by Marie Force
That and one other bit of business had brought him to Hunter Abbott’s front door first thing on a Sunday morning. Hannah thought he’d gone in to work at the garage to catch up for a few hours. He could’ve used those hours in the office, but this was more important.
He rang the bell at the restored colonial that was painted a dark taupe with black trim. The place was almost as classy as its owner, Nolan thought as he waited for Hunter to answer the door. His silver Lincoln Navigator was in the driveway, so Nolan knew Hunter was home.
The door opened to Hunter in a T-shirt and sweats.
“Thank goodness.”
“What?” Hunter asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m just glad to see you own sweats like the rest of us.”
Hunter’s brown eyes narrowed with annoyance. Nolan knew that look. Hannah had the same one.
“Did you want something or are you here to critique my wardrobe?”
“Dude, no one in this town would have the nerve to critique your wardrobe. Can I come in?”
“Sure. You want coffee?”
“Wouldn’t say no to that.” The coffee would probably help to calm his nerves, too, as he turned what had been only a thought into an actual plan that would involve disclosing something about himself that no one knew—not even Hannah.
Hunter put two mugs on the table along with cream and sugar.
Nolan stirred both into his coffee.
“So what’s up?” Hunter asked when he joined him at the table.
“Couple of things, actually.”
“Is everything okay with Hannah?”
“Everything is great with Hannah.”
“Oh,” Hunter said, visibly relieved. “Good.”
“I know it hasn’t been easy for you . . . the last few years since Caleb died. But I’m taking good care of her, so you don’t need to worry.”
“Worrying about Hannah is my part-time job,” Hunter said with a rueful smile. “I don’t know how not to worry about her.”
“She appreciates everything you’ve done for her. She’s said more than once she never would’ve gotten through it without you.” Nolan stirred the cream around in his coffee. “But I’m not here to talk about the past. I’ve got the future on my mind.”
“What about it?”
“Hannah tells me I have to get on board with the fact that we’re getting married in a couple of weeks.”
“I thought all you had to do was show up.”
“So did I, but apparently I also need a best man, and I was hoping you might be game.”
Hunter’s eyes widened with surprise. “Oh, wow. Yeah, I’d be honored.”
“Thank you,” Nolan said, surprised by how relieved he was that Hannah’s twin had agreed to stand up for him. Hunter and Will Abbott had been among Nolan’s closest friends for much of his life, but he’d chosen to ask Hunter because of his indelible bond with Hannah.
“Of course. I’m happy to do it. This means there’s a bachelor party in our future.”
“I’d be perfectly fine with avoiding that entirely.”
“I’m sure you would,” Hunter said with a laugh, “but that ain’t gonna happen.”
“I suppose there’s no way I can talk you out of it?”
“No way at all.”
Nolan sighed and sat back in his chair, resigned to his fate. He’d certainly known what he was getting when he married into the Abbott family, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Well, he could do without a bachelor party, but in Hunter’s hands, the event wouldn’t be trashy or tawdry. At least he hoped not. “There was one other thing I wanted to ask you.”
“What’s that?”
“Do you still play the piano?”
“Once in a while. Why?”
Nolan withdrew a folded piece of paper from his back pocket and laid it flat on the table in front of Hunter. “Can you play that?”
Hunter studied the sheet music. “Looks easy enough, but I don’t sing.”
“I know.” Nolan cleared his throat and tried to ignore all the misgivings that had kept him from ever revealing his “hidden” talent. “I do.”
“Wait . . . You sing?”
“Yeah.”
“How come I’ve never heard you before?”
“’Cuz I’ve never done it in public. It’s always been more of a private thing.”
“And you’re thinking about taking it public at your wedding?”
As much as the idea of singing in front of other people—even people he’d known all his life—terrified him, he wanted to do this for Hannah. “Something like that.”
“Wow. You think you know a guy . . .”
“So will you do it?”
“If it means I get to hear you sing, you bet I will.”
“You can’t say anything about this. I want it to be a surprise for her.”
“My lips are sealed,” Hunter said with a smile. “I wouldn’t dream of telling anyone.” He got up and gestured for Nolan to follow him into the other room. “Come on. This I’ve got to see.”
As they approached the turnoff that led to the mountain, Colton became increasingly more nervous about how Lucy would react to his home. He took the hill slowly, giving her the chance to take in the breathtaking scenery that unfolded before them as they headed up, up, up.
“My ears are popping,” she said.
“You get used to it after a while. Look down there.” He pointed to the stream that rushed through the woods. “You should see that in the winter when it’s totally frozen. It’s incredible.”
“It’s really beautiful.”
“I think so, too. I never get tired of it no matter how many times I see it.” The road curved and the slope got even steeper. “It’ll be a lot colder up here than it was at the lake.”
“Is it cold all the time?”
“There’s cold and then there’s cold. It’s chilly at night this time of year but warm during the day. In the winter, it’s frigid.”
“And you have no heat?”
“I’ve got an awesome woodstove that heats my entire cabin. It’s warm and toasty in there.”
“Somehow I think your idea of warm and toasty might differ from mine.”
“Nah. After a long day of working outside, I’m ready to warm up when I go in for the night.”
“Still, your thermostat is probably calibrated differently than most people’s after all the time you’ve spent up here.”
“Probably.”
“What’s this hill like when it’s covered in snow?”
“It’s really fun. Have you seen the bobsled races at the Olympics?” After she nodded, he continued. “Coming down the hill in the winter is a lot like that. Fortunately, I have four-wheel drive, but sometimes even that is no match for this hill.” He pointed to a sharp curve. “Ask Cameron about her first visit up here when Will nearly drove them off the road on the way back down. Happened right about there.”
“I heard about that! She said he kissed her for the first time right here, and his foot slipped off the brake.” Lucy sat up straighter so she could see what was on the other side of the guard rail. “Holy cow. That’s one hell of a drop. She must’ve been freaking out.”
“She was until I showed up and got them back on the road.” He flexed his bicep for effect, which made Lucy laugh.
Colton navigated the last three bends in the road that led to his cabin and the sugaring facility right next door. “Oh great,” he muttered when he saw his dad’s Range Rover parked in the driveway. Was there anywhere he could go to escape his damned family this weekend? “What’s he doing here?”
“Who?”
“That’s my dad’s car, and those are his dogs, George and Ringo.”
“I remember. I met them the day we did the demo in the office.”
“That’s right.” He turned off the truck and looked over at her. “Sorry about this.”
“About what?”
“More family interruptions. I have no idea what he’s
doing here. Max was supposed to be covering.”
“Let’s go find out.” She reached for the handle on the door, but Colton stopped her from getting out.
“Are you sure this is okay? He’ll know about us.”
Lucy laughed again, a sound he never got tired of hearing. “Will and Cameron know about us. Our days were numbered until they got back to town.”
“True.” Colton got out of the truck and went around to help Lucy. The truck was tall and she was short in comparison, so he gave her a hand down.
He was still holding her hand when Lincoln and Molly emerged from the door to the retail portion of the sugaring facility. Great, Colton thought. Both of them. At least they’d go public with his parents all at once.
“You’re back,” Lincoln said with a smile for his son as his gaze shifted to the hand that Colton was holding. “And Lucy! So nice to see you again.”
“You, too, Mr. Abbott.”
“I thought we were past all that Mr. and Mrs. business,” Molly said as she came over to give Lucy a warm hug.
Colton had no choice but to let go of her hand while she hugged both his parents, who didn’t seem at all surprised to see her. Very interesting indeed.
“We’re Lincoln and Molly,” his mother said. “And we’re not big on formalities.”
“What’re you doing here?” Colton asked them. “I thought Max was holding down the fort.”
“He was until Chloe got hit with a stomach bug and fever, so he went back to Burlington to take care of her.”
“Is she okay?” Colton asked. He didn’t know much about having babies, but even he knew any kind of flu could be harmful to a pregnant woman and her baby.
“She is now,” Molly said. “They admitted her to the hospital last night and put her on an IV. They were worried about dehydration.”
“Damn,” Colton said. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“We came up to mind the store for a few hours,” Lincoln said. “We weren’t expecting you back until Tuesday.”
“I wasn’t expecting to be back, but as you know, we had some company at the lake, so we decided to come here. So we can be alone.”
“Colton,” Lucy said. “Stop it.”
“It’s all right, honey,” Molly said. “We’re used to him. I’m sorry if he embarrassed you.”
“You don’t seem surprised to see me with him,” Lucy said.
The comment took Colton by surprise. He wouldn’t have expected her to be so forthcoming with his parents, but they did have that effect on people. They put even perfect strangers at ease.
“You forget that we’ve seen the two of you together before,” Molly said. “At dinner the night you first met.”
“But that was before . . .” Lucy gestured with her hand. “Anything happened.”
“Was it?” Molly asked shrewdly. “Seemed to us like something happened over dinner that night, and we’ve been hoping to see you again ever since.”
“So you haven’t been fooled by our secret friendship?” Lucy asked.
“Not really,” Molly said with a warm smile. “You have to understand. When you raise ten kids, you learn quickly to pay attention to the little things or you lose control. In this case, the signs were rather apparent. Our boy here has made some rather significant changes lately, all of them occurring after he met you. Linc and I put two and two together . . .”
“Plus there were a few calls to New York on the phone bill,” Lincoln added.
“Desperate times,” Colton said with a shrug that made the others laugh. “Is this why you picked me to go to New York for the trade show?”
“Perhaps. Just trying to help you out, son.”
“If you were trying to help me out, why’d you send Will to the lake to butt into my weekend with Lucy?”
“I didn’t do that. Exactly.”
Watching his dad squirm gave Colton some much-needed satisfaction. “Yes, you did.”
“You’re busted, Linc,” Molly said, making Lucy laugh. “Give it up.”
“All the secrecy was getting a little much,” Lincoln said.
“Says who?” Colton asked. “It’s our business, not yours. You forced us out of the closet before we were ready, and that’s not really your decision.”
“You’re absolutely right, son, and I apologize.”
The apology caught Colton completely by surprise. He glanced at his mother, who seemed equally shocked. “Did he just apologize for meddling in my life?” Colton asked his mother.
“I think he did. I need a moment. This is unprecedented.”
“Oh be quiet, both of you,” Lincoln said. “Lucy, come with me. Let me show you around our sugaring facility.”
Colton curled his hand around Lucy’s arm. “She’s not going anywhere with you. It’s my sugaring facility, and I’ll show it to her. You can head back to town and leave us alone.”
“I assume you’ll be down for dinner later,” his mother said with a smile that left no room for negotiation.
“Mom, come on! She’s only here until Tuesday!”
“And she needs to eat. Don’t you, Lucy?”
“Food would be good.”
“I hate everyone right now,” Colton said.
“Colton Michael Abbott,” Molly said. “You know how I feel about that word.” To Lucy, she said, “I had to put a moratorium on the word hate with ten children fighting incessantly for years. I’m sure you understand.”
Of course Lucy was utterly charmed by his parents. Who wouldn’t be? Her lips curled with amusement. “I completely understand. In fact, I’m surprised you’re not locked in a padded room somewhere.”
Molly patted Lucy’s arm. “So am I, honey. So am I.” To Colton, she said, “I’ll see you both at three?”
When he didn’t answer her, Lucy nudged him with her elbow, which connected firmly with his ribs.
“Fine,” he muttered.
“Great,” Lincoln said. “We’ll see you then.”
CHAPTER 13
An extravagant run today. The sap gushed, overwhelming the system this morning. Why? A genuine freezing night, down to 22 degrees for several hours. A busy day. We stopped boiling for today, but the reverse-osmosis machine will run during the night, and we’ll resume in the morning.
—Colton Abbott’s sugaring journal, March 31
Standing next to Lucy, Colton watched his parents leave and tried to figure out how they’d managed to completely manipulate him. So much for being a grown man who ran his own life. “Well, that was mortifying.”
“How so?”
“They sort of handed me my ass just then.”
Lucy pinched her lips together, but her dancing eyes gave away her amusement.
“Oh go ahead and laugh, if you must.”
She did just that.
“I hate you, too.” He made sure his tone was light so there was no way she could take him seriously.
“No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do.”
“I bet I can prove otherwise.”
“And how do you plan to do that?”
“I assume that one is your house?” She pointed to the cabin.
“You assume correctly.”
Lucy took his hand and led him into his own house, which had been cleaned and straightened in his absence. In that moment, he was extremely grateful for Molly Abbott. But then he remembered the mandatory invite to dinner and his gratitude faded. He hadn’t expected to spend so much of this weekend aggravated and irritated by his family. “Where are we going?” he asked as he watched Lucy take in his austere living space. He’d wondered how his rough-hewn home would appear to his city girl.
“This is very cozy.”
“Told you.”
“I like it.”
“I’m glad, but you still haven’t told me where you’re taking me.”
She released his hand and turned to him. In her expression he saw something he hadn’t seen before—pure happiness. Gone was the edgy doubt and worry. In its place was a li
ghtness he embraced with everything he had.
“You look happy, Luce. Are you?”
Her fingers found the hem of his T-shirt and pulled it up and over his head. “I like your parents.”
“Most people do.”
“I can see why. Are you surprised to hear they knew all along what we were up to?”
“Not as surprised as I should be. We never have gotten away with much with the two of them watching over us. Nothing has changed in that regard since we grew up and became adults.”
“You’re still their kids.”
“Exactly.”
She flattened her hands on his chest and leaned in to drop a series of kisses on his collarbone. “I’m glad they know.”
“Are you?”
“Uh-huh.”
“You didn’t answer my question, Luce.”
“Which one?”
“Are you happy?”
“I’m very happy. What time do we have to leave for dinner?”
He consulted his watch. “Two hours.”
“Mmm. Good. That ought to be enough time.”
“For what?” he asked, even though he was starting to get a very good idea of where this was leading, but because it was the first time she’d initiated it, he wanted to see how far she’d go. Then she tugged on the button to his shorts, and he sucked in a sharp deep breath.
“Is this okay?”
“What do you think?”
Her smile lit up her face and made her eyes dance with pleasure. He loved that almost as much as he loved the dimples that lined her cheeks.
“You were a good sport with my folks just now.”
“I like them.”
“They like you, too.”
“I’m glad.”
Colton put his hands on her hips and brought her in closer to him. “Do you think your dad and Emma will like me?”
“I’m sure they will. What’s not to like?”
“See? That’s what I say, too, but no one—” He never got to finish that thought because she kissed the words right off his lips.
Colton pulled back from her, even though that was the last thing he wanted to do. “I was going to show you around.”
“Can you show me around later?”
“Yes, I suppose I can.”
“Good.” She went back to kissing him, and her enthusiasm had him hot and bothered in record time. Except . . .