by Tina Leonard
They vacated his booth like puffs of gentle wind. Justin sat alone with his coffee, which was getting cold, and his pride, which certainly was even colder and lonelier. Drumming his fingers on the tabletop, he wondered if the pot roast might ever arrive, figured it wouldn’t. The ladies had clean forgotten about him now that he wasn’t toting an engagement ring.
Which made him wonder if he should be.
Nah. Mackenzie didn’t feel that way about him. She wasn’t in love with him.
Was he in love with her?
Justin rubbed at the stubble that had grown during the past couple of weeks he’d been sitting by his father’s side. He’d finally shaken off the pneumonia well enough to go home, got strong enough to tweak Justin about coming home to help with the ranch, run the family business. His brothers weren’t really interested or suited. One was a fireman, another a big trader who at least kept the books but wasn’t up for the running of a spread. Justin could appreciate that. A man either had the land in his soul or he didn’t.
Justin did. But the land he felt strongly about was the land where Mackenzie and her babies were. Anywhere—it didn’t matter. But he wanted to be with her, whether she ever felt anything for him or not.
He realized everyone in the diner was staring at him, curious, having already gotten the word from Jane and Cosette—however gossip was communicated here, either by osmosis or by superfast BC grapevine, he didn’t know. Didn’t matter. He could tell by the gawks and sympathetic—sometimes disappointed—faces that he wasn’t the homecoming hero come to sweep their princess off her feet that they’d been hoping he was.
Still no pot roast, either, and he wasn’t getting any. Justin stood, nodded to the diners who suddenly weren’t staring, left a couple of dollars on the table for the cold coffee and headed to the Hanging H.
* * *
MACKENZIE HUNG UP the phone and whirled to face Suz. “Betty Harper just called! She said she heard a rumor in town that Justin’s proposing to me when he gets into town, and that people seem to think the rumor started with you!”
Suz’s hair stuck up a bit wildly as one of the babies pawed a tiny fist through it. “I didn’t say anything about a proposal, exactly. I just told a few people that you were warm to Justin, warmer than you let on. And that you couldn’t wait for him to come back.”
“Suz!” Mackenzie was horrified. “Someone will tell Justin when he gets back—you know how BC is! In fact, someone will probably congratulate him on our upcoming wedding!” She gasped. “Or, worse, they might start planning it!”
“That’s probably already happening,” Suz said. “You know that BC believes in wedding preparedness. Keeps the threat of elopements at bay. We’re nothing if not a man-friendly town, and weddings are celebrated like ancient Roman feasts.”
“You just can’t do that,” Mackenzie said. “You can’t stoke the gossip pot on purpose.”
“But it’s so much fun. And it was worth it to see the look on Daisy’s face. Oh, if you could have only seen it, Mackenzie. It was like watching a cake fall.” Suz giggled, not sorry at all. “I believe in stretching the truth when necessary.”
Mackenzie looked down at Holly, who somehow tugged a smile out of her no matter how upset she was with Suz at the moment. “It accomplished nothing. I’ll be surprised if Justin even comes back to the Hanging H.” She kissed her baby’s head, then smiled at the other three. “I love these babies so much. It’s hard to think about anything bad happening when I’m with them.”
“What will you do, though, if Justin has to go back to Montana permanently?” Suz asked, her eyes round.
The sound of a motorcycle ripping up the drive stopped the practical answer Mackenzie had been about to make. The back door flew open.
“Ha! You think you’re so smart,” Daisy told the sisters. “You put out a rumor that Justin is taken, that he’s even altar-bound. But funny thing,” she said triumphantly. “He was in town today, and he specifically told Cosette and Jane that he has no intentions whatsoever of getting married. To you,” she said to Mackenzie. She took a second to let that sink in. “Which means the field is wide, wide open, because if he’s back, and you haven’t even seen him yet, and the first place he went once he got back was into town, he’s not too worried about returning to the Hanging H.” She grinned. “Which also means that since he’s been living here for a couple of months, and you’ve had him all to yourself, and apparently have made no impression whatsoever, you won’t mind if I offer him a little bit of my own sugar,” she said. She shot Suz’s way, “I recall you saying something about your sister being all ready to sugar Justin up when he got back, but, obviously,” she said, smiling at Mackenzie, “he’s not too excited about that brand of sweet.”
Suz looked like all the air had been taken out of her. Mackenzie shrugged and handed Daisy Holly. “Burp her, Daisy.”
She bent down and picked up Haven from the playpen, cooing at her.
“Is that all you have to say?” Daisy demanded. “‘Burp her, Daisy?’” she mimicked. She patted the baby on the back, making a sour face when Holly did indeed burp. “Peeuw. She smells like day-old bread.” She handed the baby over to Suz.
Mackenzie laughed and handed her Haven. “Try this one. Maybe she smells different.”
“I am not here to burp your babies,” Daisy said. Haven burped like a sailor before Daisy even really got a pat going, spitting up a little on her shoulder. “Okay, I get it. You were just hoping one of them would do that. Very funny.”
“Not really.” Suz got up to take Haven, and Mackenzie handed Daisy a cloth so she could clean her dress. “We just press everyone into action who comes into our home. All hands on deck, as they say.”
“No, thank you,” Daisy said, when Mackenzie tried to hand her Hope.
“You’ll like this one. She’s friendlier than the other two,” Mackenzie said, and, to her surprise, Daisy took the baby.
“She is soft,” Daisy said reluctantly, patting her back. “But back to Justin—”
Justin knocked and walked in the back door. Mackenzie thought he’d never looked so handsome—a fact that wasn’t missed by Daisy as she twirled close to him with Hope.
“Welcome back, Justin,” Daisy exclaimed. “And this little dumpling says welcome back, too!”
Justin smiled and took Hope from her. His gaze locked on Mackenzie, and she felt it right in her gut. Couldn’t look away. Wished the two of them were alone in the kitchen so she could—
Then Daisy’s words returned her to sanity. Clearly Mackenzie and Justin had been the subject of town gossip, and no doubt he felt awkward about it. “Hello, Justin,” Mackenzie said. “It’s good to see you.”
“It’s good to be back.”
“Are you back for good?” Daisy asked, sidling nearer to him. “I sure hope so!”
“Depends on what the boss lady says.” He flashed a smile at Mackenzie. Mackenzie smiled back, relaxing a little. Maybe Daisy was exaggerating. Maybe the gossip hadn’t been on full boil in Bridesmaids Creek.
“You’ll never believe what Daisy’s father has talked me into,” Justin said.
Mackenzie stiffened. “Robert Donovan?”
“Well, if it has anything to do with the Donovans, I’d recommend you steer clear,” Suz said, sending a purposefully sweet smile Daisy’s way.
“Hush, Suz, let Justin talk,” Daisy said, and Mackenzie poured him a glass of iced tea and cut a slice of apple pie, which she put in front of him, taking Hope from him so he could eat. Their hands brushed as she took the baby, and, just for a second, it felt like he felt the same thing she did: a spark.
A very hot spark that was eager to flame to life.
“Robert Donovan says I need to do a run down Best Man’s Fork for charity,” Justin said. “That’s some kind of race thing, right?”
Mackenzie stared at
Justin, recognizing at once where this was going. “It’s a race.”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “And the winner gets to donate the prize to the charity of his choice. I thought that was a great idea.”
Daisy grinned at Mackenzie, her eyes sly. “There’s two prizes, you might say. We have a legend here in Bridesmaids Creek—”
“We have a few legends,” Suz interrupted. “Most of them are really superstitions.”
“Don’t ruin it,” Daisy said, wrapping an arm around Justin’s. “Suz is a spoilsport. I’m so glad you took Dad up on his offer.”
“You would be behind this,” Mackenzie said.
“Hush, you,” Daisy said. “Justin, did Dad tell you how the race works?”
“I and a bunch of other guys run down Best Man’s Fork, which is some kind of magical road here.” Justin sipped his tea, ate a bite of pie, then reached to take the baby back from Mackenzie. “It’s winner take all, your father says. Donation of five thousand dollars to a charity and a secret prize of some sort.”
“The ‘some sort’ is the kicker,” Suz said. “If you pick the right side of the fork in Best Man’s Fork, you win. You win because there’s a woman waiting for you at the end—if you chose the right path—and you get the trophy, the prize and the woman. Supposedly, anyway.”
Justin laughed. Met Mackenzie’s eyes. “And if I don’t pick the right side of the fork?”
“I’ll be really sad,” Daisy said. “I’m one of the women chosen this year to give the award. So I hope you run fast and pick the path where I am.”
Justin looked at Mackenzie. “Are you handing out the trophies, too?”
She shook her head. “I had my turn. Tommy won that year.”
“Jeez.” Justin glanced at the other women. “You girls are serious about this superstition thing.”
The baby in his arms got a fistful of Daisy’s hair and gave it a good jerk. “Ow!” she exclaimed, moving away after disentangling the tiny fingers from her hair. “Like mother, like daughter.”
Mackenzie didn’t look away from Justin. Shrugging, he took another bite of pie. “I’m not much for superstitions, as I’ve said before. But I’m willing to play for charity. Frog’s going to run, too.”
“Rodriguez is running?” Suz’s voice rose an octave. “He can’t!”
“Why not?” Justin glanced at Mackenzie, his brows raised. “He said he was planning to donate his charity bucks to the pet shelter in town. Said they do good work.”
Mackenzie took the baby from him again. “Suz wasn’t asked to be a presenter, either.”
“Because she’s just back from Africa,” Daisy said quickly. “She wasn’t here when the names were chosen.”
“And you want all the men to yourself,” Mackenzie said. “Which is totally understandable.”
“Yeah, how else are you going to get one unless you rig the game,” Suz said. She sighed and got up from the table. “You’ve been a cheater ever since we were in school, Daisy. You haven’t learned a thing.” She wandered out, and Mackenzie had a funny notion her sister was going to find Frog. She put the baby in the playpen, not able to meet Justin’s eyes anymore.
“I guess I’ll go,” Daisy said. “I’ll stop by to check on you later, Mackenzie.”
Mackenzie raised a brow at this sudden show of concern. Daisy smiled at Justin, rubbed his arm and floated out the door.
When she was gone, Mackenzie said, “How’s your father?”
“Better. He’s going to be fine.”
She ate him up with her eyes, wishing she weren’t annoyed like all heck that he’d gotten roped into the Best Man’s Fork run. Maybe Justin was right: all superstitions were silly.
Bridesmaids Creek lived on its fairy tales and legends. It was a great part of what brought tourists to the town. “It’s nice of you to participate in the charity run, but are you needed back home?” She was almost afraid to hear the answer. She steeled herself to hear that his family needed him to return to Montana for good.
“I’m back permanently. Or for as long as you need me here.”
Forever. Was that an option? She didn’t dare speak it out loud. Darn Daisy had shaken her confidence with her tale that Justin had supposedly said he wasn’t looking for a relationship. “You have to watch out for our small-town functions. They’re all designed to get men to our town to settle down.” Mackenzie smiled at Justin. “BC is a very man-friendly town—I’m sure you’ve heard by now. We have the Best Man’s Fork run, the Bridesmaids Creek swim, which is guaranteed to bring every hopeful bride a husband in a matter of months, and a few other traditions we cherish.”
Justin got up and crossed to her. “I have a tradition I cherish.”
Mackenzie stared up at him, aware that he was standing very close to her, in her space. Wished he was closer. Mouth-on-hers close. “Oh?”
“Yeah. And this is it.”
Chapter Sixteen
Suddenly Justin’s mouth was on hers, kissing her, tasting her as if he’d missed her almost as much as she’d missed him, which wasn’t possible. Mackenzie leaned into him, wrapping her hands in his jacket, wishing she could crawl into his arms and tell him how much she’d thought about him, but she let her lips do the talking as she kissed him back.
“You have no idea how badly I wanted to do that,” Justin said, drawing back. “I thought Daisy and Suz would never leave so I could.”
He smelled like wood and something spicy, felt hot in her hands. Mackenzie’s heart raced, shocked by the adrenaline of his unexpected kiss. “Kiss me again. Don’t stop.”
He smiled. “I plan to kiss you much more, no worries about that. But right now, I come bearing gifts for the girls.”
She let him go, though she didn’t want to, watching as he went out to his truck, then came back inside with four small stuffed animals. A pink giraffe, a white bunny, a pink-and-white-striped bear and a soft, cream-colored dog, all terry cloth and perfectly sized for the playpen or the babies’ cribs. Mackenzie watched Justin “give” each baby her new toy, which entailed placing it beside them in the playpen. She got a little misty—she refused to call it teary—felt herself fall a bit more in love.
“Thank you,” Mackenzie said.
“For what?” He glanced up at her but didn’t stop showing the babies their new toys. Young as they were, they definitely seemed to know that something new was being introduced into their lives.
“The gifts.” She took a deep breath. “And for coming back.” That was the greatest gift of all.
He shook his head and smiled. “There was no question I’d be back.”
Her heart jumped—there was no other word for it. Everything he was saying was so completely the opposite of what she’d heard from Daisy, which was so like her to spread doom and gloom designed to make you doubt yourself.
But Justin was in her kitchen, cozying up to her babies—to say nothing of the amazing kiss he’d given her—and Mackenzie decided it was time to say exactly what was on her mind. Leave no stone unturned.
“I’m glad you’re back. I was worried about your dad—”
“Nah. He’s strong as an ox.” Justin took a seat on a stool, shrugging. “Surprisingly, it was Dad who told me I should stay right here.”
“Really?” She sat across from him, trying not to act like she was starved for another kiss, which she was.
“Yeah. Said I seemed happy. That my job agreed with me. Told him I had four little bosses and they kept me pretty busy.”
Oh, God, that sounded good. Drew a smile from her. “The girls keep everyone busy.”
“Daisy still causing trouble?”
So he’d noticed. “She goes from wanting to sue me to pretending to be my friend. When everything gets quiet with Daisy, I know a shoe is about to drop. It’s all right. Daisy’s got her group and he
r father, and the rest of us work around them.”
“I heard about her petition.”
“News does travel fast.”
He nodded. “I’ve learned that about this town.”
She felt a little warm, not quite a blush, but enough to wonder if he was teasing her about Suz’s enthusiastic bragging about Justin and Mackenzie being a hot item. “Yes.”
“I have an idea about Daisy.”
“Don’t worry about Daisy. She’s always been this way.” He had enough on his mind without having to worry about protecting her from a rival she completely understood.
“I’m not the slightest bit worried. So this fork-to-the-altar gig—”
“Best Man’s Fork. It’s a road that splits in two. You have to choose which path to take, sort of like Robert Frost’s ‘The Road Not Taken.’”
“And the gag is that a woman is waiting at the end of one lane, in this case Daisy.”
She nodded. “This is what I hear.”
“So you wait on the other lane. Make things interesting.” He grinned. “Two rivals, two lanes, bachelors running wild for charity? That ought to liven things up for BC, right?”
Mackenzie smiled, aware that he was teasing. “That’s the purpose of a manhunting scheme.”
He winked at her, and Mackenzie couldn’t help smiling back. He was just so darn sure of himself. “Who’s in charge of this charity gig?”
“Cosette and Jane usually head it up.”
“I’ll tell them I want the rules changed to include you. School-yard rivals on the Fork.” He got up to put his dishes in the sink. “Things will really get interesting if I should run down Daisy’s side.”
“Interesting, indeed.”
“I have to go put up some feed I bought in town. I meant to get it before I left. Saw Ralph Chatham, by the way. Filled me in on the petition.”
“I wasn’t going to mention it. It’s not important.”
“It is if the Donovans are trying to drive a stake through your haunted house.” He looked at her. “You wouldn’t let them do that, would you?”