Harlequin Superromance December 2013 - Bundle 1 of 2: Caught Up in YouThe Ranch She Left BehindA Valley Ridge Christmas

by Beth Andrews

  Well, today, there was no library. No house. It was a day to relax.

  Normally, going to a wedding would be at the low end of things he wanted to do, but today, he couldn’t wait because he was going with Maeve.

  Not going with her in a way that implied a date, but rather they were two friends going together.

  He thought about the damned envelope. Broken heart or injured pride? The question kept popping up. He still didn’t have an answer and he still hadn’t opened it.

  Aaron crawled out of bed and looked out the window. It was snowing again. Not enough that he needed to go out and plow, at least not yet.

  Something caught his eye. Movement at the Culpepper place.

  She wouldn’t.

  He threw on some clothes and hurried out.

  Maeve Buchanan was in the kitchen cleaning out a paintbrush. She had huge curlers in her hair. The last time he’d seen a woman with curlers in her hair, it had been his grandmother.

  She looked up as he entered the room and he could see the flash of guilt on her face. “Good morning, Aaron.”

  “Maeve, I though we agreed you’d take a day off.”

  “I’m finishing up. I woke up early and couldn’t sleep. The wedding’s not until this afternoon, so I thought I’d come put another coat of paint on the cupboards. They look awesome, don’t they?”

  He looked at the white cabinets and had to admit they did. They’d found the missing doors in the basement and now old wooden cabinets looked like new.

  But that wasn’t the point. “The point is you need a day off.”

  “The point is, I had time and I decided to spend it here. I’m finishing up and heading home to change.”

  “Maeve, I’ve seen your schedule. You can’t keep going like this.” As he said the words, he remembered Tracey saying the same thing to him. Telling him to slow down. To take a break. To get out of the house and away from his computer. To spend time with her, or with his family. He hadn’t listened to her any more than Maeve was listening to him.

  Heart or pride?

  “Aaron, while I appreciate everything you’re doing, that doesn’t mean you get a say in how I live my life.” Despite the fact she had curlers in her hair, and old painting clothes on, Maeve managed to make the sentence sound haughty.

  “When’s the last time you went out with friends?” he asked.

  “I went out with you last week when we met with that lawyer.”

  “That wasn’t fun—that was dinner after a business meeting.”

  She looked hurt. “Well, I had fun.”

  Damn, that’s not what he intended. “We talked about this house.”

  “I’m having fun with this house. And I told you, I don’t know how to make small talk. If that’s what you wanted, you should have taken another friend with you.”

  “But you need to do something other than work. What’s the last thing you did that was strictly for your own enjoyment?”

  “I took a bubble bath the other night. I lit some candles, read my book and refilled the tub at least three times. That was fun.”

  He could see that Maeve meant the statement innocently, but her words had anything but an innocent effect on him. He could picture her in the tub, surrounded by bubbles that slowly disappeared as she added more water...

  He took a deep, steadying breath. “Maeve, I think you know what I mean.”

  She shook her head and her curlers rattled. “Aaron, I never know what you mean.”

  “Pardon?”

  “You say we can’t date, yet you’re with me all the time. You say you don’t understand me, but that’s only fair because I don’t understand you. You try to tell me what to do, what to enjoy, how to spend my personal time, not seeming to realize you don’t have the right. And, let me point out that you’ve dug around, trying to find out things about me. And I’ve let you. I’ve told you things I’ve never told anyone else. And yet you remain closemouthed about yourself. You say you can’t date anyone, but you don’t say why.”

  She was right. He tried to think of a retort, but before he could, she said, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get home and get ready for the wedding.”

  She stormed out of the house, curlers bouncing, without a backward look.

  Once again, Aaron had managed to anger her.

  At one-thirty, he pulled into her driveway and she came out the door before he could even open the car door.

  She was bundled in a long black wool coat but she didn’t have on boots. She had on some strappy shoes that didn’t look nearly warm enough, despite the slight increase in temperature. He thought about suggesting she go back and grab some boots, but thought better of it.

  You try to tell me what to do, what to enjoy, how to spend my personal time, not seeming to realize you don’t have the right. She was right, he had, and he didn’t, so he didn’t mention her inappropriate footwear.

  “Told you I’d be ready,” she said as she climbed inside the car.

  “You smell like oranges.”

  “It’s my body butter.”

  Aaron didn’t have a clue what body butter was, but the words sent his mind spiraling down paths it shouldn’t go. He tried to block the images on the short drive to the church.

  Dylan was directing traffic. “That’s nice of him,” he said.

  “It’s penance,” Maeve murmured.

  She must have read the question in his expression because she added, “Dylan RSVP’d late, and when dealing with Lily, that was not wise.”

  She waved at Dylan as they drove by. “Word of warning—don’t annoy Lily.”

  “I think I’ve annoyed my share of women for the day.” He shot her a look and she was grinning. Feeling as if he’d earned a reprieve, he promised, “I’ll be on my best behavior.”

  “Were you really mad that I went over and worked this morning?” she asked.

  “I thought you were mad at me.” He pulled into a parking spot, but left the car running.

  “I’ll confess. I don’t like people telling me what to do.”

  “I’ll try not to let it happen again. But we’ve become...” He looked for a word to describe what they’d become. “Friends, I guess. I worry about you. You don’t seem to ever stop moving. You’re a whirling dervish of energy. I’m afraid you’re going to crash.”

  “I don’t know how to not do something. I didn’t go to the library today, and it seemed like a long time to sit around doing nothing for the sake of doing nothing, so I went over to the house. I’m sorry if it annoyed you.”

  “That’s not it. Although, as someone who has spent a lot of time with you, let me say that you could probably use some downtime.”

  Her back stiffened. “Thank you for your opinion.” Her voice was so tight it practically crackled.

  He sighed. “I didn’t mean to annoy you again.”

  “You never mean to, but you do seem to manage it on a regular basis.” She paused and added, “Sometimes I have a short fuse. Sorry. Let’s start over. I am really looking forward to today. Thanks for asking me to go with you. It’s always awkward going to a wedding alone. So, let’s go in.”

  Aaron turned off the engine and walked ahead of Maeve. He purposefully shortened his stride leaving footprints for her to step in.

  They walked into the large white church together. He heard Maeve’s sharp intake of breath as they caught a glimpse of the church’s interior. It sounded like a swoon. When he’d seen that romance book on her nightstand on Thanksgiving, he’d suspected it, but now he knew with utter certainty: Maeve Buchanan was a romantic.

  * * *

  MAEVE STOOD AND took in the decorated church. White bows festooned the end of each pew, a sprig of holly the only color. The altar was flanked with a myriad of poinsettias. The decorations were simple
but beautiful.

  She sighed again. Lily had done beautiful work.

  There was a long coatrack along the side of the entryway. She unbuttoned her coat and took it off. Aaron drew in a long breath. “Wow,” was all he said.

  Maeve smiled. “That was a very nice compliment. Thank you.”

  She’d found the deep green vintage dress on eBay. She’d looked at local department stores and couldn’t find anything she liked. This was perfect, and reasonably priced.

  She’d felt good when she put it on, and she felt better knowing Aaron had noticed it. Not that she wanted or needed him to notice.

  She glanced at her escort. His black suit was fitted. He wore a muted red shirt, and a trendy black tie. “We look like a Christmas decoration,” she said.

  He stood next to her looking at the back of the church and said, “Guess we’ll fit in here, then.”

  Maeve smiled, seeing Lily’s hand on everything as Aaron escorted her into the church. She reached out and touched one of the sprigs of holly. “It’s so lovely.”

  Aaron didn’t say anything. He merely gave her a knowing smile.

  “What?” she asked.

  “You’re all dewy eyed. You’re a romantic. I know you said that Mattie, Lily and Sophie wanted to start the romance book club, but I think you must have been secretly thrilled. I bet you were over the moon that someone else suggested it. You so wanted a romance book club because you, Maeve Buchanan, are a romantic.”

  Maeve shook her head. “Am not.”

  “Are, too.” Aaron grinned in a totally annoying way.

  She wondered why it was that Aaron always seemed to get under her skin. He always seemed to evoke some strong emotion.

  Frequently, he annoyed her.

  Sometimes he touched her, like when he gave the foundation the house.

  And on occasion he amazed her, because as much as he complained she worked all the time, she’d seen him at the house—he was no slacker himself.

  “I’m not going to bother arguing with you. Let’s find a seat.” She walked midway up the aisle and slid into a pew. “I’m not admitting to being a romantic, but I have gone to an awful lot of weddings in the past few months.”

  “Really?”

  “Well, there was Colton and Sophie’s wedding in June, only that was, uh, interrupted and didn’t happen. Then there was Mattie and Finn’s wedding in August, which turned into Sophie and Colton’s wedding, too. Now this.” She gestured at the beautiful church. “Lily and Sebastian’s is the third wedding.”

  “Fourth if you count that one in June that didn’t take,” he pointed out.

  “But they made it eventually. I think when people are meant to be together, they will figure it out, no matter what their obstacles.”

  He didn’t say anything, but she knew what he was thinking. He was thinking it so loudly there was no way to ignore it.

  “I’m not a romantic,” she whispered.

  “Ha,” was his response.

  “Oh, shut up.”

  “Red,” he whispered so softly she almost didn’t hear it.

  That should have set her teeth on edge. She wanted to be annoyed. But it was so obvious he was teasing and he shot her a grin that almost challenged her to get annoyed at him.

  “You are not an only child are you?” she asked, knowing he wasn’t. She could see the signs. Aaron had definitely grown up picking on siblings.

  “Three younger sisters,” he admitted slowly.

  “Yeah, it shows.” She felt smug at his look of confusion. “Now, sit back and behave and enjoy the ceremony.”

  Feeling as if she’d finally had the last word, Maeve was content to let her banter with Aaron take a backseat. She wanted to savor the moment, because—while she’d never admit it to Aaron—there was a chance that she was a bit of a romantic.

  Even if she wasn’t, it would be hard not to feel like one today because Lily and Sebastian were so utterly meant for each other. She resisted the urge to sigh over the romance of it all. Instead, she watched the guests funnel in. Maeve smiled and waved at half the town. Her mom and Herm joined them in their pew. “You look beautiful,” she said to her mother.

  “Thank you,” Herm said, laughing.

  “You look beautiful, too,” she assured her stepfather.

  She knew that some people had rocky relationships with stepparents, but she’d always liked Herm. And even if she hadn’t, she would always be thankful that he’d made her mother happy.

  Soon, Miss Helen started playing the organ. The older woman had taught music for the school district for years. Even though she was retired and her health wasn’t the best, she still played the organ every Sunday and occasionally at a wedding.

  Soon, Sebastian was at the altar, Colton and Finn at his side.

  Mattie walked down the aisle. Her bridesmaid’s dress was gorgeous—strapless with an empire waist. The top section was off-white while the bottom of the dress was a muted red.

  Sophie was next. She wore the same dress as Mattie but with more material on the bottom. The empire cut allowed the lower fabric to drape over her giant baby bump.

  Miss Helen began to play the traditional wedding march. Everyone stood as Lily came down the aisle with Hank on one arm and her mother on the other. Vera Paul was new to town. When she’d arrived this summer, she seemed quiet, almost mousy. But now, walking Lily down the aisle, she practically glowed.

  There was no “practically” about Lily; she was glowing.

  Maeve watched Lily’s expression as Sebastian came into view.

  She fought to hold back tears. The love between them was palpable.

  Maeve didn’t want to cry. Aaron was standing next to her, giving her those you’re-such-a-romantic looks of his. She knew if she cried she’d only be giving him more ammunition. But she felt the tears start to well in her eyes, and then her nose started to run.

  She wished she was a pretty crier, but the fact was, she was a nose-running, bloodshot-eyed, ugly crier. She tried to hold the tears back, but when her mother reached across Aaron and passed her a tissue, she gave up the fight.

  “Romantic,” he whispered in her ear.

  She discreetly stepped on his toe. Not hard, but enough to make him chuckle.

  “Shh,” she whispered as they sat down.

  She was thankful that her mom had passed her the tissue as she listened to the couple’s vows.

  “...I promise to love you, to honor you and to challenge you to one-handed basketball whenever you need it,” Lily promised, then added, “I don’t promise to obey, though.”

  The congregation laughed. Lily had literally played a one-on-one game with Sebastian last summer with one hand tied behind her back. That basketball game had become a town legend.

  Maeve totally lost it as Sebatian’s scarred hand came up and caressed Lily’s face. When he’d come to town, he’d hidden his injuries, but now, he didn’t seem to care who saw the scars. Lily turned his hand to her and kissed his palm.

  Maeve’s mom passed her another tissue.

  Maeve never brought her own because she was always convinced she wouldn’t cry.

  And she always did.

  As the minister pronounced them husband and wife, Sebastian and Lily kissed, then walked toward the back of the church. As Mattie and Finn, and Sophie and Colton joined arms and walked down the aisle after them, she couldn’t have stopped crying if she wanted to. All three couples were so perfect for each other.

  She waited until it was their row’s turn to exit and then joined the crowd waiting to congratulate the new couple.

  She realized her mom and Aaron were talking.

  “...she was always like that. A tenderhearted little girl. I got a note from her teacher her second week of kindergarten asking me to please send in cray
ons for her.”

  Maeve knew what story her mother was going to tell and she groaned. “Oh, come on, Mom, Aaron doesn’t want to hear this.”

  Aaron shot her mother his most ingratiating smile. “Please, Mrs. Lorei, finish.”

  “Maeve gave her crayons to one of the boys whose parents couldn’t afford them. She gave him her pencils, too. Although she kept her pencil box. Go on and ask her why she kept that one item when she gave away all the others,” her mother instructed.

  Aaron looked at Maeve expectantly, as she felt her cheeks heat up.

  “It was pink,” she admitted. “I offered it to him, but he didn’t want it.”

  Her mom laughed, and then turned to talk to Mrs. Esterly.

  “Before you say anything,” Maeve warned Aaron, “I want to state for the record that I only gave him the stuff because he was the tiniest boy in kindergarten. He was already a target. Even at five I knew that being smaller and different made you a target. I didn’t want his blood on my hands.”

  “It was kindergarten, Maeve, I don’t think he was going to be targeted by the mob because he didn’t have crayons.” Aaron had a puzzled expression as he studied her.

  Maeve suddenly understood how animals in a zoo felt as visitors studied them. “You don’t understand me, I know. Well, join the club because I don’t understand me most of the time, either.”

  She was thankful that they’d reached Lily and Sebastian and he couldn’t respond. “Everything was beautiful, Lily. And I love everyone’s dresses.”

  “Tell that to Mattie. By the way she kibitzed, you’d have thought I asked her to wear sackcloth.” Maeve glanced over at Mattie, who was tugging at her dress.

  Maeve kissed Sebastian’s cheek. “You’re a very lucky man.”

  The ex-marine and newest town council member smiled and assured her, “I know.”

  She moved down to Mattie. “I’m supposed to tell you—”

  Mattie waved her comments aside. “I know. A dress isn’t going to kill me. That’s what Lily says. Personally, I’m not sure.”

  Maeve laughed. “You’re worse than the kids.”

  As if on cue, six-year-old Abbey Langley launched herself at Maeve, trusting that she’d catch her. “Did you see my dress, Miss Maeve? Aunt Mattie wasn’t sure it was okay for a wedding, but Aunt Lily said I looked beautiful and she’s the bride, so she got the say-so and now here I am.”