Page 20 of Clashing Moon

She made a guttural sound in her throat. “No dating for this girl. That’s all I need to finish me off.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I don’t have room in my life for romance. Not now, anyway. I’m probably doomed to a life of spinsterhood.”

I seriously doubted that. This woman was a gem in every way. The man who won her heart would be one lucky guy.

Did I wish it was me?

Ridiculous. At best, she was a friend. I must keep my head and not blow it before we got out of here. All she needed was me making a clumsy advance when she was worried about her father.

“You deserve to have love in your life,” I said. “Everyone does.”

“Maybe someday. When my life isn’t so complicated, can you imagine introducing some poor guy to my dad?”

What if the man already knew her father? What then?

I kept those questions to myself.

5

ARABELLA

The wine and the tension of the day had worn me down. Or maybe it was the way Rafferty Moon was gazing at me as if I hung the moon. Regardless, I had no barriers left. He’d asked me earlier if I’d thought about what I wanted for my life after my father passed away. I hated to admit how many times I’d thought about when that day came over the last few months.

“You asked me earlier if I have plans after my dad passes. If I were free of him, I’d sell everything but five acres, which I’d keep for myself, and use the proceeds to build a house of my own. Nothing fancy, just a cozy place where I could have a few dogs and cats and live in peace.”

He gaped at me as if I’d said something outlandish.

“What?” I asked. “It’s what I want.”

“That’s it?”

“What do you want then?” I asked, unreasonably chafed at his response.

“I’d like a family. A marriage like my mom and pop have. To be a member of the community, not only a doctor but someone who helps others.”

“Well, no tall order there, huh?”

“Are you serious?” Rafferty asked. “You think that’s too much to ask for? To expect?”

“You don’t?”

“No, in fact, I don’t. I’d love to build a house too,” Rafferty said. “The rental’s okay for now, but I want my own home. If money were no object, right?”

“At this rate, it’ll take me ten years to pay off my loans.”

“That’s about the same for me, plus I took out a loan to buy the practice. But I’m not worried about it. I have enough to live comfortably despite the debts.”

“You’d build, not buy?”

“There’s not a lot of inventory out there unless you want to do extensive remodels. So, we’ll see. The right thing will come along when it’s supposed to.”

We chatted about our dreams for the future a bit more. I confessed to having a dream board with ideas for my cottage I someday hoped to build. Expecting him to tease me, I was pleasantly surprised when he said he said what a good idea it was to envision what you want. “That’s the first step in getting it, right?”

“Who would have thought the two of us would be back here?” Rafferty asked.

“Not me,” I said. “Not in a million years. Time has a way of changing people, I guess. Softens us up.”

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