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“Sure.” He cleared his throat. “Well, sort of.”
Jolie chuckled. “I know it’s tough being a guy raising a teenage daughter. If you ever think she needs to talk to a woman, I’m available.”
Giving a vague nod, Matt shifted his weight. He smelled of faint, woodsy after-shave, sunshine, and soap; a clean and all-too-compelling combination that made her wonder what it might be like to kiss him. Just once. To be held in his arms in front of a campfire.
Or even right here on this sunlit trail, in broad daylight.
The hitch in Matt’s breath told her that he was probably wondering the same thing. And Charlie’s rapt attention on his fishing line hadn’t changed.
“Jolie...” His voice was deeper than before. Rough. He lifted a hand and trailed his fingers through her hair. “I figure this probably isn’t a good idea.”
Those gentle fingertips traced the line of her cheekbone. The curve of her jaw.
Without volition, Jolie found herself turning into his hand and looking up at his autumn eyes. They were darker now, the amber highlights subdued.
Matt’s gaze slid toward Charlie one last time, then his lashes drifted downward as his fingers threaded through her hair to draw her a little closer.
Warmth spread through her when his mouth settled gently over hers. The universe narrowed to the exquisitely gentle touch of his strong hands. The tenderness of his kiss. And—
“Oh,yuck,Dad!”
Ice water couldn’t have had a more chilling effect than opening her eyes and looking into Charlie’s horrified expression. Breathless, she pulled out of Matt’s arms and moved away.
“Charlie.”Matt’s voice was low, filled with subtle warning. “I don’t think this is open for your comments, do you?”
“But—”
“No.”
Charlie looked back and forth between Jolie and Matt, his mouth set in a stubborn line. “I want to go home.”
“We waited for you so you could watch the marmots and fish, and now we’re going to head up the trail a little farther,” Matt said evenly.
“I’mtired.”
“Just another half mile or so.”
“I want...”
Charlie’s voice trailed off, and Jolie saw the pain and sadness in his eyes. “You want your own mom to be with your dad, not someone else. I understand.”
Turning away, he didn’t answer.
Matt stood, and she saw that same pain reflected in his own eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he said simply. “This shouldn’t have happened. It isn’t fair to the kids, and it isn’t fair to you. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
ON MONDAY MORNINGMandy was fully dressed—her hair combed neatly into a high ponytail—before Jolie’s alarm even rang. Her expression of eager anticipation touched Jolie’s heart. For two weeks the girl had been eating and sleeping well, helping out around the cabin for something to do.
From the sparkle in her eyes to the rich sheen of her dark auburn hair, she was an entirely different person from the nervous waif who’d first appeared at Jolie’s door after midnight.
“I’ve been going a bit stir-crazy,” Mandy admitted as they walked into Jolie’s clinic an hour later. “I’m really glad you’re giving me a chance to work here. There’s a lot to learn, but I can’t wait—”
She gasped, stepped backward into the waiting area and bumped into Jolie, who was still pocketing her keys.
“What the—” Jolie moved around her. Stopped.
Shards of glass glinted along the floor of the hallway. Far too much for a single window.
