“But they don’t know her.” She was afraid to find Grandmillie diminished in some way.

“Do you want me to go in with you?”

There was such kindness in his eyes and such strength in his grip that she wanted to lean on him. But she shook her head. “I need to talk to her alone about what happened.”

He gave her hands a light squeeze and released them. Chloe pushed the door open more forcefully than necessary and walked in.

Grandmillie lay on her back with her eyes closed, while Lynda sat reading a magazine in a chair alongside her. A couple of monitors blinked by the bed, and an IV line ran to her grandmother’s arm. Her usually well-groomed white hair was loose and tangled on the pillow. She looked tiny and frail between the shiny metal railings of the bed.

Anguish slugged Chloe in the chest.

“Chloe!” Lynda said, dropping the magazine. “That was fast.”

Grandmillie’s eyes snapped open, and she turned to frown at Chloe, all the spit and vinegar back in her face and voice. “I told you not to leave the wedding early.”

“Nathan has a very fast jet,” Chloe said, trotting to the bed so she could kiss her grandmother’s cheek. Tears filled her throat, and she had a hard time saying, “I’m glad to see you’re still your usual bossy self.”

“I’m due a little more respect than that, young lady,” Grandmillie said, but she wrapped her arms around Chloe’s neck and drew her in for a hug, a rare show of affection from her independent grandmother.

Chloe returned the hug with feeling, holding her grandmother’s thin body as carefully as a baby bird. When they separated, Chloe caught a watery gleam of tears in Grandmillie’s eyes, bringing back the air of fragility. Chloe had to blink hard to hide her own reaction. She sat down in an empty chair and took her grandmother’s hand before she looked over at Lynda. “Thank you a thousand times over for taking such good care of her.”

“Don’t mention it.” Lynda came around the bed and bent to give Chloe a peck on the cheek. “I’m going to leave you two alone while I get a sandwich in the cafeteria.”

Chloe wondered if Nathan was still outside but decided it was too hard to explain him to Lynda. So she just nodded and turned her attention back to her grandmother. “Now tell me what happened.”

Her grandmother sighed. “It was the same as the last time. I was in the kitchen making a turkey sandwich. I started to feel short of breath and a bit anxious. My heart felt as though it was flopping around in my chest. I got light-headed and then everything went dark. When I woke up, I was lying on the kitchen floor. I checked the clock and only a couple of minutes had passed.” Her hand trembled a little in Chloe’s. “As soon as I could, I called Lynda.”

“Why didn’t you just press the button on your necklace?”

“Phooey! I didn’t want all the fuss of an ambulance.”

Chloe blew out a breath of exasperation. “If you were having a heart attack, the EMTs could actually help on the way to the hospital.”

“I wasn’t in any pain, and I wasn’t unconscious for very long. I knew I wasn’t having a heart attack.”

Chloe laid her other hand on top of Grandmillie’s. “You have to take better care of yourself for my sake. What would I do without you?”

All weakness fled from her grandmother’s face as she smiled at Chloe. “Child, you’d be just fine. You’re a strong, bright young woman with a big heart. You’ll find a way to fill it when I’m gone, but I don’t plan to kick the bucket just yet.”

“If you aren’t more careful, your plans may not matter.” Chloe locked her gaze on her grandmother. “Promise me you’ll push the button next time this happens. Otherwise I’m going to quit my job and stay home with you all day long.”

Grandmillie’s eyebrows rose. “You do that and I’ll move to Crestmont.”

As she tried to stare down her grandmother, Chloe felt a giggle rise in her throat. “If you move to Crestmont, I’ll . . . I’ll . . . I don’t know what I’ll do, but you won’t like it.” She let the giggle loose.

The corners of Grandmillie’s lips twitched upward. “Two Russell women trying to out-threaten one another isn’t pretty, is it?”

“Especially since I lost.”

“Keep that in mind,” Grandmillie said. “I may be old, but I’ve still got my wits about me.”

“Still, will you promise me?” Chloe pleaded.

“Oh, fine. I promise.” Her grandmother freed her hand and patted Chloe’s cheek. “Since you were gracious enough to admit defeat.”

“Now let’s talk about what the doctor says,” Chloe said, since she’d gotten her concession.

“So far they’ve all just talked a lot of gibberish filled with acronyms because they don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Luckily, I’ve brought a translator. Ben Cavill is here.”

“He’s the fellow who insisted on giving me his emergency phone number.” But Grandmillie looked pleased.

“Nathan and his butler, Ed, are here too.”

“Good heavens, it’s a regular tea party. Help me tidy up my hair.”

As Chloe wove Grandmillie’s hair into a neat braid that fell over her shoulder, the fear that had sunk its claws into her eased its grip. If her grandmother was worried about her hairstyle, she must be feeling close to normal. She straightened Grandmillie’s hospital gown and smoothed the sheets out before going back to the door.