“No. He’s just making funny faces.”
“Well, Funny Face, you’re in luck for now,” Drew told the boy. “The bathroom was dry and neat. But you’re not off the hook completely. Later on we’re going to talk about this bike accident.”
“Okay, Dad,” Dillon mumbled, then reached for Josselyn’s hand, as though he was quite certain she could save him from the worst of his father’s wrath. “But Josselyn doesn’t want to hear that kind of stuff tonight. She wants to talk about fun stuff.”
Drew gave Josselyn a furtive wink.
“Okay. For tonight it’s fun stuff.”
* * *
Drew had never been an impulsive man. Even as a kid, he’d carefully thought things through before he’d acted. Jerry, his father, had always called Drew his “careful” son, and the description had aptly fit him. Until he’d met Josselyn. Something about her made Drew want to throw caution to the wind and enjoy every precious moment, even if it wasn’t planned or wisely thought through.
Now as he sat next to her at the big dining table, listening to her interact with the other tenants, he was more than glad that he’d made the impulsive decision to invite her to the boardinghouse tonight. Dillon was over the moon at having her company. And Drew was...well, he was amazed at how relaxed she made him feel. How much he felt at home each time he looked at her lovely face.
But will all of this last, Drew? Or will something happen to burst this newfound happiness?
The voice whispering in his head was an ugly reminder of all he’d gone through in the past six years. It nagged him at the worst possible times. But tonight he was determined to push it far, far away. Tonight he was going to try his best to believe in the magic Josselyn talked about.
“How do you like living on Sunshine Farm, Miss Weaver?” Thomas, an elderly gentleman who lived on the second floor, asked.
“I like it very much,” Josselyn answered. “The Stocktons are a very nice family and the countryside is beautiful. I always wanted to live out of town. So the farm suits me well.”
“Where did you live before, Josselyn?”
The question came from Melba, and Drew could only wonder what else his grandmother might ask Josselyn before the night was over. She was well-meaning and she and his grandfather had been an enormous help with Dillon since they’d moved into the boardinghouse. But there were times that Drew wished the woman would remember he was a thirty-three-year-old man with enough sense to keep him from taking a leap off Fall Mountain.
“I lived in Laramie, Wyoming,” Josselyn answered. “My family all still live there.”
“Hmm. Seems kinda strange, you moving from a city to a little smudge on the map like Rust Creek Falls,” Melba remarked.
Old Gene grimaced as he swirled spaghetti around his fork. “Maybe she heard about this place being full of lovebugs. She might’ve wanted to take her chance on being bitten.”
A few chuckles rippled around the table and Josselyn noticed that Melba’s lips turned into a flat line of disapproval, just as Dillon had mimicked.
“Oh, what would you know about a lovebug?” the older woman said to her husband. “It’s been years since you’ve done any courting.”
“That’s true,” Old Gene told her. “But a man doesn’t forget.”
“Well, I hear that Sunshine Farm has gotten a new name,” a divorced woman sitting across from Old Gene spoke up. “Word is that folks are now calling it the Lonelyhearts Ranch. Makes me want to move out there just to see if there’s something to it.”
Melba frowned, while on the opposite end of the table a younger man, who’d moved into the boardinghouse a few days ago, turned his attention to Robbie’s mother.
“Sounds like your kind of place, Mary.”
The shy woman hardly glanced up from her plate. “My heart is just fine right where it is, thank you.”
Mary’s stiff response had Drew glancing at little Robbie. Instead of eating, he’d pressed the side of his face against his mother’s arm. From his reaction, the boy didn’t want a father. Unlike Dillon, who’d deliberately set out to find himself a mother.
“Actually, the job at the elementary school is what brought me here,” Josselyn replied to Melba’s comment. “At the time I accepted the position, I didn’t have any idea just how charming Rust Creek Falls would be.”
“Well, we’re all glad that you decided to move here,” Old Gene told her. “Isn’t that right, Drew?”
Drew reached under the table and found Josselyn’s hand lying in her lap. Squeezing it, he said, “Oh, very right, Gramps.”
“I’m really glad, Gramps,” Dillon spoke up. “’Cause now my dad has a girlfriend. And she makes him act a lot nicer than he used to.”
Melba cleared her throat and promptly changed the subject. “Everyone needs to finish up their plates. It’s time for dessert.”
* * *
After rounds of apple cobbler and coffee for the adults, the group began to shuffle out of the dining room.
“What are you gonna do now, Dad?” Dillon asked as he followed alongside Josselyn and Drew.
Drew gave his son a comical look. “Well, I don’t know. Maybe we’ll go sit in the parlor. Why? Do you want to come along to keep us company?”
“Gosh, no! Me and Robbie are gonna watch TV in his room. Mary said it was okay with her. Is it okay with you, Dad?”
“I suppose so. As long as you behave.”
Dillon looked pleased. “Thanks, Dad. And you know what I think? I think you ought to take Josselyn for a walk out back and show her the swing.”
Perplexed, Drew frowned. “The swing?”
“Yeah, you know. It hangs down from the tree limb and rocks back and forth. Girls like that sort of stuff. That’s what Rory told me.”
“Oh, well, Rory ought to know,” Drew said, then turned a suggestive grin on Josselyn. “How about it? You think you might like that sort of stuff?”
“It sounds perfect,” she told him. “Just let me get my coat.”
Short minutes later, as they exited the back of the house, Josselyn looped her arm through his and breathed in the crisp night air.
A security light illuminated the area at the back of the house, but as they strolled across the lawn toward a huge oak, the shadows grew thicker. Drew kept his arm firmly around her waist as he guided her to an old wooden swing hanging from one of the lower branches.
“It’s a little chilly out here. Maybe you’d rather not sit,” he suggested.
“I’m wearing my coat. I’m not a bit cold. And it’s lovely out here,” she told him. “The moon is coming up and shining through the branches.”
“Okay. As long as you’re comfortable we’ll sit,” he told her.
They eased into the swing, and as he curled his arm around her shoulders, she snuggled close to his side. Drew nudged the ground with the toe of his boot and the slatted-wood seat began to move gently back and forth.
“I’m going to have to thank Dillon for this nice idea,” she said.
Chuckling, Drew reached for her hand and enveloped it between both of his. “I don’t know how Dillon got to be such a little cupid, but I have to admit he’s pretty good at it.”
“You mean, he hasn’t tried to find you a girlfriend before?”
“Believe me, Josselyn, that day he introduced the two of us at the picnic was the first I’d heard about him wanting to find me a girlfriend, or a wife or anything of that sort. If I looked stunned that day, it’s because I was.”
“Stunned?” Her short laugh made it clear how amusing she considered that description. “You looked more like you could eat nails before you marched Dillon out of the park.”
“I was very annoyed with him,” he admitted. “At that time I didn’t realize I was meeting a woman who was going to make me laugh again—live again.”
His voice grew husky on the last words and the
sound filled her with emotions so new and tender that her throat grew tight, making it a struggle to speak.
“I didn’t realize I was meeting a man who was going to become so special to me,” she managed to say.
He turned toward her, and with the moonlight etched upon his features, she could see doubts and questions flickering across his face.
“Do you really mean that, Josselyn?”
She meant that and so much more. What she wanted to say was how she’d truly and irrevocably fallen in love with him. She wanted to tell him exactly how much he and Dillon had come to mean to her and how very much she wanted the three of them to be a family. Yet the words remained smothered deep inside, held back by the fear that he wasn’t ready to hear such things from her. Once he learned she had a forever family on her mind, he might run far and fast.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I mean it very much.”
“Josselyn.”
Her name was the only thing he said before he drew her close against his chest. She tilted her face up to his, and when his lips came down on hers, a thrill of desire rushed through her. Along with something else. Something so sweet and warm that tears stung the back of her eyes.
He kissed her for long moments, and Josselyn hoped her lips conveyed all the hopes and dreams she held deep in her heart.
When he finally lifted his head, she saw a half grin carving dimples in both cheeks. “Dillon was right. I think girls do like this kind of stuff.”
Loving the scent of him, the feel of his skin touching hers, she rubbed her cheek against his. “Except for your grandmother,” she murmured. “I’m not sure she likes the idea of you and me together.”
“She doesn’t want me to be hurt. Again.”
Easing her head back, she looked into his eyes. “I would never hurt you, Drew. Not intentionally.”
“No. I don’t believe you would. Not purposely. But things happen.”
She cradled his face between her palms. “We’re not going to think about buts, Drew. Not tonight. Not ever.”
A groan sounded deep in his throat, then once again his mouth was slanting over hers. And for a moment, as Josselyn gave herself up to his kiss, she thought she tasted real love on his lips.
Chapter Eleven
The next morning as Josselyn hurried around the cabin, getting ready for work, she paused at the kitchen sink to rinse her coffee cup and was surprised by the sight beyond the window. At the cabin across from hers, a man dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt was in the small front yard doing pull-ups on a bare tree limb. Even at a distance, she could see he was young and in splendid shape.
Who was he? She hadn’t even realized anyone had moved into the cabin across the way. Not that she was interested, Josselyn thought as she turned away from the window and grabbed her handbag from the table. The only man in her sights was Drew, and the more she was with him, the more she wanted him.
On her way out of Sunshine Farm, she stopped at the big household to say hello and found Eva in the kitchen scurrying between the refrigerator and the big gas range.
“Are you late for a fire this morning?” Josselyn teased.
Eva groaned as she turned strips of frying bacon. “I was supposed to have this morning off at the donut shop, but the other cook at Daisy’s has come down with some sort of virus, so I’m needed. I should have been there thirty minutes ago! But I’m not leaving without fixing Luke’s breakfast first.” She glanced at Josselyn. “On your way to school?”
Josselyn nodded. “I stopped by to drop off a cookie recipe I thought you might want to try. It’s made with coconut, pecans and chocolate chips. Oh, and lots of butter.”
“Sounds sinfully delicious. I’ll definitely try it,” she said with a little laugh. “Thanks. Just lay it anywhere on the counter.”
Josselyn placed the envelope with the recipe inside next to a large canister of flour. Eva would never miss seeing it next to a baking ingredient.
“By the way, I just saw a strange man over at the far cabin,” Josselyn commented. “Is he a new tenant?”
“He moved in a few days ago. I guess you were probably at school and didn’t notice the activity over there. His name is Brendan Tanner. I believe he served in the military, but I’m not sure what branch. Luke says he was originally a cowboy and very good with horses.”
“He certainly looks capable of handling a horse,” Josselyn remarked. “Did he come here to Sunshine Farm thinking it really is the Lonelyhearts Ranch?”
Eva slanted her an amused glance. “I can’t imagine you being romantically interested in Brendan. Not with Dr. Strickland at your beck and call.”
Josselyn frowned. “How do you know about Dr. Strickland?”
Rolling her eyes, Eva turned back to the bacon and began forking the pieces onto a plate lined with paper towel. “Josselyn, everyone on Sunshine Farm has seen his vehicle parked in front of your cabin. And none of us figured the good doctor was making a house call. At least not the medical kind,” she added slyly.
Josselyn could feel a pink blush blooming on her cheeks. “Okay, we have been seeing each other. And you’re right, the only man who interests me romantically is Drew.”
Eva broke three eggs into a skillet. “Getting serious?”
Josselyn sighed. “I’m afraid I’ve gotten very serious. As for Drew...well, I just don’t know yet. Sometimes I think I’ll always be competing against the memory of his late wife. And then other times I think he might be beginning to care for me.”
Eva deftly flipped the eggs, and though Josselyn was proud of her own cooking abilities, she wished she could be as handy in the kitchen as the beautiful blonde. Serving Drew a hunk of homemade pie would probably do more to get his mind on love than handing him a library book.
“To be honest, Josselyn, most everyone around Rust Creek Falls was shocked to discover he had a child, much less that he was a widower. The man obviously kept his private life extremely private.”
“Drew would be the first to admit he’s not a social person. But I think for a long time it hurt him too much to talk about his late wife or the son he had with her.”
Eva dismally shook her head. “How well I understand that. It’s taken Luke a long, long time to deal with his family tragedy.” She softened her sad words with an encouraging smile. “But don’t give up, Josselyn. I’m betting that you’re going to win out over that memory of his.”
Josselyn had to think so, too. Otherwise, the two of them could never have a future together.
“Oh my, it’s getting late!” Josselyn exclaimed as she gave her watch a quick check. “I’ve got to run!”
“Thanks for the recipe. And good luck with Dr. Strickland,” Eva called as Josselyn started toward the door.
“Thanks, Eva. I’m going to need all the luck I can get.”
* * *
By Friday evening, Drew was desperate to be alone with Josselyn again. Really alone. And the chance to spend extended time with her practically fell into his lap when Dillon explained that Robbie’s mother had invited him for a sleepover.
“Are you certain about this, Dillon?” Drew asked as he changed into a clean pair of jeans and a gray-and-brown-plaid Western shirt. “Mary is a busy woman. I’m not sure she has time to entertain two boys.”
“She has time,” Dillon assured him. “She’s gonna make us popcorn balls in the kitchen and we get to help her. And then we’re gonna watch a movie. It’s a Christmas story about a boy who goes around on his pony delivering gifts.”
“Christmas, eh? It’s a little early for that, isn’t it?”
Dillon shook his head. “Mary says it’s never too early for giving gifts from the heart.”
Drew paused in the act of reaching for a hairbrush lying on top of the chest of drawers. Never too early for giving gifts from the heart. That sounded so much like Evelyn. She’d been a gentle, giving woman,
and if she were here today, she’d be teaching Dillon those same values of giving and sharing.
These past few weeks, thoughts of his late wife hadn’t entered his mind all that much. A month ago that fact would have left him feeling guilty. For years he’d purposely fought to keep her memory alive and burning inside him, knowing that once he let it slip there would be nothing left of her to hold on to. But now that Josselyn was in his life, he was letting the memory go and letting the guilt follow behind it. He recognized that he was finally moving forward, finally allowing himself to heal. And that had to be a good thing.
“Mary is right about that, son,” he said to Dillon. Then he turned to him and asked, “Do you really want to sleep over at Robbie’s?”
“Oh, yeah! Will you let me? Will you?”
“Okay. But I’m going to talk to Mary just to make sure everything is all right with her.”
“Oh boy! I’m gonna run tell Robbie right now!” Dillon was racing out the door when he suddenly skidded to a stop and looked back at his father. “You’re still gonna go see Josselyn tonight, aren’t you?”
“That’s what I’m planning on. Or would you rather me stay here with you and the two of us do something together?”
Dillon’s little face took on a horrified expression and he hurried back into the room to stand in front of Drew. “Oh, no, Dad! You might make Josselyn mad. And if she gets mad she might never want to be my mom.”
Emotions pricked the middle of his chest and Drew quickly squatted on his heels and took Dillon gently by the shoulders. “You really want Josselyn to be your mother, don’t you?”
He nodded. “I told Owen and Oliver and Rory—my friends at school—that she was going to be my mom and they all laughed at me.”
Drew remembered meeting the three children at the school picnic and their plan to throw pinecones at the first graders. Dillon had been proud to call them friends, and the idea of the three laughing at Dillon over something so important to him left Drew sick inside.
“Why do you think they laughed?” Drew asked gently.
Dillon’s bottom lip quivered and Drew wondered why his son hadn’t talked to him about this before now.
The Little Maverick Matchmaker (Montana Mavericks: The Lonelyhearts Ranch Book 3) Page 15
