“Hannah!” Cooper yelled with a bright smile as he ran to her.
She slowed her pace and waited for him to reach her as Tank nuzzled her hand. “Well! Mighty nice meeting you here. I was coming to see your uncle Will. How’re things going?”
He looked so adorable as he wiped his sweaty hair off his forehead before pointing at his mouth. “Pretty good. We’re almost ready to pour the foundation. And do you know what? I lost another tooth today! See! Now the tooth fairy has to pay up.”
“Nice,” she said as he dug into his pocket and held out the tooth. How many times had she helped the Prentice boys pull a reluctant tooth? More than she’d liked. “What are you going to spend your new money on?”
Puffing out his chest, he grinned widely. “Lumber. I’m contributing to Uncle Will’s project too. How much lumber will my tooth fairy money buy?”
God, what a sweet boy. “I’m not current with lumber prices, but I’ll bet yours will smell absolutely delicious.”
He wrinkled his nose. “Lumber doesn’t smell delicious.”
She nodded sagely. “It does. In fact, you know how I gave you that roller ball with lavender essential oil?”
“Yeah. It smells like Grams’ dusting powder, but I haven’t gotten bit by the skeeters in days, like you said. Dad says to use it at bedtime too. Soon, I’ll know all the plants like you, Hannah!”
“Good to know.” She crouched down to be closer to him. “Anyway, there are essential oils of all sorts of trees, like pine and cedar. I’ll show you if you’d like.”
“Cool! Are you going to heal every cowpoke on the Triple M? Like Hudson?”
She laughed, petting Tank, who finally lay down at their feet. “Who told you that?”
“My gramps, when he went to lunch. Gramps said he’ll come visit you to see if you have something for his creaky old bones. He sometimes sounds just like a rusty door.”
Oh, he was so cute. “He does not.”
“He does.” The little boy put his hand to his back and took a couple of steps, making a passable creaky sound, showing his gap-toothed grin. “Gramps says getting old is a bitch. Then he says I’m not supposed to say that word, even if it’s true.”
Ah, the repetition of elders. “I’ve heard that. Tell your gramps I have just the thing. It’s called Solomon’s seal root. Keeps the joints moist so they don’t creak.”
“I will.” He put his finger to his mouth. “Hannah, you really do have plants for everything, don’t you?”
She tapped him on the nose. “Try me.”
He tucked his chin down and made a show of pushing the tip of his shoe into the ground. “Well…I was kinda wondering if you had a plant that could help my mom love me.”
Her throat clogged. Of all the requests she’d had, this one might be the most heartbreaking. She thought of him sobbing his heart out the other night. Now this wish… What was she supposed to say? She tugged him closer, wrapping her arm around his side, praying for the right words. “Cooper, there are all sorts of plants to help people love more, but sometimes they don’t want them. Your mom and I went to school together, and she didn’t believe in plants and flowers like I did.”
Tears glistened in his blue eyes when he lifted his little face. “Can’t youtryto tell her? Please! Maybe Hudson and the other cowboys can show her how much those plants helped them. Wouldn’t that make her believe?”
He was so smart. “Maybe, but sometimes people don’t believe even when someone tells them. My father is a good example. He’s a medical doctor, and even though Dylan Prentice’s forehead healed quickly because of the salve I gave him, he won’t believe it.”
Studying his shoes, he confessed, “I don’t like Dr.Montgomery much anyway. He stabs you with a shot and doesn’t even give you a lollipop like I’ve seen doctors do on TV.”
She bit her lip to keep from smiling. “He doesn’t believe in giving kids sugar.”
He made an aggrieved sound, his cute little dimples disappearing. “Those are the worst houses for trick-or-treating. They want to give you an apple or a granola bar. I tell Papa wehaveto keep walking past them. Even if it’s not neighborly.”
Oddly, thinking about Ben taking Cooper trick-or-treating made her heart turn over. How many more angles was she going to discover about him? The other night, as she’d gone through his phone, she remembered seeing Cooper dressed up for Halloween in everything from a horse costume to an astronaut, but she hadn’t taken the thought further. She kinda couldn’t wait to see it.
Then she wondered if she’d be walking with them. If things continued with Ben, she certainly might be. The thought made her heart do a happy somersault. Yes, it was early, but things between them were good. After being in his arms again, she’d appreciated his restraint. She’d known more than once that he’d wanted to kiss her.
“I didn’t like those houses growing up either.” She stood and held her hand out. “How about we check in on your uncle Will and then see if Reba’s made any cookies today?”
“She did.” He grabbed her hand and started tugging her toward the site. “Gramps and I already snuck in and stole two. Right off the cooling rack. She’s going to be fit to be tied when she sees them gone. Gramps and I were laughing like loons as we snuck out onto the front porch. We gobbled them up before coming back here to help.”
She’d bet Reba knew exactly what they’d done, but still hearing about his bond with Gramps was downright sweet. She knew Ben had fond memories of Grams giving him littletreats, mostly because she’d been right beside him to enjoy them. He’d lacked a male influence growing up in many ways, what with his father and grandfather actively working the ranch like they had. She imagined that was why Ben was all the more determined to be there for Cooper, and she admired him for it. “I promise I won’t tell. Now, let’s go see your uncle.”
