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  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.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Abby awoke to two small faces hanging over the edges of their twin beds, peering down at her.

  Sophie frowned. “Did you sleep on our floor ’cause you had bad dreams?”

  “No.” Abby rolled over, every muscle and joint aching from the night—such as it was—that she’d spent on the fuzzy pink area rug laid over the hardwood floor. Not that she’d been on the floor all night.

  Poor Bella had thrown up again, though at least her fever had stayed under 102. She’d tossed and turned and whimpered until Abby finally took her out to the roomy upholstered rocker-recliner in the living room, covered them both with an afghan and held her for a couple hours, rocking slowly. Then she’d finally taken Bella back to bed and hoped for the best.

  Between worrying about Bella and wondering if Jess was all right, each minute had seemed to last an hour. All night long.

  “How are you feeling this morning, Bella?”

  “My head hurts and I’m cold, then I’m hot. I don’t wanna go to school.”

  “You definitely aren’t going to school, honey. And not Sophie either. We need to go to the clinic in town and have them take a look at you both. You might need some medicine to make you feel better.”

  “Not shots!”

  “No shots. I promise.” Abby levered herself slowly off the floor and stretched. “I’m going to get dressed and call the clinic, then I’ll come back and check on you. Bella, are you hungry at all?”

  “Nuh-uh.”

  “I guessed not, but maybe you’d like some Sprite? We need to keep you hydrated. And Sophie—what about you? Are you ready for some breakfast?”

  Sophie already seemed a bit pale, and the suggestion made her color fade even further.

  Not a good sign. “I think, ladies, that you should get dressed so we can go to the clinic. I’ll be right back.”

  Betty’s door was still closed and Abby could hear her snoring softly, so she went to the kitchen table and called the clinic on her cell, then went back to get dressed and help the girls.

  “Your grandma is still asleep, but the clinic nurse says she can fit you in this morning if we hurry.”

  Her mouth forming a pout, Bella gathered her blankets around her shoulders. “I don’t wanna go to the doctor.”

  “I know you don’t.” Abby pulled matching purple outfits from the closet for the girls. “But if you have the flu and take the right medicine, you might get well quicker. And that’s good, isn’t it? Then you’ll feel like playing with Lollipops and the puppy. And we can finally make those pretty cookies we talked abo
ut. Okay?”

  The girls nodded and listlessly put on their clothes.

  Abby left a note for Betty on the kitchen table, and with a silent prayer and a lot of encouragement she managed to get the girls bundled up, into the SUV and to the clinic before nine o’clock.

  The receptionist gave the girls antiviral paper face masks decorated with cartoon pandas and sent them right back to the farthest exam room, where a nurse took their information, checked vitals and promised that the physician’s assistant would be in shortly.

  Lorena Sanchez, a petite thirtysomething woman with a black ponytail hanging down the middle of her back, arrived with the news Abby feared. Bella’s test for influenza was positive, and Sophie’s, as well.

  “So how are my favorite girls from the Langford ranch?” she said with a cheery smile. “You’ve probably felt better.” She looked up at Abby. “And you are—”

  “Abby Halliday, housekeeper. Jess is out of town and Betty can’t drive yet.”

  “It’s flu season and I don’t shake hands with anyone, but welcome.” She turned back to the twins. “Can you both sit up on my table for a minute?”

  Their eyes wide and wary, they clambered onto the table and sat still as statues as Lorena completed their exams. She helped them hop off the exam table, offered them a box of stickers to look through, then settled onto the chair in front of a computer screen and began typing.

  After a few minutes, she pushed away from the desk and looked at Abby.

  “We’ve had some kiddos come in with flu and the whole shebang—ear infection, sinus infection and the start of pneumonia. But the good news here is that these girls test positive for the flu but haven’t developed anything else. And they did have flu shots, so they should end up less sick and get well sooner than most of the folks I see.”

  She handed an instruction sheet to Abby. “Still, take this home, and be sure to call us if you see any of these changes. It can progress pretty fast—kids might look okay when they’re here, but two hours later they need to be admitted to the hospital.”

  “I’ll be very glad when Jess gets back from Denver.”

  Lorena pursed her lips. “I hope he didn’t get caught up in all that bad weather. I saw videos of major pileups on the roads out there on the morning news.”

  Abby wrapped her arms around her middle, suddenly feeling cold. That was another daunting thought.

  Come to think of it, why hadn’t he called this morning to check on everything at home? She’d texted him and hadn’t received a reply. As soon as she was done here, she would try calling. Where was he?

  Lorena cocked her head and studied Abby with concern. “How are you and Betty doing? Any symptoms?”

  “Not so far... I think.”

  “I’m sending antiviral prescriptions over to the drugstore so you can drive up to the window and not take the girls inside. It would be a good idea for all of the adults at the ranch to be on it, too, just in case.”

  Abby nodded.

  Lorena went back to her computer and began typing. “I’m adding prescriptions for Betty and Jess. And you, too, but first the nurse needs to take your health history.”

  “Of course.”

  Sophie slumped over and moaned. Lorena darted to the supply cupboard in the corner and dashed back to Sophie with a plastic basin.

  “No surprise, there,” she said with a sympathetic expression. “I’ll just do your health history myself, Abby, to get you on your way faster. I have a feeling it isn’t going to be an easy trip home.”

  * * *

  By the time Abby gave the girls their first dose of the antiviral medication and settled them in their beds at home, neither protested the thought of taking a nap.

  After letting the puppy outside in the fenced yard for a few minutes, she brought him back in and found Betty dozing in her chair by the fireplace.

  Betty awoke with a start when the puppy hopped up onto her lap. “Ooof!” she exclaimed, cradling his fluffy golden head between her hands and rubbing behind his ears. “If you’d done that right after my surgery, I would have been on the ceiling. Brrrr. Your little feet are cold and wet!”

  “Sorry about that. He slipped by before I could wipe them off,” Abby murmured as she dropped onto the sofa facing Betty. “Did you see my note when you got up this morning?”

  “I did. How are the girls?”

  “Both positive for the flu. Bella had a hard night, and now Sophie is showing symptoms, so they’re lying down for a while in their room. The PA gave us all antiviral prescriptions and recommends that everyone here be on it, since the virus is so contagious. And...I’m afraid I can’t take you to your rehab appointment. Not with the girls sick.”

  “No problem.” Betty’s gnarled hands stilled on the puppy. “Have you heard anything from Jess?”

  “Nope. I texted—no answer. And I called, but the phone went right to voice mail.”

  “I wonder—does he keep a planner in his office?” Betty mused. “Maybe he wrote the name and number of the clients he was going to see on his calendar.”

  “Good idea.”

  “Please—go see if you can find out anything.” Betty shifted in her chair and winced.

  At the doorway of Jess’s office Abby hesitated, one hand on the doorframe. Entering this private space seemed intrusive without him here. After a moment, she resolutely strode to his desk. The surface was clean and organized, with a neat stack of mail to the right, some manila folders to the left.

  And in the center, a zippered leather planner opened to a two-page November calendar.

  Most of the little daily squares were filled with detailed reminders in neat, small handwriting. But for November 12 and 13, Jess had only written Denver.

  No client name, address or phone number,

  She surveyed the room for a wall calendar, but there were just banks of oak bookshelves interspersed with wildlife and horse paintings. Frustrated, she glanced at the planner once more.

  Her gaze fell to the week below.

  November 16—hired-hand interview 3:00 p.m.

  November 20—housekeeper 10:00 a.m.

  Housekeeper? She slammed the planner shut, feeling guilty and embarrassed at looking beyond his current Denver trip.

  Had he already found someone to take Abby’s place? She braced her hands on the desk and took a deep breath. Of course, he needed a permanent employee. That had been clear from the start.

  But the thought of never again seeing Betty and the girls—or Jess—made her realize just how much she loved being here. She already cared for them all. And unlike the ranch where she’d grown up, this place felt like home.

  She’d gotten so caught up in life here at the ranch that she hadn’t been focusing on her job search. But if she had to stay up until the wee hours online every night, she was going to double her efforts at searching for another job to tide her over until fall semester.

  And no matter where the first decent job was, she needed to be ready to leave.

  * * *

  By nine o’clock on Saturday morning, Abby figured that every mother of young kids deserved a special Mom’s Medal of Honor and an annual all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii.

  Both girls had been sick throughout the night, and when they weren’t crying, they were whining...though sometimes one would be quiet and lethargic for a while, which was worse. Because then she would suddenly register the silence and launch from her blanket on the floor to hover over that child, filled with worry and doubt.

  Their fevers varied but never quite reached 102, which had filled Abby with relief. Still, by three in the morning she was back in the big upholstered rocking chair, this time with both girls snuggled close to her until morning sunshine was streaming through the windows.

  Bella stirred and sat up, rubbing her eyes, then looked around. “I feel better,” she said in wonder. “Am
I still sick?”

  Abby rested the back of her hand against Bella’s forehead. “Probably for several more days yet, but you seem less feverish. Are you hungry?”

  Bella nodded. “Is Sophie sick?”

  Still nestled close to Abby’s other side, Sophie mumbled something and snuggled even closer. “She feels a bit cooler now, too. This bug can take a week, but between your flu shots and the medicine, I hope you’ll soon be on the mend.”

  Abby shifted and awkwardly reached around Sophie for her cell phone, and checked it for messages.

  “Finally,” she whispered.

  “Finally what?” Bella leaned closer to see the screen.

  “Do you see these words? This is a text message from your Uncle Jess. I’ve been worried about him because he didn’t come home last night. But he says he is all right and should be home today. Good news.”

  Bella perked up. “Maybe he’ll bring presents,” she breathed. “Sometimes he does, when he goes far away.”

  “Well...maybe, but I wouldn’t count on it. He doesn’t say what happened, but I’m guessing he had trouble with bad weather. He might not have been able to get to a store.”

  Bella threaded her arm through the crook of Abby’s elbow and moved closer. “Maybe we could make cookies for when he comes home. Pretty ones, like sparkly ponies.”

  “Unicorns,” Sophie added sleepily as she pulled away and sat up. “I like them best.”

  “So, Miss Sunshine, how are you feeling? Are you thirsty? I can get you a little water or some Sprite.”

  Sophie shook her head and lay back down again.

  “Well, my dears—it looks like you are having a party out here,” Betty said as she pushed her walker into the room. “Can I join you?”

  “Please do.” Abby searched Betty’s face, fearing that she, too, was becoming ill, but her cheeks were rosy and her eyes sparkled. Thank You, Lord. “But don’t get too close. The girls had a long night, but I think Bella is better. And I finally heard from Jess.”

  Betty pressed a hand to her chest. “Well, praise be! What did he say?”