“I’m guessing neither of you will be wearing red cowboy boots come October when the snow is flying.” Her sister wore a playful frown. “But there was no convincing this one to get the sensible snow boots.”
“They were so ugly,” Maya lamented, every bit as dramatic as Rose would’ve been back in the day. “They looked like something you would wear to outer space.”
“I wanna go to outer space!” Ollie chimed in from where he was throwing a stick for Marigold. “That would be awesome.”
“You can’t go to outer space, silly,” Maya insisted in her big-sister-knows-all tone. Rose had heard that same melody many a time growing up. She might be a fashionista, but Maya still had traces of Dally’s practicality.
“I don’t know.” Rose smiled at Ollie, unwilling to let his sister dim his creativity. “I’ll bet you could find a way to get to outer space someday.” Even if it was only in his imagination. “But first, why don’t you two go into the kitchen and help yourself to some muffins?” So she could talk to Dally about more pressing matters.
Ollie dropped the stick on the ground, his mouth pulled into a grimace. “Where did you get the muffins?” he asked as though he was afraid she’d made them again.
“I’ll have you know that I picked them up from the Sweet Tooth Bakery earlier this morning.” Rose had permanently given up on baking after Maya and Ollie had nearly broken their teeth on her last round of muffins. Her middle sister, Magnolia, was the baker in the family, but Mags lived down in Florida, where she was currently basking in the glow of her two-week-old son. Hopefully Mags and her husband, Eric, would make it up for Sassy’s celebration, but they hadn’t committed yet.
“I want a chocolate chip one!” Ollie sprinted up the steps as though trying to beat his sister through the door.
“No, I want the chocolate chip!” Maya scampered in after him.
“They’re all chocolate chip,” Rose called behind them. Chocolate chip was her favorite too.
“What’s wrong?” Dally asked the second the children’s voices faded.
Rose scratched behind Marigold’s scruffy ears while she contemplated her answer.
“Nothing’s wrong, per se.” Ever since they’d been little, Dally had always been the responsible one. She’d taken care of details and organization while Rose had let her right-dominant brain run wild. She hated that she was seen as the capricious one in the family, and she still wanted to prove this whole endeavor hadn’t been a terrible idea. “Tony needs to finish up the job within a week so he can move on to other jobs.” She could sugarcoat the truth with the best of them. “So we only have seven days to finish all the repairs.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.” Dally seemed to shrug it off. Probably because Rose hadn’t told her about the latest roof leak on the cabin that was supposed to be done.
“It’s kind of a bummer since we’d hoped to have everything done before Sassy got back, but we’ll figure it out,” her sister went on.
“We can still have everything done before she gets back,” Rose said quickly. The work had to be done. That was part of the surprise birthday party slash grand reopening of the Juniper Inn.
Dahlia reached down to pet Marigold. “You think we can have everything done by this afternoon?”
The stress-induced eye twitch she’d had earlier when she was discussing the money with Tony returned. “What do you mean, this afternoon?”
“Didn’t you see Sassy’s text this morning?” Dally pulled her phone out of her pocket and held it out so she could read. “She and Colt are coming home early.”
Colt was coming back early? Her heart rate spiked, but she couldn’t tell if it was anticipation or panic. Lately, she’d found herself thinking about him, looking back at the pictures he’d texted her from his travels. The images of him smiling and laughing and standing on the edges of cliffs had made her see him in a different light. He seemed so carefree and happy, it had made her smile too. When he left, she hadn’t realized she would miss him, but she had. She’d found herself picking up her phone to call and ask him if he could come over to help her pick out windows or tile or stain for the wood floors. For weeks, all she’d wanted was to see him, but now that he was coming home early she didn’t feel prepared.
Rose’s eyes glazed over, blurring the words on Dally’s phone. “I didn’t see any text.” She’d been too busy trying to retain their contractor so they could finish this project.
“Hi, you two,” her sister read. “Wanted to let you know we’re flying in today. I miss my mountains and my girls, so we’re coming home early.”
“Why would they come home early from an amazing vacation?” Rose would give anything to take a vacation right now. Especially if it meant she could take a break from worrying about the inn.
Her aunt and Colt had spent the last two months visiting some of the places on Sassy’s bucket list—Alaska, the Grand Canyon, New York City, Nova Scotia. It had been the perfect way to get the woman out of their hair while they revamped the cabins and planned her surprise party.
“I don’t know…” Dally looked around at the mountains surrounding them. “It’s pretty gorgeous here. I could kind of see why she would miss home.”
“Alaska’s beautiful. Nova Scotia too. The Grand Canyon? Amazing.” She didn’t mean to sound so grumbly, but…“How are we supposed to keep the grand reopening celebration a surprise while she’s here?” And how was she supposed to hide the lack of progress on the inn from Colt? He would probably take one look at their current situation and go right back to thinking she didn’t belong here.
“We can distract her.” Dahlia shifted into administrator mode. “I can help out more now that things are settling. I put the kids in a day camp program so they can meet some friends before school starts. That means I’ll have a lot more free time.”
“That would be great, actually.” Some of the weight Rose had been carrying around on her shoulders seemed to fall away. “If you’re going to help out, you might want to wear jeans.” She would spare Dally the rest of the details until she showed up tomorrow and they had to repair a roof.
“Okay. I’ll come by first thing tomorrow after I drop off the kids.” Her sister glanced at her watch. “Right now we have to head to the doctor.”
“Ohhhh. The doctor, huh?” Rose batted her eyelashes like a Southern belle. Last winter, Dahlia had made a special connection with the town’s lone MD, but lately Rose couldn’t get her sister to say anything about what was going on between her and the good doctor. “How is Ike, anyway?”
Dally avoided looking her in the eyes. “I don’t know, honestly. Things have been so busy since the move, we haven’t seen much of each other.”
Rose doubted that was from Ike’s lack of trying. The man had been quite taken with her sister when they’d been visiting last Christmas, but she’d seen the hesitation in Dahlia since she’d moved here from Minnesota. It was like Dally never wanted to talk about him. “Well, maybe you should ask him out when you see him today. You know I’m happy to babysit anytime.” She wouldn’t allow her sister to use the kids an excuse.
“Maybe. We’ll see.” Her sister employed the same noncommittal tone she used whenever Ollie asked if he could swim across the pond. “We have to get over there.” As if hoping to avoid further discussion, Dally poked her head inside the house and called for the kids.
They both came bounding out, still munching on their muffins.
“Bye, Auntie Rose.” Ollie hugged her and then wrapped his arms around Marigold, who happily licked the crumbs off his face. “Thanks for the muffins.”
“They’re the best,” Maya added, following her brother down the steps.
“Glad you liked them.” She followed them to the car, still watching Dally. All of a sudden, her sister seemed flustered…nervous. “You two will have to come for a sleepover soon.” She couldn’t help but wonder how the kids would be with roof repairs. They might be looking at an all-hands-on-deck approach for the next week.
“Yes!” Ollie climbed into the backseat. “We could have a campout under the stars!”
“We’ll see,” Rose said, borrowing her sister’s favorite tactic. Camping out wasn’t really her thing unless there was a memory foam mattress and full bathroom involved. But again, let the kid dream.
“I’ll be back tomorrow.” Dahlia still wasn’t looking directly at her. Since Rose had brought up Ike, there had been a distinct change in her sister’s demeanor. What was that all about?
Chapter Two
Dahlia
Mom, the speed limit is thirty.” Maya peered at the speedometer from the backseat, a frown of disapproval furrowing her pink sparkly lips. “You’re barely going twenty.”
“Am I?” Dahlia blinked the numbers on the dashboard back into focus. “It’s safer to go slower on Main Street.” Safer, and it would take them longer to reach Ike’s office. She wasn’t sure she was prepared to see the man.
Last Christmas, while she’d been staying at the Juniper Inn, Ike had reawakened every desire her divorce had suppressed, bringing romance back into her life. He’d made her dinner and had kissed her and had helped her see herself in a different light—as someone who could be desirable and fun. They’d stayed in touch through the spring, talking on the phone late into the night at least once a week. But now that she was back in Juniper Springs for good, she couldn’t seem to get up the courage to face him again. When she told Rose they hadn’t seen much of each other, what she really meant was they hadn’t seen each other at all.
Dahlia rolled to a stop and waved a group of pedestrians across the street.
“Go as slow as you want,” Ollie grumbled. “I don’t wanna get any shots.”
“You don’t have to get shots today. This is just a quick physical for your day camp.” Usually she didn’t wait until the day before a camp started to get the kids’ physicals done, but nothing in her life was usual at the moment. Maybe that’s why she kept responding to Ike’s phone messages with quick texts. Sorry, things are crazy! Gotta get the kids to bed! Making dinner, will try to call you later! Painting Ollie’s room right now. Let’s talk tomorrow! They hadn’t been lies, but she’d definitely used the heck out of every excuse she could find to avoid connecting with him.
The truth was, she didn’t know how to do this—how to be a mom and also date someone and maybe even fall in love again. After her husband had left her for another woman two years ago, she’d have been fine taking an oath of celibacy, keeping both her heart and her body safely isolated.
She hadn’t planned on the spark of attraction that had blindsided her when she’d met Ike last December. She hadn’t planned on going on dates with him or kissing him the way she had in front of his fireplace those few times. She hadn’t planned to take over ownership of her aunt’s inn and move her kids across three states to start a whole new life…
Maya sighed loudly. “I don’t see why we have to go to a stupid day camp anyway.”
“You’ll love it,” Dahlia assured her. “You’ll get to meet a lot of the kids who will be in school with you this fall.” This transition hadn’t been easy for any of them, but Maya seemed to be taking it the hardest.
“I’d rather be at my old school. I knew everyone there. I had a lot of friends.” Maya turned her head away to stare out the window, her shoulders slumped.
Dahlia let her daughter pout. She got it. She’d pouted a couple of times this week herself. Change was hard and scary and frustrating. Since the divorce, her life had been nothing but change. She couldn’t blame Maya for wanting familiarity and stability. She knew how hard it was to open your heart to new things.
“I think Juniper Springs is the coolest place ever!” Ollie had his face pressed against the glass of the window. “I mean look at those mountains! They’re huge! I can’t wait to climb one. Can we climb one, Mom?”
Dahlia peered past the brick façades lining friendly Main Street and took in the view of the rocky cliffs that seemed to disappear into the sky. “We’ll see.” They were wild, those mountains. Unpredictable and bigger than she could even fathom. But there was also something exhilarating about them. Something strangely alluring.
“I’ll bet Dr. Ike knows how to climb a mountain.” Ollie kicked the back of her seat in obvious excitement. “I’m gonna ask him if he’ll teach me.”
Dahlia held her breath, feeling a warm blush seep into her cheeks. The kids knew of Ike. They’d met him briefly last Christmas, and she’d referred to him as her friend, but they didn’t know how hearing his name made her heart pound or how the memory of kissing him drove a surge of warmth from her chest to her toes.
“Why would Dr. Ike take you mountain climbing?” Maya demanded. “He probably has his own kids.” She turned her head to Dahlia as though looking for confirmation.
“He doesn’t have kids, actually.” Hopefully her children thought the breathlessness in her tone came from the high altitude. “He doesn’t have a family.”
“He’s not married?” Maya seemed to recalibrate her stare, looking intently at Dahlia’s face.
She focused extra hard on parking the car as far away as she could get from the doors that led into Ike’s office. “Nope. He’s not married.”
“Perfect!” Ollie exclaimed. “Then he’ll have all the time in the world to help me climb a mountain.”
“Well, I don’t know about that.” Dahlia cut the engine and withdrew the keys from the ignition, holding them tightly in her fist. “He’s still a very busy man, being the only doctor in town.”
“It doesn’t hurt to ask,” her son told her, using the exact words she’d said to him on more than one occasion.
“You can’t ask the doctor to help you climb a mountain.” Maya rolled her eyes, even though Dahlia often told her they’d get stuck like that. “We hardly know him, right, Mom?”
“Oh. Uh.” Actually, she knew him pretty well, but she couldn’t necessarily explain that to her children. “We should get in there. We’re five minutes late as it is.”
From the outside, Ike’s office looked like any other small-scale medical facility—a nondescript square brick building with dark tinted windows. But when you walked inside and entered the waiting room, it seemed you were walking into a whole other world.
“Wow!” Ollie exclaimed. “This is the coolest place I’ve ever seen.”
“Is this a doctor’s office or a library?” Maya asked, her eyes wide with awe.
Dahlia smiled. It did bear a resemblance to their library back home in Minnesota. It seemed every time she walked in here there was more for her to see. One corner of the room was decorated in a space theme, with colorful planets hanging down from the ceiling and black wallpaper with flickering stars. Another corner had a jungle theme, complete with large trees and stuffed monkeys hanging from their branches. The waiting room only proved Ike wasn’t your average brilliant doctor. He was also creative and…whimsical. Maybe that’s what she liked best about him. She’d never had one creative bone in her body, but Ike inspired her.
Today the waiting room sat empty, except for Mrs. Miller sitting behind the reception desk. The kids didn’t seem to notice her, though. They took off for the jungle first, admiring the stuffed animals perched in the trees.
“Good morning.” Dahlia greeted Mrs. Miller with a smile that hopefully hid her nerves. “We have an appointment for Ollie and Maya today.”
“Of course.” Mrs. Miller tapped on the keyboard in front of her. “Ike is running a little bit late today, but you can see Dr. Jolly if you’d like to.”
“Dr. Jolly?” She hadn’t realized Ike had invited a partner to join his practice. Dahlia glanced to where her kids were now looking through the space magazines in the opposite corner of the room. They still had quite a few errands to run, going to the store to pick up some supplies for camp and then also running to the grocery store before they went home for the night. “Do you know how long Ike will be?”
“He should be here in about twenty minutes.” Mrs. Miller sho
ok her head with an affectionate smile. “That man drove all the way to Salida to visit one of his patients who had a baby last week.”
“That doesn’t surprise me at all.” Ike was always doing things like that for people. He wasn’t only a doctor to most of his patients. He was also their friend. He was kind and open and generous with his time.
Why was she avoiding him again?
“Mom! Check out this awesome spaceship.” Ollie zoomed the spaceship through the air, running toward her with a giant grin on his face. “I knew Ike was cool, but I didn’t realize he loved outer space like I do.”
Yes, her son and Dr. Ike had a lot in common. So why did she find it so hard to bring him into their lives?
The door opened beyond the reception counter, and Grumpy walked out into the waiting room, accompanied by a woman clad in scrubs.
Dahlia waved at the man. He owned the only coffee shop in Juniper Springs, so she tried to stay on Grumpy’s good side. Not that she knew she was succeeding. He was always…well…Grumpy. But was that a smile on the man’s face?
“Thanks, Doc.” Grumpy actually shook the scrub-clad woman’s hand. “Glad to know the burn isn’t too serious.”
Dahlia couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the woman she presumed must be Dr. Jolly. She had to be younger than Dahlia by at least a couple of years, judging from the lack of wrinkles around her eyes. And she was gorgeous. Her black hair was pulled loosely back, and there wasn’t one imperfection on her dark skin. Even her brown eyes seemed to sparkle when she smiled. The woman standing next to Grumpy wasn’t exactly what she’d picture for someone with the name Jolly. For some reason, she’d assumed the doctor would look like Santa Claus…
“It’s no problem at all, Grumpy.” The woman paused by the reception counter. “Keep an eye on the dressing, and don’t forget to apply the cream. If you have any problems at all, give me a call.”
The Summer Sisters (Juniper Springs Book 2) Page 2