by S. J. McCoy
His eyes shone as he looked up at her. It broke her heart to see him so sad. “Can't you come back, love? Come live here. We could keep the old place going between the two of us.”
Gina felt tears sting her own eyes. “If I believed for a moment that was true, I'd do it. But you know we can't. Beef prices are still falling. Hay prices are still rising. We could bust our butts and still not be able to make it. You know that. I've been sending you as much as I can these last couple of years and you're still only scraping by. If I were to move here too, I wouldn't be bringing anything in.”
He shook his head sadly. “I know. I just... Why don't you get them muffins out of the oven before you burn 'em?”
Gina whirled around and rescued the muffins.
“Are you going to take me over to Monique's birthday party next Sunday?”
Gina's heart stopped. “Monique Remington?”
Her dad gave a low chuckle. “Don't pretend you don't know who I mean, girl. How many Moniques do we know?”
Her hands were shaking as she set the muffins on the rack to cool. Mason's mom was a wonderful lady. No one had expected the sophisticated French lady to last more than a year in the valley when she'd arrived as Dave Remington's new wife. That had been nearly forty years ago. She'd proved them all wrong and was as much a part of the valley as anyone. She'd raised four boys and worked the land alongside her husband whenever she was needed. She wore jeans instead of designer dresses these days and was lucky if she got to go shopping in Portland, let alone Paris. She still loved to throw herself a big birthday party every year though.
Gina turned to set the plate of muffins in front of her dad. “I'll drop you off over there.”
“You should come. You haven't been to Monique's birthday bash for years.”
“Drop it, will you?” She was having a hard enough time being here at all. She was desperately hoping she wouldn't see Mason. The thought of going out to the Remington Ranch, of willingly being in the same room as him...? No. Just no!
Her dad was staring at her. His eyes boring into her as if he could see what she was thinking. “You're going to have to make your peace with him someday.”
“With who?” Gina busied herself at the sink, rinsing dishes and making sure her dad couldn't see her face.
“With the man on the moon! Who do you think I mean? Mason. You stubborn little mare.”
Gina determinedly kept her back turned to him. “There's no peace that needs to be made with him, Dad. I don't know why you won't let that go. We dated when we were kids. It ended years ago.”
“Gina, I'm not stupid, and neither are you. So I wish you'd stop acting as if you are when it comes to him. I don't know what the hell went wrong between the two of you, but I do know you need to make your peace with each other. I can't mention him to you without you losing it. I can't mention you to him without him walking away. If you're going to marry this Liam character, you need to let your heart say goodbye to Mason first. It wouldn't be fair to anyone if you don't.”
Gina realized she was scrubbing frantically at an already clean pan. She rubbed her sleeve over her eyes before turning around. “I said goodbye to Mason ten years ago, Dad.”
He shook his head as he finished his muffin. Picking up his coffee he stood up and stared at her. “We both know that's not true. You never said goodbye to him, you just didn't come back. It broke his heart. It broke my heart. And for all you refuse to talk about it, I think it broke yours, too. If we have to sell up and leave here, if you really want to marry this Liam, I'll go along with it. I'll go along with whatever you say needs to happen. But I have one condition. Before I will move off this land, you have to make your peace with Mason.”
She stared at him. “I told you, Dad. There's no... there's nothing...”
He gave her a grim smile. “And I told you, Gina. I'm not stupid.” He stopped in the doorway and turned back. “I'll be down the bottom forty.”
“But what about the realtors?”
“What about 'em? Nothing to do with me.” He slammed the door on his way out.
Gina plonked herself down at the table and absently picked at one of the muffins. Liam would lecture her if he saw her with it. She popped a piece in her mouth—he wasn't here. This was all just one big mess. If she didn't have enough on her plate trying to sort out her dad and the ranch, she now knew she'd have to come face to face with Mason before she left. Her dad called her a stubborn little mare? He was a stubborn old mule! And she knew he'd dig his heels in over her making her peace—as he called it—with Mason. Perhaps it was a good thing. She'd blown it up in her mind all these years. Mason had probably never given her another thought—at least not after his ego had recovered from the number she'd done on him by telling him it was over, by not coming back. She shrugged, what else could she have done after she'd discovered how little she meant to him? After she'd heard him tell Guy Preston, of all people, how he really felt?
She started as her dad popped his head back around the door. “I meant to tell you. The pharmacy called. My script is ready. I told ‘em you'd pick it up for me before they close.”
Gina raised her eyebrows at him. “You want me to go up to town? What about the realtors?”
“You'll still have time after you're done. They're open until six these days.” He smiled. “You could catch up with some of your old friends while you're up there.”
Gina blew out a frustrated sigh at him. “I don't want to catch up with anyone, Dad.”
He shrugged and closed the door again.
He wanted to make her see people, wanted her to engage with life here again. What did he think, that she'd change her mind? That she'd somehow realize that she wanted to come back and live here? And that she'd be able to make it happen even if she did? She didn't want to see anyone. Would rather no one even knew she was here. She hated making her dad leave, but since she had no other choice, she wanted to do it as quickly as possible and get them both out of here without revisiting the past.
~ ~ ~
Mason pulled into a spot right outside the hardware store. He pulled his hat down over his eyes and climbed out of the truck. He hated coming to town. Everyone always wanted to know your business—and to tell you everyone else's. He wasn't interested. Didn't need to know who was divorcing, who was dating, or who was filing for bankruptcy. He sure as hell didn't want anyone knowing his business. Not that he had anything to hide. He didn't understand why they wanted to know. Well, that wasn't true. He knew why—and he hated it. He was the eldest of four brothers, all of them very eligible in the eyes of the old women in town. In the eyes of the young women, too. His family owned a lot of land in the valley, was well respected and pretty well off, by local standards. Any of the Remington boys would be considered a catch, and as the eldest, he was the most sought after.
“Hey, Mason.”
He raised a hand to Iris, who was working the cash register. She'd been a year ahead of him in high school. She was one of the biggest gossips around. He made sure he was always friendly with her, chatting and laughing—and never giving anything away. He made his way to the back of the store. He didn't need anything heavy-duty today, just some outdoor party lights to string around the back deck for his mom's birthday. She loved those lights and he loved to see her enjoy her party every year.
As he made his way back through the store, he saw another familiar face.
“Hey, Mase. How you doing?”
He nodded. “Yeah, not bad. How about you, Cody?”
Cody grinned. “Doing great. Brandy's due next month.”
Mason smiled. Cody and Brandy had been together since high school. They'd married as soon as they graduated and this must be baby number four, maybe five. “Give her my best.”
“You could come say hi if you want. She's out in the car. We were talking about you the other day. You know Gina's in town? We were wondering what happened with the two of you. Always thought you two would be married with kids of your own.”
The pulse
was pounding in Mason's temple. He'd thought that, too. It turned out Gina hadn't—and she'd never even had the guts to tell him to his face that she didn't want him. He stared at Cody for a moment.
Cody gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”
Mason shook his head. “No need. Say hi to Brandy for me. I can't stop, I need to get back down the valley.” He started to walk away but turned back when Cody called after him.
“She was in the pharmacy about five minutes ago.”
The pounding filled his ears.
Cody shrugged. “Just saying.”
Mason backed out into the traffic on Main Street. The pharmacy was a quarter of a mile farther down. He craned his neck to look inside as he drove by. He couldn't see her. What the hell was he thinking anyway? She'd refused to speak to him for years. Why would that be about to change today? He kept asking himself the question as he pulled into an empty space. As he turned off the ignition, the pulse in his temple pounded even louder. He'd pulled in right next to her dad's old truck. He'd just sit here and wait for her to come back.
A few short minutes later, he saw her come out onto the street. The blood pounding in his temple was deafening now. She was beautiful. Older. She'd been a girl back then, she was all woman now. Her hair was shorter, less wild, but still framed her perfect little pixie face. She'd always had a great figure. Curves that drove him wild. She'd filled out a little, the cut of her jacket emphasized a perfect hour-glass he needed to get reacquainted with. His heart clenched in his chest as he watched her greet Mr. Towson from the post office. Her smile was still all kindness and fun rolled into one. He shifted in his seat as the blood pounded its way to the front of his pants. He was hard as a rock just seeing her bundled up in a coat and scarf at a hundred yards. What was he going to do when she reached her truck?
He didn't have time to think about the answer to that one as she came around to the passenger side to put some bags on the seat. As she closed the door, he went with his gut. His mind didn't have time to figure out what to do, but his body knew what it wanted and acted on instinct. He opened his own door and slid out of the cab, landing in front of her as she turned around.
In the narrow space between the two vehicles, his senses filled up with the feel of her. The memory of her. He couldn't help it. He took hold of her shoulders, and, as her eyes widened in recognition, he pushed her up against her truck and leaned his weight against her.
“Mason! I...” Her hands came up to his shoulders as he wrapped her up in his arms and held her to him. Her lips parted as he lowered his mouth to hers and she opened up to him as he kissed her. She felt so right in his arms. So soft, so willing. So his.
~ ~ ~
Gina clung to his shoulders. The feel of his lips on hers, his tongue mating with her own, and his arms wrapped around her, they all took her back. Took her back to the time when he'd been hers, when she'd been his. The time when all was as it should be and she'd been happy. She floated on those memories as he kissed her, knowing she was back where she belonged. He pressed her back against the side of the truck, and she whimpered at the feel of his hardness pressing between her legs. Nothing had changed between them. Nothing at all.
The sound of a car horn honking brought her back to her senses. She pushed him away. What was she thinking? Everything had changed between them. She looked up into his eyes, those beautiful blue eyes she'd thought she would wake up to every morning for the rest of her life.
“I've missed you, darlin'.”
She searched his face. He was straight up serious! She shook her head, panic setting in. “I have to go.” She stepped away from him. She needed to get back in the truck, back to the ranch and away from this man.
He caught her wrist. “Gina! We need to talk.”
She shook her head and pulled away from him. “There's nothing left to say, Mason.”
He stared after her as she hurried around and jumped in the truck. He was still standing there staring as she checked her rearview mirror once she'd pulled out into the traffic. The gorgeous cowboy standing in an empty parking space, hat pulled down over his eyes, pain written all over his face, was Mason. Her Mason. And she was driving as fast as she could away from him? Away from the only man she'd ever loved? What the hell was wrong with her? She started to shake as she joined the highway and headed south back down the valley. There was nothing wrong with her. She was being smart. He'd broken her heart, broken her, once before. If she stuck around even long enough to have a conversation with him, she knew she'd fall in love with him all over again. And he'd break her heart again. She didn't think she could survive that a second time. What was she even thinking like that for anyway? Mason was not the only man she'd ever loved. She was in love with Liam. They were going to get married—when they could work it into their schedule.
~ ~ ~
Mason climbed into his truck and sat back in his seat. He pulled his hat down over his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. Way to go, asshole! He'd hoped to see her. Had been trying to figure out how he could get her to talk to him. And what had he done? He'd grabbed her before she even realized who he was, had her up against her truck and kissed the sense out of her. He shifted in his seat as his hard-on pressed uncomfortably against his zipper. If they hadn't been out in the middle of Main Street, he’d have done a lot more, too. That thought made him tip his hat back and take a peek around wondering who might have seen them and how fast word of it would be spreading around town. He groaned. “What are you doing to me, Gina girl?”
Chapter Three
Gina pulled up at the house and rested her head against the steering wheel. Well, she'd seen him. She'd spoken to him. Could that count as making their peace? Hell no! In the space of a couple of seconds, he'd robbed her of any peace she might have ever known. When she'd closed the truck door and heard someone behind her, she'd been about to apologize. Get out of the way for the driver of the vehicle parked next to her. And there he'd been. The sight of him had knocked all the air out of her. He seemed taller, certainly bigger. Ten years ago he'd been tall, muscular, but still a boy in many respects. Now, he was all man. His face was weathered, there were lines around his beautiful, blue eyes. In those few seconds, she'd been hyper aware of everything about him. The slight stubble on his face, the couple of grays in his sandy hair, the way his hat shaded his eyes—his eyes that held so much pain, so much need. She shook her head. Every little detail she'd seen had imprinted itself on her mind as his lips came down on hers. She should have been mad that he'd pushed her up against the truck. Instead, she was grateful. Her knees had been ready to give out, she wouldn't have stayed upright by herself. But it was all wrong. He was just a guy from the past. No matter how gorgeous a man he'd become. No matter that in those few seconds he'd brought back every feeling she'd ever had for him. He was her past. Liam was her present—and her future.
She jumped in her seat as her dad tapped on the window.
“Are you going to come in and make me that apple pie?”
She stared at him, hauling her mind back to the present.
“Well? Are you going to sit there all night or are you coming in and we'll see about some dinner?”
She nodded and grabbed the bags from the passenger seat.
He opened the door for her and smiled. “You run into anyone in town?”
Oh God! He knew! It would be too much to hope that no one had seen Mason pin her up against the truck and kiss her senseless. Word of it would be all over town by now, and had apparently already raced down the valley to her dad. She slid down and glared at him. “Did you tell him I was going to be at the pharmacy?”
Her dad laughed. “Tell who?”
Gina stomped into the kitchen and slammed the bags onto the table. “You may find it funny, Dad, but I don't. You can count that as me making my peace with him. I've seen him. That's it. It's done. Over. And I'll thank you not to mention his name to me ever again. Do you hear me? Ever!”
He was laughing harder now. “Gina girl, I
have no idea what happened up in town, but from the state you’re in, I'm guessing you're talking about Mason. You can lie to yourself if you want to, but you can't lie to your old dad. You haven't even begun to make your peace with him, but if seeing him has gotten you this stirred up, then you can't deny that you need to.”
Gina scowled at him. “Dad, you don't know what happened. He...” She shrugged. “You know how much I loved him. I thought he was the one. I thought we were forever. But that was a long time ago. It turned out it didn't mean as much to him as it did to me. There's no need to go back over something that ended years ago. Please let it go?”
He put a hand on her shoulder. “I don't want to upset you, love. I only want you to be sure that it's as over as you say it is before you go doing something stupid.”
“Something stupid?” Gina didn't understand, then realization dawned and made her mad. “You think me marrying Liam is stupid? Well thanks a lot, Dad! You haven't even met him. You don't know the first thing about him. Why can't you give him a chance and just be happy for me?”
He shook his head sadly. “I haven't met him because he's never bothered to come with you. I don't know the first thing about him because you hardly ever talk about him, and, when you do, it's never anything good. I remember when we used to sit at this table and you would chatter at me for hours about Mason—what Mason said, what Mason did, what Mason thought.” He patted her shoulder. “It's hard not to notice the difference. That's all.”
Gina closed her eyes, remembering herself how different she had felt back then. How deeply in love she'd been. She opened them again and looked at her dad sadly. “It was different because I was a kid. I didn't know any better. It's not the same when you grow up. You have to wise up. And I have done that. That's all.”
“No. What you've done Gina is given up. I hope you do wise up before it's too late.”
~ ~ ~
Mason wandered from stall to stall checking on the mares. He'd come straight out here to the barn when he got back from town. He didn't want to go up to the house. Word of his encounter with Gina would no doubt have reached the ranch by now. He didn't want to face the questions. He stopped at Annie's stall and she came and blew gently against his shoulder. He rubbed her nose and rested his head on her.
