AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Nodding, he shook her hand, releasing it as if he didn’t want to prolong the contact a second longer than necessary. His intent gaze never wavered. “Are you from around here?”
Nice handshake. Warm, firm, decisive...
The palm of her hand tingled long after she’d stepped back. “Dad’s ranch is thirty miles away, but I’ve been in California since college. My family has been here for generations.”
He seemed to relax at that. Shoving his hands in his back pockets, he surveyed the snowy mountain peaks above them. “Must have been hard being away from all this.”
Jolie’s thoughts drifted back to last Halloween, when her brother, Bobby, had nearly killed himself and two of his friends while driving drunk, leaving his best friend paralyzed.
And the week after Thanksgiving, when her father had suffered a heart attack. According to the family, he still had intermittent chest pain but refused to even consider his doctor’s advice. No surprise there—Robert Maxwell’s stubborn independence was legend.
She’d missed the mountains all right, but there were stronger reasons for coming home. “After Christmas, one of my sisters sent me information on a job opportunity, and I figured it was...time to move back.”
Matt’s gaze fell onto Charlie’s forearms. “What on earth happened to you?”
“Nothing.”
“Charlie—”
“Really,”he said quickly. “Jolie cleaned it off and she says it’s okay.”
“Well...not exactly,” she murmured. “He needs to find out when he last had a tetanus shot.”
“I can see where he might forget about that.” A dimple deepened in Matt’s cheek. “He’s never met a doctor he liked, but heisup to date on all his vaccinations.”
Glad she hadn’t mentioned her profession just yet, Jolie bit back a smile. “Let’s hope his aversion to doctors changes soon.”
The man had the most beautiful eyes. Warm brown with gold flecks, fringed with lashes she would have killed for, back in her younger, maybe-I’ll-find-the-right-man-someday phase.
But those days were long gone.
The guys she’d dated had either been attracted by her medical degree and earning potential or had drifted away when they discovered her professional dedication and long hours made them feel second best.
The quest was no longer worth the bother.
“Thanks for helping my son.” He squeezed Charlie’s shoulders gently. “What do you say?”
Charlie mumbled thanks, his head bowed. “Can I come back to see Dolly?”
Matt stared at the llama grazing a few dozen yards away and gave a strangled cough. “Dolly...llama?”
His barely suppressed laughter charmed Jolie clear to her toes. “I didn’t name her. She came with this place.”
Charlie looked back and forth between the adults, clearly mystified. “Well, can I come back? Please?”
“Only if you ask permission first.” Matt’s gaze met and held Jolie’s. “Andif it’s okay with Ms. Maxwell.”
A warm feeling curled around Jolie’s heart. An hour ago, she’d been savoring the absolute peace and quiet of her secluded retreat. Now that silence no longer seemed so appealing.
“Of course it’s okay. I enjoyed meeting you, Charlie. You remind me of my kid brother when he was young.”
But such boyish innocence was long past for Bobby Maxwell, she admitted to herself as her new neighbors waved and turned for home.
He’d been just four when she moved away to college, and he’d grown into a wild, troubled young man whom she barely knew.
The llama bumped her nose against Jolie’s jacket pockets, begging for crackers. “Sorry, Dolly. I’m all out.”
Back at the cabin, she sat on the top step of the porch and dropped her chin in her hand to watch Dolly and Sadie graze. Thinking about her family invariably made her feel melancholy.
