Dylan left the hospital the following day reeling. Charlie had arrived an hour ago and he’d filled her in on what the doctors had told him. She was now sitting with Ava. After checking on his father, he’d decided on a walk to hopefully clear his head and make sense of what he’d learned.

Keeping the news from his mother hadn’t been easy, because Mary Howard was recovering and with that came her forceful personality, but he’d managed it. He and Charlie had told her that Ava had overdone it running, but he’d have to tell her the truth soon, and he wasn’t looking forward to it.

He walked up the road, and headed toward the mountains. Thoughts came and went as he tried to make some decisions. He couldn’t leave Ryker now; no way would he do that to his family. Ava needed him, just as his father, mother, and Charlie did.

How could so many things be happening to the Howards? Digging his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he tried to wrap his head around the situation.

He knew it was coincidence; there was no other explanation… but first his father, then Charlie. Now Mom and Ava.

Looking up the road, he saw Piper pushing Grace in her stroller. Had he been thinking with his usual clarity, there was no way Dylan would have increased his pace. No way would he have actively sought the company of a woman who unsettled him. A woman who was stirring up feelings inside him.

“Hey, you.”

She turned, and he enjoyed the smile she gave him because it reached her eyes. He could see she was tired, but then from what he’d seen that was a continual state for parents of young children.

“Hey, you.”

There was none of the usual fire in her eyes, or wariness for that matter. In fact, if he leaned in and kissed those soft lips, Dylan was fairly sure she’d allow it. The thought had him leaning back; he still had a small quota of self-preservation.

Jeans and a gray fitted sweater. Nothing alluring, or different from what any number of women wore, but on Piper they were pretty special. Her hair was bundled into a big clip with more haste than care, as half of it had come down at the rear.

“Hello, Gracie.” Dylan bent over the little girl and she gave him a garbled mouthful of something, which he interpreted to mean “hey you” right back. Dressed in a white and lemon puffy suit that looked seriously warm, she had a white hat tied under her chin, and a blanket tucked around her. Under her arm was Bicky.

“Nice day for a walk.”

“I’m checking out a property, actually.”

“What for?”