He moved closer, kneeling beside the rocking chair so they were at eye level. “Lynda,” he said softly. “I need to tell you something important.”
Her heart stuttered in her chest. Here it came—the gentle letdown, the kind explanation that he valued her friendship but nothing more. She braced herself, determined to accept his words with dignity.
“I’ve been trying to find the right moment, the right words,” Matt continued. “But I think I’ve just been afraid. Afraid of rushing you, afraid of my own feelings.” He took a deep breath. “But after what I just heard...”
Lynda waited, barely breathing.
“I’m not being kind, Lynda. And while I value your friendship more than I can say, that’s not all I feel for you.” His blue eyes held hers, steady and sure. “If you’re wondering if staying in Sapphire Bay is a mistake, I want you to know that there’s at least one person who thinks it’s the best thing that’s ever happened.”
The words hung between them, a bridge being extended across their shared fears.
“Whatever you decide about Denver,” Matt added gently, “I want you to know where I stand. I care about you and want you to be happy.” A small smile touched his lips. “Just in case what I think factors into your decision.”
Lynda felt something tight and knotted begin to unravel inside her chest. “It does,” she whispered. “It factors in a great deal.”
Star stirred between them, making a tiny mewling sound before settling back to sleep. Matt’s hand came to rest on the puppy, his fingers brushing Lynda’s in the process.
“We’ve got time,” he said softly. “To figure it all out.”
Lynda nodded, grateful for his understanding. “I’m not good at trusting anymore,” she admitted. “Not after Ray.”
“I know,” Matt replied. “And I’d never ask you to blindly trust me. Just... maybe... trust a little? Enough to see where this might lead?”
In the quiet of the break room, with a sleeping puppy between them and the uncertain future ahead, Lynda turned her hand beneath Matt’s, their palms meeting, fingers intertwining.
“I can do that,” she said. And Lynda was surprised to discover she meant it.
CHAPTER 15
Matt adjusted his tie for the third time, then decided to remove it altogether. The blue collared shirt looked fine on its own, more relaxed but still respectful of the occasion. He hadn’t worn a tie since going to a veterinary conference in Bozeman two years ago. It felt foreign now, like a remnant from another life.
“It’s just dinner,” he told his reflection in the hall mirror. “A thank-you dinner. Nothing more.”
But the flutter in his stomach as he checked his watch suggested otherwise. Grabbing his keys and wallet, he took one last glance around the house before heading to his truck. He’d made reservations at The Lakeside Grill. It wasn’t Sapphire Bay’s fanciest restaurant, but it was its most popular. The floor-to-ceiling windows offered spectacular views of Flathead Lake, and the chef, Paul Renard, had a knack for preparing locally produced food that had earned him more than one award.
As he drove the familiar route into town, Matt rehearsed conversation topics, then immediately felt foolish. He’d spent countless hours with Lynda over the past few weeks, caring for the puppies, treating the clinic’s regular patients, and handlingthe influx of animals displaced by the storm. They’d never struggled to find things to talk about before.
But this was different. The conversation he’d overheard had shifted something between them, acknowledging the possibility that had been growing since the first time they’d met.
The Lakeside Grill’s parking lot was half-full when Matt arrived. It was busy enough to create a pleasant ambiance, but not so crowded that they wouldn’t be able to hear each other.
Lynda was waiting for him in the small reception area, wearing a pretty, deep green dress. Her silver hair was loosely styled around her shoulders rather than in her usual practical braid, and she’d added simple pearl earrings that caught the light when she turned to greet him.
“I was early,” she said by way of explanation, a hint of nervousness in her smile. “It’s an old habit from my clinic days. If I wasn’t fifteen minutes early to everything, I was somehow running late.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Matt said with a relieved sigh as some of his nerves disappeared. “For years, I set all the clocks in my house ten minutes fast.”
The hostess appeared before Lynda could respond, leading them to a table by the windows. The sun was beginning to set, casting golden light across the lake and turning the water into a dazzling mirror of the sky.
After they were seated and had ordered drinks, an awkward silence settled between them. Matt was suddenly conscious of the weight of his hands, unsure about where to rest them on the table.
“This is ridiculous,” Lynda finally said with a self-deprecating laugh. “We’ve spent more time together than apart over the last few weeks, and now we’re acting like strangers.”
Matt smiled. “I was just thinking the same thing. I rehearsed conversation topics in my truck on the way here.”
“You didn’t,” Lynda said, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
“I did,” Matt admitted, grinning now. “I had a whole list of possibilities. The top three were veterinary school memories, favorite surgical techniques, and the time Mrs. Pemberton brought her cat in wearing a hand-knitted sweater and booties.”
