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But probably not.
Jolie sighed as she watched Cassie’s car speed down the lane, then disappear around the first bend.
Regaining what they’d all lost was proving much harder than she’d imagined.
A DRIVE UP AND DOWNthe highway, five miles north and then five miles south of Garrett Bluff—revealed no sign of Mandy Wheeler.
Rafe called and said he’d checked out the Wheeler place, but found Abe Wheeler alone. He’d also found her friend Racey outside the grocery store and had questioned her, to no avail.
You can’t help someone who refuses to be helped,Jolie reminded herself as she headed for home. Her heart ached at the thought.
Coyote Creek Road twisted and turned past rocky outcroppings and dense stands of pine. A mile up from the highway a narrow lane turned off to the south, wound between several massive boulders, then headed up to Matt’s place. Only the tip of his chimney showed through the trees.
Maybe Matt had seen Mandy.Not likely, but Jolie turned up his lane anyway, telling herself that she was looking for Mandy, not hoping to run into Matt again.
She’d seen Matt’s place years ago, remembered it mainly for its rustic log exterior and spectacular view of a deep valley and the Rocky Mountains beyond.
It was as impressive as she’d remembered.
A wealthy family had built the house as a mountain retreat many decades ago, then fell on hard times in the 1960s. Sincethen it had passed through a number of hands...perhaps because the steep approach made access difficult.
Perhaps because the city folk who purchased it always found the isolation less appealing than they’d first thought.
Now, years of short-term owners and subsequent neglect were showing in the missing shakes on the roof and the tumbledown split-rail fence surrounding the yard.
Charlie bounded out of the house, a black-and-white puppy at his heels, and ran up the stone walk to Jolie’s car as she pulled to a stop. “Hi! You came to see us!” He grinned from ear to ear. “It sure was fun coming to your house for supper. You have the coolest llama ever.”
“Is anyone else at home?” Jolie lifted a hand to shade her eyes and scanned the area, wondering if she might catch sight of Mandy.
“Annie’s inside.” He rolled his eyes. “She’s beenreallycrabby. Dad’s home, too—but he’s in the shop out behind the house.” Charlie cupped his hands at his mouth and raised his voice to an ear-splitting level. “Da-ad! We got company!”
She might have just quietly left for home, but no one could have missed Charlie’s voice. It echoed from the cliffs above the house, sending a flock of birds flapping and squawking up into the air.
“Thanks, Charlie,” Jolie said dryly. “Maybe you could point me in the right direction so I can meet your dad partway.”
He nodded and turned up a path that led around to the back of the house. The puppy cocked his head at her and, finally deciding she was a stranger, gave a timidwoofbefore racing after Charlie.
A log building matching the house stood a few hundred feet away at the edge of the clearing. Matt stepped outside as Charlie and Jolie approached. He stared at Jolie, clearly surprised, then his mouth curved into a welcoming smile.
Jolie tousled Charlie’s hair. “Do you suppose I could talk to your dad alone for a minute?”
His face fell. “Uh...sure.” He snapped his fingers and turned toward the house. “C’mon, Samson.”
Jolie stopped, watched Matt approach. And almost forgot to breathe.
He really had the most arresting face. Lean, chiseled. With laugh crinkles at the corners of his eyes and dimples that slashed deep when he smiled.
“Nice surprise,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “Anything wrong?”
Warmth eased through her, welcome as sunshine on the last days of Indian summer. She’d been right to stop here. Matt Dawson would be a man to count on, no matter what the situation. She’d found herself thinking about him far too much over the last few weeks...
“Jolie?”
“Um...right. I’ve been looking for a young girl who was staying with me. Have you seen her? Dark auburn hair, about five foot four, eighteen.”
Matt frowned. “You think she’s lost up in the hills?”
“No...at least, I don’t think so. She’s from this area and had some trouble at home. She landed at my place, but now her duffel bag is gone. I’m afraid she’s taken off again, and I hate to think of her on the road at night, alone...”
