Harlequin Superromance December 2013 - Bundle 1 of 2: Caught Up in YouThe Ranch She Left BehindA Valley Ridge Christmas

by Beth Andrews

  Maeve nodded. “I open the library Saturday mornings for a couple hours, but that’s it. And we’re closed on Sundays. Weekdays are busy, but I can probably sneak a few hours in. Weekends will definitely be easiest for me.”

  “And probably for anyone else who volunteers. So, we’ll work mainly on weekends. And now, I’m going to go see if Boyd’s around. Tomorrow’s Saturday, so why don’t we meet at the house after you’re done here?”

  “I’ll be there a bit after eleven.”

  She closed up the library after the last kids went home and picked up Carl and carried him through the parking lot. It was snowing again. A gentle dusting covered the ground. “Look, Carl.” She held out her hand and the fat flakes fell lazily onto her glove.

  Carl laughed and swiped at her hand.

  She felt...almost giddy.

  Maybe the house had been a ridiculous dream if she’d been left to her own devices. But with Aaron helping it could happen. And if Boyd had a job here, maybe they would stay.

  “Let’s go see how Mom’s doing,” she said to the toddler. She tapped on the door to the RV and then let herself in.

  Josie called out, “I’m back here.”

  Maeve took off Carl’s coat and mitts and carried him through the small living area of the RV into the bedroom. Josie was propped against pillows under the covers. “There’s my guy. Mommy was so lonely without you.”

  Carl squirmed to be put down and when Maeve put him on the bed, he made a beeline to his mother. “Were you good?”

  “Oh, he was good all right. I’m not sure if you realize what a flirt your son is. He’s got all the girls wrapped around his little finger. He’s got Aaron under his spell, as well.”

  At the sound of his name, Josie grinned. “Aaron came to get Boyd and offered him full-time work through the holidays. They just went over to the store for something.”

  Maeve didn’t let on that she’d known Aaron was going to do that. “That’s wonderful.”

  Josie flopped back against the pillows. “It was good to see Boyd smile. He’s been so worried about me, about us.”

  “I have a feeling that this is going to be a magical Christmas for you all.” Maybe she’d had her doubts, but in the face of Josie’s optimism, she felt a renewed sense of possibility.

  “You might be right,” Josie agreed. She patted the side of the bed, and Maeve sat down gingerly, not wanting to jostle her pregnant friend.

  “How’re you feeling, really?”

  “I’m feeling fine. Your friend Lily is coming over tomorrow to check me out, but I’ve only had a few more bouts of pain and every day brings me closer to the time when it’s okay for the baby to be born.”

  “Can I get you two some dinner?”

  “Boyd was going to celebrate the new job by picking up a pizza at the diner. I’ve been craving it. You’re welcome to stay.”

  She knew that Josie meant it, but she’d be a fourth wheel. The family needed to celebrate on their own. “That sounds wonderful, but I haven’t been home since first thing this morning. I really need to get some things done around the house. You call if you need anything before Boyd comes home, okay?”

  Josie reached out and took her hand.

  Maeve’s first inclination was to pull her hand back. She wasn’t a touchy-feely kind of person. She’d never been one. But looking at Josie, she held fast.

  Josie gave her hand a squeeze. “You’ve been a true friend to us, Maeve. Like a kindred spirit.”

  Maeve thought about Mattie, Lily and Sophie—true friends and kindred spirits. They’d come together when Bridget had been sick. And the three of them had clicked. It was as if they’d always been a part of each other’s lives. They were friendly with her, but she wasn’t part of their inner circle. She’d never felt part of any inner circle until now. Until Josie.

  “Who, me?” Maeve joked. Humor was an easy way to keep people at a distance. She knew Josie was right, though—it was how she felt, too. As if she’d found the friend she’d always been looking for, without knowing it. So she ditched the humor and said truthfully, “I feel the same way.” She thought for a moment and added, “So, when I offer to help, you won’t be able to say no because we’re kindred spirits, right?”

  Josie laughed. “Right. Are you sure you don’t want to stay for pizza?”

  “I’d love to, but I’m going to heat up some leftovers and head back to the library. An hour or so in the evening gives me time to clean up after the kids, and adults can come in and grab a book without the chaos.”

  “Well, thanks for giving Carl some playtime.”

  “I’ll be at the library tomorrow morning for a bit, and then I’ll be gone most of the weekend. You’ve got the key to my place, and I want you to feel free to go into the house for whatever you need. And please, think about eating some of those Thanksgiving leftovers tomorrow. I’ll never finish them all myself.” When Josie looked as if she might argue, Maeve pointed out, “We’re kindred spirits and that means we’re family, and that’s what family does.”

  Josie laughed. “Yeah, that might have been a mistake admitting it to you.”

  * * *

  MAEVE WOULDN’T HAVE admitted it to anyone, but she was a bit disappointed when Aaron didn’t meet her at the library Friday evening or first thing in the morning. It was a quiet Saturday. With it still being holiday time, everyone’s schedules were likely still in flux.

  She was turning out the lights when Aaron showed up in the doorway.

  “Are you done here?” he asked, smiling.

  She switched off the last light. “Just about.”

  “Then put on your grubby clothes and let’s go.”

  “You did mean it,” she said.

  He stood stock-still and nodded. “I guess we should start this off with me assuring you that I always mean what I say.”

  “I do, as well,” she told him.

  They stopped at her house. While Aaron waited downstairs, Maeve ran upstairs to put on a pair of old, holey jeans, a waffle-weave shirt and a sweatshirt that was miles too big and declared Perry Bicentennial Wine—Honoring Erie’s History, One Glass at a Time. Back downstairs, she grabbed her old barn coat, a hat and her work boots from the closet and spotted the bottle of wine she’d picked up for him.

  “Aaron, I got this for you to thank you for saving me from myself, but now it’s a thank-you in advance for the help. My boss made this up special for the Battle of Lake Erie bicentennial. It was a big deal around here.”

  “Great.” He eyed her as she put on her worn boots. “Your work clothes look as if they’ve seen actual work.”

  “I give mom and Herm a hand at the farm sometimes.” She looked at him. His work clothes looked too new and not worn in enough, but she decided not to mention it. “So what’s the plan?”

  “You’ll see.”

  “Cryptic...” she murmured.

  Aaron didn’t say much as they walked in the direction of the store. She knew he had something up his sleeve because he looked pretty happy with himself.

  She didn’t pressure him to tell her what was going on. To be honest, it was nice to have someone she could be quiet with.

  Her mom and Herm had that kind of relationship.

  She followed Aaron as he cut through the parking lot to the small picket fence that bordered the house. It had once been white, but all that was left of the paint were some grayish strips.

  “This fence is on its last legs,” he said, echoing her thoughts. “I thought we’d put up a nice wooden privacy fence. In the spring, we can plant some arborvitae. If we did it right, they’d never know there was a store past their backyard.”

  “That would be wonderful.”

  He climbed over the fence and she followed him as they walked along a trail that indicated he’d done this once or
twice already today. He pointed with flourish.

  “A Dumpster?” she asked. “How did you get it delivered so quickly?”

  “I’d like to say I have connections, but actually Uncle Jerry does. They brought it right over.”

  The giant Dumpster occupied almost the entire driveway.

  “If we clear out the house, then we can start taking down plaster and ripping out the kitchen.”

  “Aaron, I still don’t know. This looks like too much work to get done—”

  “When you opened the library, did you imagine it taking off like it has?”

  “No. I thought I might open it one or two days a week. But the kids needed someplace to go after school, and people asked about book clubs and...”

  “From what I can see, it’s become an important part of the community. To be honest, I suspect it could be your full-time job.”

  “That would be my dream. Ray says that when he can find the funding in the town’s budget, it will be. I don’t have a library sciences degree, but he thinks my English major, and the fact I’ve been running it all this time is enough.”

  “But that’s not why you reopened it, right?”

  “No. I thought the community needed it and it happened gradually. First it was open on Saturdays, then a couple hours after school...”

  “Then look at the house the same way. One step at a time. Sometimes when you look at a new project as a whole, it can be overwhelming. Instead, you just set an immediate goal. Today, it’s garbage detail. We’ll see where tomorrow takes us.”

  She studied this man who was inexplicably being very nice to her. He was tall, reed-thin. His brown hair looked as if it needed to be cut. To most, he wouldn’t be considered a hot-looking guy. But as he stood there smiling at her, sharing his words of wisdom and pointing at the Dumpster, she knew that what was inside a person was what really mattered. “Fine. One step at a time.”

  “And I brought you a gift.” He handed her a pair of thick work gloves. “I think you’re going to need them.”

  * * *

  ON AARON’S UMPTEENTH trip to the Dumpster, a man with glasses approached him and said, “Hi. Aaron, right? Jerry’s nephew?”

  He extended his hand. “Yeah.”

  “My wife’s brother said you bought the Culpepper place.” The man pushed his glasses up higher on his nose.

  “Your wife’s brother?”

  “Sorry. I’m Finn. Finn Wallace. My wife, Mattie, runs Park Perks, the coffeehouse on Park Street. Her brother’s the mayor. Ray. He said you bought the place out from under Maeve. That you’re going to bulldoze it and turn it into more storage for the store.”

  “That was my plan, but it’s changed.” Aaron had forgotten how, in a small town, everyone seemed related to everyone else, or knew folks through one place or another. “Maeve’s starting a foundation and this house is going to be the first one sold to a low income family.”

  “What kind of foundation?” Finn asked.

  “You should talk to her. She’s inside.”

  Before Finn could find her, Aaron stopped him. “Finn—”

  The guy turned around.

  “You said Maeve’s a friend of your wife’s, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Listen, I don’t think Maeve will ask for help. I don’t think she’s ever asked for help with the library, either, for that matter.”

  “No. People would have helped, but before most of the town knew what was going on, she had the place open. She did take some help from Tori this summer, but it actually started with her helping out my friends by giving Tori somewhere to serve her community service hours.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me at all.” It really didn’t. He was beginning to suspect that Maeve Buchanan was exactly what she seemed to be. He couldn’t find any ulterior motive behind anything she did. In fact, the only thing he could find was that wall hanging. I can’t save the world, but I can try.

  Well, maybe it was time someone tried to help Maeve. “Even though I still don’t know her very well, the thing is, she’s not going to ask for help with this, either, but she needs it. I’m planning on pitching in, but this is a big job. A huge job that needs to be done by Christmas Eve. If her friends offered—no, scratch that. If you all rolled up your sleeves and helped, well, she’d have to accept it.”

  Finn seemed skeptical. “But you don’t know her well at all.”

  “No. Not yet.”

  He grinned. “Is another Valley Ridge romance brewing?”

  “No. It’s not like that. It can’t be like that.” Although, it wouldn’t take much for it to be like that.

  He dismissed the thought.

  “Right. I’ll go in and talk to her. Then I’ll make some calls and send in the troops.”

  “Whatever you do, don’t tell her I said anything. I made the mistake of facing her wrath when I called her Red. I don’t ever want to be on her bad side again.”

  Finn laughed as he headed into the house.

  Aaron tossed his garbage bags into the Dumpster, and then waited a few moments before he too went inside.

  “Aaron,” Maeve called. “We’re in the living room. Finn was asking about the house. So, I explained the foundation to him, and about Josie and Boyd, and he wants to help.”

  Finn pushed his glasses up higher on the bridge of his nose and winked at Aaron. “She makes it sound as if she immediately jumped at my offer, but she’s been finding all kinds of obstacles to my helping. Me, and everyone else. She thinks we’re all too busy. We all have lives. Uh, Aaron, have you ever seen Maeve when she’s not busy?”

  He thought about that evening on her couch when they’d watched the movie together, but he didn’t mention it. “She does seem to be in perpetual motion.” His comment earned him a glare from Maeve.

  In for a penny, in for a pound, his mother always said. “And we can use the help. There’s a heck of a lot to do.”

  “Then, I’ll rally everyone and we’ll be here first thing tomorrow. What time, Maeve?”

  “I...” She looked from Finn to him, then back again and sighed. “All right. I’ll be here at seven, so anytime after that. And I suspect one of the people you’ll be calling is Colton. Make sure he knows that Sophie is not invited, even though I know he wouldn’t let her come help.”

  “What’s wrong with Sophie?” Aaron asked.

  “She’s pregnant. I mean, even more pregnant than Josie. She’s ready-to-have-the-baby-if-she-sneezes-hard sort of pregnant.”

  “Maybe she could stay with the kids?” Finn mused. “That would free me and Mattie up.”

  “That would work. And, Finn, please make sure everyone knows that this is a secret. I want to surprise Boyd and Josie. They might say no. But I want to give them the option.”

  Aaron knew instantly what she wanted. She wanted the house to be ready by Christmas Eve. A tree in the window, and the rest of the house decorated. Someone playing Santa.

  He knew he’d do everything in his power to see that it worked out.

  “I’m on it. Do you need any supplies?” he asked.

  “You can ask Aaron. He’s my technical expert.”

  He led Finn through the house and quietly explained that he was paying for anything they needed from his uncle’s store and more. They’d have to hire an electrician, and probably a plumber. And the roof needed some new shingles, which would require an able-bodied person who wasn’t afraid of heights to pitch in to get that done. “Listen, Finn, Maeve is nervous about how much there is to do, so I’m not overwhelming her with...”

  “How much there is to do?” Finn said as he glanced around. “I’m a surgeon not a contractor, but even I can see how much there is to do.”

  “And it all needs to be done by Christmas Eve.”

  Finn looked around agai
n. “Wow.”

  “Yeah. So, anyone who can give even a few hours will be welcome.”

  “We go to church in the morning. Let me put the word out there. And I’ll tell Vivienne and Marilee—”

  “MarVee’s Quarters, right?” Aaron asked.

  “Yes. If I tell them, everyone in town will know about it before the day’s over.”

  “Remember to make sure they know not to say it’s for Boyd and Josie. Maeve’s got her heart set on surprising them with the offer on Christmas Eve.”

  “And I can see that what she wants matters to you,” Finn said with a grin that made Aaron frown. “Don’t worry. Everyone’ll know it’s a secret.”

  He spotted Maeve carrying two garbage bags out to the Dumpster. Finn looked out the window and watched her, too. “She’s got a huge heart. She’s always doing something for someone else.”

  “Yeah. I don’t get it,” Aaron said.

  “You don’t have to get it, but you better not break it. I know you said there’s nothing like that between you two, but make sure she’s aware of that.”

  “She is. We’re...” He shrugged. “Friendly. Maybe becoming friends.”

  “As long as we’re clear. Maeve is important to a lot of us. We’d take her being hurt personally.” Finn nodded as if he felt he’d settled the matter. “As for the house, I’ll pass the news along and we’ll meet you here in the morning.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “AND YOU DON’T even bother to call your own mother?” Maeve’s mom asked Sunday morning as half a dozen people showed up at the Culpepper house.

  “Mom. What are you doing here?”

  “Do you see my work clothes?” Renie Lorei was wearing faded jeans and an oversize flannel shirt over a black insulated one. She had on scuffed boots and a black knit hat that couldn’t quite contain her mane of hair. Maeve had watched her mom’s hair color fade over the years. She assumed hers would take the same route. That was okay with her because the gray had faded to straight-up white. It looked beautiful.

  “Herm’s in his, too,” her mother said. “We’re here to work, obviously. Honey, you could give lessons in discretion to a Carmelite nun.”