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“I can be charming when I need to be,” he said, making his father laugh uproariously. “All that matters is that I get her out of my head.”
“Good luck with that, son,” Mick said, clapping him on the shoulder.
* * *
They waited until he’d pulled out of the driveway before either of them said anything.
“Well,” Anne said. “This is an exciting new development. I can’t wait to meet her.”
“Yeah, me too,” Mick said, coming up behind her and massaging her shoulders. “Why don’t we plan on a big family dinner soon?”
“You’re so crafty,” she said. “Atticus moved her here for a reason. She’s either got trouble or about to have some.”
“Or maybe it’s like you said,” Mick said. “Maybe she just needs family. What circumstances would lead a young woman to pick up and move everything to a place she knows no one unless she was alone?”
“I was just about to call and ask him,” Anne said. “And maybe he can give us a little more information about her than what she looks like leading her Amazons into battle.”
Mick shook his head. “It’s just sad. Duncan really needs to get out of the house more.”
“Oh, he’s hooked,” Anne said. “He won’t be able to stay away from her for long.”
ChapterEight
Hattie didn’t knowhow long she slept, and waking in an unfamiliar darkened room had given her more than a moment of panic. As it was, an even more pressing matter was finding the bathroom.
The bathroom light had been left on, and she breathed out a word of thanks as she threw back the covers.
When she was done with the necessities, she was able to take stock of the rest of her body. Her legs felt weak, her joints were stiff, and she was sore all over. Walking into rain and strong winds used muscles she didn’t even know she had. Then her stomach growled and she remembered the pizza she’d eaten that seemed so long ago.
She hadn’t taken time to look at the house earlier. It was pitch black outside, and she assumed it had only been earlier that afternoon that Duncan dropped her off and not days before. Rain still pattered against the roof.
It was a good space. Just two bedrooms and the one bathroom, but it was more than enough to meet her needs. The living room, kitchen, and dining area were all open and built to face the windows across the back of the house. She couldn’t wait to see the lake on a clear day, but for now, the thought of all that darkness was unsettling. Anything or anyone could be out there.
The clock in the kitchen said it was just after midnight, and her stomach rumbled again. She opened the refrigerator, hoping she hadn’t imagined it being completely stocked, and gave a sigh of gratitude to the O’Haras.
There was a fresh fruit tray, sandwiches, and several pieces of Tupperware with instructions taped to the top. There were individual bottles of water and juices, coffee creamer and milk, and a selection of condiments. They’d thought of everything, and this small act of kindness touched her more than she could express.
She took one of the Tupperware bowls out of the fridge. The label said it was corn chowder and it gave the microwave instructions. While that was cooking, she made a small plate of fruit and took a sandwich and bottle of juice to the table.
For a moment, she thought the ten hours of sleep she’d gotten were going to keep her up the rest of the night, but halfway through the bowl of soup, when the warmth started to seep through her bones, she felt the heaviness in her eyelids.
She put the lid back on the soup to put back in the refrigerator and cleaned up her mess. Then she went back to the cozy bedroom and pulled the cloudlike covers up to her chin. Just as she was drifting off, Duncan’s face came to mind, and she remembered what she’d told him when he’d asked to paint her.
He’ll findme.
She couldn’t let him do it. She’d recognized the genius of the work in his guest bedroom, and it hadn’t been hard to put two and two together. He might as well put a billboard of her face up in every major city in America.
Before she drifted off to sleep she wondered if anyone had ever told Duncan O’Hara no. There was always a first time for everything.
* * *
Hattie woke again midmorning the next day, the sky still gray and the rain still falling, though considerably less, and she repeated what she’d done the night before. In the daylight she had an entirely different view, and she realized there was a covered porch that looked out over the lake.
So she made her plate and wrapped a blanket around her and sat in the rocking chair out back. When she was finished, she went back to her bedroom, opened the curtains so she could watch the rain fall, and then fell back into sleep.
The cycle repeated for another day—sleep, eat, watch the rain—and when she woke up the morning of the third day, there was sunlight streaming through her window. There’d been many a sleepless night while she’d been married to Derek, and she couldn’t remember the last time she felt this refreshed and looking forward to what was to come.
When she got up this time, she showered and dug through her suitcase for a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. She’d been lazy long enough. It didn’t take her long to unpack her suitcases and put everything where it needed to go, and she unpacked the boxes as well. She’d only brought the things most precious to her. Some family heirlooms and a picture of her and her father when she’d graduated with her master’s degree in business.
