Page 12 of Rancher's Healing

“Well, I knew you long before you were Jake’s ex-mother-in-law, so we’ll say it’s for old times’ sake.” I smiled, and she chuckled slightly.

“Let’s say that.” She nodded. “My son is on his way over. He’s going to take me, but thank you again.” Just then, the door opened, and two tearful girls walked out to where I stood. Opening my arms, they both rushed me, and I wrapped them in a hug.

“Say bye to your grandma, and I’ll get you home,” I said quietly after I’d kissed them both on the head. They turned and hugged Hattie’s mom, and we left, both girls silent. I wasn’t sure what to say to them.

Once we got home, they curled up on the couch. They wanted to wait until Jake got home, and I didn’t have the heart to send them to bed. Jake had texted that he was on his way, but he hadn’t called, which was fine since I had one girl on each side of me sleeping on my lap, a show on the tv turned down low.

The door creaked as it opened, and I looked over from where I was sitting. “Hi sunshine.” He smiled, but it was a tired smile, and I thought he looked like he’d aged ten years since I’d seen him last night.

Jake walked around the couch and looked at his daughters asleep, their heads each resting on one of my legs. I didn’t want to tell him that my rear end was asleep, and I was sure I’d be stuck in this position for the rest of my life. “They wanted to wait until you came home, and I didn’t think it would hurt anything.” I shrugged, and he leaned over and pressed his lips to mine.

“Thank you for dropping everything and getting them for me.” A smile finally cracked his face.

“What happened?” I asked quietly as Jake picked up Libby, and I followed him down the hall with Skyla. He kissed each of them goodnight, and we closed the doors to their rooms.

“Hattie and Jason had gone out for supper, and Jason had too much to drink. Instead of being smart and finding a place to stay, he got behind the wheel and they headed for home.” Jake leaned back and stretched before finishing the story. Taking his hand, I pulled him down the hallway and into the livingroom. I guided him to sit, and I curled up beside him.

“They got about four blocks from the restaurant. He was going way too fast and drove into oncoming traffic. Hit a semi that was stopped waiting for a light to change. Jason didn’t makeit. He bled out on scene, and Hattie will be touch and go.” Jake ran his hands through his hair and sighed before glancing at his watch.

“She’s probably out of surgery now. I should check my phone.” Jake checked his phone and breathed a sigh of relief when he read that Hattie had stabilized and all her vitals were good. “I don’t want the girls to lose their mom. We might not always get along these days, but it’s not fair for the girls to grow up without her.”

“I’m taking you to bed. To sleep, not to fool around.” Jake held his hand out and exhaustion covered his face. He stood and pulled me off the couch.

“Boy, I’m glad you clarified.” I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “I’m far too sleepy to do anything.” I wrapped my arm around his waist, and he put his arm over my shoulder. Turning the lights out as we went, the only sounds besides our footsteps came from the outdoors. A slight breeze had started at some point since I got here, and the leaves on the trees were rustling as we got ready for bed.

Cuddling up next to him, I waited for him to say more, but he didn’t. There would be time for discussions, treatment information, and prognosis. Right now, I just wanted him to know he wasn’t alone. “I meant what I said on the phone, Jake. I love you and I love the girls. From now on, it’s not interrupting me if you need me for anything, okay? I’m here for you, the three of you, always.”

“I’ve loved you for ten years, Tayla Miller, and I’ll love you for the rest of my life.” He kissed my head, and we drifted off to fitful sleep, keeping one ear open for the girls and his cell phone for updates.

CHAPTER TEN

JAKE

Full fall had hit Montana, the temperatures started to drop. There was frost on everything almost every morning, and life had found its new normal. We’d all attended Jason’s funeral and helped Hattie as much as we could, since she was wheelchair bound and likely would be for a while. She’d broken her back and was in pain much of the time, so her visits with the girls weren’t ever very long. Tayla and I would take them over and would stay close, so we’d be there when they were ready to leave.

It was so much harder than I’d even imagined. Hattie tried to put on a brave face for them, but she was dying inside from grief. Once, when Tayla had taken the girls to the truck and I was closing the door, she’d looked into my soul and wondered how long she’d be able to go on without Jason.

“You’ll do it for your girls, Hattie, because you’re a good mom and you love them. Focus on them and what you have, not on what you lost.”

Her mom had come out of the kitchen as she gripped my hand tightly before I left. “Thanks Jake, I don’t deserve this after everything.”She had support in place and I believed she’d get well again. But now it was time to focus on my future.

Battery operated candles flickered all along the walkway up to the door. I watched Tayla walk up the sidewalk with a questioning look on her face. She didn’t knock, just opened the door and saw more candles along the hallway. “Jake, Lib, Sky, are you here?” She called. I motioned for the girls to take their places.

“Tayla, welcome to Chez Gordon. For your dining pleasure tonight, we’ve curated a menu that we hope is to your liking.” Libby remembered everything she was supposed to say. Skyla moved behind her and tugged at Tayla’s coat. I couldn’t help but smile when Tayla pretended to let her take it off.

“Please follow us,” Skyla said as she walked beside Libby. This was it. Now or never, she’d say yes or no. I pulled out her chair and motioned for her to sit. Our plates were already served and the girls and I took our places. This wasn’t originally my plan, but when I’d talked to the girls, they had wanted to be involved. They sat between us, and this was how it should be.

“This is amazing. You guys have been busy.” Tayla smiled at the girls before she looked at me.

Chatter flowed easily, but I couldn’t hide how nervous I was. If Tayla realized it, she didn’t mention anything. The girls cleared the table and sat back down. “Tayla, you came back into my life in just about the most unexpected way. You also quietly worked your way into my heart and took my daughters under your wing like they’d been a part of your life forever.” I looked at my girls who were about ready to ruin the not so surprise, surprise.

Moving my chair, I stood and walked over to kneel beside Tayla as the girls came to stand behind me. “Tayla Miller, when you pictured how your proposal would go, I don’t think you imagined two daughters being included, but this is who I am. I’m a dad who is completely in love with you. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Tears streamed down her face, and she looked up at the girls before she looked back at me. “Yes, I’ll marry you.” I slipped the ring on her finger, and she didn’t even look at it, just leaned in and kissed me. The girls wrapped their arms around us both, bouncing on their feet and squealing.

When we got things settled down, the desert was set at our places. “So you’ll be our step-mom?” Skyla asked.

“Yep, sweets, I will.” Tayla grinned at her, but there was something bothering Skyla.

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