Denton Read online

  Suddenly Brock pounded the table with his palm. His grin widened. “Damn, it’s good to have you here, Dent. Who’d have thought all three of us would have made it like this?”

  Cole grinned. “Hey, we all survived. That’s the most important part. I’m happy to be alive and with whatever health and physical ability I have now. I know it’ll get better—especially with Sandra at my side.”

  Denton had no one at his side, but he had his friends, and he hoped that, in time, their new partners would become his friends too. The three guys had all had girlfriends in the past and at no point had those relationships been allowed to break up the three men’s friendships.

  And instinctively he knew that these women wouldn’t come between them either. Content in knowing that he had friends who would be there with him through thick and thin, a clan of like-minded people who would grow and develop as their relationships and families grew, he smiled.

  He was truly blessed. Denton studied his friends’ faces and nodded. “And I’m damn glad to be here too.”

  Chapter 5

  For the next week and a half, Hannah went about her job but constantly noticed groups of people paired up in discussions, both professional and personal. Also, a lot of visitors came back and forth as several families checked out the facilities to see if it was the right place for their loved ones. Other family members came to visit loved ones. Everywhere Hannah looked, she saw togetherness. To combat being overwhelmed by her feelings, she focused on the people who were single at Hathaway. Shane and Stan came to mind, and there were certainly lots of others. Stan had a life downstairs with his own staff. She didn’t know a whole lot about them. But as she gravitated away from the friend groups, she realized she was gravitating more toward people who were single.

  As if singles would be more likely to become her friend, instead of trying to make friends with groups of people who were already linked together. She felt like she was on the outside, figuring out a way to get inside. That was wrong. It felt like high school all over again. She’d hated that time. She didn’t want to fall into that same kind of mentality.

  She walked to her office, sat down at her desk and worked through some patient files. Medical updates were to be entered manually into the computer. Bills needed to be processed, and there was always paperwork.

  Dani walked in, a cup of coffee in hand, and sat down in Hannah’s visitor chair. “Okay, so tell me what’s wrong.”

  Hannah glanced at her in surprise. “What do you mean, what’s wrong?”

  “You,” Dani said, her tone light. “The last few days you’ve been different.”

  Hannah winced. “Has it been that obvious?”

  Dani nodded. “For someone who knows you and works with you every day, yes.”

  “Sorry. I’ve been thinking a lot about friends and friend groups and not having friends.” She gave a weak half laugh. “The minute your mind picks up on a problem around you, all you see are the things that you don’t have.”

  “Haven’t you made friends here?” Dani asked carefully. “Everyone has lovely things to say about you and your performance.”

  Hannah smiled at her. “And that’s all great because we also live here and work here. It’s important that we also have a life that includes more than a working relationship. Friends are everywhere here. And I’m not one of them, it seems.” She forced a smile. “Is anything wrong with me?” Dani’s eyebrows rose in surprise, and Hannah quickly added, “I’ve been more introspective lately.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with a little introspection at times,” Dani said slowly, “but don’t let it get carried away. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you, Hannah. It may be that you’re still fairly new here, and you’re a hard worker who spends a lot of time on her job.”

  “I certainly understand that,” Hannah said in relief. “Since I arrived at Hathaway House, I haven’t taken the time to grow close to anybody else here.” She smiled ruefully. “And that’s probably not healthy either.”

  Dani nodded. “It does make sense that, if your entire life is wrapped up here, you should have other friends off the property or make friends here so that you can do things away from work. Just because you live here, it doesn’t mean you have to be completely focused on this place.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. But I don’t know how to meet the people who do other things.” She studied Dani. “And if I’m feeling that way, are others? Like, some of the patients maybe too?”

  Dani glanced around the small office thoughtfully. “Maybe we need to organize more outings. For the ambulatory patients especially. Let’s plan a social trip to town. See if we have a group of ten who we can take to the mall and out for lunch to the park … maybe pick out a few sightseeing or shopping places that people want to go to.”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Hannah agreed. “It might help to develop relationships for those patients who are isolated or only briefly get hugs. It can be lonely here,” she admitted. “I hadn’t realized how lonely I was until the last few days.”

  “Because of Denton’s arrival?” Dani asked.

  Hannah nodded. “And that’s silly. Denton, Brock and Cole were friends long before they came here.”

  “True enough.” Dani smiled. “And since you came here, we’ve also seen a surge in other relationships developing. Of which Aaron and I are a prime example. And the trend is continuing. Seeing that can make people want more than what they have.”

  “Exactly,” Hannah said, deciding she’d whined enough. “A field trip next week sounds like fun.”

  Dani stood. “Put together a basic proposal. Give me some ideas of where and what people would like to do. Go talk to the ambulatory patients. We’ll start with them. Otherwise we’d have to bring a whole staffing crew with us to help out.”

  “Can do. But maybe we could do something modified for the less ambulatory patients. Just getting them out on the grounds, around the horses. And a picnic for them too. Regardless, how about I start small with the trip to town, and we’ll see how it goes?”

  “Sounds good. Let me know what you come up with.” With that, Dani left Hannah’s office. Surprisingly Hannah felt better. For the moment at least.

  Notebook in hand, Hannah made her way to some of the patients, looking for suggestions and those wanting to participate in a field trip. When she got to Denton’s room, she found him sitting slumped on his bed, his face flushed and sweaty.

  She knocked and hesitantly stepped inside. “How are you, Denton? Looks like you’ve had a rough day so far.”

  He wiped his face with the towel in his hand. “I’m pretty tired,” he admitted. “Who knew that recovery from an injury could be so harsh? In the military, we went through all kinds of physically strenuous exercise. We were constantly in training, constantly running, constantly doing feats. To be honest, it was harder than anything we’d ever done before.” He shook his head. “There were times when I was taken to the edge of my endurance. My spirit was so low I felt I was done. That I was physically finished.” He gave her a wan smile. “But I hit that point faster than I ever thought possible here.”

  She crossed her arms and stepped into his room. “Remember though, you are just starting out so don’t be hard on yourself. What got you through those tough times in the military?” she asked curiously.

  “My friends,” he said. “Brock and Cole. They got me through the tough times. There was one time where I quit. I was done for. I knew I couldn’t take one more step. They wouldn’t listen to me. They grabbed me by the arms and dragged me forward. Because if I could take one more step on my own, then several more steps would help me get there. I let them help. That was a huge wakeup call for me. I was letting somebody else help me make my dreams happen. It’s hard to admit when you need help. Yet, it’s a great thing to understand that when you need help, somebody is there who cares.” He collapsed backward on the bed and groaned. “Holy crap, I’m tired.”

  “Did you get lunch?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “I’m trying to motivate myself to get something to eat. I need to. I’m really hungry, but I’m so tired.”

  “I’d suggest that you use the wheelchair, but I don’t want to hurt your feelings.”

  He raised his head and looked at her. “If I could get into the wheelchair, I could probably help myself.” He pushed himself into a sitting position, clearly wincing as he moved sore muscles. He glanced at the wheelchair and then at her. “Is it too late to eat?”

  She glanced at her tablet. “It’s one-thirty. You still have time.” She walked to the wheelchair parked in the corner of his room and pushed it toward him. When it was right beside him, she said, “It’s your choice.”

  He smiled and slowly made his way into the chair. Once he was seated, he collapsed and relaxed. “Lord, that feels better. Just the thought of forcing that leg and foot into any more exercise today is beyond me.”

  She hesitated. “Can you get yourself there, or would you like me to help?”

  “You know? I’m so tired I won’t be too proud to accept the offer of help.” He inclined his head in her direction. “If you have a few moments, thank you. I could use a push.”

  She grinned. “It’s nice to see you won’t be stubborn.”

  He chuckled. “Oh, stubbornness I got in spades. The learning to give … the wanting to accept … remembering to be appreciative?” he said. “That’s a talent.”

  She stepped behind the wheelchair and pushed him forward through the doorway. “Well, from what I can see, you got that talent down pat. I wish I did.” Her voice had a serious tone to it.

  He twisted to look up at her. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you have the ability to make friends and keep friends. I was talking to Dani about it today. The three of you—Brock, Cole and you.” She upped the wattage of her smile. “I, on the other hand, don’t. Not real friends. Although if I had, would they become something I’d depend on now? I don’t know.”

  He settled in as they rolled down the hallway toward the dining hall. “Something about being in BUD/s training instinctively let the three of us know that we had to help each other to make it through. It wasn’t that anybody could make you run the miles when you wore down. You had to find that strength within yourself. But what about when you couldn’t find it? That’s when your friends pushed you, urging you to keep up, to dig deep. It helped knowing that you weren’t alone. Knowing they were struggling too. It’s hard when it looks like you’re the only one who’s not doing so well. The self-confidence takes a hit, and it’s hard to recover from that.”

  “I can imagine,” she said quietly. “You have a lot to be proud of in your life.”

  He nodded. “Just because my life went in a different direction, that doesn’t mean it isn’t full of good things.”

  She gave a light laugh that sounded false. “Maybe and maybe not. I can’t see myself feeling terribly overjoyed by what I’ve accomplished so far.”

  “Particularly with friends, I gather?” He wanted to twist and look up at her again, but that was awkward and pretty hard on his back. But he could tell from the silence as she pushed him down the hallway and from the wheels silently spinning beneath them that he had hit the target. “I don’t mean to hurt you,” he said hesitantly. “I’m not sure that making friends is such a talent as much as it’s the opportunity in accepting and taking up opportunities from crossing paths.”

  She stayed quiet, so he tried again.

  “Meaning that it takes the right people at the right time under the right circumstances to click. And probably a lot of good people are here, and you’re all doing the same things, but it can be a little easier to be friends and coworkers at the same time when you live here.”

  “Quite possibly.” At that, she stopped at the large doorway. “Where do you want to sit?”

  “Outside,” he said. “Any chance I get, I like to be outside.”

  She pushed the wheelchair to the start of the buffet line.

  He turned to look up at her. “Thanks for the assist.” He gave her a big grin. Then seeing the uncertain look on her face, he asked in a gentle voice, “Have you eaten?”

  She shoved her hands into the pockets of her long sweater and shook her head. “No, I guess time went by so fast this morning that I missed it,” she confessed.

  “In that case, this is one of those times where the right circumstances and the right people have come together, and they clicked.” He grinned at her. “Come have lunch with me.”

  She hesitated, and he watched her inner struggle play out on her face. But then she stepped up behind him and said, “I might eat a little. I’m not terribly hungry.” She grabbed two trays and put one in front of him and hers behind.

  “You should eat. Particularly if you’re worried about something. Stress is a killer on your stomach. Something I already know. I worried myself crazy for a long time and developed ulcers. Not fun.”

  “Normally I’m not a worrywart. But now, some of these self-revelations are a little harder to accept.”

  They stopped in front of the hot food. He couldn’t see all the dishes, but he could read the labels on top.

  “Let me help. What would you like?” she asked quickly.

  It was Asian-fusion day. She efficiently filled his plate with a selection of foods that fit into his diet. They carried on past the others as she loaded up coffee and drinks for both of them. With the cutlery now on her tray, she looked around the room. “Left or right?”

  He wondered, confused for a moment, then realized a pathway led to a set of tables on other side of the room. “The path of least resistance,” he joked.

  “That means right.” She looked at his tray. “You ready to try this on your lap, or do you want me to take my tray and come back and get yours?”

  A voice beside them piped up. “Not to worry, I’m right here,” Dennis said. “I’ll follow along with Denton’s tray.”

  Together, the trio made their way to one of the larger tables sitting in the sun. Denton pulled up to the end where there were no chairs, and Dennis placed Denton’s tray in front of him. They quickly removed everything off the tray and waited while Hannah unloaded hers. Then Dennis took the empty trays.

  “Thank you, Dennis,” both Denton and Hannah said in unison.

  Denton lifted his face to the sun and closed his eyes. “This is simply wonderful,” he murmured.

  “We don’t get that attitude very often in the first few days here,” she said.

  “That’s too bad. People need to be more thankful for the simple things in life.” He picked up his fork and speared a large piece of broccoli. He popped it into his mouth and smiled. “Perfect. Crunchy, fresh with a beautiful sauce.” On that note, he dove into the rest of his meal. He watched as she picked her way through a much smaller portion of everything.

  When he was halfway done, he motioned at her plate. “Eat up.”

  She glanced at him with a smile. “Isn’t that my line?”

  He chuckled. “Nobody’s had to tell me to clean my plate since I was able to sit up on my own.”

  At that, she laughed out loud.

  He was delighted to hear it. Her laughter was light and musical, turning heads and raining down across the deck. He doubted she had any idea how lovely she was. “You should do that more often.”

  She raised an eyebrow at him. “What? Laugh?”

  He nodded. “Yes, exactly that.” He gave her a wicked smile. “That sound lights up the whole room.” And he picked up his fork and finished his meal.

  Chapter 6

  When she finished eating, Hannah pulled her coffee toward her, tucked her legs underneath her and settled back against the bench. She leaned one arm on the top of the railing and looked out over the pasture. “Dani’s done such a beautiful job with this place.”

  “She has, indeed. I haven’t gotten to meet the Major though. I understand he’s quite a character.”

  She glanced at Denton, surprised. “Major hasn’t come by to say hi?”

  Denton shook his head. “But then again I haven’t been here very long.”

  “True enough. He is quite a character, like everyone says.”

  “And the reason Dani started this place, right?” He looked up as if to assess Hannah’s answer.

  Hannah nodded. “Her father was an injured veteran and in rough shape. As he slowly improved, he and Dani created this business.”

  Denton raised his eyebrows. “Now that’s having a passion and a purpose.” He pushed away his empty plate and rubbed his tummy. “That feels a whole lot better.”

  She chuckled. “Nothing like good food to change your attitude.”

  “In this case, it was more about needing food to give me some energy before I collapsed.”

  “Too much of a workout this morning?”

  “I don’t think so. Some days are better than others.”

  She studied him and realized he had no intention of saying more. He wasn’t the kind to whine about something he couldn’t change. He focused on what he could do, being appreciative of everything that was here and available for him. “I could learn a lot from you,” she admitted. “You seem to have your priorities straight.”

  He shot her a piercing gaze. “So do you. You’re here. You’re helping people—that’s huge.”

  “I don’t have the skills I would like to have,” she said, “and although I like this job and I like living here, it’s been a little lonely.”

  He tilted his head to the side to watch her curiously. “And yet, you’re surrounded by people.”

  “Back to that … not sure I have what it takes to make good friends.”

  He shook his head. “You are really friendly. I haven’t noticed anything odd in that way.”

  She chuckled. “How could you? You barely know me.”

  He lifted a finger and waggled it at her. “Not true. I’ve known you for what, ten days now?” He grinned. “In some parts of the world, that’s long enough to get married.”