The backdrop of the majestic mountain, the wildflowers in the meadows of the ten-square-mile ranch, and the babbling stream that ran through it, set the perfect tone for the wedding.
Dottie wore a simple white dress that her Aunt Sadie had made, and Bill wore a black suit, white dress shirt, and black cowboy hat. The bouquet Dottie carried was made of a collection of the wildflowers found on the ranch, held together by a thin leather tie-down.
Instead of going on a honeymoon, the two of them wanted to spend their first few days as a married couple in their new home. After being apart so much of the previous four years, they wanted to spend their time walking the ranch land, riding horses, and planning their future together.
Bill woke and saw the note from Dottie resting against her pillow. She’d gone up to what they now called the main house, to pick up a few ingredients she needed to make breakfast.
He didn’t know how long ago she left, so he decided to take a shower before she got back. She’d shoo him away from the kitchen anyway if she was cooking something she wanted to be a surprise.
As he turned the water off, he heard the phone ringing. He grabbed a towel and walked down the hall and into the kitchen, dripping water as he went. He knew he better get it cleaned up before his wife got back, or she wouldn’t be too happy with him.
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The phone stopped ringing before he got to it. He was five paces away, headed back to the bathroom to dry off, when it started ringing again.
“Good morning, Patterson Ranch, this is—”
Before he could finish, his mama stopped him. “Bill get over here, quick. Something’s happened to Dottie. I called the ambulance, but Clancy needs your help.”
Bill left the phone receiver dangling in the kitchen. He grabbed his pants and boots, and flew out of the house. He was halfway across the meadow by the time he pulled his shirt over his head. He could see Clancy kneeling on the ground, next to a person that had to be Dottie.
Two days into their perfectly idyllic life, Bill feared it was coming to a horrible end.
18
By the time they landed, Ben made arrangements to rent a car, and he, Liv, and Tristan arrived at the hospital, it was close to four in the morning. While she hadn’t slept at all, she was able to think far more clearly, for some reason, than she had on the plane. Second only to her father, the person she was most worried about was her grandfather.
When they checked in at the information desk in the lobby of the hospital, they were directed to the third floor, to the Cardiac Trauma Center.
Liv kept a tight hold on her hand as they waited for the elevator. Tristan looked back and forth between her and Ben. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you being with me.”
“You’re family,” Ben told her, and Liv squeezed her hand.
When they approached the room where they were told her father was, the door was open. Tristan’s father was sitting in a chair near the window, and her grandfather stood next to him.
He looked fine. There were no wires connected to him, he didn’t even have an IV. “Daddy…”
“Sweetheart,” he answered. “I’m so sorry you had to rush back here.”
“How are you feeling? What happened?”
“He collapsed,” her grandfather began. “We were on our way back from a trail ride, almost to the barn, when this one slunk over…” Her grandfather’s eyes filled with tears, and he looked away from her.
“It’s okay,” she murmured and put her hand on his arm.
“I thought we lost him,” he said, so quietly his words haunted her. He wiped his tears with his handkerchief and turned to face her.
“I called 9-1-1. He was breathing, and his eyes were open, but he wasn’t there…”
“We don’t have to do this now,” Tristan offered.
“No. It’s all right, sweetheart. Anyway, the damn fool came to and told me to hang up the phone.”
Tristan looked back and forth between her father and grandfather, both of them were smiling.
“I thought I’d just passed out for a few seconds,” her father explained. “Turns out it was a lot longer than that.”
“Four minutes and twenty-seven seconds,” added her grandfather. “He tried to dismount, but then he got woozy again, so I told him to stay put. A few seconds later, the ambulance pulled up, and they took over.”