“Yes. Like this,” he whispered.
With slow, exquisite perfection, he connected his body to hers, and for the next few minutes there was nothing in the world but him and her.
Chapter Nine
Drew had never expected this. He’d never planned on Josselyn feeling so perfectly wonderful in his arms. He hadn’t imagined he could feel a passion so hot and wild that he’d totally lost all sense of time and place.
Now as he lay with her warm body tucked into the curve of his, her head nestled on his shoulder, he closed his eyes and tried to digest the soft, protective feelings inside him. Tried to figure where this relationship was going to lead them.
Being with her made him happy. She filled up the empty holes inside him in a way he hadn’t thought possible. And he didn’t want any of it to end. Plain and simple, he needed Josselyn. He needed to know she would always be around for him. But that wasn’t the way life worked.
“The chicken is probably ice-cold now,” she murmured.
Opening his eyes, he gently combed his fingers through the damp, tousled hair lying upon her bare shoulder.
“We can always heat it up in the microwave.”
“Mmm. Sounds good,” she said. “Only I don’t want to move. Not yet.”
He skimmed his hand over the curve of her hip and down one thigh, all the while thinking her skin was like a piece of heated satin. Just touching its smoothness was an erotic experience.
“I’m glad. Because I don’t think I can. Having you here in my arms feels too good to move. I can have food any ole time,” he murmured against the crown of her head.
She twisted around so that her face was pressed to the side of his neck and her breasts were brushing his chest. Although he tried to ignore it, desire flickered deep in his belly. How could that be, he wondered, when only moments ago, he’d been certain she’d drained every ounce of energy from his body?
“When you called I didn’t have any idea you had this on your mind.”
“I didn’t,” he replied. “I came out to apologize for ending things so abruptly the other night, that’s all. Why? Did you think I had this planned?”
“I wouldn’t mind if you had. All that matters is that you’re here and we’re together. Really together.” Tilting her head back, she took a slow survey of his face. “Speaking of the other night... I hope you’re not having any of those regrets you were talking about.”
Smiling gently, he touched his forefinger to the tip of her nose. “No regrets. No guilt.”
She reciprocated his smile. “I’m so glad,” she murmured, then gently trailed her fingertips across his cheek. “You’re good for me, Drew. And I hope I’m good for you.”
Her words pricked his heart, and without even knowing it, his hand tightened on her waist. As though his hold on her would always keep her close to him.
“You’re wrong, Josselyn. You’re better than good for me. You’ve shown me my life isn’t over. And in case you haven’t guessed, you’ve made little Dillon very happy, too. He talks about you all the time. And wonder of wonders, you’ve managed to make him want to read for the sheer entertainment of it.”
“Wow, after saying all those glowing things I’m not about to let you out of my bed. At least, not before midnight,” she teased.
“Mmm. We have a few hours before the clock strikes midnight. I’m thinking we better make the most of them. The chicken will keep until later. Much later,” he whispered as he lowered his lips toward hers.
* * *
Monday morning, when the second-grade class was allowed a morning library break, Dillon was one of the first students to enter the room. Sitting at her desk, Josselyn carefully hid a smile as she watched him struggle to keep from running straight to her.
“Hi, Miss Weaver!” He sidled up to her desk and swiped at the brown hair scattered across his forehead. “Did you know it might snow? That’s what Granny Melba says. And she’s usually right.”
Josselyn glanced toward the windows that overlooked the playground. At the moment, the sky was a bright blue, while orange and yellow leaves tumbled over a span of dormant grass.
“Well, it doesn’t look like it might snow at the moment. But I hear Rust Creek Falls gets lots of snow in the winter. I’m sure it will be coming soon. Do you like to make snowmen?”
He nodded with enthusiasm and Josselyn thought how very much he reminded her of Drew. His hair and eyes were the same rich brown as his father’s. So was the deep dimple in his left cheek. The big difference between Dillon and Drew was that the child smiled more often than not, whereas Drew’s smiles were doled out less frequently. But the man was coming around, she thought. Just thinking of their time together in the cabin was all it took to make her heart beat faster.
Dillon said, “If it snows before Halloween, I’m gonna make a big triple-decker snowman in front of the boardinghouse and put an ugly face on him so it will scare everyone away.”
“Why do you want to scare everyone away?”
His giggle was full of mischief. “So me and Robbie will have all the candy to ourselves.”
“Who’s Robbie?”
“My friend who lives at the boardinghouse with us. He’s in second grade, too. But he don’t come to the library ’cause he has to go to special reading class.”
“I see. Well, hopefully his reading skills will get better soon.”
“Yeah. He’s doing better. Dad says I need to be extra nice to him. ’Cause Robbie gets kinda sad. I show him my baseball cards and he likes to read those.”
“That’s nice of you, Dillon.”
Her compliment had him throwing back his shoulders in typical male reaction.
“Granny Melba says I’m too mischievous,” he told her. “She don’t know that I can be nice, too.”
Josselyn was trying to stifle a laugh when Rory walked up beside Dillon and shook a forefinger at him.
“Dillon Strickland!” Rory scolded. “You promised to show me a book about ponies. Have you forgotten?”
Dillon rolled his eyes helplessly toward Josselyn. “She’s a girl. She can’t help it.”
Rory grabbed his arm and yanked him away, and as Josselyn watched the pair of children disappear down an aisle of animal-related books, Dillon’s words lingered in her thoughts.
She’s a girl. She can’t help it.
Dillon’s observation described Josselyn perfectly. She was a woman and, though it probably wasn’t the smartest thing she’d ever done in her life, she’d fallen head over heels for a man.
For the past two days, she’d felt as if she was walking on air. She wanted to sing and shout. She wanted to dance a joyous jig. And most of all she wanted to dream about a cozy little home with children running underfoot and her doctor husband coming home from the clinic every evening to greet her with a kiss.
“Miss Weaver, are you sick?”
The question came from another second grader with bright red pigtails and big blue eyes that would no doubt someday break a boy’s heart.
“Why no, Bonnie. Why do you ask?”
“Because you look sorta different today.”
She looked like a woman who’d been made love to by a man, Josselyn thought. That was the difference.
Rising from the chair, Josselyn walked around to the little girl. “Would you like for me to help you find something to read?”
“Oh, yes, Miss Weaver. I want to read a fairy tale.”
This was the first time since school had started that a child had asked specifically for a fairy tale, and the request caused her to pause.
“I think we can find one of those,” she finally told the girl. “Come along with me to the other side of the room.”
As they walked along, Bonnie asked, “You know why I want to read a fairy tale, Miss Weaver?”
The question had been on Josselyn’s tongue, b
ut she’d hesitated to press the girl. Over time she’d learned children usually volunteered their thoughts on their own.
“Hmm. I can’t guess,” Josselyn said. “You’ll have to tell me.”
Bonnie rubbed the end of her freckled nose, then grimaced. “Because my mommy says a fairy tale is the only place where things are happy. Is that true, Miss Weaver?”
Torn by the hopeless expression on the girl’s face, Josselyn paused and bent down to the child’s level.
“Oh, no, Bonnie. Happy things are all around us—in real life.” She directed the child’s attention to the view beyond the window. “See how the sun is shining on the playground. It’s warming the little red birds and making them sing happy tunes.”
“Well, that’s the way it is today. But sometimes it’s cold and snowy.”
Josselyn gave her a bright smile. “When that happens we can make snow angels and snow ice cream. And that makes lots of people happy.”
Bonnie’s bottom lip thrust forward. “But sometimes people cry.”
Unfortunately, that was true, Josselyn thought. She figured Drew had cried many tears when he’d lost Evelyn. And he’d been sad for far too many years. But Josselyn was determined to change all of that. She aimed to fill his life with smiles and laughter. To prove to him that he could truly love again.
“That’s when we have to remember that tears dry and things will always get better.”
Bonnie appeared to weigh Josselyn’s remarks and then she smiled up at her.
“Miss Weaver, you got me to thinking. I don’t think I need to read a fairy tale, after all.”
Relieved that she’d managed to make a positive impression on the child, Josselyn gestured to the rows of bookshelves in front of them. “Okay, there’s all sorts of stories to pick from. You might like to read about a brave little girl like you who saves a lost kitten. That’s a fun book.”
Bonnie’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, yeah! That would be great!”
* * *
Two streets over from the elementary school at Rust Creek Falls Clinic, Drew had finished with his last morning patient and was about to eat a cold sandwich at his desk when his cell phone rang.
Thinking it might be Josselyn, he pulled the phone from the pocket of his shirt to check the ID and was mildly surprised to see the caller was his brother Trey. Given the fact that both of them were extremely busy with their jobs, the brothers rarely called just for a chitchat. Especially during the middle of the day.
“Hey, big brother,” Trey cheerfully greeted. “Can you put down your stethoscope long enough to talk?”
“The only thing in front of me right now is a cold sandwich Claire made for my lunch. And I’m not in the mood to eat it. So tell me what’s going on up in Thunder Canyon. Aren’t you working today?”
Trey chuckled. “That’s a hell of a question. I’m always working. Right now I’m here at the barns, waiting on the farrier to arrive. It’s getting cold as heck up here. You’d think folks wouldn’t want to visit a dude ranch and ride horses in this kind of weather.”
“Been busy, huh?”
With a weary grunt, he said, “Nonstop. Most of the visitors are thinking they’re going to see autumn foliage on the equine trails, but they’re getting disappointed. Last week a storm with high wind blew through and the trees’ limbs are practically bare.”
Trey had found his wife, Kayla, right here in Rust Creek Falls. Now the couple was happily married, with a young son, Gil. His brother’s good fortune made Drew wonder if there was a bit of magic to this place. Everything had certainly worked out well for Trey’s love life. But could Drew expect that same good fortune to land on him? He wanted to think so.
“And you’re hearing a bunch of griping,” Drew said knowingly as he settled comfortably back in his office chair.
His younger brother chuckled. “It’s not that bad. We’ll be getting snow soon anyway.”
“Will the ranch be closing down the stables? I understand you usually keep things going during the winter months, but the owner could have different plans this year.”
Trey let out a short laugh. “Not a chance. With the holidays right around the corner, it’s one of the busiest times of the year. The only way we’ll shut down is if the snow gets too deep on the trails for the horses to pass through. And that’s not likely. The ranch has equipment for clearing the trails. So barring any blizzards it’ll be business as usual around here.”
“Sounds like you won’t be coming down to visit Rust Creek Falls anytime soon,” Drew replied.
“Unfortunately, not for a while. Kayla is promising her family she’ll be down for Christmas, so I’m going to have to figure out how to get away. For a couple of days, at the least. What about you and Dillon? When are we going to be seeing you back in Thunder Canyon?”
The question brought Drew up short. Sometime in the past few weeks, thoughts of his old hometown had faded into the far distance. Had Josselyn already changed him that much? “You mean for a visit?”
“No. I mean when are you coming back home?”
Home. The word no longer held the same meaning for Drew as it had down in Thunder Canyon. After Evelyn’s accident, he’d sold the house they’d called home and moved himself and Dillon back into his parents’ ranch house. And until this move to Rust Creek Falls, that’s where the two of them had remained. Strickland’s Boarding House wasn’t Drew’s ideal home, but he was beginning to think of it as such. And for some reason this little cowboy town with its quaint shops and quirky characters was making him feel as though he belonged here.
And Josselyn was here, Drew thought. Sweet Josselyn with her soft smiles and even softer lips. Just thinking of her caused his heart to squeeze with longing.
Drawing in a deep breath, he said, “I’m not sure, Trey. After the first of the year a new doctor is supposed to join the staff here at the clinic.” He paused a moment. “I guess once that happens I won’t be needed here.”
Trey snorted. “Doctors are always needed. I’m sure you could find another job in the area. That is, if you’re planning to stick around in Rust Creek Falls.”
The sly note he heard in his brother’s voice made Drew instantly suspicious. “Okay, Trey, why did you really call me today? And don’t tell me it was just to have a brotherly chat.”
“Oh hell, Drew, what’s the matter with you, anyway? Just because I ask you about coming home you think there’s some sort of ulterior motive about my call?”
“There is. But I won’t ask. You’ll get around to it without me prodding you,” Drew said, then changed the subject completely. “I haven’t talked to Mom and Dad in a few days. How are they?”
“Missing you and Dillon. I can tell you that much.”
“Hmph. They were only too glad to push me out of their hair. And rightly so.” He let out a rueful sigh. “Honestly, I don’t know how they put up with me for so long. I’ve pretty much been a jackass these past few years.”
Trey coughed loudly. “Excuse me, but am I talking to my brother, Dr. Drew Strickland? I must have a wrong connection.”
“It’s me all right,” Drew quipped. “The real me.”
There was a long pause and then Trey asked, “What happened to the jackass?”
A blond-haired, green-eyed goddess had walked into his life, Drew thought. She’d peeled the bitter layers from his eyes and now he was finally seeing his life, and the world around him, in vivid colors.
“He’s trying to be human again,” Drew answered.
Trey said, “You don’t know how relieved I am to hear that. Does this have anything to do with the woman you’ve been seeing?”
Drew sat straight up in his chair. “I knew you’d called me for a reason. So who’s been talking?”
“Dad. Seems that Gramps gave him a call.”
“Old Gene has been gossiping? Damn, a man can’t trust anyone anymor
e.”
Trey laughed. “So tell me about her. Like how the hell does she put up with you?”
“I haven’t figured that out yet. Frankly, Trey, this is all very new for me. I—I’m feeling shaky about the whole thing.”
“Well, sure you are, brother. That’s only natural. But, Drew, you need to remember that there’s some happiness in this world for you, too.”
Drew wiped a hand over his face. “That’s just it, Trey. Josselyn does makes me happy. And that scares me.”
“Because?”
He let out a shaky breath, and though he wished his brother was here with him, he was glad Trey couldn’t see him at the moment. He didn’t want his brother, or anyone for that matter, to see what a vulnerable man he truly was.
“I’m not sure I’m supposed to feel this way. Or that any of it will last. And then the pain will start all over again.”
Trey let out a heavy sigh. “Drew, none of us has any guarantees about tomorrow. You can’t live your life in fear. That’s not really living.”
No. For the past six years Drew hadn’t really lived. He’d only gone through the motions. And throughout that time, he’d made a point to keep his feelings wrapped in gauze. Like a wound that had to be carefully protected from the outside world. But like it or not, Josselyn had pulled away the bandages and exposed his heart. There was nothing left for him to do but find the courage to love again.
“You’re right, Trey. And I’m working on it.”
“I’m proud of you, brother.”
His throat thickened and he was wondering how he could push another word out when a knock sounded on the door of his office. Before he could respond, Nadine stepped into the room.
She said, “I’m sorry to interrupt, Dr. Strickland, but there’s an emergency. Mr. Anderson just brought his wife in and I think she’s in labor. Advanced labor!”
“I’ll be right there,” he told the nurse. Then he told Trey, “Sorry, brother, we’ll have to talk later. I’ve got an emergency here.”
“So I heard. Get to work. And, Drew, be happy.”
The Little Maverick Matchmaker (Montana Mavericks: The Lonelyhearts Ranch Book 3) Page 13
