The Little Maverick Matchmaker

by Stella Bagwell

  Gilda lifted her eyes toward the ceiling. “You are a librarian, Josselyn. Does that mean you’re supposed to look like a frumpy, ninety-year-old spinster?”

  “No. But just for once I’d like to look a little more than nice and neat and—too modest.”

  Smiling sassily, Gilda crooked a finger at her. “What you want is glamour and you won’t find it on this rack. Follow me.”

  The two of them were moving deeper into the store when Caroline called out, “Duty calls. I have to run. Good luck with your doctor, Josselyn. Viv and I might be planning your wedding soon!”

  As the young woman hurried out the door, Josselyn shook her head with dismay. “Has Homer Gilmore been passing out more spiked punch? One date doesn’t equal a wedding.”

  Gilda arched a brow. “No. But it could be one step closer.”

  That might be true, Josselyn thought, if the date was with any man other than Drew. He wasn’t a regular guy looking for marriage. He’d already had a wife, and from what Josselyn could see, the woman was still living in his heart.

  Josselyn might be able to make him forget his beloved Evelyn for a few minutes, or even a day. But that was hardly enough time for him to fall in love.

  The notion was a dismal one. Still, Josselyn wasn’t the type to give up on a cause. Even if it seemed like a lost one. She had to think of this real date with Drew as a new beginning for him and for her.

  Chapter Seven

  The next evening, on the drive to Sunshine Farm, Drew continued to think about his grandparents’ reactions when he’d explained that he was going on a date tonight and needed them to watch Dillon.

  Melba had eyed her grandson with a sharp look of concern and warned him about jumping into a relationship with a woman before he had time to really get to know her. On the other hand, Old Gene’s response had been the exact opposite. He’d slapped Drew on the shoulder and expressed his pleasure at seeing his grandson making an effort to make his life whole again.

  Normally Drew’s cautious, practical nature would’ve coincided with his grandmother’s response. But not tonight. This time Old Gene had put his finger on Drew’s feelings. After all these years of living in a dark, lonely place, he wanted to emerge into the light, to feel more than angry bitterness at the fate he’d been dealt.

  This short time he’d known Josselyn had been the brightest days he’d experienced since Evelyn’s tragic death had jerked the ground from beneath his feet. And his newfound happiness was apparently making a difference in Dillon’s life. Drew could actually feel his son growing closer. Tonight, when he’d learned his father was taking Josselyn on a date, he’d shouted and raced around the room with joyous abandon.

  Yet for all the good that was happening since he’d met Josselyn, Drew still couldn’t shake away the uneasy feeling that dwelled in the scarred part of his heart. Could this special thing with her really last? Or would something happen to end it all? Would she soon decide that a too-busy doctor and a rambunctious son weren’t in the plans she had for herself?

  Drew wasn’t going to allow his thoughts to languish over those grim possibilities. At least, not tonight. Instead, he was going to give this private time with Josselyn a chance to be special.

  A few minutes later while he stood on the porch to Josselyn’s cabin, waiting for her to answer the door, he looked around at the adjacent cabins and the big farmhouse in the distance. The Stocktons had endured plenty of heartaches, he thought. But the torn holes in their family appeared to be mending. Especially since Dan and Luke had returned and settled down with their brides.

  The sound of the door creaking open had him turning to see Josselyn standing on the threshold. The first thing that caught his attention was the warm smile on her face and then his gaze dipped downward to her figure silhouetted against the lit interior of the cabin.

  She was wearing a bottle green blouse that wrapped and tied at the side of her waist. Her knee-length skirt was black and made with a flirty little slit at one side of her leg. Compared to the other clothing he’d seen her wear, this outfit was far saucier. Just looking at her made every male cell in his body hum with attention.

  “Hi, Drew.”

  “Hello, Josselyn. Am I too early?”

  “Not at all. Come on in while I finish getting ready. I only need a minute or two.”

  “No hurry.” He followed her into the small rustic apartment. “We still have plenty of time before our dinner reservation.”

  “Please sit wherever you’d like,” she offered. “Would you like anything to drink? Sorry, I don’t have anything to make a cocktail, but I do have ginger ale.”

  He walked over to a butterscotch-colored armchair positioned in a corner of the cozy living room. “Thanks, but I’ll wait until later,” he told her as he sank onto the soft leather.

  Satisfied that he was comfortably settled, she said, “I won’t be long.”

  Drew watched her disappear through an open doorway, then glanced curiously around him. He’d expected the cabin to be furnished with frilly, feminine curtains and furniture that looked nice but felt like a torture chamber. Instead, it was decorated with earthy colors that were easy on the eye. And given her job, he’d thought the room would be filled with shelves of books, but the only reading material he spotted was one paperback lying on the coffee table.

  There were probably mounds of books in the bedroom, he decided. She most likely went to sleep with a book wrapped in her arms, rather than a man.

  You think? Maybe you need to take a closer look at the woman, Drew.

  Like hell, Drew thought, as he resisted the annoying voice in his head. He wasn’t ready to make love to another woman. The mere idea made him feel like an adulterer. And yet he couldn’t deny that each time he was near Josselyn, each time he looked at her, he felt desire stirring in the pit of his stomach.

  Restless now, Drew rose and walked over to a window where a small table held a few knickknacks and one photo in a wooden frame. The snapshot was of a group of people of varying ages gathered outdoors beneath a pair of shade trees. The only person he recognized was Josselyn standing next to another young woman. She was wearing shorts and a T-shirt and her blond hair was pulled into a ponytail. A wide smile was on her face.

  “That’s my family,” she spoke as she reentered the room. “At a Fourth of July get-together. A friend snapped the photo while we were waiting on the homemade ice cream to freeze.”

  He picked up the framed photo for a closer look. “Is that your sister next to you?” he asked.

  She came to stand by his side and Drew was instantly aware of her scent. Sweet gardenia, he decided. Or was it peony? No matter the flower. The fragrance made him want to dip his face against the curve of her neck and breathe in until his head was full of nothing but her.

  “Yes. That’s Patti. She’s three years younger than me and still in college. One of these days I hope I’ll see her working as a veterinarian.”

  “She doesn’t look a thing like you.”

  “No. She’s dark haired and dainty and pretty.”

  His sidelong glance was full of amusement. “So what does that make you?”

  Her laugh was self-conscious. “I’m the girl next door. The vanilla cookie.”

  “Hmm. That’s good. Vanilla’s probably my favorite flavor.”

  She cleared her throat and said, “That’s my two brothers standing next to me and Patti. Lloyd is on the left and Cameron on the right. Our parents, Velma and Walt, are right behind them. And over in the glider are my paternal grandparents, Otis and Laverne.”

  “Very nice family, Josselyn.” He placed the picture back in its spot on the table, then turned to her. “I’d like to meet them all someday. Do you think they’ll ever come visit you here in Rust Creek Falls?”

  “I can see my sister and parents coming for a visit. But not my brothers. You can’t pry them away from Lara
mie. And my grandparents are homebodies. What about your family?” she asked curiously. “Do they come to Rust Creek Falls often?”

  “Every now and then. It’s hard for Dad to leave the ranch, what with all the livestock to be cared for and chores to be done. But once in a while he leaves it up to the hired hands and he and Mom make the drive down. My brother Trey is married to Kayla Dalton and they have a two-and-half year-old son, Gil. Trey manages a riding stable at Thunder Canyon Resort, so he doesn’t have much time off. And my other brothers, Ben, LJ, and Billy, are busy with their own lives. Although they do try to see Melba and Old Gene fairly often. Ben is a doctor, too. And Billy and LJ are both ranchers.”

  “So you have family and roots in Rust Creek Falls and Thunder Canyon,” she said. “That must be nice. I purposely moved away from Laramie because I wanted to be independent and out from under my family’s wing. But I have to admit that I miss them at times.”

  “Well, you’re making roots of your own. And that’s important, I think.”

  Her eyes met his and Drew was suddenly reminded that the two of them were completely alone, standing only inches apart. All he had to do was bend his head slightly downward and his forehead would be touching hers, their lips would be oh so close.

  She said, “Hmm. My grandmother—the one who passed on—had a saying that a woman wasn’t a woman until she was rooted down with a man. Granny was old-fashioned that way.”

  “Nowadays you women have more progressive ideas than your grandmother.” He stated the obvious.

  Pink color swept across her cheekbones. “I happen to think a woman can make a home for herself. If that’s what she wants,” she added.

  But what did Josselyn want? She’d once made mention of finding the perfect man for her. But maybe she’d prefer to be independent and not have to answer to any man? Or was she actually dreaming of someday becoming a wife and mother? The questions were on the tip of Drew’s tongue when she suddenly turned away and reached for her handbag.

  “We should probably be on our way, don’t you think?”

  She was putting an end to the personal moment and though Drew was a bit disappointed, he figured her decision was the right one. Otherwise, he might be very tempted to draw her into his arms and make them both forget about the dinner reservations in Kalispell.

  Fighting the urge, he said, “Yes. Time is ticking. Let me help you with your jacket and we’ll be on our way.”

  * * *

  The prime rib on Josselyn’s plate melted in her mouth, while the cool, dry wine slipped smoothly down her throat and warmed the pit of her stomach. The flickering candlelight on the table and the quiet music playing in the background lent a soft ambience to their private little corner of the opulent hotel restaurant. But compared to the man sitting across from her, all those things faded into the background.

  With the candles dappling lights and shadows over his rugged features, she was completely mesmerized by the image he made in his white shirt and brown patterned tie, his dark hair combed back from his forehead.

  “Is anything wrong with your food? You’re not eating much.”

  Her knife and fork poised over her plate, she looked at him. “Everything tastes fantastic, Drew. I’m just eating slowly so I can savor my dinner. It’s not often that I get prime rib or asparagus. Some evenings I just eat a peanut-butter-and-banana sandwich.”

  Her eyes focused on his lips as they slanted into a faint smile. She’d never seen him looking so relaxed before, and she wondered if getting out of town and away from the clinic had lifted a bit of stress from his shoulders.

  “Nothing wrong with that,” he replied. “You’re getting protein and other vitamins. I just wouldn’t recommend it on a daily basis. You need your vegetables.”

  “Spoken like a true doctor.”

  She glanced around at the long dining room filled with elegantly set tables and smartly dressed diners of varying ages. One couple in particular, at a nearby table, caught Josselyn’s attention. Looking somewhere in their seventies, they had Josselyn wondering about her own years ahead. By the time she reached that age, would Drew be only a brief memory in her life? She didn’t want to think so. She wanted to believe he would always be close.

  “I’ve never been to this restaurant before,” he told her. “One of the nurses who assists me at the clinic recommended the place. She and her husband came here for a Valentine’s dinner.”

  She smiled at him and hoped the nerves that were causing her stomach to flutter didn’t show on her face. “Wow. I feel special to be treated like this. It’s a long time before Valentine’s Day.”

  His dark brown eyes softened to a caramel color. Or was that just the candlelight making them look so warm and dreamy? Either way, the sight of them was causing all sorts of trouble with her breathing.

  “You are special, Josselyn,” he said. “That’s why we’re here. That’s why I wanted your company.”

  And what about Evelyn? she wanted to ask. Was the woman sitting next to him right now? At times she felt as though the memory of his late wife was wedging its way between them. But tonight Josselyn wanted to believe his attention was solely on her.

  “That’s very nice of you to say, Drew.” She looked down at her plate and realized he was right. She’d scarcely touched her food. Darn it, ever since she’d walked into her little living room and caught him studying the photo of the Weaver family, something had happened to her. Or him. Or had the change occurred in both of them? The only thing she knew was that once she’d stood close to his side in the quietness of the cabin, everything had altered.

  Throughout the drive here to Kalispell she could have sworn electrical currents were zapping around the interior of his plush car. Now the space around their table seemed charged with the same sort of energy.

  “I’m not trying to be nice, Josselyn,” he said. “I’m trying to be honest.”

  Her gaze lifted back to his face and her heart lurched as soft, tender feelings pierced her deep inside. And all at once she was wondering where this time spent with Drew was heading. Was she setting herself up for a big letdown? Or even worse, a giant heartache?

  It was far too late for her to be worrying about that now, Josselyn decided. She’d leaped into this date with eager abandon and she needed to quit with all the doubts and questions. She needed to simply enjoy being with Drew and let the future take care of itself.

  “Okay, then, I’ll be honest, too,” she murmured the admission. “I wanted to be here with you, too.”

  Smiling now, he lifted his wineglass toward her. “Let’s toast to tonight and being together.”

  She clinked her glass to his. “Yes. Together,” she murmured softly.

  For always.

  The silent words whispered through her heart.

  * * *

  A half hour later, Drew was finishing the last bite of cherry cheesecake when the sound of a live band in a room next to the dining area had Josselyn looking eagerly around them.

  “I hear live music,” she stated. “Or did they just dial up the sound of the canned music?”

  “I believe that’s a real band. If I’m not mistaken, there’s a ballroom behind us.”

  Her green eyes twinkled a challenge. “Can you dance, Dr. Strickland?”

  He chuckled. “What’s there to know about dancing? You just shuffle your feet and pretend you know what you’re doing.”

  She put down her fork and extended her hand to him. “Care to show me?”

  Grinning, he rose from his chair and helped her to her feet. “As long as you promise not to cry when I step on your toes.”

  Her soft laugh was like sleigh bells at Christmastime, he thought. It filled his heart with cheer and hope.

  “You’re a doctor. You can fix my toes.”

  Feeling almost like a kid again, he took her hand and led her through the dining tables until
they reached the ballroom.

  Even though the music had just started, there were already several couples moving around the polished hardwood floor.

  “Oh, how marvelous!” Josselyn exclaimed as she gazed around at the potted trees and hanging party lights adorning the edge of the dance floor. A small band situated on a disk-shaped platform at one end of the room was playing a song he vaguely recalled hearing his maternal grandmother sing.

  She sighed. “I didn’t know anyone played Gershwin tunes anymore. Isn’t it romantic?”

  She could make sitting on a rock in the middle of a desert feel romantic, Drew thought. “I’ll take your word for it,” he said, then pulled her into the circle of his arms.

  At first, she held her body stiffly away from his, but once he guided her onto the dance floor and they merged with the other couples, he could feel her relaxing against him. Her soft, sweet-smelling body very nearly made him forget that music was playing and the two of them were in a public place.

  “You do know how to dance,” she said after a moment. “And very well, too. Where did you learn these kinds of moves?”

  Just to impress her more, he dipped her over one arm, which caused her to release a breathless little laugh.

  “My mom,” he said. “She’s the dancer of the bunch.”

  “And are your brothers this good at cutting a rug?”

  “Hah! All my brothers have two left feet. They’d trip over themselves out here.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “No. They’re all pretty graceful guys. When they choose to be,” he added impishly.

  The song ended, but thankfully the band immediately broke into another. This time a young woman with long dark hair, dressed in a glittery evening gown, walked up to a microphone and began to sing.

  “Oh, this is one of my favorite songs,” Josselyn said.

  She began to hum along to the slow, dreamy tune and soon her cheek was resting against his shoulder. The scent of her hair drifted to his nostrils, while her soft curves seemed to melt into his hard body. Had dancing ever felt like this? Like he was moving across a fluffy cloud rimmed with golden sunshine.