Rose and Jacob
LEXI BUCHANAN
Rose and Jacob Copyright © 2015 Lexi Buchanan
All rights reserved. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the author.
Published by HFCA Publishing House
Edited by Sirena van Schaik
Proofread by J Sim
This book is a written act of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
ISBN-13: 978-1507610657
Dedication
In memory of my father-in-law, who had three great loves:
His wife, his family, and fishing.
He probably never so much as picked up a romance novel but would be chuffed to bits to have one dedicated to him.
Ronald James Higson
6 August 1937 To 9 May 2009
Fisherman’s Prayer
God grant that I may live to fish
For another shining day
But when my final cast is made
I then most humbly pray
When nestled in your landing net
As I lay peacefully asleep
You’ll smile at me and judge
That I’m good enough to keep
Author, Unknown
Other Books
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Sizzle
Spicy
Sultry
Savor
Sinful (2015)
McKenzie Brothers
Seduce
The Wedding (Novella)
Rapture
Delight
Entice
Cherished (2015)
Men in Uniform (McKenzie Spinoff)
Blade (2015)
Jackson Hole
From This Moment
When we Meet
New Beginning (2015)
Holiday Season
Kissing Under the Mistletoe
Lawful
Gia 0.5 (Novella)
The Club
One Dance (Aug 15, 2015)
Standalone
Rose and Jacob
Educate Me
Renovation of the Heart (coming soon)
Offside (coming soon)
Chapter 1
“Auntie Mack, are we there yet?”
Mack glanced into the rearview mirror and smiled at her six-year-old nephew, Lucas. “No, we’re not there yet. Asking me every two seconds isn’t going to get us there any faster.”
Lucas had asked the same question every ten minutes or so since they’d left Boston. The first time he’d asked had been as soon as she’d turned the corner from her apartment building.
Last night, Lucas’s parents had dropped him off at Mack’s place so she could get an early start in the morning, but Lucas had other ideas! They had both fallen asleep on Mack’s bed watching a movie with a bowl of popcorn between them. When they’d woken up, Mack was thankful that he didn’t have an upset stomach after all the treats he had devoured the night before.
She’d been driving for just over an hour, traveling up the coast to the cottage in Maine she’d rented for the summer. Rose Cottage—a place where she could get a breather from the craziness she called work, and her matchmaking parents. Despite loving them, she was beyond frustrated with them and the endless dates they threw at her. Normally, she wouldn’t mind, but the dates were all the same age as her parents and lived in the same retirement village.
It wasn’t as though she never dated because she did, but for some reason all her dates were horrible. She either ended up going out on a date with someone who didn’t know how to have fun or with someone, like her last date, who spent the whole time eyeing anyone wearing a skirt! How the hell she managed to pick these kinds of guys, she’d never know. After all her failed attempts at romance, her mother had decided to take matters into her own hands, and started to arrange blind dates for her—much to Mack’s dismay.
Mack used to have a great time going out with her sister, Melinda. They used to meet some gorgeous guys, but unfortunately, they were only interested in one thing, and Mack didn’t do one-night stands. That, of course, all stopped when Melinda married Daniel, and that was when girl’s night out started to get few and far between, especially after Lucas came along.
Mack loved Lucas dearly and spent as much time as possible with him. He could be very mischievous if he wasn’t watched all the time, but that made her love him even more. His parents were flying to Europe later in the day, and Lucas had wanted to spend the time with his Auntie Mack, who could never say no. She always told herself to stop spoiling him, but so far, her resolve hadn’t stuck.
As she drove to Cape Elizabeth, she had a car full of clothes, toys, books, and groceries. It was with relief to discover Lucas could do without his pet snake, Archie. Mack didn’t do snakes, spiders, or frogs; they just frightened the life out of her.
She wasn’t quite sure how she would have handled him wanting to bring Archie because there was no way a snake was going on vacation with them. In fact, Melinda had given Lucas the option of no snake and Auntie Mack, or snake and grandparents.
“Are you sure we’re not there yet?” Lucas asked again, fidgeting in the backseat.
She sighed. “Lucas, we’ll be there soon. Why don’t you read one of your books?”
“Auntie Mack, my books are boring. Can I read one of yours?” He bounced up and down in his seat full of excitement.
“My books are for adults, and they have no pictures in them.” She was thankful that her books were packed in the trunk so Lucas couldn’t go rooting around for them.
“But Daddy told Mommy that she would learn a lot if she read the type of books you read, instead of her boring magazines. I like to learn,” Lucas replied with his ‘cute’ face.
Mack smiled at him; he knew that his Auntie Mack had never been able to withhold anything from him when he gave her that look. He obviously hoped she would give in and let him have a look through her books.
She started to laugh, as well as blush, and wondered just what type of books Daniel thought she read. “They’re still adult-only books, Lucas. If you’re bored with yours, why don’t I buy you some new ones when we get there?”
“As soon as we get there? You promise?” Lucas tossed his current books onto the spare seat beside him.
“We’ll check the stores out in a day or two.” With a quick glance at the mirror, she saw Lucas’s face start to fall, so she added, “But if you’re good until then, I’ll buy you one extra book, maybe an atlas, then you can keep track of where your parents are staying in Europe.”
Lucas had a ‘thinking face’ this time. “That would be cool.”
“Okay . . . now that’s the end of that. Why don’t you have a nap? I’ll wake you when we get there. That way, the time will pass very quickly for you.”
Eventually, Mack pulled up outside Rose Cottage and turned the engine off. The quiet and stillness must have woken Lucas because one minute he was asleep, and the next, he shot up in his seat and banged the side of his head against the window. “You all right, Lucas?”
He rubbed his head. “I think so. Are we there yet?”
“Yes, we are, thank goodness! Let’s stretch our legs.” She peered across the yard and spotted a man walking toward them. “In fact, I think I can see Mr. Degan on his way to the cottage.” Mack pointed to the left.
She climbed out of the car and opened the back door for Lucas. He jumped out and ran around her in circles before he ran to meet Mr. Degan.
As she wa
tched him dash toward Mr. Degan, she suddenly thought better of it as there was no telling what would come out of Lucas’s mouth. She jogged over to them before Lucas could even say one word. “Mr. Degan,” Mack said, holding her hand out. “I’m Mackenzie Harper, and this is my nephew, Lucas Cartwright.”
“You like fishing?” Mr. Degan asked as he released her hand.
“Err, not really,” she replied. Her brows came together in confusion at the odd question. No welcome, just fishing. There was no way she was going anywhere near the bait…and pulling the fish from the water wasn’t appealing either.
“I wasn’t talking to you, young woman. I was talking to this here imp.” Mr. Degan pointed at Lucas.
Lucas was jumping up and down like an excited puppy. “I’ve never been fishing, but Daddy says you have to try everything once.”
“Mmm, there are some big suckers in the river. I thought I could use you as bait?”
Lucas looked confused while Mack’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Mr. Degan, I don’t . . .”
“Calm yourself. I’m only pulling your leg. Please, call me Thomas. I may be eighty, but hearing you say Mr. Degan still has me looking for my father.”
Mack smiled and decided it was probably a good idea to change the subject. “Okay. Do you have the keys?”
“No need,” Thomas replied. “The door’s open.” He walked to the cottage with Lucas, who seemed instantly at ease with the older man as he slipped his hand into Mr. Degan’s. For her part, Mack didn’t really know how to take Mr. Thomas Degan.
Mack caught up to them in the kitchen, which was huge. Not at all like she had imagined when she read the description of the cottage online. But it was a pleasant surprise. It was large and airy with white cabinets that looked to be older than she was but were still in good shape. The countertops looked to be a fairly new beech wood.
As Mack approached the stove for a closer look, she decided a bit of caution would be used before she so much as turned it on.
Turning back to Thomas, she asked, “Have you always lived around here?”
He scratched his chin, appearing to be deep in thought. “My parents settled in this country around 1924 after sailing from Ireland. They went to New York first but moved here into Rose Cottage in 1927. Of course, back then, and as a child growing up, it was known as ‘Degan House.’ They gave their place a name, like the houses had back in Ireland.”
“Perhaps you could spare some time and tell me more about your parents? Maybe come over for coffee and homemade cake?” Mack hoped the food offering would tempt Thomas, especially since she saw him frown and guessed he was about to refuse.
He took his cap off. “Maybe.”
Thomas seemed like a nice enough old man, especially since he didn’t seem to mind Lucas hovering. In fact, Lucas had made a new friend by the look of things.
“Thomas, I have pizza in the cooler, and there’s plenty of it, too much for just the two of us really, if you’d like to join us?”
As Thomas sat at the kitchen table, Lucas begged him to stay, as he climbed up onto his lap. “Please stay, Mr. Degan.”
“Don’t mind if I do,” Thomas answered, grinning at Mack. “I’ll keep this little jumping bean occupied while you unload, if you’d like.”
“That would be great, thanks. We don’t have too much with us, really, so it shouldn’t take that long.”
Outside, she just stood and looked around her, noticing, for the first time, the clear view of the ocean and the cliffs with the lighthouse perched on the edge of the headland.
The cottage was bordered by the exploding colors of beautiful and fragrant plants, some even climbing the gazebo wall while others covered the ground in various displays of summer. It looked very pretty. She hoped there would be a bench inside the gazebo so she could sit sheltered from the sun to keep an eye on Lucas while he played and she read or just relaxed with a cup of coffee.
There was also a small cottage, similar in style to the Rose Cottage, sitting alongside their own, but it looked empty. If she remembered correctly, it was also available as a summer rental.
Mack looked up at the crystal blue sky and took a deep breath of fresh, salt air. With relief, she didn’t inhale a lungful of car fumes in the process, like she did most days in the city. Not only did everything smell fresh, it was also blissfully quiet. No car horns and no noisy neighbors; just the sound of the waves on the shore, the wind in the trees, and the birds singing around them. It was simply paradise to Mack.
She began emptying the car, taking short trips back and forth, as she carted Lucas’s toys, their clothes, books and food into the quaint cottage.
The last trip inside was with the food. It was only after she’d put it away in the cupboards and refrigerator that it dawned on her how quiet the cottage was. Lucas was six. He didn’t do quiet.
Mack listened and heard voices upstairs. With the lid snapped on the cooler and ready to be thrown back into the car, she collected a box of clothes from the bottom of the stairs and headed up. After quickly placing the box in what she presumed to be the master bedroom, Mack opened one of the doors and found them both sitting down on one of the twin beds in the bedroom. Thomas was reading what looked to be a very old comic to Lucas.
Thomas caught sight of Mack and waved the comic up in the air. “Lucas found it underneath the closet, along with some spiders.” He chuckled.
Mack looked nervously around her. “Spiders?” she questioned a laughing Thomas and Lucas.
“I think I’ll leave you two alone for now. I’ll give you a shout when dinner’s ready.” She was still looking for spiders as she shut the door and could hear Thomas and Lucas laughing.
God, she was such a wimp!
“Thomas! Lucas! Dinner is ready. Please wash up,” Mack shouted from downstairs.
After fiddling about with the aging but clean oven, she finally produced a nicely warmed pizza.
Mack sliced the pizza into small, evenly sized triangles and arranged them on a serving plate. She placed the pizza alongside the potato salad and coleslaw on the table just as Thomas and Lucas appeared.
“Hi, take a seat. What would you like to drink, Thomas?”
“Water’s fine,” he replied while helping himself to pizza and potato salad.
After she’d poured everyone a glass of water, Mack finally sat down, joining the two obviously hungry men.
“So, you folks always lived in Boston?” Thomas asked around a mouth full of pizza.
“Yes. Born and bred there, Roslindale specifically.”
Lucas turned and grinned at his Auntie Mack before he turned back to Thomas. “She’s a schoolteacher and frightens all the kids in the class,” he blurted out.
“Lucas, don’t talk with your mouth full, please.”
“You and Mr. Degan just did,” Lucas replied indignantly.
“Well, Mr. Degan and I are very naughty then, so you behave.”
“Is she always this bossy?” Thomas grinned at Mack.
Lucas shoveled more food into his mouth and said around a mouthful full, “You really have no idea. You should be thankful she isn’t your auntie.”
“Hey, I can always take you back to Boston. You can stay with your grandparents,” Mack replied sternly, while trying not to laugh.
“No way. They are old and no fun. All they want to do all day is play cards.” When he noticed the frown on his Auntie Mack’s face, he added, “And strip poker.”
Mack choked on her drink. “They do no such thing, young man. Well, maybe cards.” She glanced across to Thomas, who was trying to eat without laughing.
Lucas was so funny with the things he came out with sometimes. She could see why Daniel always watched what he said around Lucas. Melinda probably wasn’t as careful, and their mother, obviously, wasn’t careful at all. Good grief, strip poker!
The rest of the meal was eaten in comfortable silence, and before she knew it, Thomas had cleared the table and started to fill the sink with water and dishwash
ing liquid.
“Thomas, you don’t need to do that.” Mack stood to help him.
“I know I don’t need to do this, but I want to. Why don’t you get some coffee going?” He winked at her.
With a laugh, she turned to do his bidding. While Mack waited for the coffee to brew, she followed Lucas into the living room and switched the Wii on for him. He was allowed thirty minutes each evening before bed.
With the dishes all washed and dried, she joined Thomas at the kitchen table to drink coffee. She felt comfortable with him, as though she’d known him for a long time. She hoped he would tell her about his past. She really enjoyed hearing about people’s lives, especially before and after the Second World War. It was why she’d chosen to teach history.
“Would you mind telling me something about your parents? What were they like? What did they do?” She grinned at Thomas, who looked as though he’d never been asked that before. “Sorry, I find family history rather interesting.”
He frowned and gazed into his mug of coffee. “My parents, hmm. Well, my mother was named Josephine, and my father was named Thomas. They were both born in Delgany in County Wicklow in 1899 and sailed for America in the early 1920’s on the RMS Mauretania from Southampton to New York.”
“I’ve always wanted to visit Ireland, but it would mean a rather long flight, and I don’t like to fly. Have you ever been, Thomas? You must still have family over there?”
“I think there is family over there, but I wouldn’t know them. I’ve never had any contact with them. I don’t think my father or mother stayed in touch with any family when they moved here.”
“What did your parents do for work?” Mack inquired.
“When they arrived, my father was offered a good position with a law firm in Portland. The firm paid well and, in 1927, they moved here. They rented this cottage first, and then bought it a few years later. My mother never worked, even during the Depression, and just enjoyed visiting friends and drinking tea. My father worked all the time. He had one hell of a temper. He used to scare the crap out of me.”
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