Page 86 of The Bitterroot Inn (Jamison Valley 5)
“Huh,” I hummed. “I haven’t really ever thought that far ahead. I figured I’d be in the loft until Coby was off to college and it was just me.”
Hunter stopped on a step and turned. “It’s not just you anymore, baby.”
No. No, it wasn’t.
Since he was at eye level, I leaned forward and set a soft kiss on his lips.
“Mommy! Hunter!” Coby yelled from downstairs. “Is it time for cheeseburgers?”
I kissed Hunter once more before he continued down the stairs.
“I don’t think I have to be in town, but I do think it would be nice to have someone around the motel,” I said. “Just in case. Someone I could trust in case of an emergency.”
“As a manager?”
“I can’t afford a manager,” I sighed. “At least not until my mortgage is paid off. But maybe I could get someone to live in the loft and discount their rent if they kept an eye on things and called me if there was a problem.”
That could totally work. How much could I charge for rent? Who could I ask to live there? As numbers and potential rental candidates started racing through my mind, I smiled wider.
Maybe I’d be ready to live at Hunter’s sooner than I’d thought. The idea seemed less shocking than it had a minute ago. Now it just seemed like the right next step.
“Coby!” I called when we walked into the kitchen. He didn’t answer, just giggled from behind the island where he was hiding. “Coby! Oh, no, Hunter. We’ve lost Coby. I guess I’ll have to drink his Oreo milkshake myself since he can’t go to dinner.”
“Here I am!” Coby shot out from behind the island and ran over to the front door.
I followed my son outside to get him into his car seat while Hunter locked the door behind us. As we slowly drove out of the long drive that met up with the main road, I watched through the side-view mirror as Hunter’s house disappeared into the trees.
The cedar siding was stained brown, the perfect exterior for a home in the trees. The gables above the covered porch added a touch of soft elegance to the otherwise rustic exterior. The stone columns bracketing the entryway would look beautiful with barrels of flowers at their bases.
Yeah, I want to live here someday.
Not just for the house, but because with the house came the man.
I looked over at Hunter in the driver’s seat and smiled as my phone rang in a center cupholder. Glad it wasn’t Unknown—who had been as persistent as ever—
I answered. “Hi, Mom.”
“Maisy.”
I sat up as straight as my seat belt would let me. “What? What’s wrong?”
“You need to come to the hospital right now.” Her voice was shaking. “Your dad . . .” She trailed off as she started crying.
“Mom?” My heart thundered. “What’s wrong with Dad?”
“He . . . he had a heart attack,” Mom whispered.
My hand flew to my mouth as I gasped.
“He’s in with Dr. Peterson right now,” Mom said. “They’re doing some tests.”
“But he’s okay? He’s alive?” I choked out the words as my eyes flooded.
“Yes,” Mom whispered and started crying again.
Thank god. “Okay. We’re on our way. I love you.” I hung up and looked over at Hunter through blurry eyes. “We need to go to the hospital.”
He nodded and hit the gas. “What happened?”
