TIS THE SEASON...FOR ROMANCE (WESTMORELAND/MASTERS/JEFFERIES)

by Jackson, Brenda

  Abby nodded. “And I have a daughter. Her name is Madison. She is twenty-five.”

  “If she looks anything like her mother she must be beautiful,” Corey said.

  “Thanks. Most people think she looks like both Larry and I.”

  Corey knew what she was saying and he knew the reminder behind her words. She had loved him but had married someone else and given birth to another man’s child. Despite her outer calm, for her to feel the need to establish that fact, displayed a strength she hadn’t had thirty-two years ago. Her parents had taken advantage of her and she’d given in to them too easily. She was no longer that woman. He had a feeling that this Abby could handle just about anything that came her way and he wanted to get to know this new Abby.

  He smiled and met her gaze head on and said, “What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is yours. It’s always been that way with us, Abby. And that includes your daughter.”

  “Oh, Corey.” Abby snuggled closer to him on the bench and placed her head on his chest when he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. What he’d said had let her know that Larry might have fathered Madison, but her daughter was special to him because Madison belonged to her.

  They sat that way for a while and then Corey asked in a low, husky voice. “Did you ever grow to love him, Abby?”

  She lifted her head and met Corey’s gaze. It would be so easy to lie and say that, yes, over the years she had fallen in love with Larry and that they’d had a good marriage and a loving relationship. And that she, Larry and Madison had been one happy family. But that would be a lie and she couldn’t lie to Corey.

  “Yes, I loved Larry, but I was never in love with him, Corey. We maintained a friendship through our marriage.” She released a deep sigh and added, “Larry and I were never intimate again after Madison was conceived.”

  He didn’t say anything but she knew he was thinking about all she’d said. Some would probably think she’d given him too much information, but she didn’t feel that way. Especially, not with Corey.

  “So in a way you were just as lonely as I was,” he finally said in a low and calm voice. “You just didn’t have a mountain to escape to.”

  She smiled sadly. “No. But I did have Madison and she kept me busy. We have a good relationship and she was close to her father. I doubt she ever suspected anything strange about our marriage. We worked hard to make sure she didn’t and we never wanted her to know she was the reason we remained in a loveless marriage. To anyone looking at me and Larry, you would think we were a couple in love. That’s the image we worked hard to project.”

  Corey held her gaze. “But what about the passion, Abby? You are a very passionate woman.”

  A slow smile touched her lips. “I can only be passionate with you, Corey. I always became a different person making love with you. I always felt free and knew I could be myself.”

  “So, you never took a lover?”

  She shook her head. “No, although there was a time I suspected Larry had one. But I was pasr the point of caring. He was discreet and Madison was my life. And Madison was Larry’s life as well. We stayed together all those years for our daughter.”

  She paused and said, “I guess you can say we were victims of circumstances.”

  Corey didn’t say anything. He had been a victim of circumstance as well. He had loved her. And over the years he hadn’t wanted any other woman but her. Another woman’s face flashed into his mind. Carolyn Roberts.

  She had been someone he’d met during that time he had worked in Tennessee. They had stayed together for a year and he’d tried to forget about Abby. But when he realized he could never love Carolyn the way she deserved to be loved, she had made it easy on him by leaving before he had a chance to walk away.

  “And after your husband died you still didn’t have a lover?” he asked her.

  She shook her head sadly. “I wasn’t interested in anything other than a date on occasion but that’s all there was. I’ve only shared a bed with two men in my entire lifetime. You and Larry. With you it had been love and with Larry, a sense of duty.”

  Without saying anything, Corey stood and took Abby’s hand and gently pulled her from her seat. “Come on, let’s walk a while.”

  And so they did. Silently. When they began strolling down one of the trails he pulled her off the path, into a dense thicket of trees. He drew her to him, stared down at her before lowering his mouth to hers.

  The moment their lips touched a heated sensation spread all over Abby. This was what she had gone without for thirty-two years. The feel of wanting and being wanted; the feel of desire and being desired. And passion - sharing it and giving it.

  She and Corey were well hidden in the shadows beneath a cluster of low hanging branches on a beautiful June night. But at that moment it would not have mattered had they been standing out in the open in the middle of a snow storm. The only thing that mattered was that she was being held and passionately kissed by the man she loved. The man she’d always loved.

  Moments later he pulled back from the kiss and took the tip of his finger and caressed the line of her jaw while he held her gaze. “I don’t think you’ll ever know or fully understand what’s it been like for me without having you in my life, Abby,” he whispered, his breath warm against her lips.

  He paused and then said. “I’m not going to lie and say there haven’t been other women because there have. Probably too many. But I can say, they were there to satisfy the physical and never the emotional. I never loved or fell in love with any of them. When you left it was hard. I could never stop loving you.”

  Abby couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down her face, tears Corey used the pad of his thumb to wipe away. She swallowed hard, as hard as his words had hit because it made her realize what his life had been like since she’d last seen him.

  She had known their love was special and that it was unique. And she had known even on her wedding day when she had vowed her life to Larry that her love for Corey would withstand the test of time. Even when she thought she would never see him again, thought he had gotten on with his life and had probably forgotten her, she hadn’t forgotten him, and deep down she had never stopped loving him either.

  This was a very focused and intense moment for them, and she knew it. Time hadn’t stood still for them. She had a life back in Boston, a life she had grown accustomed to. And she was no longer the pushover girl who’d done every single thing her parents had wanted her to. These days she stood up for what she believed in and had raised her daughter to do the same. But still, she held true to her values and her belief of keeping what was proper, refined and graceful.

  And he wasn’t the same man. He’d had his mountain. Even with his family whom he adored, he’d still be alone at times. But she could see there were things about him that hadn’t changed. And they were the same things that had appealed to her about him from the first when at twenty-two he had stolen her heart.

  “I love you, Corey. I never stopped loving you either,” she said and felt a tightening in her stomach. She’d never thought she would be saying those words to him again. “From the day I left here you have always been a part of me. You have been my heart.”

  She couldn’t say anything else when she saw the wetness in his own eyes. This tall, strong, handsome, hulk of a man had suffered because of a decision she had made thirty-two years ago. However, she couldn’t dwell on the past and what they’d both lost and suffered. They needed to move on. But still, she owed him an apology.

  “I found out after marrying Larry that my father’s heart condition wasn’t as serious as my mother made it out to be. Basically, she had lied to keep me from doing something that I had wanted to do. In later years I discovered it was all about control with them. Will you forgive me for being so gullible and not fighting for our love?” she asked. “For not standing up to my parents when I should have? For giving up a love most women would have fought hard to keep?”

  “There’s nothing to forgive, Abby. You
did what you felt you had to do at the time based on what you’d been told. Had it been my parents, and I had unknowingly been manipulated the same way into thinking that my actions could cause one of their deaths, I probably would have made the same decision that you did.”

  He paused a moment and then said. “The question of the hour is where do we go from here? Just like you’re not the same person, neither am I. Now that I’ve found you again, I won’t give you up a second time,” he said with finality in his voice.

  He lowered his head and captured her lips. Tenderly yet deeply. And Abby knew at that moment, while their mouths mated so passionately, their tongues stroking intensely, that they had been given another chance to love each other freely.

  When their lips finally parted Corey dragged in a deep breath as his mind clung to Abby’s words of love. And as anxious as he was to whisk her away to his mountain, he wanted her to be absolutely sure this is what she wanted because there would be no turning back.

  He wanted them to have the chance to do what they couldn’t do all those years ago, which was to steal away and be alone, without worrying about what anyone thought. From what she’d just shared with him he knew she’d practically lived a lonely life like he had. Now they owed it to each other to begin living their lives to the fullest.

  Corey knew he could not ask her to give up her life as she’d known it, but he wanted her to share his and he would share hers. He had no qualms about coming off his mountain if that’s what they decided to do. But first, they needed to spend time together and make a number of decisions.

  “Where do we go from here, Corey?” She asked him the same question he’d asked her earlier.

  Abby knew what she was doing in asking. She was letting him decide their fate this time because wherever he led she would follow. He’d said that he wouldn’t give her up a second time. Well, she had news for him; she wouldn’t give him up a second time either.

  “I need time with you to catch on your life over the past thirty-two years, and for you to catch up on mine. Will you give me that Abby?” he asked.

  She nibbled at her bottom lip before saying. “I’m supposed to leave to return to Boston in a couple of days. It was a two week trip to celebrate our fiftieth birthdays.”

  Corey drew in a deep breath. He didn’t like the thought of her leaving and returning to Boston. “Will you think about spending time with me on my mountain?” he asked.

  Surprise lit her eyes. “For two days?”

  “No, for two weeks.”

  When she didn’t say anything but just stared at him, he took a step back and reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to her. “This is my contact information. Please think about it and call me tomorrow and let me know what you decide.”

  His gaze locked on her and Abby found it difficult to breathe. She understood what he was doing and she also comprehended what he’d said. She gave the paper back to him and said. “Thanks, but I don’t need to decide. You can come pick me up in the morning at eight. I’ll be ready.”

  His eyes held hers. “Are you sure?”

  She nodded. “Yes, I’m sure.”

  “For two weeks?”

  “Yes, for two weeks.”

  The smile that touched his lips sent off flutters in the pit of her stomach and it took a lot of control to keep her thoughts from getting her in trouble. But the idea of being on a mountain alone with the man she loved for two solid weeks was something she was looking forward to.

  “Come on, I’ll walk you back to your cabin,” he said.

  She nodded and fell in beside him as they headed back in the direction they’d come while holding hands. She glanced over at him and saw he was looking at her beneath the brim of his Stetson. Just that look made her feel wanted and desired, and a warm ache she hadn’t felt since the last time she was with him, stirred low in her belly.

  She smiled. “I can’t wait to see your mountain, Corey.”

  As if he’d read her thoughts, the smile that appeared on his face had an intense longing sliding through her and a sensuous sensation moving up her spine.

  He stopped walking and so did she. When she turned to face him, he reached up and the pad of his thumb caressed the side of her lips. Then he said in a deep, husky tone. “And I can’t wait to get you up there, sweetheart.”

  Five

  When Corey arrived at Durango’s place he discovered his nephew had gone out for the evening. Just as well, he thought as he settled into the guestroom. Durango would take one look at him and know something was going on and he wasn’t ready to share his happiness with anyone just yet.

  Corey had unsaddled his horse, taken care of him for the night before using the spare key to enter Durango’s home. After taking a shower he’d grabbed a beer out the refrigerator and had down it in several huge gulps. He left the empty beer bottle in the middle of Durango’s kitchen table to let his nephew know he was there, since chances were by the time Durango returned it would be late. And from past experiences he’d discovered it was always wise to let Durango know he was there in case his nephew brought one of his female friends home for the night.

  Considering that day’s activities, Corey figured that he would have gone to sleep as soon as his head touched the pillow, but found he couldn’t. Just the thought that he’d actually seen Abby again after all these years, had talked to her, had kissed her and that they had confessed their love to each other, was a dream come true. And the fact that she had agreed to spend two weeks on his mountain was almost unbelievable. He had to pinch himself to make sure that it was real.

  He had been tempted to whisk her off that very night, but he’d known doing so wouldn’t be logical considering the travel time back up the mountain. And to save time he would get up early in the morning and make arrangements with Fred Brooks, who flew the postal plane, to pick up his supplies and what belongings of Abby’s they couldn’t carry on horseback from Durango’s place and drop them off when he delivered the mail later in the week. That also meant he would have to postpone going by the Quinns’ place.

  He would need to make sure Abby had an outfit suitable for traveling by horseback. In addition to that, he needed to borrow another horse from Durango; one that was strong enough to handle both his and Abby’s weight since she’d mentioned she still hadn’t learned how to ride a horse. That would be one of the first things he would teach her to do. He could see them going out for a horse ride each morning.

  He figured if they didn’t start up the mountain until after ten tomorrow morning then they would have to spend the night at the cabin Martin and his son McKinnon had built that was located at the halfway point. And then the following day they could continue the trip and reach his home by Wednesday.

  Corey hoped the next two weeks would show Abby that their past and present had collided for a reason and that he wanted more than a vacation fling with her again. He believed she understood that, but he was going to make absolutely certain. Tonight he had started living again after thirty-two years.

  A part of his brain was sending out a warning, a less than subtle reminder that Abby was a city girl and chances were she wouldn’t like the isolation of being on his mountain. He preferred the seclusion, but he had a feeling that she would not. She was used to going shopping; going to plays and operas, as well as doing all those things a sophisticated lady would do in a big city like Boston.

  Corey’s Mountain had gotten satellite television a few years back, and some areas up there were considered prime ski slopes in the winter. But there were the drawbacks where on occasion he would get cut off from civilization whenever a bad snowstorm or massive thunderstorm passed through. At those times those elements of nature would hinder getting a sufficient cell phone signal or Internet for his computer.

  He shifted in bed trying to find a comfortable position while thinking he would do whatever it took to make Abby’s stay on his mountain a pleasant one because he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that now th
at she was back in his life, he intended to keep her there.

  * * *

  “Abby, are you out of your mind?”

  Abby smiled as she continued to pull items out of the drawers and toss them into her luggage. She had been asleep when Sheila and Jackie had returned last night. When she’d awaken they were already up and mapping out the final two days activities. When she had announced that she was leaving to spend the rest of the trip with the man in the restaurant last night, at first they thought she was kidding. Now they knew she was dead serious.

  “No, I’m not out of my mind. In fact this is the sanest thing I’ve done in a long time.”

  “B-but, you know nothing about him. He could be a serial killer or -”

  “He’s not.” She breathed in deeply as her two friends stood there staring at her, like she had lost her mind. “His name is Corey Westmoreland and we first met thirty-two years ago. It was the summer before I entered Harvard and it was his senior year at Montana State University. He worked at Yellowstone National Park as a ranger. I fell in love with him at first sight and I had the best two weeks of my life. He had wanted us to have a future together.”

  “But you still left at the end of the two weeks and went to college, knowing you were to marry Larry,” Sheila said sadly.

  Abby nodded. “Yes.” There was no need to tell them how her mother had lied to do it. Both Sheila and Barbara’s parents had set them up in arranged marriages, too. Sheila and Russ led practically separate lives, but Jackie and Morris had fallen in love over the years.

  “I’m sorry you didn’t stand up to your parents,” Jackie said.

  “Yes, me, too. And when I did turn to see the handsome hunk the two of you had been drooling over during dinner, I recognized him immediately and he recognized me. When I walked outside of the restaurant he followed me.”

  “You think we don’t know that?” Sheila asked, rolling her eyes. “We saw him trailing behind you and figured he’d said something to you. We figured he’d tried to hit on you.”