Landon noticed a cut under Connor’s left eye that would need attention at the ER.
“I think so.” Landon didn’t tell him that he’d probably found them with very little time left to spare for Michael.
Jeremy sobbed as he shook violently.
The boys had learned a tough lesson about mountain life, and it was one they weren’t apt to forget any time soon.
The dogs were in the yard when Molly returned home to the barn she’d shared with her husband, Lincoln, for close to forty years now. It never failed to stir her to see their home lit up at night and to think about how the place had looked the first time they saw it. Linc had bought a wreck, sight unseen, and they’d created a home where they’d raised ten children. And now, as their children settled into marriages and long-term relationships, their family continued to grow.
“There you are,” Linc said when he met her at the door. “I was just starting to wonder if you’d forgotten the way home.”
“Never.” She kissed him and let him help her out of her coat. “We’re going to need to towel off those pups. They were rolling in the mud.”
“They do love them some mud season.”
“Indeed.”
He grabbed the old towels they used for the dogs and handed one to her. “Ready?”
“Let’s do it.”
He let in George and Ringo, both of them female yellow Labs named for members of Lincoln’s favorite band. They were the third George and Ringo they’d had, along with three Johns and four Pauls over the years, each of them beloved members of the family.
Molly dried Ringo while Linc wrestled with George. Both dogs thought they were playing, which made for a challenging and funny few minutes.
“Why do they always think that’s a game?” Linc asked after the dogs had run in to warm up by the hearth in the family room.
“Every one of them is the same that way.”
“How was your visit with Amanda? Is she any better?”
“Physically, she seems to be getting around much better, but emotionally, she’s dealing with a lot after the fire.”
“Which is completely understandable.”
“Yes. Any word from the boys?”
“Nothing yet.”
“I sure hope they find those kids.”
“They will. They always do.” He put his arm around her and guided her to the sofa in the family room, where they spent most of their time.
“What’s Max up to?”
“Not sure. He went up to give Caden a bath and put him to bed. Haven’t seen him since.”
“Is he bummed about missing out on a search party?”
“I don’t think so. He didn’t want to leave Caden when he was fussy and teething. That boy has got his priorities straight.”
“Yes, he does,” Molly said. “I’m worried about Landon in this situation with Amanda. She’s dealing with an awful lot in addition to the fire, and I just hope he’s not going to end up disappointed.”
“Your dad and I were talking about that today. Amanda is a lovely woman and very good at her job.”
“But?”
“I was telling Elmer she’s been here awhile now, but I don’t feel like we know her much better than we did when she first arrived.”
“I suspect that’s about to change.”
“Is that right?”
“Uh-huh.” She’d seen a side of Amanda tonight that gave her all-new perspective on the woman who had Landon’s head turned all around.
“So you feel like it’s going to be okay between the two of them?” Linc asked.
“I’m not completely sure yet, but we should know fairly soon if they’re going to make a go of it.”
“I sure hope they are. I’ve never seen him this way over a woman.”
“He was once. Remember Naomi?”
“The girl who died when they were in high school?”
“Yes.”
“I knew he was terribly upset about that.”
“We all were. But Landon was devastated. I think he had real feelings for her that he was only beginning to understand when he lost her.”
“Huh, I don’t remember that.”
She patted his leg. “That’s okay. I was on it, and I got him through it. Took some time, though, and if I had to guess, she’s the reason he’s never given his heart to anyone else. He discovered a long time ago that love can be so very painful.”
“Why can’t I remember this?”
“We had a lot going on in those days. I’m sure there’re things I don’t remember.”
“I doubt that. You’re always one step ahead of me. Been like that from the beginning.”
“I have to keep you guessing, or you might lose interest.”
His low chuckle made her smile. “No chance of that, as you well know. In fact, why don’t we turn in early tonight? I’m feeling particularly tired tonight.”
Tired had been their code word for meet me in bed when they’d still had a barn full of kids. “I’m rather exhausted myself tonight.”
Linc shut off the television, banked the fire and closed the glass doors to the fireplace. Then he held out his arm to her.
Molly tucked her hand into his arm and followed him to bed while saying a silent prayer for her sons who were battling the elements looking for the missing kids, and a special request for wisdom for Landon as he navigated the situation with Amanda. Molly liked her for him and thought they’d make a wonderful couple.
But the two of them were a long way from happily ever after.
As he rocked his baby son, Max Abbott heard his parents come up the stairs, go into their room and shut the door. He didn’t want to think about why they might be going to bed so early. With the wind howling and the rain beating against the windows, he thought of his brothers out in the storm looking for the missing kids and wished he was with them.
He loved his son more than he’d ever loved anything, but sometimes he missed his old life. In the seven months since Caden had arrived, everything about his existence had changed to accommodate his son. That was how it should be, but still… At times like this, with a long, boring evening stretched out before him, he yearned for what used to be.
Thank God for his parents, a thought he had at least once every day. But even having them by his side through this first year with his son couldn’t fill the gaping loneliness he felt at times like this. Everyone else was out living their lives, and he was at home with a baby son who was his sole responsibility.
Sometimes he even missed Chloe, Caden’s mother, who’d disappointed him so profoundly. He’d heard from a college friend that Chloe was still in Burlington and dating someone new. Good for her. Did she ever wonder about him or their son or how the baby was doing or how he was handling being a single parent?
Probably not. He’d worried about her after the night of Hunter’s wedding last Christmas when she’d come to the house and signed the papers his cousin Grayson had drawn up, surrendering her rights to Caden. Max had been concerned about postpartum depression and whether there was more he could’ve done to support her. But after checking in with numerous mutual friends who’d reported that she didn’t seem depressed at all, he’d let it go. Clearly, she’d moved on with her life, and he needed to do the same.