Page 55 of Bear's Heart

“Anyone I know?”Josie asked, wondering if it was perhaps Lachlan or another one of Ansley’s brothers.

“One guess.”

“Your brother.”

“No.He’s four legged and has a great black and white coat.”

Josie laughed.“Yes, bring Mick, of course.Bear will be happy to see him.”

“Are you sure that Bear really is okay that Mick has adopted us?”

“We just discussed this and Bear is happy that Mick is happy.He said it’s what Noah would want.But now you have me curious.Is Mick bringing a date?”

“Depends on your definition of date.It’s Savannah—”

“No.”Josie’s tone was flat and firm.“I can’t deal with her again.”

“She’s been staying with us for the weekend.I’ve been helping her find a place to live.”

“Tell her to go back to Nashville.”

“She’s left Nashville, Josie.”Ansley fell silent and the silence wasn’t the most comfortable.“She’s sorry for dropping in on you like that, and the things she said.”

“She can just send me an apology by text.That will be fine.”

“Josie.”

“Ansley, she’s not a nice person.You should have heard the things she said about Bear.She can say what she wants about me—I’m a Calhoun and tough, I’ve heard it all—but Bear doesn’t deserve her scorn.Bear deserves respect.”

“And Savannah deserves compassion.She hasn’t exactly had it easy.Think about it from her perspective for a moment.She’d been madly in love with Bear, and he’s injured in the arena and almost died.He spends months in the hospital—”

“I know all of this.”

“Let me finish.”Ansley drew a quick breath.“Even though they try, they can’t make it work, and a year after his accident they both move on.Less than two years after, she’s now in love again and her partner is killed in one of the worst freeway pile ups in recent history.Worse, she’s pregnant and between the grief and all her hormones, she can’t even see straight.I’m not asking you to be buddies with her but let her come for dinner and at least listen to what she has to say.”

Josie chewed on the inside of her cheek, fighting her frustration, fighting resentment.Who was Ansley to tell her how to behave?And yet Josie adored her sister-in-law and respected her immensely.“Bear doesn’t know she came by.He has no idea we’ve met.”

“Tell him then.”

“I don’t even know how she found out where we lived.”

“Savannah told me she’d saw his forwarding address in the mail.The post office sent a confirmation, and she wrote it down.”

“So, she’s a snoop and a bully,” Josie said dryly.

“Are you really saying she can’t come?”

Josie sighed and flopped back on her bed.“You owe me.”

“What do you want?”

“I want an Ansley Art original.Nothing big, just something small, eight by ten or nine by nine.Something I can hang in my room, or put on my nightstand, and every time I look at it I can think how lucky you are to have me for a sister.”

Ansley laughed, and then Josie was laughing.

“Deal,” Ansley said.“But you need to break the news to Bear that Savannah will be joining us—just for the evening, and not to be dropping by again…at least, not unless she’s invited.That’s coming from her, too.She said it’s a promise.”

“Fine.Bring her tonight.I’ll see you all later.”

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