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A stubborn one. A week ago, she’d politely declined his offer twice, but every time Matt drove by the clinic, a feeling of unease crawled down his spine. He resolutely tugged his ball cap lower over his forehead.
Ed shook his head. “Typical. All the money in the world, yet people like them always look for a free ride.”
“She didn’t ask. She doesn’t even want me to do it.”
“You’re doing the job anyway?” Ed’s expression turned to disbelief.
Matt shrugged. “I get the feeling things aren’t as easy for her as you think.”
“You wouldn’t be doing this if she was twenty years older and weighed another couple hundred pounds.”
Silently counting to ten, Matt ignored Ed’s leer as he rounded the back of the pickup and slid behind the wheel. “See you tomorrow morning at the Thompson place by seven.”
“Yeah, sure. And then you can tell me about how far you got with the doc.”
Ed and he had been partners for a few weeks now, bidding on projects, working on the kitchen renovation Ed had set up earlier. Things were going pretty well. Hopefully, there would be enough work to keep them busy. But adjusting to each other was still proving to be a challenge.
As if still caught up in their old sibling rivalries, Ed seemed bent on establishing control, clearly resented being questioned, and sometimes, his decisions just weren’t sound.
Simple oversights, maybe. Quick decisions made under stress.That’s all it is,Matt told himself.Everything will be okay.
He just hoped it was true.
AS HE’D EXPECTED,the lights were still on at the clinic when Matt pulled to a stop in the alley.
Jolie’s SUV rarely bounced up Coyote Creek Road past his place before nine, and sometimes she passed by after midnight.
When he heard her, he always wondered what it was like for a woman to drive home by herself to that desolate, darkened cabin without even a dog there to greet her. Dolly and the old sheep wouldn’t offer any protection.
His late wife hadn’t even liked driving alone in the city, where there were streetlights and neighbors.
The one time he’d flagged Jolie down and offered to go with her to check for prowlers, she’d given him a breezy smile and continued on her way.
He still sometimes found himself lying awake at night, listening to the owls and coyotes and whatever else rustled through the underbrush, wondering if she was all right up in that isolated cabin by herself.
To avoid startling her, he walked around to the front of the clinic and rapped lightly on the door before stepping inside. The waiting room was lit by just a small lamp at one end, but light poured from a doorway down the hall.
“Be out in a sec,” Jolie called out. “Just have a seat.”
Matt eyed the waiting room chairs, none of which appeared comfortable, then headed for the receptionist’s window. “I brought your door.”
“You what?” Sounding startled, Jolie stepped out of the lab, clad in old jeans and an oversized sweatshirt, a paintbrush in her hand. A paint-spattered bandanna covered her hair, and a streak of white paint trailed across her right cheekbone.
Even without makeup, the fine bone structure of her face gave her a natural beauty that would undoubtedly age into elegance.
“I could use a little help moving it in here, though. Got a minute?”
She swept a glance down the front of her paint-spattered shirt, then met his gaze dead-on. Another woman might have shown embarrassment, but Jolie was clearly made of sterner stuff.
She lifted her chin. “I don’t think we settled on anything.”
“Easy decision. Free labor, material at cost.”
Her gaze shifted toward the back door and the inky darkness beyond its single pane of glass. “Well...”
“Mykidsstop in here. What if some creep let himself in?”
“I—” She hesitated. “You’re right. I don’t know what to say.”
