Charlotte Carter - Montana Love Letter

Once the girls were settled in Hailey’s room, Janelle relaxed in an Adirondack chair on the deck.

The clouds that had lingered over the mountains had vanished and stars were beginning to appear in the darkening sky. Bats flitted from treetop to treetop in search of a tasty morsel for their supper. On the far side of the lake, lights appeared in cabins nearly hidden by the trees.

Closer at hand, country-western music wafted across the still water.

The sliding door opened and Adam stepped outside. “Nice night,” he commented.

“Hmm, perfect.”

“When it gets full dark, there’ll be a lot of stars. On a clear night like this when the moon’s not full, the Milky Way lights up the sky.”

“Seattle isn’t real good for stargazing. Too many city lights and too overcast.” Raised in the northwest, she’d been used to Seattle weather, but today had been gorgeous. The night even more spectacular.

He settled in the Adirondack chair next to her. “I couldn’t help but notice you’re not wearing a wedding ring. Are you divorced?” He spoke softly, letting his voice match the quiet hum of the breeze in the treetops.

“No. Widowed. My husband died of an aneurysm seven months ago. He collapsed in our kitchen. By the time the paramedics arrived, he was already gone.” Recalling that morning tightened a knot in her chest. Although Raymond’s death had been shocking, it was what she’d learned while cleaning out his desk that had stunned and hurt her the most. He’d had a mistress on almost every university campus he visited as a guest lecturer. His betrayal had cut so deeply, she wasn’t sure the wounds would ever heal.

“Hey, I’m really sorry. That’s tough.”

Tears burned at the backs of her eyes, more for herself than for Raymond’s sudden death. “Thank you.” Her voice caught.

“What about your folks?” he asked. “Are they still in Seattle?”

“My father passed away when I was thirteen. My mother tried to hold things together, but I don’t think she ever recovered from losing him. She died the summer before my freshman year in college.” Maybe if her mother had been around and her father had lived longer, Janelle wouldn’t have fallen for Raymond. Would have seen that he wouldn’t be faithful.

“Losing both your parents had to be hard for you.”

“Yes, it was. I felt adrift looking for an anchor.”

They were both silent for a moment before Adam said, “Here comes the North Star.”

She followed the direction he was pointing and cleared her throat. “Hard to miss, isn’t it?”

“That’s why sailors used it for navigation for centuries before the compass was invented.”

“Are you into astronomy?”

“Strictly amateur, but yeah. How could I not be, living in big-sky country?”

A smile curved her lips, matching the smile she heard in his voice. “Then I guess I’d better take up astronomy.”

“You’re really planning to stay, then? Here in Bear Lake?”

“If I can find a house to buy at a price I can afford.” She’d sold the house in Seattle and came away with more than enough for a substantial down payment on a new place. Raymond’s insurance money would cover expenses for a while. “After school starts, I’ll look for some sort of job, probably part-time initially.”

He picked up a cluster of dry pine needles and tossed them off the deck. “What kind of work do you do?”

“I have a degree in anthropology, which is entirely useless in terms of job hunting.” A degree she’d gotten because that was Raymond’s specialty and he was head of the department. She’d become enamored with Professor Raymond Townsend in her first anthropology class and had been deliriously happy when he began paying extra attention to her. She should have known right then that a relationship between a professor and an undergraduate was forbidden for a reason. “But I had a couple of years of accounting before I changed my major, so I’ll probably look for a bookkeeping job.”

“Year-round jobs aren’t real easy to find in Bear Lake. Everything’s tied to the tourist trade. But I’ll keep an eye out for bookkeeping jobs and let you know if I hear of anything.”

“Thank you. I appreciate your help, including letting us stay in the cottage tonight.”

“No problem.” He pushed himself to his feet. “I’m going to call it a night. You want me to get Raeanne for you?”

“If you don’t mind. She’s getting almost too heavy for me to carry.” She didn’t want to risk leaving Rae sleeping with Hailey. There were still nights when her daughter woke up screaming with nightmares about the day her father had died.

Together they walked inside. Janelle stopped at Hailey’s bedroom door.

“I meant to comment on the good job you’re doing raising your daughter on your own. She’s a lovely girl.”

“Thanks. She is a good kid. I’m a little worried, though, about what’ll happen when she gets to be a teenager. I’m sure not going to be able to give her much advice about dating and wearing makeup and stuff like that.”

Janelle chuckled. “You’ll figure it out.” A father as devoted as Adam was would do just fine as long as Hailey knew how much he loved her.

To her deep regret, Raymond hadn’t been much of a father to Raeanne. He’d been too busy on the traveling lecture circuit to pay much attention to his own daughter. Or Janelle.

If only she’d recognized the signs earlier.

* * *

Janelle woke to filtered sunlight slipping in through the sheer window curtains.

In a quick glance, she checked on Raeanne. Sound asleep, her arms curled around Ruff. As Janelle had expected, her daughter had worn herself out playing with Hailey.

After a quick shower, she towel dried her hair, dressed and went in search of something to eat in the main house.

She knocked on the sliding glass door and stepped inside. Adam was in the kitchen, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, cooking eggs and whistling a tuneless song.

She smiled to herself. She added can cook to his list of attributes. “Good morning. You’re an early riser.”

He turned, flashing a broad smile, and a crease appeared in his cheek. How had she missed that engaging dimple yesterday?

“I wasn’t sure I had anything in the house for breakfast,” he said. “So I made a quick trip to the bakery.” He gestured toward the kitchen table and a box of assorted muffins. “And when I heard you up and about, I went ahead and started on the eggs.”

“You didn’t have to go to that much trouble. We could have gone out to eat.”

“Now, that wouldn’t have been very hospitable of me, would it? Help yourself to some coffee.” Pulling two plates out of the cupboard, he divided the eggs and put the plates on the table. “How’s Raeanne?”

Janelle poured herself a mug of coffee from the pot on the counter and sat down.

“Still sleeping. I think all the fresh air is good for her.” Janelle had left the cottage door open so she could hear Rae if she called her. Or, more likely, Rae would follow the sound of voices to find Janelle.

She sipped the coffee. Hot and rich, made with aromatic Columbian coffee beans, if the taste was any indication. The man was fussy about his coffee, she concluded.

“Would you mind if we ate outside on the deck?” she asked. “I need to watch for Raeanne if she wakes up.”

“Sure, no problem.” He put the plates, forks and his coffee mug on a tray he found in the cupboard. He’d apparently showered and shaved this morning, his saddle-brown hair neatly combed, his cheeks razor smooth.

“You get the box of muffins and we’re good to go.”

Outside, Janelle put the muffins on the small table between the Adirondack chairs and sat down. Adam handed her a plate.