AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Rushing forward, Sam caught her. Neither spoke as they made their way to a couple of empty seats. Amanda sat rigid, hands clasped tight in her lap. Eyes vacant, Sam waited for her to explain. Instead, Doctor Gabe Montez appeared before them, dropping to a crouch. He covered Amanda’s hands with his.
“I am so sorry. We did all we could, but…it wasn’t enough.”
A painful knot lodged in Sam’s throat. She wanted to ask what Gabe meant, choosing to remain silent. To her surprise, Amanda spoke next.
“I…uh, don’t know what…to do.” Her broken voice was a lance to Sam’s chest.
Gabe opened his mouth to respond when the outside doors opened. Margie, Lily, and Daisy, holding a sleeping Reece, came straight toward them. Standing, he stood before the matriarch of Whistle Rock Ranch. His former employer, the woman who’d convinced Anson to sponsor Gabe through medical school, searched his eyes.
“How is he, Gabe?”
He shook his head. “He’s gone, Margie.”
“Gone? What do you mean?”
“Mark suffered two massive heart attacks. We just couldn’t save him.” He looked down at Amanda, who remained seated next to Sam. “I am so sorry.”
Margie looked at Daisy and Lily before sitting on a chair on the other side of Amanda. Placing an arm over the younger woman’s shoulders, she drew her close.
“I know you’re not sure what to do next. What you must remember is you have a lot of friends who love you. These friends will get you through this.”
Amanda turned her head to meet Margie’s determined gaze. “He’s gone.”
“I know, sweetheart.”
“I don’t understand.”
“No one does.”
“What do I do now?”
A tear rolled down Sam’s face as she listened to them. She couldn’t quite wrap her head around what had happened.
Margie squeezed Amanda to her. “You’ll come with us. Together, we’ll take care of everything.”
The ranch rodeo was long over by the time Sam parked in front of Jake’s house. Sitting behind the wheel, the events of the afternoon replayed in her head. Nothing made sense. Last night, Mark had been joking and laughing with her and Logan. Now, the once gregarious, gentle man was gone.
She didn’t know how much time passed between parking and a soft tap on the window. Turning her head, she met Logan’s gaze.
Sam knew Lily had made several calls, leaving messages when no one answered. Looking into Logan’s eyes, she knew he’d heard the news.
She could hear Rowdy, Abigail’s young dog, whining, then barking for attention. The Bernedoodle puppy had been a gift from Quinn to his future wife. He now lived at the Kelman place, and along with Jake’s dog, Duke, roamed freely between home and Whistle Rock.
Logan opened the door, catching Sam in his arms as she rolled out. Feet landing on the ground, she looked up at him.
“Mark…” The one word caused another tear to fall.
Logan tightened his hold on her. “I know.”
Resting her head against his chest, she sucked in a shaky breath. “I don’t know why this had hit me so hard. I didn’t really know him.”
“We just spent the evening working with him and Amanda. Less than twenty-four hours later, he’s gone. Don’t dissect it, Sam. You’re entitled to mourn him.”
“Amanda is a mess. Margie is staying with her until Mark’s parents arrive from Idaho.”
“Come inside. Beth saved dinner for you.”
“I’ll stay for a bit, but I’m not hungry.”
