“Nonsense. None of that was your fault.” He looked at her closely. He held his breath, then plunged on, into the question that had been plaguing his thoughts for weeks.
“How about you?” he asked. “Would you like to move forward into a happy future with someone? Can you put that creep Paul Martin out of your mind?”
Loretta leaned back and tilted her face to his. She nodded slowly. He bent as she stood on her tiptoes. Their lips met and held, and they both would have sworn that the lights flickered.
***
Frank Haynes couldn’t feel his feet as he retreated down the steps and got into his car. They’d made plans to go to Forever Friends the next afternoon, and he wanted to stop in and look at the dogs available for adoption on his way home. Instead of heading to the shelter, however, his Mercedes turned toward Rosemont.
He pulled into the familiar clearing in the shoulder of the road that ran below the house. He hadn’t been back since he’d decided to use his money to pay for Nicole’s transplant instead of buying out Maggie’s interest in the house.
He studied Rosemont’s rear facade in the late afternoon sunshine. He shook his head in disbelief. Instead of feeling the bitter disappointment he’d expected, he was happy. Almost giddy, in fact. The house no longer spoke to him. It was just a house. He was impatient to be on his way. He had things he wanted to prepare for Loretta and her kids before their visit to the shelter—and later his house—when they brought the dog home. He should have food on hand. Maybe he’d fix them a meal. What did they like? What did he even know how to cook? He felt happier than he’d felt in his entire life.
Haynes started the engine and pulled away without a backward glance. He needed to stop at Haynes Enterprises to send an email to Simon Wilkens, and then he had a long list of things to do. His life wouldn’t include Rosemont.
Chapter 55
Maggie and John walked through the back door of Rosemont as the grandfather clock in the foyer struck midnight. The excitement of the wedding had sustained them as they drove Mike to the airport for his flight. They’d talked about the wedding and relived their own ceremony on the drive home. But the busy day was catching up with them. They were fading fast.
“I’ll take the dogs out and lock up. You go get ready for bed,” John said. He caught her hand as she passed him and spun her into his arms. “You looked absolutely stunning today, Mrs. Allen. Have I told you that?”
Maggie snuggled into his embrace. “I believe you might have mentioned it. You look mighty handsome, yourself, Dr. Allen.”
She reached up to kiss him. “I’ll be asleep the instant my head hits the pillow. I spotted something stuck to the front door as we drove past. I’m going to bring it inside and head upstairs.”
“It’s probably an advertisement,” John replied. “Why don’t you leave it for tomorrow?”
“Maybe I will.” Maggie yawned as she headed toward the stairway while John whistled for the dogs. She hesitated on the first step, thinking about what was on the other side of that door. But her exhaustion overcame her curiosity, and she wearily climbed the steps to the second floor.
They’d been in bed for ten minutes when John rolled over to her and propped himself on his elbow. “I can tell by your breathing that you’re not asleep. Something’s bothering you.”
Maggie switched on her bedside light. “You know me so well, don’t you? I need to see what’s taped to the front door. I can’t go to sleep without knowing. I’ll just nip down to get it and be right back.”
John threw back the covers. “Stay put, princess. I’ll go get it. And if it’s some stupid restaurant flyer, you owe me. Big time.”
“You’re my hero” Maggie called to his retreating figure. She listened to the heavy mahogany door open and shut and John’s tread on the stairway as he made his way back to her. Was she imagining it or was he walking a bit faster?
“Here,” he said, holding out an envelope. “This was taped to the door. It’s addressed to you.”
Maggie sat up and turned the envelope over in her hands. “This handwriting looks vaguely familiar,” she said as she slid her finger under the flap and ripped the envelope open. She withdrew a sheet of paper, covered in cursive. “It’s from Frank Haynes,” she said, glancing at John before returning to the paper in her hand. She read it aloud:
Dear Maggie,
I want you to know that I have decided not to offer to buy out your share of Rosemont. Although I have long wanted to own Rosemont, my priorities have changed and I have decided to use my cash for other purposes.
We have not always seen eye to eye, but I know you love Rosemont and are a good and generous steward of it.
I am deeply grateful that Susan donated her kidney to Nicole and am glad that her kindness is not going to be repaid with tragedy.
I’ve told Simon Wilkens about my decision and instructed him to send you a promissory note. You can pay me the appraised half of Rosemont’s value over the next twenty years.
Yours sincerely,
Frank Haynes
Maggie sank against the headboard and let the letter fall from her hands. “Am I dreaming this?”
John picked up the letter and read it again. “You’re not dreaming.”
Maggie threw her arms around his neck. “Rosemont is ours! Finally, completely, ours!”
The End
Thank you for reading!
If you enjoyed Drawing Close, I’d be grateful if you wrote a review.
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In gratitude,
Barbara Hinske
Just for You!
Wonder what Maggie was thinking when the book ended? Exclusively for readers who finished Drawing Close, take a look at Maggie’s Diary Entry.
Acknowledgements
I’m blessed with the wisdom and support of many kind and generous people. I want to thank the most supportive and delightful group of readers an author could hope for:
My incredibly patient and supportive husband, Brian;
My beta reader and book guru, Helen Curl;
My genius marketing team of Mitch Gandy, Jesse Doubek, and Jill Bates Wallace—thank you for always fueling my dreams;
My kind and generous attorney, Roger A. Grad;
The professional “dream team” of my editors Linden Gross and Jesika St. Clair, life coach Mat Boggs, and author assistant Lisa Coleman;
Matt Hinrichs for another beautiful cover; and
The Tooms family for generously allowing me to use their Texie as my Eve.
Book Club Questions
(If your club talks about anything other than family, jobs, and household projects!)
Where would you go on your ideal honeymoon?
Have you ever had to take a trip or attend a big event when you had to force yourself to ignore something upsetting?
How do you make yourself stop worrying about something?
What would you have done in Maggie’s situation? Would you have told your children about the possibility of their having a half-sister?
Have you ever tried to talk your child out of doing something altruistic that might involve personal risk?
Have you ever splurged on a big purchase? Are you glad you did?
Have you ever lost a home you dearly loved?
Did you find happiness in your new home, and if you did, how did you do it?
What is the most memorable wedding you’ve attended?
What one, single pie
ce of advice would you give newlyweds?
About the Author
BARBARA HINSKE is an attorney by day, bestselling novelist by night. She inherited the writing gene from her father who wrote mysteries when he retired and told her a story every night of her childhood. She and her husband share their own Rosemont with two adorable and spoiled dogs. The old house keeps her husband busy with repair projects and her happily decorating, entertaining, cooking, and gardening. Together they have four grown children and live in Phoenix, Arizona.
Available at Amazon and for Kindle
Other books in the Rosemont series
Coming to Rosemont
Weaving the Strands
Uncovering Secrets
Also by BARBARA HINSKE
The Night Train
I’d love to hear from you!
Connect with me online:
Visit barbarahinske.com to sign up for my newsletter to receive your Free Gift, plus Inside Scoops, Amazing Offers, Bedtime Stories & Inspirations from Home.
Facebook.com/BHinske
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Email me at [email protected]
Search for Barbara Hinske on YouTube for tours inside my own historic home plus tips and tricks for busy women!
Find photos of fictional Rosemont, Westbury, and things related to the Rosemont series at Pinterest.com/BarbaraHinske.
Drawing Close: The Fourth Novel in the Rosemont Series Page 24