Everyone breathed a deep sigh of relief. Noah looked at his parents. “Come on, I’ll drive you home.”
Gabe spoke up. “Everyone, go home. Ella and I will stay and be here when he wakes up.”
Noah frowned. “Are you sure?”
Gabe nodded. “We need to cover the store and the restaurant—”
Noah cut him off. “We’ll cancel service for the evening.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s three a.m., so I doubt any of us will get much sleep. We’ll be too tired to cook and serve.”
Ella shook her head. “No, don’t do that. Unless something drastic goes wrong, the danger has passed. We need to carry on. Gabe and I will stay here.”
“I’ll come back later,” Kris said. “I’ll sit with him, and you can get some rest. Then Henry can do the same.” She looked at Noah. “You and Callie can run the store and the restaurant. Spell each other off for a nap.”
“I can help,” I offered. “I know how to wait tables.”
“We only have a few reservations tonight. We won’t take any later ones.” Noah decided. He met Gabe’s eyes. “We’ll come back and see Ray later when he’s awake.”
“Okay. Take Mom and Dad home. They’re exhausted.”
“On it.”
Chapter Fifteen
Dani
A short while later, I followed Noah’s truck home, waiting as his parents got out and headed inside their house. I parked behind him and got out of the car where he waited for me. He took my hand.
“You were amazing, Sprout. Thank you.”
“All I did was get coffee.”
He shook his head. “No. You listened and cared for my parents. Comforted Gabe and Ella. All of us.” He lifted my hand and kissed it. “You were there for them and for me. You have no idea how much it meant having you there.”
I smiled, unsure what to say. We went inside, and he paused. “Hungry? Thirsty?”
“No, just tired.”
He tugged my hand, and we went upstairs. He plugged in my phone as I brushed my teeth, and I changed into one of his shirts as he brushed his. A few moments later, we were in his big, comfortable bed, and he pulled me close, kissing my head. “Thank you again,” he murmured, his voice heavy with exhaustion.
I squeezed his waist, resting my head on his chest. He was out almost immediately. I was too keyed up to sleep, and after a while, I slipped from the bed and headed downstairs. I checked the contents of the cupboard and whipped up a batch of muffins, watching the sun rise over the fields. Slipping on a hoodie I found, I sat on Noah’s deck and inhaled the fresh, crisp morning air. The sound of the patio door opening made me turn my head. Noah came out, carrying a cup of coffee as well as one of the warm muffins. He sat behind me, pulling my back to his chest. He set down his coffee and tilted my head up, dropping a fast kiss to my mouth.
“I found you.”
“You thought I’d disappeared?”
“I woke up, and you weren’t there. I thought you’d left,” he admitted. “But your car was there, so I knew you were around. Then I smelled the muffins, so I came to find you.”
“Why would I leave?”
He paused before answering. “I thought maybe you couldn’t stay away from the office. Now you knew Ray would be okay, I thought you headed back in.”
I didn’t reply. He was right. I had been thinking I should go to the office—except he still needed me, and it was nice to be needed by Noah.
“I thought you could take the muffins to Gabe and Ella. I can look after the store if you show me how to use the register and the scale.”
“Really?”
“I know how much you want to see Ray.”
He tugged me back to his chest. “You’re going to be exhausted later.”
“I’ll catch a nap this afternoon and sleep well tonight.”
“I wish I could come back with you.”
“No, you’re needed here. I’ll be fine.” I patted his hand. “Eat your muffin, and you can show me all the things.”
“All the things?”
“All the store things.”
He pressed a kiss to my hair. “I’d rather show you other things.”
“Keep it in your pants, Noah. We have a business to run.”
He laughed and picked up his coffee.
“Okay, then.”
I discovered there was no such thing as a nap on a farm. There was always something to do. Noah took me to the store and showed me the register and how to use the scale. Luckily, he had a list of prices on the counter, so it made it easy. Before he left for the hospital, the door opened and an older woman bustled in, carrying a casserole.
“I heard about Ray,” she said to Noah. “How is he?”
“Doing well.”
“I brought a little something for them.” She winked. “Not to worry, Noah, all made with the good stuff.”