“Are you sure you aren’t hungry?” Abby finished filling a platter with fried chicken and brought it to the table. “I made this because I thought it was your favorite.”
The twins watched her somberly from their places at the table as she placed a chicken leg on each of their plates, followed by a scoop of homemade mashed potatoes.
“And these are the mixed veggies that you like,” Abby continued. “Aren’t they pretty and bright?”
“Everything looks wonderful,” Betty said loyally as she dished up her own plate. “We’re all so lucky to have a good hot meal like this when there are so many folks who don’t.”
Abby took her place at the table and bowed her head. “Can we all say grace?”
The girls half-heartedly joined in, but then listlessly pushed their food around their plates. By the time Abby and Betty finished, they still hadn’t eaten a bite.
“Hmm... Sophie, can you tell me about the best part of school today? Except lunch and recess.”
“A girl threw up on the teacher,” she said after a long pause. “And Mrs. Kelley had to go home ’cause her dress was yucky. So the principal came and read us stories.”
Poor Mrs. Kelley. Not only dealing with influenza going through the class, but now a stomach virus, as well.
“So aside from that,” Abby said dryly. “How about you, Bella? What was the best part of your day?”
Bella smeared her mashed potatoes across her plate. “Dunno.”
Abby looked closer at the twins. Did they seem a bit pale? Unusually tired? Or were they just unsettled because Jess was gone? She caught Betty’s eye, tipped her head in the twins’ direction and frowned.
Betty nodded. “Do you know what, maybe we should have an earlier bath tonight, so everyone can be warm and snuggly in their pajamas. A good night’s sleep would do everyone good, don’t you think?”
Bella looked up in alarm. “What about stories?”
“Of course, we’ll read stories,” Abby said. “That’s my favorite time of the day. Why don’t you two pick out a nice stack, and I’ll help you with your baths after I straighten up the kitchen.”
The twins dutifully slid off their chairs and disappeared with the puppy at their heels.
“I can take care of the kitchen,” Betty protested, awkwardly rising from her chair. “It’s no bother.”
“But it’s my job, and I don’t mind at all. Why don’t you go enjoy the fire for a while? I got it started before dinner. I can bring you some decaf coffee if you’d like.”
Betty pushed her walker toward the door, then turned back. “Have you heard anything from Jess?”
“No. Why?”
“I tried calling him and he didn’t answer. I didn’t want to say anything with the girls listening, but—” She lowered her voice. “On the news I heard about a bad weather system hitting much of Colorado. A good half inch of ice coating the highways and power lines and heavy snow on its way. Major pileups on the freeways.”
Abby suddenly felt faint.
Jess had been hauling horses since he was a teenager, and she knew he was a safe driver.
But the other cars and trucks on the highway in dangerous conditions like that were always the wild cards if they were reckless, speeding or both.
Anything could happen.
Yet just hours ago she’d been standing with him out in the driveway, talking so casually about his trip. She’d felt his heartbeat beneath her hand when she’d kissed him—something she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about this entire day.
It was meant as a casual kiss between friends wishing each other well. Yet it had conjured up all sorts of feelings she’d been trying to avoid, given this oh-so-temporary situation.
She’d kissed him...then raced off like a scared bunny, not knowing if he’d had any reaction at all.
Abby shook off her thoughts. “H-he didn’t say anything about planning to call tonight, but he did mention the weather. He thought he’d get there in plenty of time to avoid it.”
Betty shook her head. “The newscaster said the weather system took a sharp turn, and the storm hit much earlier. Do let me know if you talk to him, okay? I don’t dare call and distract him if he’s still driving.”
“Me neither.” Abby felt a shiver work its way down her spine. “So I guess all we can do is pray.”
* * *
Bath time, a dozen short storybooks and one declined bedtime snack later, Abby kissed the girls good-night, turned on their night-light and stepped out of their room. The soft glow of the hallway night-light lit her way to the living room, where she found Betty asleep in her favorite chair.
Abby debated about bothering her, then lightly touched her arm. “Wouldn’t you be more comfortable in bed?”
“Was I sleeping?” Betty blinked and sat up a little straighter, then yawned. Her eyes widened. “Did you hear from Jess?”
Abby retrieved her cell phone from the kitchen and studied the screen. “No phone messages and no texts. I could send him one, but I’d rather not right now, just in case he...”
“Don’t. He might still be driving in that mess.”
Driving...or in a ditch somewhere.
He could be hurt.
Lying in a hospital. Or worse...
She said a quick, silent prayer and rallied a smile for Betty. “He probably already arrived and is out to dinner somewhere with his clients. I’m sure he’s fine.”
“But if you hear anything...”
“I will come to tell you. Promise.” Abby helped her stand up and angled her walker into place. “If you’re asleep, I’ll leave you a note on your nightstand in case you wake up during the night. Okay?”
Betty squeezed her hand. “We’re so lucky to have you here, dear. I just wonder if Jess realizes it. I need to have another talk with that boy.”
Another talk? “Oh, Betty,” Abby managed over a strangled laugh. “I’d really rather you didn’t. Promise me you won’t. Please.”
“Good night, sleep tight,” Betty said over her shoulder.
Her enigmatic smile promised nothing, but Abby hoped she’d stop meddling. Any sly hints from her would only make this situation more awkward.
And besides, it would be a long, long time before Abby risked her heart again over any guy. What had she ever gotten out of it?
Her dad had influenced her relationships with men by mostly ignoring her while she was growing up.
Jess had chosen rodeos over her.
And then there was the unexpected discovery of Alan’s infidelity, followed by the unexpected divorce.
Three strikes, and she was out.
And if Jess hadn’t married in all these years, he most likely wasn’t the marrying type.
Case closed.
Abby watched Betty slowly make her way down the hall to the bathroom; then she turned to the fireplace and pushed at the last glowing remnants with the fireplace poker. Flames shot up briefly with a shower of sparks, then faded.
After letting the puppy outside one last time and putting him in his kennel in the laundry room for the night, she wandered slowly through the living room as memories drifted through her thoughts.
The room had looked much different then, but the fireplace was the same as when she and Jess had come in after cool autumn afternoons outside, riding horses or moving cattle for his dad. They’d sometimes sat in front of the fire, idly talking about their dreams, thinking those days would never end.
A cloak of melancholy seemed to wrap around her shoulders as she thought about missed chances and lost dreams, and all the ways life could change with a simple fork of the road.
A faint cry drifted down the hall and she stilled, listening.
Sophie still suffered from random nightmares, owing to her fear of the dark, but that noise hadn’t been her usual jagged scream.
Abby stilled, listening.
And it came again—like someone moaning in their sleep. She hurried down the hall and stopped at Betty’s closed door, listened, then moved on to the twins’ room.
The pretty little fairy night-light cast streams of pastel light up the walls and across both twin beds. Sophie seemed to be fast asleep, but it was Bella who was unsettled.
She’d thrashed away her blankets and curled up into a tight ball, hugging her pillow to her chest. She moaned, then abruptly sat up and lost her supper—or what little of it she had eaten.
When she started to lie down again Abby caught her just in time. “Sweetie—we need to get you cleaned up and change your bedding, first.”
Bella looked blearily up at her, her eyes unfocused. She felt hot, yet chills were shaking her little body. “I don’t feel good,” she whispered. “I hurt.”
Abby rushed the damp strands of hair away from her feverish forehead. “Where do you hurt?”
“My head and all over. A lot.”
“Well, we’re going to take care of things and help you get better. Okay? We’ll get you all cleaned up so you can try to get some sleep.”
Abby helped her wash up, put her in fresh pajamas and changed her bed linens. Then she gave Bella some liquid pain reliever and went to gather some afghans and her pillow so she could sleep on the floor in the girls’ room in case Bella got worse.
While saying farewell to Jess this morning, she’d been offhand about being able to handle everything. Tonight she realized she’d been wrong.
Without him here, she was responsible for everyone at this isolated ranch. An elderly, disabled woman, one sick child and another who would likely start showing symptoms anytime. She’d never again underestimate the job mothers did every single day.
And yet this is what Jess had been doing on his own until she turned up—looking after his family plus a full-time job dealing with everything outside. Her estimation of him rose tenfold.
And when he got home—God willing—she was going to tell him so.