Green Mountain Collection 2

by Marie Force

  “Yes, it is.”

  “She’s far too good for you.”

  “I’m aware of that.”

  “Heard you got arrested a couple of months ago. Any truth to that?”

  “Yes, sir. I got into a fight with a guy in a bar who said we’d wasted our time in Iraq.”

  “Huh. Well, I hope you punched his lights out.”

  “I did. Mr. Abbott—”

  “Since when am I Mr. Abbott?”

  “Since I started dating your daughter. Sir.” Gavin stopped walking and turned to face Lincoln. “I want you to know that I care about her. I have for a long time, but it was never the right time.”

  “And now is the right time?”

  “I don’t know. What I do know is I can’t fight what I feel for her anymore. I’m tired of fighting, in more ways than one. I can’t go on the way I’ve been.”

  “So you’re looking to my daughter to fix what’s wrong in your life?”

  “No. I’d never do that to her. What you said about her being too good for me. You’re absolutely right. She’s too good for most guys. But she makes me want to be good for her. She makes me want to be a better man so I’ll deserve her.”

  “Not much I can say to that except ask you to take care of her.”

  “I will.” Gavin was determined not to screw this up, which was actually a huge improvement over the months he’d spent not giving a shit about much of anything. He’d been going along, doing his thing, running his business, keeping his head down and soldiering on even though the pain of his loss was always with him. Then Caleb’s dog died. Good old Homer. He’d been part of so many of their adventures that losing him had been like losing Caleb all over again.

  “Let me show you the trees I want to get rid of,” Lincoln said. “I’d like to turn them into firewood. I could use some of it here and send the rest up the mountain to Colton.”

  “We can do that for you.”

  They trudged deeper into the dense vegetation, where the height of the trees blocked the sunlight.

  “I’m going to be keeping an eye on this situation with you and Ella. Just thought I should let you know that. You’re a good man, Gavin, and I think you might even be worthy of my little girl. But you’re going to have to prove that to me—and to others who’ll be watching, too.”

  “I understand.” If Ella had been his daughter, and she was getting involved with the likes of him, he’d be concerned, too. But now Gavin had one more reason to make sure he did right by her. He liked and respected Lincoln Abbott. Letting him down was the last thing he wanted to do.

  Ella helped her mother finish the dinner preparations and was setting the table when Hannah and Nolan arrived. Hannah’s baby bump was becoming more pronounced by the day, and her sister fairly glowed with happiness and excitement. It was nice to see after so many years of wondering if Hannah would ever bounce back from losing Caleb.

  Nolan was perfect for her in every way and was obviously crazy in love with Hannah. Her sister deserved nothing less after all she’d been through.

  “How’s it going?” Hannah asked when she came into the dining room to help Ella.

  “I’m good. How’re you feeling?”

  “Much better now that I’m not puking all day. Once in the morning, and that’s that.”

  “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

  “Me, too. Now I can really enjoy being pregnant.”

  Ella was struck by a pang of envy that made her feel ridiculous, especially in light of her conversation with Gavin about kids. It had taken a lot for her to admit to him that she’d once hoped to have a big family. That didn’t seem to be in the cards for her anymore, but that didn’t give her the right to be envious of her sister.

  “I happened to notice Gavin’s truck in the yard.”

  “He’s outside with Dad.”

  “I didn’t see your car, and yet here you are. Which leads me to wonder if you came with Gavin.”

  “Maybe I did.”

  “Something you want to tell me?”

  “Not if you’re going to tell me all the reasons it’s a bad idea.”

  “I won’t do that.”

  “Promise?”

  “Yes, Ella,” Hannah said, smiling. “I promise.”

  “We’re . . . giving it a try, I guess you might say.”

  “I’m happy for you. I know that’s what you’ve wanted for a long time.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “The only thing I’ll say . . .”

  “Ugh, I knew you’d have something to say.”

  “Just be careful, El. That’s all. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

  “Does anyone think I want that? Honestly?”

  “No, but . . . Sometimes love is blind. This is no time to put blinders on.”

  “I know that. My eyes are wide open where he’s concerned. I’ve seen him at his best—and his worst.”

  “I’m not sure that you have seen his worst.”

  Ella wanted to ask her sister what she meant by that, but more than anything she wanted out of this conversation before Gavin returned. “You’ve done your job as the big sister. You’ve warned me.”

  “Ella—”

  “How’s the new house? All moved in and settled?”

  Hannah hesitated before she took the hint that Ella wasn’t willing to talk about Gavin anymore. “Getting there. We’re setting up the baby’s room this week.”

  “Did you decide on your colors?”

  “Since we’re not finding out what we’re having, we’re going with yellow and beige.”

  “That’ll be nice. Did you fill out the registry yet?”

  “Last night. It’s so hard to decide on everything.”

  “Make sure you send me the link so we have it when we throw your surprise baby shower.”

  Hannah laughed. “I’ll do that.” She finished placing cloth napkins at each place on the long dining room table. “Hey, El?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I only said what I did because I love you so much. I love him, too. I’ll be pulling for you guys to make it work, and you know where to find me if I can help at all.”

  “Thank you,” she said, genuinely touched by Hannah’s love and concern.

  The rest of the family began arriving a short time later, filling the house with noise and chaos that was reminiscent of when they’d all lived at home. Noise was the one thing Ella remembered most vividly from those days. It was happy chaos, but chaotic nonetheless.

  She looked forward to seeing everyone at their weekly Sunday dinners but was always happy to go home alone to her quiet apartment. Gavin’s hand on her shoulder was a reminder that this week she wouldn’t be going home alone. She smiled up at him. “How was your walk with Dad?”

  “Interesting.” He leaned in closer to her. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

  Ella wanted to purr from the satisfaction of knowing they’d have time alone together later to talk, among other things. Her sister Charley came into the kitchen, her eyes widening when she saw Gavin standing so close to Ella.

  Charley and Hannah were the only two who knew how much Ella had suffered over Gavin, so Charley’s wide smile was a welcome relief.

  “Hey, guys,” she said. “Gavin, nice to see you here.”

  “Nice to be here.”

  “Someone has been keeping secrets from her sister.”

  “It’s a relatively new development,” Ella said, leaning into Gavin because she could.

  “I’ll expect a full report at work tomorrow, if not before.”

  “I see how this is going to be,” Gavin said, his tone inflected with amusement.

  “You have no idea,” Charley said before moving on to greet her parents.

  “She scares me,” Gavin whispered.

  “She scares all of us.”

  That made him laugh, and Ella discovered that she quite liked the sound of laughter coming from him when he was usually so somber. He hadn’t had a lot to laugh about lately. She wo
uld make sure he had plenty to laugh about going forward.

  Elmer Stillman came in, his face red from the chill of the mid-November air, his smile stretching from ear to ear as usual. No one loved Sunday dinner more than Ella’s grandfather did. The tradition had begun with him and his wife, Sarah, and their daughter Molly had carried it on after her mother died.

  “I brought wine,” Elmer said. “One of every kind.”

  Molly greeted her father with a kiss to his cheek. “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Hey, Gramps,” Ella said, returning his hug and kiss. “How are you?”

  “I’m wonderful, and you?” He eyed Gavin suspiciously, and that was when Ella knew for certain that he too was fully aware of her ongoing affection for Gavin.

  “I’m fantastic.”

  “Gavin.” Elmer extended his hand.

  Gavin shook hands with him. “Mr. Stillman.”

  “Elmer. ‘Mr. Stillman’ makes me feel old.”

  “We can’t have that,” Gavin said.

  “No, we can’t. Nice to have you here.”

  “Nice to be here.”

  Ella’s aunt Hannah and cousin Grayson Coleman came into the kitchen next. Hannah closely resembled Ella’s mother, but Aunt Hannah wore an air of bitterness about her that anyone who knew her well could plainly see. According to Molly, Hannah had never gotten over the heartbreak of her husband leaving her alone to raise eight children. Who could blame her?

  Grayson was as handsome and polished as ever. His dark blond hair was neatly trimmed, and he wore a white dress shirt under a navy V-neck sweater that looked like cashmere. He’d done well for himself as a lawyer in Boston, but Ella wondered if he was truly happy.

  He hugged her and shook Gavin’s hand. “Long time no see, Gavin.”

  “We missed you at Will’s wedding,” Ella said.

  “I hated to miss it,” Gray said. “I was in Europe for work, and there was no way I could get out of it. They didn’t give us much of a heads-up before they got married.”

  “No, they didn’t.”

  “Speak of the devils,” Gavin said as the newlyweds came in wearing the big smiles that never seemed to dim now that they were officially married. They were so, so happy.

  Ella adored her new sister-in-law, who fit right in with the Abbotts like they’d known her forever.

  After they greeted Will and Cameron, Nolan came over to them and shook hands with Gavin. “What brings you to dinner?”

  Gavin nodded his head toward Ella. “I was invited.”

  Nolan looked from Gavin to Ella and then back to Gavin again. “Oh. Oh! Wow, well, that’s cool.”

  Ella laughed at her new brother-in-law’s lightbulb moment.

  “Hey, did you get the invite to Dylan’s wedding in Turks later this month?” Nolan asked Gavin.

  “Yeah, I got it. Are you going?”

  “I don’t think we should, but Hannah wants to go.”

  “She’s not even six months pregnant, Nolan,” Ella said. “She can still travel for a couple of months yet.”

  “But is it safe? What if something happens while we’re there?”

  Ella pinched her lips together to keep from laughing in his face.

  Nolan scowled at her. “I can see you trying not to laugh.”

  “Take your wife to the Caribbean, Nolan. Have a second honeymoon. Your lives are about to get crazy. Take the time for yourselves while you can.”

  “What she said,” Gavin said, pointing to Ella.

  “Are you going?” Nolan asked Gavin.

  “Probably not. Hard to get away from work.” To Ella, he said, “I’m going to hit the bathroom. Be right back.”

  After he walked away, Nolan lowered his voice and said, “He never goes to Sultans things anymore unless they’re here. Austin and Debra’s wedding was the one exception, but that was because he had to go as the best man.”

  “Why do you suppose he doesn’t go?”

  “I think it’s too hard for him without Caleb. He thinks of them as Caleb’s friends, but they’re his friends, too. Every bit as much his as they were Caleb’s.”

  “I’ll talk to him and see if I can convince him to go.”

  “That would be good. He always has fun when he’s with them, but he’s been weird about it since Caleb died. It would mean a lot to Dylan to have him there.”

  Ella’s youngest brother, Max, came into the kitchen, looking tense and out of sorts.

  “Hey.” Molly smiled up at her son as he kissed her cheek. “What’re you doing here? Thought you were spending the weekend in Burlington.”

  “Yeah, so did I. Don’t ask.” He grabbed a roll from a basket Molly was filling and continued through the kitchen to the dining room.

  “What’s up with him?” Ella asked her mom.

  “Trouble in paradise with Chloe, apparently,” Molly said, her brows knitting with concern. “I’m surprised he’s here with the baby due any minute.”

  “He told me last week she doesn’t want him around,” Nolan said quietly.

  Molly pounced on her son-in-law. “When did he tell you that?”

  “When he brought his car into the garage for an oil change.”

  “Oh Lord,” Molly said with a sigh. “The poor guy. This has to be eating him up inside.”

  Ella felt for her brother, who would soon become a father. He and his girlfriend, Chloe, hadn’t been together long when she got pregnant. Max had tried to stand by her during the last few months, but Chloe hadn’t made it easy.

  Gavin returned to the kitchen and came over to her. “What’s up with Max? He seems kinda wound up.”

  “Troubles with the baby mama, apparently.”

  “Oh damn. That’s too bad.”

  Lucas and Landon came into the kitchen, pushing and shoving each other the way they had since the day they were born. They always brought the comedy with them, and Ella adored them, even if she wanted to knock their heads together half the time.

  “Knock it off, you two,” Molly said sternly.

  “We haven’t even done anything yet,” Landon said.

  “Preemptive strike,” Molly replied. “It’s only a matter of time before you do something.”

  “We are so misunderstood,” Lucas said to his twin.

  “Seriously.”

  “You are absolutely understood,” Ella said, “which is why Mom feels the need for preemptive strikes.”

  “And here we thought you were on our side, El,” Lucas said. “You’re one of the nice ones. Usually.”

  Gavin laughed when her charming brothers planted kisses on their mother’s cheeks.

  “Hi, Mom,” Lucas said with a shit-eating grin.

  “Get out of here, the two of you, before I break out the rubber spatula,” Molly said, smiling despite herself.

  The threat sent the twins scurrying toward the dining room.

  Ella’s brother Wade came in, dropping a kiss on her forehead and then shaking hands with Gavin. “What brings you to dinner?” Wade asked.

  “Ella did.”

  “Oh. Is that right?”

  “Uh-huh.” Ella gave Wade a little shove. “Now mind your own business and move along.”

  “I’m an Abbott. Since when do we mind only our own business?”

  “Wade . . . I expect better from you than the rest of the clowns.” He was the one brother who’d never pulled her hair or deliberately tried to rile her.

  “All right. When you put it that way . . .”

  Colton and Lucy arrived a few minutes later with Hunter and Megan in tow.

  “Everyone’s here,” Molly said. “Let’s eat!”

  CHAPTER 7

  While everyone enjoyed the delicious roast chicken dinner, Landon stood and cleared his throat. “ ’Tis the season you look forward to all year long.” He unfurled a scroll of paper. “Sign-ups to work at the Christmas tree farm!”

  A chorus of groans and boos followed his announcement.

  “Now, now. You can’t fool me. I know you all love working at
the farm every year, so don’t be shy. Sign up now and sign up often. Boys, I need you cutting trees and dragging them to cars. Ladies, I need you selling cider, hot chocolate and donuts and collecting money. You know the drill.”

  “What if I want to cut the trees rather than dole out cider?” Charley asked.

  “Whatever you want to do is fine with me, stud,” Landon replied, “as long as you sign up for something. I need everyone to take at least three shifts over the next few weekends. Max, you’re exempted this year due to the baby watch.”

  “Thanks. I’ll fill in when I can.”

  “That’s so not fair,” Lucas said. “Why does he get to be exempt? I need to have a baby.”

  “Please for the love of God and the sake of the imaginary child, do not do that,” Lincoln said, making everyone laugh. Pointing to Landon, he said, “And don’t you either.”

  Scowling at his father, Landon sent the sign-up sheet around the table with a pen.

  Ella signed up to spend three Saturday afternoons working the hot chocolate stand, which was secretly one of her favorite things to do this time of year. She absolutely loved the Christmas season in the store and at the farm, so while the others grumbled, she happily put her name on the list.

  “I’ll take a few shifts,” Gavin said. “I’m rather good at cutting down trees.”

  “That’s the attitude I’m looking for,” Landon said. “And he’s not even required to work.”

  “Suck-up,” Hunter grumbled.

  “Total suck-up,” Will said.

  Gavin laughed at their good-natured teasing.

  Ella smiled at Gavin and then watched him sign up for the same days she had picked. She had purposely avoided Thanksgiving weekend in the hope that she could talk him into going to his friend’s wedding.

  “I can’t work any Saturdays in December,” Charley said. “I’m in training.”

  “Oh thank God!” Colton said. “Someone is finally house-training her.” The others howled with laughter.

  “Very funny, but I’ll have you know I’m in training to run a marathon.”

  “You are not,” Ella said.

  “Yes, I am.”

  “You haven’t run since high school.”

  “I’ve been wanting to get back into it, so I joined a club and we do distance runs on Saturdays. We did six miles yesterday.”