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Authors: Ruth Cardello
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hard work of her
stylist was losing ground to her hair’s natural curl. She sensed
his scrutiny and peered back at him from beneath her naturally long
eyelashes. He’d never seen anyone more beautiful, but wasn’t the
type of man to spout flowery words. He settled for laying his hand
lightly over hers on the bench.
Their peace was broken by a wave of visitors
who passed through the forest at a breakneck speed, obviously
thinking like he had that this was the least impressive part of the
zoo. After the intrusion, Dominic was uncomfortable just sitting
there and mooning over Abby like a boy stricken with his first
crush.
He said, “I don't see any deer. What are we
doing here?”
"Waiting," she said. “The deer will
come.”
“Shouldn't you call them or something?”
Dominic asked.
Her warm brown eyes crinkled with amusement
as she smiled up at him. “They won't come if I call. That's what is
amazing about this place. You can't force a deer to come to you.
You can chase it, corner it, make all the threats you'd like, but a
deer won't come until it wants to.”
And then it dawned on him. “If this is your
attempt at an analogy between my sister and these timid creatures,
you obviously missed her claws.”
Abby opened the bag of kernels and threw some
on the ground around them. “I'm a good judge of people. Your sister
was scared.”
He scoffed at that. “Pissed is more like it.
Don't think you know her from one brief meeting. She's not a little
deer who is going to come running just because I toss some corn
down.”
“Why did you come back to Boston?”
Her question threw him. He'd come back
because Thomas had implied that his sister's welfare depended on
his presence at the reading. He'd thought that perhaps this time
she'd see reason and finally take his offer of money; therefore
escaping whatever web of control his father had spun.
Abby continued her cross examination. “You
said you don't care about the money, so you came back for your
sister.”
This woman saw too much.
“A lot of good that did,” he ground out. “Do
these deer throw the corn right back in your face as my darling
sister tosses any of my offers of assistance?”
Abby didn’t seem put off by his anger. “Maybe
you've never made her the right offer.”
Ha, if only that were true. “I’ve repeatedly
offered to help her financially. You heard her. She doesn't want
anything from me.”
“All I heard her say is that she didn't want
your money.”
“And that I'm a lousy brother.” Dominic added
with self-disgust.
“No, that may be what you heard, but that's
not what she was saying.” Abby’s confidence was grating.
“And after meeting her once, you know her so
well?”
“After a lifetime of being her brother, do
you know her at all?” she challenged. “I’m not saying I have all
the answers, but my sister and I had a similarly strained
relationship for years.”
Dominic remembered what he’d read in Abby’s
profile. She’d practically raised her sister. Their situations were
nothing alike. “You and your sister still live together. You seem
to be close. It’s not the same at all. I’ve haven’t had a real
conversation with my sister in years.”
Abby turned her hand under his to give him a
supportive squeeze. “Neither had I, until last night. Sure, we
lived together, but that just made it worse. I got to see up close
and everyday how distant we had become.”
“And all of that changed last night?” He
raised a doubting eyebrow.
Abby’s expression grew wistful. “We
reconnected. I’m not saying it’s perfect, but it’s better now – so
much better. You and your sister could find that, too. Nicole just
needs time and maybe a softening in your approach.”
A small doe came out of the tree line,
leading a tentative group of about six other deer. They watched
Abby and Dominic carefully as they nibbled on the furthest and
safest kernels.
One large buck stepped out of the group and
approached the
stylist was losing ground to her hair’s natural curl. She sensed
his scrutiny and peered back at him from beneath her naturally long
eyelashes. He’d never seen anyone more beautiful, but wasn’t the
type of man to spout flowery words. He settled for laying his hand
lightly over hers on the bench.
Their peace was broken by a wave of visitors
who passed through the forest at a breakneck speed, obviously
thinking like he had that this was the least impressive part of the
zoo. After the intrusion, Dominic was uncomfortable just sitting
there and mooning over Abby like a boy stricken with his first
crush.
He said, “I don't see any deer. What are we
doing here?”
"Waiting," she said. “The deer will
come.”
“Shouldn't you call them or something?”
Dominic asked.
Her warm brown eyes crinkled with amusement
as she smiled up at him. “They won't come if I call. That's what is
amazing about this place. You can't force a deer to come to you.
You can chase it, corner it, make all the threats you'd like, but a
deer won't come until it wants to.”
And then it dawned on him. “If this is your
attempt at an analogy between my sister and these timid creatures,
you obviously missed her claws.”
Abby opened the bag of kernels and threw some
on the ground around them. “I'm a good judge of people. Your sister
was scared.”
He scoffed at that. “Pissed is more like it.
Don't think you know her from one brief meeting. She's not a little
deer who is going to come running just because I toss some corn
down.”
“Why did you come back to Boston?”
Her question threw him. He'd come back
because Thomas had implied that his sister's welfare depended on
his presence at the reading. He'd thought that perhaps this time
she'd see reason and finally take his offer of money; therefore
escaping whatever web of control his father had spun.
Abby continued her cross examination. “You
said you don't care about the money, so you came back for your
sister.”
This woman saw too much.
“A lot of good that did,” he ground out. “Do
these deer throw the corn right back in your face as my darling
sister tosses any of my offers of assistance?”
Abby didn’t seem put off by his anger. “Maybe
you've never made her the right offer.”
Ha, if only that were true. “I’ve repeatedly
offered to help her financially. You heard her. She doesn't want
anything from me.”
“All I heard her say is that she didn't want
your money.”
“And that I'm a lousy brother.” Dominic added
with self-disgust.
“No, that may be what you heard, but that's
not what she was saying.” Abby’s confidence was grating.
“And after meeting her once, you know her so
well?”
“After a lifetime of being her brother, do
you know her at all?” she challenged. “I’m not saying I have all
the answers, but my sister and I had a similarly strained
relationship for years.”
Dominic remembered what he’d read in Abby’s
profile. She’d practically raised her sister. Their situations were
nothing alike. “You and your sister still live together. You seem
to be close. It’s not the same at all. I’ve haven’t had a real
conversation with my sister in years.”
Abby turned her hand under his to give him a
supportive squeeze. “Neither had I, until last night. Sure, we
lived together, but that just made it worse. I got to see up close
and everyday how distant we had become.”
“And all of that changed last night?” He
raised a doubting eyebrow.
Abby’s expression grew wistful. “We
reconnected. I’m not saying it’s perfect, but it’s better now – so
much better. You and your sister could find that, too. Nicole just
needs time and maybe a softening in your approach.”
A small doe came out of the tree line,
leading a tentative group of about six other deer. They watched
Abby and Dominic carefully as they nibbled on the furthest and
safest kernels.
One large buck stepped out of the group and
approached the
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