“Come and meet Cooper, then.” He turned to the door before pausing and extending a hand, like the gentleman he’d always been. Her mouth felt frozen as she left the shed, feeling his powerful presence behind her.
Neil’s head immediately turned from talking with Will and the man who’d driven them. When her friend gave thebarest nod, she knew he sensed her answer. He was good that way, part of what made him a wonderful healer and partner.
Will strode forward, arms akimbo. “Well, no bloodshed, I see. That’s a good sign. What’s the verdict?”
“You’ve got your trial run for a month,” she told him, wanting to scratch the itch in her throat. “Neil will be joining me for a while, as we have an important project to finish.”
Will rubbed his jaw, gazing at his brother. “Yeah, he mentioned that. All good, Ben?”
“Fine,” he answered. “Excuse me. Cooper! Come here, son.”
She glanced over and watched the brown-haired little boy run over with a white Great Pyrenees puppy herding him their way. Reba followed slowly in their wake with a brisk wave. She’d bet the puppy was from the other guardian dogs she’d loved on the ranch. The dog ran right to her and laid its head against her thigh, making her heart swell. Cooper grinned as he pulled up short of running into his dad, showing a gap-toothed smile. He had gray-blue eyes and a cowlick on top of his head.
“Hey!” Cooper called as Ben tucked him to his side, a protective hand holding him in place. “You’re my papa’s best friend growing up.”
Ben looked down sharply at his son. “How do you know that?”
“Uncle Will told me. I asked him who the lady was in the photo I found in your desk. After that, he showed me the photo albums Grandma Ada has of you guys growing up. She’s in lots of them.”
Yeah, she had been, and her heart throbbed knowing those happy times were all gone now. A heated flush started to crawl up Ben’s neck. Couldn’t be easy that Cooper knew all about her. Funny, since she’d seen photos of him online because of Will’s posts. Ben had no presence. Despite herberating herself for it, she hadn’t been able to stop herself from wanting to see what Ben’s son looked like.
Ben gave a tight smile. “I see. Well, Cooper, let’s be formal. This is Hannah—Miss Montgomery. Dr. Montgomery’s daughter.”
“Please call me Hannah.” She smiled.
“And this man is her…ah…colleague, Mr. Drummond.”
“Papa, I already met Neil. He said I could call him that. He wears the kilt online. Uncle Will showed me. They talk about herbs and plants. Oh, and they show exercises to help people get better. Like Uncle Will. She sent him this magic salve. It’s made his leg better. He used it on me when I got a big sliver from climbing the old post fence. Took it right out. Reba didn’t have to use her tweezers.”
“Which saves me from hearing you cry and holler,” Reba said gruffly when she finally arrived. “Good to see you, Hannah. You’ve been missed.”
“Oh, Reba, I’ve missed you too.” The older woman might have more lines around her mouth, and her short brown hair was peppered with silver, but her no-nonsense embrace was the same.
There was a ripple effect with every broken relationship, and losing Reba, along with the rest of Ben’s family, had been one of the toughest.
Reba patted her briskly on the back before letting her go and turning to Neil. “This handsome fella must be the Scot all the ladies in town practically giggle over when they watch your online videos.” She stuck out her liver-spotted hand. “I’m Reba. Too bad you didn’t wear your kilt today. I would have taken a photo with you and teased my Charlie about running off with you.”
Neil clasped her hand to his chest, laying on the charm. “Sounds like you’ll have your chance at that photo. I’ll be joining Hannah on Wild Mountain for a while.”
She swore she heard Ben’s jaw pop.
“I see Will’s up to his same old tricks.” Reba pinched his cheek, making him grab her playfully around the waist. “I’ll hold you to that photo, Neil. I like to keep my Charlie on his toes.”
“Some things never change,” Hannah said dryly.
“Some do.” Reba’s eyes narrowed and met hers head-on, a caution in them. “Some don’t. You’ll see, coming back home.”
She took a deep breath. She certainly would.
CHAPTER SIX
He would getthrough this moment without losing his cool.
Everyone but Cooper was watching him. Even the puppy came over and plopped down on his boots like he needed a friend.
Cooper knelt beside Tank and rubbed him. “Dr. Montgomery must be so glad you’re coming home, Hannah.”
She grimaced before giving her best approximation of a smile. “We’ll see. You’re in school now, right?”
