The Country Guesthouse (Sullivan's Crossing #5)(6)

That was when she remembered Erin had said the same thing when she was expecting—and she was the best mom Noah could have asked for.

“Sometimes those physical and health problems are easier to deal with than the emotional ones,” Kate said. “My kids are all physically healthy but they have one emotional crisis after another. At least Erin and Noah had a plan and he was being treated. The last time we talked, Erin said he was improving steadily and she was confident that Noah was going to be strong and able in every way.”

“And grieving his mother,” Hannah said. “What if I fail him there?”

“All of us are at risk for that,” Kate said. “We’ll help you as much as we can. I think she was depending on all of us.”

In the end the three women stayed with Noah for a week, accomplished a very lovely service, packed up his belongings and closed up Erin’s house, putting it in the hands of a Realtor. Burying his mother and leaving his beloved babysitter was hard on him, but Hannah promised him they would be visiting Linda and her children, who had become his friends. Hannah, along with Sharon and Kate, met with Noah’s doctors and physical therapists, collected his medical records and headed back to Minneapolis. There was a trust and insurance money, though it would take a while for all of that to be settled, but Noah was medically insured, thanks to Erin’s diligence, and Hannah could look at a list of good practitioners that his Madison doctors and therapists had recommended.

But it had taken her the better part of a half hour to get his leg braces on the first time. And Noah had to help her.

Hannah immediately took family leave. She planned to cancel her Colorado getaway, though that was low on her list of priorities. It was already April and she wanted to get Noah registered for school in the fall so they could spend the next few months getting to know each other before he started his life with a new school. She also needed to find a new babysitter so she could work, figure out how she was going to travel for business, set him up with new doctors...

And then Noah said the words that broke her heart. “Hannah, is my mom happy?”

It took every cell in her body to keep from crumbling. “She is safe and happy and living the life of an angel among angels who laugh and sing and watch over us. She’s happy and she’s always near. She lives in our hearts because when we remember her, we know she’s close to us. She loves us and we love her. Okay?”

“Okay,” he said. “It would be better for me if she was here.”

“I know, buddy. I know.” She hugged him close. “You know what? Screw work and responsibility. We have a vacation coming up. I rented us a huge cabin, a beautiful cabin on a beautiful lake in the Rocky Mountains, and it’s amazing. There are lots of elk. I mean lots. What do you say? Should we take a vacation before we do all this work of settling in? We need time together, you and me.”

“Okay. Hannah, but is screw one of those words you’re not supposed to say?”

“Probably. I’ll have to read up on that.”







Be sure you put your feet in the
right place, then stand firm.

—Abraham Lincoln



2


It had taken a lot of planning and organization to move Noah to Hannah’s Minneapolis house. All his clothes and toys were transferred and Hannah held on to a few of Erin’s things—some everyday dishes, a few books, a couple of cozy sweaters, some quilts and blankets and her journal. The entries were few and spotty, but one day she would share it with Noah. They had to see new doctors and meet with her lawyer to establish her as his legal guardian. They met with a physical therapist, who gave her a pamphlet that showed the at-home exercises they could do to strengthen his legs. During that time they spent several weekend days and evenings with Sharon and Kate and their families to help Noah get a sense of belonging, to ease his loneliness. Sharon’s and Kate’s kids were wonderful with him.

Some nights were hard. The first time she heard him crying for his mom, she went to his room, scooped him up and carried him to her bed. They cuddled each other to sleep. But Noah could barely walk without his leg braces and crutches, so if he wanted to get up in the night, Hannah had to carry him. And if he wanted to wander to her room, he put on his braces to get there, then nearly broke her shins with his heavy shoes when he crawled into bed. Sometimes they cried together and sometimes they laughed, and they talked a lot about Erin.

There was nothing on earth better able to drive the thought of Wyatt and a failed relationship from her mind and heart like the company of a little boy. It was only days before she thought she wouldn’t be able to live without him.

Hannah was emotionally and physically exhausted and worried about a lot of things she couldn’t control, but she was so happy to be packing for a real retreat. She was grateful she’d been too busy to cancel that rental. She thought she’d be going alone, using the time to heal from her breakup with Wyatt, but now she and Noah would have each other. They could explore, read, watch movies, go fishing, get to know each other better. Then the phone rang and the Realtor who had booked the beautiful house said the owner’s trip had been canceled and he would be staying in his studio on the property. If that was not acceptable to Hannah, she could look around for another place.

“He’ll be there?” Hannah asked.

“Yes, this has happened a couple of times. He has a spacious shop and guesthouse, where he works, and says he has no problem with renting you the house. He won’t access the house while you’re there. He won’t be a bother. On the other hand, if you have a problem, you can knock on his door. He’ll be right across the yard. But it’s entirely up to you.”