* * * *
After a sleepless night in the hospital and long visits, hugs, and kisses from all of her family, Emma was finally declared healthy enough to go home. If Mason hadn’t pulled her out of the pond when he did, she would have died, most likely from a diabetic coma before any water could fill her lungs.
“Dude, you smell,” Cole said as he entered the hospital room and leaned down to kiss Emma on the forehead.
“Thanks,” she said.
“No, not you, poptart. My brother.”
Mason sat in a chair pulled as close as it could physically be to Emma’s bedside. He stayed that way for the past eight hours in the hospital, never letting go of her hand.
“Yeah, well, that’s partially my fault. I hurled all over him.”
“Yeah?” Cole smiled. “Nice going.”
“You smell pretty bad yourself, stud muffin,” she said.
Cole stared at his feet and slouched. “About that, I’m sorry I didn’t get the message earlier, Em. I would have been here last night had I known.”
It wasn’t a secret Cole liked to spend most nights with a bottle of Bud and friends: guys, gals, strangers, and friends. He was a social butterfly and loved to have a good time. But it was starting to catch up with him. Emma studied his face and his unusual slouched stance.
“What’s with the bruises? Did you get into a barroom brawl?”
“No.” Cole sighed. “I’ll fill you in later.”
Walker tapped on the door followed by Paige. “Sorry to break up the party, but I figured you’d want to know. We got her.”
Loud sighs echoed throughout the room.
“It took a few hours but we got a confession. The brakes, the fire, and obviously the attempt on both of your lives. Apparently this isn’t the first scam she’s pulled. Five years ago she convinced a sixty-year-old man with pancreatic cancer to propose. They married a few weeks before he died, and she got half of his fortune. California is a fifty-fifty state. She worked as a volunteer in the hospitals and scouted out her prey. Mr. Spiller was saved from this one. Luckily, you all were.” He shook Mason’s hand and winked at Emma. “I’m sure I’ll see you guys around. We’ll need to do some paperwork when you’re feeling better.”
“Thank you, Walker,” Emma said.
“Call me Bryce.”
Paige placed a bouquet of flowers at her bedside and kissed Emma’s cheek. “I’ll be right back.” Paige followed her detective out the door and came back a minute later. “He chased that evil woman all the way to Massachusetts. Know that he’s got an excellent case, and she’ll never see a Botox injection again. She’s going to rot in jail.”
Emma laughed. “Thanks, Paige. It seems like you and Bryce are a hot item now. I’m really happy for you.”
“Thanks.” Paige blushed. “And I am very happy for you.” She turned to Mason and gave him a friendly pat on his hand.
When they were finally alone, Emma positioned her bed a little higher and curled her legs underneath her. “I think we need to talk.”
Mason bent his head but continued to hold her hand. “I need to tell you something.” He sighed. “I…I really wanted to t-t-tell you before, but words d-d-don’t always come out—”
“Will you shut up and kiss me first?”
Stunned, the corner of his lip curled and he moved in closer and gave her a light kiss.
“Mason, sometimes I say things I don’t mean. I wish my mouth had a backspace key.” He smiled at her joke.
“Sometimes I don’t say much at all…I try b-b-but—”
“Mason, I think it is sweet and endearing that you stutter around me.”
He pulled back.
“I’ve noticed you don’t stutter around my mom and the kids and obviously your family, but when you’re around me you clam up, and when you do talk, you stutter a little.” She smiled.
“I…I’m sorry.”
Emma laughed. “Don’t you dare apologize. Now that I know, I think it is incredibly sexy. It makes me feel quite powerful.”
Mason raised a questioning eyebrow. “I…I have so much I want to tell you.” He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “But I don’t know how.”
“Are they good things or bad things?” Emma asked, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.
“Good things. Very, v-very good things.”
“Really?” she said smiling from ear to ear. “Good. But first kiss me like you love me.”
Not needing any further prodding, he sat on the bed next to her and placed his hands on the pillow on either side of her head. He stared down at her lips then turned his molten chocolate eyes toward her bright blue ones. His move was slow, seductive, and toe tingling. She didn’t think she needed her little fruit snacks to get her heart beating, just a little sugar from her man. Their tongues mated and explored, his knuckles gently stroking her cheeks and her neck. Lips ripe, red, and swollen traveled across her cheek and over to her ear.
She squirmed and giggled. “I am so ticklish there.”
“Mmm, and tender.”
“I’d like to continue this at your place. Think you can get me out of here?”
Two hours later, he unnecessarily carried her over the threshold and stripped her naked in the bathroom. “Shower or bath?”
“Both. Let’s shower to get the grime off us and then make love in the tub,” she said.
“Why not make love in the shower?”
“Why not both?”
Epilogue
Three months later…
Emma brushed Lady’s mane and ran her hands down the mare’s back. “Sweet girl, you ready for a ride?” She tossed a blanket over Lady’s back and placed the saddle on top of it. After seeing to the straps and buckles, she shifted her attention to Buck, Mason’s stallion of choice. “Hey, handsome fellow. You seem excited for the morning run,” she cooed at the palmetto.
Mason strolled into the barn and picked up his saddle. He looked tense, but it didn’t surprise Emma. She opted to stay in the barn and get the horses ready while he went inside and talked with Cole. The relationship between the twins had been quite tense the past few months.
The month after Emma’s second hospitalization was mayhem. Cole’s absence the night of her near death was due to an alcohol-induced car accident. Except for a few bumps and bruises on Cole’s face from his airbag and an innocent pair of birch trees, no one was hurt, but it was a wake-up call for him and the family.
Having Bryce Walker as Paige’s boyfriend didn’t hurt either. Not only did he capture Ashley, the wannabe Trophy Bitch, he also managed to sweep Paige off her feet, and pull through for Cole by getting him the minimum DUI punishment New Hampshire would allow. After paying a $500 fee, losing his license for three months, and attending the Impaired Driver Program, Cole seemed to be on the mend. But his usual careless banter had changed and he’d become more serious. More reserved.
Mason drove Cole to Concord that morning to get his new license and deliver a lecture or two, she assumed. He asked Emma to meet him at the farm and go for a ride, something they both enjoyed doing.
Mason pulled the opening of Emma’s coat, dragged her against his body, and dove into her mouth. The cold November air turned to steam around them. Their layers of jeans, sweaters, coats, and gloves did little to prevent them from feeling every inch of flesh. Not literally of course, but his touch was as familiar as her own. His hands may have been gloved, but as he worked his magic with his mouth, Emma could imagine his warm hands on her body. She moaned. He moaned then pulled back.
“I think Buck is getting jealous.” He winked. “Let’s get going.” He helped her into her saddle, slipped his left food into his stirrup, and then tossed himself up on to his horse.
They rode for nearly an hour through open fields and the barren woods until they reached a private section of the lake. They hopped off their horses and led them to the water. Mason came up behind Emma and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back to his chest and rested his chin on he
r head. She could feel his heart race through his layers of clothing and smiled.
While Emma still dominated most of the conversations, or at least initiated them, Mason had started to pull his own weight. He would always be a man of little words, but the words he did say were true and honest. There were no more mind games; no more guessing as to how the other was feeling.
While he didn’t stutter as much around her, there were intimate moments when he stumbled with a sound or two. It only made her love him more.
“Emma.” He sighed and turned her around so they faced one another. “You know I-I love you, right?”
“Yes,” she said, curious. He’d stopped stuttering when he told her he loved her, but the hitch in his voice meant something was wrong.
“A lot. I love you m-more than life itself.” He kissed her softly but pulled back too quickly.
“So why do I get the feeling you’re about to lay down some bad news? You’ve been pretty tense today.” Emma stepped back, but he quickly reached out and grabbed her arms.
“It’s only bad news if you say no.” Mason dropped to one knee and huffed out a loud breath. He ran a hand across his face and tilted those deep Godiva eyes up toward hers. “Emma, you b-brighten my world. Before you came along I was living in a hole. You make the world around me a b-better place. I’m scared I’m going to lose you one day. You deserve more than I can offer, but I want to live every moment of the rest of my life loving you and making you happy.”
Tears fell, making jagged streams down her face. Mason reached into his pocket and pulled out a beautiful, but simple, square cut diamond.
“Will you…will you make me the luckiest guy in the world and marry me?”
“Yes, oh yes! I’m never, ever going to let you go.”
She dropped to her knees and tackled him in a bear hug, bringing them both to the ground.
“Isn’t this how it all started? You falling on top of me?” Mason grinned as he slipped the ring on her finger.
“I have a feeling I’m going to be falling for you over and over again.”
“For a lifetime.” Mason cupped her face and brought her lips to his as the first snowflakes of the season fell gently around them.
Read Cole Tucker’s story and meet the woman who can tame him in False Impressions coming June 2015.
The End
Publisher’s Note
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About Marianne Rice
Marianne Rice writes contemporary romances set in small New England towns. Her heroes are big and strong, yet value family and humor, while her heroines are smart, sexy, sometimes a little bit sassy, and are often battling a strong internal conflict. Together, they deal with real life issues and always find everlasting love. Marianne lives in Maine with her sports-loving husband and three active kids. When she's not writing, she spends her time buying shoes, eating chocolate, chauffeuring her herd of children to their varying sporting events, and when there's time, relaxing with fancy drinks and a great read.
Connect with her on Facebook or visit her website at http://www.mariannerice.weebly.com
Table of Contents
False Hope
Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Epilogue
About Marianne Rice
False Hope (McKay-Tucker Men Book 2) Page 18