by Jill Kemerer
“Doesn’t Grandma get a hug?” Joanna’s love for her grandson was written all over her face. At sixty-one, she had shoulder-length dark brown hair, kind gray eyes and wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and mouth. Mia would have looked just like her if she’d grown old.
Mason expected the familiar ache at the thought, but it didn’t come. Huh.
Noah wriggled in Bill’s arms and held out his hands to Joanna, who laughed and kissed his cheek.
“Thanks for coming over.” Mason helped Joanna with her coat. “I was just putting supper on the table. Have you eaten?”
“Yes, but we’ll sit with you if you don’t mind.”
“Sit next to me, Grandpa!”
Bill carried Noah to the kitchen, with Mason and Joanna trailing behind.
Mason took the hot dogs off the grill and served a plate of food to Noah. He’d eat later. His appetite wasn’t great at the moment.
“It’s about time we discussed your, ah, twin. People are asking us questions.” Bill leaned forward with his hands clasped and forearms resting on the table.
“I’m sure. Sorry about that.”
“Yeah, well, you could have filled us in sooner,” Bill said.
Fair enough. Mason could have...but he hadn’t wanted to. Was it too much to ask to work through a major shock in private for a few days?
Joanna tried to ease the tension. “What’s he like, Mason?”
“Uncle Ryder looks just like Daddy, Grandma!” Ketchup dribbled down his chin. “He ate supper with us and everything. Daddy, do you think ’nother uncle’s out there?”
Another uncle? Mason tried to figure out what he meant.
“I’m sure your uncle Ryder is the only one you haven’t met.” Joanna smiled, scrunching her nose at Noah.
“Are you sure?” Noah asked.
Mason hadn’t considered the possibility there could be other siblings he didn’t know about. What if they’d been part of triplets? Quadruplets? He squashed the thought. Both sets of grandparents would have taken all the babies if there were more than two. That was one thing he could be certain of.
“Tell us what you know.” Bill seemed to stare straight into his soul.
Mason squirmed. God, I feel like I’m stepping on eggshells here. I need Your help. I’m tired of disappointing this man, and something tells me what I’m about to say will disappoint him, too.
“There’s not much to tell. Friday night he showed up on my doorstep.”
“No warning? Out of the blue?” Joanna’s eyes grew wide. “How did he find out you existed? And where did he get your address?”
“An old friend of mine ran into him in California. Thought he was me.”
“An old friend, huh?” Bill sat up straighter. “Babs mentioned Ada’s granddaughter happens to be in town.”
“Who’s Ada, Grandpa?” Noah lifted a spoonful of beans to his mouth.
“That’s Nan, honey.” Joanna patted his head. “If memory serves me right, you and her granddaughter were close once upon a time, weren’t you?” The only thing missing from this prosecution was a gavel.
“Yes, Brittany Green was the one who introduced Ryder and me.” He flexed his hands. Bill and Joanna had lived in Rendezvous their entire lives. They knew everything and everyone. It wasn’t a shock to hear they remembered him being close to Brittany. But he’d divided his life into pre-Mia and post-Mia, and Brittany had never fit into the post-Mia portion.
“Why didn’t she call?” Joanna asked.
“She did. I didn’t answer.” Was he ever going to get to the meat of the story? Or were they going to be hung up on Brittany for the duration? “They showed up, we started piecing things together and we’re trying to figure out how to move forward.”
“The three of you?” Bill asked.
“No. Ryder and I.”
Joanna fanned her face. “I can’t believe none of us knew you were a twin. Your grandparents sure knew how to keep a secret.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.” Mason arched his eyebrows. He’d taken for granted that no one had answers for him. But his in-laws might know something he didn’t. “Ryder was raised by one set of grandparents. I was raised by the other. If you have any information to fill in the blanks, I’d love to hear it.”
Joanna sat back in her chair. “I remember when John, your father, went away to college. Your grandfather expected him to come back and join him in ranching. But things grew strained between them the following summer. And then your grandparents didn’t talk about him anymore. Everyone stopped asking. It was a sore subject.”
“Was anyone close to Ma and Pops who might know more?”
“They’ve all passed on by now.” Joanna shook her head sympathetically. “Well, except Ada. She’s never been one to gossip, though.”
“I guess I could ask her.”
“I’m assuming no one around here knew you were twins,” Joanna said. “Someone would have spilled it long ago. All we knew was that your folks eloped, were killed in a car crash right after you were born, and your grandparents brought home the baby—you—to raise.”
“If you think of anything, even if it’s minor, would you let me know?” Mason asked her.
“Of course.” She gave him a tender smile. “Did your grandparents keep old albums or anything? I wonder if there would be something here that might give you a clue.”
It wouldn’t hurt to look.
“Ma left several boxes of documents and pictures up in the attic. I haven’t had time to find them, but I’ll bring them down tonight. Maybe I’ll find something.”
“And while you’re up there, bring your Christmas decorations down.” Bill gave him a hard stare. “Christmas is less than two weeks off.”
“We can decorate for you again if you’d like.” Joanna handed Noah a napkin. He’d eaten half his hot dog. Last year, Joanna and Bill had set up his Christmas tree and decorated it with candy canes and crafts Eden helped Noah make. The year before, he’d skipped decorating altogether. Noah climbed off his chair and took off running.
“Wait, Noah, you need to wipe your hands.” Joanna rose, motioning for Mason to stay seated. “I’ll get him cleaned up.”
When she’d left, Bill leaned in closer. “I know you’re working through some stuff, but Noah needs a nice Christmas. Don’t deprive him of the fun of the season. He’s only young once.”
“He’ll have a good Christmas.” Nothing he did was ever good enough in Bill’s eyes. Maybe he shouldn’t have let them decorate last year.
“If you need help...”
“I don’t.”
“Are you sure about that? Your calf sales weren’t what they should have been.”
“Yeah, well, nothing is anymore, now is it?” Mason massaged his right temple. He’d asked Bill to help him prep the calves for the sale last month. He’d needed every hand he could get. But maybe it had been a mistake.
“I don’t want you falling apart. You’ve got your boy to think about.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” He wanted to jump up and storm off, but he forced himself to look Bill in the eye. “I’ve got it under control.”
“All right. I can see I’m not wanted.” He stood and put his hands out in front of him. “I’ll take your word for it you’ll do Christmas up right for Noah. As for the ranch, you should have kept more replacement heifers. Your herd is thinning.”
Mason bristled. He hadn’t told Bill and Joanna about the enormous medical bills Mia had left behind. He hadn’t told anyone. The last thing he needed was the entire town knowing his financial problems. And as for the heifers, yeah, he should have—would have—kept more but the bills kept pouring in and he’d had to sell more cattle than he’d wanted to.
Joanna returned holding Noah’s hand. His face was squeaky-clean.
A knock came from the front door.
&nb
sp; What now? Another brother?
He excused himself to go answer it.
Brittany stood on the doormat. His pulse quickened at the sight of her. Then he checked the rest of the porch. No one was with her. He sighed in relief. Ever since Noah mentioned more uncles, a part of him had worried...
“No other long-lost brothers of mine?” he asked.
“No, just the one.” She flashed a grin. “Can I come in?”
“It’s not—”
“I have to talk to you about Nan.” She pushed past him into the foyer, leaving a trail of floral scent in her wake.
“We won’t keep you.” Joanna touched Mason’s shoulder, and he almost jumped. Shifting, he saw Bill and Joanna getting into their coats. Noah scampered beside them.
“You don’t have to go,” Mason said, although he wanted them to leave.
“Miss Bwittany!” Noah ran up to her and gave her a hug. She laughed and hugged him back.
His father-in-law eyed him and Brittany like they were naughty teenagers.
“Bill, Joanna, do you remember Nan’s granddaughter, Brittany?” Mason forced a pleasant tone.
“Nice to meet you.” Joanna held out a hand.
“The pleasure’s mine.” Brittany shook it and turned to Bill. “Good to meet you, sir.”
Bill nodded, then turned to Mason. “Don’t forget. Christmas decorations.”
“Bye, Grandpa! Bye, Grandma!” Noah jumped up and down.
They said their goodbyes and left. Before Mason could shut the door, he noticed Bill glance backward. He looked annoyed at Brittany.
Mason wasn’t exactly thrilled to have her here, either. He wanted to eat his supper, read a few books to Noah, then find the boxes in the attic his grandmother had stored. Start piecing together his lost childhood. He needed answers.
And Bill was right. He needed to deal with Christmas—another thing he’d failed at lately. He wished his father-in-law would stop assuming the worst. He had every intention of giving Noah a wonderful Christmas. He just hadn’t had much time.
Sighing, he waved toward the living room. “Come in.”
* * *
Well, that was awkward. Brittany hadn’t realized his in-laws were there, although she should have known someone was visiting since there was a truck parked out front.
She’d wanted to talk to Mason this afternoon when he’d stopped by to check on Nan, but he hadn’t stayed long. Then, after he’d left, more questions had sprung up. So she’d driven over.
Maybe she should have called. Or texted.
If she was brutally honest with herself, she’d needed to get out of the house for a few minutes. The slow pace compared to her go-go-go life in Santa Ana was getting to her, and Nan had fallen asleep on the couch right after supper, anyhow.
“Want to see the cards I made with Auntie Eden?” Noah tugged on her hand.
“Of course!” She aimed for the right amount of excitement.
“I’ll get them.” His little legs bounded up the staircase.
“I’ll make it quick,” she said to Mason. In a navy flannel shirt and jeans, he seemed more approachable than he had earlier. A ripple of awareness flashed over her skin. “Do you know anything about Nan’s finances? Is she keeping up with them? And do you know how she pays her bills?”
“I’m not sure.” He frowned. “Did you look in her checkbook?”
“No, I asked her if she had a system, and she gave me a vague answer. With the way she’s slowing down, I was worried she might be forgetting other things, too.” Brittany rubbed her chin. “But I’ll ask to look at her checkbook. By the way, do you know who her doctor is?”
“I can’t imagine she’d go to anyone other than Doctor Landson. He’s been seeing her for years.”
“Good.” His eyes held warring emotions. Something was bothering him, but the warmth in them told her it wasn’t her. In fact, the way he was staring brought butterflies of old to her tummy. “What’s wrong?”
“Want to get a Christmas tree?” His voice was low.
She blinked. “Right now?”
“No.” The corner of his mouth hooked upward. “Soon, though.”
A Christmas tree? With him? Nan’s house was devoid of Christmas decorations at the moment. Maybe she could get a tree for Nan, too. It would be nice to deck her house all out. She shrugged. “Sure.”
Noah barreled down the steps with a fistful of construction paper. He took her hand and led her to the couch.
“Sit by me.” Noah climbed onto the couch and patted the cushion next to him. Brittany glanced at Mason to see if she should make an excuse and leave, but the gleam in his eye told her it was okay to stay a minute. She sat next to the little boy.
“This one’s for Aunt Gabby.” He spread out a folded green paper with two stick figures—one big, one small. “It’s her and Phoebe.”
“Who’s Phoebe?” Brittany admired the card.
“Aunt Gabby’s baby. Auntie Eden babysits her, and I help.”
“You’re a good helper, aren’t you?”
“I am.” He puffed up his chest and lifted his chin. “Babies need lots of help. I tickle her tummy and she laughs. And sometimes I get to hold her bottle when she eats. I don’t drink out of a bottle cuz I’m a big boy.”
“You sure are. That’s good of you to help with the baby.”
“This one’s for Grandma.” He showed her a pink paper. It had blue handprints on it. “She likes pink. Those are my hands.”
“They are? So big. And blue.” She gave him a big smile. “You did a good job.”
Noah popped his head up to look around. She did the same. Mason had disappeared. Noah leaned in and held a finger to his lips. “Shh...this one’s for Daddy.” He proudly held up a light gray paper. It had two stick figures with hats, one smaller than the other. They were holding hands. A female stick figure was at the side. “I asked Santa for a mommy.”
“You did?” She leaned closer, enjoying his excitement, but inwardly cringing at his wish. He spent so much time with his babysitter, he probably wanted her to be his mommy.
“Uh-huh.” He nodded, his eyes bright. “A nice one.”
“The best kind.” She winked at him. She wouldn’t destroy his hopes. For all she knew, Mason could be dating someone in town. The thought didn’t make her happy.
Light footsteps approached. Brittany stood up. “Thanks for showing me your pictures, Noah. I’d better get back to Nan’s. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bye!” He waved from the couch.
Mason escorted her to the front door.
“Were you serious about getting a Christmas tree?” She reached for the door handle. If he had a girlfriend in town, he wouldn’t be asking Brittany to go with him, that was for sure.
Hesitation flitted through his eyes, but he nodded.
“I thought...maybe you’d want another girl to go with you.”
His expression clouded. “No. Mia was it for me.”
Why it hurt to hear him say that, she didn’t know. Mason was like that—loyal to a fault. “Okay, let me know when.”
“I’ve got a meeting tomorrow night, but what about Wednesday afternoon? I’ll pick up Noah from Eden’s, and the three of us can go together.”
“I’d like to get one for Nan, too, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I...um...wanted to thank you. For all you’ve been doing for Nan.” She opened the door a sliver. “I know with me there you don’t need to check on her, but would you keep coming?”
“I plan on it. Why do you ask?”
“She’s forgetful about a lot of things, but she always knows when you’re due to stop by. I think you keep her grounded.”
“I like visiting her.” He put his hand on the edge of the door and opened it wider. His nearness crowded her s
enses. “I’ll stop by tomorrow afternoon at the usual time.”
“Thanks.” She hurried outside. As she tromped across the hard ground, she clutched her coat to her body tightly.
She hadn’t expected a truce. She also hadn’t expected the attraction between them to flame back to life. At least she knew it was one-sided. He was still mourning his wife.
She’d suppressed her feelings for Mason for over a decade. Being back in Rendezvous was messing with her head—that was all. In no time at all, she’d return to California and to the goals that had eluded her for years.
Please let the bank call with good news.
If it didn’t?
I can’t go on like this—I need a win.
She got into the truck and peeked back at Mason’s house. At least she seemed to be getting Mason’s friendship back. Even if it was only for the holidays.
Chapter Five
Tuesday, after moving cattle to a new pasture and checking on the pregnant cows, Mason tore off his Carhartt jacket and jogged to the den where he’d set four boxes from the attic last night. He rarely went up there because everything was such a jumbled mess. But he’d found several boxes with old photos and documents, and he’d deemed these the most likely to hold answers. He’d made it through half a box last night before giving in to exhaustion.
With less than an hour before he had to pick up Noah, he set the alarm on his phone to get through as much as he could.
The piles he’d already sorted were stacked to the side. He folded his limbs into a sitting position on the floor and reached into the box. Photographs from the old days—what looked like the thirties and forties—appeared. While he enjoyed seeing his ancestors and images from the past, he didn’t have time to linger. Quickly, he sorted through photographs, newspaper clippings and postcards.
Nothing.
After a quick sift through the remaining items in the box, he hauled over a different one. He lifted the lid and saw much of the same: old pictures—some in color this time—manuals, receipts, postcards and such. He prepared to put the lid back on it, but a picture caught his eye. A little boy who looked like Noah.
