A Change in Altitude Read Online Free Page A

hand.
    â€œI’m Sharon.” The woman took her hand, her grasp weak. “I’m Jay—his—sister.” She looked tired—pale with gray shadows beneath her eyes. But the resemblance to Jameso was evident, in the point of her chin and the thick sable hair. The girl’s hair was only a shade lighter, and she had a dusting of freckles across her nose. “This is my daughter, Alina,” Sharon said.
    â€œIt’s good to meet you,” Maggie said, shaken but determined not to show it. “I’ve been curious to know more about Jameso’s family.” She’d known he had a sister, of course, but he’d told her they weren’t close and left it at that. She’d thought it better not to press for details. Jameso tended to clam up under pressure.
    â€œIt’s so funny to hear everybody calling him Jameso,” Alina said, then blushed.
    â€œNo one here calls him Jameson,” Maggie said. He’d explained that when a clerk at Telluride Ski Resort left the “n” off his name tag, the shortened version had stuck.
    Sharon’s expression grew more strained. “He didn’t tell you he’d changed his name?”
    â€œI really don’t think that’s important,” Jameso said.
    â€œChanged your name?” Maggie studied him, but his expression was more guarded than ever. No answers there. She turned to Sharon again. “What did he change it from?”
    â€œHe was born Jay Clarkson.”
    â€œI changed it when I got out of the army,” Jameso said. “I didn’t want any connection to that bas—to our father.” His eyes met Maggie’s, pleading for understanding. “My legal name now really is Jameson Clark.”
    She nodded, feeling numb. The man she loved hadn’t been born with the name she’d always known him by—yet he hadn’t thought that was important enough to share with her?
    â€œHi, I’m Barb Stanowski.” Barb slid between Maggie and Sharon, and offered a dazzling smile. “I own a bed-and-breakfast here in town. Maggie and Jameso are helping me with some remodeling. What brings you to Eureka?”
    â€œI wanted to see my brother.” Sharon glanced at Jameso, who was staring at the floor between his toes, ignoring all the women around him. “And I’m thinking of relocating here.”
    â€œOh? From where?” Barb asked.
    Sharon didn’t answer. Alina gave her mother a puzzled look. “We were in Vermont,” she said. “My dad and brother are still there.”
    Maggie guessed there was a story there. She wondered if she’d ever hear it—or did keeping secrets run in Jameso’s family?
    â€œListen, why don’t you head on out to the house and get settled and we’ll talk later.” Jameso fished his keys out of his jeans pocket and worked his house key off the ring. “Head out of town on County Road Four and take the second left. Turn right on Pickax and it’s the third house on the right.”
    â€œThe one painted lavender,” Maggie said.
    â€œIf they stay at your house, where are you going to stay?” Barb asked.
    His ears reddened again. “I thought I’d stay with Maggie.”
    Everyone looked at her. Even Bob and Olivia had fallen silent, openly eavesdropping. She took a deep breath. For better or worse, right? Even though she and Jameso hadn’t said their vows yet, they were going to have a baby together—and she knew a thing or two about complicated family relations, so she ought to cut him some slack.
    â€œSure,” she said. “He’s over there all the time anyway.” She patted his shoulder and felt some of the stiffness go out of those hard muscles. “I live right next door, in the green house.”
    â€œCute,” Alina said. She, at least, didn’t seem too put off by the awkwardness between the adults. “When’s your baby