Page 43 of Heartbeat

“You’re also the prettiest dealmaker I ever met,” he said.

She sighed. “Careful. You’re likely to turn my head.”

His voice softened. “I won’t lie. I’m doing my dead-level best.”

She leaned forward. “Then, fire away, Sean Pope. I am a stationary target.”

Her words became a challenge Sean took straight to the heart. She’d given him all the permission he needed. He was falling fast and hard.

“Thank you for the opportunity,” he said, and reached for her hand, then slid his fingers up her wrist. “Tell me about where you used to work.”

“A large CPA firm in Tulsa. I was just one of the accountants, but I loved the job. Everything about it makes sense to me.”

“Are you still in touch with any of them?” he asked.

She shrugged. “No. After a month or so of commiseration, the level of my suffering was too much for them to take. Calls straggled off to nothing. Even after I finally went home, nobody came to visit because they didn’t know what to say. If it hadn’t been for my neighbor across the hall, my life would have come to a screeching halt.”

“How so?” Sean asked.

“He was an accident attorney. He went to bat for me, took the drunk driver to court, and wiped the floor with him. It was the driver’s third offense. My friend made the insurance company pay, and the driver, as well. It gave me the time and finances I needed to start over, and I was kind of over Oklahoma by then. As I told you before, I came here for the holidays last year and fell in love with the mountain, which led me to you. Imagine my joy. Myfirst friend who became my hero. I was distraught when they took me away, not because I was being moved again, but because I lost you.”

Sean slid his hand across her wrist. “The bonds we create in childhood are special. Adults don’t take their children’s friends that seriously because they just see kids. But we were already people when we met each other. Just little ones, right?”

“Exactly,” Amalie said, and looked up. “Oh, here comes our food.”

They settled into their meal with the same ease they had before, like they’d known each other forever. After the meal was over, and as they were paying, Sean realized he didn’t want this to end.

“You love Pope Mountain so much. Would you like to see it from the top?”

Her eyes lit up. “Yes! I would love it! When?”

“What about now?” he asked.

“Yes, yes. Take me back to the office first so I can shut everything down. I’ll take my car home and you can pick me up from there. If that’s okay?”

“It’s very okay.”

A short while later, he followed her home, waited until she parked and dropped off some things inside the house, and was ready and waiting outside his car when she came out of the house. Watching her coming toward him with that happy look on her face was like opening a present from Santa on Christmas Day. All anticipation and excitement to see what came next.

He opened the door for her as she slid into the passenger seat.

“Buckle up,” he said.

So, she did.

Chapter 8

They drove all the way through Jubilee, with Sean telling Amalie about his morning at the vet and laughing about a three-legged cat named Captain Hook. He kept thinking how easy it was to be with her, and what an upbeat attitude she had towards life when life had been so hard on her.

But when they started up the mountain, her mood shifted to one of awe.

“These trees are ancient, aren’t they? They have to be. They’re so tall.”

He nodded. “I imagine they are. If only they could tell their stories. Are you warm enough? I can turn up the heat.”

“I’m fine, thank you. I actually drove a little way up this road when I was here last fall, but the forest hides the people living here, and without knowing any of them or seeing anything but mailboxes, I felt like I was intruding. Like I needed to be invited.”

Sean frowned. “Really?”

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