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Again, damn her sister for leaving this all to her. Raking her fingers through her hair, she spun and took off pacing the other direction. For days since her father collapsed right here in her bedroom, she had been wearing a path in the hardwood planks.
Three days had passed since that terrible night. If she didn’t reach Ivy soon, the crisis would either be over and she’d have missed it entirely—which was so unfair and exactly like her.
Or Meadow would bury her father and tell Ivy after the fact.
Issuing a low groan, Meadow snatched up her phone with the intention of calling her sister—for what? The three hundredth time at least.
She stopped and smacked a palm off her forehead. Why hadn’t she thought of it before?
She could email her. Whether or not she even answered emails these days was anyone’s guess, but she had to try.
Quickly, she shot off a short note about their father’s condition and asked Ivy to get in touch with her ASAP. Then she tossed her phone on the bed and abandoned her pacing to rifle through her closet for something comfortable to wear today. Sitting in rigid hospital chairs day in and day out required clothes that didn’t squeeze her waist, and now was not the time to care about her appearance.
She grabbed a pair of loose boyfriend-style jeans and a T-shirt that she’d stolen from Forest years and years ago. The cozy, brotherly feel of it wrapped her in the hug she could use from him right now.
She topped the ensemble with a sweater she could remove if she got too warm, but hospitals were known for being chilly.
After drawing her hair up into a messy bun, she was ready to spend another day visiting her father in ICU. The long hours were spent between sitting at his bedside, holding his hand and praying for his recovery, and long hours of boredom slumped in the waiting room, watching bad daytime TV and waiting for the next time she was allowed in to see him.
Damn Ivy for leaving this all to me, she fumed again. Was she being petty? No, she was not. Her sister should be here.
She grabbed her phone again and checked email on the off chance her sister already responded. Of course, she hadn’t.
Biting her bottom lip, she stowed her phone in her back pocket and walked out of her room. The house rang with silence—a reverberating gong that left her feeling even lonelier than ever.
Part of her wished she could take some time for herself. Before Colton came to the ranch, she dedicated most of her time to her horse, Jewel. Over the past few days, she’d neglected her horse sorely. If Jewel wasn’t receiving the training she needed to stay sharp, at least she was getting daily exercise thanks to the ranch hands.
There was also her deep need to spend time with Colton. He was so busy picking up the slack around here that she hadn’t seen nearly enough of him. He came to her at night, not bothering to sneak in through the window, and slipped into her bed.
But they hadn’t made love since the day of her father’s heart attack. Colton simply held her. And while she loved it and appreciated the comfort his arms offered…she missed his touch.
Was he being kind to her under the circumstances, thinking she didn’t want to be touched that way? Made love to? Because she did.
As soon as she reached her truck, she paused, looking around for Colton or one of the guys.
The ranch may as well be a ghost town. The silence out here was a different sort than the house, but no less daunting. Almost frightening. The soft whisper of the mountain wind was always a companion to anybody who lived on the Gracey…but it left her feeling hollow.
Her mother and brother would never return, but she hoped with all her heart that her father and sister would.
She took a few steps toward the barn, thinking of stroking Jewel’s mane and talking softly to her, grounding herself for a few minutes before going to the hospital. Her mare was always the best listener.
Or maybe she’d find Colton in the barn, performing some chore. What she wouldn’t give to spend the day in his arms rather than at the hospital.
But her father needed to know somebody was there for him, as he hadn’t been for her.
Mind made up, she returned to her truck and climbed behind the wheel. The drive through Eden resurrected a lot of memories. Of coming here as a big, happy family.
Whenever the five of them went out, people stopped her father to talk. Her mom was well-loved by the shopkeepers and the wives of neighboring ranchers. When she passed away, they’d come in droves, bearing casseroles that had kept the family in food for weeks.
As Meadow passed a playground, she turned her head to look. A couple kids were on the swings, swaying back and forth and talking. Countless times, she and Ivy had done the same. She and Forest were always closest, but she and Ivy had their moments of sisterly bonding. What happened?
Then Meadow drove past and next thing she knew, she was staring at Badlands. The establishment was closed this time of day, but she wasn’t surprised to see the owner’s vehicle in front of the distillery. She worked hard on her family business…and Meadow wasn’t putting in enough devotion to her own.
Determination washed through her. She would step up. Whether her father recovered or not, she was going to do more to keep the ranch prospering for a fourth generation.
That made a shiver run through her—the fourth generation would be her children.
At this moment, her love for Colton was so strong that she couldn’t imagine being with anybody else, even if they were just starting off together, getting to know each other’s strengths and even their weaknesses.
