Liz fired another glance at Mason. “Not long. Just a few days.”
Jo tilted her head. “Why so short? That isn’t enough time to catch up with them. And besides, Chri—”
“It’s long enough. I’m waiting to hear about a possible job from a company in Las Vegas.”
“Over Christmas?” Zach dropped his elbows on the table and peered at his sister. “Not much happens this time of year in the corporate world. Life should resume after the new year.”
“You can’t be alone in a strange city over Christmas,” said Jo. “Not when you have family and friends here who want to spend time with you.”
Mason would have to be the stupidest man on the planet to miss the pointed barbs Liz shot him. So... she might have considered staying longer if it weren’t for him? Half of him rebelled against making it easier for her, but the other half reminded him that if she bolted before he’d said his piece, he might never get another chance.
Suddenly that was the most important thing in the world. To make her understand the sincere depth of his apology.
“Dad.” Christopher tugged at his arm. “Dad, can I go play?”
Mason glanced at his son’s plate. “Eat your veggies first.”
Christopher slumped. “But I don’t like broccoli.”
“Broccoli is little trees,” Maddie announced. “They’re yummy.” She popped one in her mouth, chewed a couple of times, then opened her mouth to prove her point. Or something.
Zach tapped on her plate. “Maddie, shut your mouth when you have food in it. No one wants to see half-chewed broccoli.”
Mason nudged Christopher’s shoulder. “Eat ’em up, buddy. See? Finnley is all done.”
His son scowled as he speared a piece and put it in his mouth.
Mason leaned closer. “Eat nicely or we will go straight home after dinner and you won’t have more time to play with Finnley. And no dessert.”
Christopher glared at him as though sizing up Mason’s resolve. Evidently the boy was satisfied and swallowed the bite before stabbing a second piece of broccoli.
Good. Because Mason didn’t want to leave without catching a moment with Liz. Still, he’d been learning the importance of consistency with the twins, especially Christopher. It was taking time to overcome the early years when he hadn’t known how to stick to his guns, but the few glimmers of positive results reminded him he was on the right track.
Like now. Christopher wasn’t happy, but he was listening. For once.
* * *
As soon as the meal was over, Liz jumped up to help clear the table.
“Hey, you’re a guest.” Claire thumbed over at Liz’s chair. “Relax. We’ve got this.”
She didn’t want to relax. Didn’t know how. It was bad enough being back in the US at all, but sitting across the table from Mason made it a thousand times harder.
Why did the man have to look so amazing? The wiry teen she’d once known now had clearly defined biceps rippling beneath a navy Henley-style shirt. He’d never been tall, but his boyish frame had filled out with broader shoulders and not an ounce of fat. What did he do for a living?
She’d listened carefully but caught no hints. All she’d gathered was he didn’t work here at the farm but in Galena Landing. And he lived in her childhood home, which was all kinds of wrong.
He was the one who’d walked into her family and made himself at home. Had she really expected everything to be the same? She’d known better. Known about Dad’s close call. Known about her brother’s marriage and kids, to say nothing of the fact that her perfect older sisters’ lives had gone on, too.
It was just her. She’d lived in a time warp, pretending she was still eighteen, but thirty wasn’t that far away. Most people her age had settled down long ago or were well on their way.
She offered her small niece a smile.
Maddie beamed at her. “It’s gonna be Christmas soon.” But the little girl said it more like Kwithmith.
A tiny piece of ice inside of Liz melted. “It is.”
“That’s when Jesus was a baby. Littler than John or Ash.”
Liz nodded.
“Jesus loves everyone and wants us to be good. Did you know that?”
Anyone else, and Liz would have snubbed them, but a small child not quite four who looked at her with adoration? She couldn’t do it. “I’ve heard that before.”
Maddie leaned back against her chair. “Christmas is pretty and it is presents.”
Good to know there was some kind of normal in that curly little head. “I like your Christmas tree.” Liz pointed down the length of the table to the tree at the far end of the great room. “Did you help decorate it?”
Maddie nodded. “Me and Finnley and Avery and Christopher. But John and Ash are too little. See, Daddy put a fence around the tree to keep the babies out.”
Liz smiled. She’d seen the linked baby gates with stacks of gifts behind it. Must be easier than saying no a thousand times.
“I made a Christmas present for you, Auntie Liz.”
“You did?” Liz felt the eyes of others at the table burning into her head. Like Mason’s. “That’s very sweet of you.” The chasm in front of her grew. How could she keep from falling in? Yet she had to.
“But we can’t give presents until Christmas. Mama said so.” Maddie shook her head, her brown eyes focused on Liz’s. “And we can’t tell secrets, either.”
Jo reached past Maddie to pick up plates. “So Auntie Liz needs to come for Christmas, right, sweetie? So she can get her present?” Jo winked at Liz.
Maddie nodded, eyes shining as brown curls tumbled around her head.
Liz bit her lip. “We’ll see what happens.” Christmas was only a week away. It might be rude to leave before the twenty-fourth. Oh, who was she kidding? She knew it was, especially as she had no place to go. Sitting in a Vegas hotel room by herself held no appeal. She wasn’t close enough to her older sisters to invite herself to either Cindy’s or Heather’s house.
Trapped.
She’d done it to herself, coming back in mid-December. Had her subconscious been planning on a cozy family time all along? Had her subconscious known Mason lived here?
Liz leaned closer to her little niece. “I’m not sure your Grandma and Grandpa can put up with me that long.”
“Don’t be silly, Liz,” said Zach. “You know they’ve missed you like crazy all these years.”
She looked over at her brother. Trust him to be listening. “It’s not like they have room for me. A leaky air mattress in the middle of Mom’s sewing room isn’t all that inviting.”
Zach shrugged. “They don’t get much company. Those who come stay out here at the farm. Between all of us, there are several vacant guest rooms. You’re welcome to stay here, too.”
Liz’s mind raced. It sounded like a leap from the frying pan to the fire, but it might be worth it to sleep in a real bed. Her hip had pressed against the wood floor most of the night while the thick air mattress cradled her, nearly suffocating her in its embrace. She shuddered involuntarily.
Zach chuckled. “Promise we don’t bite.”
He’d misunderstood, but whatever. “You have room at your house?” she asked. She wanted to see the home he’d made with Jo.
"On the sofa." He grimaced. “Which is more comfortable than that air mattress. I told Mom to get a foamie instead, but she said it would take up too much room in her fabric cupboard. It’s just for Maddie the rare time she stays there overnight.”
Leaky air mattress at her folks’. A sofa at her brother’s. Neither sounded like a great option.
“We have a spare room just down the hall.” Claire set a slice of warm cake in front of her, the fragrance of apples and cinnamon filling Liz’s senses. “You’re welcome to it. Ash usually sleeps through the night, but he’s been teething, so I can’t guarantee it.”
Delightful.
“There’s my old apartment,” Allison said. “Furnished but unoccupied. It would only take an hour or so t
o get the chill out of the air.”
“Great idea.” Brent pushed back from the table. “I’ll run over and turn up the heat right now.”
“But...”
Brent paused with one hand stretched toward his coat.
Why was she hesitating? It sounded like the next best thing to heaven. Or it would if it weren’t Idaho, and Mason didn’t live next door. Liz glanced around the table. “Are you sure I wouldn’t be intruding? It’s only for a few days.”
Jo’s eyes twinkled. “We’ll make you stay through New Year’s. That’s the price you have to pay for a two-bedroom apartment all to yourself, meals provided.”
Tempting. “I wouldn’t be putting anyone out?”
“Not at all,” said Allison. “I lived there while Brent was building our house, then Chelsea did until she and Keanan were married. It’s been vacant since summer.”
Thoughts of the air mattress surfaced. “If you’re sure Mom and Dad won’t be offended...” she said to Zach.
He shook his head. “They’ll be happy you’re nearby and not disappearing so quickly. They come by often, and town’s not far. I’ll even drive you in after dinner to grab your bags.”
Liz let out a breath. “If you’re sure.”
Brent slipped his arms into the sleeves of his jacket. “Be right back. Don’t eat my apple cake, you hear?” He winked at Finnley before disappearing out into the cold.
She met Mason’s gaze across the table for a quick second. His blue eyes warmed slightly before she ducked her head.
An error in judgment.
But she seemed doomed to make mistakes. What was one more?
Chapter 4
Mason managed to breathe. Liz had committed to staying at Green Acres Farm for two weeks. Hadn’t she? That would likely be long enough for him to have the talk with her he knew must happen. Of course, during those two weeks the twins would spend a lot of time at the farm because they were out of school, and he still had to work. He could only hope Christopher and Avery wouldn’t turn her off so completely she’d manage to keep avoiding him.
Christopher had finally eaten his broccoli then made short work of a piece of apple cake. He and Finnley now built a train track clear across the great room floor, but Avery leaned against Mason’s chest, listening to the adult conversation over tea.
What would he have done without this group of friends over the past year and a half? He wasn’t sure Galena Landing could’ve held him if not for this bunch. Yeah, Mom and Dad asked him to move back and offered to help with the kids, but, on a day-in-day-out basis, that wouldn’t have been enough. Neither of them seemed to connect with the twins. They hadn't known how to treat him as a child, either.
He couldn't blame them for how he’d turned out, though.
Ash began to wail just as John fell asleep with his forehead in his dessert.
“Excuse me.” Claire reached for her baby. “Time to nurse him and tuck him in for the night.” With Ash settled on her hip, she turned to Liz. “Everyone just comes in here in the morning when they’re ready for breakfast. There’s bacon and eggs in the fridge and pans handy. Bread for toast, honey in the cupboard, and blackberry jelly in the fridge. Canned fruit in the larder. Feel free to scrounge for something else, if you like. Either way, I hope you’ll make yourself at home.”
Liz bit her lip. “Thank you. You’re too kind.”
“Not at all. It’s how we operate.”
Noel chuckled. “You’ve got two weeks, and then we’ll put you on meal rotation. Enjoy it while you can.”
Had Liz’s gaze snuck to Mason’s again? She seemed as hypersensitive to him as he was to her. Better not let anyone clue in to that, because this was a bloodthirsty bunch. Only Zach had witnessed the awkwardness when Mason and Liz had met for the first time since high school, and Zach was as dumb as an ox. He hadn’t noticed a thing.
“Miss Liz is so pretty,” Avery whispered into Mason’s ear.
He smoothed his daughter’s back. Funny how even a child could see that. “She is,” he whispered back.
“Is she your friend? She doesn’t talk to you.”
“Shh.” He held Avery tighter. “We knew each other a long time ago.”
It wasn’t his imagination. Liz’s gaze angled between him and Avery. Guess they hadn’t been as quiet as he thought. “Scoot, Avery. Go play with the boys.” She clambered down.
“It’s snowing out there,” announced Zach. “Want me to run you into town for your stuff now? Jo will want me back soon to read bedtime stories to Maddie.”
Liz stood. “Um, okay. Now is good, I guess. If you’re sure I’m not putting anyone out.”
“Not at all. Brent and I will pop over and make up the bed now, if it’s okay to leave Finnley here a few minutes?” Allison turned to Mason.
“Sure, go for it. I’ll give Noel a hand in the kitchen.”
First things first, though. He lifted Liz’s coat off the hook by the door and held it for her as Zach shrugged into his own. By the set angle of Liz’s jaw, his overture wasn’t welcome, but what else was a guy supposed to do to snag a quick minute? He adjusted the collar across her shoulders as Zach slipped out into the night air.
“Liz. We need to talk,” he said in a low voice as he nudged the door closed with his foot.
She turned so quickly his hands dropped to his sides. “I don’t think we have anything to talk about, Mason Waterman.”
He tried to capture her gaze, but she was intent on the doorknob. He blocked her escape route. That would work for about another minute until Zach had the truck started and Allison found the bedding in the hall closet. “Liz.”
She bit her lip and held her head high. “Excuse me, please.”
“I am sorry for my actions toward you in the past. I’ve asked God’s forgiveness, and now I’m asking yours. I treated you horribly. I know that, and I’m sorrier than you can imagine. Can you forgive me?”
“Do you know what I want?”
She hadn’t said no. Did he dare relax his guard? “What?”
“I’d like to never see you again as long as I live. I’d like to never talk to you again or hear your voice. Do you think that could be arranged?”
Mason shifted closer by half a step. She smelled of spring flowers and cinnamon. “I don’t think so.”
Her gaze narrowed and she stared straight at him for a few seconds. “You don’t deserve forgiveness.”
Allison’s and Brent’s voices grew louder as they came back to the great room. Outside, Zach’s truck rumbled to life.
“I know I don’t,” Mason said simply. “But I am sorry.”
“Just stay out of my way, okay? I’ll be gone before you know it, and you can carry on doing whatever it is you do best.” She reached for the door handle. “So long as you’re not hurting anyone else.”
Mason wasn’t ready to let her get away. “You need to hear me out before you leave again.”
She made a sound of disbelief. “Or what? You’ve already done it all to me.”
“Liz, I wronged you. I know I did. But if you don’t allow me this conversation, I’ll follow you, whether it’s to Thailand or Timbuktu. I won’t let you leave for eleven years and ignore me. Never again.”
“Sounds like an idle threat, Mason. Please move so I can join my brother.”
He opened the door and watched her flounce out as the brisk wind blew in. Yeah. This wasn’t going to be easy.
* * *
“Mom, it’s not that I don’t love you. It’s that the air mattress leaks. Plus, you’ll see more of me if I stay out at the farm for two weeks than if I leave for Vegas tomorrow.”
Her mother glanced between Liz and Zach. “But we only just got you back.”
Liz bit back the words that wanted out. She’d stuffed them down the whole drive into town after Mason had forced her to listen before letting her past him. Now she wanted to scream and run, in either order and in any direction.
Instead she managed a smile of sorts. “You can’t tell me
you won’t be glad to have your sewing space back. I saw the stack of quilt blocks you’ve been piecing tucked behind your machine.”
“But—”
“No buts, Mom. I’ll take you out for lunch tomorrow. How’s that? We can spend time catching up.” Hopefully she could keep the conversation steered to gossip about the neighbors so her mother wouldn’t delve too deeply.
Mom bit her lip.
Zach shifted from one foot to the other. “You and Dad should come out for Sunday lunch. Liz is going to show us pictures of Thailand on the big screen.”
Had she really agreed to do that? She’d need to find time to filter through her digital albums. Not everything in them was suitable for family entertainment. Not her family, anyway.
“Okay, I guess it’s all right.” Mom swooped in to give Liz a hug. “I just hate to share you when you’ve been away so long.”
Liz set her bags on the tile by the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I hope it doesn’t snow a lot more. I’m not used to driving in this stuff.”
“I’ll come get you if you want. Doing lunch was your idea, and I’m not giving it up.”
“Okay.” Liz pecked her mom’s cheek. “Give Daddy a kiss for me.” She followed Zach out the door and climbed into his truck while he lifted her bags into the back seat.
Zach turned the truck toward the farm and glanced at her. “So, Lizzie...”
Uh oh. What was that tone all about? “Hmm?”
“How well did you know Mason when you guys were in high school? You must’ve been in the same class or close to it.”
No way. She wasn’t going anywhere near that topic with her brother. Please, if there’s a God.
But the silence was expectant, and Zach kept glancing her way even when he should be watching the slippery road.
“Same class,” she said at last. “We knew each other some.”
“Define some.”
Nope. “Who all do you keep track of from your class? Gabe and who else?”
“Liz. How well did you know Mason?”
“It’s kind of not any of your business.”
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