18. Tanner

18

TANNER

A few minutes later, Tanner stood at the main driveway of the Williams Homestead and smiled as he listened to Zeke explaining who lived there.

“That’s the big house,” he said, pointing to it. “That’s where my great-aunt and uncle live, and over there is where the cabins are.”

“Those are for tourists?” Valentina asked him.

“Yes, and for kids from schools,” Zeke said. “And past that is Uncle Logan and Aunt Caroline’s house, then Uncle Brad and Josie. And then all the way, all the way back, is where Uncle Ansel lives with Lucas, and his new stepmom Aunt Winona, and his new stepsister, Parker.”

Tanner tried to hide his smile. Valentina was right, the boy was bright—seeing him dropping hints about stepmothers with a big smile and shining eyes made Tanner wonder just how smart his seven-year-old could be.

“That’s so nice that everyone lives together here,” Valentina said. “Even if they have different houses. My boss, Mr. Radcliffe, and your Aunt Emma will be living here too, right?”

“Yes, in the castle ,” Zeke said excitedly.

“That sounds super cool,” Valentina told him. “So where should we go first?”

Zeke looked to his dad.

“I think we’ll end with the big house,” Tanner said. “I texted my mom that we were coming, and she was super excited because she’s got a gingerbread cake in the oven that should be glazed and ready by the time we’re done.”

“ Yes ,” Zeke yelled.

“Why don’t we head down to see the cabins and the Native American display,” Tanner suggested. “We can see the creek and the trails too, maybe even make it as far as the castle.”

“Sounds great,” Valentina said.

“Now, it might be faster and more fun to ride,” he suggested. “The stables are this way.”

“No,” Valentina said quickly. “Let’s walk. I’ve been wanting to stretch my legs all day.”

“Okay,” he said, surprised. He thought everyone loved to ride, especially when it was cold out and you were covering a bit of ground. “Just remember that the horses are available to ride and of course they have lessons here too, if you’re noting down what the place has to offer.”

“Of course,” she said, looking almost relieved.

“Let’s head out then,” he said.

Zeke took off like a shot, ignoring the path and blazing his own trail through the tall grass .

“Let’s slow it down for our guest,” Tanner reminded him.

“Sorry, Valentina,” Zeke yelled, turning and tearing back across the field for her.

“That’s okay,” she told him. “I’ll do my best to keep up.”

The next hour passed in a happy rush of fresh air, conversation, and about a million questions from Valentina.

Tanner did his best to let Zeke answer first, and he was blown away at how much his son had been paying attention when they visited the homestead.

Valentina was especially interested in the small learning center about the Lenni Lenape tribe that once thrived in Pennsylvania. She paused to read each description of what life was like for them before settlers arrived from Europe, and she admired the reproductions of their art and tools.

“You don’t see anything like this locally,” she said.

“Well, there’s a museum in the Poconos,” he told her. “It has a big gift shop, and the proceeds support the remaining tribe members. This is just a small display.”

“I think it’s wonderful,” she told him. “And it’s nice that it’s close to the cabins and easy for people to find.”

“Let’s go down the path by the creek,” Zeke said, his eyes lighting up.

“Okay,” Tanner said, lifting his eyes to the gray sky. The storm wasn’t supposed to come for another two hours, but the clouds were a little dark for his liking.

But when he glanced down again and saw Valentina and Zeke looking so excited, he figured they should be okay for a little longer.

“We can go as far as Logan and Caroline’s place,” he told them. “But then we have to turn back if we want to have time to get back to the big house and still have Valentina home before the storm.”

“Okay, Dad,” Zeke said.

The two of them took off down the wooded path. Tanner had been roaming these woods and hunting for crawdads in the creek since he was much littler than Zeke, and both he and his son knew just about every inch of the forest.

But Tanner found himself noticing every jagged rock and slippery deposit of leaves now that Valentina was with them. She was handling herself like a pro, and she didn’t even seem to be out of breath. But gym workouts didn’t really prepare a person for stepping on a rotten log or losing your footing on a muddy hillside.

She’ll be fine, he reminded himself. She can do anything.

As soon as the thought occurred to him, he heard Zeke yelp.

He looked up, moving as he did, expecting to see Valentina in trouble.

Instead, Zeke was sliding down the muddy bank toward the creek. He had probably been too busy regaling Valentina with tales of their adventures in the woods to be cautious, and now, if Tanner was lucky, he would simply get wet and banged up a little.

Please don’t let his precious head hit a rock , he prayed as he sprinted for them.

But before he could get to the boy, Valentina was moving. She bolted down the slippery bank and grabbed Zeke, dragging him back up, even as her right leg gave out under her.

“Whoa,” Zeke gasped, crouching on stable ground. “Are you okay, Valentina?”

“I’m fine,” she said quickly, dragging herself back up and sitting in the path. But Tanner could tell by her pallid skin and glassy-eyed gaze that she wasn’t.

“You saved me, Valentina,” Zeke said, his voice full of wonder. “I could have bumped my head and drowned.”

Tanner moved beside her, thinking to himself that at least the boy had listened to some part of what he’s said when he warned him about venturing too close to the slippery bank.

“You rolled your ankle, didn’t you?” Tanner asked her gently.

“I think so,” she said, nodding.

Tanner knew that hurt. He’d done it himself back in high school when he played football.

“Here’s what we’re going to do,” he said. “Zeke is going to carefully find me a stick. And we’re going to make you a little splint to stabilize it. Okay?”

“Okay,” she agreed.

“Then we’ll just head back,” he told her. “I can carry you.”

“No, no,” she put in.

“Well, you can lean on me,” he told her. “And we’ll be just fine.”

Something cold and wet fell on his cheek. He moved to wipe it away, but before he could, the sound of a million tiny taps surrounded them.

“It’s ice,” Valentina said, brushing the frozen rain from her forehead. “The storm…”

“We’ll be fine,” he told her again.

“Found a stick, Dad,” Zeke said happily, darting back to them looking like he didn’t have a care in the world.”

“Perfect,” Tanner told him, pulling off his coat. “Hold this for me.”

He laid it over Valentina, hoping it would protect her from the ice a bit. Then he pulled off his flannel too, and ripped one of the sleeves off it.

“Oh, no,” Valentina said softly. “Your shirt.”

“It’s fine,” he told her. “I have a million of these.”

He worked quickly to secure her ankle, breaking the stick in two and putting one on each side before binding the whole thing tightly with his sleeve.

Zeke was by her side again, holding her hand.

She set her jaw and refused to make a single sound of pain, though he knew from experience it had to be agony when he moved her foot around before tightening the material.

“There you go, Valentina,” Zeke said comfortingly. “All set. You were so brave.”

“Thank you,” she told him with a genuine smile. “Thank you for holding my hand.”

“It’s really coming down,” Tanner realized out loud as he pulled his coat back on. “We should try to go now.”

“I’ll be fine,” Valentina said.

But when he lifted her to her feet she gasped, and he could practically hear the scream she wanted to let out echoing in the woods.

“I’m cold,” Zeke said plaintively .

“Let’s go back to the cabins,” Tanner decided. “I’m going to carry you, Valentina. It’ll still hurt when I move, but we’ll get there faster.”

She nodded, looking like it was killing her pride to accept his help. But he was glad she didn’t argue. He wasn’t sure how long it would be safe to be out walking.

He scooped her up, cradling her in his arms. She managed not to make a sound, but he could tell by the way she tucked her face into his neck that she was trying not to whimper.

“Here we go,” he said cheerfully, determined not to notice how good she felt in his arms.

She’s hurt , he admonished himself. And you have to focus on getting back to the cabins.

Fortunately, when they were looking around, he had noticed the middle cabin was stocked with firewood, food, and water. Maybe a camper was expected during the holidays. He had no idea, but he was grateful for it. Hopefully, they could hole up until the worst of the storm was over, and then he could go for help.

The trip back through the woods to the cabins seemed so much longer now that they were contending with wind and ice. Zeke held onto Tanner’s coat without being asked, so at least he knew they were all together.

But visibility was fading quickly, and he led them the last fifteen minutes or so mostly on memory. Just when he was starting to worry that he wasn’t going in the right direction after all, the first cabin came into view.

“When we get to the middle one,” Tanner said to Zeke, “I want you to open the door for us. Okay?”

“Yes, Daddy,” Zeke said, his voice brave and loud against the storm.

“Good boy,” Tanner told him. “You doing okay, Valentina?”

She nodded against his neck, not making a sound. Zeke let go of his coat when they got to the right cabin, and opened the door.

“Okay,” Tanner said in the most comforting way he knew how. “I’m going to lower you down onto the bed, Valentina.”

She nodded again and allowed him to slowly place her on one of the little cots.

“Is that okay?” he asked her.

“Yes,” she said, giving him a small smile. “I’m embarrassed you had to carry me. But thank you.”

Her eyes seemed almost dreamy as she looked up at him, and he swore a current passed between them for a moment.

“It was nothing,” he said, looking away as he felt the now-familiar tug, telling him to hold her and never let her go. He wanted to help her, protect her, and be there for her in any way she would allow.

“I guess I should try to get these off,” she murmured.

She started trying to remove her boots, and Tanner bent to help her.

“Daddy,” Zeke said softly from across the room.

Tanner turned to see tears in the boy’s eyes.

“That was scary, wasn’t it?” Tanner asked, moving to him and crouching down.

Zeke nodded up and down .

As the icy rain lashed the windows, Tanner realized it might be scary for Zeke now too.

“But we’re safe inside,” Tanner told him. “Mr. Esh built this cabin, so we know it’s extra strong, right?”

“Right,” Zeke said bravely.

“I’m going to make a fire so we can all get nice and warmed up,” Tanner told him. “Can you keep Valentina company for me? We want to make sure she’s not thinking about her hurt ankle.”

“Yes,” Zeke said, looking thrilled to be assigned such an important task as he scampered over to her bedside.

“Do you want me to tell you a story, Valentina?” he asked her softly.

“Yes, please,” she said. “If you want, you can sit with me, too.”

“Okay,” he said.

She shrugged off her coat and carefully scooted over on the cot.

“Why don’t you take off your coat and shoes too?” Tanner offered. “I’ll bring you guys a couple of blankets.”

He tried not to hover too much as Zeke carefully climbed in, making sure not to hurt Valentina’s ankle. Then he put a blanket around Zeke’s shoulders and laid another over Valentina.

“Thank you,” she mouthed to him.

He nodded and tore his eyes away from her, heading back over to start a fire in the wood stove as Zeke began to murmur a favorite bedtime story to Valentina.

Before too long, Tanner had a nice fire crackling merrily away. The cabin was small, so he knew it would be nice and warm in here in no time.

He searched the cupboards for the right thing to feed everyone. There were cans of soup and baked beans, and packets of cookies as well as oatmeal. He smiled when he saw there was even a box of graham crackers, a bag of marshmallows, and a chocolate bar.

Deciding to save the s’mores ingredients as a surprise, he turned to ask the others if they wanted baked beans or soup.

But the two of them were curled up together, fast asleep.

Tanner found himself moving closer to look down at them, his heart aching.

Zeke had his back to Valentina’s chest and her arms were wrapped around him. Their cocoon of blankets looked incredibly cozy, but it was the expression of happiness on both their faces, even in sleep, that tugged at Tanner’s heart.

This didn’t look like his son with Tanner’s work friend, or even with his girlfriend. There was something about the scene before him that made him think of a mother and child.

He knew he should prepare a meal before it was fully dark, plus find back-up batteries for the flashlight on the counter, and be sure the cabin was secure from the storm.

But for some reason, the slow, sweet melody of “Silent Night” filled his mind, and he stayed where he was for a moment, listening to the icy rain outside and watching his two favorite people cuddled together, safe and warm.

Why can’t things be different, Valentina? Why can’t you be ours forever?