“Seth. Go see Seth.” Abby’s little voice was insistent, full of energy now that her fever was gone. If this was any indication, Laura was going to have a very strong-willed teenager on her hands in a few years.
“Yes, Abby. We’re going to go see Seth.” Laura tried to infuse her voice with patience, but she had already said these words at least a dozen times today. And it was still early morning.
“Now.” Laura wanted to smile when she saw Abby with her arms crossed and a scowl on her little face. It was a pose that Laura often assumed when she was trying to be stern with Abby.
It seemed that Abby was trying to reverse the process. Yep, Laura was going to be in serious trouble when this little girl got older.
Laura looked at the clock and then stood from where she had been sitting on a bed in the hotel they had stayed at last night. It was still too early for visiting hours at the hospital, but Abby seemed to be done waiting in the small room. So was Laura, for that matter.
“Okay, baby. Let’s go run some errands, and then it will be time to go see Seth.”
“Seth.” Abby’s voice was definitive. A statement of fact. Trouble.
Laura took Abby to a big-box retail store to pick out a gift for Seth. It wasn’t ideal, but the store was open and it was large enough to distract Abby until they could go to the hospital. Once there, the girl had stopped demanding to go see Seth every ten minutes. Instead, she wanted to walk up and down every single aisle, determined to find the perfect gift.
Two hours later, Laura was finally driving toward the hospital. Abby was secured in the back in her car seat, a stuffed bear sitting next to her. The bear was every bit as large as Abby. Abby loved him, and Laura found the gift hilariously appropriate. She was as excited as Abby to see Seth’s reaction to her gift.
Some of Laura’s mirth faded, though, as they parked the car and entered the hospital. The somber lobby and slow elevator ride to Seth’s floor emphasized the events of the past few days. Laura found Seth’s room, set down the massive bear and peeked inside, hoping he was awake. Now that they were here, she wasn’t sure anything could keep Abby away. And, if she were honest, Laura wanted to see Seth just as badly. She knew, logically, that he was okay. That he was going to be okay.
He had given Abby the hug she requested yesterday. He hadn’t wanted to come to the hospital, let alone take an ambulance there, but the police had insisted. So had his boss, who had arrived on the scene sometime during all the chaos. With a sigh, Seth had climbed into the ambulance and gone to the hospital. The police said he would be admitted for the night just as a precaution.
Laura mentally kicked herself when she remembered how she had just stood there yesterday. Her brain unable to comprehend all that had happened.
Her husband’s death wasn’t an accident. Victor Mahoney had been watching her for months. A criminal had been a part of her every move for months and she hadn’t even known. And then, in the course of days, Laura had been shot at, had taken her daughter on the run, had been captured and had thought that she and Abby were going to die. It was too much.
Far too much if she factored Seth into the whole complication. Seth the park ranger. Seth the critic who had judged her father. Seth the hero who had saved them. Seth the man. The man who had awakened feelings in Laura she had thought were gone forever.
With those feelings churning in her stomach, Laura saw Seth sitting in the hospital bed watching television. She knocked lightly on the door that was slightly ajar.
Seth looked over at her and smiled. “Hey. Come in, come in.” He turned off the television and set down the remote control. Laura stood there looking at him. She had known he was okay, but a wave of relief hit her when she saw him awake and smiling.
“Seth!” Abby ran over to the bed and held out her arms. Seth was leaning over the bed railing to pick her up when Laura realized what he was about to do.
“Seth, wait. Don’t pick her up.” He already had Abby sitting in his lap by the time Laura made it to the bed. “Seth, you shouldn’t have done that. You could have hurt yourself.”
“I’m fine, Laura. This whole thing is an overreaction by the doctors. I should get sprung from this place today.” Seth turned and winked at Abby, who promptly tried to jump off his lap. Seth wrapped his arms around her. “Whoa there, Abby McDabby. Where’re you going?”
“Present, Mama!”
Seth was looking at Abby and Laura with a smiling question on his face.
“Abby picked out a present for you.”
Abby nodded and then reached up to cover Seth’s eyes. “No peeking.”
Laura could see that Seth had obliged Abby and closed his eyes. She retrieved the bear from the hallway, and brought him into the room. When she was holding the bear in front of Seth’s face, Abby moved her hands and spoke. “Okay, Seth. Look.”
Seth opened his eyes and took in the giant Smokey Bear. His eyes traveled from the tan hat to the plastic shovel the bear was holding to the blue pants. Laura saw him bite his lip. Hopefully, he thought it was as funny as Laura did.
He looked at Laura. “Was this your idea?”
Laura tried to talk through her smile. “Nope. Abby walked up and down every single aisle and picked this out herself.”
Abby looked proud. “It’s a bear.”
“Yep, it’s a great bear, Abby. Thank you.”
“Welcome.” With that, Abby turned to snuggle into Seth’s chest.
Still grinning like a loon, Laura set the bear down on one of the chairs in the room. She sat in another chair.
“So, you’re really going home today?”
Seth nodded. “I should be released this afternoon.” He looked at Abby. “She’s asleep.”
“She didn’t sleep very much last night. By the time we spoke with the police, it was pretty late. Then she was excited about being in a hotel room.”
Seth’s voice was all tease. “I bet. She was probably awed by the electricity and running water.”
Laura felt herself blush. “Very funny, Mr. Park Ranger.” He looked pleased with himself.
“Were you all able to sleep in this morning at least?”
Laura snorted. “Hardly. Abby woke up at the crack of dawn, all eager to see you.” She leaned forward in the chair to brush a piece of hair out of Abby’s eyes. “You’re fortunate the hospital has set visiting hours, or else she would have been here to see you before the sun rose.”
Seth reached out and took hold of Laura’s hand. “I wouldn’t have minded.” He looked at her for a long moment before speaking in that same serious tone. “I was worried about both of you. I missed you.”
Seth couldn’t have kept the admission inside. It was the truth. He had been missing them—ever since he had stepped inside that ambulance. Once the initial rush of being admitted to the hospital was over, he’d been able to sit and think. About his past. About his future.
Laura pulled her hand from his. She put her hands beside her, gripping the edge of the chair so that Seth could see the color of her skin change where the pressure was the greatest. She looked scared, and it made a lump of fear and panic rise up in his throat.
“Laura—”
“I’m sorry.” She blurted it out before he could finish his question.
“Sorry? What in the world are you sorry for?” Seth couldn’t think of a single thing she needed to apologize for.
Laura had tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry for everything. This is all my fault.”
Seth opened his mouth to reassure her, but she held up one of her hands. “Wait. Let me say this. Please.” Seth closed his mouth and nodded.
“Thank you. I know you’re going to disagree with me, but I’m right. Victor Mahoney came here because of me. You spent all those hours being hunted in the woods because of me. You got shot because of me.” Her voice cracked on the word shot, and it broke Seth’s heart. She took a shaky breath and continued. “I have brought nothing but trouble and turmoil into your life. I’m so sorry.” Laura looked down at her lap, not meeting Seth’s gaze.
“I’m not.” He said it quietly. With as much certainty and conviction as he could possibly put into two little words. Laura lifted her head and looked at him, but he couldn’t read her face. Seth knew without being told that this was one of those life-altering moments. Give me the words, God. Please, let her understand. “I’m grateful.” He ignored Laura’s skeptical face and continued. “I’ve spent most of the morning thanking God for what He did.”
Laura’s face was still blank. Unreadable. So was her voice. “What He did.” She made it a statement, not a question.
“Yes. What He did.”
Laura looked at Seth then, met his gaze and held it for several long seconds. “What did He do, Seth?” Her voice was a whisper, full of emotion.
“He led me to you.” With a smile to the little girl sleeping against him, he added, “And Abby.”
Laura just watched him. Seth hoped she was listening with an open heart. “I was so alone before I met you, Laura. I know you think that you were the recluse. The only one hiding. But that’s not true.”
Slow tears began to roll down Laura’s precious face. Seth reached out and wiped them away with his fingers, loving the feel of her skin.
“I’ve been hiding. From my family. From God. From my future.”
More slow tears.
“You changed all that. You woke me up.” He smiled. “You and this wonderful little girl made me realize what I can have.” Seth swallowed. “And I want it.”
Laura’s eyes widened slightly. She covered her mouth with one hand, as though to hold in more tears. Seth hoped they weren’t the sad kind.
“I want it with you, Laura. It’s been crazy and incredibly fast, but I have fallen in love with you. And I don’t want to let you go.”
A sob escaped from behind Laura’s hand, and Seth felt like his heart would break. He couldn’t tell if she was upset or overwhelmed.
“I need to go home. Back to my family.”
She nodded and looked down at her lap again. Seth cringed as he realized he was bungling this. He grabbed her hand and held tight, determined to get it all out as quickly as possible. “But I’m coming back. For you. To you.”
Laura looked at him, blinking the tears from her eyes. “What?”
“I meant it when I said that you’re it for me. And I want to be it for you. That means I need to step up and become the kind of man who could possibly be worthy of you and Abby.”
“Worthy? Seth, you don’t have to prove anything to me.”
Seth smiled. “Maybe not. But I need to prove something to myself. I want to be proud of who I am. I need to go back to my family and make amends. I need to tell them that I’m sorry I rejected them, ran from them. I need to try to repair our relationship.” His smile grew. “And I need to tell them about you and Abby.”
Seth sat up as straight as he could while in a hospital bed with a toddler on his lap. “And then, Laura Donovan, I’m coming back here. I plan to court you. To show you that I would make a good husband to you and a good father to Abby. I’ll wait as long as it takes to make you both mine.”
Laura stood and walked toward the windows. Seth wished he could see her face. At least then he would feel like he had a shot at guessing what she was feeling. Was she happy? Was she trying to find a way to let him down easy? Seth was pretty sure she was scared. He could deal with her fears. With enough time and patience, she would realize what he already knew—they were perfect together. They weren’t perfect people, but they could create something wonderful together.
“I won’t be here.”
Laura’s voice was quiet, but Seth heard her. “What?”
“I’m leaving.” She was still looking out that blasted window.
“Okay, where are we going?”
Laura did turn then. “We?”
Seth tried to impart every bit of his intention and will into his words. “Yes, we. I meant what I said, Laura. Unless you flat out reject me, I intend to pursue you romantically. I can’t do that if we’re living in two different places.”
Laura just looked at him like he was nuts. Seth felt a little crazy, to be honest. But he was meant to be with this woman. So he would put his trust and his faith in God and accept whatever this relationship brought his way.
“I—I don’t know where. I just know I need to go somewhere new. I was hiding. I went out into the world and it hurt me. So I ran home, to a place where there were no people to break my heart.”
Seth tried to be patient and let her finish.
“But that’s not living. Life is scary and hard. And wonderful. My dad never wanted me to stay on the mountain. He pushed me to go to college. He encouraged me to date. To experience the world. And I did. I met a wonderful man and we created an incredible daughter.”
Looking at Abby, Seth had to agree.
“And Josh wouldn’t want me to close myself off from the world. He would want me to be happy. For Abby to have the fullest life possible.” Laura looked upward and snorted. “I bet they have both been watching me from heaven. Probably yelling at me. Telling me to get up and go find happiness.”
She looked back at Seth, meeting his gaze directly. “I’m ready to do that. I’m going to find a nice place and I’m going to live there. Live.” Laura’s face looked intense, a fire in her eyes. “You said that you will go wherever I am. Me, too. I need you to know I would do the same for you.”
Her, too?
Laura moved to stand directly in front of Seth. She still looked determined, but also vulnerable. “I want to go somewhere and live again. With you.”
Seth felt all the tension leave his muscles. He reached out and held her face, palms of his hands resting on her cheeks.
He wanted to let her finish.
He wanted to kiss her.
“Abby and I want to be with you.”
Seth leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against hers. “I love you, Laura. I want to go slow. I want to be careful with you. But I don’t need time to know that I love you. And Abby.”
Laura’s smile wasn’t the least bit vulnerable now. “I love you, too, Seth. We both do.”
Seth didn’t need anyone to point out God’s hand in this development. He sent up a burst of gratitude. He dropped his hands from her face, moving them to hold hers between their bodies. “You know, I’m from a place in Oregon called Carter City. It’s a small town, but the people are wonderful. All in all, it’s not a bad place to live.”
Laura smiled her beautiful smile again, squeezing both of her hands. “Really, now? Tell me more.”