Jake would bet she was just as stubborn now. That kind of obstinacy wasn’t something people typically outgrew.
“I take it you grew up in the area,” he commented.
“Except for four years at college, I’ve always lived here.”
“Hell, I could never stay in one place for so long.” It wasn’t until Jake saw the look on Hannah’s face that he realized how rude he must have sounded...again. “Sorry. I’m a born wanderer.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Then you must be dreading the next twelve months.”
“That’s an understatement. I just want to get past this damned accident and have my life back.”
Nobody understood how he felt except Josie, and she was back in the Andes—or maybe she’d gone somewhere else by now. The doctors had preached patience, Matt’s attitude was that it was only a year and Andy was just pleased that his client had finally agreed to do a book based in the United States.
But Jake didn’t want a conventional existence; he wanted what he’d had before the plane crash—international travel, seeing new places, his photography...and as few complications as possible.
“It isn’t because of your house,” Jake added hastily. “The lodge is great. Why aren’t you living there, instead of in the guesthouse?”
“It’s too expensive on a teacher’s salary. It makes more sense to rent it out and live in Silver Cottage.”
“But surely you get child support,” he said. Before leaving the day before, Andy had explained she was divorced. Jake had gotten the impression that his friend was attracted to Hannah. Not that it would go anywhere. Andy was an excellent agent, skilled at professional negotiations, but he was notoriously inept in his personal life.
Hannah’s green eyes narrowed. “My son’s father and his financial contributions are a private matter.”
“Well, yeah. That is, I didn’t mean to pry.”
“Whatever.” She turned and hurried away. Badger followed with a glance over his shoulder, clearly warning Jake to watch his step.
Jake groaned.
He hadn’t meant to be inquisitive, but even his father had never skipped out on financial responsibility for his kids. And S. S. Hollister was generally considered one of the most irresponsible men on the planet, with children and ex-wives all around the world.
Of course, Jake’s mother wasn’t one of S. S. Hollister’s ex-wives. Josie had refused to marry “Sully” as she called him...probably the only woman to turn down one of his marriage proposals, though she’d agreed to give their son the Hollister name and let Sully set up a trust fund. The trust fund had been a huge concession for Josie, who considered money a necessary evil.
Evil or not, Jake found his trust fund useful. From the very start of his career he’d been able to choose his assignments based on interest rather than just the need to pay bills. The money had also meant he could purchase the finest photographic gear that money could buy.
Unfortunately, no amount of money could repair his injuries. Only time would do that. The doctors were optimistic, yet nobody could guarantee he would recover enough to go back to the life he loved, and it scared the hell out of him.
* * *
AS HANNAH MARCHED back to Silver Cottage, she realized she’d overreacted. Admittedly, she was still annoyed by Jake’s behavior toward Danny, but she didn’t have to be so sensitive. She needed to remember the monthly rent check she was getting. The amount Jake was paying should make his abrasive qualities easier to handle.
She went inside and checked on Danny; he was still asleep, sprawled across his bed with childish abandon.
A faint whine came from Badger, and she rubbed him behind the ears. “Patience, boy. He’ll be awake later.”
The golden retriever was a tireless, protective playmate for Danny. Hannah kept a close watch on her son, but it was reassuring to have the golden retriever as a second pair of eyes; he wouldn’t even let Danny get near the water except when an adult was nearby.
Badger padded into the room and jumped on the bed. Danny rolled over in his sleep, flung his arm across the retriever’s neck and buried his face in his pillow.
Hannah drifted into the living room, annoyed with herself for mentioning her finances to Jake Hollister. It was none of his concern how she met her expenses, and neither was the question of child support from her ex. Steven wasn’t a pleasant subject at the best of times—they’d gotten married during her senior year of college and were already divorced by the following Christmas.
The part that continued to puzzle her was how she hadn’t recognized what kind of a person he was earlier. Somehow she’d convinced herself they were the next great love story only to discover how quickly it fell apart in the face of infidelity and other problems. Thinking she’d been blinded by romance wasn’t any comfort; lots of people fell in love but didn’t marry someone utterly wrong for them.
The phone rang and Hannah hurried to answer. The caller ID showed it was Brendan Townsend, and she smiled as she picked up. “Hi, Brendan.”
“Good morning, Hannah. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“I just got back from walking Badger. You know me—I’m up with the sun, same as you.”
It was one of the ways they were alike—she’d finally agreed to go out with Brendan because of what they had in common. She didn’t have a list of dating requirements, but it was important not to start caring for someone who didn’t share her belief in commitment.
She still hoped to find the passionate love she’d wanted her entire life but couldn’t afford to break her heart over the wrong man again. She wasn’t sure how many more times it could heal.
Brendan chuckled. “I drove my college roommate crazy getting up so early. He was the party-hearty type and never went to bed before 3:00 a.m.”
“Did he flunk out?”
“Amazingly, no. He’s the multimillionaire owner of a computer software company. They create fantasy games.”
“Impressive. Maybe you shouldn’t have settled for law school,” she said with a laugh.
“Not at all. I wouldn’t have met you if I wasn’t a lawyer.” The tone in Brendan’s voice was warm and she squirmed. He wanted their relationship to move much faster than she did. But even if her marriage hadn’t taught her caution, she needed to be careful because of Danny.
“That’s a nice thing to say. What’s up?” she asked briskly.
“It’s short notice, but would you like to go out tonight? We haven’t been able to see much of each other lately.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I have plans,” Hannah said regretfully. It had been several weeks since they’d gotten together and she would have enjoyed talking to a sane adult male. “Barbi Paulson is coming over.”
“Barbi Paulson?” Brendan repeated with obvious surprise. “The pizza-delivery woman?”
