Berry on Top (A Farm Fresh Romance Book 6)

by Valerie Comer

  “Say you’ll wait until spring. Teach with Allison one term. See how things look when the snow’s gone.”

  Liz’s head was shaking long before her mother’s words were finished. “I can’t. There’s more to it, but we don’t need to go into all that.”

  “Why not? Give me a try.”

  Liz picked at the crust of her sandwich. Right. Mom might think she wanted to know, but she didn’t. There were things mothers and daughters simply weren’t meant to discuss.

  Mom’s voice lowered. “Does it have something to do with Mason Waterman?”

  Tears prickled Liz’s eyes. She peered at her mom through lowered lashes. Mom only looked concerned, no more. Whew. She didn’t know.

  “He’s a good man, Lizzie Rose. He sowed his wild oats, but he’s stable now. A good Christian man and father.” Mom paused. “Single.”

  Liz tried to blink the tears away, but she could barely make out the napkin in her clenched hands through the blur. How could she ever respond without giving everything away? Her voice would break, for sure.

  Mom chuckled. “Why, there he is now.”

  Not falling for that one. No looking up. It could be true, of course. The bakery was right downtown, not far from where Mason worked. But he should be busy swapping out tires on some old lady’s car right now, not on break.

  “Hi, Mason!” called Mom.

  Liz stared at the wall beyond her mother and counted to ten. No patter of footsteps. She picked up the napkin and dabbed her eyes, hoping Mom was too preoccupied to notice.

  The urge to see him for herself became more than she could deny. Liz angled her head slightly and peeked over her shoulder.

  There he stood at the counter with his hand on a cardboard container. The pretty clerk smiled, her eyes twinkling, and laid her hand on top of Mason’s as he leaned closer to her.

  Liz scrunched her eyes back shut. He might have said he loved her, but words were cheap with Mason. They always had been. He’d obviously be fine when Liz disappeared again.

  She only wished she would be.

  Chapter 19

  Now that had been some bad timing. Mason hesitated, but there was nothing more to be said to Liz. They’d said it all the other night. He couldn’t force her into a relationship with Jesus. That step had to be all hers. Neither could he and the twins wait for years hoping she’d come around.

  The bakery door whisked shut behind him and the swirling wind encompassed him, tightening around his heart. He tromped back to the tire shop and stowed the empanadas in the car. Kass had assured him they would reheat nicely at 350 for half an hour. Picking up supper at the bakery on his coffee break was an improvement over swinging past the diner on his way home. Better food for less money. Win-win.

  Or win-lose. Liz hadn’t turned to see him, but Rosemary had said hi. Would she have told Liz she’d seen Kass squeeze his hand? Kass had only told him what Christopher had said in Sunday school.

  His phone buzzed with an incoming message as he reached for the tire shop door. He glanced at it. Claire. He took a deep breath. What now?

  Did you know Liz got a job in Des Moines?

  No giving up for Claire. Mason swallowed hard. No, but I’m not surprised.

  She’s leaving Sunday already.

  She’d take Mason’s heart with her. How could he live without a heart?

  He stared at the phone and tapped a reply. That’s really soon.

  And yet, with her gone, he could try to pick up the pieces of his life. He had to do a better job of making a real home for the twins, with or without a wife. These healthier suppers were a good start. Maybe, in time, Kass might find a place in his life. Or someone else. Hard to imagine. God, help me here, please. I don’t know if I can do this.

  The phone buzzed. Come for supper Saturday?

  If only that would make a difference. If only. But it wouldn’t. It would only make it worse for all of them. For him. For Liz. For the twins. I think it’s better if I don’t.

  Don’t give up so easily.

  I can’t do it, Claire. I just can’t.

  It took longer for a reply to come this time. Maybe she’d shown her phone to Noel. We won’t stop praying.

  At least she was taking it to the only authority who could make a difference. Thanks.

  His coffee break over, Mason pocketed his phone and pulled the door to the tire shop open.

  * * *

  Liz white-knuckled her way up Lookout Pass out of Coeur d’Alene. The only good thing about this slippery interstate was that it took all her attention, leaving little to spare for the last two days she’d spent at Green Acres. Glimpses persisted.

  Allison, asking her to reconsider the job.

  Chelsea, pressing a Bible into her hands, telling her it was a fresh new translation she might not have read. Liz hadn’t had the heart to shove it back. Instead, she’d buried it in her suitcase with the note cards she hadn’t looked at yet, and never planned to.

  Zach. Her big brother saying he’d failed her. Asking her to stay.

  Her little niece, prancing around rhyming “Liz” with everything she could think of. “Liz fizz. Liz whiz.” Then hugging her and kissing her goodbye.

  But no Mason. No Avery and no Christopher. She’d overheard Allison asking Claire if they hadn’t been invited, but Liz hadn’t caught the answer. It didn’t matter, anyway. It was better this way.

  The car slid toward the rail and Liz’s heart stopped. She pushed on the accelerator and turned the wheel. Please God please God please God.

  The tires caught traction again and straightened. She dared to breathe.

  Huh. She’d actually prayed. But she’d also remembered what to do in a spin, and it had worked. Was going her own way going to be the death of her? Wasn’t there a Bible verse about that? Probably. There had to be one for everything. She’d memorized hundreds of them as a child.

  Romans six twenty-three. In her mind, she could hear her little girl sing-song voice. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

  Who taught little kids about sin and death, anyway? And why on earth did she remember those words? Others crowded into her head. She tightened her hands on the wheel.

  For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

  That was all too true. She’d sure fallen short. Mason had fallen even farther and yet seemed to think God had forgiven him. If those old memory verses were to be taken at face value, he had grounds.

  Why couldn’t it be that simple?

  The car skidded again.

  Enough of those thoughts. She had to focus on driving. She wasn’t ready to die today.

  * * *

  “Daddy, did you know God smacked Paul and made him blind?” Christopher rammed one fist into the other, eyes lit up. “Kerpow. Knocked him to the ground.”

  Avery slid her hand into Mason’s. “That’s what Miss North told us.”

  Miss North. Mason looked across the crowded church foyer to see Kass chatting with Allison, both women laughing. No wonder he hadn’t put two and two together and realized Miss North wasn’t some middle-aged spinster.

  “Do you like your Sunday school teacher?” he found himself asking the children. No more dreaming about Liz. She didn’t love him, didn’t love God, and was so desperate to leave Galena Landing that she’d driven out of here in iffy road conditions early this morning. At least she had good tires.

  Christopher shrugged. “There’s Finnley!” He darted off between Zach and Ed Graysen, nearly causing the old man to slosh his coffee.

  Mason started over to apologize for his son when Avery’s hand tugged him back. “She’s nice and she’s pretty.” Avery grimaced. “But she likes mushrooms.”

  Mason chuckled. “I didn’t see you picking them out of your meat pie the other day.”

  Avery tilted her head at him. “What does Miss North have to do with my meat pie?”

  “She works at the bakery. You have to admit those suppers the past fe
w days have been better than burgers and fries every night.”

  Kass’s chuckle reached his ears, and there she stood beside Avery, who stretched her other hand to her teacher. Kass grinned down at her. “I want to hear your answer, Avery. Do you like my cooking?”

  Mason shifted from one foot to the other. Why did that feel like such a loaded question? But it wasn’t disloyalty to Liz to appreciate Kass. Not her cooking, for sure, since it had been purely an exchange of cash for supper from a business with an established service.

  “It was yummy.” Avery looked up with adoring eyes. “Thank you.”

  It wasn’t all about him. His little girl became fixated on any woman, young or old, who gave her the slightest encouragement. She needed a mom in her life.

  And Kass was pretty. Reddish hair curling past her shoulders. Green eyes and a freckled nose. She glanced at him and her mouth curved into a smile. Plus, she already knew and liked the twins, she loved the Lord... and she was here. Obviously interested.

  Wasn’t this where his heart was supposed to melt a little? Where he was supposed to make a flirty remark back? He’d used them all up the past few weeks on Liz. Maybe he just needed a bit more time to get over her. Maybe a lot more time. But for his kids’ sake, he’d try.

  Allison came up beside him. “You’re coming for lunch, right, Mason? The boys are planning to build a snowman army with all that fresh snow.”

  “I, uh. I wasn’t planning on it.”

  She tapped two fingers on his arm. “He’s a stubborn one, Kass.”

  Mason’s ears heated. “Now what’s that supposed to mean?” Allison had better not have been talking about him to Kass. He’d handle his own love life, thank you very much. Or lack of one, as the case may be.

  Allison leaned closer. “So what do you have planned for today that is more important than relaxing with friends?”

  Someone from Green Acres invited him and the kids nearly every Sunday, like they were a charity case. “I was thinking of cracking open one of the recipe books my mom gave me for Christmas, if you must know. Try to actually plan a week of meals rather than let every day catch me by surprise.”

  “Oh, I have some terrific recipes you could try, Mason.” Kass slid her arm across Avery’s shoulder. “Some of them don’t even have mushrooms in them. I used to teach some classes on once-a-month cooking.”

  Allison tilted her head to the side. “Do tell.”

  Kass looked from Allison to Mason. “That’s when you plan ahead for a month of meals, and buy all the stuff you need — well, except for fresh produce like lettuce, of course — and then have one marathon prep day to get all the supper starters into the freezer so they only take a few minutes when you want to use them.”

  A month of meals mostly ready to go? Sounded like the next best thing to heaven. “What kinds of food?”

  Kass caressed Avery’s shoulder, and Avery leaned against her.

  Mason would hazard a guess Kass wasn’t even aware of the gesture. She didn’t seem the kind to manipulate his kids to get close to him. Not that many women would. Most wanted guys without baggage.

  “It depends on your family’s needs and budget. I mean, there are lots of options. If you want gluten-free, for instance, or someone has allergies.” She wrinkled her nose at Avery. “Mushrooms don’t count. They’re always delish.”

  Mason chuckled. Kass sure had Avery’s number on that one. “Sounds interesting. I could definitely use some help in that department.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, you know.”

  “I’m fascinated, too.” Allison pursed her lips. “My brain is whirling with possibilities. Mason, I’ve already invited Kass out to the farm for lunch. I think you and the twins should come, too, and we can talk about this some more. Maybe set up a plan to do some batch cooking for you.”

  “Allison, you don’t have to—”

  “I know. But you and the kids are part of our Green Acres family. We like having you around. Besides, you could be our guinea pig.”

  That sounded ominous. He raised his eyebrows at her. He knew all about the matchmaking that went on at Green Acres. They’d even tried it on him and Liz.

  Liz. Oh, Lord, take care of Liz. Let her know You love her.

  But Allison had turned to Kass. “That sounds like a terrific course or workshop we could offer through the school.”

  And Mason had thought she meant him and Kass. Yeah, it wasn’t always all about him.

  “Batch cooking for busy people,” Allison went on. “Whether they’ve got families, or even for older folks who find it hard to trim back to cooking for one or two. Using good, local ingredients. I really love this idea.”

  Kass beamed at Allison. “It’s definitely one of my passions.”

  Allison elbowed Mason. “You’re coming. You need in on this.”

  “What, and deprive my kids of burgers and fries five nights a week?” He chuckled to cover his discomfort. Hopefully they’d understand.

  Allison shook her head. “And with what for veggies?”

  He wasn’t that bad. “Baby carrots?”

  “I’d like to think I’ve already helped start him on the road to better eating,” Kass said, a twinkle in her eyes. “He’s picked up dinner from the bakery a few times now.”

  Thanks, Kass. By the way Allison’s plucked brows rose, Mason was pretty sure she was adding things up. Maybe even adding in the fact that Avery nestled against Kass’s side.

  “Well, the budget would probably look a lot better if I got this under control so, yes, I’ll be your guinea pig.” He raised his own eyebrows and stared hard at Allison, hoping she’d get the message exactly what he was volunteering for.

  She grinned back at him. “I’m glad that’s settled. It’s only fair to warn you both that Brent and Gabe are on lunch today, but you’re not allowed to back out on account of it. They’re perfectly capable. Well, mostly.”

  Mason chuckled and poked Avery. “Go find your brother. Let’s get going here.”

  Someone opened the door from the church foyer to the parking lot. A wall of swirling white was all he saw.

  Liz was out driving in that, and she had so little experience with winter road conditions. Lord, please...

  Please what? Mason didn’t even know how to pray for Liz anymore. Please take care of her.

  Chapter 20

  It was a miracle she was still in one piece.

  Liz tried to peel her fingers off the steering wheel, one at a time, to keep them from cramping. She peered into the unrelenting white. She’d seen red taillights a minute ago, but they’d disappeared again. How close was she to the vehicle in front of her? She was barely crawling as it was. If there was an impact, it could hardly do any damage. Unless someone rammed her from behind.

  She glanced in the rearview mirror, not that she could see anything but white. Then forward again. Red circles! She tapped the brakes. The car slid a little then held.

  Liz inhaled sharply and tried to restart her heart as the back of a semi loomed. If she could just keep it in view, she’d be okay. It was the not knowing that was the problem.

  That and the fact she hadn’t seen a plow since coming down the pass. Soft snow pulled at her tires. Maybe she could keep the car in the semi’s tracks, now that she could see them.

  Breathe. In and out. Keep watch. One foot poised to tap the brakes. Slamming them would send her into a skid she couldn’t recover from.

  Was she like Jonah, running from God? Only he was the lucky guy who got swallowed by a whale, not a blizzard.

  She was dumb, dumb, dumb. How bad could it have been, staying at the farm for another day or two, at least until the storm passed? Maybe forever?

  But Mason. She couldn’t be the woman he needed. To be the mother Avery and Christopher longed for. The daughter her parents craved. The respectable aunt Maddie and John had a right to. Never mind. She wasn’t kidding even herself. It was all about Mason.

  And God. The two were intertwined. She couldn’t do Mason without
God. Truth? She didn’t want to. She’d known the pre-God Mason, and he’d been a dangerous bad boy. The with-God Mason was mature, thoughtful, and easy to talk to.

  She’d been infatuated by the teen version. The man? She was in love with the man, but she wasn’t in love with his God.

  * * *

  “We have an announcement to make.” Gabe looked around the farmhouse table then grinned at Sierra, who nestled against his side. The adults lingered over dessert and coffee after the kids dashed off to play.

  Everyone perked up, including Mason. He knew they badly wanted a baby, and this had all the trappings of that type of announcement.

  “Well, spit it out already,” said Jo as she offered John a heel of bread to gnaw on.

  Mason remembered the endless teething. Times two.

  “We’ve started filling out paperwork for adoption.” Sierra’s nose wrinkled. “There’s a lot of it.”

  Claire leaned onto the table. “Babies are hard to come by.” Her face reddened. “I mean in the adoption system.”

  Jo raised an eyebrow at Claire. “Are you trying to tell us something?”

  Mason looked from Claire to Noel, whose eyes twinkled before he gestured back to Gabe. “Claiming innocence until proven guilty. Back at you, man. Don’t let this gang distract you. How can we help? I imagine a home study will be part of the process?”

  Sierra nodded. “Do you think Green Acres will be a pro or a con to the officials?”

  “A pro, definitely,” Allison said firmly. “Being part of this community made my bid to keep Finnley more attractive to the state. When I started the paperwork, Brent wasn’t really in the picture, so I figured on parenting alone. Having the support of all of you made the difference to the officials.”

  “And Maddie was the only kiddo on the farm, then. Now there are six.” Jo angled a significant glance at Claire. “And possibly more on the way.”

  Claire spread her hands out with a wide innocent expression.