Country Proud (Painted Pony Creek #2) - Linda Lael Miller Page 0,25

gotten her heart broken, and the recovery—not over even now, she suspected—had been long and difficult.

She was too old-fashioned, that was her main problem. She was sexually attracted to Eli, no doubt about it, but she wasn’t the type to surrender her body and withhold her heart.

Or was she?

She’d given Clay everything, fallen for him heart and soul.

No, she definitely couldn’t risk loving again. Not now. But if she saw Eli again, spent time alone with him, and he decided to seduce her—well, she might not be able to resist him.

Was that so terrible? She wasn’t a nun, after all.

She was older now, she reminded herself silently, and hopefully a little wiser.

Anyway, Eli hadn’t called, stopped by or even texted, so maybe she’d misread the signals. Maybe he’d decided they were better off as friends.

If so, he was probably right.

Brynne resigned herself to her life as it was—blessed, but lonely.

By 2:45 that afternoon, the setup was finished, though the cooks were still busy in the kitchen, with Sara helping, preparing the food that would fill the buffet tables when the restaurant, closed for the day, would reopen.

Brynne excused herself and went upstairs to the privacy of her apartment. She had a video call scheduled for three o’clock straight-up.

Davey and Maddie Nicholls would be calling.

After giving her cat some treats, primarily to keep him quiet, Brynne brewed a cup of tea, set it on her kitchen table, beside her laptop, and began to pace, stopping every few moments to consult her watch.

Finally, she plunked down in her chair and booted up her computer.

The screensaver was a dramatic panorama of the Boston skyline at night, very similar to the view from her old apartment, the one she’d shared with Clay.

She considered changing it—there were millions of images to choose from, of course—but then the call came through.

Davey’s youthful, handsome face appeared on-screen, grinning broadly. Maddie, a little younger, and bearing a close resemblance to her mother, leaned in beside him, beaming into the camera.

“You’re early!” Brynne said, delighted.

Davey looked briefly uncertain. “Is that okay? Were you busy?”

“I’m never too busy to talk to you two,” Brynne replied sincerely.

Both kids looked pleased and more than a little relieved.

“We get to stay up until midnight,” Maddie announced. “Dad said we could see the New Year in, just like grown-ups.”

“Not like grown-ups,” Davey corrected, with mild distain. “They drink booze and stuff.” He made a face. “And they kiss.”

Brynne chuckled. “Someday soon, Davey Nicholls, you’ll like kissing.”

“Yeah,” Maddie said, elbowing her brother. “You’ll start kissing girls all the time.”

“Yuck,” Davey said, and shuddered for effect.

Maddie picked up the conversational ball and ran with it. “We get pizza. Davey and me and the babysitter, I mean.”

“That’s good,” Brynne said, dealing with a pang of—what? Loneliness? Regret?

“Dad wants to say hi,” Davey said.

Brynne didn’t get a chance to prepare herself—suddenly, Clay was standing behind his children, leaning down to look into the camera.

He was still devastatingly handsome, with his sandy-colored hair and irresistible eyes.

“Hey, Brynne,” Clay greeted her, his voice husky.

He was wearing a white cable-knit sweater and jeans, and his hair was still damp from the shower. She could see the little ridges left behind by his comb.

“Hey,” Brynne said, automatically. She waited to feel something, but all that came was a sense of being mildly startled, as though someone had hidden around a corner and then jumped out at her.

“How’s Montana treating you?” Clay asked.

Brynne thought of Eli, and their snowmobile ride. She would never forget the sensation of wild freedom.

She smiled. “Just fine,” she replied.

“Ask her,” Maddie put in, tilting her head back to look up at her father.

“Yeah,” Davey agreed. “Ask her, Dad.”

Clay sighed heavily. “The kids have spring break in a couple of months. I told them you’re probably really busy, but—”

Brynne’s heart began to pound. She waited, holding her breath.

Davey rolled his eyes in exaggerated frustration. “We want to come out there and visit you, Brynne. Maddie and me.”

Tears smarted behind Brynne’s eyes, happy ones. She could live with never seeing Clay again, but she’d missed those children with all her heart.

“A visit would be wonderful,” she said.

The kids cheered so enthusiastically that Clay had to quiet them down with a few mock-stern words.

“Are you sure about this, Brynne? We’re kind of putting you on the spot here—”

“You’re not putting me on the spot, Clay,” Brynne replied, perhaps too quickly. Too eagerly. “I would love to have Davey and Maddie visit. I have plenty of room, and there are lots of