New Growth (Spook Hills Trilogy Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

you take the dogs out for a walk?   They finished their suppers.”
    “I’ll help,” Callie said, jumping up to go with him.   “What are their names?
    “Cleo and Harry.”
    As they stepped outside, Mathew went first with the corgis
pushing past him.   As had become his
habit since being spied on by the intruder the week before, he paused to survey
the surrounding hillsides before stepping aside to let Callie join him.   No additional signs of anyone watching him or
Spook Hills had turned up, but Mathew continued to act on the side of caution.
    “What’s the trailer for?” Callie asked, pointing to the open
doors of the old barn.
    “Lenny,” Mathew replied.   “He’s living out of a suitcase for a time, but wanted to be on his
own.    If he decides join us full-time at
Spook Hills, we’ll have to find more permanent housing for him.”
    “How come he’s not in the house?”
    Mathew shook his head, “Lenny is a bit of a loner.   Always has been.   He stayed with us for a night, but the next
day he wanted his own digs, such as they are.”
    They walked out to head up to the little walnut grove where
Steve scheduled the contractor to begin work on the tree house he designed for Ivy.   On either side of the grassy path, the neatly
planted rows of grape vines bowed almost sensually along the contours of
the hilly landscape.   Each row and each
plant made Mathew proud.
    “Callie, sorry for punching your husband.   He made derogatory statements about you.   B efore
I could stop myself, I knocked him over into a chair.”
    Callie leaned towards him and said with more firmness than
usual in her voice.   “John Henry’s severe
alcohol problem impacts everyone around him.   You defended me, and I appreciate
it. ”
    “What will you do?” Mathew asked ,
trying not to sound too hopeful that Callie might leave her husband.
    “Fly back to California next Sunday.   If John Henry fails to enroll in a sobriety
program, I’ll try to talk him into going.”
    “If he doesn’t?”
    “I will stay a week and keep trying.”
    “If he still fails to commit to sobriety?”   Even though Mathew knew he was pressing a
little hard on a sensitive issue, this might be his only opportunity to find
out how committed Callie remained to her husband.
    Callie stared at the distant coastal range.   She straightened her back and said in a
small, tight voice, “I will pack, come back up and file for divorce.”
    “If he goes for treatment, you will stay with him?”
    “Provided he sticks with the program, yes I think I
should.   Susannah needs a father.”
    Mathew gazed at her dubiously.
    “He was witty and charming, even quite scholarly.   The university passed him over several times for promotion.   W hile he is tenured, he is not on a
path to become the head of his department, which remains his goal.   If he gets and stays sober, perhaps he will
start researching and writing again and his career will regain momentum.”
    Mathew stopped, checked on Harry and Cleo and turned to
Callie, placing his hands on her arms.   “Where is Callie in all this?   What does Callie want?   What are
her ambitions?”
    When Callie ducked her head, Mathew
let his hands drop back down.   The warm
August air floated around them while he waited for her to answer his questions.
    “I wanted a doctorate in art history to acquire the credentials to work in a museum,” Callie said in such a quiet
voice Mathew almost missed the words.
    “What happened?” he asked, walking nearer to hear her words
as she spoke.
    “I became pregnant with Susannah.   John Henry’s first wife left him, and he married me.   Having to marry one of his students derailed
his career or at least that is his perception.”
    “He never lets you forget.   Is a career in art history still your objective?”
    “Now I’m torn.   I love
vineyard work too.   More than anything
Susannah comes first.”
    Mathew stopped again to face Callie.   He wanted to