Why would a soft and pretty woman like her have any interest in a stiff, rumpled British professor who knew more about the reproductive processes of Lake Haven kokanee salmon than he did about the kind of things that might interest a young, attractive woman?
There was a flurry near the table and Josh Bailey finally joined them.
“Sorry I’m late. We had some issues at the store trying to track down a large order that’s gone astray and I lost track of time.”
The owner of a chain of sporting goods stores might not be the man Ian expected Gemma to fall for but Josh utterly and completely adored Gemma. That made him perfect for her, as far as Ian was concerned.
“Did you find it?” Ian asked.
“Yes. In North Dakota, of all places. I’ve got it rerouted now and heading our way.”
The waiter came to take their order. Ian thought Josh might need more time but he explained that he had eaten there many times before and always ordered the same thing: French dip with sweet potato fries.
“How are you settling into your new house?” Josh asked after the waiter left to give their order to the kitchen staff. “I’m still sorry you decided not to stay at my ranch. You know I have plenty of room.”
“That’s very kind of you to offer but I needed to be close to the water since that’s the only way to get to Chalk Creek without hiking three miles over hard terrain. Thank you also for arranging a boat for me to use, by the way.”
“Not a problem at all. It belongs to a friend of mine who owes me a favor. Since he’s going to be gone all summer, he assured me it’s no problem for you to use it. I’ll try to bring it by tomorrow.”
“I appreciate that.”
“And we still need to go horseback riding, don’t we?” Josh said to the children with his friendly smile. “Maybe we can go this weekend.”
“Oh, please.” Amelia looked thrilled at the possibility, happier than she’d been in ages.
His heart ached when he looked at his daughter. She and Susan had been close and he knew Amelia missed her mother dearly. He might have guessed she would inherit Susan’s love of horses, too.
“Josh’s horses have the sweetest natures. Every one of them,” Gemma said. “A Western saddle takes a bit of getting used to but I don’t doubt we could find a saddle for you that’s similar enough to the one you’re accustomed to using at home.”
Some of Amelia’s enthusiasm seemed to fade. “I only wish I had a friend to go riding with. I miss my friend Olivia terribly.”
She had not let him forget that she wasn’t happy about spending a month away from her friends, especially when they would be moving to Dorset at the end of the summer.
Oh, guilt. His old friend. He should be used to it by now as a parent. There was always something else, something better, he knew he ought to be doing. Every day he encountered some innovative parenting technique, some new superfood to add to their diet, a learning model he should be following.
“I’m quite certain you could find a friend here to ride with,” Ian said. “We will be here almost a month. Perhaps you could connect with some other girls and we can arrange a riding date or something.”
“I have friends with daughters around your age,” Gemma said. “I’ll talk to them about planning a few outings.”
“Maybe.”
Amelia did not look particularly enthusiastic at the idea of making a new friend. She used to be a friendly, open child. Since the onset of Susan’s illness and then her death a year earlier, Amelia had become more introverted and nervous about new situations.
For the past year, Ian felt as if they had been simply going through the motions of their lives. He had been hoping this trip together to the States would help snap them all out of their doldrums.
Neither child was thrilled about leaving their friends in Oxford to move back to Dorset to be closer to his parents. Perhaps by the time the summer was over, they would feel better about the move.
Regardless, he was glad to see his sister so happy. For different reasons, they had all struggled with their older brother’s death in a car accident just months before Susan’s diagnosis. Ian suspected Gemma’s grief was mingled with a certain guilt, considering she had been driving the car at the time and had also been coping with her own injuries.
The accident hadn’t been her fault whatsoever. An inebriated lorry driver had plowed through a light and struck the passenger side of Gemma’s car as she and David had been heading home after a party.
No one blamed her except Gemma herself.
He was delighted to see that her emotional scars seemed to be healing. Throughout the dinner, her happiness seemed to surround them all like a warm blanket. The dinner was pleasant and the company more so.
“Thank you for a lovely evening,” he told her when they had all walked out to the car park and he’d loaded the children into the rental.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Gemma said, giving him a tight embrace.
“As am I.”
She looked to make the sure the children were inside the vehicle with the doors closed before she spoke in a low voice.
“How are you doing, Ian? Really doing, I mean. I don’t want to hear platitudes. I want the truth.”
The weight of responsibility pressed in on him. He had less than a month to savor this time with the children before he had to return to England, pack up their things and move to start the next phase of his life.
“Couldn’t be better,” he said, forcing his voice to be cheerful. “This part of the world is every bit as beautiful as you promised. I have my work and my children. I’m happy.”
“Are you?”
He knew all she was asking. Gemma knew the whole ugly truth about his marriage.
“I’m happy,” he repeated firmly. “We’re on a grand adventure. I can’t wait to dig into my research project, to go fishing on the lake, to take some hikes into the mountains. I’m here with my children. What else could I possibly need?”
She raised an eyebrow and he suspected he knew what she wanted to say. A woman. Particularly a woman like Samantha Fremont.
Why was it an unfortunate truism that those in love couldn’t rest unless everyone else in their circle shared their condition?
He couldn’t tell his optimistic, deeply enamored sister that he was done with love. He had scars on his heart that covered everything good and right that might have once been there.
“Don’t worry about me. This is the season of your life when you should be focused on you and Josh and the life you’re building together.”