The Country Guesthouse (Sullivan's Crossing #5)(43)
“There’s been talk that he’s a semifamous defense attorney from Michigan,” Owen said. “Maybe we should look into that.”
“After Noah goes to bed,” she said. “How about some dueling laptops tonight?”
He pulled her close. “You really know how to turn a guy on.”
After Noah had gone to bed, Owen and Hannah sat on the couch, each holding a laptop, researching California Jones. Before long Hannah was snuggled up against Owen, staring at his screen, and he was reading aloud to her. There was a bio online that either Cal or his firm had produced that listed his degrees and licenses, then there were a couple of articles written about him that were more human interest pieces. And there was an obituary—it seemed while Cal lived and practiced law in Michigan, he had been married to a woman, also a lawyer, who developed scleroderma and died. That had been about six years ago. There were no details to describe how he managed to meet and marry Maggie Sullivan a couple of years after his first wife’s death.
There were a few newspaper pieces about seemingly impossible cases he had tried and won in Michigan but nothing newsworthy in Colorado.
“I think we should have Cal, Maggie and Elizabeth to dinner,” Hannah said. “I’d like to get to know them better and learn more about how Cal landed here.”
“A couple of years ago when we first ran into each other at Sully’s, he mentioned that once when he was going through a lot of indecision in his life, he did a lot of hiking and things started to shake into place. I told him the same had happened with me. Like men will, we got away from the emotional aspect as fast as possible and started to discuss whether the altitude was healing.”
“Like men will,” she said, just shaking her head. She ran her fingers through the longish hair at his temples. It was threaded with a little gray. No wonder Cal and Owen took to each other, seemed to be ready friends. They’d plowed their ways through difficult losses and not only survived, they’d come through very well. “I would love to have them to dinner but I can only seem to cook hamburgers and mac and cheese.”
“I know,” he said. “You’re very good with salad. Maybe you can add that. And I’ll do the rest.”
Owen took it upon himself to choose a day with Cal that Maggie would be in Timberlake so the two families could get together. Until then, Hannah and Noah were resuming their schedule—four mornings a week. Twice they would go to Aurora to the physical therapist and twice to the counselor. With Hannah and Owen continuing the PT at home the rest of the week, the therapist thought Noah was in excellent shape for his condition. And the psychologist pronounced him to be very stable for a child who had just lost a parent a few months ago. Of course, he was still dealing with grief but he was doing so in a loving family.
It was not lost on Hannah that Owen was busy in his shop when she was returning with Noah. He always made time to play—to swim, hike, throw a ball, whatever activity Noah wanted. But clearly he had work to do.
“Let me see if I can help you a little, then we’ll play,” Hannah said.
“I don’t think there’s any way for you to help, but thanks.”
“You never know,” she said. “What’s going on?”
“I’m transferring some photos onto other mediums for a gallery—canvas, wood, glass. And I’m going to try one large transfer that I’ll do in pieces.”
“Okay, I’ll empty trash, clean up and do whatever you want me to do. Noah, come over here a little out of the way and go through your pictures or color on your computer.”
“I’ve got a couple of transfers that are dry. I’ll show you what to do and you can rub off the backings. It’s very tedious,” he said.
“Sounds like work I specialize in,” she said with a smile.
At some point while they were working, Noah went to lie down on Owen’s bed and Romeo curled around him. They both fell asleep. Hannah cautiously and meticulously rubbed the paper backing off a photo transfer onto canvas while Owen was going through photo collections on his computer. He asked her opinion a couple of times and she fearlessly gave it. Once he said, “Yes, right,” and once he said, “Nah, not that one.” Whether or not he took her advice, she was thrilled to be asked.
Later that night when they were watching the moonrise over the lake from the front porch, she told him how much she enjoyed working in his shop, helping him. “You must promise to tell me if I’m in your way and less than helpful. You’re used to working on your own without anyone else in your way.”
Then she suggested transferring one of his trees onto a tall, slim pottery vase and he loved it. The tree was black, leafless, spindly with branches like long fingers and it was stunning when finished. It was easy, inexpensive and very artsy. He signed it in black ink.
“I think I’ve been working alone just about long enough,” he said.
And, with that, Hannah took her place beside Owen in his shop, helping. Not all day, of course. She had her own chores as well as tending Noah and his regular appointments. He brought her a picture he’d drawn in his counseling session—a very tall man, a woman, a child with crutches, an enormous dog and up in the sky, above a tree, a small, smiling angel.
“Noah, this is so beautiful,” she said. “We’re going to have to frame it, save it forever. Is that angel someone I know?”
Robyn Carr's Books
- The Best of Us (Sullivan's Crossing #4)
- The Family Gathering (Sullivan's Crossing #3)
- Robyn Carr
- What We Find (Sullivan's Crossing, #1)
- My Kind of Christmas (Virgin River #20)
- Sunrise Point (Virgin River #19)
- Redwood Bend (Virgin River #18)
- Hidden Summit (Virgin River #17)
- Bring Me Home for Christmas (Virgin River #16)
- Harvest Moon (Virgin River #15)