Colorado Woman (The Hansen Women)

by Coburn, C. C.

  Gramps had assured her he was just excited about the barbeque and his old head was full of ideas to entertain people and that’s why he couldn’t sleep. But Martha had changed his Joe to decaf. and the pair of them, their white heads together as they planned and laughed and enjoyed each other’s company, was a sight for Maggie’s tired eyes.

  Enrique was busy beautifying Main Street with planter boxes brimming with summer blooms—a sight the locals hadn’t enjoyed in years.

  By the time July Fourth dawned, there wasn’t a person in town or the surrounding areas who hadn’t committed to help in some way to bring life and, hopefully, young families back to their town.

  Maggie enjoyed meeting Mac’s elder sister, Annie, who was a whirlwind, full of ideas and energy. His other sister, Samantha, was happy to be Indian to her older sister’s role as chief, and did a lot of running and fetching, answering email queries on the website and taking calls. Their husbands, Tony and Ross, backed them up and supervised children’s meals.

  Samantha’s two young boys and her daughter had fitted right in with Maggie’s nephews, Nicky and Justin, and they all spent a lot of time expending their energy racing around Mac’s house playing various games that required a lot of yelling and pretend killing. Maggie was grateful it was happening at his place and not hers.

  Pixie had roped Mac’s nephew, Flynn, into creating a couple of film clips that would be suitable to upload onto YouTube to advertise the event. He’d been more than happy to help, since he was fascinated with Pixie, Maggie noticed. In fact he could barely take his eyes off her little sister. Pix seemed immune to his attention.

  Clancy, the twelve–year–old daughter of Annie was impressed with her Uncle Mac’s prowess with a horse and had been promised a lesson from Pixie, just as soon as she’d finished with her birthday.

  Pixie’s friends from college arrived the night before the Fourth and—along with Pixie—were installed in tents on the lawn leading down to the river in front of the cabin and looking forward to helping hand out the flyers and candy at the parade in Spruce Lake the following day. They’d been sworn to secrecy about the location of Jake MacKade.

  The older kids were enjoying S’mores around the barbeque pit under the watchful eye of Gramps and Martha, while Maggie was over at Mac’s going over the final preparations for Pixie’s birthday.

  By midnight, she figured she’d done as much as possible and flopped back in one of the chairs in Mac’s living room. All the children had been put to bed—Flynn was camping out with Pixie’s friend––and peace had descended on the house a few hours earlier, allowing the adults to enjoy each other’s company without constant interruption.

  “I’m absolutely pooped!” she said. “This had been a crazy couple of days!”

  “Yet I suspect you’ve enjoyed every minute of it?” Annie said.

  Maggie thought about that and admitted, “You know what? I have. It’s so great to be a part of a community that cares and wants to pull out all the stops to see something succeed the way they’re doing with the barbeque. And everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, which is really gratifying. I’d hate to think they felt they had to do something they didn’t want to, or didn’t have faith in.”

  “You gotta have faith,” Mac sang and she picked up a cushion and threw it at him.

  When Maggie stifled a yawn, she admitted, “I need to get home. It’s going to be a big day tomorrow.

  “I’ll walk you back,” Mac said, getting to his feet.

  After saying her farewells, Maggie and Mac made their way back to her cabin. On the front steps she turned, about to thank Mac for all his help, but his hands cupped her cheeks and he kissed her.

  Maggie felt the warmth deep into her toes. She was standing a step above him, so they were at equal height. She rested her arms on his shoulders and drew him closer. He came willingly, deepening the kiss, his strong arms pulling her close as he wrapped them around her.

  Maggie reveled in the sensation of being held by a man, a man she was starting to care a great deal about. But she knew, once the summer was over, Mac would be moving on. She couldn’t risk her heart. She’d done that with Trey and look where it had gotten her—eighteen years of dreaming of a man whose true character turned out to be a figment of her imagination.

  It had been unsettling to wake up the other morning and realize that Trey was the sum total of her sexual experience. Maggie had been so absorbed in raising her sisters, and in her career, that she’d put love on the backburner, thinking she could pick it up again one day. Knowing she wasn’t able to have children had been a factor in holding her back. If Mac was older, perhaps already had kids of his own, they might have a chance. But he was five years younger than her and surely he’d want a family of his own someday.

  She stepped out of Mac’s embrace and read the confusion in his eyes in the moonlight.

  “Goodnight, Cowboy,” she said and turned and went inside, closing the door behind her.

  Mac stood on the step for several moments wondering what he’d done wrong. Maggie had seemed to be responding to his kiss and, then, it was like a fire–hose had doused her enthusiasm.

  He’d sure enjoyed the kiss while it had lasted—and he wanted more. Time enough tomorrow, he figured and turned and walked back along Maggie’s driveway to his place.

  Back at the ranch, everyone had turned in but Mac was too keyed–up to sleep. He found the spreadsheet Annie had prepared and went over it, making notes on his own pad, figuring out ways to promote the barbeque.

  Thirty minutes later he was satisfied with what he’d come up with and went to take a shower. As he lay back on his bed, arms clasped behind his head, he stared out at the moonlit countryside thinking about Maggie and wondered how long it would be before she’d share his bed.

  Chapter Ten

  Maggie was awoken the next morning by Ruff licking her face and Pixie bouncing up and down on the end of her bed.

  “I thought you’d never wake up!” Pixie said, reaching over to Maggie’s nightstand and handing her a cup of coffee. “What did you get me for my birthday?”

  “Happy birthday, Pix,” Maggie said, leaning forward to kiss her sister’s cheek and gratefully take the coffee from her.

  Ruff decided he needed a kiss and jumped up on the bed and crawled his way up to sit by Maggie.

  “You know you’re not supposed to do that,” she told him and was rewarded with a lot of tail wagging and a wake–up bark.

  “So, what’d you get me?” Pix asked, unable to control her enthusiasm.

  “You’re going to have to wait until breakfast,” she told her.

  “You’re no fun! I’m gonna go ask Paige what she got me in that case,” Pixie said, flouncing out of the room.

  “And you’ll get the same answer from her, and Lisa. And Gramps!” she yelled, knowing exactly that’s where Pixie was headed next.

  By the time Maggie got downstairs, most of Pixie’s friends had roused themselves and were either standing around the kitchen drinking coffee or sitting at the table waiting to be fed.

  Luckily Gramps and Lisa had the catering in hand and were frying eggs and bacon and flipping pancakes, while Justin and his brother set the table. The boys had been perfect angels, Maggie reflected. But then they always were around her. It was only their mother who seemed to complain about them.

  “So what’s my present?” Pixie demanded, now all her sisters were present.

  At that moment, Mac knocked on the door and was greeted by everyone. Maggie felt a warm glow suffuse her. The guy had sure worked his way into her heart, but she really needed to put a damper on her reactions to him. She could easily give her heart to him and have it broken when he left to return to Nashville. And she knew there was no future for them romantically. Mac was young and virile; he’d want children. And she couldn’t have any.

  “Morning, Maggie,” he said, singling her out and causing Maggie to almost forget her resolution to remain aloof to his charms. She smiled at him and wave
d across the table, hoping he wouldn’t come any closer.

  He seemed to realize she wasn’t in the mood for talking and turned his attention to Pixie, saying,” Happy twenty–first, Pix,” then drew a package out of his breast pocket and handed it to her.

  Pixie pounced on it and had the gift unwrapped in seconds. It was a long jewelry box. Her eyes bigger than saucers, she glanced appreciatively at Mac, then opened the box and screamed.

  “Lordy, dumpling!” Gramps said, covering his ears. “You’re such a tomboy, I often forget you’re a girl, but now you’ve reminded me.”

  Pixie drew out a silver necklace with a pendant of turquoise.

  “Mac… it’s beautiful. Thank you,” she said, her voice catching. “Put it on for me?” she asked, turning around so he could fasten the necklace from the back.

  “There,” he said and she spun around so everyone could see.

  Tears sprang to Maggie’s eyes. It was the perfect gift for her little sister. How had Mac read her so well?

  Pixie raced into the bathroom to check herself out. Another scream of delight ensued and she raced back into the room. “Thank you, Mac! It’s my first real piece of jewelry!” she said and hugged him and planted a kiss on his cheek.

  Mac blushed, Maggie was sure of it. She wanted to kiss him herself, he’d been so kind to her little sister. She smiled her gratitude to Mac and stood up. “There’s something outside that might get a similar reaction,” she said. “Lisa, would you mind blindfolding her?”

  Pixie was almost jumping out of her skin with excitement, as with Gramps on one side and Maggie on the other, she was led down the steps and out around the bend of the driveway.

  “Ta, dah!” Paige cried, whipping off the blindfold.

  Pixie did indeed scream as she spotted the SUV parked in front of her. She ran to it, tore open the door and jumped in.

  Maggie could see her fiddling with various controls before she stuck her head out the window and cried, “Where are the keys?”

  Then she seemed to remember her manners and got out and came back to her family. “You got me a car?” she said in wonder. “You got me a car of my very own?”

  “About time, we thought,” Gramps told her and she went to him and hugged him tightly, then each of her sisters in turn.

  “You all got me a car?” she said, her voice holding wonder. “But… where are the keys?”

  “Here!” Mac shouted and tossed them to her, saying, “Maggie asked me to hide it in my garage and I drove it over today.”

  “It’s so cool!” Pixie said, dancing back to the vehicle and climbing in again.

  Everyone followed her to it. Maggie said, “It’s second hand, but low mileage.”

  “I don’t care that it isn’t brand new,” Pixie said, starting it up. “Anyone wanna come for a drive?”

  Justin and Nicky jumped into the back seat and fastened their seat belts before their mother could object, while two of Pixie’s friends got as well.

  “Be careful!” Maggie warned as Pixie put the car into reverse and headed away from them.

  “I think she likes it,” Paige said and turned back to the cabin with everyone else.

  Only Maggie remained where she was, watching Pixie reverse the vehicle until she got to a wider area in the driveway and turned it around and took off over the cattle grates and onto the main road leading to town.

  “She’ll be fine,” she heard Mac say, as he came up to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She wanted to lean her head against it, but resisted and turned to him.

  “How did you guess my thoughts?”

  He smiled and said, “You’re pretty transparent where she’d concerned. Let’s go in the house? She’ll be fine. Pixie’s got a good head on her shoulders and she’s got her nephews with her; she won’t do anything foolish.”

  “I guess you’re right,” she said, retracing her steps back to the cabin.

  “I was wondering if you’d made arrangements for who was driving over to Spruce Lake with whom, today?”

  She glanced up at him. “We just got out of bed, I don’t think anyone’s given it a thought. Why?”

  “I’ve got a spare seat in my vehicle. I was hoping you’d come over with me.”

  Maggie told herself not to read anything special in Mac’s invitation. His sisters and their families had their own transportation and he probably wouldn’t fit in with them. He was only being neighborly.

  “Sure,” she said. “So long as Gramps can come too?”

  Turned out Gramps had already made arrangements to travel with Martha. Maggie had been bewildered when he’d insisted Martha and he would be fine driving over on their own and had been about to argue about why take an extra car when there was room enough in Mac’s, when she’d caught a warning shake of his head.

  He’d joined them for breakfast and was helping Maggie clean up the kitchen while everyone went off to dress for their day out.

  “I don’t get it,” she hissed at Mac as Gramps made his way upstairs. “I’m sure those two could fit in any of the other cars. Including yours.”

  Mac leaned close to her ear and whispered. “I think maybe they want to be alone.”

  “Gramps and Martha?”

  “Have you had your eyes closed these last few days?” he asked. “Those two have been flirting like teenagers.”

  Maggie pulled the plug and washed her hands off. “I guess I’ve been so distracted with the barbeque that I hadn’t noticed it had got that serious.”

  “I’m a song–writer, so I’m a keen observer of others,” Mac explained.

  Maggie wondered exactly what Mac had observed about her.

  A half hour later, people were piling into various vehicles. Gramps had already left for town to collect Martha in his truck. Pixie’s friends were driving over with her, while Paige, Lisa and the boys were in another car.

  Maggie waved them off then climbed over the fence to Mac’s. Since she was the only one who knew the way to Spruce Lake, Mac’s family would be following them over the pass.

  Everyone was already waiting, piled into their two vehicles. Mac was alone in his. She pulled open the door and climbed in. “We could take the kids, so everyone isn’t so squashed into the other cars,” she said.

  “They’re fine,” he said and put it into gear.

  An hour later, Maggie directed Mac down the back streets of Spruce Lake to where she knew they’d find some parking spaces the tourists wouldn’t know about. The other vehicles pulled up and they unloaded chairs and blankets and the flyers for distribution, and went to find Gramps and Pixie and her friends where they’d set up camp in their usual spot on Main Street. Pixie had been guarding the spot well and once the others were settled, she announced she and her friends were going to start passing around the handouts along with some candy for the kids. With Ruff dressed like Uncle Sam, they were soon swallowed by the crowds.

  Maggie loved the Fourth parades in Spruce Lake. There was a real sense of mountain town community about the place. No wonder the families of her remaining students were thinking of moving here. If only Coldwater had the attractions of Spruce Lake—four world–class ski mountains and a lively summer program of activities—her town wouldn’t be dying.

  “Why so glum?” Mac asked from behind her, as he opened chairs and offered her a spot beside his.

  Already, people seemed to be staring at Mac, wondering why he looked familiar. She’d talked him into wearing a baseball cap instead of his usual cowboy hat and sunglasses but, still, it wasn’t an effective enough disguise.

  “Sit,” she commanded, pushing him into a chair in the middle of their group. “People are looking at you.”

  Mac obeyed and Maggie took a seat beside him. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, you coming here,” she said.

  Mac caught her hand in his and entwined their fingers. “Let’s pretend we’re the parents of all these kids?” he said, indicating their nieces and nephews sprawled on the picnic blankets in front of them
, eagerly awaiting the start of the parade.

  Fortunately, a band struck up and soon everyone’s attention was on the parade instead of the familiar stranger amongst them. Spectators were lined up eight–deep either side of the street, while kids darted in and out to catch treats thrown from the floats.

  Mac seemed to be having a great time, clapping and whistling at the participants, occasionally catching a candy treat and passing it on to one of the little ones whose stash was low. His nephew, Caleb, tried to grab Mac’s cap to stow his candy since he’d collected so much, but Mac was faster than the ten– year–old and managed to keep his hat and gently tell the kid to share his candy since he had so much. That produced a protruding bottom lip from Caleb, who obviously didn’t want to share.

  “Hey, Maggie!” someone shouted from the parade.

  She glanced away from Mac to see Adam O’Malley, dressed immaculately in his fireman’s uniform, step out of the ranks and come towards her. She rose and they hugged.

  “Haven’t seen you around town for an age. How’s things?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “Been busy with school, and now I’m trying to save it.”

  She waved away his questioning look, saying, “Long story. Maybe we can catch up later?”

  “We’re all meeting up at Murphy’s after the parade. Bring the kids too.” He glanced at Mac, who’d stood up when he’d approached and offered his hand. “Adam O’Malley. You a friend of Maggie’s?”

  Mac nodded and said, “Sure am. Hope to talk to you later at Murphy’s, was it?”

  “Sure. The Irish Pub. Maggie knows the way.” He gave a small salute and ran to rejoin his ranks.

  “Old boyfriend?” Mac murmured in her ear.

  Maggie turned to him with a grin. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

  “I would, actually.”

  His face held such sincerity that Maggie felt a shiver of anticipation race up her spine. “Then you can ask him at the pub. In front of his four brothers. I’m sure that will have them guffawing for the rest of the day.”

  “He has four brothers? Are all of them firefighters?”