house they’re buying and his great new job. He may be better off on his own, but he already
had
a great job.
With me
.”
“You fired him because he’s getting married? Is being single a rule in the photography business?”
Jake sank down on one of the chairs, rubbing his left leg. “I didn’t fire him, but most spouses don’t appreciate being left alone for months at a time, and Toby’s fiancée is no exception. Vera must have given him an ultimatum after the accident and he caved under the pressure.”
Hannah began putting cups in the top rack of the dishwasher, thinking about the mixed emotions on Jake’s face when he’d mentioned Toby’s enthusiasm for his new job...emotions too complicated to fathom. One thing was quite clear, however—Jake Hollister didn’t understand people who wanted a home.
“Maybe your assistant didn’t ‘cave.’ Maybe he made a choice,” she offered finally.
Jake shook his head. “Toby liked the travel. He complains about stuff, but that’s just his way—he’s the one who suggested going to the Gobi Desert three years ago. For Pete’s sake, it’s not as if he was cheating on Vera, and they talked on the satellite phone almost every day.”
“A phone call is hardly the same as having someone with you. And if Toby loved the travel that much, he didn’t have to quit.”
“But he
is
quitting.”
She rolled her eyes at Jake’s sulky, little-boy tone.
“Well, your feelings about domesticity are hardly a secret,” she informed him. “Whenever a reporter or an interviewer asks about marriage, you declare you’re a confirmed bachelor.”
“You’ve read about me?”
“Don’t read anything into it. The rental agent for Huckleberry Lodge was excited about the idea of a celebrity living in the area. Lillian gave me copies of various articles and talked about you incessantly.”
“I’m not a celebrity.”
“You’re the closest thing to it in Mahalaton Lake.”
Hannah put detergent in the dishwasher and started it, uncomfortably aware of Jake watching her.
“Don’t you have work to do?” she asked finally.
“Nothing important. I’m on a forced hiatus except for the fluff book I’m doing on the Cascades.”
“Excuse me?” She turned and raised her eyebrows.
“Fluff?”
“The Cascade Range has been done by half the nature photographers on the planet. It’s boring.”
Hannah’s temper began to simmer again. This was her
home
he was insulting.
“The Cascade Mountains are among the most beautiful places in the world,” she said crisply. “We have active volcanoes, varied animal life, gorgeous wildflowers...it’s a scenic wonderland.”
“But it’s also commonplace.” Jake made a dismissive gesture. “Nothing can compare to the sight of a polar bear in its natural habitat or the power of an Amur leopard climbing up a rock face with its prey.”
“Oh? Have you ever heard the cry of a loon across the water? It’s haunting. And how about the way dogwood blossoms seem to hang in midair, glowing in the low light of a forest? A place doesn’t have to be remote to be breathtaking.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it’s nice.”
Hannah could tell he wasn’t convinced, but she hadn’t expected to get through to him—he’d made up his mind and that was that. She took the bag of trash out to the cans behind the garage and headed back to find Jake sitting at the farmhouse table with a laptop computer in front of him.
Pressing her lips together, she continued putting the kitchen to rights. Removing the trash was a big improvement. It was even possible that the mess was more the result of him feeling lousy than of his truly being a slob; she’d find out over the next few months as his condition improved.
“By the way, where’s your son?” Jake asked after a few minutes.
“With my parents. They went down to Portland for the day and I didn’t think you wanted him here.”
* * *
S HE ’ D SENT D ANNY to spend the day with her parents?
A twinge
had
a great job.
With me
.”
“You fired him because he’s getting married? Is being single a rule in the photography business?”
Jake sank down on one of the chairs, rubbing his left leg. “I didn’t fire him, but most spouses don’t appreciate being left alone for months at a time, and Toby’s fiancée is no exception. Vera must have given him an ultimatum after the accident and he caved under the pressure.”
Hannah began putting cups in the top rack of the dishwasher, thinking about the mixed emotions on Jake’s face when he’d mentioned Toby’s enthusiasm for his new job...emotions too complicated to fathom. One thing was quite clear, however—Jake Hollister didn’t understand people who wanted a home.
“Maybe your assistant didn’t ‘cave.’ Maybe he made a choice,” she offered finally.
Jake shook his head. “Toby liked the travel. He complains about stuff, but that’s just his way—he’s the one who suggested going to the Gobi Desert three years ago. For Pete’s sake, it’s not as if he was cheating on Vera, and they talked on the satellite phone almost every day.”
“A phone call is hardly the same as having someone with you. And if Toby loved the travel that much, he didn’t have to quit.”
“But he
is
quitting.”
She rolled her eyes at Jake’s sulky, little-boy tone.
“Well, your feelings about domesticity are hardly a secret,” she informed him. “Whenever a reporter or an interviewer asks about marriage, you declare you’re a confirmed bachelor.”
“You’ve read about me?”
“Don’t read anything into it. The rental agent for Huckleberry Lodge was excited about the idea of a celebrity living in the area. Lillian gave me copies of various articles and talked about you incessantly.”
“I’m not a celebrity.”
“You’re the closest thing to it in Mahalaton Lake.”
Hannah put detergent in the dishwasher and started it, uncomfortably aware of Jake watching her.
“Don’t you have work to do?” she asked finally.
“Nothing important. I’m on a forced hiatus except for the fluff book I’m doing on the Cascades.”
“Excuse me?” She turned and raised her eyebrows.
“Fluff?”
“The Cascade Range has been done by half the nature photographers on the planet. It’s boring.”
Hannah’s temper began to simmer again. This was her
home
he was insulting.
“The Cascade Mountains are among the most beautiful places in the world,” she said crisply. “We have active volcanoes, varied animal life, gorgeous wildflowers...it’s a scenic wonderland.”
“But it’s also commonplace.” Jake made a dismissive gesture. “Nothing can compare to the sight of a polar bear in its natural habitat or the power of an Amur leopard climbing up a rock face with its prey.”
“Oh? Have you ever heard the cry of a loon across the water? It’s haunting. And how about the way dogwood blossoms seem to hang in midair, glowing in the low light of a forest? A place doesn’t have to be remote to be breathtaking.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it’s nice.”
Hannah could tell he wasn’t convinced, but she hadn’t expected to get through to him—he’d made up his mind and that was that. She took the bag of trash out to the cans behind the garage and headed back to find Jake sitting at the farmhouse table with a laptop computer in front of him.
Pressing her lips together, she continued putting the kitchen to rights. Removing the trash was a big improvement. It was even possible that the mess was more the result of him feeling lousy than of his truly being a slob; she’d find out over the next few months as his condition improved.
“By the way, where’s your son?” Jake asked after a few minutes.
“With my parents. They went down to Portland for the day and I didn’t think you wanted him here.”
* * *
S HE ’ D SENT D ANNY to spend the day with her parents?
A twinge
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