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Sylvie woke up in a hospital bed.
Where was she? Why was she there?
At first, she was disoriented then her mind flashed back on her son and panic rose inside her. She propped herself up on the bed.
“Jackson! Jackson!”
“Ssh,” Jake’s soft deep voice sounded beside her. “It’s okay, darling. He’s all right. He’s next door in the children’s playroom.”
“What? Where? Why? What happened?” She swallowed hard. Her lungs burned inside her.
“You both almost drowned.”
“Jackson. That’s right, I was watching him and then my paperwork fell. I went to pick them up and then when I turned around....” Tears welled up in her eyes. “He was gone. Just like that. So fast. I...”
“It’s okay, darling. The doc said he’s going to be fine now. You’re both just here as a precaution. He had a mild seizure.”
“A mild seizure?” she echoed; terror flooded through her. “He hadn’t had one since he was...since that time...”
“I know. The doctor spoke to your sister. She’s there with him now too.”
Just then the doctor came into the room with his white lab coat and clipboard.
“I see you’re awake,” he said. “How are you feeling?”
“Okay. Just a little groggy. Can I see Jackson?”
“Sure thing. I’ll bring him over. You know you’re lucky to be alive here.”
Lucky to be alive?
Yes, she was, wasn’t she?
“How did I get to the hospital?” she asked curiously.
“Your husband here. He saved your life. If he hadn’t gotten there in the nick of time...well...” the doctor shook his head.
Just then an overhead page came over the speaker.
“By the way, you’re free to go home now. All your vitals are stable. All the tests came back good. Your son’s going to be all right too. Just let us know if you feel dizzy or lightheaded or have any aches or pain.”
“I’ll be watching her closely, doc,” Jake assured.
“Good.” The doctor then left the room and told her he’d be back once her discharge papers were ready.
She was going to be discharged from the hospital soon.
Jake had saved her life?
And soon, she’d be discharged from his life too.
“My God, Jake! Thank you. I....I owe my life to you.”
“Shh, no you don’t.”
“But you saved my life. You saved me and Jackson!”
He held her for a moment, and she felt the warmth of his body on hers, the sweet scent of his cologne. Then he let her go after they embraced
“Let’s get you both home now.”
***
Later that night at the ranch, the whole family came over to see how Sylvie and Jackson were doing. She’d never felt so loved before. Having a big supportive family made her feel so wanted. This was what she and her sister had always wanted.
When everyone had left, she went out onto the front porch to watch the sunset turn into night. The dark streaks of red in the sky were beautiful.
“Thank you Lord, for another chance. And for Jake. Thank you,” she said quietly.
Just then she felt a hand on her shoulder.
She turned around.
“Jake. I thought you’d gone up to bed.”
“So early?”
“I know you have to be up before five. You cowboys work long hours.”
He grinned. “I know, but I just couldn’t sleep. Not like Jackson anyway.”
She grinned. “It was nice of you to read him the bedtime story with me.”
“Hey, it’s my pleasure.”
She swallowed hard. This was all going to end soon.
“Doc says you’re going to be alright.” Emotions filled his voice. She knew what this was all about. She could just imagine the traumatic experience of feeling as if he were losing his family again in the same tragic circumstance as before. What must he have been going through?
“I know. And I thank you for being there for me. How did you know?”
“Let’s say that I ask the Lord to direct my steps every day and even though I thought the man upstairs didn’t always hear me, I know now that he does. All the time. I just had a feeling something was wrong.”
“You did?” She was amazed. “Jake, don’t you see how connected we are?”
“I do now,” he said, turning to face her and stroking her cheeks. A shiver of delight swept through her body.
“I thought I’d lost you, Sylvie. I couldn’t see my life without you.”
“But...”
He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers and they kissed so softly and sweetly as they did before on their wedding day.
When he parted from her lips, she was breathless, heaving with delight.
“You want to make this marriage real?” she asked him, hoping he wouldn’t change his mind.
“I do.” His tone was confident and calm. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Sylvie.”
A warm smile curved her lips as they embraced under the dark sunset sky on the ranch.
“I want to spend the rest of my life with you too, Cowboy.”
Thank you for reading Her Last-Chance Cowboy. Those Carsen brothers are really something, aren’t they? Will Zack find true love again? Read book six in the Carsen Brothers of Sweet Rivers Ranch available now!
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For more information on sweet romances that fill your heart with joy, or to sign up for updates on new releases, you can send a message to Marie Richards at pageturningstories@gmail.com