Her Last Love (Small Town Hearts Trilogy #1)

by H. C. Bentley

  "I agree, she should have. But they're here now, and they're safe. That's something to be happy about."

  "I know. It's just that I watched you with the boys just now and listened as you talked to them. And I realized that you act like more of a mother to them than she does. I love that you treat them that way, but it tears me up to hear them talk about her because I know she doesn't."

  "Carter, what happens with Hillary is out of your control. You did what you had to do to get those boys with you, to make sure they live in a place that is safe for them. The anger doesn't help now. Let it go." She stepped towards him and laid a hand on his arm. Carter nodded, then reached out and folded her into a tight embrace.

  "In case I haven't said it," he said against her hair, "thank you for being there for us today. I don't think I could have done it without you."

  "You've said, but you're welcome. And yes, you could have." Her words muffled against his chest. "But I'm glad I could be here for you guys." She tilted her head back, keeping her arms wrapped around his waist. "Everything good now?"

  "Getting better by the minute."

  "Good."

  "Know what would make things even better?"

  "What's that?"

  "Chocolate chip cookies. Let's go get some before the boys eat them all." With a grin, Carter disappeared back to the kitchen, leaving Lynn to follow behind. She stepped out of the laundry room and, after closing the door behind her, all she could do was smile and follow along.

  15

  Christmas had always been a favorite time of year for Carter, even as an adult. The love of the holiday had been one the things he and Lynn had shared in common. They had enjoyed all the thrills of the season together, the shopping, the food, the decorating. And now they were back together, he had hopes she would share it with not only him, but with his boys as well.

  The plan for the day was simple. Nathan and Logan had been begging to go to the mall and see Santa. It was tradition for their dad to take them, but this year they wanted Lynn to go too. Given everything they'd gone through with the divorce and the custody hearing, Carter didn't see any reason to tell his sons no. He hoped that Lynn didn't have plans for the day already, and could join them.

  "Can I call her?" Nathan begged, with the portable house phone in hand. "Please, Dad?"

  Carter glanced at the clock, noting that the time was just shy of eight in the morning, on a Saturday. Lynn was not a morning person and she liked her sleep, so he winced at the thought of what would happen if they woke her up early on a weekend. He tried to come up with an idea of how to put his son off for just a little while longer.

  "I tell you what," he began. "I'll send her a text message, and if she texts me back, you can call her right away. But if she doesn't, we have to wait until she does, so we don't wake her up on one of her days off from work. Okay?"

  "Okay." The boy sighed in impatience and watched as his father typed the text and pressed the button to send it. Though the process only took a matter of minutes, to the boy it seemed like forever before the ring tone sounded that showed she had replied.

  "Yes! She's awake! I can call her now, right?" Nathan asked.

  "Yes, you can call her," Carter laughed. "Give me the phone, and I'll dial her number." He was punching in the last of the digits when Logan bounded in, fresh from brushing his teeth.

  "What are we doing?" He looked at his dad, curious.

  "Your brother is calling Lynn to see if she wants to go with us to see Santa today."

  "Can I talk to her too? Can I please?" Logan turned big blue beseeching eyes to his dad.

  "Yes, son, but you have to wait your turn, okay?" Logan nodded, then watched as his father hit the call button and handed the phone to his brother. Nathan, looking superior, took the phone and waited as it rang. His face lit up when Lynn answered.

  "Good morning, Ms. Lynn!" Nathan paused as Lynn greeted him in return. "I have something to ask you. Will you please come with me and my dad and Logan to see Santa today? We really want you to come, 'cause it'll be fun!" Nathan waited a beat as Lynn talked again, then grinned. "Okay, I'll tell Dad! Oh, hang on, Logan wants to talk to you too!" He handed the phone to his brother, who started to babble as Nathan turned to his dad.

  "She said she'd love to go with us! And to tell you to give her an hour, and that you can pick her up or she can come here. And.... um.... oh, yeah. To text her to tell her either way." Pleased that he'd remembered the whole message, he went to grab a juice box from the fridge.

  Carter, thrilled at the thought of being able to spend any time he could get with Lynn, looked over at his youngest son. He laughed as he saw that Logan had made himself comfortable, lying on his back on the kitchen floor, the heels of his little feet propped upon the lower cabinets, chatting away.

  "Logan?"

  "Yeah?"

  "You'll be seeing her in a little while. Tell her bye so we can all get ready to go, okay?"

  " 'kay, Dad." He brought the phone back to his ear. "I hafta go so we can get ready. See you later!" After hearing Lynn sign off too, he swung his feet back to the floor, stood and handed Carter the phone. "Here Dad. I gotsta go get ready for our day with Ms. Lynn. C'mon Nathan!" Little feet thundered down the hallway as the pair ran down the hall to their room. Carter shook his head, slid the phone back into his pocket and took their lead.

  * * *

  An hour later, the boys were waiting, impatient for the sight of Lynn's car pulling into the driveway. Cartoons were no distraction, even when Carter tried to get them to watch one of their holiday favorites like Rudolph or Charlie Brown. They were taking turns pacing to and from the window, sighing and wondering if she would ever get there. When at last her car appeared, cheers went up, and Carter had to stop them from bolting out the door without their coats. So the kids had to wait, antsy, for her to make her way through the front door. No sooner had Carter opened it and Lynn stepped over the threshold did the boys throw themselves around her.

  "Wow! You guys sure know how to make a girl feel special!" Lynn laughed as she returned their hugs.

  "We're glad you get to come with us today!" Nathan told her, looking up and grinning.

  "Well, I'm glad I get to go too. Why don't you guys get your coats on and zipped up, so we can hit the road?" Not needing to be told twice, each child ran for his jacket, stuffing arms into sleeves. While they fought with zippers, Lynn turned to Carter.

  "Hi, you," she greeted as she stood on her toes to press a quick kiss to his cheek.

  "Hi back at ya," he replied, as he brushed a stray hair from her forehead. "Just so you realize, those two aren't the only ones who are glad you're going with us." He breathed.

  "Oh, yeah? Who else is here?" She asked cheekily, looking around the room.

  "Funny girl." At the tug on his sleeve, he looked down to see Logan standing at his side.

  "Dad, I can't get my zipper to work and I hafta to zip my coat up so we can go!"

  Carter squatted down to his level, zipped up the jacket and dug Logan's gloves out of his pockets. As he slid the black cotton gloves over little hands, he looked over to see Lynn doing the same for Nathan.

  "Alright, gang. Let's go to the mall and see the head elf!" The kids ran to the door, excited to get going, leaving the adults in their wake.

  The ride to the mall was uneventful. The kids got a kick, as always, out of going over the long metal bridge spanning the Ohio River. They loved looking for the barges and tug boats hauling coal along the currents, amazed by how far and wide the river stretched.

  They left the river behind, and rode along the highway for a stretch of time, with nothing to look at but trees, concrete, and other cars. Their excitement soon returned, however, once the movements and colors of Evansville appeared. All the cars and buildings, the people hurrying to get here and there. And the holiday looks on the store fronts of the businesses they passed. Lights and decorations, the elaborate window displays, greeted those that traveled by on their way to wherever they happened
to be going.

  Merging into traffic, Carter expertly maneuvered his way into the lane he would need to use to get to the mall. He seemed relaxed and at ease with the number of cars surrounding him. Lynn, however, had never liked driving here, or any bigger city. The sheer amount of vehicles rushing around her, cutting people off, made her nervous. Which is why she preferred having someone else drive whenever a trip to the city was necessary.

  "How much longer till we get there?" Logan asked. "I hafta to go to the bathroom."

  "We're almost there, kiddo," Lynn replied. "Just a few more minutes. See that building up there on your side of the truck?" She pointed up ahead to the left. "That's the mall."

  "I'll drop you three off at the front door," Carter added. To Lynn he said, "You remember how hard it can be to find a parking space this time of year. I'll drop you off, you can take the boys to the bathroom while I park, and we'll meet by the carousel at the food court."

  "Sounds like a plan."

  Moments later, Lynn and the boys were making their way through one of the several sets of glass doors leading into the mall. Lynn gave a silent thank you when she discovered the family bathroom, which meant that she wouldn't have to take the boys into the ladies room, or worse, send them into the men's room alone. Once they finished their business and washed their hands, the boys followed Lynn back out to the food court and over to the carousel.

  "Wow," Logan breathed, as he took in the sight of the ride.

  The large, fairground sized carousel had been a big attraction at the mall for many years. Even now, the horses and benches were full of kids and adults enjoying a ride. As they did every year, the staff at the mall decorated the carousel. This year, each horse had a Kentucky Derby winner style wreath draped around its neck, elaborately done in red and white Christmas flowers. The benches had matching boughs that included holly, draped from one side to the other. White lights gleamed around the top and bottom, bathing the horses and riders in a soft glow. The effect was classy and elegant, but didn't detract from the fun the ride promised.

  "Can we please ride while we wait for Dad?" Nathan asked.

  "Yeah, please?" Logan chimed in, almost bouncing out of his shoes.

  "I don't mind, but I have to ride with you. And I have to text your dad so he knows where we are when he comes looking for us." Taking out her phone, she typed out a quick message to Carter, then herded the boys into the line. It was short, so they were able to get on during the next turn.

  The kids claimed the first pair of horses that would rise and fall side by side, meaning Lynn could stand between them. She got them fastened into the safety belt attached to each horse's pole and instructed them to hold on once the ride started.

  "This is almost like the one we rode at the fair!" Logan beamed at Lynn as they waited for the ride to get going. "But this one is better."

  "I agree. Much prettier." She smiled at each of the boys, as she draped an arm behind the saddle of each child's horse, only to remove them again as the music sounded and the ride moved.

  A couple of turns into the ride, Lynn caught sight of Carter out of the corner of her eye. He stood watching, relaxed and smiling, with his hands in his coat pockets and his feet spread apart. The kids were too busy trying to 'race' their horses that they didn't notice, and Lynn had to point him out on the next turn. She was enjoying the ride with the kids when her phone buzzed. She took it from her pocket, read the text message from Carter.

  Don't get down right away. Want to take a pic w/ you and the boys.

  She smiled and texted him back before placing the phone in her pocket again.

  Sure. As long as you send me a copy. :)

  As soon as the ride slowed down, she told the boys to stay put for just a minute before she unbuckled them so they could get down off their horses. The ride was now turning slower and slower, and she could see Carter chatting with the attendant. The minute the ride stopped, the attendant gave Carter a nod and a smile, and he climbed onto the ride.

  "She only gave me a minute while the other riders were clearing off." He held up his phone. "So, everybody look this way and smile big!" The boys, cheesing, leaned around their poles to get closer to Lynn, while she smiled and draped her arms over each horse once again. Carter snapped a couple pictures and grinned before coming over to help get the kids off the ride. As he jumped down from the carousel's platform, he thanked the attendant and the group headed deeper into the mall. As they walked, Carter showed them the pictures he had taken.

  "This one," Lynn pointed to her favorite of the two. "Send me this one please."

  "No problem." A few taps on the phone by Carter, and soon Lynn's phone beeped at her, telling her she had received the photo.

  "You got a picture of us now!" Logan proclaimed happily as he held her hand, swinging her arm.

  "Yep. I think I'll look for a frame while we're here today, so I can print it and set on my mantle at home." She looked over at Carter and took his hand as they walked along.

  "Ew!" The boys twisted their faces at the sight of their dad holding hands with a girl.

  "What?" Carter questioned. "How is my holding her hand any different than you guys holding her hand?"

  The boys thought on it a minute, looked at each other, and shrugged.

  "That's what I thought," Carter boasted, before being struck by inspiration. He leaned over towards Lynn, and to her surprise, gave her kiss. While it was tame, due to being in public and with the boys, it wasn't a peck. "Now you have a reason to 'ew', because while little boys think kissing a girl is gross, grown up guys don't." Giving Lynn a wink, he looked down at his kids, who were studying them with a new curiosity. Lynn decided it was time to break the moment and looked to both of the kids.

  "Who's ready to go see Santa?"

  The boys, deciding that Santa was much more interesting at the moment than their dad kissing a girl, tugged on the hands of the grown-ups in anticipation. They made their way to the center of the mall, where they could see the chair where Santa sat. The mall always went all out in decorating for the big guy, and this year was no different. Santa greeted all the boys and girls in this year's theme of Santa's Sleigh. A small woodland forest was all around, with bare trees and a printed background of more trees and hills in the distance. all the trees stood, covered in snow, with more of the white stuff on the ground. A few faux animals, bunnies and deer, stood among the trees. And in the center of it all, a single large wooden sleigh. Painted red, the sleigh sat on silver runners and trimmed in gold paint. A large red velvet sack sat in the back, bulging and tied at the top with a white sash, represented all the toys that would be delivered to the good children of the world on Christmas Eve. An elf stood by to help the children up the set of small wooden steps into the sleigh. The reigns that Santa would use to drive draped over the curved front of the sleigh. The only thing missing were the reindeer themselves.

  "Dad! Look!" Logan pointed as they got in line to see the head elf in charge.

  "I see. Looks pretty cool, right?"

  "Uh-huh."

  "Know what you're asking him for yet?"

  "Yep. I want a bike like Nathan's."

  "He means no training wheels," Nathan whispered to Lynn.

  "Gotcha," Lynn whispered back. In a normal tone of voice she asked, "What about you? What are you asking for from Santa?"

  Nathan considered for a minute, then crooked his finger. He cupped his hands against her head before he spoke.

  "I know that Santa's not real," he confessed. "But I pretend I do, so that Logan can still believe. That's what me and Dad talked about."

  Lynn's heart both ached and melted a little. She ached at the thought that this child had lost a part of his innocence, his childhood, but melted at the fact he was willing to pretend otherwise so that his brother could still enjoy the tradition of Santa a little while longer.

  "It's okay." She whispered in his ear. "But I think you're a very good big brother for letting him still believe." She kissed his cheek and wat
ched as his face turned red.

  "You kissing my girl?" Carter teased his son.

  "Nuh-uh." Nathan shook his head. "She kissed me!"

  Carter laughed and ruffled his son's hair, winking at Lynn and basking in the realization he felt complete for the first time in a long time.

  * * *

  A couple of hours later, Carter came to the realization that Christmas shopping was exhausting on its own. Add in two kids, hopped up on the excitement of seeing Santa and eating candy canes, and Carter was ready to drop. He thanked his lucky stars that Lynn had stuck with him throughout the day. Otherwise, he was sure he'd be back at home, curled up on the couch right now in the fetal position, dangerously close to sucking his thumb.

  Exhausted or not, Carter couldn't help but admit the day had been great from start to finish. As he cruised to a stop at a red light, he looked in the rearview mirror, watching his boys whisper to each other as they talked about the gifts they'd bought. With a look to his right, he saw that the woman who held his hand was looking back at him.

  "Pretty good day, huh?" She asked, echoing his thoughts.

  "One of the best." He kissed her knuckles as the light turned green. Carter put the truck into motion once more, then raised his voice to get the boys' attention in the back seat.

  "Okay, guys. What do you need to do when we get home?"

  "Take our stuff to our room and get our special backpacks," Nathan replied without hesitation.

  "So we can go to Gramma's!" Logan chimed in with excitement.

  Carter and the kids had filled Lynn in on the plans for the evening during their lunch at the food court. Once a month or so, Carter's mom had the boys for a night, so she could spend time with her much-loved grandsons, but also to give Carter a little break. Tonight, Gramma and the guys had plans to make popcorn and hot chocolate, and camp out in the living room to watch Christmas movies. The kids were beyond excited.

  "Can you come with us, Ms. Lynn? Daddy doesn't go, 'cause he says that's when he finds the house under all the mess." Lynn laughed as Carter groaned at Logan's inadvertent confession.