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“And you? How are you doing?”
“The first couple years were the hardest. But we’re all getting by, I guess.” He nodded toward the coffeepot and mugs on the kitchen counter. “Do you mind?”
“Please, help yourself.”
After pouring them both a cup of coffee, he leaned a hip against the counter and watched her fill the dishwasher. “It’s been four years now. I still miss her, but the pain of it is starting to fade.”
“Replaced by acceptance.”
He blew on the surface of his coffee, then took a long sip. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Charlie told me his mother passed away, but didn’t say how.”
“Ovarian cancer. By the time she was diagnosed, it was too late. But we just didn’t know.”
“I’m so sorry.” He’d had four years to grieve.Had he started dating again? Was there someone special in his life?
The thoughts came out of nowhere, a sneak attack that caught her unaware.
But there really was no point in wondering.
She should simply accept that she had a pleasant neighbor to visit with from time to time. Anything more would lead to heartbreak.
Matt moved to the front window of the cabin and looked out toward the mountains, where rays of purple, pink, and gold streaked through the peaks and valleys, and radiated like a vast light show above the range.
She found herself watching him as she worked.
One hand braced high on the window frame, one hand cradling his cup of coffee, he looked...big. Masculine. With the type of broad-shouldered, lean-hipped athletic build she’d always found so intensely appealing. Capable of defending, building, taking charge.
Shaking off those foolish thoughts, she wiped down the counters and surveyed the kitchen, then poured the rest of the coffee into an insulated carafe. “Dessert? I’ve got peach pie and ice cream.”
He turned away from the window, a smile deepening the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes. He had such beautiful eyes...the warm brown flecked with gold made her think of autumn sunshine.
“Pie?”
Jolie laughed as she bent to retrieve the pie she’d set back in the oven at a low temperature. “It isn’t a homemade pie crust, but it’s the best I can do. Piecrusts have always been my greatest challenge.”
She cut four slices, left two on the counter for the kids, and topped the other two with ice cream. “Let’s go outside. These spring evenings are too beautiful not to enjoy.”
Out on the porch, Jolie nudged several pillows aside and settled onto the porch swing, lifting her plate to gesture toward the other end of the swing. “Have a seat.”
Matt hesitated, then set his coffee on the porch railing and sank onto the seat next to her, his forearms resting on his thighs.
After he finished his dessert, he set the plate on the railing and reached for his cup, then draped his other arm over the back of the swing.
“How are things going at your clinic?” he asked.
She laughed. “On Thursday I hired my first employee, but she doesn’t start until mid-May. I’m hoping Irene and I don’t outnumber the patients.”
“You’ll do fine.”
His voice was low and rich, and when his fingers idly toyed with the hair at her nape, she fought the urge to lean into his touch.
I could get used to this,she thought.A beautiful Saturday evening. A handsome guy...kids. A taste of what I hoped for, once upon a time.
Before reality and disillusionment came along.
“Dolly is the strangest creature,” he observed, looking out toward the meadow where the llama was following Charlie toward the barn. “With that long, high neck and that shaggy body, she reminds me of an elongated ostrich.”
