The Little Maverick Matchmaker. Stella Bagwell

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СКАЧАТЬ to drive Dillon to day care that morning. Instead, Evelyn had offered to do it for him and as a result she’d lost her life. It was a fact that would always haunt him and, though six long years had passed, Drew was still living the nightmare.

      “No. It doesn’t make sense,” he agreed. “To be honest, I’m still damned angry about the senselessness of it all. And I’m angry at myself for not realizing that those early years of my son’s life were the very time I needed to form a bond with him. Not now—six years later.”

      Claire cast him a gentle glance. “You’re a good father, Drew. You just don’t realize it yet.”

      He rose and carried his dirty plate and cup over to a big double sink.

      “Something I do realize, Claire, is that you’re a good cousin,” he told her, doing his best to give her a smile. “Now I’d better get upstairs to see what’s keeping Dillon. Don’t let Grandma work you too hard today.”

      Claire laughed. “I’ll take a break while she’s not looking.”

      * * *

      Later that morning, Josselyn was putting a stack of returned books back on their proper shelves when a group of second-grade students trooped into the library. The normally quiet room instantly came to life with the sound of tapping feet and voices that were several decibels above hushed.

      “Hi, Miss Weaver. Remember me?”

      Turning, she was more than surprised to see little Dillon Strickland grinning up at her. Since school had started over a week ago, this was the first time she’d seen the boy in the library.

      Smiling back at him, she said, “Sure I remember you. You’re Dillon Strickland.”

      His brown eyes sparkled and Josselyn couldn’t help thinking how the boy’s features resembled his father’s.

      “And my dad is Drew. Remember him?”

      That was something she hadn’t been able to forget, Josselyn thought wryly. Throughout the weekend, the man and his son had drifted in and out of her thoughts.

      “Yes, I remember. Your dad is Dr. Strickland,” she said, and, deciding it was time to get on with school matters, left it at that. “I’m happy to see you in the library, Dillon. I believe this is your first visit since school started.”

      His eyes wide, he glanced around the rows of bookshelves, and as Josselyn studied the expression on his face, she got the impression he was seeing the library for the very first time.

      He swiped at the dark hair hanging near one eye. “Uh—yeah. I’ve already read all my books at home. So I wanted to get some more. Reading is fun. Real fun.”

      Josselyn smiled to herself. “I’m glad you think so. What kind of books were you looking for today? Maybe I can help you find something.”

      “Oh, I like all kinds.” With a look of bemusement, he peered up and down the aisle. “Do you have books about fish? I like fishing. Me and my grandpa go to the river and catch trout.”

      Grandpa. Mikayla had mentioned that Old Gene and Melba Strickland were Drew’s grandparents. Could this child be referring to Old Gene, or did Drew or his ex-wife have parents living in or around Rust Creek Falls?

      Josselyn was telling herself that Drew Strickland’s private life was none of her business when Dillon suddenly interrupted her thoughts.

      “I should have said great-grandpa.” He spoke again. “My grandpa Jerry doesn’t live here. He lives in Thunder Canyon with Grandma. Old Gene lives here.”

      “Old Gene is your great-grandpa?”

      Another wide smile dimpled Dillon’s cheeks. “Yeah. But I call him Gramps. Bet you know him, don’t you? Everybody knows Old Gene. He has lots of friends.”

      “No. I’ve heard of him, but I’ve never had the opportunity to meet him,” she said, trying to follow his conversation while a girl with brown braids stood a few steps away, waving frantically to attract Josselyn’s attention. “Now we’d better see about finding you a fishing book. Follow me, Dillon, and I’ll show you.”

      “Miss Weaver, I need help, too!” the young girl wailed.

      “I’ll be right back, Chrissy,” she assured her. “You might want to look at the new-arrival section until it’s your turn.”

      Clearly disappointed, the girl gave Dillon a glare before she stomped off in the opposite direction.

      “Chrissy needs to learn her manners,” Dillon muttered.

      Josselyn certainly agreed, especially since it wasn’t the first time the girl had tried to push her way to the front of the line.

      “Or maybe she don’t understand,” Dillon said with a shrug of one shoulder. “Maybe she don’t have a mother. Like me.”

      The boy’s empathetic remark made Josselyn desperately want to stop in the middle of the aisle and hug him tight. It also had her mind whirling with even more questions about Drew Strickland. But now wasn’t the time or place to talk to the boy about personal matters. And even if they had been somewhere other than school, Josselyn certainly wasn’t about to pump the child for information.

      “Well, I wouldn’t worry about it, Dillon. She’ll get her turn. Right now, let’s find you a fishing book. Maybe one with a grandpa in it. How would that be?”

      He grinned up at her. “Oh, that would be super! I’ll read every word, Miss Weaver.”

      * * *

      “Looks like school is rubbing off on little Dillon,” Melba commented, as she eased her frame into an armchair.

      Drew lowered the medical journal he’d been reading to look at his grandmother, who’d finally found the time to sit down. Since he and Dillon had come to live at the boardinghouse, he’d learned one thing. His grandparents were always busy and appeared to have the energy of a pair of teenagers. Where they found such get-up-and-go Drew could only wonder.

      “What are you talking about?” Drew asked her.

      The gray-haired woman inclined her head to a spot on the opposite side of the sitting room. Drew glanced over his shoulder to see Dillon cozied up to his great-grandfather. The boy was holding an open book in his lap and appeared to be reading the story to Old Gene.

      “I never noticed Dillon liking books before. Did he do a lot of reading back in Thunder Canyon?” Melba asked.

      Drew should’ve been encouraged to see his son take an interest in reading. Books opened up a whole new world to a child and generally made them better students. Yet he couldn’t deny that it hurt to see Dillon happily reading to his great-grandfather. Drew had been here in his grandparents’ living room for the past half hour, but instead of sitting on the couch, close to his father, Dillon had chosen to ignore him.

      The move from Thunder Canyon to Rust Creek Falls was supposed to have drawn Drew and Dillon closer together. At least, that’s what Drew’s parents had believed. Jerry and Barbara had certainly used that particular argument to persuade their son to take the temporary job at the clinic. But as far as Drew could see, СКАЧАТЬ