“He’s never been put in the position of protector...”

“And hopefully he won’t have to be the protector, but he looks huge without even trying.” She reached up to palm his cheek. After his experience with his own son, of course he would be feeling nervous. “We’re going to miss you but we want you to explore that cave.”

“While I’m gone, think about something,” he said. “I don’t want to make you feel rushed or cornered or pressured but I want you to know, this works for me. I’m ready. Finally. Ready for a family. You don’t have to worry about a job. Not for money anyway. If you want to work because it feels good to be productive, there must be something around here that can fill that space. I love you. I want you and Noah to stay.”

“What about my house?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Rent it? Sell it? Let it sit for six months or a year while you give yourself time to be sure? While you see if this is as good as it feels? I’ll pay the mortgage.”

“Owen, you’re acting a little crazy...”

“Hannah, I’m pretty well-off,” he said. “It’s meaningless without a family. Shit, I was trying not to say anything that would pressure you.”

She laughed a little. “Owen, the last few months have been lifesaving for me because of you. I’m facing a whole new life with Noah and because of you, it’s been sane and manageable. I worry about taking advantage of you. But since I’ve been helping in the studio a little bit, I’m less worried about that.”

“Will you think about this while I’m gone?”

“As soon as you tell me what ‘this’ is,” she said.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “It’s whatever you want it to be. It can be just like it is now, two people sharing a house, a dog and a boy...”

“And having fabulous sex,” she added.

He grinned. “It can be a commitment, if you want. Or when you want that—I’m not in any great rush as long as you’re staying. It can be a commitment with an agreement that Noah’s trust will be managed only by you—we seem to be up to our necks in lawyers if we need documents drawn to protect you and Noah. ‘This’ can be us being a team that works together. Anything you say.”

“I will think about all of that, yes,” she said. “I want you to go to the biggest cave ever. And we’ll work on this project when you’re home.”

“Will you be lonely?” he asked.

“I’ll miss you just awful but I have PT, counseling, an active boy and dog and brand-new friendships. Maybe we’ll finish reading Treasure Island. I’ll be too busy to be lonely.”

He pushed her hair behind her ear. “I think you belong here.”

There is no doubt that it is around

the family and the home that all

the greatest virtues...are created,

strengthened and maintained.

—Winston Churchill

9

A feeling of belonging had long been an issue with Hannah, but she hadn’t quite realized it until Owen said it. Was it a place? A person? Was it a talent or profession? A group like the First Baptist Church, AA or the Boston Pops? The first time she was conscious of not belonging had been when she was about six and her mother had the second of her two new daughters and someone said, “Hannah’s not even the same color, is she?” Hannah’s hair and eyes were brown to their white blond and blue. Her skin tone was slightly more tan and rosy than her sisters’, who were ivory. And, of course, Hannah was adopted, but there were good records—she was supposed to be of French, German, Danish and Portuguese descent. Yet she’d always felt different. And why should she trust biological parents who gave her away? They might have tossed out some nationalities without knowing anything.

Owen wanted her to think about staying...with him. And she would. She couldn’t help it; she could think of little else. But she was also going to think about belonging in a larger sense, like what she was committed to and what and who was committed to her.

Owen left early in the morning but even though the sun was barely up, he wouldn’t leave without kissing Noah goodbye. “I’ll be back in ten days,” he said. “Will you take good care of Romeo?”

“I can do that,” Noah said sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

“Remember, when you leave him home, tell him how long you’ll be gone.”

“Sure, okay,” he said.

Owen rubbed the big dog’s head. “You take care of Noah,” he told the dog. “I’m counting on you.”

“You excited, Owen?” Noah asked.

Owen shrugged. “I’d sort of like to put it off. I’ve been having too much fun lately and I think I’m getting lazy.”

“Hannah says everyone has jobs to do,” Noah wisely lectured.

Owen laughed. “She’s a slave driver,” he said.

“Am not,” she said from behind him. She stood in the doorway, watching him say goodbye to Noah.

“Are, too,” he said, his lips lifting in a smile. “Noah, my car is packed. I’m going to say goodbye and get out of here before I talk myself into staying.”

“We’ll come on the porch,” Noah said, giving Romeo a pat on the rump to get him up.

Noah reached for his crutches and Owen scooped him up. “I’ll give you a lift,” he said. “You can sit with Romeo on the porch and try not to get in my way while I say goodbye to Hannah. I have some serious kissing in mind.”

“I’m starting to think you like all that kissing,” Noah said.

“Me?” Owen asked. “Nah. I just don’t want her to feel ignored.”

“That was a total fib,” Noah said and Owen tickled him.

Noah and Romeo waited patiently on the porch while Owen and Hannah kissed and hung on to each other beside Owen’s truck. Owen lifted her chin and looked into her brown eyes. “I want you to have fun, stay busy, be around the people you like, fill your days and if you think of it, take pictures of Noah and Romeo. And listen, if there’s Wi-Fi anywhere, I’ll email, but I’ve been told that’s unlikely. But I want you to have fun so it goes by fast.”

She laughed at him. “I plan to. And yes, I’ll be very careful and lock the doors. But we’re going to be fine. I think we said everything last night.”

“Last night,” he whispered, pulling her close. “That was amazing.”

“I think that falls into the royal send-off category.”

“I will admit, I haven’t been bid farewell like that before,” he said. “It almost makes me want to plan more trips.”

“Wait till you see the welcome-home party,” she said, giving his lower lip a lick. “I’ll miss you. Please go. You’re wearing me out. And I have things to do.”

He gave her a last quick peck, whacked her on the butt and climbed into the truck. Romeo let out a mournful yowl but he didn’t move away from Noah’s side. Once the truck disappeared down the road, Hannah turned to Noah. “Breakfast?” she asked.

He gave a nod. “Then what?”

“I have some ideas. Let me get some of my chores done and then we’ll talk over all the things we can do while Owen is visiting the biggest cave in the world.”

“Wish I could see that cave,” he said.

“I think you’re going to have many exciting travels in your life,” she said. “We should look through Owen’s books and make a list of all the places you’d like to go.”

* * *

That first day that Owen was gone, Hannah and Noah went to town and met Leigh for lunch at the pub. Then they went to the firehouse—Connie Boyle was working and was more than happy to show Noah all the fun stuff. Noah sat behind the wheel in the big fire truck and Connie showed him how to turn on the lights. They spent some time in the kitchen, where one of the guys was making cookies. They went out to the Crossing and Helen convinced them to pluck some fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden but then talked them into staying for dinner, as well. Because Noah had promised Romeo they’d be back in two or three hours, first they had to go home and get him. “Because he knows the time,” Noah said. “He could get upset.” They got him and brought him back so he could have a nice romp with Beau.

The next day they went to therapy, then swam with Romeo. Sully came over and he and Noah fished off the dock for a while. They went shopping one day in Colorado Springs, then dropped by Cal’s house for a visit and again stayed for dinner. “I guess the word is out,” Hannah said. “If Owen’s away, I won’t be able to feed myself and Noah.”

They swam and fished and kept their appointments all week. After almost a week, Hannah told Noah she had a surprise for him. They went to Colorado Springs to a place Connie suggested and Hannah got a tattoo on her right shoulder blade that said Noah; it was inside a heart that was inside a flower. She showed him the picture first to make sure he approved.

“It’s kinda girlie,” he said.

“I’m kinda a girl,” she shot back. “It doesn’t make you girlie!”

“Are you getting one for Owen?” he asked.

“I’m not quite ready for an Owen tattoo yet, but I’ll think about it.”

They read, watched movies, hiked the trail behind the Crossing, swam, fished, went into town for hamburgers and ice-cream sundaes, visited their friends.

One of the most enlightening visits Hannah paid was to Sierra Boyle, something she’d been meaning to do since first meeting her when the family gathered at Sully’s place. Helen and Sully agreed to keep Noah for a couple of hours so she could have some adult time. She wanted to talk about Sierra’s experience in adopting Sam but she got way more than she bargained for.

“We were fostering Sam, our adoption application pending, when Sam’s grandmother suddenly changed her mind and asked for him back. She wasn’t that old but she was beset by some chronic medical conditions and really in no shape to take care of a baby. She could barely lift him out of the crib. It was a nightmare. I found him sobbing, soaked and dirty in his crib. I was just about ready to kidnap him and run for my life, but I called Cal.”