by Indiana Wake
“What do you want?”
Lynne took a deep breath and folded her hands in front of her.
“I’m here to get my things. You said they would be packed. And I wanted to talk to you.”
Greta snorted.
“Your bags are in the hall, ready to go. And there’s nothing to talk about.”
She started to turn away, but Lynne darted through the door and into the hallway, blocking her sister’s escape. Greta tried to get around her, but Lynne stepped in front of her.
“You need to talk to me, Greta. You know I’m not a scandalous woman.”
Greta made a sound that could have been a growl. She looked ready to fight or run.
“I haven’t seen you in four years.” She sneered. “How do I know that? And you’ve been spending far too much time with Jonathan. You know well that people will talk.”
“I spend time with Jonathan because I’m in love with him.”
Lynne was shocked at herself when the words came out. She hadn’t meant to say it, but it had just come out.
Greta faltered. Her face went white and then red, her eyes blazing.
“You think he will fall in love with you if you spend time with him? Jonathan’s not capable of being faithful.”
“How do you know? Because you led him on when you first met him?”
A flicker appeared behind Greta’s eyes. Then she was snarling and advancing on Lynne, her hands clenched at her sides.
“That has nothing to do with it,” she snapped.
“You did lead him on.” Lynne stood her ground. She wasn’t about to cower in front of the woman. “Jonathan told me that you two spent a lot of time together in those two weeks, and he had no idea about Wayne.”
“He’s a liar!” Greta yelled.
“I trust his word.”
“Really?” Greta sneered. “More than your own sister?”
“Of course.” Lynne didn’t need to think about it. “Jonathan hasn’t lied to me. He was upfront about it all. You could have told me a long time ago about what happened, and yet you haven’t. Does Wayne even know what you did?”
“Of course, he doesn’t!”
There was something very blasé about her attitude despite her outrage. Lynne didn’t like it.
“You never said a word to him because this was your little secret. I saw the way you were looking at Jonathan whenever the three of us were in the same room. And then you changed when you realized Jonathan was paying attention to me. Yet you wouldn’t tell me. Are you jealous or something?”
Lynne had been taking a shot in the dark about Greta’s motives. But then she saw the way Greta reacted. Her sister was momentarily at a loss for words. Lynne recognized it from when they were children and when Greta would try to stall for time before she came up with an answer for her parents.
“That’s it, isn’t it?” she accused. “You’re annoyed that a man is not paying any attention to you.”
She half-expected Greta to deny it. But she didn’t. Greta cocked a hip and curled her lip in a sulky expression. She looked like a petulant child.
“Why shouldn’t I have attention?” she demanded. “I’m a woman and I’m beautiful. I deserve the attention.”
This wasn’t the Greta Lynne knew. She had never heard anything so ridiculous. So selfish.
“But you’re married. Isn’t that enough for you? Wayne adores you.”
“You think that’s going to be enough? It’s flattering to have lots of male attention.” Greta smirked. “And Jonathan knows a pretty woman when he sees one.”
“So, you wanted an affair.”
“I wasn’t married… and nothing happened. I just liked having him around paying me attention.”
“Leading him on.” Lynne felt sick. She didn’t know her sister at all. “And you don’t like the fact that he likes me.”
“I saw him first!”
This was going nowhere. Greta was acting like she had a right to Jonathan. It was pathetic. Lynne was beginning to see her older sister as a petulant little girl, essentially an extension of her mother.
Despite hating the way they were treated at home, it looked like Greta was more like her parents than she cared to admit.
“You need to grow up,” Lynne snapped. “Stop being so selfish and focus on your own family.”
“As long as I don’t have to see you again, that’s fine.”
Lynne ignored that parting shot. Greta just wanted the last word, as always. Turning away, Lynne gathered her bags and left the house, aware that Greta was half-scowling, half-smirking at her.
It was considerably warmer once the front door was slammed shut behind her.
Chapter 10
Jonathan went to work still thinking about Lynne. Greta had gone too far. She had no claim over him, and yet she thought she could get rid of Lynne. Didn’t she want her sister to be happy?
He had spent the night tossing and turning and had come to the conclusion that the woman was too self-entitled. Jonathan wanted nothing to do with it. He pitied Wayne having to put up with her.
He was still thinking about Lynne as he worked in his office, trying to go through all the paperwork that had somehow piled up on his desk. Deep in thought he looked up when the door opened and the woman in question came in. She was carrying three bags, which she set down by the door.
Jonathan was immediately up on his feet.
“Lynne?”
Lynne sighed and shut the door behind her. She leaned against it, looking exhausted.
“What is it?” Jonathan came around the desk. “What’s wrong?”
“Greta is jealous,” Lynne sounded resigned. “She wanted to drive me away because she didn’t want you to stop paying attention to her.”
“What?” Jonathan stared at her. “She wanted my attention? I wasn’t giving her attention… I haven’t in years.”
“I know that, and so do you, but Greta thought your presence in her house meant you were giving her attention.” Lynne made a face. “She didn’t like it when you turned to me instead.”
Jonathan had had an inkling that this was the case, but to hear it out loud was something else. Greta had to be mad to think he would pay attention to a married woman. If Jonathan hadn’t been close with Wayne, he wouldn’t be at their house at all.
“She’s a selfish woman.”
“I know now.” Lynne sighed. “I didn’t know her like I thought I did.”
She looked very forlorn about it. Jonathan put his arms around her and kissed her head.
“Don’t worry about it. This isn’t about her anymore. It’s about you. And me, if you’ll let it be.”
“You mean us?”
Lynne was looking up at him with those stunning green eyes. Jonathan smiled and stroked her cheek.
“If you want it to be.”
Then Lynne’s face broke into a smile, one that made Jonathan’s chest tighten. She slid her arms around his neck and kissed him.
“I think great minds think alike.”
Jonathan groaned, hugging her tightly as he took over the kiss. Lynne sighed and melted against him. She was feeling a lot warmer than she had been the night before. Jonathan pulled back reluctantly, pressing a final kiss to her nose.
“I love you, Lynne,” he whispered. “And I mean it. Right from the start. I just… I knew… only I didn’t want to scare you.”
Lynne laughed.
“It doesn’t scare me.” She kissed his jaw. “I love you, too.”
“Then will you marry me?”
Lynne’s eyes widened. “Yes, I would love to marry you.”
That was like music to Jonathan’s ears. He hugged her tightly, not willing to let her go.
And he had no intention of doing that. Jonathan had another gift planned for Lynne, one that would make her really smile.
All he had to do was wait. And Jonathan hated waiting.
Epilogue
Mary stood outside the church and watched as Harriet and Cristian, Lorna and Matthew a
nd Lynne and Jonathan stood in the churchyard surrounded by their friends and family. All of the girls were beaming. Lynne looking up at Jonathan with such devotion that Mary nearly burst into tears at the sight. Harriet and Cristian wouldn’t stop holding hands, and Matthew had an arm around Lorna’s shoulders.
It was a beautiful sight. Mary’s heart melted watching them. Three matches and three weddings. It was perfect and just in time for Christmas.
“The triple wedding.” Gareth appeared at her side, carrying a sleeping Elijah. “I didn’t think you were going to pull it off.”
Mary smiled and leaned into his side.
“You didn’t believe I could do it?”
“Not really, no. I was expecting one wedding, maybe two, but not three.” Gareth laughed and tucked Elijah into one arm, putting his other arm around his wife’s shoulders. He kissed her head. “You certainly know how to work miracles. Are you sure you’re not an angel?”
Mary laughed.
“I’m pretty sure.”
She was delighted with what she had done and the joy she had spread was the perfect gift for Christmas.
Mary had begun to wonder if she had been a little ambitious with giving herself such a big target, but it had come to fruition at the right time. All Mary had done was push the relative couples in the right direction, that had been enough. Now, she was watching three of her next seven brides get married to men who were clearly devoted to them, even after such a short space of time.
“This is certainly a perfect Christmas,” she declared.
Gareth chuckled.
“I don’t think Greta Cornell would say that. Did you see the look on her face when Lynne and Jonathan got married? It was like she had eaten a lemon.”
“I did see that.” Mary already knew about what had happened from Jonathan. The man had been very honest about it all. “She shouldn’t have been so selfish. Wayne clearly adores her.”
“I do hope Wayne knows what he’s letting himself in for.”
“Oh, he will. Wayne’s smarter than people think he is.” Mary looked at the four remaining women mingling with the rest of the wedding guests. All of them looked radiant and had beaming smiles. “Now, onto the other four.”
“Oh, dear lord. What are you going to do now? Get them all married on New Year’s Day?”
Mary prodded him in the side.
“You’re overestimating my powers of matchmaking. I’m not that good. But I’m looking forward to seeing them matched up.”
“And playing detective.”
“What do you mean?” Mary looked up at her husband. “Gareth? What do you mean?”
“I… err… forget it.” Gareth shook his head. “Forget I said anything.”
“No, don’t stop now.” Mary turned to him. “What did you mean by that?”
Gareth sighed.
“I didn’t want to mention anything, but something’s not quite right with those four. They’re hiding something, but I don’t know what, and I don’t know if it will be detrimental to their chances of making good matches.”
Mary was surprised. Gareth wasn’t normally that observant.
“You noticed that as well, did you?”
“I’m not completely blind. I do have my uses.”
Mary giggled and kissed her husband’s cheek.
“Well, I’m sure it will all come out soon.”
“As long as you don’t start something you can’t stop,” Gareth warned. “I know what you’re like.”
“I won’t.” Mary rested her head on Gareth’s shoulder. “Don’t you worry.”
He turned to her and kissed her lips.
“Happy Christmas, my love.”
“That was another wonderful Christmas present. Happy Christmas.”
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Justin Bass shoveled a load of potatoes into his mouth and moaned as the butter and herbs melted into his tongue.
“This is very good. Joan hasn’t lost her touch.”
Cody Goodridge grinned and looked at his wife, Maeve, who sat next to him.
“She’s a great housekeeper, and between her and Maeve, the rest of us are going to get really fat.”
He sat back and patted his belly, which was looking a little rounder than before.
Maeve rolled her eyes and laughed. “Maybe I don’t want to be lonely while I get fat,” she teased rubbing her own belly which was round with child.
Cody chuckled and kissed her. Across the table, Nathan Price shook his head and sipped at his ale.
“You look as lovely as ever, Maeve. Ignore him.”
“Wait until you get a wife, Nate,” Cody warned, a glint in his eye, “And I’ll give her a flurry of compliments.”
Maeve laughed. Nathan grinned and winked at Maeve. Cody pretended to look angry and shook his fist.
Further down the table Justin sat in silence and watched them as he ate his dinner. It was a warm atmosphere he found himself in. Justin didn’t usually like being around people; in fact, he hated it, but this was an easy group. He was happy to sit back and listen to the talk, banter, and laughter. Sometimes he was so quiet they forgot he was even there. It was as if he could blend into the background and that was what he liked.
It was good to just listen to his friends, with no pressure on him. Cody was opening up more in the last few months, and Maeve was progressing well in her pregnancy. Although Justin had a feeling she was expecting twins, considering how big her belly was. Nathan was his usual snarky self, but he never failed to have a smile for Maeve, who seemed to make every man who she met fall under her spell without her even opening her mouth. She only had to crook her finger, and the men came running.
Still, it was clear to anyone, even to an obtuse person like Justin, that Cody was the first man in her mind and he would get precedence above anyone else. Justin liked how his friend was comfortable in his marriage. They had a child already, and Cody was a doting father as well as a loving husband. These were things he had despaired about ever becoming. Now he was thriving, and he looked all the better for it.
It was at times like this that Justin felt a twinge of envy. He was not like Cody; he couldn’t get a woman like Maeve, not even in his wildest dreams. His latest attempt at courting several other women had proven that.
Maeve sipped her water and began to cut up her meat.
“So, Justin, how did your evening go with Luisa Pope?”
Justin made a face at her. He had hoped nobody would ask him about that embarrassment of a night.
“It didn’t.”
“It didn’t?” Maeve blinked. “You mean she didn’t turn up? I thought she was interested in you.”
“Oh, she turned up, all right. She was bang on time. But her attitude was awful.” Justin pushed his beef around the plate with his fork. “We went to have a meal together, and she complained throughout the entire meal. Whatever she could complain about she would. It was like she had turned into a pampered princess.”
Justin had thought he might finally get lucky. Luisa was from Phoenix and was very much sought after because of her beauty and her charm. But Justin saw the ugly side of her and the snobbishness she showed when they sat down to dinner. It was only because he didn’t like confrontations that he hadn’t walked out before the first course was finished.
Now he wished he had.
“Where did you take her?” Cody asked.
“Rufus’s restaurant in Frye.”
Rufus Reynolds’ restaurant was the only place in the area that served good food fit for a romantic meal. Nathan’s saloon served food, but it was simple barbecue and fried food because that was all Nathan’s cook knew what to do. The place could get noisy and a might rowdy as well. Rufus and his wife did a wider variety of dishes and, as a result, the place was popular.
“Rufus’s place?
” Nathan raised his eyebrows. “Isn’t that where she works?”
“It is.”
That was what had made it more embarrassing. It was only by mere luck he managed to get out of there pretending to check on the animals once the meal had ended. Luisa had thought she would be getting a kiss after the date, but Justin had other ideas. Luisa had tried to contact him since, even threatened to send her father after him for dumping her, but Justin ignored her. He heard later Luisa had complained to her father, who was the local brewer, and he had simply rolled his eyes and told her to grow up.
“Really? She had the nerve to criticize Rufus?” Maeve whistled. “What did Rufus do?”
“I didn’t see it personally, but Amy saw me this morning.” Justin chewed on the beef. “Rufus had heard the comments Luisa made, and he was furious. When she came into work the next day he fired her almost immediately, telling her he wouldn’t have staff being so disrespectful about his restaurant, whether or not they were working.”
It was amazing that Luisa moaned about the place at all. But Justin surmised she was from Phoenix and things were different there. Her parents had moved with their job, but Luisa clearly saw Canyon and Frye as beneath her and made her feelings known at the wrong time.
Justin was glad he was not going to be dealing with her anymore.
Cody shook his head in amazement.
“How people don’t learn to hobble their lip I have no idea. You picked a right one there.”
“He certainly did.” Maeve sighed. “This is the third night you’ve had in three weeks that’s ended in disaster.”
“He’s beginning to get a reputation of a lothario.” Nathan grinned. He nudged Justin. “You must be doing something wrong.”
“Or the girls available are just too picky,” Justin grunted.
That was true enough. There were lots of lovely people in Canyon and Frye, but there weren’t many women available for marriage. Women were such a small percentage of the population and were a precious commodity. It had come to the point where men were placing advertisements for a bride from the East Coast to come to Canyon and Frye to marry them. Cody had done just that, and it had worked wonders. The women who weren’t brought from the outside were either already married, too old, too young or just downright snobby. It was like they thought they were better than everyone else. Justin didn’t like that reaction, and he wasn’t going to entertain it.