mine.â
âHe did what?â Noah leaned the borrowed skis next to Julieâs. âHe gifted this to you?â
âI know. Pretty great, isnât he?â There was no mistaking the affection in her voice. âHe wanted to give us all a better start in life than he had. His ranch is just up the road. You probably saw the house when you drove out here.â
Noah hadnât noticed. He was too busy looking around at the incredible view. What she called a cabin was really a two-story log house. Not extravagant, but nice. Very nice. And the land, why, it had to be seriously valuable. Something a man just didnât give awayâ¦. âI see where youâre going with this. You must have heard Harold and I didnât exactly become best friends.â
âI did hear a version of that.â She opened one ofthe glass doorsâno keys, she must have left it unlockedâand stomped the snow off her boots. âYou could keep an open mind the next time you meet him. Give him half a chance.â
âYeah, yeah. If I wanted a lecture, I could have let Nanna do it.â With a wink, he followed Julie inside.
âIâm not lecturing, and you asked about the house. What do you think?â She held her arms wide, gesturing to the home she was obviously proud of.
âWhatâs not to like?â He took in the golden honey floors and walls. The open beam ceilings that made the kitchen and eating nook feel spacious. Glass windows stretched from floor to ceiling, showcasing the perfect view of shrouded forest and mountains. âI wouldnât mind looking out at this every day when I come home from work.â
âItâs great stress reduction. I put up my feet, look out the window and every trouble melts away.â She put cups of water in the microwave. âWant to try it? The recliner in the living room is to die for. Once you get in it, it will take an act of Congress to get you out.â
In the living room, a gray striped cat took one look at him and raced up the stairs in a blur. He should have figured Julie for a pet person. A blanket was folded on the couch cushion, with telltale cat hair on it. It wasnât too hard to imagine her curled up on the couch watching television at night, with the cat at her side.
It was a pretty big place for one person. He could see his reflection in the living room windows as the sun peeked out, streaking through the glass. The view was even better from here. A man whoâd given this to his granddaughter probably wasnât short on cash.
âHow many grandkids are there?â
âTen of us.â Julie sounded pleased with herself.
She ought to be. Heâd been determined to find out Haroldâs true motives. True love was possible, but there were other more likely reasons.
Greed. He saw every day what people would do for the almighty dollar, as if that was what truly mattered. Women heâd dated and heâd thought heâd been in love with. Friends that wound up betraying him. Even his family. Whenever Mom or Dad gave him a call, as rare as that was, it was because they needed a few hundred grand to get them by.
âI hope you like hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows.â Julie breezed into the room in her stocking feet, the hem of her jeans wet with snow. She carried two brimming mugs and thrust one at him. âYou donât look like a marshmallow kind of guy, but too bad. Youâre getting them anyway.â
âWhat does that mean? I am a marshmallow kind of guy.â The cup was hot against his fingers, the chocolate aroma rich and sweet. The marshmallows melted into a foamy froth. âAs sweet as can be.â
âDo I look gullible?â She grabbed a remote and pressed a button. The fireplace in the corner roared to life. âYouâre a self-made man, according to all my friends who read that recent magazine article about you.â
âI inherited my first million,
C. J. Cherryh
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