Page 50 of Marrying Emma

Emma smiled then looked at Chrissy. “How do you guys stop staring at him? He’s so sweet.”

“When I figure it out, I’ll let you know.” Chrissy looked blissfully happy and tired at the same time. “We talked to the doctor an hour ago. We get to go home in the morning.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful. You’ll all get more rest there than you are getting here.” The noise level of a hospital always amazed Emma. She forced herself to quit watching her nephew and moved to hand food out.

Wyatt, who had been on the phone, ended the call and accepted his burger gratefully. “You are a lifesaver, Emma. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Mom is bringing something else by for dinner so you guys don’t have to scrounge around for hospital food.”

“That’s great.” Chrissy took a bite of her burger and let out a groan. “This is exactly what I needed. Especially after a crazy morning.”

Now that she said that, Emma could tell Wyatt was worried about something. “What’s going on?”

Wyatt wiped his mouth with a napkin he retrieved from one of the bags. “Our coordinator at the stables had a family emergency. Apparently, her mother fell and broke her hip, which is horrible. But it means Susan is flying to Florida to help her out for the foreseeable future.”

Emma had met Susan a handful of times. The woman coordinated therapies, groups who stopped by for classes, and everything else going on at the stables. Emma cringed. “Yikes. Talk about bad timing.” She popped a fry in her mouth. She knew Wyatt couldn’t take the whole week off to be with Chrissy and the baby, but he’d hoped to make them short days. Now, with Susan gone, that likely wasn’t going to be happening. “What can I do?”

Chrissy and Wyatt exchanged a look that made Emma wonder if she’d stepped right into a trap. Chrissy cleared her throat. “Well, we’re going to need to hire someone to replace Susan. Preferably someone who is organized, loves the stables like we do, and might be willing to help out with some of the therapy sessions and the horses…”

It was the same job they’d offered her back when they first opened the place. But Emma had been nervous about working for them, plus had just started her job at the gym. She hadn’t wanted to bail on Caleb like that.

Now…the job held a lot of appeal. Emma loved the idea of helping with sessions, interacting with the horses, and making a difference in people’s lives. Plus, it would be a lot more exciting than sitting behind a desk all day.

Her hesitation must have given the couple hope because they exchanged smiles.

Emma held up a finger. “I’m not saying yes. Or no. But I would like to hear all the details.”

As she listened to Wyatt, the only downside she saw to taking the job was no longer seeing Marty on a daily basis. But once he realized she was right about their relationship, it might be awkward working together, anyway.

She’d have to talk to Caleb. She didn’t want to quit without notice. Maybe she could work part time at both locations until he found her replacement.

Different scenarios rushed through her head. That’s when she realized they were both still watching her. No pressure, right?

“I’d love to work with you guys.”

Chrissy clapped her hands together then cringed when the baby stirred. “Oh, I’m so excited!”

“I’m going to need to talk to Caleb. See what I can work out with him. I’ll do that this afternoon. I’ll call and let you know what he says.”

“That’s great.” Wyatt crumpled a wrapper and tossed it into the small trash can on the other side of the room. “You’re seriously perfect for the job.”

They talked about the stables while Emma ate the rest of her lunch and then moved to clean up. Even though Zachary was still sleeping, she tried to soak up what she could by watching him before leaving Chrissy and Wyatt to rest a little before the next feeding.

The more she considered the job at Joyful Hope, the more she liked the idea. Maybe shaking her life up a little wasn’t a bad thing. In the quiet of her car, she prayed, “Is this Your way of helping me sort things out?”

Of course there was no answer. She hadn’t really expected one. But the peace she felt about the job assured her that she’d made the right decision.

Too bad she couldn’t be as certain about her future with Marty.

18

Considering how little sleep Marty got last night, he was a lot more alert Monday morning than he expected when he pulled up in front of the gym. There was no sign of Emma or Mrs. Laughlin’s car. He wasn’t surprised, just like it was no shock when Caleb let him know Emma had called in to say she needed a couple days off from work and wouldn’t be able to make it to class.

It wasn’t the same without Emma’s smiling face in the morning, but Marty was glad she was getting some rest and probably would have the chance to visit baby Zachary again today.

His mind went back to the wee hours of the morning when he got to see the new baby and witness firsthand the joy and pride on Emma’s face as she held him. He’d hoped to talk to her about the way he felt, which is why he’d asked to come over to her house in the first place. What he hadn’t anticipated was telling her that he loved her in the parking lot in front of a hospital.

In a perfect situation, she’d have professed her love in return. Instead, she’d erected the walls he thought she’d brought down. How could he make her understand how much he loved her? How her medical debt didn’t matter to him? Then again, that was probably part of the problem. The fact that he could handle her debt, no matter how much it was, made her feel like a charity case. But what was he supposed to do? It’s not like he could go back in time and erase it. And he sure wasn’t going to sit back and watch her toil to pay it off if they were together. Where did that leave them?

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