Jake's Biggest Risk (Those Hollister Boys) by Julianna Morris Page B

enjoying the company.”
    Barbi frowned. “But Brendan must want to spend more time with you. He seems awful serious.”
    Hannah let out a long breath. “I don’t know what
I
want with Brendan, much less what he has in mind. I’m not even sure he plans to stay in Mahalaton Lake. Once I might have been okay leaving, but this is where I want to live now.”
    “Was your ex-husband ever willing to move here?” Barbi asked curiously.
    “He said he was, but I doubt he meant it.”
    Hannah didn’t think Steven had planned to stay
married,
much less been honest about where they’d live and raise a family. Marriage was a game he’d played, and when he had gotten bored with the game, he’d wanted out. Of course, before then he had slept with any woman who’d have him and run up huge bills. She shivered, recalling his anger after they separated and he learned she’d canceled the credit cards. It was almost as if he’d truly expected to be able to keep spending money and just leave her with the bills; he certainly didn’t pay any child support, though it was court mandated.
    She was no longer even sure she’d loved him. She’d just wanted the romantic ideal she lost when Collin died on Mount Mahala. That kind of love was addictive. She
still
wanted it—she just didn’t want it with someone who treated life like a game of roulette. And even if she could handle the stress herself, she didn’t want her son to get attached to someone who could vanish from his life on a whim. Danny already wondered if he’d done something to make his father leave.
    “I’ll get sample tests for you to take,” Hannah said, wanting to change the subject. “Just don’t expect the same questions to be on the official exam.”
    “I won’t. Uh, you haven’t told Brendan about me not having a high school diploma, have you?”
    “Of course not. That’s your business.”
    “Good. He’s snotty enough without knowing that.” Barbi pushed back from the table. “I’d better get going. I have to be at the bakery at 2:00 a.m.”
    “Is that a new job?”
    “Yeah, I make the breads and stuff for them two mornings a week. See you Thursday.”
    Hannah walked her out, marveling at how matter-of-fact Barbi was about her varied jobs around town. She had a killer schedule, but hopefully some of that would change once she had her GED.
    * * *
    O WEN K ERSHAW ARRIVED at eleven on Tuesday as promised and put Jake through a thorough therapy session.
    “Cut back by half,” he said when Jake explained how often he was doing his exercises. “I said you had to work hard, but your body is still healing. I’ve reviewed your medical file—don’t forget that leg needed two surgeries to put it back together.”
    “I was
there
. How can I forget?”
    “Your impatience is normal. But right now I’m the traffic cop, trying to keep you from going too slow or too fast. Your leg’s range of motion should improve as the nerve heals, but you need to be careful. I know you don’t want to use a cane, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
    “No.”
    “At least consider it.” Owen began packing his equipment and Jake watched moodily.
    Ordinarily one of his trademarks was patience. He could sit for hours watching a weather front develop over a mountain, waiting until that perfect moment to start shooting. Days or weeks could pass between sightings of a rare animal, and he knew his willingness to wait meant he’d get the photos no one else would. But this wasn’t the same.
    “You’ve made remarkable progress,” Owen added. “The only reason you’re doing so well now is because you were in prime physical condition at the time of the accident.”
    “They tell me that’s why I survived,” Jake muttered.
    “Yes, I understand your side of the plane took the heaviest impact. You’re lucky to be alive.”
    Ice formed in Jake’s stomach and an image of Gordon’s face, gray as he gasped for breath, flashed through his mind. “Luck is a matter of opinion.