by Marie Force
“Tell me what’s on your mind. Put it out there and get it off your chest.”
He made it so easy to tell him things she wouldn’t have dreamed of sharing with any other man she’d ever dated. Of course she hadn’t gotten to thirty-six dates with any of them. Since she’d decided to take a chance on Colton, she drew in a deep breath and looked over at him. “I’m wondering what happens when this becomes a more emotionally charged situation.”
“It isn’t already?”
He floored her with the question, and her brain went totally blank.
Chuckling, he said, “Nothing to say? That’s not like you.”
Since her brain was still empty of all thoughts, she shook her head.
“I don’t think you’ve been paying attention, Lucy, but I don’t fault you for that because I know better than most people how hard it can be to focus when you suffer from attention deficit disorder. So let me lay it out there for you, okay?”
Even though she was somewhat apprehensive as to what he might say, she nodded because she was too curious not to.
“You said you’ve been on more first dates than anyone in the world. That’s sort of been my thing, too. I go out with someone once, it’s kind of boring or she’s not easy to talk to or I have to try too hard, and I don’t go out with her again. I’ve tried the relationship thing exactly once, and it lasted for two months. I knew I was in trouble when two weeks passed between dates and I had no desire to see her. I used to chalk it up to the ADD, you know?”
“Yes.” She knew all too well.
“Now I’m not so sure that was it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Thirty-six dates, Lucy. Six full weekends together, and I’ve never been bored. Not once.”
“Neither have I.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“So there you have it.”
She was almost afraid to ask. “There I have what?”
“Our situation. It’s already emotionally charged or we wouldn’t both still be here. We would’ve bailed a long time ago.”
“That wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“Says who?”
“Says me. It was supposed to be a fun diversion.”
“Hasn’t it been that?”
“Well, yeah, but . . .”
“No buts. Just because we didn’t intend to get involved doesn’t mean things can’t change. We are involved, Lucy. I thought I showed you repeatedly yesterday and last night how involved I am with you. Apparently I didn’t do a good enough job. I’ll have to try harder tonight.”
“Stop it,” she said as a flush set her face on fire.
His ringing laughter filled the cab of the truck and roused the dogs in the backseat. When Elmer poked his head over the seat to investigate, Colton rewarded him with a scratch between the ears. “You have no idea how much I love making you blush like that.”
“You’re very good at it.”
“Thank you very much.”
“I didn’t mean that as a compliment,” she muttered. Here she was the supposedly sophisticated city girl feeling like she was way, way out of her league and seriously outmatched by the mountain man. How’d she let that happen?
“Can we talk about my place on the mountain?”
“Sure.” Anything was better than allowing him to talk more about the many ways he planned to show her he was emotionally involved with her.
“I’ve told you before it’s kind of rustic, right?”
“Yes, but I’m not entirely sure I get what you mean by rustic. You’ve been somewhat vague on that.”
“Well, there’s no electricity for one thing.”
“No electricity? Who lives without electricity in the twenty-first century?”
“Um, I do. There’s no running water or indoor plumbing either.” This was said in a rush of words that set her head to spinning. Before she could formulate a reply, he continued. “I promise you’ll be very comfortable despite the lack of modern conveniences.”
“How do you take a shower?”
“Oh that’s easy. I have solar-heated water that’s particularly warm this time of year. It’s not so great in the winter, but I survive.”
“I wouldn’t. No hot shower would be a deal-breaker for me.”
“Good to know. So have you ever been camping?”
“Not if I could avoid it.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“My parents took us once when we were like eleven and twelve. We hated it. Bitched the whole time about the bugs, the smell, the cold, the hard ground. Everything we could think of, we bitched about.”
“So what you’re saying is you’re a city girl through and through.”
“As if that was in question?”
“All I’m asking is that you give it a chance. No bugs, no bad smells, no cold, no hard ground. You’ll be warm and cozy the whole time—and I do offer a hot shower at least once a day and a warm body to sleep with.” He glanced over at her. “Okay?”
“I promise to give it a chance, and I’ll do my best to refrain from bitching.”
“Excellent,” he said with a satisfied smile.
“I’m looking forward to seeing where you live and work.”
“And I’m looking forward to showing you. In a way, I’m sort of glad we ended up with company at the lake. I’ve been wanting to bring you to my place for a while now.”
“Who takes care of it while you’re away?”
“There’s not much to take care of this time of year, except the retail store, which stays pretty busy all year long. Max was staying there while I was gone.”
“Does his girlfriend stay up there with him?”
“I’m not sure if she came this time. She has before.”
“Do you like her?”
“Sure, she seems nice enough. I don’t really know her all that well. They hadn’t been dating long when she got pregnant.”
“Are you looking forward to the baby?”
“Definitely. I can’t wait to be an uncle. I just can’t believe he’s going to be first. He’s always last at everything.”
“Not this time.”
“Nope.”
“Is he ready?”
“As ready as anyone can be, I suppose.”
“I remember when Emma was expecting Simone and how big and scary it was for her—and for me. I wanted to be there for her and help her in any way I could, but like her, I didn’t know the first thing about babies.”
“You guys survived, right?”
“It was dicey at first. Babies don’t come with instruction manuals, unfortunately. But we figured it out. Simone was a good baby. That helped.”
“Is her father in the picture?”
Lucy shook her head. “Never has been.”
“That’s got to be tough on Emma.”
“It was, at first. But she figured it out, and Simone is eight now, so it does get easier.”
“I’d like to meet them when I’m in New York. Do you think we could do that?”
“I suppose that could be arranged.”
“Good. Since we’re emotionally—and physically—charged, I’d like to meet the people who are important to you.”
“Do you really have to keep saying that?”
“Yeah,” he said, bringing her hand to his lips and setting off a jolt of excitement throughout her body when he kissed her knuckles. “I really do. I need to keep reminding you that you’re here with me for all the right reasons, and it’s going to be fine.”
When he put it that way, it became much easier for Lucy to relax and roll with whatever happened next. They might not be preparing to spend the rest of their lives together the way Will and Cameron were, but there was no reason she couldn’t enjoy this—and him—while it lasted.
CHAPTER 12
Steady rain today, temperature holding at 40 degrees. The snow is either washing down the brooks or being eaten by the ground fog. The sap is running steadily, but less intensely,
day and night. The tanks are nearly full.
—Colton Abbott’s sugaring journal, March 12
Nolan had given this a lot of thought. He wanted to do something special for Hannah at their wedding to show her how much she meant to him and to tell her family how well he planned to care for her after they were married. He’d considered a number of different gestures that would accomplish both goals but kept coming back to the same thing.
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.