She shrugged. “It’s weird what you take for granted, like getting more covers when you’re cold. Or getting a drink when you want one. I used to do all that and more every day for my father, when he could no longer speak up for himself.”
“You’ve just taught me to pay attention, and I thank you for that,” he said, then put his arm around her shoulder. “Visiting time is over. After you, darlin’.”
“As soon as I make a quick pit stop, I’ll be out of your hair,” Nora said as they were walking back to the waiting room.
“When you’re ready, I’m walking you to your car,” Asher said.
She was reluctant to say goodbye, and as soon as they entered the waiting room, she headed for the restroom.
“How did it go?” Gunner asked.
“Good. He recognized her voice. He squeezed my hand,” Asher said.
“Progress,” Gunner said.
“One of the first things Nora did after talking to Dad, was move to the end of the bed and slip her hands under the covers. She said his feet were cold and went to get a nurse to bring another blanket. We never thought of any of that. And it was the first thing she did,” Asher said, and then slipped his hands in his pockets. “I’m going to walk her down to her car.”
The brothers were still absorbing the enormity of what she’d done for him, and they’d never thought. He would have had to wake up and ask for covers before they would have known he was cold, and she’d had the foresight to check it for him.
“It’s what she did for her dad,” Asher added as he put on his coat.
When she came back, Gunner hugged her.
She smiled and patted his cheek. “What’s that for?”
“For cold feet,” Gunner said. “We missed you. You’re the best. Don’t lose us again.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Asher said, and helped her put on her coat.
When he held out his hand, she slung her purse over her shoulder and clasped it without thought. They rode the elevator down in silence, both of them struggling with what to say because Jacob’s life still hung in the balance. But as they exited the lobby, they were hit with a blast of cold air.
“Good lord,” Asher muttered, and used his body to block the wind from her as they crossed the parking lot to her car.
Nora unlocked it with the remote, then turned around to tell him goodbye. Instead, he cupped her face and leaned forward until their foreheads were touching.
Nora’s heart was pounding, but before she could think, she was in his arms. His breath was warm on her face and then the chill of his lips melted into a kiss that took her breath, and the last ounce of her hesitation.
When he finally let her go, it was with a groan and a sigh. “When you get home, promise you’ll text me to let me know you arrived safely.”
Nora nodded. “I promise. And you will keep me updated on your dad’s progress, okay?”
“Absolutely,” Asher said, then opened the door. “You need to get in out of this cold. I’ll call you tonight, okay?”
She nodded. “See you when I see you,” she said, then got in and began to buckle up.
He leaned in for one last kiss, and then stepped back as she started the engine, then flashed him a smile before driving away.
He didn’t move until she drove out of sight, then on his way in, he met his brothers coming out.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“We’re not having canteen food all day. We’re going somewhere to get a steak,” Dylan said.
“Works for me,” Asher said, then jammed his hands in his coat pockets as they headed for the SUV.
* * *
Nora was shivering as she drove, still reeling from that kiss as she drove away from Amarillo. She thought of her apartment in Fort Worth, and the work from her office that she had waiting for her on her laptop. Thankfully, she could catch up with what was left of this day and start anew on the house business tomorrow.
