Free Hannah (The Hawthorne Sisters) by Ava Catori Page A

took a deep breath, knowing what she had to say. “Seeing you like that – it startled me. It got me thinking that there are a lot of things I don’t know about you. We’ve seen the good in each other, but not the bad. You don’t know that I’m bitchy at certain times, or that I cry over really stupid stuff, or that I laugh at inappropriate times. You don’t know that I’ve never been in love like this before, and I’m scared to death that what we have, what we had, is some kind of illusion.”
    He wanted to take her in his arms, comfort her, but he was almost afraid she’d flinch at his touch. Bryce sat down, dropping his guard, letting his need to be strong fall to the floor.
    “When my parents died, I promised myself I’d take care of Bev. I did the best I could, and she kept getting into trouble. Her life spiraled out of control. I can’t fix her. Lord knows I’ve tried.” Tears started to fall. Bryce dropped his head in his hands. “When you came into my life, I felt alive again. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Hannah. Whether you believe that or not, it’s the truth. I love you with all my heart. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, make you my wife one day. And the thought that you’re afraid of me crushes me down to my soul. I’d never lift a finger to a woman, never hurt you, and never hurt anyone for that matter. You have to believe me. You’re safe with me.”
    He looked so vulnerable . There was pain in his eyes, along with the fear of losing her. Hannah saw his truth. His heart was open; she just had to accept it.
    Bryce begged her for another chance. “Hannah, please, baby. Don’t walk away. You’re my future, the woman I love.” He saw his world crashing down around him. His chance of happiness was fading away.
    Hannah sat beside him, and quietly placed her hand on his leg. It took her a moment to respond. Finally, she spoke. “I’m not going anywhere.” She leaned into him, letting him cry it out. He finally let go of the years of grief he felt, the responsibility he felt toward his sister, the loss of his parents. Eventually his tears stopped.

Chapter 11
     
    November brought a cold front to town. Two feet of snow fell, and then another the following day. Everybody was plowing out of the snow, realizing winter had settled in once and for all. Bryce was up early , clearing out the massive amounts of snow that covered his long drive. He had plenty of cleaning up to do, but plowed down part of the road that led to the Hawthorne’s house to help the girls dig out. Hannah was on their tractor, already pushing some of it out of the way. Between the two of them, they had their main drive and path to the barn cleared. The younger girls were digging out the walkway with shovels.
    “When you free up later, can you come down to my place?”
    Hannah could see his breath as he spoke, the cold air marking it. “Yeah, is everything okay?”
    “Yes. I just wanted to talk to you about something.”
    “Okay, I’ll come by after we’re done here.”
    Gretta had a batch of hot chocolate going, and was ready when the crew came inside. With an invitation to join them for Thanksgiving, Bryce thanked Gretta, said his good-byes , and headed on his way. Going back home, he needed to finish clearing up what nature had left behind at his own house. The snow was heavy over his porch roof, and climbing up, he was able to push most of it off with a long broom.
    Hannah found her way down to his house a little later. She found him in the barn, refreshing Ruby’s bedding and checking her blanket. The weather had snapped colder than they’d anticipated this week.
    “Hey , cowboy.” She shoved her gloved hands into her pockets.
    “Your nose is red.” He smiled, leaned in , and kissed her sweetly. They’d grown back to how things were before, but it took a little doing.
    “About Thanksgiving …” she said, looking down. “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to