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“I’m okay,” she assured him, which, of course, was a lie.
She was far from okay, but she couldn’t let something like panic interfere with her helping Jesse. That meant she, too, needed to be keeping watch for Bull. That’s why she went to the side window. It was only a few feet from where Jesse was standing, but it would give her a different view from his. A view that might allow her to spot Bull before he got into a position where he could do some more harm.
Her phone dinged with a call, the sound startling her, and she silently cursed when she saw her mother’s name on the screen. Hanna knew she should have already contacted her mom and told her the same lie about being okay.
Drawing in another deep breath, Hanna answered while she continued to keep watch outside. Unlike Jesse, Hanna didn’t put this call on speaker. No need for him to hear what was no doubt about to be said. Over the past six months, Hanna had learned just how much venom her mother had for Jesse and the rest of the Rylands.
“I had to learn about that horrible man’s escape from one of the nurses who’s got family in Silver Creek,” her mother immediately greeted. “I’m coming over there right now to stay with Evan and you. I had my assistant bring me a car a couple of weeks ago, and I can be there in under an hour.”
“No, please don’t come.” Hanna couldn’t say that fast enough.
For one thing, her mother, Isabel, was recovering from a recent stroke and was still convalescing in an upscale nursing home in San Antonio. There was no way she should be behind the wheel of a car. Of course, her assistant shouldn’t have brought her a vehicle, either, but that was a beef for Hanna to tackle some other time.
“But you shouldn’t be alone,” her mother protested.
“I’m not alone. Jesse’s here and so are two armed ranch hands.”
Hanna had already anticipated her mother’s disapproving silence, so it didn’t come as a surprise. Neither did the continued protest that immediately followed.
“I’ll make some calls,” Isabel insisted, going into the full “protective mom” mode. “I’ll get some bodyguards out there ASAP. I can also call a friend in the Texas Rangers to take over the hunt for the man who nearly killed you.”
“Please don’t do any of that.” Hanna kept her tone respectful, but it wasn’t always easy to do that with her mom. Especially when Isabel rarely bothered to keep her own tone in check. “Jesse’s staying the night, and Grayson already has someone out looking for Bull. It’s possible the sheriff’s office will soon have him back in custody.”
“The Rylands.” Isabel spat the name out like a profanity. “You shouldn’t be putting your life and Evan’s in their hands.”
Again, this was no surprise because it was an opinion that Isabel often voiced. Hanna might have reservations about ever getting intimately involved with Jesse again, but she didn’t doubt his commitment to Evan. Isabel probably didn’t doubt it, either, not really, but since the woman had bad blood with the Rylands, she would likely never want to believe anything but the worst about any of them.
Hanna had only gotten Isabel’s side of the story, but the bad blood had started when Hanna had been a toddler, and Grayson, who’d been a deputy at the time, had arrested Hanna’s father for assaulting a young woman. Isabel had insisted the assault hadn’t happened and had equally insisted that her husband hadn’t been having an affair with the battered woman. Isabel had fought the charges even though they’d led to her husband’s conviction and subsequent parole.
Since Hanna’s father had died of a heart attack shortly thereafter, she wasn’t sure she would ever know the full truth. She certainly didn’t expect to ever get it from Isabel, but from everything she’d heard, her father had indeed been cheating, and he had a vicious temper that could have spurred the attack.
“Did you hear me?” Isabel snapped. “You can’t trust the Rylands. You can’t trust them with your life or Evan’s.”
“It’ll be fine,” Hanna said, knowing that wouldn’t come close to soothing her mom. “I’ll call you in the morning with an update.” Hanna ended the call. No need to drag out what would only escalate into an argument.
Even though Hanna only had six months of memories when it came to her mother, she’d learned that Isabel could be stubborn and demanding. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with that tonight. But she also didn’t want the woman in harm’s way, and that’s exactly where she could be if she tried to drive to Silver Creek.
Hanna quickly texted her mother’s doctor, Michael Warner, and told him about the possibility that Isabel might try to leave the facility. Dr. Warner would make sure that she stayed put. Hanna also asked him to check that everything was secure at the facility and gave him a brief explanation about Bull’s escape from prison. The doctor would no doubt see to that, too, since it could put some of the other residents in danger if by some long shot Bull showed up there.
“Isabel didn’t approve of me being here at your place,” Jesse commented when Hanna finally set her phone aside. It wasn’t a question.
“She didn’t,” Hanna verified. She sighed. “It’s funny. Most people have given me plenty of space since I lost my memory. But not her. Part of me understands that, because I’m a mother, too. Still...” She trailed off, leaving it at that.
Best not to get into the frustrations. Or the fact that she wished Isabel would get on board with giving her that space.
“Your mother wants Evan and you safe,” Jesse said, using that soothing drawl that was now so familiar. It spun through her like warm honey.
Hanna didn’t doubt that about her mother’s intentions, but Isabel could be overwhelming, and that was the main reason Hanna had resisted her mother’s pressure to move into the family estate with her. The estate wasn’t far, just on the other side of Silver Creek, but she didn’t want to be under Isabel’s thumb 24/7, especially since being there would make it next to impossible for Jesse to come and visit his son.
“It isn’t always easy,” Hanna murmured when she realized Jesse was giving her that look. Not the heated one that he sometimes wasn’t able to shut down fast enough. This was essentially a raised eyebrow, without the actual gesture, that was asking her to explain herstillcomment about her mother.
He nodded in that same slow way as his drawl and rephrased. “I’d imagine it’s rarely uncomplicated for you these days. I’m sorry about that.” Jesse shook his head and said something under his breath she didn’t catch. “Sorry you’re having to go through this on top of everything else you’ve had to deal with.”
She didn’t have to remember him well to know it was guilt she was hearing in his voice. Hanna had heard it plenty of times before. Had seen it, too, and it was just as strong as her mother’s insistence that the Rylands were to blame for what had happened to her.
Hanna shifted her attention to the baby monitor when she saw Evan squirm a little. He shouldn’t be anywhere close to waking up yet, but there were still times when he didn’t sleep through the night. She had her attention on the baby when Jesse’s phone beeped again.
“It’s Grayson,” Jesse relayed.
