Forever Cowboy (Montana Brides Book 5) (24 page)

BOOK: Forever Cowboy (Montana Brides Book 5)

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“It’s a beach.”

Kate jerked her head toward the little boy. “Pardon?”

He twisted the piece of paper around, pushing it toward her. “It’s a beach. In Hawaii. Mommy and daddy are going to take me there when I’m better. And they’re going to take Stacey too, only she’s a baby and mommy says babies don’t fly too good. So she might cry, but that’s okay because daddy says he’s got earplugs.”

Kate looked between the picture and the little boy. She rubbed her hands down the side of her jeans and felt a trickle of sweat between her shoulder blades.

“You ever been to the beach?” he asked.

Numbers flashed on the gray box strapped to his stand. The machine let out a shrill beep in the quiet ward. “It does that sometimes.” The boy shrugged his shoulders and stood up, pushing a button on the monitor. “Nurse Julie makes a fuss when it happens, but sometimes I want to be left alone.” He sat back down on the floor and pulled his drawing toward him. “You ever been to the beach?”

Kate glanced back at the nurse’s desk. “I live by the ocean. On a beach in California.”

The little boy’s mouth dropped open and he crawled toward her, pulling his pole of drugs behind him. “I’ve never met no one who’s been to a beach. Even daddy’s never seen waves and seashells and stuff. What’s it like?”

Big bruised eyes gazed up at her, excitement mixed with awe as the little boy wiggled closer. If the legs of his stand hadn’t got caught between the table and her chair, he might have landed in her lap.

“The ocean’s big and bright. Kind of like the blue water you’ve drawn. And it’s almost always warm.” He nodded his head, soaking in what she was saying like a sea sponge dipped in the salty waves.

“What about sand? What does it feel like?”

Kate thought about the long walks she enjoyed on the beach. The times when she felt like the only person alive with her can of mace and the neighbor’s Rottweiler keeping her company. “It’s squishy and cold when the waves wash over it. But when the tides out it feels like you’re walking in a big bag of flour.” It didn’t have the poetic description she’d hoped for, but the boy at her feet didn’t seem to mind.

“Toby, what are you doing out here?”

They both glanced up. A man with eyes as bruised as the little boys reached out his hand. “I’m Scott Hamilton. Toby’s dad.”

Kate wiped her palms on her jeans and shook his hand. “I’m Kate. Toby tells me he’s going to the beach.”

The smile in Scott’s eyes dimmed. He shook her hand briefly, staring down at his son with such longing that Kate had to blink back the tears gathering in her eyes.

“That’s the plan. Have you finished your drawing, Toby?”

“Just about.” He added four stick figures and turned to Kate, handing her the picture. “This is for you. It’s a picture of me and my family on the beach. Only Stacey’s standing up because I don’t know how to draw a baby that’s crawling.”

Kate swallowed the lump that jammed itself in her throat and stared at the picture. “It’s beautiful. Thanks, Toby.”

“You’re welcome,” he chirped, pulling his drugs behind him. He turned before he disappeared out of sight. “This is my room. You can come and tell me about the beach later on if you like?”

Kate’s heart squeezed tight at the hopeful expression on his little face. “I’ll do my best.”

That was enough for Toby. He waved goodbye and disappeared behind the curtain.

His dad scooped up the crayons and left them in the plastic box on top of the table. “Thanks for talking with Toby. He gets bored in here, but he’s too sick to leave.”

“He’s a nice boy,” Kate said.

“Yes, he is,” Scott sighed. “You’re more than welcome to visit whenever you like. If I’m not here, my wife Helen will be with Toby.”

“Excuse me. Are you Kathleen Jennings?”

Kate looked at the man that joined them. Without the white coat stretched across his tall frame, she wouldn’t have picked him for a doctor. Football half-back, maybe. Healer of the sick and injured, no way. “Yes, but you can call me Kate.”

His blue eyes crinkled at the edges. “I’m Taylor Keegan, Doctor T to everyone. We’ve been waiting for you to arrive before we have a family conference. If you follow me we can get started.”

Kate said goodbye to Scott, then followed Doctor T down a short corridor. Her heart hammered against her ribs. This was it. After three weeks of planning and tests, she was about to see her father and his family for the first time.

Dr. T stopped outside a closed door. “I understand from what your dad told me that you haven’t seen each other in nearly twenty years.”

Kate nodded.

“If you feel uncomfortable at any stage, just let me know and we’ll take a break. You need to know that Kaylee won’t be at this meeting. Two days ago she developed a temperature and until it goes away we’ve had to put the transplant on hold. We’re going to discuss Kaylee’s treatment and care, and after that I want to go over what the transplant will mean for you. Are you ready?”

Kate glanced at the wooden door, then back at Doctor T. “I’m ready.”

He opened the door and she braced herself against the impact of seeing her father. Her eyes darted around the small room, confusion replacing the worry that had kept her awake most nights.

Doctor T nodded to a man hovering by the window. “Kate, this is your father.”

She didn’t know what to say, what to think. Her father was about her height. Brown eyes stared at her with the same uncertainty she could feel working its way through her body. He had dark hair, peppered with gray, and a face that had seen more than its share of the sun and wind.

And he wore a suit. A dark blue suit with an emerald green tie. Something about the tie stirred her memories. Something about leprechauns and pots of gold.

She couldn’t have said anything or moved if her life depended on it. She felt like her body had been slammed into a concrete wall, head-first, leaving her dizzy and breathless and scared.

“Hi, Kate. I’m Anna, Tom’s wife. Thank you for helping Kaylee.”

Tears swam in Anna’s eyes and she moved toward Kate, reaching out to give her a quick hug. Kate closed her eyes and tried to plough through the shock of seeing her father, of meeting his new wife.

Anna stepped back and wiped her face. “Kate, this is my brother, Dan Carter.”

Kate looked up into the same unsmiling blue eyes she’d met downstairs.

He nodded in her direction and she straightened her spine.

***