Trouble Maker: A MacKenzie Family Novel (The MacKenzie Family)

by Liliana Hart

  Beckett sent something new every day. Scented candles for the store. Bath salts she could use to soak in after a long day at work. A bouquet of stargazer lilies and tulips he must’ve paid a fortune for since it was freezing outside. Chocolate covered strawberries. They were all accompanied with the same note—I’m just being neighborly.

  And damn him for it. She hadn’t been able to get him out of her head. It was far too easy to let those girlish fantasies come back to the surface. To bring back the taste of his lips against hers and the butterflies in her stomach as infatuation turned to something more.

  He’d stopped by her house on a whim one evening as she was unloading groceries. He helped her unload them and then looked at her dishwasher for her when she’d mentioned it was making an odd sound. The sight of him in work-worn jeans and stripped down to his shirtsleeves as he tinkered with the dishwasher was enough to have her blood running hot. The artist in her could appreciate the muscles in his shoulders and arms as pure perfection. The woman in her wanted to take a bite out of him and damn the consequences.

  If it wouldn’t have looked completely ridiculous since it was the end of November and snow already covered the ground, she would’ve opened a window to cool things off a little.

  She’d put away the groceries and they’d talked about his family and what was happening on the ranch, and when he was finished he put everything away, tested out the dishwasher, and then asked her if she wanted to grab a pizza and see a movie in the same tone of voice he used when talking about his cattle. Telling him no had been one of the most difficult things she’d ever done. But he didn’t push. He just smiled and said she might change her mind tomorrow or the next day, so he’d keep asking.

  That had been three days ago, and though she hadn’t seen him again, his gifts continued to show up each day.

  She barely heard the tinkle of the bells as her studio door opened. Beckett had made her lose her focus, and she found herself staring off into space, wasting time when she should’ve been working.

  “My goodness, that’s quite a frown you’ve got there,” Mary MacKenzie said, closing the door behind her. “You’d think a woman being romanced like you are would be smiling like a fool.”

  “I’m not being romanced,” Marnie said automatically. And then she shook herself out of her funk and took a good look at the woman who’d been more of a mother to her than her own.

  Mary had always been larger than life in her mind. She was a petite woman, barely a couple of inches over five feet, and still beautiful in her bones. She kept her hair a pale shade of blonde and cut short around her triangular face, and she had it done like clockwork every two weeks. Her eyes were a softer shade than the MacKenzie blue, and she’d aged gracefully, the lines on her face adding interest and character instead of the despair that some women had over a few wrinkles. Her life was an active and blessed one.

  It was amazing to think that big, strapping men like Cade, Declan, Grant, and Shane had come from her. But she wasn’t to be underestimated. The woman had a spine of steel and had ruled the MacKenzie clan with equal amounts love, affection, and discipline. No one got away with anything when Mary MacKenzie was watching. And when they did get away with it, it was because she let them.

  If Marnie had had a camera in her hand at that moment she would’ve taken a picture of Mary. There was strength there. But behind the strength was a brokenness that couldn’t lie to the camera.

  Marnie went around the newly put together reception desk that Grant had worked his magic on and enfolded Mary in a hug to greet her. Mary clung a little longer than normal and Marnie let her. She wouldn’t intrude and look to see what was wrong, but she’d listen if Mary wanted to tell her.

  “I was wondering when you’d stop by,” Marnie said.

  “I’ve been meaning to,” Mary said, pulling away and straightening her shoulders. No one else would know by looking at her that something was wrong. Only those who knew her well. “But I wanted to give you time to get things settled here. I know you like your space.”

  “I only like space from people I don’t like. You don’t count.”

  Mary laughed at that and pulled off her scarf and coat. Fresh snow clung to her lashes and hat, and her cheeks were rosy with the cold. It had been a lot of years since Marnie had experienced a winter with snow, and she’d only driven her van into a snow bank once. So far.

  She’d had to purchase new clothes from the western store across the street—a jacket lined with lamb’s wool, and thicker shirts and pants. And she finally got around to buying new gloves, and a hat and scarf as well. Not to mention the expense of snow tires. It had taken a precious chunk out of her savings, but there were dozens of deaths a year in their territory caused by hypothermia, and a good number of other people lost limbs from frostbite. It didn’t pay to be stupid. Especially considering how much she worked outdoors.

  The only good thing about the snow was it made a gorgeous backdrop for the family photos she’d started shooting. And curse Lila or bless her, Marnie’s calendar was full of work appointments and she’d already started bringing in income.

  Marnie had insisted that the reception area of the studio be completed first. So many people walked by daily, looking in the windows and stopping to stare at the portrait displays she’d hung in the two picture windows that faced the street. They especially enjoyed the little display she called People of Surrender. She’d gotten permission from the subjects of course, but it thrilled people in the town to walk by and see their own faces, or the faces of someone they knew, immortalized in the window.

  She wanted to make sure she gave a professional presentation from the start. She’d learned how important perception was in a professional setting. The people of Surrender might not remember her as a child, they might only know the rumors surrounding her gift, but they’d be intrigued enough to stop by and see for themselves. And she had no qualms about capitalizing on it.

  The walls were painted a soft blue and the crown molding and trim was stained dark. Photographs were framed and hung on the walls—some from her personal collection of favorites and others of standard wedding and family portraits she’d done in the past. A dainty loveseat with a pattern in the same blue as the wall sat on one side, and a small tea table with two chairs sat on the opposite side. The pain in the ass reception desk sat right in the middle, facing the front, and blocked the door that had been added to lead back into the studio. The scratches that had been dug in when the studio had been vandalized had been sanded and stained, and they were only visible if you looked closely.

  Marnie immediately grabbed the basket of cookies Beckett had sent and set it on the table.

  “I’ve got hot tea if you’d like some,” she said.

  “That sounds perfect,” Mary said. “It’s bitter out today and dreary with it. I’m already tired of the snow and it’s just started.”

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a winter with snow. In the south, if there are even a few flurries, the whole city shuts down and people buy all the toilet paper and water from the shelves like it’s the end times.”

  Mary laughed and the tightness in her face relaxed a little. “It’ll take some getting used to, I imagine. Every year, James and I end up spending more and more time in warmer climates as soon as the newness of the first snow wears off. The cold is harder on the bones the older you get. He’s already making noises about Hawaii after the New Year. The farm is taken care of between all the boys, and I’ll be damned if I want to spend my golden years waking up before the roosters or running out to the barn, hip deep in snow because a cow’s gone into labor.”

  Marnie’s lips twitched. “Lying on the beach in Hawaii does sound more appealing.” She brought two cups of tea and set them on the table, and then took the seat across from Mary.

  “Nice basket of cookies you’ve got here,” Mary said, arching a brow. “Not being romanced, you said?”

  “He says he’s being neighborly.”

  “Uh huh,”
she said, biting into a cookie. “I’ve been hearing how neighborly he’s been from every shop in town he’s visited. I also heard he fixed your dishwasher. Which,” Mary said, pointing a finger at her, “is our responsibility as your landlords, so let us know if anything else goes wrong.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Marnie nodded and resisted the urge to salute.

  Mary smiled and said, “I always knew you were a smart girl. Maybe the next time Darcy gets to town we should all take a girl trip. All my girls, and that includes you. Cade’s wife, Bailey, has this lovely lingerie shop with the most beautiful things. You’ll like Bailey. She’s a real spitfire. And you’ll like her friend Bianca too. We could all go shopping and have a spa day. Maybe by that time you’ll be ready to shop for some lingerie.”

  Mary arched a brow and Marnie felt the heat in her cheeks. “I don’t know. I’ve never really done anything like that. I’m not used to being around a lot of women.”

  “These are MacKenzie women. We’re a whole different animal. I was married before. Did you know that?”

  Marnie raised her brows in surprise. “No, I didn’t.”

  “The folks around here have long memories, and they gossip about what happened a hundred years ago as much as they do about what happened last week, so you’ll eventually hear it from someone.”

  “It’s better than the news,” Marnie agreed.

  “Too bad it’s not as reliable.” Mary took a sip of tea and then settled in to tell her story. “I married Shane Nolan the year after I graduated from high school. Shane and James MacKenzie had grown up together and were best friends. And then they went off and joined the Marines together. I was a couple years behind them in school, and let me tell you, the summer after I graduated when Shane came home on leave, it was all I could do not to tackle him where he stood.” Mary smiled and her eyes sparkled. “That would’ve been a real surprise to Shane because we didn’t know each other all that well.”

  Marnie chuckled and settled into her chair. She’d missed adult conversation. She’d always been so careful not to forge new bonds or make new friends. Losing Darcy, her closest friend, had been like losing the best part of herself, and she hadn’t been willing to go through that again.

  Mary set down her teacup and grabbed a cookie. “Let me tell you, men are powerful creatures. If they only knew how powerful, every woman on earth would be in trouble. There’s just something about a man who has that confidence in himself. Who can command with a look. Who doesn’t have to speak to be heard. Looks don’t seem to matter when a man has that kind of power. They’re stubborn and hardheaded and have certain ideas about how they want things done. Shane Nolan had that in spades. And when he came back home on leave he’d bulked up a little too, with all the training. It wasn’t until much later I found out he and James were both Special Forces and were in more danger than I could’ve imagined every time they left home.

  “Girls flocked to Shane that summer. They weren’t immune to that raw sex appeal just as I wasn’t. But just like those kind of men have power over women, there are certain kinds of women who have power over those kind of men.”

  Mary winked and bit into another cookie. “I’ve been told a time or two that I’m stubborn and hardheaded and like things my own way. And even at eighteen years old, I knew the way to catch the interest of a man like Shane wasn’t to tart myself up and flock around him like the other girls. I kept my distance.”

  Marnie’s confusion must’ve shown on her face because Mary said, “Oh, I made sure I was in his path every now and again. He couldn’t think of me all the time if I didn’t give him a small glimpse of what he was missing, now could he? I’d make eye contact and give a friendly smile. Then I’d turn around and walk in the other direction.” Her laugh was full of humor and good memories. “Lord, I drove him crazy.”

  “What happened?” Marnie asked, her curiosity piqued.

  “Oh, men like Shane aren’t ones to let moments pass them by. I was driving my daddy’s pickup truck home one afternoon and I got a flat tire. Our house was a good forty-five minutes outside of Surrender and there were no cell phones in those days. I was well and truly stuck until someone came along. And on that particular stretch of road I could’ve been waiting for days.

  “To make matters worse, the sky opened up about that time and we had a torrential downpour. I had extra blankets in the truck, a book, and two sacks full of groceries I could eat if I was there too long, though I knew if it got dark my parents would come looking for me. So I hunkered down and waited. And not twenty minutes later, along comes Shane, his headlights glaring into the cab of the truck when he pulled up behind me.

  “There are moments in a woman’s life she’ll never forget,” Mary said, her gaze turning nostalgic and a little bit sad. “And I knew the moment he knocked on the window in the pouring rain that that would be one of mine.”

  Her eyes got misty at the memory, even all these years later. And then her smile got big and a dimple fluttered in her cheek. “Well, I don’t have to tell you what happened. As soon as he got into the truck the temperature in there went up about a hundred and fifty degrees. He was my first lover and what we had between us was so strong I didn’t even notice that I should be uncomfortable that first time. We were like two animals tearing at each other. And all I could think was how much I wanted to do it again.” She chuckled and her cheeks pinkened slightly. “Shane told me we were going to get married as soon as we could get a license because he had no plans to stop taking me to bed.

  “And I can tell you, there’s something even more amazing that happens when two people come together like that who are stubborn and strong-willed and have that dominant personality. There’s nothing quite like it when you meet your match in every way and then learn to bend and compromise because their needs are more important than your own.”

  “Finding someone like that is rare,” Marnie said. “You’re very lucky.”

  “Even luckier because I found it twice. Shane and I hadn’t been married but a few months when a couple of uniformed men showed up on my doorstep. James was with them and I could see he’d been terribly wounded. But we weren’t close then. He was just the best friend of my husband, and it was hard for me to focus on anything other than the fact that they were telling me Shane was dead. And there I was, not even twenty years old, pregnant, and a widow. I couldn’t imagine living a life without Shane in it, and I was devastated.”

  A tear trickled down Mary’s cheek, but she didn’t wipe it away. “It wasn’t long after that I lost the baby too. The doctor said the shock and stress were just too much for my body to take. I didn’t think I’d ever recover from that. She was a girl, and she was the only part of Shane I had left. It was like having him die all over again, and I wasn’t sure I could survive another loss.”

  To see the woman who’d always been so strong show this vulnerability made Marnie feel useless and inadequate. “I’m so sorry, Mary.”

  “You know what?” she asked, pulling a handkerchief out of her bag and drying her face. “You’ve been a daughter to me from the first time Darcy dragged you to the house. Poor little thing. Scabs on your knees and dirty clothes, all that beautiful hair a tangled mess. And then I looked into those sad brown eyes of yours and I just fell in love. Pure and simple.”

  It was Marnie who felt the tears prick at her eyes now and she looked away, remembering all too well the little girl she’d been.

  “I’m going to give you some advice, just like I would a daughter, because that’s what you’ll always be to me and I don’t care who tries to say otherwise.”

  The tone was so matter-of-fact and such a one-eighty of their previous discussion that Marnie had to laugh.

  “People like you and me are survivors, Marnie. The past is what shapes us. What makes us who we are. But it doesn’t define you. It took James three years to wear me down. To pull me out of my own grief and misery so I could see what was staring me in the face. We all get second chances. And third chances. And fourth.
But we have to be aware enough to recognize them when they come. Otherwise you miss out.

  “Thank God that man was patient and kept wearing me down,” she said. “I’d embraced my sadness like a shroud, and I didn’t want anyone trying to take it from me. But the thing about the miseries of the past is that no matter how we might want to cling to them, the distance grows farther and farther away. The memories will always be there. And that’s good. That’s how we learn. But they’ll never be our future again.”

  “Is that your way of telling me I should give Beckett a chance?”

  “I’m telling you that you’re loveable, Marnie. James loved me despite myself. Don’t get in the way of your own happiness.”

  “Is that what you think I’m doing?”

  “Partly,” she said, nodding. “But I can also understand the need to protect yourself. Just because I lost you so many years ago didn’t mean I didn’t try to find you. I hope you know that James and I fought tooth and nail to get the state to agree for you to come live with us. We didn’t know how bad it was at home for you. I knew money was tight, so we always offered your mama a little extra work when we could since she was probably the one trying to take care of bills and put groceries on the table. I had a feeling your daddy had a hard hand, and I looked for marks on your body every time you came over.”

  Marnie stared hard into the bottom of her teacup. “I didn’t come over unless I was healed all the way. And I learned to stay out of his way for the most part the older I got.”

  “My poor baby,” Mary said, letting the tears flow freely. “I’m so sorry we couldn’t save you.”

  Marnie cleared her throat and held tight to the other woman’s hand. “I’m back now. That’s all that matters.”

  “And maybe you’ll one day be comfortable enough to tell me about the sadness you brought back with you. I know you left a relationship to come back home. That’s never easy.”

  “Easier than it should’ve been,” Marnie said and then changed the subject. “You named Shane after your first husband?”