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

by Beth Andrews

  She looked at the inside of the front cover, and there was an inscription. She read out loud, “June, May you treasure the memories of our Christmases past. May you relish each moment of our Christmas present. And may we have many, many Christmases future to explore. All my love, Leon.”

  Leon’s words to June touched her. She put her finger on them and traced the curly signature. It looked as if it had been signed with a fountain pen. “It’s beautiful.”

  Aaron grinned. “I thought you’d like it. There was a slightly nicer copy at the used bookstore, but when I read that inscription, I knew this was the copy that was meant for you. And I think you and your romance book club have done something to me, because I keep wondering if—and hoping that—Leon and June had a lot of holidays together.”

  Maeve hesitated. “I know I said I shouldn’t accept this, but there’s no way I’m giving it back. Thank you.”

  “Good. I wouldn’t have taken it back, anyway.”

  She waited for him to tell her what happened, why he’d finally signed the papers, but all he said was, “Happy St. Nicholas Day. I’ll see you at the house tomorrow.”

  “I’ll be there first thing. Lily’s mom will open the library. She’s taking over Friday evenings for me from now on, too.”

  “Great.” He left without a backward glance.

  “Well, what do you think of that, Carl?”

  “Balls.” He held his Nerf ball out for her to inspect.

  “Yeah, I agree.”

  She got Carl into his coat, mittens and hat, and with her book in one hand, and the toddler’s hand in her other, they left for the night. She’d planned on continuing her holiday movie-fest later, but was pretty sure she was going to spend the night with her nose buried in a book instead.

  * * *

  AARON SPENT SATURDAY and most of Sunday outside. The small garage had been filled to the rafters with junk. He’d emptied most of it into the Dumpster, but he’d found a couple boxes of holiday decorations that must have belonged to the Culpeppers.

  Maeve would love them.

  Wooing some women might mean expensive dinners and jewels, but he was pretty sure those things wouldn’t work on Maeve. He’d given her a house and a book. Next, he was going to give her a box of antique ornaments.

  He knew she’d come in before she said a word. He felt her presence.

  “Aaron? Are you going to avoid me forever?”

  He turned and smiled because avoiding her was the last thing he wanted. “I’m not avoiding you. I’ve got most of the garage cleared out. Except these.” He pointed to the half dozen or so boxes. “I thought you’d like them.” He reached inside a box and held up an ornament, a weirdly shaped, silver-and-red one with sparkles.

  She took it in her hand and exclaimed, “Oh, it’s perfect.”

  “Once we put up the tree, you can decorate it with these. I remember what you said about having a tree and Santa giving the house keys to Boyd and Josie.”

  She seemed surprised. “You remember that?”

  “I remember, Maeve.” He wanted to tell her how much he remembered. How much everything she said meant to him. How much she meant to him. But he was trying to take it slowly. Although, last night, when she’d seemed so pleased with the book, he’d wanted nothing more than to kiss her.

  And more.

  Much more.

  Looking at her now, kneeling by the box of ornaments in a pair of torn jeans and an old jacket, a black knit hat pulled low on her head, he wanted to kiss her even more.

  She carefully removed the top layer of ornaments, examining each one individually. “They’re lovely.”

  He also wanted her to understand him. “Are you going to ask me about my divorce?”

  She looked up. “Probably not. Do you want to talk about it?”

  “Do you want me to?” he countered.

  “Not yet,” she said simply.

  It irked him that she wasn’t curious. “But I’d like to spend time with you.”

  “As friends,” she clarified.

  He nodded. “Friends.” Silently he added, for now.

  “I stayed up way too late last night rereading A Christmas Carol. The book is beautiful. And I’m almost positive that June and Leon had many happy Christmases together. I’m back to watching Christmas movies tonight.”

  “Which one?” he asked, though he knew it didn’t matter. He’d watch whatever Maeve wanted if he could finagle an invitation.

  “Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey.”

  Aaron chuckled. He’d had a friend, Chris, from Philly who always told some joke about a donkey in a manger. The joke used to make him crazy. He hadn’t thought of the joke, or thought of Chris, for years.

  Here he’d accused Maeve of cutting herself off from people, when he’d done the same thing. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone out with friends. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken Tracey out before she left him. He’d been consumed by his work to the extent that he’d pushed everything and everyone else away.

  Maybe that’s what was different here in Valley Ridge. He was finding balance. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Nester,” he said.

  “Give me a half hour to shower and meet me at my house. Bring some tissues. You’ll need them.”

  She cried over donkey movies? He’d like to say he was surprised, but nothing about Maeve surprised him anymore. “What if I bring pizza?”

  She got up and gently lifted the box of ornaments. “Only if you get extra cheese and mushrooms.”

  “Done.”

  Two hours later, the pizza had been eaten, the movie had ended and Maeve had fallen asleep on the couch. She was wearing a pair of old sweats and a maroon-and-yellow sweatshirt. Her damp hair was gathered in a messy bun and she didn’t have a lick of makeup on. He’d been watching her for the past half hour, thinking about waking her up, but loath to disturb her.

  He was pretty sure her outfit was meant to scare him off. He didn’t want to tell her it had the opposite effect. He loved her freckles, and in her sleep, she looked younger than she did when she was awake.

  She was wary around him. He could sense the difference tonight as they sat and watched her movie. She’d cried every time Nester’s mother reminded him about his ears. She’d tried to hide it, but he’d noticed.

  He’d wanted to put his arm around her and pull her tight, but he’d resisted. He was going to give her the time and space to decide if she’d forgiven him.

  He’d really made a mess of things.

  She was disappointed in him and he didn’t blame her.

  “You’re thinking very hard,” Maeve said as she sat up and stretched. “You were thinking so hard you woke me up, which was only fair, since it’s rude for a host to fall asleep on their guests. I apologize. I was more tired than I thought.”

  “Given your schedule, I think it’s allowable.”

  “My schedule’s not all that bad. Vera took over at the library Saturday, so I actually worked less than usual this weekend.” She raked her fingers through her sleep-mussed hair, and more strands escaped her sloppy bun.

  “Wrong, you didn’t work less. Vera was at the library, so you came over to the Culpepper place early and worked straight through the weekend.”

  “Well, I will be taking it easier. Vera wants to work Friday nights and Saturday mornings for me. Once the house is done, I’ll have less to do.” She sat up straighter and glared at him. “A lot less.”

  “I’m sure there will be paperwork for the foundation, and meetings, and setting up a board, and finding a house to be next year’s project, and the library and...” He was exhausting himself. “I don’t think you’ll slow down.”

  “We’ve been here before. This is where you mutter to yourself that you don’t understand me,
then you look at me like I’m some bug under a microscope and try to figure me out.”

  “I think I have figured you out.” And as he said the words, he knew that he had. He’d figured out Maeve Buchanan as much as he ever would, as much as he needed to.

  She shot him a look that said she didn’t believe a word of it. “How’s that?”

  “You’re pretty perfect.” And that was that. She was pretty perfect. Perfect for him.

  She snorted. “Wow, you’re deluded.”

  “No, I mean it. You’ve got a caring and generous heart.”

  “If you’ve been studying me like a lab animal and that’s the best you’ve come up with, you’re sadly lacking in observational abilities.”

  He smiled at her.

  “I have all kinds of flaws. Jealousy is one of the biggest ones.”

  “Who are you jealous of?”

  She pushed a piece of hair back and seemed to consider his question. “I don’t know if we have time to list everyone I’ve ever been jealous of. When I was in school, I was jealous of the kids who were athletic, the kids whose grades came easily to them. I have two left feet and worked hard to get my grades. When Mom and I lost the house, I was jealous of people who had a home. When I went to college, I was jealous of my friends who had parents who could foot the bill. I worked almost full-time in order to pay for my education. And...”

  “And?” he pressed, fascinated by what Maeve thought was her greatest weakness.

  “And I’m jealous of all my friends who have seemingly found their soul mates so easily. Not to mention my mom’s found her perfect guy twice.”

  “May I point out a couple things?”

  She nodded.

  “I don’t think there’s anyone alive who hasn’t envied someone else who seems as if they’ve had an easier time of it. Whether it’s school, or love or life in general.”

  “But I—”

  “But nothing. I’ve been around Valley Ridge long enough that I’ve heard most of the stories. Finn sued Mattie for custody of their kids.”

  “They worked that out.”

  “That’s my point. They worked it out and look at them now. And I was at Lily and Sebastian’s wedding. I saw how in love they were, but according to the town grapevine that’s not how it was when Sebastian first came home. They didn’t get along at all. Something about a huge fight and Lily playing basketball with one hand literally tied behind her back.”

  “But—”

  He interrupted her again. “Then there’s Sophie and Colton who canceled their first wedding—when they were standing at the altar.”

  “I know, but see how they are today.”

  “Yes, today they’re great. Exactly. And none of them are perfect. None of them had an easy time of it. I’ve read a few more romances since book club and I’ve noticed that most of them are fairly honest about how love takes time. Even if two people have an instant attraction, they need to put the effort in to turn that into a lasting commitment. So there are bumps. I guess what determines who makes it and who doesn’t depends on how people handle those hurdles.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  He’d wanted to wait until she asked, but changed his mind. “And let me leave you with this thought. I was wrong to kiss you, but I haven’t been with my wife for almost two years. The divorce papers have been languishing on my desk for months. I was mad. Furious that she left me. I thought she waited for the right moment. I thought she waited until I sold my program for lots of money and then she took the cash and left. But I was wrong. Completely wrong. She was waiting for me to pay attention to her.... I’d become accustomed to the idea of loving her. And that’s very different than actually loving someone. We’d been together so long. Maybe love shouldn’t be that comfortable. Maybe it should require work, be an investment, if only so you don’t ever get complacent.

  “So, I’ll agree, I shouldn’t have kissed you until I was completely free and clear. But I’m completely free and clear now. Legally and emotionally, which means it’s okay to do this...”

  He leaned in and kissed her.

  For a moment, she froze, and he started to pull away, but Maeve wrapped her arms around him and deepened the kiss.

  It was everything their kiss at the wedding should have been. Could have been. He knew he could stay like this forever, but Maeve shifted slightly and pulled back.

  “Aaron, I—”

  “In the two years that Tracey and I were separated, I never looked at another woman. But, Maeve, from the second I saw you I couldn’t look anywhere else. I said that it was because you were an anomaly and I wanted to figure you out. I tried to tell myself that. But it’s become so much more.”

  She moved farther back to the corner of the couch. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “There’s nothing to say. I signed the papers and I made my peace with Tracey. I made my peace with my past. I know I screwed things up by not telling you sooner. I’m sorry. I’m glad you’ve decided we can be friends. I won’t kiss you again.”

  She started to speak, but stopped.

  “I won’t kiss you, but I would very much like it if you kissed me.” Feeling as if he’d said what needed to be said, Aaron got up, grabbed his coat and made a quick exit before he broke his promise and kissed her again regardless.

  * * *

  SEEING TO THE house became part of the rhythm of Maeve’s busy life, but that next week was especially frantic.

  She fell into bed exhausted each night. And she slept so heavily that her internal alarm clock gave up. She had to rely on the actual clock by her bedside.

  And she dreamed each night, too.

  Of Aaron. Of Josie, Boyd and Carl. About the Culpepper place.

  The dreams of Aaron were the most disturbing.

  He wasn’t going to kiss her again, but seemed to be waiting for her to kiss him. She kept circling back to that thought as she tried to convince herself that it was best to just be friends with him. She might have convinced herself if it wasn’t for the dreams. One, in particular. In it, she was dancing with Aaron, but they weren’t at Lily’s wedding. Instead they were dancing on the snowy Culpepper lawn, though Maeve wasn’t the least bit cold. There were colored lights glowing. They came from a Christmas tree in the window.

  As she and Aaron danced, he whispered, “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  She held her breath, anxious to hear his words. “Maeve, I...”

  That’s where she woke up, every time.

  Which was why she was feeling tired and out of sorts the following Saturday.

  She gave the nut on the screw that held the toilet to the floor an extra hard thump, and then tried unscrewing it again. It didn’t budge.

  She took the can of industrial lubricant and doused the screw, thumped the nut again and got her pliers to try to turn it. The nut still didn’t move.

  She found her hammer and whacked at the nut as hard as she could.

  Harder.

  “I think it’s dead.”

  She turned and saw Aaron standing in the bathroom doorway, grinning.

  “I told the plumber I’d do the demo in here, and the stupid toilet is stuck. I don’t know what else to do.”

  “We’re replacing it, right?”

  “Yes. We’re replacing both with dual flush toilets.”

  “Dual flush?”

  “They’re very water efficient. You use one button for little jobs and one for big...” She could feel her cheeks heating up. “Needless to say, they’re a green alternative. Tori’s dad suggested them. He said as long as we were doing all this work, we might as well make the house as green and energy efficient as possible.”

  Aaron sank down next to her and examined the bolts, then turned so that his face was inches away from hers. “You
are the first woman I’ve ever met who can get excited about a dual flush toilet.”

  Maeve shrugged. “That’s me. Save the earth...one flush at a time. But only if I could get this nut off the bolt.”

  “Let’s try it together.”

  She shook her head. Aaron was already too close for comfort. “No, that’s okay. I’ll get it.”

  “Nervous?” he challenged.

  She played ignorant. “About what?”

  Aaron tsked at her. “I don’t know what you could be nervous about. You tell me.”

  “Fine.” She gripped the pliers and Aaron fitted his hands over hers. “Pull.”

  They both strained against the pressure, and the nut became loose enough to twist.

  Maeve pulled her hands out from beneath Aaron’s. “Okay, thanks. I’ve got it from here.”

  His face, still too close for comfort, moved even closer. “Well, I’ll let you get back to it, then.”

  He got up and left the small powder room.

  Maeve shook her head. She couldn’t believe she’d just raved about toilets to the man she...

  She wasn’t sure what she felt for Aaron.

  She was so mixed up.

  He was divorced now, but he’d been good to his word and hadn’t made a move to kiss her again.

  She wanted to do as he’d said and kiss him.

  And more.

  He’d told her that she’d climbed into the car when she and her mom had been homeless and that she’d never gotten out.

  It was time to get out of the car. It was time to live her life and take some risks. She’d been willing to sink her savings into this house. She hadn’t needed to, but she’d been willing. She’d turned over some of her library hours to someone else.

  She’d started opening up to people. To Josie, and even Mattie.

  Maybe it was time she took a risk with Aaron. He’d said he wouldn’t kiss her, but she could kiss him. Maybe it was time to try it.

  * * *

  AS HAD BECOME his habit, Aaron waited for everyone else to leave, and then offered to walk Maeve home.