Mason slowly sat back in his chair. He had no idea his dad held so much back all those years. He couldn't remember a time when the two of them talked at length about his mother. Dad told him a lot about her, but he never talked about what losing her had done to him. Mason had always known his father loved his mother and it hurt losing her, but he assumed his dad had dwelled in grief for too long, that there had come a time when he should have moved on, found someone else, found happiness again.
He stared at his father a long time. "Why did you stay in Timberline?"
"Your mother and I made a life here. Leaving would have felt like I was leaving her."
"Maybe that's what you should have done. Let it go. Let her go."
His dad shook his head, certain. "I'm happy here, Mason. Just because I lost your mother doesn't mean I don't like it here."
Mason looked away, letting his gaze fall on the view of the forest through the windows. He had trouble understanding why his dad felt so strongly about Timberline. Maybe he'd never actually tried to understand it. He just always saw his dad alone. But it was sorrow that made him look so lonely all the time. Until he and Mamie started to get close.
"Mamie died, too," Mason said.
His dad sighed. "Yeah. Isn't that just my luck."
Mason watched him fall into thought. He may live alone, but his dad was a fixture in this town. As sheriff, everyone knew him. He wasn't alone. But was that enough? It must be, and for the first time, Mason realized leaving would be harder on him. He wasn't a young man anymore. He had established roots here.
"I wish you and Mamie would have found each other sooner."
His dad smiled fondly. "We were friends a while. So in a way, I suppose we did."
"I wish there was a way to make you happy like that again."
"There is." In an instant Mason realized his mistake. The only thing missing for his dad was his son.
"Dad..."
He held up his hand. "A man has to find his own true peace in this world. I found mine here in Timberline."
And Mason would, too. Though his father didn't say it, that's what he meant.
###
Mason ran his hand along the glossy sky blue paint and whistled long.
"She's a beauty all right," Sheldon said from behind him.
The original silver luggage rack gleamed along with the rest of the chrome trim. White walled tires matched the ragtop, which Sheldon had put down to reveal the finished interior, which he'd completely restored. Leather bucket seats and a small rear bench seat were polished.
"Put ya a Bose stereo in there. Seemed a shame to settle for the original. Satellite radio, too."
"Nice." Mason opened the door and slid into the seat. He put his hand on the gearshift. A grin came unbidden and satisfaction surged in him.
Sheldon leaned his hands on the open window frame. "I heard Utah's back from her golfing trip. Maybe you should pick her up and take her for a Sunday afternoon ride."
Going still, Mason looked at Sheldon.
"She's over at Ro's right now."
"How do you know that?"
"My wife stopped by for lunch earlier. Saw her drive back into town. Saw her walk down the street and turn on Second, too. Not much down that way, 'cept Ro's."
Irritated that he'd actually contemplated going over there, Mason pretended to fiddle with the blinkers. "Yeah, well, I'd rather take a drive alone."
"I thought you and Utah were seeing each other."
He swung his head to get a better look at Sheldon. "What gave you that idea?"
The mechanic straightened and shrugged. "I saw you with her that day you came to the garage...and my wife hears things." He shrugged again. "You know how it is."
"Yeah." Too well. This town was unbelievable.
"Nothin' wrong with the two of you being together. Seems to me a good match."
That sentiment was a scourge in this town. "I'm not going to be here long. Utah and I are just friends."
"You say so."
Fighting back an annoyed retort, he held his hand out the window. "Keys?"
Sheldon went to his workbench where a panel of keys hung and returned with the old Mustang's keys, dropping them in Mason's hand. He'd already paid, so there was no point in delaying.
"Thanks for doing such a great job on her," he said.
Sheldon beamed. "My pleasure. You notice anything not quite right, you bring her on back here."
"Will do." Mason started the engine. It purred. Shifting into first, he drove out of the garage and into the sunny warm day.
He had to stop by his dad's office to help him move a new refrigerator into the break room, then he had the rest of the day to cruise. The town was bustling with tourists. He couldn't find a place to park on Main so he turned on Second. Figures, the only place to park was just past Ro's. He passed it and drove around the block. Nowhere. Back down Second, the same spot was still open.
Inwardly cursing his luck, he parked and got out, admiring the sleek paint job of his Mustang instead of giving in to curiosity and looking in the window of Ro's Blooms. A fate higher than his will seemed in operation this afternoon. The front door opened before he could pass. He heard Utah's laughter an instant before she appeared on the sidewalk and saw him.
Seeing her packed a bigger punch than the day of her mother's funeral. He stopped walking. Try as he might to squelch the immediate desire that lit in him, it torched his control. As if anybody could blame him. Her hair was down and blowing in a slight breeze. She wore jean shorts that rode high on her thighs and a white V'd tank top that molded to her breasts and fit stomach, a sliver of which he could see. It did something to him down low. More so when he saw that her feet were in dainty sandals that didn't have much of a heel but might as well have six inches for all the miles of leg left bare to his feasting eyes. By the time he looked at her face, he had no doubt she could see the hunger.
Getting a grip on himself, he started walking again, nodding cordially as he passed both women. "Utah. Roanne."
"Mason," Roanne replied in kind, sounding a little stunned.
Utah didn't say anything. Fine by him. If she wanted nothing to do with him, that's what she'd get. If only he could ignore the ache starting to crush his chest.
###
"Did you see the way he looked at you?"
Utah stomped toward her car, just two from Mason's Mustang. "I gotta go." How could she miss the way he'd looked at her? She was still tingling. Damn, it was hot today.
"Hey," Roanne called. "So you gonna watch my shop while I go to Vegas?"
"Yeah. I'll be by in the morning and you can show me everything you want me to do." Getting Roanne the nurse was definitely proving to be a good thing. She loved seeing her friend so much freer.
Five minutes later she reached home and still couldn't get the sight of Mason out of her head. Good thing she'd made her point and he'd decided to keep his distance. At the end of summer, he'd see she was right. It would make his leaving that much easier. On her anyway. It was only fair he respect that about her.
The phone rang as she entered through the garage. She picked it up.
"Hello?"
Nothing.
The call she'd received after leaving the pizza place with Mason came rushing forth. She went still. He had her home phone number now, too.
"Calvin?"
"So, you are there," he finally said.
"How did you get this number?" she demanded.
"Whoring gold-diggers are easy to find."
She slammed the phone down, heart beating fast and breathing to keep up with it.
Calvin had found her. She'd known it would only be a matter of time, but she'd hoped it would have taken longer. Long enough for him to get over the fact that the stepfather he hated so much gave her the bulk of his inheritance. Judging by that call, one thing was sure; he hadn't gotten over it.
CHAPTER NINE
"I'm only going for Andy." Utah smoothed her flaring, knee-length jean skirt and turn
ed to reassure herself her stomach wasn't too bloated. She caught Ellie's sardonic frown in the long mirror hanging from her closet door.
She turned and headed out of the room. "It's just a black T-shirt and jean skirt."
Ellie followed her downstairs. "A stylish black T-shirt with a collar that shows off your bust, and a jean skirt that flatters your behind and calves. And those pretty black sandals look hand sewn."
"They aren't. That's just an advertising myth."
"Is that a fresh coat of toenail polish?"
In the living room, Utah stopped and pivoted. "Stop it, Ellie. And next time you come over, knock first."
The old bird stopped with her, unflinching and perceptive. "I did knock. But apparently you were too absorbed with how you're going to look to Mason to hear it."
"I told Andy at Mom's funeral that I'd come over for dinner some time. He invited me over tonight." If it wasn't for that preoccupation, she'd be burdened with worry over the call from Calvin.
"And it's just ssso convenient Mason will be there."
"I don't know if he'll be there."
Another sardonic frown.
"He barely acknowledged me in town the other day. He got the message. He'll keep his distance."
One of Ellie's eyebrows lifted higher than the other.
Utah sighed and slapped her hands against her thighs, giving vent to her frustration. "I don't want him, okay?"
"I may be old but my mind still works."
Unable to meet her wily neighbor's eyes, she busied herself finding her keys.
"He'll break your heart all over again, Utah."
"No, he won't. That's why I left for a few days. To give him the message that I don't want him if he's only going to be here for the summer."
Ellie smiled. "That's all I needed to hear you say, honey."
Good, because she wasn't in the mood to admit how much his walking by her without so much as a 'how are you' on Sunday bothered her. She walked Ellie to the back door and gave her a light hug.
"Come over for breakfast in the morning. I want to hear all about it."
"As long as you promise it won't get all over town."
"It'll do that anyway." Ellie moved away and started through the door.
"Thanks."
She heard her neighbor's soft laughter as she disappeared from the frame of the door.
###
Utah swallowed, willing her pulse to slow as she passed Mason's blue Mustang and stepped up to Andy's front door. An attractive western-style fence delineated the border of his thousand-plus acre ranch. Horses dotted the pasture in the distance. Set far back from the road, Andy lived in a well-maintained log home with a spacious loft.
The door swung open to Andy's big, welcoming smile. "I'm so glad you came."
Thinking that smile beamed a bit too bright, Utah wondered if he had another reason to be glad other than a visit among family friends. Like Mason. She stopped inside the door and looked around the great room decorated in browns, muted greens, and dashes of cream. A rough log railing ran the length of the loft. High ceilings showed bare beams. Nice.
"Your mother helped decorate," he said. "It was quite a bit more of a bachelor pad before that."
Smiling, she could see the feminine touches, warmed by the unexpected presence of her mother. "It smells great."
She looked for Mason. He wasn't in the living room and she could only see part of the kitchen from here.
"My spaghetti sauce. Lady and the Tramp always did remind me of you and Mason. I couldn't resist."
She shot Andy a quick look. Did he imagine a noodle bringing them together while they ate? He grinned and led her toward the kitchen. What was he up to? She followed him to the entry of the kitchen, divided from the great room by a six-stool snack bar.
Mason stood at a counter, uncorking a bottle of red wine. He glanced over at her with his head still bent. "Utah."
"Mason."
Still on the cordial level, she saw. God, he was sexy. Why did he have to be so sexy? She didn't remember ever thinking of him that way. Cute, maybe. But then, she'd only been sixteen.
She noticed the darkening sky through the glass of a ceiling skylight that hadn't been there the last time she was here. Neither had the bank of windows beyond a round wood table. Andy must have added space to his kitchen. During the day, a panoramic view of the mountains would be visible from there.
"I like what you've done to your kitchen," she commented.
"Long overdue," Andy answered. "Your mother's idea. She spent most of her time here before..."
He didn't have to finish. How terrible to have the woman he loved die before they were married.
Mason poured wine into three glasses, then lifted two and brought them to her. His eyes were unreadable as he handed her one. Andy took his own from the counter behind him.
"Thanks," she said, wondering if she sounded husky.
He took in her upper torso before sipping from his glass, turning a trickle of awareness into a waterfall. How did he do that? With just a look. She couldn't tell if what she felt was residual from their young love, or if this was something new. Either way, she had to keep a tight rein on it before it got away from her.
She wandered farther into the kitchen, liking how the new architecture didn't require any accents to show off the elegance of the room. Her mother could decorate a small old house just as well as something grand.
"You have a nice weekend, Utah?" Andy asked.
She turned to see him move to the stove where steam rose from a pot of boiling water.
"Uh...yeah." Why was he asking?
"You went golfing?"
She checked Mason, whose jaw had gone rigid with the reminder that she'd stood him up. "Mm hmm."
"All by yourself?"
Andy's motive became clear. "I always go golfing by myself."
"Mason would have gone with you, wouldn't you Mason? You should have asked him."
"We already went golfing." Mason pinned her with a hard look, devouring and condemning at the same time. His pride must still be sore, but that didn't lessen the struggle she could see in his eyes.
She took a large sip of wine.
"Ah, yes, the golf game." Andy broke spaghetti in half and put it into the boiling water.
Doing a poor job of appearing nonchalant, she noticed. "What about it?"
"Mason kissed you in the middle of the green."
Utah's jaw dropped. "Who told you that?"
"Ellie."
Ellie. Utah should have known the old bird wouldn't be able to keep her mouth shut. The drawback of living in a small town for too long. Gossip became addictive. Just like her scotch.
"I didn't tell Ellie that!" She turned to Mason.
"Don't look at me." Irritation deepened the furrow above his nose.
It must have been Roanne.
"Reminds me of when you two were teenagers." Andy chuckled and started to stir the spaghetti sauce.
"I can't believe Ro would do that," Utah said.
"Nothing wrong with the two of you getting together."
"Dad...," Mason warned with a leading edge to his tone.
Andy looked over his shoulder, first at Utah, then Mason. "Started when you were eighteen."
Utah wanted to leave the room now.
Mason went to the refrigerator, took out a bowl of salad and bottles of dressing, then headed for the table.
Andy stirred the spaghetti sauce. "Had me in a cold sweat every night you weren't home at a decent hour."
Mason came back from the table. "Don't start that again."
"I heard about every pass you made on her, I swear. Burl's. That night you went to Steamboat. In the parking lot behind Velma's. That wild Briggs kid was chasing sweet Mamie's young daughter."
Could she just blink and not be here anymore? Andy was on a mission, and it was to remind them of what they once had. Why? He was trying to get Mason to stay in Timberline and he saw Utah as the surest way.
She checked o
n Mason. He met her look briefly before rounding on his father.
"Nothing happened behind Velma's," he said.
"Yeah? What about that time you took her to Walden for dinner?" Andy said, turning the burner down for the sauce and leaning a hip against the stove.
Utah vividly remembered the night he was talking about. It was after that first time that they made love. After dinner at a restaurant in Walden, Mason drove her to a park. They'd made out for almost an hour, until she was so hot for him she couldn't stand it anymore. The only thing stopping her from climbing onto his lap so more of her body could be in contact with his was the cop who'd shown up, shining a flashlight through the driver side window. Twice on the way home, she'd devoured his mouth while he drove. Once, he'd pulled over, but the road had too much traffic to get naked.
At every stop sign in Timberline, they'd kissed.
"Is your mom still gone?" Mason had asked through breathless kisses.
"I think so."
But they'd soon discovered her mother's car in the driveway. She'd come home early.
"My dad sleeps like a stone. He won't hear us through the log walls."
She'd been so ready for him that she wouldn't have resisted if he'd taken her on her mother's front lawn.
Mason had sped across town, kissing her every chance he got on the way. When they reached his dad's house, he tried to sneak her inside. But Andy had waited up for him. After a scolding Utah witnessed, his father had driven her home. She never looked at him the same after that. It had been so mortifying to be caught like that by him, still flushed with young lust for Mason.
No wonder Mason had taken her into the woods, and no wonder it hadn't mattered that he made love to her on the hood of his car. They'd both been about to combust by then.
"Let's eat." Andy clapped his hands together.
Good, a reprieve.
Pulling three plates out of the cabinet, Mason handed Utah one. She took it, not looking at him as he handed his father the other plate. That old chemistry sizzled in her. Did he feel it, too?
Taking her glass of wine, he said, "Fill your plate."
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