door opened and the nurse reentered with the boys. “I know you just got to see her, but she does need her rest and visiting hours are almost over. So say your goodbyes and you can see her in the morning.”
Before they could leave, a doctor entered the room. “Good. Your family hasn’t left. I was hoping to catch them.”
He turned to Lance and held out his hand. “Steve Purcell,” he said. “I just want to be sure that when Erin goes home tomorrow, she won’t be going home alone.”
The doctor explained Erin’s injuries to Lance and none of it surprised him. Nor did it come as a shock when the doctor said, “She’s not capable of being on her own right now. I can’t release her unless I know there’s going to be a responsible adult with her in the house to look after the boys. Their mother, perhaps?”
Lance glanced over at Erin, who wore a panicked expression on her face, like she was afraid of what answer he would give.
“The boys’ mother is on her honeymoon,” Lance said, turning his attention back to the doctor.
“Don’t you dare call her.” Erin sat straighter in her bed, whatever grogginess she’d been feeling during their conversation seemingly gone. “Leah has been working really hard to save up for this trip. You can’t ruin it and make her come home early. I’ll be fine. Please.”
It was just like Erin to be worried about ruining Leah’s honeymoon. Were it anyone else, he would insist on calling. But she was right. If Leah knew that Erin had been injured, she would change her plans and come straight home. He didn’t want that for her. Even Lance could admit that his ex-sister-in-law deserved to enjoy her honeymoon.
“Please,” Erin said more gently. “I can do this. I’m far more capable than anyone gives me credit for.”
“I understand what you’re saying,” Lance said slowly. “I wouldn’t want to ruin Leah’s honeymoon, either. I’ll stay with you. I’ll help with the boys.”
She gave him a hopeful look. “You would do that? What about your job?”
He nodded. “I’m on a bit of an extended vacation.”
It was the closest to the truth he could give right now, especially in front of all these people.
This time when Erin slumped back against her pillows, all the fight had left her. It had clearly taken all of her energy to protect her sister and now the medication had won.
“All right.” She turned to look at the doctor. “You heard him. Lance is going to stay with us. And even though he doesn’t have to, I appreciate it. You can fill him in on any necessary information. My sister is back in two weeks and she can take over then.”
It was obvious she hadn’t wanted to agree to letting him stay but she’d had no other choice. And while spending the next two weeks taking care of Erin wasn’t high on Lance’s priority list, maybe it would allow him to discover the elusive peace he’d been hoping to find.
As they left the hospital room he took a final glance back at Erin, who was already drifting off to sleep. He didn’t understand his tender feelings for her at this moment. Maybe it was because she was injured. But he’d do well to remind himself not to let his heart get entangled with hers again.
“We need to make cookies,” Erin said as Lance helped her out of the car when they got back to the ranch the next day.
“You just got home,” he said. “Let’s get you settled in and maybe, in a few days, we’ll give it a go.”
Even though Lance had known about Erin’s love for Christmas, he hadn’t expected she’d want to continue her activities as normal when she got home. But he should have guessed, considering how important it was to her. As he watched the defiant expression cross her face, he knew this wasn’t going to be an easy battle.
That had always been the trouble with Erin. When she got something stuck in her mind, it was almost impossible to convince her to see sense. Wasn’t that what had gotten her into this position in the first place?
He’d told her to let him finish the lights. Had she listened? No. And in a careless moment she’d been injured. At least this time it was only her safety she’d compromised. But what if he hadn’t been able to take care of her? What would she have done with the boys? Would she have had to call her sister home?
Even though everyone told him that Lily’s death was nothing more than a tragic accident, Lance knew that if only Erin had been more careful, more responsible, she would have remembered to lock the door and wouldn’t have fallen asleep. Maybe then, their daughter would still be alive.
“I’ll be fine,” she insisted, struggling to get out of her seat.
As much as Erin claimed she felt fine, she’d slept almost the entire drive back to the ranch. He’d had enough injuries of his own to know that a concussion took longer than most people thought to heal. Add in the pain from her fall and she wasn’t going to be fine for a long time.
“You’ve only just gotten out of the hospital, so let’s take it one step at a time. Starting with getting you into the house.”
He tried not to laugh as she glared at him. It was almost fun, watching her squirm. The look on her face as she glanced down at her foot then up at the stairs leading to the porch was priceless. Though they’d put her in a walking boot, the cast on her right arm would make it difficult for her to grab on to anything for balance.
Plus, it was hard to take her seriously when she was wearing a gaudy Christmas sweater with a giant llama on the front that said, “I llama wish you a Merry Christmas.” Her outfit was absolutely ridiculous, but when she was in the hospital, Lance and the boys had stopped at a discount store to buy them all some necessities for their overnight stay, as well as some things for Lance’s stay at Erin’s, and the boys had insisted that Erin needed that sweater.
She’d accepted the boys’ gift with dignity, but he could tell by the horrified expression on her face that it was a bit much, even for her. Her acceptance of the ugly sweater was one of the many things he’d always loved about her. Erin’s warmth always made people feel...
Lance shook his head. There was a big difference between finding peace with their relationship and remembering those feelings. Best to focus on the task at hand.
“Put your arm around my neck,” he said, bending beside the car. “You can balance on me until you get the hang of walking in that thing.”
She nodded slowly as she scooted out of the seat, putting her arm around him. She’d been in his arms only the day before, when he’d taken her to the hospital, but this felt different. Like... He couldn’t put words to it. But he liked the feeling of Erin trusting him and relying on him. They’d once had it and, somehow, they’d lost it.
Once he got her into the house, he took her to the family room. The space was cozy, with couches arranged by a fireplace and half-opened boxes of decorations in the corner. Some of the decorations were already in place but, judging from the boxes, Erin had a lot more to go.
“Is that
