Pounce

Chapter 6

Changes

Hannah

It was a long first day for Hannah at work. She had no time to eat her lunch. She dug it out of her little bag she brought. She scrapped all the noodles out of the container and placed it in the trash.

Then placed her container back in her bag. She shivered as she placed her gloves back on her hands. The phone rang.

"Hello, this is Away From Home bed and breakfast inn how may I help you?" Hannah answers on the second ring.

"Hannah, it is me. Nathan. Look I had to run to the hardware store. But if Mrs. Tolsen asks I am here. Distract her okay?" begs Nathan on the other line.

"Nathan? What are you doing at the hardware store?" she laughs.

"I had to buy a part for the furnace. Look it won't happen again. I was on my way there. I was running late after having lunch. Can you help a guy out?" he begs.

"Sure, you got it" she replies.

"See you soon" he tells her.

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Hannah smiles as she hangs up the phone. She had learned to fix furnaces back when her husband had passed away. She had to learn a many good things when he had. She had to do things on her own.

She walked over to the furnace. Nathan's tools were all over the floor. She grabs his flash light. Leans down close to the furnace. She begins to fiddle around with it. Soon it begins whirring like a kitten's purr.

"There we go!" she says looking pleased with her actions.

"Miss. Ryder? Have you saw that Mr. Iris?" demands Mrs. Tolsen.

"Oh he went out for lunch late after he had fixed the furnace. Look at that it is working" Hannah distracts Mrs. Tolsen perfectly.

"Well I will be damned" she laughs as she looks over the handy work.

"Mom! I am here! I came right here!" calls out Mimi. School was out. She had told Mimi to walk here to the inn to meet her. Mimi was soon eyeing the cookies Mrs. Tolsen had out for the guests.

"Can I have one?" she begs her mother as she goes to reach out for one.

"No, those are for the guests" says Hannah as she stops her.

"It is alright she can have a cookie. How old are you little one?" asks Mrs. Tolsen as she warms up to Mimi.

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That was the first time that Hannah had saw Mrs. Tolsen warm up to anyone yet since she had been working there. Mrs. Tolsen hands Mimi a cookie.

"I am nine years old" brags Mimi with pride.

"Can you count to nine?" wonders Mrs. Tolsen.

"1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9. That is easy" laughs Mimi.

"I have a granddaughter of my own. She is only four. She lives out in Michigan" Mrs. Tolsen says. "Plane tickets are hard to buy these days. So my son and his wife only come out around the holidays. I miss him. He went to school with Mason and Nathan" she explains.

"Small world" says Hannah. 

Mrs. Tolsen nods.

"It gets lonely around this big home. People just come in and out all the time" she sighs wistfully.

"I am sure" says Hannah.

"You are welcome to come visit me anytime" Mrs. Tolsen tells Mimi as she smiles.

"Cool, can I mom?" asks Mimi.

"Sure can after school" says Hannah.

"So what is your granddaughters' name?" Mimi wonders.

"Her name is Charity" says Mrs. Tolsen. She leads Mimi over to her photos that she had splashed along the wall. "There she is" she tells Mimi.

"I can't see. It is high up" Mimi says squinting at the photo. Mrs. Tolsen helps Mimi by lifting her up to see the photo.

"She is cute" says Mimi.

"Thanks" says Mrs. Tolsen.

She sets Mimi back down.

♥☆♥☆♥

"You have a piano?" gasps Mimi when she notices the grand black piano in the living room.

"Yes, I used to play. I used to teach lessons" says Mrs. Tolsen.

"I never knew" laughs Hannah.

"I was taking lessons back in Florida. My dad used to pay for my lessons. Until we moved here" Mimi explains. Hannah's heart sinks. She knew Mimi was home sick. There was nothing she could do about it.

"You play to? What can you play?" questions Mrs. Tolsen.

"I can play Mary Had A Little Lamb. Want to hear me?" wonders Mimi.

"Sure kid. Hey Hannah?" Mrs. Tolsen asks.

"Yes?" Hannah asks.

"I can give her lessons" offers Mrs. Tolsen.

"Oh please Mom? Can I?" begs Mimi hopefully.

"Honey your Dad used to pay for that. Our funds are short. I can't afford lessons" sighs Hannah.

"I will give them for free. I do not mind. I would love for this old home to have music play once more" says Mrs. Tolsen wistfully.

"Are you sure? That is very generous of you" says Hannah.

"I would love to" says Mrs. Tolsen. "Have her come here after school. I will be happy to teach her, come on show me what you learned before" she tells Hannah and then Mimi.

♥☆♥☆♥ 

She smiles as she takes Mimi by the hand and heads over to make music. Hannah smiles. She was glad Mimi made a friend. She went back to work. Nathan comes on in. He heads to the furnace.

"Hey who fixed this thing?" asks Nathan.

"I did" laughs Hannah.

"You did!?" he wonders in amazement.

"I did" she tells him, as she smiles at him.

"What was wrong with it?" he asks her.

"It was turned off" she laughs. "The piolet light went out was all!"

"I guess I made a trip for nothing" sighs Nathan.

"Guess so" laughs Hannah.

"Where is Mrs. Tolsen? Is she playing the piano?" wonders Nathan.

"Yes she is. With Mimi. My daughter. She was off school. So she struck up a friendship with Mrs. Tolsen" explains Hannah as Mrs. Tolsen and Mimi broke out singing "How Much Is That Doggy In The Window"

"Well I was shocked. Mrs. Tolsen does not take to anyone" says Nathan.

"I know that" Hannah giggles.

"Say I owe you my life. What do you say you let me take you out to dinner sometime" he offers.

"I can't I have my daughter" she worries.

"That is not an issue. Let her come along to" he offers.

"No it is too soon. I can't I am sorry" she apologizes. She smiles sadly looking at her wedding ring that remained on her finger.

"Too soon for what?" he wonders.

"I am a widow" she explains.

♥☆♥☆♥

She shows her ring which she had yet to be able to take off her finger.

"s**t, I am sorry. Maybe two friends can hang out have some dinner? What do you say? I will bring everything over to your place. I know where you live. You live next to my brother. Nothing will happen on my scouts honor" he vows.

"I suppose that would be alright. Friends only getting together?" she warns.

"Yes" he tells her. She grins.

"Alright. So your brother told you I moved in?" she asks.

"Yes he was telling me about the bear attack. I hear those pets of his saved you pretty good huh?" Nathan asks her.

"Yes, they came to my rescue in the nick of time" she says.

"Mason raised them. Back when they were pups" says Nathan.

"That was what Mason was telling me. That they come back to see him. Maybe I will see my rescuers again one day. He said they had names to. Oh Reckless and Fearless. Or was one Dummy? I don't recall" sighs Hannah.

"He called the other wolf Reckless? Or was it Dummy?" Nathan suddenly demands to know.

She rethinks of the names Mason had said.

"Oh it was not Dummy. He said that was an option! He said the other wolf's name was Reckless" laughs Hannah. Why did Nathan look upset by that? "What is wrong?"

"That was not the name of the other wolf. I named him myself. His name was Honor" says Nathan.

"Oh, I was just saying what Mason said" Hannah stops laughing.

"It is alright. My brother likes to get on my nerves. After all what are brothers for?" Nathan replies as he smiles her way.

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