by Linda Bridey
“Why are you makin’ me do this?” Mason asked. “You know I don’t want to be here. You know I don’t want to see her. I’m only going to make things miserable because I’m not changin’ my mind about how I feel. So you can make me go to the restaurant. You can make me go home, but you can’t change my feelings.”
“Fine, Mason. Go get whatever bags you can carry and take them back to the house. Then go to your room and stay there,” Mitch ordered. “You’d better be there when we get home or there’ll be hell to pay.”
Mason gave him a curt nod. “Good enough.” He turned on his heel and began gathering up suitcases. Without another word he walked away with angry strides.
Sammi sighed and turned to Rachel. She’d expected Rachel to be upset, but instead the young woman had an amused expression on her face.
“I know he hates me right now, but he hasn’t changed really. When he gets something in his head, that’s it. Don’t be upset,” Rachel said. “He’ll come around at some point. I don’t blame him for being mad at me. He doesn’t know it, but he’s cute when he’s angry. He always was. It was always hard for Ma to not laugh at him when he got mad about something.”
Mitch grinned. “It still is funny because he sometimes doesn’t make sense. But if you laugh at him, he only gets madder, so I try not to even smile.”
Shawn said, “It’s like living with a stick of dynamite half the time. You never know what’s gonna set him off.”
Rachel smiled and bent down to the two little blonde girls who were waiting eagerly to meet her. “You two are the prettiest little things. I’m Rachel, your big sister.”
Skye said, “I know! You’re so pretty. I like your dress. You can read us stories.”
Rachel laughed. “Thank you. I would love to read you stories.”
Skye said, “This is Breanna. She’s shy, so she doesn’t always talk much.”
Rachel picked up Breanna and hugged her. “You don’t have to be shy with me, Breanna. We’re going to have so much fun.”
The four-year-old smiled and said, “Ok.”
Rachel fell in love with the two little girls, who were each so different in personality.
Sammi said, “Well, let’s go get something to eat. I’m sure you’re hungry.”
“I am. I can’t wait to see the Grady House again.”
Mitch said, “Let’s go then.”
*****
Will finished dressing in his suit and looked in the mirror. He smiled and mentally thanked Joe Dwyer, the mayor of Dawson, for helping him choose the suit. Joe was a self-proclaimed clotheshorse and enjoyed helping other people pick out nice clothing. Will had also gotten a haircut the day before and his hair was combed neatly.
He tried to settle his nerves. This was his second attempt at this and he was trying to be cautiously optimistic. As with Zoe, Will and Rachel seemed compatible, but there was no real way to know until they’d met again. He knew she’d gotten into town yesterday and he hoped she’d had a nice time getting caught up a little with her family. He’d told Rachel that he didn’t want to meet her the same day she arrived so she could have some private time with them. So they’d agreed on dinner at Mitch and Sammi’s the next evening.
As he walked into the parlor, which he’d cleaned up a lot, someone knocked on his door. With a groan, Will looked at the clock on his mantel. He was due at the Taylors’ at seven and it was quarter to. He didn’t want to be late.
Opening the door, he found a woman standing on the stoop. Her mahogany brown hair was done in a French braid and she wore a deep maroon dress. Her brown eyes smiled up at him, along with her very pretty mouth. Will noticed that she had twin dimples.
“Rachel?” he ventured.
“Hi, Will,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind that I came here, but I thought our first meeting would be less awkward if it wasn’t in front of a bunch of other people.”
He smiled and said, “Ok. Sure. Would you like to come in for a few minutes?”
“Yes. Thank you,” Rachel said and stepped into the parlor.
As she walked past him, Will caught a faint whiff of the perfume she wore and thought the scent was heavenly. He judged her to be about five foot five or so. She was petite with a curvy figure. She’d certainly filled out, he thought when she turned back around to face him.
Rachel didn’t miss his appreciation of her and felt much the same about him. She thought “ruggedly handsome” suited him very well and he looked so dashing in the good suit he wore. He had a strong jaw and broad shoulders. His green eyes were very attractive and she liked the way his hair was cut.
“Well, Mr. Foster, I would say that you are indeed ruggedly handsome,” she said.
Will laughed at her unexpected statement. “Thank you, Miss Crispin. You certainly are beautiful.”
“Thank you. I like your parlor. It’s lived in, which is nice. I hate places that look like a museum because they’re so perfect,” she said.
“Well, my house is far from perfect. This is pretty clean for me,” Will told her.
“So you told me,” Rachel said. “My parlor in Canada was always piled down with canvases and all kinds of other art supplies.”
“Good. I won’t feel so bad when it gets junked up again in here,” Will said. “Well, we should probably get to dinner before the sheriff comes looking for us.”
Rachel nodded. “Just one thing before we go,” she said as she closed the distance between them.
Will was shocked when she pulled his head down to kiss him. He stood perfectly still at first, but her mouth was soft and she smelled so good. It was wrong, he knew, but he couldn’t help kissing her back. She pressed her hands against his chest and leaned a little closer to him. Will put his hands on her upper arms and took his time kissing her.
Rachel had kissed her share of men, but there was something about the thorough, unhurried way Will went about it that made her want more. When he slowly pulled away from her, Rachel smiled a little dazedly at him.
“I’d say we have chemistry, Will,” she said.
Will cleared his throat and said, “I’d say so.” That one kiss had sent desire coursing through his body.
“Good. I just wanted to see if we would,” Rachel said.
He smiled down at her. “I don’t normally kiss a woman five minutes after meeting her, but in your case I’ll make an exception.”
Rachel laughed. “I don’t normally kiss a man five minutes after meeting him, but I thought since you’d recently had a bad experience, we should find out right away. I’m glad you didn’t mind.”
“Mind? Are you kidding? I think you could tell I didn’t mind,” Will said. “Come on. We’d really better go now. Don’t get me in trouble right away.”
“You’re right. That wouldn’t be very nice of me,” she said.
As they walked along the main street, Rachel said, “I really do remember you now.”
Will laughed. “I’ll bet you do.”
“I mean it. You’ve grown up a lot, though. I know that sounds stupid, but since I’ve been away, I have these pictures in my mind of how people looked when I left. Like my brothers, for instance. They were only about as tall as I am and now they’re as tall as you and so mature. Do you see what I mean?”
Will nodded. “I do. I can understand that. I had a picture in my head of what you used to look like. I’m not the only one who grew up,” he said, as he let his gaze roam meaningfully over her.
Rachel blushed a little. “I’m glad you approve.”
“I approve very much,” Will said as he helped her cross the street.
“I’ll warn you before we get home, Mason hates me right now, so he won’t be pleasant,” Rachel said.
“Oh? Why does he hate you?” Will asked with a concerned expression.
Rachel sighed. “He feels like I abandoned him when I left. As I explained to you, I didn’t leave under very good circumstances, and he’s been furious with me for going. I don’t blame him. I should have handled things mu
ch differently.”
“Look, you were young and I don’t know what happened, but lots of people don’t handle things very well when they’re young. The important thing is that you’re back and you can set things straight like you want to. Mason will come around. He just needs time, I guess.”
Rachel took his hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “Not only are you handsome, but you’re understanding, too.”
Will smiled as they went up the steps to the Taylor residence.
*****
Will saw what Rachel meant about Mason as they ate dinner. The boy kept his head down as he ate and only said something when asked a direct question. He ignored Rachel’s presence and once he finished eating, he sat silent and sullen until dinner was over. When everyone had moved to the front parlor to sit and visit more, Mason quickly left the house.
Rachel watched him go and felt tears prick the backs of her eyes. She couldn’t blame Mason, though. When she’d decided to come home, she’d known that not everyone was going to be happy to see her. She was going to have to atone for the things she’d done and it wasn’t going to be easy. She shook off the sadness and smiled as she sat next to Will on one of the sofas.
Though she was trying to hide it, Will could see that Rachel was upset and knew that Mason was the reason for it, or at least part of the reason for it. He wanted to hold her hand to comfort her, but it would not have been appropriate.
He thought to distract her and said, “Did these guys tell you that Tessa Samuels is pregnant?”
Rachel’s eyes grew wider. “No! Oh, my gosh! But Katie and D.J. are how old now?”
“Almost fifteen. They’re happy about it now, but when they first found out, Dean was a wreck. Tessa, too,” Will said.
Mitch laughed. “Yeah. It’s pretty funny. What makes it even funnier is that now Maddie turned up pregnant.”
“What?” Will asked. “I didn’t know that. When did this happen?”
“Raven told me today. I guess Seth told him the night before last when they were at the Watering Hole,” Mitch said.
Raven worked as a bouncer at the Watering Hole and also as a deputy.
Will laughed hard over the news. “I can’t believe it. How did Seth take it?”
Mitch said, “In stride. He’s proud as punch about it. Maddie was pretty shaken, though. You know how much trouble she had getting pregnant with J.R. and after Kayla, they never thought she’d get pregnant again.”
Sammi hugged Skye, who sat on her lap. “I know how that is.”
Skye said, “Me and Bree are your miracle babies, right, Ma?”
“You sure are,” Sammi said and kissed her.
Mitch looked on and it was easy to see the pride that he felt in their girls. Sammi saw it and smiled at him. She hadn’t mentioned it to him, but Sammi wanted to try one more time for a boy. She wanted to give her husband another son. She planned on talking to Marcus about it.
While Mason was angry and withdrawn about Rachel’s return, Shawn was the complete opposite. He’d missed his big sister and was glad to have her back. He didn’t share Mason’s view of the situation. As they visited, he teased Rachel about all kinds of things that had happened when they were younger.
Will enjoyed hearing their stories and he loved seeing Rachel’s dimples flash when she smiled. She was a beautiful woman and he found himself thinking that it was too bad that he hadn’t acted on his impulse to ask her out before she’d left for Canada. Maybe when things went south with Reckless, he’d have had a chance with her. He stopped that kind of thinking however, because it was pointless to wonder ‘what if’. She was here now and that was all that mattered.
As the hour grew later, Will thought it was time for him to take his leave. He knew that Sammi and Mitch would want to get the girls to bed and he had to get up for work the next day.
He said, “Thank you for a nice evening, everyone. Dinner was delicious and the company excellent.”
When he rose from the sofa, Mitch stood and they shook hands. “Always glad to have you, Will,” the sheriff said.
“Thanks.”
Rachel said, “I’ll walk you out.”
Will said goodnight to everyone and followed her out onto the porch. “I had a really good time tonight. I’m not surprised, though. I always have fun with them, but you were the best part.”
He took her hand and kissed the back of it. Rachel felt her hand tingle from the contact and moved closer to him.
“You are such a charmer, Will. I don’t remember that about you,” Rachel said.
“Well, I wasn’t a charmer back then, really. I was more of the shy type,” Will said as he looked into her brown eyes.
“How did you overcome your shyness?”
Will laughed a little. “I just decided to start going after what I wanted instead of waiting for it to happen.”
Rachel smiled. “I think that’s a good attitude to have.”
He nodded and then said, “Would you like to have dinner tomorrow night?”
“I’d love to,” Rachel responded. It made her happy that he wanted to see her again.
“Great. I’ll come for you about six. Is that ok?”
“It’s very ok.”
Despite the fact that he wanted to kiss her again, Will settled for a kiss on her cheek since they were standing on the Taylors’ porch. “I’ll see you tomorrow night,” he said.
“See you then,” Rachel answered.
As he descended the steps to the street, Will kept glancing back at Rachel, noticing how she stayed out on the porch to watch him leave. He gave her a wave and then walked away quickly before he could give in to the temptation to run back up the stairs and plant another kiss on her.
Rachel went back inside to find Sammi waiting in the parlor.
“Well?” Sammi asked.
In her excitement, Rachel forgot her age. She let out a small squeal and did a little dance. Sammi laughed and patted the seat next to her on the sofa.
“So you like him, huh?” she asked.
“Yes! He’s wonderful. And so handsome.” Rachel lowered her voice and said, “And a good kisser.”
Sammi was far from scandalized. She chuckled and said, “I’m not gonna tell Mitch that part. That’ll be just between us girls. I’m so happy you like him. He’s a good man. I think you’ll be good for each other.”
“I think so, too. Thank you for playing matchmaker,” Rachel said as she hugged Sammi.
“You’re welcome. I just want you to be happy,” Sammi said.
“I know. You’ve always been there for me.”
Sammi pulled back and put a hand on Rachel’s cheek. “I always will be, too. Don’t you forget that.”
“I won’t. Well, goodnight Sammi.”
“Sleep well, honey.”
Chapter Four
Aiyana heard a familiar sound at her bedroom window. A pebble had been thrown at it. There was only one person who would do that– Mason. Smiling, she turned from her desk, where she was writing in her journal. This was something she did at the end of every day. It wasn’t all that late, but she had started early.
She went over to the window and opened it quietly. Looking down, she saw Mason smiling up at her. He motioned for her to come down. She held up an index finger to him and closed the window again. After closing her journal and putting it away, Aiyana went out to the parlor where Claire sat on the sofa. Marcus sat cross-legged on the floor next to her, reading over the chart in his lap.
“I’m going to take a little walk,” Aiyana said.
Claire looked at the clock. It was after eight.
Aiyana knew what her mother was thinking. “I’ll only be gone about twenty minutes. I just feel like stretching my legs a little before bed.”
“All right,” Claire said. “Twenty minutes. No longer or I’ll send your father after you.”
Aiyana smiled even though she was irritated. “Ok. Thank you.”
Marcus never looked up from his chart as he said, “Why don’t you take y
our brother with you?”
“Why do I have to have Anthony with me? I’m fine on my own. I don’t need a chaperone,” Aiyana said.
Marcus yawned and stretched. “It’s either your brother or me.”
Aiyana seethed inside as she looked at her father. She wanted to rail at him for being so unreasonable. Her parents had been keeping a close eye on her lately and she didn’t understand why. Keeping her voice calm, she asked, “Why are you acting like this with me? When we’re in camp, I’m allowed to roam around and no one has to be with me. Why is it different here? I don’t understand why I’m not allowed to go outside for twenty minutes by myself. It’s really not late.”
Marcus crossed his arms over his chest. “Because it’s a Friday night and I don’t want anyone trying any funny business with you. You know that it can be a little dangerous on Fridays and Saturdays.”
“It’s only a little after eight. I’m not going far or anything,” Aiyana said, trying not to raise her voice.
“Is there a particular reason you don’t want your brother to go?” Marcus asked.
She kept her body posture relaxed so she didn’t give away anything to him. “I was with him enough today. We get on each other’s nerves after so long. Why can’t I just have a little time to myself?”
Her father said, “Fine. Fifteen minutes, and I will come looking for you if you’re late.”
Aiyana was too angry to respond without yelling, so she just nodded and left.
Marcus sighed. He knew they were in for the silent treatment when she got back. He hadn’t missed the way one of her hands had curled into a fist.
“I think we’re being punished for something,” he said to Claire.
She ran a hand through his thick, black hair and said, “No, dummy, she’s just getting older and wants to be more independent. You remember what that was like.”
“No, I don’t. Our parents were pretty permissive once I got to be that age, but it was a different time. The area wasn’t so populated, and out at the ranch it didn’t matter if we ran around all hours of the night.”
Claire tugged on his hair slightly and he growled a little. He loved it when Claire pulled his hair. It always had an amorous effect on him. “Well, it was much different for us. If it wasn’t Mama or Papa keeping tabs on us, it was a servant. It didn’t matter too much to me because I didn’t do anything exciting. Maddie and Tessa were different stories, however.”