The Country Guesthouse (Sullivan's Crossing #5)(80)
“I didn’t know,” Sue Loughlin said. “Please, call me Sue. I guess that explains why he calls you Hannah. My daughter went through a phase of calling me by my first name, so you can never tell about things like that.”
“I’m pretty inexperienced at this but I feel like I should ask a few questions before dropping Noah at your house to play.”
Sue laughed lightly and said, “The house is safe and childproofed. My husband’s hunting rifles are locked in a gun safe in the garage and there are no guns in the house. If Noah has any food allergies, just tell me and I’ll be sure he doesn’t get any of those foods at our house. And I will absolutely be supervising. They can play in the rec room or the fenced backyard. There is no pool, and they aren’t allowed in the front by the street unless I’m out there with them.”
Hannah smiled. “Do I have any other questions?” she asked with a laugh.
“If you think of something, call. You plan to pick him up after two hours, right? And tell me, does Noah need any kind of assistance?”
“No, he’s as fast on those crutches as I am on my two legs. But watch your shins—those shoes are hard.”
“Thanks for the tip.”
“And please don’t let anyone but me pick him up.”
“Would someone else try?” she asked with a look of concern.
“We have a slight issue. Noah’s biological grandmother wants to see much more of Noah than I would like, though I can’t imagine how she would know he’s here. But to be safe...”
“I will stand guard! Have a nice two-hour break!”
Hannah’s nerves over being away from Noah or sending him off for a playdate began to calm and she enjoyed helping Owen in the shop. One problem, working together like that with Noah at school led to hanky-panky. She would feel his hand on her butt or his lips on her neck and the next thing she knew she was sprawled naked beneath him, shuddering with a mind-blowing orgasm.
“Next summer I’m going to plant a garden like Sully’s, but on a slightly smaller scale,” she said.
Owen raised up on an elbow and smiled down at her. “You’re still all pink from sex and you’re talking about digging up my yard.”
She giggled. “This isn’t good for your career progression,” she informed him.
“It’s good for my life, though.”
“It’s a honeymoon,” she said. “No interruptions, no kid calling out every five minutes... Oh, Owen, what you do to me.”
“I know—I make you think of dirt. I’m not letting you dig up the yard unless you marry me.”
“We don’t have to do that...”
“We could get married and adopt Noah—then we’d all have the same last name and be a real, legal family. It could give us a little extra protection against the Rogers and Victorias of the world. Want to think about it? Talk to Noah about it? Want to ask Cal if it would make your position more secure?”
“Is it too soon after Erin’s death?” she asked. “I don’t want Noah to feel like we’re ignoring his mother. She’ll always be an important part of our lives and I’ll do whatever I can to keep her memory alive...”
“It might make him feel more secure. I’m in for the long haul.”
“Are you sure? Because I love this life with you but I haven’t really figured everything out yet. I have no job.”
“You don’t? For someone with no job, you sure seem to be busy all the time. Do you worry that if you find something you’d like to do, I’d try to stop you?”
“You might, once you get used to my help in the shop.”
“Nah. You’ve called off two weddings, saving yourself for me. Do you have your heart set on a big wedding? If so, we have to start planning. And we have to get Cal to work us up a pre-nup. Not for me, for Noah’s trust. Did you say yes yet?”
She put her arms around his neck and rolled with him, ending up on top, her hair falling like a curtain around his face. “I think we should let Noah decide if he wants us to be a forever family. I know he’ll say yes, but I want to reassure him.”
“Okay,” Owen said. “Let’s do it. And then I’ll help you dig up the yard next spring.”
“Don’t you have trips planned?” she asked.
“I’m not going anywhere until we’re all buttoned-down here.” He gave her a little kiss. “Thank you for taking a chance on me.”
“I thought it was the other way around.”
Helen was feeling a little guilty. She wondered if she should tell Hannah or at least Cal that she was sticking her nose in Victoria’s business. But she wanted to have more information to present before doing that. On three different days over two weeks she’d had three more casual glasses of wine with the woman and really felt she was getting to know her. Well, getting to know the person Victoria wanted her to know.
In the couple of weeks since their first glass of wine, Victoria had read some of Helen’s books. She had a lot of questions about how many books Helen had written and how many copies she had sold. Helen was devilishly tempted to ask her if she wanted a calculator. She had no proof but it seemed as though Victoria was trying to estimate Helen’s net worth.
Victoria raved about Helen’s writing for a good fifteen minutes—it appeared she had read at least three or four books. Helen found it hard not to be charmed by her. In fact, if Helen weren’t inherently cynical and suspicious, she would make Victoria her best friend.
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)