Creed understood that, too. It was exactly what Hannah had done for him.
“But there is something else I’d like, if you don’t mind,” Jason said.
“Sure, whatever you need.”
“Can I have one of those black Lab puppies?”
That shouldn’t have surprised Creed, but it did. “I’m guessing you already have one picked out.”
“The runt of the litter, of course.” Jason’s eyes lit up as he pointed to the box at Creed’s feet. “To Kill a Mockingbird’s one of my favorite books. Already picked out Scout for the name.”
“From what I remember, the runt of the litter is a boy.”
“I figure he doesn’t need to know he’s named after a girl.”
“Your secret’s good with me,” Creed told him as he started to leave. “I’ve got to go pick up Hannah.” Before he got to the door, he turned back. “Hey, Jason.” He waited for the kid to look up at him. “Welcome back to the world.”
As Creed took the hospital elevator, he tried to untie the knots that had invaded his gut. Yesterday Hannah still looked so fragile. The bruising and swelling on her face had gone down, but there was something in her eyes that he wasn’t used to seeing. It wasn’t pain or fear. It was something worse — he was afraid that a piece of her spirit had crumbled away.
At the end of the week he was going to pick up her boys from her grandparents’ farm. It was a five-hour drive each way. No way she could come along, though she had already protested. Maybe seeing them would be the best medicine.
But then he heard her voice — boisterous and full of life. Even from down the hall, he could hear her telling someone, “Girl, you haven’t eaten paradise until you’ve had my ham hocks, collards, and black-eyed peas with a nice slab of corn bread.”
“Stop, you’re making my mouth water.”
And Creed stopped short in the middle of the hall. He recognized the second voice, too. The knots began twisting again but for a whole different reason.
He found Maggie O’Dell sitting in a chair pulled up close enough to the bed that she was holding Hannah’s hand. Both women looked up at him, and their smiles slid off their faces.
“What?” he asked when they looked at him as if he had walked in and spoiled their party.
“Is it that time already?” Hannah asked.
“I thought you’d be anxious to get out of this place.”
“Oh, sweetie, I am. I just lost track of the time. We’ve been having ourselves a good chat.”
The two of them exchanged a glance, and Creed knew he had been at least one subject of their “good chat.”
“I think I just convinced Maggie that she needs a vacation. She’s coming back next month for a week—”
“Maybe a few days.”
Hannah shot her one of her looks and continued, “Like I said, she’s coming for a week on the beach, and she’s gonna come over and have dinner with us.”
Maggie looked up at Creed. “She can be very convincing.”
“Yes, she can.” He smiled and caught Hannah nodding at him as if to say, “You’re welcome.” Then to Maggie he said, “Maybe you can bring your dogs so you won’t need to leave them with anyone.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As with each of my novels I have quite a few people to thank and acknowledge.
Thanks go to:
My publishing teams: Nita Taublib, Ivan Held, Meaghan Wagner, Kate Stark, Alexis Welby, and Stephanie Hargadon at Putnam. And at Little, Brown/Sphere: David Shelley, Catherine Burke, and Jade Chandler.
My agent, Scott Miller, and his colleague Claire Roberts at Trident Media Group.
Martin and Patti Bremmer for a friendship that includes dropping everything and literally coming to the rescue, holding down the fort, and taking care of the pack in a moment’s notice.
Dr. Stephen Cassivi and the wonderful staff at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, for making “cancer” not such a scary word. I look forward to the day that Clare can read my books and maybe one day when I might read hers.
My friends and family put up with my long absences and still manage to love me and keep me grounded: Patricia Kava, Marlene Haney, Sandy and Fred Rockwood, Patricia Sierra, Sharon Kator, Maricela Barajas, Annie Belatti, Nancy Tworek, Patti El-Kachouti, Diane Prohaska, Cari Conine, Lisa Munk, Luann Causey, Patti Carlin, and Dr. Elvira Rios.
Special thanks to my friend Amee Rief for feeding us through some terribly sad and stressful days.
My fellow authors and friends who make this business a bit less crazy: Sharon Car, Erica Spindler, and J. T. Ellison.
The experts who I know I can call or email with the strangest questions and the oddest requests: Leigh Ann Retelsdorf, Melissa Connor, Gary Plank, and John Beck.
Ray Kunze, once again, for lending his name to Maggie O’Dell’s boss. And for the record, the real Ray Kunze is a nice guy who would never send Maggie on wild-goose chases.
Penelope La Lone and Penny Clemence for donating to a charity event for Gloria La Lone’s continued fight against cancer. They won the auction to have a character named for them. Penelope Clemence is the dog rescuer who convinces Creed to take a chance on Chance.
My pack depends on some amazing veterinarians, and now they’ve become friends as well as invaluable resources for writing this series. Special thanks to:
Dr. Enita Larson and her crew at Tender Care Animal Hospital, and Dr. Tonya McIlnay and the team at Veterinary Eye Specialist of Nebraska.
An extra thank-you to Dr. Larson for allowing me to name my fictional veterinarian after her children: Avelyn Faye and Ayden Parker. We’ll see Dr. Avelyn Parker in each of the Creed novels.
Thanks also to the booksellers, book bloggers, and librarians for mentioning and recommending my novels.
A big thank-you to all of my VIR Club members, Facebook friends, and faithful readers. With so many wonderful novels available, I’m honored that you continue to choose mine. Without you, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to tell my twisted tales.
And, as always, a special thank-you to Deb Carlin and the rest of the pack: Duncan, Boomer, and Maggie. They are my heart and soul.