Dragonfly Creek by T.L. Haddix Read Free Book Online Page A

neck.
    “What’s funny?”
    “You. Ainsley, do you even own a pair of real jeans?”
    Planting her hands on her hips, she attempted a scowl. When he laughed harder, she figured she hadn’t succeeded. “These are real jeans.”
    Jonah stood with a sigh and came to her. He gestured to his own attire—faded jeans and a T-shirt with the name of his favorite rock band on it. “This is casual. What you’re wearing is nice, but it isn’t casual. Not to ninety-nine percent of the world. For crying out loud, you don’t even have your shirt untucked.”
    Defiantly, she pulled the fabric loose. “There. Happy?”
    His lips quirked up, but he didn’t laugh again. Instead, he tipped her chin up. “Are you really okay to do this? I can go with you until Byrdie gets there.”
    “And who will see to your patients?”
    “I don’t have that many appointments over the next couple of days. One of the luxuries of being an in-demand private physician. I can set my own hours.”
    Touched, Ainsley smiled at him. “Jonah, you already do so much for me. I promise you, I’ll be fine. And if I’m wrong, and it turns out when I get there that I’m not fine, I’ll call you.”
    “Okay.”
    “Hey, at least I don’t have to worry about running into Ben. He moved to Georgia years ago.”
    “Yeah, well. There is that.”
    “I’m eager to start setting things to rights. This is going to be cathartic. One last step in the healing process. You’ll see.”
    “I hope so.” He hugged her tightly. “I’m proud of you for doing this. Doug would be, too.”
    “You think so?”
    “Oh, I know so.”
    Ainsley let him hold her for a few minutes as they both pulled their emotions in check. She wasn’t the only one on whom the last few years had been rough.
    “I’m so glad you’re here, Jonah. So glad you stayed.”
    “It’s home.”
    “Yes, it is.”
    She pulled away and walked to the nearest set of french doors to look out over the green landscape that rolled away from the main house. Horses grazed in the distance, lazily swatting at flies with their tails. The land was vibrant and verdant, peppered with flower beds and manicured hedges. There was a kitchen garden out back and a formal garden, as well. The house and grounds were immaculate, but they were a home.
    She and Doug had bought Dragonfly Creek Farm after their first anniversary, intending it to be their refuge from the outside world. Ainsley had needed the space to get sober, while Doug and Jonah had needed privacy from prying eyes. Along with Byrdie, they’d formed an odd sort of family. Once she’d let it, the setting had soothed some of Ainsley’s restlessness. It was her favorite place in the world, and the only place she’d ever felt like she belonged.
    She would never fit in with the people in Hazard. A lot of that was her mother’s doing, Ainsley knew, but that knowledge didn’t change her memories. She hated the way she felt when she thought about the person she’d been. Oh, yes, it was definitely time to face those memories.
    “Call when you get there?” Jonah asked as he came up to look over her shoulder.
    “Of course. Even if I have to go to a gas station and use a pay phone.”
    With the windows down and her radio cranked up, Ainsley hit the road. She managed to leave town just before rush hour. Lexington was growing more and more every day, it seemed, and soon driving from one side to the other would take an hour. She was glad the farm was closer to Versailles than to Lexington proper and that it was so large. She would be heartbroken if developments encroached on her private space, but with the house situated in the middle of close to two hundred acres, she hoped she would never have to worry about that.
    Once she was on the interstate, she opened up the engine and let herself enjoy the drive. Within an hour, she’d reached the end of the parkway and was on the two-lane highway in Campton that led straight to Hazard, which was still an hour away.