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Jamie didn’t have time to mourn for her lost love. Her mother was getting weaker every day. Georgia had decided that she wanted to die in her own bed, so Jamie took it upon herself to be her nurse.
One afternoon, when the winds were howling and the sky was full of gray clouds, Georgia opened her eyes to see Jamie sitting by her bedside.
“You know how very proud I am of you.”
“I know, Mama.”
“I love you so much. No matter what happens, I’ll always be with you.”
Tears streamed down Jamie’s face as she called her father into the room. He held Georgia’s hand and cried. They both wept as Georgia took her final breath.
Jamie felt as though her world had fallen apart. Her mother had always been her rock. She felt lost without her.
Georgia and Amos, Jamie’s father, had been together since they were fifteen. Their love was a testament to what every young girl dreamed of. They had both lived and breathed for each other.
It was no surprise to Jamie when her father followed Georgia into the after-life six months later. Jamie was positive that her father had died from a broken heart.
Jamie was between jobs when her father died. He had been so ill that Jamie had decided to take care of him and worry about a career later. She was so lost when her father took his last breath.
Jenna, who had since married her fiancé and moved to Colorado Springs, told Jamie that she should move there. The city was growing and there were a lot of jobs. She would have a place to stay until she got herself established.
Jamie decided to stay in Ivy Springs, at least for the time being. She sold her parents’ house and most of their belongings to pay off the remaining hospital bills and found a small bungalow to rent. It seemed almost fate when she ran into Clara Montgomery, who had just bought a popular café and was looking for a manager. Jamie liked her, and Clara’s son, Zeke, right away. It didn’t take long for the two of them to become close friends.
Clara was completely surprised when she, a human, was introduced to the shifter world. Jamie had to laugh when she shifted into her bear form in front of Clara. Jamie was pretty sure that Clara was going to pass out from shock. Jamie explained to her that there were shifters for practically every animal species in existence.
Clara soon became enamored with Dillon Adams, the wolf shifter who owned the general store next door.
“I really like him. There is just something about him that draws me to him,” Clara confided over coffee and danishes one day.
“Dillon is a great guy. If you have feelings for him then you should pursue them,” I encouraged.
She hesitated.
“You know that I just got the divorce from John. I’m not so sure that I’m ready.”
John was her abusive ex-husband.
“What does your heart tell you?”
“That Dillon is nothing like John.”
“Then, I say go for it.”
She nodded and then changed the subject.
“What about you? Have you ever been in love?”
Jamie was quiet for a minute and nodded.
“I thought that I was, once. But it didn’t work out.”
Jamie knew that Clara wanted to know more, but she didn’t want to talk about it. Even after five years, Jamie still felt the humiliation of being left at the altar on her wedding day because the man she loved and trusted had betrayed her.
Clara sensed that Jamie wasn’t in the mood to discuss it, so she changed the subject.
Life went on for Jamie. She was satisfied that she had a great job with a close friend. Clara’s son, Zeke, and Zeke’s chihuahua, Reno, made Jamie smile. Every once in a while, though, she wondered what it would be like to have her own child to love. She quickly pushed those thoughts away any time they came up though. It was out of the question.
About a month after Clara and Dillon finally tied the knot, everything got back into a routine. Jamie appreciated that because routines were comfortable.
