to join us. If you want to, that is…”
Her heart was as open as it ever was, because of Cooper, yes, but also because of the beautiful man standing in front of her, smiling with a new tenderness. “Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Absolutely,” he replied without hesitation.
Her heart gave a leap. She could feel that tie between them growing stronger again. Here they were, helping each other and talking about helping his son. “Perfect. I’ll meet you shortly. Are you going to be at the usual cookout site? Where we used to roast marshmallows and gaze up at the sky?”
My, how good those memories were, her hand tangled in his while they cuddled close as the fire sparked and they hoped for shooting stars.
“The very same.” He took her shoulders in his hands, and as he rubbed them, she could feel the aching tenderness in his touch.
“Hannah Montgomery, you are one special woman. Thank you…for understanding and for being so good to my boy. And me. It’s probably more than I deserve after how I treated you, but I promise I won’t make you regret it. ”
As she watched him walk back to the main house to retrieve Cooper, she realized she actually believed him.