Page 53 of Torch Songs

He had no idea how long he’d been like that when April sank to the other side of him on the bench of chairs, smelling faintly of sandwiches, and he felt her small hand in his and then her head on his shoulder.

That’s where they were, three people who had been strangers until the day before, clinging to each other like a pile of kittens, when a nurse came to address them from the corridor.

“Livvy, honey, your dad’s asleep, but you can go sit with him while he comes to. Aaron’s company is gone, and the doctor’s withhimnow, so maybe wait half an hour or so. Mr. Woodson?”

“Yes’m,” Guthrie mumbled, trying to clear the grit from his eyes.

“Mr. Hawkins is in a recovery room. He’s asking for both you and Miss Hawkins, but the room is a little crowded….” She trailed off delicately.

He turned to April, understanding. “Go talk to him, honey,” he ordered softly.

“But Guthrie,” she said, her voice shaking. “You did so much—”

He gave her a kiss on her crown, protective of her as he wasn’t of the other women in his life. Roberta was awkward, but she was strong. She had to be to work as a musician; her skin was thick and her work ethic was stunning and she just…moved mountainsto be where she needed. All the family from Seth and Kelly’s life were strong. Hell, Guthrie had shown up here and run into Maureen and Olivia, who were very different, but damn, could those women move their own damned mountains.

April couldn’t. April needed a champion, someone who could move mountains for her. Her brother was out of commission for the moment, so that meant it was Guthrie’s turn to step up.

And that meant giving up being the first one Tad saw when he woke up.

“Sweetheart,” he said gruffly, “I’m going to have to take you home tomorrow, and it’s going to suck bad enough. You go spend as much time as you can with him, okay?”

“Okay,” she whispered, then looked up at the nurse. “Can Guthrie go in when I’m done?”

“Sure, hon, but if he’s asleep, you need to let him rest.”

“’Course,” she muttered. “But Guthrie gets some time. It’s only right. Oh!” She turned to the small table next to the bench of chairs. “Guthrie, here’s your sandwich!” And with that she thrust a sub—hopefully Italian something or other—into his hands, the paper crinkling slightly.

“You two are good for each other,” the nurse said softly. “That’s important in in-laws, right?”

Was this what having an in-law was like? The thought tickled Guthrie as much as it scared him, but he didn’t say either of those things to April as she stood and followed the nurse to Tad’s room in recovery. Olivia was still struggling to stand up when Guthrie stood to give her a hand.

“Thanks,” she muttered grudgingly. “God, I swear, when I’m not forever pregnant, I’m… well, a little less klutzy.”

“I believe you. Where you headed?”

“To the cafeteria,” she said, sounding determined. “That smells wonderful.”

He winked. “Sit back down, darlin’, and I’ll share it with you.” He had no intention of eating any of it. Olivia sat down, probably more because she was tired than for any other reason, and he unwrapped the thing and gave her half, watching as she attacked it with a ferocity he personally only reserved for a nice rare steak.

She finished the first half, and he handed her the second. She was halfway done before it occurred to her that this wasn’t “sharing.”

“Aw, man—Guthrie, I just ate your lunch!”

He glanced both ways down the hall, like he was telling a really big secret. “I’ve got news for you….”

She took another bite and grinned as she swallowed. “You, uh, didn’t really want the sandwich?”

“Nope,” he told her. His eyes tracked to the room where April had been led, and he tried to tamp down on his yearning to see Tad. Stupid cop. Seriously, one month of hope and this guy gets shot and falls off a cliff? Guthrie sure could pick ’em. If Tad Hawkins hadn’t been the single most decent, kindest, funniest guy who’d ever set out to woo Guthrie with a stealth campaign of texts and phone calls, he would have been out of there so fast….

He’d have a permanent dent in this blessedly uncomfortable seat.

God, the thought of leaving the guy now? In any form? Ripped Guthrie’s heart right out of his chest.

“You’ll see him soon,” Olivia soothed, like she could see right through him.

“Man, what am I supposed to say?” he asked. “Hey, missed that third date?”

She snorted. “Maybe ask him how the weather is in the bottom of the canyon. Larx likes to have students record temperature fluctuations depending on topography. He’d be fascinated.”

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