The Little Maverick Matchmaker (Montana Mavericks: The Lonelyhearts Ranch Book 3)

by Stella Bagwell

  “Yeah.”

  Drew cut the connection to his brother, then, dropping the phone back into his shirt pocket, he followed the nurse out the door.

  * * *

  Late the next afternoon, as Josselyn was preparing to leave work for Sunshine Farm, she walked out to the parking lot to see Drew’s car parked next to hers. Since she’d only had two short phone calls since he’d spent part of Saturday night at her cabin, she was thrilled that he’d made an effort to stop by the school to see her.

  By the time she reached the parked cars, he was standing outside waiting for her and the slanted smile on his lips made her heart thump with excitement.

  “Hello, busy lady,” he greeted. “I was beginning to wonder if you were going to work until after dark.”

  He walked forward to meet her and she was mildly surprised when he pressed a kiss on her cheek.

  “Wow,” she said, darting a glance around the parking lot. “You must not be worried about small-town gossip.”

  “What’s there to gossip about? Doctors and librarians are human, too.”

  “Very human.” She turned a provocative smile on him. “I’ve missed you, Dr. Strickland. I’m glad you came by.”

  He smiled back at her and Josselyn was suddenly struck by how much he’d changed since she’d first met him in the park. He’d seemed so tense and sober. Josselyn wanted to think that she might have had something to do with the smile on his face, but there was more going on in his life than meeting a librarian. It could be that he was finally beginning to feel comfortable here in Rust Creek Falls.

  “I dropped by with an invitation,” he told her.

  She chuckled. “You really have a problem with phone conversations, don’t you?”

  A guilty grin curved his lips. “Okay, I could’ve picked up the phone and called you rather than drive two blocks over. But this way I get to see you. And invites are always more impressive in person.”

  “Oh, yes,” she said with a teasing smile. “Yours happen to be very impressive. So what do you have on your mind?”

  “I wanted to invite you to join Dillon and me for supper this evening at the boardinghouse. And before you say yes or no, I should warn you that it’s most often like a three-ring circus around the dining table. But the food is good.”

  Supper at the boardinghouse? That meant she’d be meeting his grandparents! She tried to tell herself that this wasn’t a big deal. But to her it was major. It was stupendous!

  “You don’t believe in giving a girl much warning, do you?”

  A wicked light glinted in his eyes. “Gives you less time to come up with an excuse to turn me down.”

  Turn him down? The idea was laughable. All he had to do was remember the wanton way she’d made love to him the other night to know it would be a cold day in July before she’d turn down an invitation from him.

  “As if I would do that,” she murmured, then, clearing the huskiness from her voice, she glanced down at her gray pencil skirt and prim white blouse. “I’m not exactly dressed for an evening with your family and friends.”

  “You look lovely,” he said softly.

  The appreciative light in his eyes was the same look he’d given her as she’d lain naked in his arms. The mere memory of that time with him made her want to walk straight into his embrace. But they were standing in an open public area, so the most she could do was give him a tempting smile.

  “Then I’d love to join you,” she told him.

  “Great. Put your things away and we’ll drive over to the boardinghouse in my car. We have a few minutes until dinner, so that will give me time to show you where Dillon and I hang our hat and you can say hello to my grandparents.”

  “It’s nearly time for dinner?” She glanced at her watch, then toward the rapidly sinking sun. “I really did almost work until dark, didn’t I?”

  “Good thing I came by,” he teased.

  This lighthearted Drew was definitely new to Josselyn and undeniably charming. Yet she had to wonder if this change in his mood was momentary or if he was actually becoming a happy man. She very much wanted to believe the latter.

  “Yes, a very good thing,” she said.

  After situating her work supplies in her car and grabbing her coat, Drew helped her into his car and they began the short drive over to the boardinghouse.

  As he steered the vehicle onto North Buckskin Road, he tossed her a sheepish grin. “I apologize, Josselyn, for not calling you earlier about this dinner date. But by the time I finally found a spare moment to pull out my phone, it was time for the clinic to shut the doors.”

  He couldn’t possibly know how happy she was to see him again, to be close to him. Until she’d met Drew, she’d never known how just the sound of a man’s voice or the mere scent of him could fill her with such pleasure. “There’s no need to apologize, Drew. I like spur-of-the-moment.”

  He reached across the console and wrapped his hand around hers. “Before I moved here to Rust Creek Falls, I wanted everything on a schedule. And the more work the better,” he confessed. “A few weeks ago, I would still be at the clinic, pouring over charts and test results, or the latest medical journal. Unnecessarily, I might add.”

  She studied his profile, all the while the warmth of his hand spreading through her. “Are you telling me that things are becoming different for you?”

  He turned a meaningful glance on her. “Very different. And thank you for that, Josselyn.”

  “Me?” With a nervous little laugh, she pressed a palm against her chest. “I’d rather think it’s this town, Drew. That stuff folks say about Rust Creek Falls having something magical in the air is really true.”

  “Magic. Hmm. I don’t believe in magic. It’s nothing more than illusion. But I do believe in fate.”

  “Like meeting in the park?” she suggested.

  “Exactly,” he said, then lifted the back of her hand to his lips.

  Fate. There were all sorts of connotations attached to the word, Josselyn thought. And not all of them represented a happy ending. But she didn’t want to argue that point with Drew tonight.

  She’d rather hope that in due time he’d come to believe in the magic of love.

  Chapter Ten

  Drew wheeled the car to a stop in a small graveled parking area and Josselyn gazed at the back of the four-story lavender structure. Since her move here to Rust Creek Falls she hadn’t had any reason to visit Strickland’s Boarding House, but she’d often been curious about what it looked like inside.

  “Don’t get the idea that I’m taking you in the back way to keep you hidden,” he told her. “My grandmother is often in her office at this time of the evening and it’s located here in the back.”

  “Front or back doesn’t matter,” Josselyn assured him. “I’ve never been inside your grandparents’ boardinghouse, so I’m anxious to see the place.”

  Drew helped her out of the car, then, with a hand on her elbow, guided her toward the building.

  “I’m not exactly certain when the house was first built. I do know it’s been in the Strickland family for many years. The layout is old-fashioned, but Old Gene and Melba have worked hard to keep everything maintained and in good shape. That could be one of the reasons they rarely have vacancies.”

  “And the fact that your cousin Claire does the cooking is another,” Josselyn added. “The chicken and fixings you brought out to the cabin the other night were delicious.”

  He squeezed her arm. “We had chicken? I don’t remember.”

  She laughed and he joined her.

  Their happy mood followed them into the big house, where Drew guided her over to an office. The door leading into the room had a check-in window built into the top half. At the moment the sliding glass was closed tight.

  “I don’t see anyone inside,” Josselyn commented. “Should you ring the bell
?”

  “No. There’s a light on inside. She’s probably at her desk and I want to surprise her.”

  He guided Josselyn around to a side door and knocked. “She keeps everything locked,” he explained to Josselyn. Then through the door he called, “Grandma, it’s me, Drew.”

  Melba’s muted voice sounded from somewhere inside the room. “Let me guess, Dillon has broken another vase in the parlor. Don’t worry about it, Drew. I’ve started putting out fakes. The thing probably cost a dollar or two.”

  Drew and Josselyn exchanged amused glances.

  “This isn’t about Dillon,” he spoke to the closed door. “Are you too busy to meet someone?”

  Josselyn could hear the faint squeak of a desk chair and then footsteps approached the door.

  When the heavy partition swung wide, Melba Strickland, a plump older woman wearing a sensible housedress of printed calico and cushioned black shoes, studied them with surprise.

  “Why, Drew, you should have warned me that you had company with you.” Frowning, she patted her short graying hair. “I look a mess.”

  “You look as pretty as ever,” he assured his grandmother. “And just to ease your mind, I don’t think Dillon has broken anything. At least, not in the past few minutes.”

  With his arm at the back of Josselyn’s waist, Drew urged her slightly forward. “Grandma, this is Josselyn Weaver. She’s the school librarian at Rust Creek Falls Elementary. She’s the lady who’s managed to get Dillon interested in books.”

  And his father interested in other things. Even though the older woman didn’t speak the words, Josselyn could see them parading across her face.

  “And, Josselyn,” Drew went on with the introduction, “this is my grandmother, Melba. She has roses on her cheeks, but she’s actually a woman of steel. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.”

  Melba made a show of swatting away his words before she extended her hand to Josselyn.

  “Hello, Miss Weaver. Welcome to Strickland’s Boarding House. Call me Melba, if you like. I hope you can stay long enough to take supper with us.”

  “I’m not about to let her go until she eats some of Claire’s spaghetti and meatballs,” Drew interjected.

  Josselyn smiled at the woman. “It’s very nice to meet you, Melba, and please call me Josselyn.”

  Melba peered over the tops of her reading glasses at her grandson, and Josselyn could see she was totally bemused at this turn of events. Obviously she wasn’t accustomed to Drew bringing female company home with him. And so far, Josselyn couldn’t tell whether the woman approved of this change in him. Or if she wanted to pull him aside and give him a lecture.

  “Well, you might want to show her around the rest of the house, Drew,” Melba suggested, then glanced at her watch. “We’ll be having supper in fifteen minutes. Will you two be eating in the dining room with the other tenants?”

  “That’s right,” Drew told her. “I want Josselyn to see how we Stricklands live.”

  Drew nudged her forward, and as they started down a narrow passageway, he said in a hushed voice, “Melba is as old-fashioned as the house and drives folks crazy with some of her strict rules. But she loves her family fiercely.”

  “And fiercely tries to protect them,” Josselyn observed.

  “Like a mama grizzly.”

  At the end of the passageway, they were about to climb a staircase when a door off to their left opened. Josselyn glanced in the direction of the sound and saw an older man with baggy pants and shirt and sparse, graying hair walking toward them.

  “Drew, is that you?” the man asked.

  His hand resting at the side of her waist, Drew paused at the foot of the stairwell. “That’s right, Gramps. I’m glad we ran into you. I want you to meet Josselyn.”

  The man shuffled over to them, his squinted gaze traveling over Josselyn. “So you’re the librarian little Dillon is always talking about. Miss Weaver, isn’t it?”

  He reached out to shake her hand, and as Josselyn grasped his large bony fingers, she got the impression that the old man was her friend. “That’s right. But I hope you’ll call me Josselyn.”

  “Josselyn it is. And you better call me Old Gene. I wouldn’t know how to answer to Mr. Strickland.” Cracking a grin, he patted the top of Josselyn’s hand and cast a pointed look at Drew. “She’s a pretty one, boy. You’d better take care of her.”

  “I intend to, Gramps. Right now we’re headed upstairs so I can show her my and Dillon’s nook of the house. Do you know where my son is at the moment?”

  Old Gene grunted with amusement. “Sure do. He was showing off on his bike in front of some of his friends and fell in a mud puddle. Had dirt and water smeared up to his gills. I sent him upstairs to clean up before Melba caught him dripping on the floors.”

  Shaking his head in resignation, Drew said, “Don’t worry. I’ll see that he’s dried and presentable before we come back downstairs.”

  Josselyn and Drew started up the stairs while, behind them, she could hear Old Gene chuckling as he went on his way.

  She said, “Your grandfather doesn’t seem to have the same strict rules as his wife.”

  “No. He’s crusty on the outside, but he’s a marshmallow inside. It’s no wonder Dillon wants to spend a big part of his time with him. My son knows just how to work his great-grandfather’s soft heart to get what he wants.”

  Josselyn said, “For what it’s worth, when Dillon visits the library, he doesn’t talk about Old Gene. He talks about you.”

  His sidelong glance was full of doubt. “That’s to play me up to you.”

  She laughed. “You know something? It’s working.”

  Laughing along with her, he reached for her hand. “Come on. Let’s see if the little matchmaker has managed to clean himself up without destroying the bathroom.”

  Moments later, when they entered the connecting rooms that Drew called home, Dillon was already cleaned and dressed and sitting dutifully on a small couch situated near a window.

  From the look of total surprise on his face, it was clear the child had been unaware that Josselyn was going to be at the boardinghouse this evening. He immediately jumped to his feet and raced straight to her.

  Josselyn’s heart melted as the boy flung his arms around her waist and hugged her with all his might.

  “Josselyn! Yay! Yay! You came to see us!”

  Patting his back, she said, “I did come to see you and I’m going to stay for dinner.”

  Dillon tilted his head back and beamed a wide smile up at her. “This is the best night ever!”

  “It might be one of your worst,” Drew warned. “On our way upstairs we heard you had a nasty accident.”

  Dillon stepped back from her and, swiping his damp hair to one side of his forehead, darted a wary glance at his father.

  “Oh, shoot, that was nothin’,” Dillon assured him. “I’m already clean and dry.”

  “So I see,” Drew said. “But what about the bathroom?”

  “Aw, I promise the bathroom is okay, Dad. I picked up all my clothes.”

  Drew looked at Josselyn. “Since we have to share a bathroom with the tenants down the hall, I need to make sure he didn’t leave the place in shambles. I’ll be right back. Just make yourself at home.”

  Drew left the room and Dillon grabbed her hand. “Come on, Josselyn, I’ll show you around. Everything is kinda tiny, but it’s fun living here.” Taking her by the hand, he tugged her into a very small bedroom with one window overlooking the street. “See, I got a little bed in my room and a desk for my homework. But I don’t use it much. ’Cause I get my homework done at school.”

  “Wow, you must be a dutiful student,” Josselyn remarked as she glanced around at the sports gear and other playthings lying about.

  “Naw. I’m not always good at school. But I make good grades. Betcha
I make all As on my first report card this year,” he proudly predicted.

  “If you do, I’ll bake you a giant cake with a smiley face on it.”

  “With chocolate icing?” he wanted to know.

  “Double fudge,” she promised with a grin, then gestured to a small framed picture on the desk. “Who are these people?”

  “That’s my grandma and grandpa down in Thunder Canyon. On some days I kinda want to see them. But we lived with them a long time. It’s fun to do something different. And we’ll probably go back to Thunder Canyon someday, anyway.”

  That was a reality that Josselyn tried not to think about. Drew had already explained that his job at the clinic was a temporary position. A new doctor was already scheduled to arrive shortly after the first of the year. The end of September was nearing and January would be here sooner rather than later. Would Drew be ready to go back to his old job at the clinic at Thunder Canyon?

  The notion of him and Dillon moving out of her life was becoming unimaginable to Josselyn. And yet she understood it was something she might soon be facing. Unless Drew fell in love with her, she thought. Unless he came to realize he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Then it wouldn’t matter where they spent their future. As long as they were together.

  Pushing those uneasy thoughts from her mind, she wondered why there wasn’t a photo of Dillon’s mother alongside the one of his grandparents. Did Drew think seeing her picture on a daily basis would be emotionally disturbing for the child? Or would it be more disturbing for Drew, she wondered.

  “Hey, you two? Where are you?”

  Drew’s voice pulled Josselyn out of her deep thoughts and she glanced down to see Dillon grinning up at her.

  “We’d better go,” the boy said. “Granny Melba’s mouth will look like this if we’re late to the table.”

  The boy pressed his lips together in a flat line and Josselyn was trying to contain her laughter when she looked around to see Drew standing in the open doorway. An indulgent smile curved one corner of his lips.

  “Is my son telling you knock-knock jokes?”