An ache settled into her heart as Maddie took in the hurt in his eyes. “You said there was something wrong with his heart, right?”
“Yeah,” he said. “It was a rare condition. My mom worried it was hereditary at first, but we found out that it isn’t. He just died way too young.” He glanced back up, a hint of moisture in his eyes. “I wish you could’ve met him.”
“I wish I could have too.”
“I have this picture.” He hung the ornament in his hands before reaching for his phone. He tapped, scrolled, then scrolled some more. “Here, see this? He got to hold Phillip before he died.”
Maddie took in the picture through tear-blurred eyes. His father held a tiny baby in his arms, pride gleaming from his handsome face. He reminded her of Bear, just older.
“He went in for surgery the next day. We knew it was risky, but without it, he wouldn’t have lived more than a week or two at best. He died partway through the surgery.” Bear pulled his gaze off the picture and shook his head. “Just really miss him, you know?”
Maddie nodded, then pulled him in for a hug. Mourning with those who mourn. She was meant to do that. And even though it’d been three years since his father passed, Bear was still mourning the loss.
Bear wrapped his arms around her in return. And for a moment, they stood just like that. Embraced before the Christmas tree. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” echoed throughout the home.
“Thanks for letting me get this out of my system. I’ve still got to help my mom and Brenda decorate,” he murmured. “I’ve got to be the strong one.”
She nodded, her face pressed against his broad chest. She pulled in a breath, taking in his warmth and smell and everything that was simply Bear Schaefer.
He swayed to the right, and then left, pulling her along with him as he stepped. And soon they were dancing. Not a sophisticated dance like the waltz, but a shift of weight from one foot to the next while they turned slightly, ever so slightly with each step. Just like when they were kids back at the school dances, before they’d mastered any real moves.
And as flakes fell beyond the glass outside, settling over a majestic sight, Maddie enjoyed a magical moment of her own. Daring to let her balloon of hopes soar a little higher.
Chapter 16
Bear shrugged the covers off his bed and sat up. After a night like his, he should sleep like a baby. Things with Maddie were progressing quickly. He’d never wanted to open up to another person the way he did with her; the connection was unlike anything he’d known.
So what was it that plagued him?
The answer came back like a thunderous warning: Kristen.
When a tree was cut and was ready to fall, the word timber went out over the land. And watch out: that was one dangerous moment. The fall wasn’t always a predictable one. Loggers had lost their lives over simple miscalculations or unforeseen variables.
Kristen—when scorned—had that unpredictable nature. He’d seen her lash out at coworkers, chew out staff members, and even intimidate her father’s lawyer. And now Bear had copied her dad on his proposal, after declaring his uninterest in her. He’d risked starting a war for sure.
But the problem didn’t end there. Bear never had told Maddie about his situation with Kristen. He hadn’t really needed to.
Besides, what should he have said? Something like, Hey, I used to kind of date this woman but I don’t really date her anymore, but she has sent me a few weird texts lately so I’m going to make sure she knows that I don’t like her, which I wanted to do in person but that never worked so I took care of it over the phone?
He shook his head, let the pale light of the moon guide him toward the hall. In the kitchen, he tipped back a glass of water and stared over the moonlit snow. Max nudged at the back of his calves before pacing behind him, his wagging tail slapping Bear’s legs.
Why did he suddenly feel like such a scoundrel? He hadn’t meant to cover up some big issue. But what if it became one? Maddie had said that her mother and sister were real man-haters. The last thing Bear wanted to do was give Maddie a reason to join the club.
He wondered if James had gotten his email yet. And if so, how he would react to it. Was it possible James would override Kristen and see things Bear’s way? The growing question urged him to head to the office. Sure, it was two in the morning, but if his mind was too muddy for sleeping, may as well do something to clear it up.
He squinted against the brightness as his computer screen glowed to life, reaching a hand down to pat Max. Lazy dog had already settled onto his lounge pad beside him. “Let’s see if I have something to worry about, shall we?”
He clicked open his inbox, heard a ding, and noticed a handful of new emails: Ethan. The lumberyard. Bank statement. Bank statement again. James Grandy.
A curse slipped from his lips. What would it say? “How dare you upset my daughter”? “If you want that additional two percent, you better do as she says”?
Not on Bear’s watch. He was done catering to that woman.
With his hand hovered over the mouse, Bear reminded himself that he owned nearly half of the business, and wouldn’t be ordered around.
He clicked on the box, and the email opened. It felt like Bear’s insides were fighting to get out. His heart, his breath, even his blood. All of it sped in its motion, jagged and raw.
He scanned over the first sentence.
And then the next.
Thank you for your email. This is an autoreply letting you know I am out of the office. Your correspondence is important to me, and I’ll reply as soon as I’m back in the office after the New Year.
“After the New Year?” Bear cried.
Max lifted his head and let out a bark.
Another curse passed through Bear’s lips. What did he expect? James was the head of the company. He could have an entire month off if he wanted. It just seemed odd, though. Not really like the man Bear had come to know through his dad’s eyes. That man was a workaholic. At one point Bear’s dad even suggested bringing on a third partner, an option James wouldn’t hear of.
“The New Year, huh?” He glanced over his other emails once more, glad he hadn’t received anything from Kristen. A recent tabloid suggested she may be ready to walk away from “her daddy’s Big Daddy biz” and make a run for Hollywood. They’d displayed a fuzzy sneak-picture stolen from their recent lumberjack shoot. Martin probably wanted to kill whoever took and released the image, seeing that the magazine spread wouldn’t hit shelves until next month.
Still, she hadn’t made up any wild stories about him or the business. It seemed maybe there wasn’t much to worry about after all.
A spell of exhaustion fell over him in a slow, heavy wave. Kristen had her sights on different heights, and James was taking some time off. Worst case, Bear would be forced to move beyond Kristen and her stuffy lawyer to get things done. He’d get Jed involved if he had to. May as well come to the table with a lawyer of his own.
With those matters cleared up, Bear nodded and shut down his computer. “C’mon, Max. Let’s go back to bed.”
“Did you see your boyfriend in the tabloids?”
Maddie pulled her eyes from Callie’s spelling test and glanced up. Will shuffled into her room, hands tucked into his khakis. “What was that?” she asked.
“I’m just wondering if you saw your boyfriend in the tabloids with his girlfriend.”
She tilted her head. “Well, if he’s my boyfriend, then I must be the girlfriend you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, but you’re not.”
Maddie rolled her eyes. “Would you just tell me what the article said?” Were the lies posted in those things even called articles? Her palms broke into a sweat as heat climbed up her neck. All she could think was please. Please don’t let it be true.
William shrugged. “It was just a picture of Kristen Grandy with Bear Schaefer.”
“How long ago was it taken?” It could hardly have been recent, seeing that Bear had been with her eve
ry day for the past few weeks. Except that day he had the business trip. A sick knot formed in her gut.
“Not sure when it was taken, but she was all dressed up like him. Only Kristen’s outfit was, like, super short shorts with thigh-highs and her shirt was real tiny too. It looked like they could have been at a Halloween party or something, like someone snuck a picture of them.”
A party? Maddie doubted it. But that didn’t stop the crazed pounding of her heart. The anxious speeding of her pulse. The pressure pulsing along her temples.
“Can you just tell me what the article was about, William?” She put an ugly emphasis on his name, but Maddie could hardly help herself. Why was he trying to build suspense when it regarded something this serious?
He sighed, the kind of sigh someone makes while raising a white flag. “It was just saying that she might be ready to give up her position at Big Daddy Mills and go into acting. My guess is that she’ll just pose for the paparazzi for a living and get rich off that. She had pictures in there with the cast of Tough Zone, too. She seems like a real Hollywood bar hopper.”
“So it really didn’t have anything to do with Bear at all.”
“I guess that depends on whether or not he’s still dating her.”
Maddie picked up her red pen and centered it over the test before her. “Well, thanks for your … concern, but I think it’s safe to say he’s not dating her. He’s dating me.” She stared down at the paper as William shuffled back out of her classroom.
Maddie’s computer was already on. In seconds flat, she could pull up a long list of articles and images featuring Bear Schaefer and Kristen Grandy. It would be hard to know whether the gossip was true or not, but pictures didn’t lie. A new swell of panic rose in her as she set the pen down and spun in her chair to face the screen.
Why was it so hard to type in his name? Because she felt disloyal? Kind of. But there was something else too; she just couldn’t pinpoint it.
Fear.
Ugh, yes, that was it. She was afraid that it might be true. And if it was, if Bear was really dating Kristen and Maddie, that would make him a cheater and a liar and someone Maddie would want nothing to do with. Which was horrible. The idea alone made her lip tremble. She’d gotten in too deep too soon, hadn’t she?
Just do it, you chicken.
Fingers frantic on the keyboard, Maddie typed in both names and hit enter. Several images came up. Most of the images were of Bear by himself, standing beside Big Daddy’s logo. Some had him dressed up in a suit and headed to Washington to have his voice heard. He’d done a lot for the industry, and Maddie couldn’t help but admire his passion for it.
She looked over the pictures of the two of them next. Some went as far back as when they were just kids. An old advertisement that featured the daddies of Big Daddy’s and their kids. Someone had snapped a picture of them at dinner together. There were a lot of selfies too. Maddie clicked on one of those to find they’d all been taken by Kristen. She posted on social media a ton. And live videos too.
She came upon one picture that made her heart fall. Kristen stared up at the camera while Bear kissed her on the cheek. The words My guy is so hot captioned the pic. Nausea rumbled through her from one side to the next. She scrolled down a little further and saw Kristen sitting between two totally famous actors Maddie recognized with ease. And one was kissing her on the cheek. Hanging out with the hottest guys in town. That picture was recent. Very recent.
Maddie sighed, wavering between relief and guilt. She didn’t want to turn into some always-suspecting, never-trusting woman who couldn’t let a man breathe on his own. But she didn’t want to play the fool, either. At least now she could say she’d done it. She’d looked. Now she could move on and enjoy what lay ahead.
Chapter 17
Bear had been surprised when his mom suggested they have Thanksgiving dinner at his home this year. Mainly because they were breaking tradition. He couldn’t remember eating anywhere else but home on the special day. Home being the place he grew up. But as the day arrived, Bear realized it might be a good thing. Healthy, really. The fact that his mom felt ready to step out of the norm had him thinking that perhaps she might be ready to date in the next year or two. And boy, would he love to see Mom get remarried.
“How do you turn on these speakers, Bear?”
Bear turned his gaze from the yam he was scrubbing at the sink. Brenda stood in the living room, staring at his entertainment set with a puckered brow.
“Hit that third round button next to the display box. Think it says something like push here to turn on speakers.”
Brenda laughed, but she shot him a disapproving look just the same. “Does not. This weird stereo system has absolutely nothing printed on it, in fact. What—is that some futuristic thing? Is your remote the same way?”
“Maybe,” he said. But then the music kicked on, filling the home with the song he and Maddie danced to just a few nights ago. And what an incredible night that was. Bear had never craved the company of a woman the way he did Maddie’s. When they weren’t together, Bear was thinking back on the moments they had been, reliving new memories that were, by far, some of the best in his life.
“Is that yam ready, dear?” His mom stood up to the counter, preparing a casserole dish with butter and brown sugar.
“I think so.” Just as Bear said it, a tiny pat came to his leg.
“That is the hugest potato I’ve ever seen!” Phillip’s hazel eyes were wide with wonder.
Bear chuckled. “That’s because it’s not a regular potato. It’s different.” Bear handed the yam over and reached down to pick the little guy up. “Have you ever eaten a yam before?”
Phillip shook his head and leaned to see beyond him. Bear watched the way the small child studied his grandma as she sliced into the yam.
“It’s orange inside?”
“Yeah,” Brenda said, coming up from behind. She reached in and rubbed the corner of his mouth with her thumb. “You used to eat sweet potatoes before you even had teeth.”
Phillip’s face scrunched up. Boy, he looked like his mom. “How did I do that when I didn’t even have any teeth?”
“They were all smashed up. I fed them to you with a teeny tiny spoon.” Brenda held her arms out, motioning for Phillip to come to her, but the little boy buried his face into Bear’s chest.
“No,” he squealed.
Brenda didn’t try coercing him twice. She simply walked over to the counter and busied herself with the stuffing.
Bear cuddled the child, running a hand over the back of his small head. Brenda feared this would be a difficult adjustment, but with Adam traveling as often as he did, she needed to be where her largest support system was. At least her soon-to-be ex planned to be a part of the boy’s life as his job allowed.
“Let’s go see the tree again, should we?” Bear hadn’t bothered putting a tree up in years past, but after helping Maddie decorate hers, she’d insisted she help him decorate his place too. Especially since he’d be hosting on Thanksgiving Day.
Already the turkey’s savory aroma filled the house, assuring him they were right on schedule. And as he held Phillip in his arms, the two admired the tree for a while. Maddie had helped him pick out rustic ornaments from some of the shops on Cobble Creek’s Main Street: clusters of cinnamon sticks, cinnamon-scented pinecones, and a cranberry garland she’d helped him make.
In the cherished moment, Bear took a minute to lift thanks to the heavens above. Puffy flakes of snow fell over the ground beyond the window, while they stood safe within the walls of a warm home. They no longer had Dad with them, but the rest of the small family was healthy. And best of all, their family would likely grow in the next year or two. At least, if Bear had his way, it would.
“Hey, Bear?” Brenda called from the kitchen. “Your cell phone’s ringing in here. Says it’s from Maddie.”
That got his pulse racing. Bear scurried back to the kitchen as “Jingle Bells” started to play from his sound system.
“Come here, Phillip,” Brenda said. “Let’s dance to the song.”
This time the little guy agreed, his face lighting up as his little hands flapped open and closed. Brenda handed over his cell phone, then reached for Phillip and hiked him onto her hip.
“Happy Thanksgiving, Love,” Bear said as he brought the phone to his ear. The music grew louder as he tried to hear Maddie’s reply. “Just a sec …” A short walk into the hallway quieted the song. “What was that?”
“I’m having a panic attack right now.” Her words were alarming, but there was a hint of laughter in her tone. Or perhaps that was hysteria.
“What’s wrong?”
“My oven isn’t working. And it’s so weird, because every once in a while it will just shut itself off right while it’s baking something and it will flash with some error, right?”
“Okay …” But all Bear was thinking about was how she and her family might be forced to join him.
“… and it usually just goes away when I turn it off and back on, but when I try doing what I normally do it won’t turn on at all.”
Bear grinned. He’d take her into Duckdale to buy a new oven first thing tomorrow. But for now, he had a problem to solve. An easy one. Maybe even a gift-from-God one. “Maddie, my love?”
“Huh?”
“Come on over!”
She gasped. “All of us?”
“Of course,” he said with a laugh. “We’ve got a ton of food.” When the line went quiet again, he wondered if there was another problem. “Is that going to work?” he asked.
“Yes,” Maddie said in a whisper. “I just hope these two can behave themselves.”
Bear grinned. “I hope so too.”
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