Page 54 of Hunted Hearts
His dark hair was just unruly enough to look effortless—and make any woman’s fingers itch to sink into the thick mass. His strong jawline had a trace of stubble, but his eyes were the most striking part of him, a mix of all the deep greens and browns of the forest.
“Nice to meet you,” she said.
He nodded and looked between her and Willow. “You headed to art therapy?”
“Yes. Join us?” Willow breezed out with that casual air that seemed to draw everyone in.
He contemplated it a moment. “Nah. Thought I’d go for a ride along the trail.”
“Enjoy it. Be careful on the bridge. It will probably be slippery.”
He ducked his head in a nod, and they parted ways. The lodge itself was spacious and modern with windows letting plenty of sun stream into the spaces. Juliette followed Theo’s sister through several common areas to a room set up with long tables. She hung Theo’s coat on the back of a chair.
A woman that Juliette met during her whirlwind arrival was pulling items out of a crate and spreading them on the table. She was striking with an earthy, natural beauty, and loose waves framed her pretty face.
Several men already sat in small groups. None of them met Juliette’s eyes directly, giving her a sense of many wounded souls here.
Heart surging with affection for them and the Malones for providing a program like this, she moved to one of the tables and sat.
Willow made a beeline to the lovely woman in charge of the art therapy to help her pass out the art supplies. But after only a minute, a beautiful blonde entered, toting a baby in her arms. The wide-eyed child squealed with glee and flapped her arms as one of the men pushed back his chair and went to take the child from her.
Juliette was still getting her bearings, and all at once, she wished she knew so much more about the family and all the dynamics between them. She watched as the gruff man turned into a softie when he spoke to the baby. The baby got passed from man to man.
Willow plopped into a seat beside her. “That’s Navy, Denver and Rhae’s daughter.”
“She’sadorable.”
“She’s kind of the therapy baby. The men love her.” She leaned in to say in a quieter voice, “She helps them open up. Talk about things they wouldn’t ordinarily talk about.”
Emotion filled her as she absorbed the interactions taking place around her. After Honor announced they’d be painting today, the woman drifted from table to table, passing out brushes and paint. They could select their choice of materials to paint on—small stretched canvases, wood plaques or squares of metal.
She selected a piece of metal and took up a paintbrush. It felt both foreign to her and familiar at once, and it made her long to hold her bow.
“And the art therapist?” she asked Willow.
“That’s Honor. My brother Gray’s wife.”
Juliette pieced together the big family tree in her head while soaking it all in. Rarely did she take breaks from playing violin. But so much had happened…and much of that wasTheo.
A small splinter of heat slipped into her lower belly just thinking of her bodyguard. Her lover.
Falling into his arms was unexpected…but as natural as playing her favorite concerto. The music filled her, and her fingers moved from muscle memory.
But being with Theo felt exactly the same way. Like she was born to step into his arms.
And the art therapy healed people the same way her great-grandmother’s music healed those orphans.
She looked around at the group of men, wondering what kind of energy she could bring to them with her music. Perhaps the Black Heart Ranch needed her just as much as those childrenneeded her great-grandmother. And maybe, just maybe Juliette belonged here among them all.
She dipped the brush in the paint and let it hover over the metal, thoughts swirling through her head, unsure how to begin.
The scent of herbs and lavender surrounded her, and she looked up to see Honor leaning over her.
Juliette pulled back the brush. “Hello.”
“I’m so happy to see you here, Juliette. I was part of the group that met you when you and Theo arrived, but I don’t blame you if you don’t remember me.”
“Itwasa little overwhelming.”
