“It’s Gran, isn’t it? Something’s wrong. I can feel it,” I said, trying not to give in to the hysteria clawing at my insides. My bear paced. She’d shifted into high alert, feeling just as concerned for Gran as I was.
“I don’t know much. All I know is that Tris went over after work to deliver the card and flowers everyone from Earl’s got her, but no one answered the door. She heard Dottie coughing and struggling to breathe. I’m not sure how, but she fell. Tris said she doesn’t think anything is broken, but Dottie refused to let her call an ambulance or take her to the ER since she won’t let her heal her.”
Stubborn. Gosh, that woman was so damn stubborn.
“She just said she wanted you,” Nash said.
My stomach somersaulted, and I forced my feet to move faster. I knew that if she said she wanted me, it was because something was wrong. My throat pinched tight. I tried not to cry as I continued in the direction of the cabin, pushing my legs harder. The gravel from the road dug into the soles of my bare feet, but I ignored it.
I had to get to Gran before it was too late.
When the cabin came into view, I thought I’d feel a sense of relief but I didn’t. Instead, the sight of it amped up my panic. I jogged up the steps to the porch and made my way to the door faster than I ever had before. When I swung the door open and made my way inside, I spotted Liam in the kitchen. Voices from Gran’s bedroom floated to my ears, and I headed in that direction, bolting down the tiny hall to her room. The door was open, and from where I stood, I could see her on the bed. She looked frail. The hollows of her eyes were more profound than this morning, and her skin had taken on a pasty complexion.
“Sam,” she whispered, catching sight of me in the hall. Her chest heaved as she tried to pull in another breath so she could say something else to me. I wanted to tell her there was no need that she should save her breath and her energy, but I knew she wouldn’t listen. Instead, I made my way to the side of her bed and grabbed hold of her hand. It was cold to the touch and slightly clammy, but I still gripped it tight. “There used to be a day when seeing you come home dressed like that with a shirtless Nash at your side would have sent me into a tailspin.” She flashed me a smile, her dry lips cracking with the movement.
My cheeks heated as I tugged at the hem of Nash’s t-shirt with my free hand. It did no good.
“And it doesn’t now?” I asked, returning her smile.
She patted my hand. “Not in the least. It makes me happy. I’m glad to see the two of you have rekindled your flame.” Her eyes shifted to Nash, who stood behind me, they lingered there for a split-second before returning to mine. “I’ve always known the two of you were kindred spirits. I’m glad to see you found each other again.” She closed her eyes, and I held my breath, listening for the soft sound of her ragged breathing. It was there. Faint, but still there.
“She’s sleeping,” I said to no one in particular, and maybe just to myself. “She’s just sleeping.”
A warm, strong hand slipped along my back. Nash. I leaned into his touch, grateful for it.
“She is,” he insisted.
He didn’t say what we both knew—what all of us knew—that Gran could slip away any second.
“I gave her some of the cough medicine the doctor prescribed. It has something in it that makes her sleepy. She’ll probably nap for an hour or so again,” Tris said. “I’m sure she’ll feel better and more like her old self when she wakes.”
She wouldn’t, but I didn’t say that. I didn’t need to because I knew it was something each of us was thinking. Tris was only trying to be nice.
“We should probably let her rest,” Liam insisted. Even though I was no longer a full-fledged member of this clan, I could still pick up on his sense of authority. It lingered in his tone and rippled in the air around him as we all filed out of Gran’s bedroom.
I closed the door behind me until it made a soft click, and then sighed. My heart still raced, and my bear paced while my unease and worry leaked over to her, but I felt better for having talked to her, for having held her hand.
“Anyone feel like having some cobbler?” I asked as we made our way down the tiny hall to the open area of the cabin.
Gravel crunching beneath tires filtered through the living room.
“That would be Rafe and Penny,” Liam said as he made his way to the door. “They were searching the campground for you. Rhett and Vada opted to check the Yona Waterfall trail since we all know that was y’all’s favorite place.” A smirk twisted his lips.
Tris slapped Liam playfully in the gut, and I wondered how much she’d been told about Nash and I’s history.
Liam opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. The rest of us followed. Rafe cut the engine on the golf cart he drove. When his eyes landed on Nash and me, a wicked grin twisted his lips.
“Well, look at the two of you. Nearly naked as always.” His grin grew and Penny shot him a death glare.
“Not the time for jokes,” she insisted. I liked her already. Anyone who could set Rafe straight in seconds was a keeper in my book. His mouth and lack of thought behind his word choices had always been his downfall.
Rafe’s
