Harlequin Heartwarming December 2020 Box Set

by Cari Lynn Webb, Linda Warren, Mary Anne Wilson

  He hugged her. “I better go, but I’ll try to get back soon.”

  “You do that.” She patted his chest again. “Oh, wait, I have something I want you to do.”

  She hurried down a small hallway and came back with a pair of brown slacks in her hands. “You take these to Target and get my money back.”

  “Do you have a receipt?”

  “No. Who keeps receipts?”

  “What’s wrong with them?”

  “They’re uncomfortable and I want my money back.”

  She’d never asked him to do anything before and he wondered what she was up to. He fingered the slacks and saw food stains.

  “Grandma, have you worn these?”

  “Yeah, that’s how I know they’re uncomfortable.”

  “You can’t take back something you’ve worn.”

  “Wear your badge and your gun and tell him your grandma wants her money back. It’ll work.”

  “Grandma, I don’t use my gun and badge in that way.”

  “You can do it for your grandma who lives on a fixed income.”

  He knew this was a losing battle. His grandmother had her own way of thinking and she was never going to see Bo’s side.

  “How much did they cost?”

  “Nine ninety-nine plus tax.”

  He took out his wallet. “Tell you what. I’ll give you ten dollars and it’ll save me a trip from having to bring you the money.”

  “Deal.”

  He handed her a ten dollar bill.

  “Plus tax.”

  He groaned inwardly and gave her another dollar. “Is that good enough?”

  “Perfect. Now I have to run. I just have to find my glasses.”

  Bo gritted his teeth. “They’re on your head.”

  “Sometimes I forget that.”

  At that moment Bo wondered just how much she remembered about the past. At eighty-one her memory was a little faulty. As he drove home, the past ran through his mind like pages from a photo album and his grandfather was in all the pictures—fishing, hunting, baling hay, riding a four-wheeler, riding horses, playing cards, cutting down a Christmas tree—but his dad wasn’t.

  Could his grandmother be right? Could Mason have been left out for a reason? He pushed the thought aside. Mason had had many chances and Bo wasn’t giving him another one. Everyone had different memories, but he was almost certain he would never forgive his father and see him as the man his grandmother did.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ON SUNDAY MORNING, Becky, her father and Luci got up late and Becky fixed breakfast for the three of them. Luci sat in her booster seat, stuffing pancakes dripping with maple syrup into her mouth. Becky didn’t allow her daughter to eat too many sweets, but Sunday was always a special day when she made pancakes or waffles.

  Sipping her coffee, she watched as Luci carefully speared a cut-up piece of pancake and shoved it into her mouth. Becky had waited so long for Luci to learn to use a fork and now she was good at it. Everything was improving, except her speech.

  Last night Becky had intended to have Luci do some of the speech exercises, but her daughter must’ve read her mind because she said no before Becky could even start. No was her favorite word. Then she cried and held her hands over her ears. Becky gave up and admitted she needed help with Luci.

  She reached over and wiped syrup from Luci’s chin. She loved this little girl with all her heart and it hurt that she might not start school when she turned four. That was Becky’s goal—for Luci to speak so she could go to school with other children her age. If things didn’t change, Becky might have to send her to a special school. That hurt even worse. And it was her fault. The truth of that cut into her conscience with a big Mother Fail.

  When Luci finished, Becky picked her up and carried her to the sink to wash her hands and face. “We’re going to the park today so go to your room and pick out something to wear.”

  “Grand-pa. Go-ing?”

  Becky looked at her father for the answer.

  “No, grandpa’s going to work in the yard today.”

  Luci ran to her room and Becky sank into a chair. “I’m not sure how to deal with Bo.”

  Her dad pushed his plate back. “The truth might work.”

  “It’s hard to talk to him.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m afraid I’ll fall for every line he feeds me.”

  “You’re not sixteen anymore—trust yourself.” Her father carried his plate to the sink. “But I’ll tell you one thing. He’s very good with Luci. She kind of looks up to him and will do anything he asks of her, which I find very unusual. I watched it yesterday. She strung three words together without pausing and I think she’s on the precipice of speaking correctly.”

  “I know I need help.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  “But I don’t want it to be from him.”

  “Rebecca, you once loved the man with all your heart, and I think if you spend some time together you might find some of those feelings are still there.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.” She got up and started putting the dishes in the dishwasher. She feared it, dreaded it and agonized over it. The only way to prevent it was to stay away from him. In her heart she knew she would always love him, but she couldn’t give in to that emotion. It had almost destroyed her once and that panic of being abandoned when she had needed him the most was always uppermost in her mind and kept her grounded.

  When he found out the truth about Luci, he would forever be a thorn in her side. Could she continue to fight him? Maybe that talk was long overdue.

  They spent most of the day in the park and Becky didn’t think about Bo once. Luci ran and played, going up slides and down slides, and jumping on and off the swings and carousels. Becky was right behind her.

  Luci played with a little boy who was almost three and the son of Bubba and Margie Wiznowski. They now owned the bakery in town that had been there as long as the town had existed. Bubba was a deputy with the Sheriff’s Department and Margie was entertaining their son until Bubba got off. It was nice to talk to another mother and share concerns and worries over their children. The little boy was too young to notice Luci’s speech, so the park adventure was going very well.

  Later that afternoon she noticed Bo’s truck was at his mother’s house. It hadn’t been there earlier that morning and she was hoping he’d returned to Austin. But he was back and now she waited for his next move.

  * * *

  BO STOOD AT the living room window and watched as Becky drove up, got Luci out and walked into the house with Luci on her hip. In denim cutoffs and a sleeveless blouse, she looked as beautiful as ever and the sun highlighted her flawless skin. The look of motherhood suited her. She thrived in it.

  As his grandmother had said, you could love a person and still not like some things about them. And he really didn’t like her unwillingness to forgive. Then again, he had to admit he was the same way. They had that in common. But he had never hurt her like his father had hurt him and Kelsey and his mother. There had to be a way to make this right between them, and the only way to do that was to talk. That was another thing he didn’t like about her: her refusal to talk.

  He ran a hand through his hair. He really needed to go back to work. All this introspection was driving him crazy. It had been simmering for years on the back burner of his thoughts and he’d just as soon have left it there. But there was Luci… Until he knew something for sure, he was hanging in.

  Other things were on his mind, too. He pulled out his phone and called his sister.

  “Hey, Kel.”

  “Bo? Is something wrong? Is it Mom?”

  “Can’t I call my sister without something being wrong?”

  He could almost see her green eyes flashing as her mind struggled with a retort. She had their mother’s eyes an
d their grandmother’s personality.

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  “I went to see Grandma today.”

  “And…?”

  “She told me some things that I think she has mixed up and I wanted to check them with you.”

  “Grandma may not act like it sometimes, but she’s very sharp. What did she say?”

  “Grandpa bought you things, didn’t he?”

  “Are you kidding? Grandpa bought you things and he never bought me one blessed thing, nor did he buy our cousins, Mitzi and Sarah, anything. But Grandma made up for it by taking us all to Walmart and letting us pick out what we wanted. Those were fun times.”

  “Wait a minute. He bought the ATV for us, remember?”

  “He bought the ATV for you, and you and Cole drove the wheels off it. Not in any way was that ATV any part mine.”

  “He bought us the horses.” Bo was desperately trying to think of something that Grandpa had bought Kelsey, but now there was just a dark truth he couldn’t escape. Grandma had been right.

  “I didn’t see one for me. Are you having temporary amnesia?”

  “I guess I am. I thought the world of him and thought he treated us all equally, but I’m beginning to see that wasn’t so.”

  “Don’t let it bother you too much. Mom and Grandma made up for his lack of interest and I got used to it. Doesn’t bother me at all. What bothers me the most was that our dad showed no interest in us. That will probably always hurt.”

  “He was here on Friday when I got home.”

  “Dad was there?”

  “Mom wasn’t expecting me, and when I drove up a strange truck was in the driveway. He was talking to Mom in the kitchen and they were looking very guilty when I walked in.”

  “She’s talking to him again? Oh no, here we go.”

  “Yeah, kind of blew my top, and she said she’s not in love with him anymore and I wasn’t to worry, like I haven’t heard that a hundred times.”

  “Well, we’re out of the house and on our own and it’s Mom’s decision to make. If she’s happier with him, so be it. Maybe we can get to know him now and not feel so dejected when he leaves.”

  “Oh, please, don’t give me some kind of woman mumbo jumbo.”

  “Shut up.”

  “Let’s don’t argue. Did Grandma ever tell you why Mason is the way he is?”

  “No. Could there be a reason?”

  Bo told her what his grandmother had told him.

  “You know, Bo, you need to talk to Mom. She would know more about that than anyone and it does sound believable. There had to be a reason.”

  Bo looked out the window again and saw Luci sitting on her front step with the dog and cat and the ball in her lap. Those pink glasses were pointed right at his house. She was waiting for him.

  “I don’t want to talk about him anymore. It just brings back all the hurt from when I was a kid.”

  “We’re grown now and you should be able to handle it.”

  “Guess what? I’m not. Because of our childhood I don’t think you and I will ever recognize love when we find it.”

  “I’m not giving up. I intend to get married and have kids and have that damn happy-ever-after if it kills me.”

  “Keep dreaming, Kel.”

  “What are you doing home anyway? Don’t you usually work around the clock?”

  “I’m on a forced vacation.”

  “Good gracious! They have to force you to take a vacation?”

  “Something like that.”

  “You’re nuts, do you know that?”

  “Becky’s home, too,” he said, for some reason unclear to himself.

  “Well, now, isn’t that something.”

  “I met her little girl. Her name is Luci.”

  “Bo, please don’t open that wound.”

  “Do you know who Luci’s father is?”

  His sister groaned. “Becky and I work in the same hospital, but we rarely see each other and how would I know that? And why do you want to know?”

  “I’m just trying to make peace with the past. That’s it.”

  “Yeah, right. Gotta love a man who can bluff as good as you can.”

  “Gotta go. I’ll talk to you later.” He had said enough and there was a little girl waiting on him.

  “If Dad comes back, let me know.”

  Bo slipped his phone into his pocket and went out the front door. Try as he might, he couldn’t stay away.

  When he reached Luci, she stood and held up the ball. “Play. Ball.”

  He sat on the stoop, as did she. “We’ll have to ask your mom.”

  Luci went into the house and he followed. Becky was at the kitchen table on a laptop. She pushed tortoiseshell glasses to the top of her head.

  “Bo, what are you doing here?” she asked in a very calm voice.

  “Play. Mom-my. Ball. Bo.”

  “I don’t know, baby. Aren’t you tired from the park? You ran around a lot and your cheeks were flushed.”

  Luci shook her head. “I. Not.”

  Craig came in through the French doors with dirt on his jeans. “Hey, Bo.”

  Luci pulled on Bo’s hand. “Ball.”

  Bo glanced at Becky. “Go ahead, but make sure she doesn’t get overtired.”

  That was just too easy, he thought as he followed Luci out into the backyard.

  “You’re okay with Bo playing with Luci?” her father asked as the French doors closed.

  “Yes. You’re right. I’m not sixteen and naive anymore, and if he can help my daughter then I’m going to let it happen, but I will maintain my distance.”

  “That’s better than being antagonistic.” Her dad looked down at his hands. “I have to get cleaned up.”

  Becky got to her feet and went to the French doors to watch Bo and Luci. They were throwing the big blue ball. Luci missed it almost every time, but Bo was very patient, coaxing and cajoling her, and she giggled and laughed until Becky couldn’t stand it. She opened the door and went outside and sat on the patio. Pink and Purr followed her out.

  “Now let’s kick it,” Bo said.

  He set the ball on the ground and kicked it. It hit the board fence and bounced into her dad’s flower bed, the one he’d been painstakingly working on.

  Luci put her hands over her mouth. “O-ops. Grand-pa. Mad.”

  “Didn’t hurt a thing.” Bo placed the ball in front of Luci. “Your turn.”

  Luci tried to kick it, but she missed it every time. It broke Becky’s heart and she started to go back into the house, but then Bo started talking to Luci.

  He squatted in front of her. “Remember? Keep your eyes on the ball and make your foot connect with it. Eyes. Foot. Ball.”

  Luci nodded and drew back her leg and kicked. The ball went flying into her grandfather’s famed flower bed. Luci jumped up and down screeching, “I did it. I did it!”

  Becky got to her feet and couldn’t believe her ears. So many times she’d tried to help Luci and all her efforts had been for naught, but Luci responded to Bo in a way that Becky couldn’t explain. She sat back down and watched.

  “More. Bo.”

  They threw and kicked the ball, and Luci ran screeching across the backyard like any almost-four-year-old. It was a delight to watch. When Luci’s cheeks grew red, Becky called a halt and Luci ran to her and crawled into her lap, her heated face resting in the crook of Becky’s neck.

  “I. Good. Mom-my.”

  “Yes, you are.” Becky kissed the warmth of her daughter’s face and stared into the dark eyes of a man she’d thought she would hate for the rest of her life.

  “Go inside and rest for a minute and I’ll be in soon.”

  “’Kay.”

  Bo sat in the patio chair opposite her. “What’s up, Bec?”

  �
�Stop talking in that sarcastic voice. It doesn’t become you.”

  “Why are you letting Luci play with me?”

  “Because she wants to,” Becky answered as honestly as possible. “And for some reason she responds to you. I’ve lost my patience with getting her to do anything. She mostly cries and just wants me to hold her.”

  “Then let me help her.”

  She stared at him, and a wealth of emotions flooded her. She tried to push them away, but all she could see was his broad shoulders stretching a black T-shirt to the max. He hadn’t had those muscles back in the day, and his workout routine must be a killer. But she understood he had to be fit for his job.

  “She’s not your child, Bo.” She felt she needed to get that point across before her strength completely collapsed.

  “We’ll see.”

  “So you did the test?”

  “Yes, but I don’t see why you just can’t be honest with me. I know I hurt you, but I don’t deserve this.”

  “You’re not Luci’s father. How many times do I have to say that? That’s the reason I wanted you to do the test, because you’re not going to believe me until you see it in writing.”

  “Then who is?”

  She got to her feet, tired of the conversation. “I’ll be leaving early in the morning for work.”

  “You’re taking Luci back to Austin?” His anxious voice imparted to her just how strong his connection to Luci was.

  “No, she’s staying here with my dad. If you want to see her, you can, if my dad approves. Just be very aware she’s not your child.”

  He stood slowly and her muscles tightened at the impending doom she glimpsed in his eyes. “When the test comes back, you be very aware that I want to talk. This time you’re going to talk and we’re going to get all the good and bad out into the open.”

  “Okay. You just be prepared to handle the truth.”

  “I don’t understand all this secrecy, but I have a whole week to wait, and during that time you and I are coming to grips with the past. And then maybe both of us can walk away or maybe we can salvage something out of our relationship.” He strolled toward the gate and out of view. She exhaled deeply.

  The truth? How in the world would he ever understand the truth?