“This diamond came from the first mine I found in Canada. I’ve never given one to anyone before, I’ve never wanted to,” he said, putting the chain around her neck when she lifted her hair up, then turned her back around and kissed her.
When he let her go, she had to wipe her eyes. “I seem to be very teary this Christmas,” she said, laughing. “Open your other gift.”
Calvin pulled the paper off his own little box, then lifted the lid to find a locket hanging from a piece of leather. He lifted it out of the box and turned it over, then opened it up to find a lock of her hair on one side and a lock of his on the other. The locket was engraved with their initials and a delicate pattern of leaves that had taken Brooke hours to create.
“I know it’s not a very manly gift, but they were all the rage in the 1930s. Many men carried them in the war too. I came across the idea when I was researching furniture for the farm house,” Brooke explained, not sure if Calvin liked it or not.
“Did you make this?” Calvin asked, holding the locket up so it caught the light.
“Yes, another one of my hobbies from my life in the city,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.
“You’ve got a real talent. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought that it was made by a master craftsman. I love it,” he said, fastening it around his neck. “I’m never going to take it off.” Then he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. As an afterthought, he asked, “How did you get a lock of my hair?”
Brooke giggled. “Well, I was going to wait until I gave it to you, but when you were asleep the other day, I snipped it off.”
Calvin ran his hands thought his hair, then laughed. “Well, I didn’t even miss it.”
They were sad to go home the next morning, the time they’d spent alone together over much too soon, but life was waiting for them including Cooper, who was on his way to help them pack out. Once they’d packed up all the food and other supplies, they stood together looking at the tree, not wanting to take it down but knowing that it would be worse to come up here later and find it dry and dead in the cave.
“It was so pretty, but it’s already starting to get dry, it’s not going to last much longer anyway,” Calvin said, pulling the first ornament off.
“I know, it just seems sad,” Brooke said, holding the ornament box open for Calvin.
“But we’ll still have the ornaments for next year,” Calvin said, flashing her a smile that melted her heart. She loved it when he talked about their future together as if it was a sure thing.
“That’s true, I’m just being silly,” Brooke said, smiling back at him.
“It’s not silly, it’s adorable that you’re sad to see our first Christmas tree die. Maybe next year we’ll get a live one, then we can plant it when we’re done,” Calvin said, pulling her to him and giving her a hug, his heart full of the love he felt for this woman in his arms.
Their quiet moment was broken by the sound of a snowmobile and Cooper yelling out their names. They met him at the mouth of the cave, Calvin’s arm firmly around Brooke as they stood and waited for him. When he got to them, Brooke surprised him by giving him a big hug. “Thank you for setting this all up.”
“I take it you had a nice holiday,” he said, hugging Brooke back, then raising his eyebrows at his brother over her back. Calvin shot his brother a big smile and gave a simple nod of his head, those gestures telling Cooper everything he needed to know.
“It was wonderful,” Brooke said, walking back to stand next to Calvin. “But I suppose it’s time to go home. We were just finishing the tree and thinking it was sad to see it die.”
“Let’s cut it up and take it with us, you can burn it next year at Christmas,” Cooper suggested.
Calvin was surprised by his brother’s romantic idea but liked it. “Sounds like a perfect solution,” Calvin said, getting the chainsaw ready while Brooke and Cooper took off the rest of the ornaments.
It was late afternoon before they got back to the farm, unloaded the supplies, and put them away. Brooke was pleased to find Paige and the boys waiting for them in the kitchen. “I thought you might like to come home to a hot meal. Did you have fun?” she asked when Brooke walked through the door.
“Sounds wonderful to me, and I’m glad you’re here too,” Brooke said, giving her friend a hug and a big smile.
Paige looked at her for a second, then said, “Looks like I’m not the only new member of the family. I know that look, you’re in love.”
Brooke couldn’t help but smile. “I’m afraid so, totally and deeply. It’s wonderful and frightening at the same time.” Brooke opened her mouth to say more, but the men came stomping into the house, complaining about being hungry, which brought the boys out of the living room with equally strong complaints.
As they were eating dinner, Cooper casually said, “Oh, by the way, Mom and Dad are going to be here in a few days. Mom said something about meeting the woman who could keep her son away from her on the holidays.”
Brooke stopped eating, a bite halfway to her mouth, then looked at Calvin in a panic. “Cooper, you just scared Brooke, stop that. My mother would have never said anything like that,” Calvin said, shooting Cooper a dirty look.
“Fine, she actually said that she couldn’t wait any longer to meet you,” Cooper said, shrugging his shoulders and giving Calvin a wicked smile. “Sorry, Brooke, I just couldn’t help myself. It’s kind of nice to have her thinking about something besides my wedding. That’s what she’s really coming for, but you two will provide a nice distraction.”
Paige slapped Cooper on the arm. “She’s a wonderful woman and you’re lucky to have such great parents, stop complaining. You’ll see, six weeks will go fast.”
Calvin about choked on the bite of food he had in his mouth. “Six weeks?”
Cooper couldn’t help but laugh. “Yep, six weeks. She’s bound and determined to stay until you go back to South Africa. Thanks for that and don’t even think of trying to hide over here while she’s in Coldwater Canyon.”
Brooke watched the exchange between brothers with a smile on her face, knowing without being told that they both loved their mother a lot. For the rest of the meal, they entertained Paige and Brooke with stories about their mother and all the crazy things she’d made them do growing up to make sure they appreciated what they had.
After Cooper, Paige, and the boys left that night, they snuggled up on the couch in front of the fire wondering where they would go from here. “I don’t want you to leave tonight,” she finally said, unable to stop herself.
“I don’t want to either, but I also don’t want to move too fast,” Calvin said slowly. “I’m afraid you’ll get tired of me if I’m here all the time.”
Brooke was silent for a minute then said, “Well, how about if we take it one day at a time. If you start driving me crazy, I’ll let you know. But somehow I don’t think that’s going to happen. Do you?”
Calvin thought about it for a second, then said, “No, I don’t think so either. I’ll bring my stuff in before we go to bed.”
The thought of finally getting into her big bed with Calvin and not having to keep her hands off him sent a thrill through her. “I’m ready for bed now,” she said, grinning at him.
He took one look at her face and pulled her up off the couch and into his arms. “I can wait to get my stuff,” he said, then he led her over to the bed and sank down onto it, taking her with him.
When his mouth found hers, the kiss was searing and possessive as if he was laying claim to her both body as soul, but as soon as Calvin felt her surrender to him, the kiss became gentle and giving. As he helped her out of her clothes, he planted kisses on her body, a promise of what was to come. Brooke returned the favor, loving the way he growled when her lips touched his body.
It was morning before Calvin thought about his clothes waiting out in the truck, but he decided that it was a good excuse to keep Brooke in bed well into the morning hours. When she finally man
aged to extract herself from the bed to take a shower, he followed her, changing forever the meaning of sharing a shower in Brooke’s mind and making her wish for a bigger hot water heater.
Chapter 8
Brooke was standing at Calvin’s side a few days later when his parents finally arrived at Cooper’s house where they would be staying. She was nervous for several reasons, but most importantly because she wanted his mother and father to like her, both because it was important to Calvin and because she’d learned that family could come from lots of different places. Calvin’s mother reminded her of her grandmother, a woman who knew what she wanted and went after it, a woman who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind.
Above all else, she had great respect for the way she’d raised her sons. Although she hadn’t met the youngest of the brothers, she understood that Carter too had done something with his life. Although the pain of losing her parents and grandparents had dulled since she’d been in Coldwater Canyon, she still craved that kind of relationship in her life. She hoped that Calvin’s parents might fill some of that void.
When they finally pulled up to the house, Cooper helped his mother down from the truck, then tried to take her hand to help her to the porch. “Cooper, I’m not that old, let go of my arm,” she said, shrugging him off.
Then she spotted Brooke standing next to Calvin and a huge grin spread across her face. “Well, you’re even prettier in person than you are in the pictures Calvin sent,” she said, practically flying across the front yard and enveloping Brooke in a perfume-scented hug.
Brooke hugged her back, then stood as his mother surveyed her from head to toe, then nodded her head in approval and linked arms with her and pulled her into the house. When they got inside, Paige was waiting for them ready to take their coats and boots, but Calvin’s mom was having none of that. Instead, she hugged Paige just like she’d hugged Brooke.
“Where are those boys? I’ve got something for them in my suitcase,” she said, looking down the hall.
“They’re on their way home now, they spent the night at a friend’s house last night,” Paige said, then led them into the kitchen. “Let’s have some coffee.”
They spent the afternoon explaining what they planned to accomplish in Coldwater Canyon, both wishing that Marissa was there to help them explain. Paige had very little to do with Brooke’s part of the canyon since she’d be working on the Indian burial ground and the contents of the cave for years to come, but Brooke did her best to explain.
“So, when we’re done with the farm house, it will look almost like it did in 1930 with a few modern conveniences like central heat and hot water. We’re running on solar power though, so there aren’t any electrical lines in the canyon except at Honey Hills, not very many roads either,” Brooke had explained.
“It sounds like a wonderful way to live, so simple. I’d love to see the farm house,” Calvin’s mom said.
Brook hesitated, thinking about her bed sitting right in the middle of the living room and the fact that Calvin was spending his nights with her. “I’d love to have you over, Mrs. Montgomery, but I have to warn you there isn’t much furniture in the house and my bed is in the living room since I don’t have any heat but the fireplace,” she finally said, blushing.
“First, please call me Veronica, second if you and Calvin are sleeping in the living room to stay warm, I understand that. I didn’t exactly grow up in the lap of luxury. Sometimes in the winter, we all had to sleep in the living room to stay warm when we couldn’t afford heating oil,” she said, then launched into a story about one terrible winter when she was a kid.
Brooke breathed a sigh of relief. Veronica seemed to accept Calvin staying with her as normal, although for the two of them it was nothing but normal since neither had ever lived with anyone before. As they were leaving, Brooke gave Veronica a hug and invited her over to the farm anytime. “Just let me know and I’ll come pick you up. You can drive to the farm, but it’s much quicker to take a snowmobile from here.”
“Oh, I love to ride snowmobiles. It’s been years, but I bet I can remember how to ride,” Veronica said, looking around for Cooper. “I wonder if Cooper has an extra one. If I have my own then no one will have to give me rides.
Cooper came around the corner just then. “An extra one of what?” he asked, then looked sorry he had when his mother made a beeline for him.
“I want my own snowmobile, then I can visit Calvin and Brooke whenever I want,” Veronica demanded, following Cooper out of the room, her voice receding into the background.
“Wait until he tells her that she has to take a safety course before she can get one. I’m glad we’re going home,” Calvin said as they got ready to leave.
“I like your parents. They seem great,” she said as they walked to the truck. “Although I didn’t talk to your dad that much.”
“Oh, he’s not much of a talker, but my mother more that makes up for that,” Calvin said, looking over at Brooke. “I hope she didn’t make you feel uncomfortable. She has a way of asking very personal questions.”
“No, not at all. In fact, she seemed to be fine with you staying at my house. I was a little worried about that,” Brooke said. “I guess you heard that she’s coming to visit.”
“Yeah, on her own snowmobile,” he said, laughing. “Poor Cooper, it makes me glad we only have one bed in the house.”
“Calvin, that’s terrible. Your mother is nice,” Brooke chastised him but joined in the laughter.
The next month was one of the happiest in her life. Calvin traveled back and forth between the city and Coldwater Canyon working on his plans for the hydroelectric plant he wanted to build in the park. Veronica spent some time every day with Brooke, hanging wall paper, painting, and pouring though Brooke’s planning books.
Life seemed to follow a predictable pattern that Brooke grew to love but knew would come to an end when Calvin had to leave the country again. They’d been avoiding the topic, but as more time passed and her love for Calvin grew, she was thinking more and more about the danger he was putting himself in every time he went away. The last thing she wanted to do was stop him from going, he had a contract to fulfill, but it wasn’t fair to either of them if he took another one.
They were lying in bed one night about a week before he had to leave, and Brooke was getting up her courage to ask him about his plans for next winter. He’d made it clear that he was going to be here in the summer but hadn’t mentioned anything about his plans after that. As much as she loved him, it had been hard to see him go before and would be even harder this time and there was a part of her that just couldn’t commit to living her life with him half a world away for large stretches of time.
It must have been on Calvin’s mind as well because before she could say anything, he brought it up. “I have to go to South America one last time, but then I’m not taking any more projects unless you can go with me,” he said, leaning up on one elbow to look at her.
Brooke was suffused with a huge wave of relief, but said, “I don’t want you to change your life for me, but I have to tell you that’s a relief.”
Cooper studied her for a second, framing his words in his mind. “I used to need the thrill looking for diamonds gave me, but since I met you it doesn’t seem all that thrilling anymore. I think I’d rather stay here with you.”
“Do you think you’ll miss it? I mean it’s been a part of your life for a long time,” Brooke asked, wanting to be sure the Calvin had thought carefully about his decision. “I don’t want you being sorry later.”
“I’ll never be sorry if I’m with you, the whole time I’m gone all I’m doing is thinking about you,” Calvin said, then added, “I’ve been thinking about quitting for a while, it’s not like I won’t have things to keep me busy around here. I won’t be hanging around the house bugging you, don’t worry.”
“If you hang around here, you won’t be bugging me because I’ll put you to work. When was the last time you milked a c
ow? Or I could have you weed the garden and don’t forget about the chickens,” Brooke said, ticking off the chores she’d have him do on her fingers.
Calvin nuzzled her neck, making her squirm, then covered her body with his. “I can think of a few other chores I might be able to do around here for you.”
“Hm, and what might those be?” she said, then sighed when his hand slid down her stomach between her legs.
“Let’s start here and see where it leads,” he said, then covered her mouth with his.
When it was time for Calvin’s parents to leave, his mother asked him to drive them home instead of Cooper as originally planned. Cooper was more than happy with the arrangement, but Calvin wasn’t so sure. His mother had been looking at him strangely for the last few days and he had a feeling he was going to get a lecture on the way to the city. His mother, for all her bluster and words of advice, had always let her sons make their own decisions, but occasionally she’d poke her nose into their business and evidently this was one of those times.
Brooke was sad to see Veronica leave, they’d had so much fun working on the house together. “I wish you could stay. Marissa called this morning to tell me that the furniture is going to be here tomorrow. Promise you’ll come up this summer, I’ll save you guys a room, just let me know when,” she said, giving Veronica a hug.
“How about the fourth of July? Marissa said there would be lots of fun things going on that week,” Veronica said, then added, “But I might not be able to wait that long.”
“Mom, you know you’re welcome anytime,” Calvin said, pushing her toward the door. When he finally managed to get his mother out of the door, he turned back to Brooke. “I have a few things to do in L.A. since I’m going down anyway. Will you be okay for a day or so?”
Brooke felt the tears pricking her eyes, it was silly because he was only going to be gone overnight, but all too soon their goodbye would involve weeks apart. “I’ll miss you,” she said, meaning much more than she said with her words.
Never Let Go (Brothers From Money Book 9) Page 8