Mitch wondered if he’d be able to pull off the whole cowboy thing, because Spencer exuded an effortless coolness and charm that was difficult not to envy. And the beard. Man, the guy had a great one, much more impressive than the shadow on Mitch’s face that never made it past five o’clock.
“Well, you’re in luck because today it appears I’m specializing in bouquets specifically for Josephine,” Trinity said. “Mitch just picked out this lovely one.”
On cue, Mitch lifted up the vase to show it off.
“You think I should go with something else then?” Spencer second-guessed himself. “Maybe stop by the Market and get chocolates or a stuffed animal? Don’t want her to have too many flowers.”
“A woman canneverhave too many flowers,” Trinity replied confidently. “We can find another bouquet to compliment the one Mitch selected.”
He still hadn’t paid, so Mitch remained while Trinity and Spencer moved about the room together, going fromarrangement to arrangement and noting the details of each one. It would be obvious to anyone that there was something blooming between them, and Mitch thought it could not be more fitting to witness this budding connection take place in the heart of an actual floral shop. It was the sweetest beginning for what he hoped might grow into a beautiful story for the two.
After both men had squared away their payments which Trinity discounted despite their heavy protests, they left her to carry on with her workday. Once on the sidewalk, Spencer turned to Mitch. “Want to drive to the hospital together?” He twirled his keys around his finger before catching them in his palm. “I’m happy to give you a lift.”
“Only if it’s not putting you out at all.”
“Not at all. We’re headed to the same place. Good to save on gas too, although I usually tend to do that anyway since my preferred mode of transportation is horseback.”
In the span of the drive from the floral shop to the hospital, the men shared a bit of their backstories. Spencer had been a cattle rancher up until recently when he’d sold his portion of the business to help fund his grandmother’s new venture with the B&B. He’d grown up in Snowdrift, and like many who set out for something bigger and better in their younger years, recognized there really was no place like this mountain town. Like a boomerang, he was back for good.
“You worked in the city before joining the firehouse here?” Spencer cast a look across the cab, meeting Mitch’s eyes briefly before shooting his gaze back through the windshield.
“I did. I was there for the last five years. I was an EMT prior to that.”
“Is the move permanent?”
Was it? Mitch wasn’t sure. If he’d been asked the same question a week ago, he’d have said this was just a temporary relocation; something to get his confidence back. He’d likelyleave off that last portion though, his pride still bigger than he wanted it to be.
“Snowdrift has really grown on me,” he said, jostling in his seat when Spencer’s big truck dipped into the gutter before bounding into the visitor’s lot of the local hospital, coming to a full stop in a space close to the entrance. “It’s definitely a place I can see myself planting some roots.”
“That’s my plan, too. I eventually want to build a home for myself on our family’s land. Something that’s all mine so I don’t take up a room that we could be renting out at the B&B.”
They carted their bouquets with them as the hospital’s automatic doors parted, stopping at the check-in station to get their badges and sign a form. Josephine was awake and eager for visitors, and her nurse met them at the door when they arrived at the end of a long, sterile corridor with lights so bright they made the tops of Mitch’s eyes hurt.
The moment Spencer caught sight of his frail grandmother hooked up to machines and monitors, threaded with tubes and wrapped with gauze, his big body sagged against the doorframe. “Oh, Nana.” Every ounce of his concern rushed out with his words.
“Don’t you start acting like I’m dying, boy.” Josephine’s quivering tone didn’t match the defiance in her statement. “Just a few bumps and bruises.”
The nurse shot Josephine a stern look. “You have real injuries that are going to require some real rest and time to heal.” She directed the next bit toward the men. “I’ll give you the room, but don’t—under any circumstances—let this woman convince you to get her out of this hospital, or this bed for that matter. She’s already been scolded once for trying to hitch a ride on the meal cart.”
“Causing trouble already, Nana?” Spencer didn’t seem surprised.
“Oh, you know me. I’m not all that good at being told what to do.” She openly glared at the nurse who paid absolutely no attention to the elderly woman’s antics.
“Maybe you can be bribed then,” Spencer tried. “How about two bouquets for two days of your best behavior with the hospital staff?”
“We’d be lucky to get two hours,” the nurse snickered under her breath. She made a face that she quickly recovered with a fake smile before stepping out of the room.
“You’ve really got to cut them some slack, Nana. They’re just trying to take care of you.”
Hiking a leg up, Spencer settled in at the foot of the hospital bed. Nana Jo was such a small woman that she hardly took up any of it. Mitch took the chair by the door. Faith had been right; Josephine already had multiple bouquets delivered, her stark, white room brightened by the various flowers. He nudged one arrangement aside to make room for his next to it.
“I don’t need anyone to take care of me,” Josephine asserted to her grandson. “Been doing it my whole life.”
“Not your whole life. As I recall, Grandpa Harris tookawfullygood care of you.”
“We took care of each other,” she corrected. There was a painful-looking bruise blooming on her cheek, and she rubbed it with her palm, tugging against the IV. “I sure do hate all these wires and bandages. Makes me feel like I’m chained up in a prison.”
“It could be so much worse, Nana. We’re lucky that fresh powder broke your fall. At least you had a little padding for your landing.”
