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He frowned down at her. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
She bit her lip. “Not really, but if I was in his shoes, I’d want some company. I have no idea if I’ll be welcome, but I think considering what we meant to each other in the past it feels like the right thing to do.”
“Okay,” he nodded. “Let’s go.”
She went back to her seat and grabbed her purse and coat, then quickly trailed after Liam.
“Honor!” Boone called after her. She turned around and eyed him warily. He had caught up to her. His expression radiated concern.
“Boone. I’ve got to go. It’s an emergency.”
“Why don’t you just stay here with us? It’s not wise to get wrapped up in Joshua’s personal life,” he warned. “You don’t need to get pulled back in.”
Why was Boone continuing to treat her like a child? It was beyond irritating. “The last time I checked I’m an adult. I’m gainfully employed and I live on my own. I’m no longer the naive teenager who had stars in her eyes. Please stop questioning my decisions!”
Boone opened his mouth to reply, but she turned on her heel and raced to catch up with Liam, who had left the café. When she walked outside, Honor spotted her brother revving up his car across the street. She raced over, then hustled into the passenger seat.
Please, Lord, she prayed. Let Violet be all right. It will destroy Joshua if his baby girl is seriously injured. We might not be in the best place right now, but I still care about what happens to Joshua. I don’t want him to be in pain.
And therein lay her truths. She still cared. Their love story had ended a long time ago, but it didn’t mean she had ever stopped loving him as a human being. It was different from being in love with him, but it was still powerful. The ties binding them together meant she couldn’t turn her back on him when he was in need. And beautiful, sweet Violet had touched something inside of Honor that had been dormant for a long time. It had frightened her to feel such intense emotions for Joshua’s daughter, but she knew exactly where they stemmed from—the loss of the baby she and Joshua had created.
It wasn’t easy dealing with all the feelings she had stuffed down for so many years, but Honor knew she needed to offer support to Joshua and Violet. She prayed Joshua wouldn’t be upset by her presence at the clinic, because there was no force on earth that could stop her from being there.
* * *
Joshua couldn’t remember a time in his life when he had been so terrified. He had broken every speed record in Love, Alaska, in order to get Violet to Dr. Liam Prescott’s clinic. Violet screamed the entire way. His heart had broken listening to her cries. All he’d wanted to do was hold her in his arms and make her feel better. Joshua had uttered more prayers than he’d ever imagined possible.
Because neither Theo nor Winnie had been at the house this evening when Violet had fallen, he was all alone in a very scary situation.
As he pulled up in front of the clinic, he immediately noticed it was ablaze with lights. He vaulted out of the truck and raced to unbuckle Violet. Her face was blotchy and red. She was whimpering and her eyes were pink from crying. Joshua cradled her as gently as he possibly could in his arms. The last thing he wanted to do was inflict more pain on her.
As soon as he walked up to the front door, it swung open. Liam stood in the entranceway, ushering him inside.
“Come on into the examining room,” Liam said, leading him down the hall.
Honor was standing there with wide eyes, wringing her hands. There was a look of strain on her face. “I thought you might need a friend,” she said.
Although he was still furious with her regarding the injunction, Joshua couldn’t ignore the sense of relief he felt upon seeing her. Even though they were at odds over the Diamond R, Honor knew him on a level most people didn’t. They had history. Somehow it made him feel better to have her here. Now he didn’t feel so alone.
He nodded at her, tacitly giving her permission to come with them into the examining room. Once they were inside the room, Liam began to pepper him with questions.
“Can you tell me what happened, Joshua?” Liam asked.
Joshua had to talk over the sound of Violet’s wails. Every now and again she would stop crying, only to start up again. “She fell down the basement stairs.” He let out an agonized sound. “I ran down there to get something. I left her playing in the living room. I can’t believe she toddled all the way over to the basement door.” He scratched his jaw. “I should have realized she could scoot over there in the blink of an eye.”
“These things happen. You can’t dwell on that part,” Liam said in a gentle voice. “I’m going to lay her down on her back so I can examine her. Just stand right next to me so she stays as calm as possible.”
Joshua laid Violet down on the examining table. She held out her arms so he would pick her up. Joshua was in agony. His daughter was too little to understand what was going on. As Liam examined her, Joshua spoke to her in a calm, soothing voice. He began playing peekaboo with her and trying to distract her. After a few minutes, Liam sat Violet up.
“I’m going to do some X-rays on her left arm. Judging by the way she’s holding it and her reaction to my touching it, it could be broken. And I’d like to check on her leg as well. She could have broken several bones in the fall. We just have to make certain. She’s not showing any signs of a concussion, but we should watch out for them. Loss of balance. Headache. And I also want to rule out any internal injuries.”
Joshua ran a hand over his face. He felt incredibly guilty. “I can’t believe this,” he muttered. “She’s just a baby.”
“It’s going to be all right, Joshua. Violet is in great hands. Liam will figure out what’s going on,” Honor said in a comforting tone.
“Why don’t we just take her down the hall to get the X-rays and then I’ll be able to see what’s going on with her,” Liam explained. “I’ll give you a vest to wear, Joshua, so you can hold Violet and not have to worry about exposure to any radiation.”
Joshua nodded, handing Violet over to Honor. She didn’t fuss or make a peep. Violet’s big blue eyes were focused on Honor. Clearly, she’d won her over with her sweet, honeyed voice and warm smiles. Honor projected a caring, sensitive vibe. It was one of the many reasons Joshua had fallen for her.
