Love Inspired March 2014 - Bundle 2 of 2: North Country Family\Small-Town Midwife\Protecting the Widow's Heart (28 page)

Send the kids somewhere else.
There was the contradiction Jon had expected earlier. While, truth be told, he was all for keeping the series viewing adult, Autumn was presumptuous to offer her family's services without asking them first. He'd learned his lesson young not to ask for or expect anything from his family unless he was prepared to give twice as much back in return.

“I'd hate to impose on them,” Becca said. “If we decide to watch the series on Sundays and meet for discussion on Wednesdays as usual, I'm sure I can work out some arrangement. Sunday evenings might be better for me, though. That is, if we've decided to do the Bible miniseries.”

Everyone looked at Autumn. She bit her bottom lip and released it. She couldn't possibly disagree when the rest of the group was all on board.

“Sounds like a go to me,” she said. “I just wish we could have arranged that mission tie-in Becca mentioned. This week, why don't you all think about some kind of mission project we could do in addition to the Bible study, and we'll take a few minutes to talk about it next meeting.”

“I like it,” Jon said with an enthusiasm that made a couple of the group members look at him with questioning expressions. He didn't care. He did like the suggestion and already had a mission in mind.

“Okay. Let's have refreshments. I brought iced tea and cookies. And we can work out the logistics for watching the first episode of the Bible series.”

As they finished up, Lexi checked her phone and announced, “I need to catch a ride back to Jamie's with someone, if I can.” She looked directly at Jon and smiled. “Eli was going to pick me up, but his American Legion meeting in Ticonderoga is running late. My car's in the garage.”

A clap of thunder rattled the church windows before anyone could offer, and the ping of raindrops sounded on the slate roof.

“That leaves me out,” Jon said, ignoring the relief he felt at having a good reason for not offering. “I rode my bike tonight.”

“I'll give you a lift, Lexi,” Josh said.

“Thanks,” she said, her smile for Josh a little less bright. Or so it seemed to Jon.

“You, too, Jon, if you need one.”

“I'm good. I'm just up Hazard Cove Road.”

“He's renting the other half of Dad's duplex, where I live,” Autumn added, placing her hand on her hip with a satisfied smile he couldn't decipher. It was almost as if she were staking a claim on him.
Right, Hanlon, only in your dreams.
He stilled. All of the women were attractive, but Autumn was the only one he was attracted to.

“All right,” Josh said, smiling at Lexi and bringing Jon out of his thought. “Then it's just you and me, Lexi.”

Jon caught the definite gleam of interest in the other man's eyes and silently wished him well.

Everyone else but Autumn left. She picked up her plate and cup. “Do you want a ride home? Your bike will be fine here for the night.”

“No, thanks. It's not that far. I'll be fine.”

“You're sure?”

He silently preened at her casual concern. “I'm sure.”

“I'll follow you home. Give me a minute to turn off the lights.” She pulled the drapes closed and crossed the room to the door.

He didn't need anyone to follow him but liked the idea of Autumn wanting to.

She flicked the light switch off. “You coming?”

“Yeah.” He'd probably like the idea even more if he could figure out how they'd gotten from her taking issue with everything he said to her being concerned about him riding his bike home in the storm.

* * *

The rain pelted Autumn as she raced for her car. “Still sure you don't want to leave your bike here and ride with me?” she called over her shoulder.

“I'll be fine. The house is five minutes away.” A crack of thunder drowned out anything else Jon might have said.

“Suit yourself,” she said to herself as she climbed into her dry car.

His bike roared to life, and he drove across the parking lot to the exit onto Hazard Cove Road. She pulled behind him. His light cotton shirt was already plastered to his broad back. A spray of water splashed up at her car as he took off, fishtailing onto the road. Her breath caught. He brought the vehicle under control and headed toward the house with Autumn following at a reasonable distance.

She probably shouldn't have shot down his Bible study suggestion so quickly. It was a good idea. There was just something about the way everyone else got in behind him that made her feel as though she was losing control of the meeting, the way she seemed to be losing control of her career as a midwife. And she wasn't even really the group leader. The group members took turns leading the studies.

Despite her car's all-wheel drive, it hydroplaned on the slick pavement. She lifted up a quick “thanks” as the traction control righted the vehicle. Maybe that was her problem. Maybe she was holding on too tightly to self-control when it came to her fear of delivering babies and to other uncertainties in her life. Her fears and feeling that life was veering out of control might also explain her unreasonable pettiness toward Lexi and the way her stomach had dropped when Tessa had mentioned having supper with Jon. It was a cliché, but it certainly couldn't hurt to “let go and let God.” That is, if she could.

Chapter Eight

“G
ood morning. Pull up a chair,” Lexi said the moment Autumn entered the office. “I have the program running already so we can get right down to business.”

“Hi.” Autumn blinked at the bright sunlight streaming through the window where Lexi had pulled the drapes to the side. Yesterday, coming in early Saturday morning to give their assistant a crash course in medical coding had seemed like a good idea. No one would be here to interrupt. She covered her mouth to stifle a yawn. Today, after staying up late to watch a movie and tossing and turning in the heat trying to stay asleep, Autumn wasn't sure she was up to one-on-one time with their ebullient assistant.

“I'm really looking forward to the movie at Jon's house tomorrow,” Lexi said. “I think it's going to be one of the most interesting Bible studies I've done.”

Autumn wasn't going to ask whether she meant interesting subject matter or interesting because they were going to watch the series at Jon's.

She pointed to the information Lexi needed to enter into the computer. “I have to admit that I wasn't sure about the miniseries at first, but now I'm looking forward to it, too.” Since she was going to be working with Lexi all summer, she needed to get past the competitiveness that Lexi evoked in her whenever the office assistant mentioned Jon. Autumn could understand it if she had any intention of acknowledging her attraction to Jon. She didn't. She planned to keep their relationship just as it was, friends and colleagues.

The door to the office swung open, and Jon strode in. “Good. You're here.”

Autumn froze, her first thought being that he was going to invite her—or Lexi—to lunch. She quickly corrected that to the more likely assumption that Jon had two mothers in labor and needed her for one of the births, which was even more unsettling.

“I need a favor.”

She relaxed.
Neither.
A birth was business. For Jon business was always all business. He'd never refer to covering a birth as a favor. “What's up?”

“I need someone to pick my grandmother up at the Amtrak station. Her train gets in at about one-fifteen, and I have a mother who might be in late-stage labor by then. She's another one of Maureen's patients who wasn't due until after Maureen was supposed to be back from vacation.”

The way Jon spoke sounded like the woman was being inconsiderate to inconvenience him by giving birth early.

“That didn't come out quite right.” He motioned Autumn to the hallway off the reception area. “Excuse us,” he said to Lexi. When he and Autumn were in the hall, he ran his hand over his hair. “I'm going to admit that I feel at a disadvantage delivering a woman I haven't been following throughout the pregnancy, who I don't have my own notes on.”

Jon was nervous? That was a side she'd never seen before. “You were fine with Lisa,” she assured him. “At the follow-up visits, both she and Greg said the birth went well.”

“But you were there. You had personal knowledge of any potential complications. All I have are the medical records. At my other practice, we met weekly to discuss our patients in case we had to cover for one another.”

He was worried about complications. She'd expected him to say he felt at a disadvantage because he didn't know the mother, didn't have an established relationship with her. But that was the way she thought, not necessarily the way he did.

“Do you want me to assist at the birth?”

Indecision clouded his eyes. “No, I'd rather you meet Nana's train, if you can.”

“I can.” She smiled inside at what must be his childhood name for his grandmother. “I'm almost done showing Lexi the medical coding and don't have any big plans for the afternoon.”

“That would be great.” Relief softened his features. “I invited Nana for a visit earlier this week, and she decided to take me up on the offer immediately.”

“July is prime vacation time in the Adirondacks.”

“I'll give you my key so you can let her in.” He pulled his keys from his lab coat pocket, removed the house key and handed it to her. “Thanks, I appreciate this. I'll call Nana and tell her to look for you.”

He took a step back toward the reception area.

“Wait. There won't be a lot of people getting off the train at Ticonderoga, but it would help if I had some idea of what your grandmother looks like.”

He blinked. “Right.” He reached into his other coat pocket.

She took the photo he removed from his wallet, a little surprised that he had one. Word at Samaritan had been that he was estranged from his family. The picture was of him as a young teen next to a stunning woman who looked to be in her sixties. Exceptional good looks must run in the family.

“You can photocopy it. She still looks like that, only fifteen years older.”

He didn't want her to take the photo with her. Was he afraid she'd lose it? She handed it back. “I don't need to. I should be able to recognize her. Go on back to your mother-to-be. Your grandmother and I'll be fine.”

The way Lexi glanced from Jon to Autumn as they entered the waiting room from the hallway made Autumn wonder if she'd been eavesdropping.

“Thanks again,” Jon said as he left.

Autumn closed the office door and turned to Lexi, who was looking up at her with her head tilted to one side. Autumn readied herself for a question or comment about Jon.

“How well do you know Josh?”

That wasn't something Autumn had expected. “I know him and his family. I went to school with his brother. Josh was a couple of years ahead of us, so we didn't really hang out together. He served in the National Guard in Afghanistan with Dad and works for my stepmother's environmental engineering company.”

Lexi laughed. “I'm still getting used to how small Paradox Lake is and how the families all know each other.”

“If I think a moment, I can probably come up with more. Why do you ask?”

“When he drove me home from the meeting the other night, he invited me out to go swimming next weekend.”

“Oh.” Autumn silently took back all of the testy thoughts she'd had earlier about Lexi and Jon. She was never at her best when she was overtired, which wasn't a good trait in a midwife. “What did you tell him?”

“I told him I'd let him know today.”

“I say go for it.”

“That's what Jamie and Eli said, too. I might as well have some fun while I'm here.” Lexi tapped her finger on the desk. “I'm going to do it.”

Autumn smiled. “Let's get the rest of your coding training out of the way and you can give Josh a call to let him know.”
And I can get to Ticonderoga to pick up Mrs. Hanlon.

“So I enter 59400 here for global maternity care.”

“That's right. It's our most-used code.” Autumn showed her a few more things. “Can you finish up by yourself? Kelly will be in for a one o'clock appointment.”

“Yeah, I'll be fine.”

“Good, because I'd better leave for the train station if I'm going to get there in time to pick up Jon's grandmother.”

“See you at church tomorrow.”

“See you.”

Autumn left a lot more confident that Lexi would work out as a summer office assistant even though she didn't have any medical office experience. She was a quick learner and seemed to have gotten over her initial infatuation with Jon. Although Autumn couldn't see her and Lexi being as close as she and Jamie were, they should get along fine as coworkers for the time Lexi was here.

Now, if only she was as confident about her and Jon developing a good working relationship.

Twenty minutes later, Autumn sat in a line of cars near the intersection of Route 74 and Montcalm Street watching the minutes tick toward one-fifteen, the time she was supposed to pick up Jon's grandmother. She craned her neck. Traffic was halted as far as she could see, blocking the view of whatever the problem might be. No cars had passed from the other direction as long as she'd been stopped.

The car ahead of her inched back, and the driver did a U-turn so he could head back into Ticonderoga. Autumn looked at the space in front of her. She could do the same. But depending on where the problem was, that could make her even later. She closed the space between her car and the car ahead and turned hers off. She should be okay calling the birthing center on her cell phone since traffic wasn't moving anyway.

“Ticonderoga Birthing Center,” the weekend receptionist answered.

“This is Autumn Hazard. Is Dr. Hanlon available?”

“Hi, Autumn. I'll try his office.”

Autumn tapped her foot while she waited.

“Sorry, he didn't pick up. Do you want me to page him? He's probably in the birthing area. He has a mother in labor.”

“No, don't page him.” If he was with Maureen's mother-to-be, he wouldn't want to be interrupted by a personal call. “I'll leave a message with you and on his voice mail. If you see him within the next half hour, let him know that I'm stuck in a traffic jam and it looks like I'll get to the train station late.”

“Got it.” The receptionist transferred Autumn to Jon's voice mail and she left her message there, as well.

Autumn looked up from her phone to see a county sheriff car slowing down beside her from the other way.
Great.
Using a cell phone while driving was illegal in New York. The sheriff deputy stopped and rolled down his window. Autumn did the same, breathing a sigh of relief when she recognized him from church.

“Hi, Autumn. Are you on your way to a delivery? We're letting emergency vehicles through.”

She wished she could say she was, for more reasons than the opportunity to get out of the traffic line. If she were, it would mean some normalcy in her life. “No, thanks. I'm on my way to the train station to pick up a friend's grandmother.”

“Okay.” He started to roll up his window.

“Wait. What happened?”

“A truck carrying chickens jackknifed. The trailer rolled over and there are chickens everywhere.”

“Was anyone hurt?”

“Thankfully, no. The driver is shaken up. The EMTs are treating him.”

“That's good to hear.”

“We'll be getting traffic moving soon.” The deputy rolled up the window and moved on.

Autumn restarted the car, and the vehicles ahead of her began moving slowly. Mrs. Hanlon would have arrived at the station about ten minutes ago. She flexed her fingers on the steering wheel. She didn't know why she was so concerned about Jon's grandmother arriving at the station with no one to meet her. It wasn't like she was a child. And if Jon had gotten her message, he would have alerted his grandmother.

But if he hadn't... Autumn thought about the closeness she shared with her family, the photo Jon had shown her of him and his grandmother and the rumors she'd heard about him being estranged from his family. If this visit from his grandmother was some kind of reconciliation, she'd hate to do anything that might upset that.

When she finally reached her destination, Autumn rushed into the small, square brick building housing the waiting area that was the Ticonderoga Amtrak station. Mrs. Hanlon sat on the polished wood bench in front of the large picture window that looked out over the parking lot. A woman about her aunt Jinx's age with two small children—the only other people at the station—glanced at her watch and out the window at the parking lot.

“Mrs. Hanlon.” Autumn crossed the small room. “I'm so sorry I'm late. There was an accident and traffic was backed up.”

Behind her stylish designer glasses, the older woman's eyes widened. “Excuse me. Do I know you?”

Autumn clutched her car keys in her hand. Hadn't Jon called his grandmother? “I'm Autumn Hazard. I work with Jon. He had a birth and asked me to pick you up for him. Didn't he call?” Her words tumbled out without a breath between them.

“Oh, no. I turned my phone off.” Jon's grandmother reached into the Burberry bag on the bench beside her and took out her phone. “Yes, he called and texted me your picture.”

Jon had a picture of her on his phone? When could he have taken that, and why?

“A link to your picture,” Mrs. Hanlon corrected herself. “On the birthing center website. You're a midwife.”

“Yes.” She still was, technically, even if she hadn't delivered any babies on her own for several months. “I did my clinicals at Samaritan Hospital when Jon was a resident there.”

A warm smile reminiscent of Jon's lady-killer one spread across her face. “So you're old friends.”

Autumn wasn't sure that's the way she'd describe their relationship. Their friendship was still developing. “Do you have luggage?”

Mrs. Hanlon pointed at a large family-size suitcase Autumn had assumed belonged to the other woman. Either Mrs. Hanlon had a tendency to really over-pack or was planning on a long visit.

“Will you and the kids be okay here by yourself?” Mrs. Hanlon addressed the other traveler. “We can wait until your husband gets here.” She looked at Autumn for a confirmation.

“Of course.” The station was a little isolated, outside of Ticonderoga proper, on the edge of the Fort Ticonderoga historic site property. “If your husband is coming on Route 74, he probably got stuck in the same traffic I did.”

“Thanks, but you don't have to stay. I see him pulling in now.” She pointed to the parking lot.

“It was nice meeting you,” Mrs. Hanlon said. “And I wish you the best with your house-hunting.” She turned to Autumn. “Her husband recently took a job in Ticonderoga, and she and the kids are here for a week to look at houses.”

“I think you'll like it here. The area's a great place to raise kids,” Autumn said. “Of course, I'm biased. I grew up on Paradox Lake about twenty minutes from here.”

“Thanks. The mountains are pretty, but it's a lot more isolated than where we live now.”