Green Mountain Collection 2

by Marie Force

  “All? There’re two that I know of.”

  “Cameron and Will, too.”

  “Really?”

  “I’m not one hundred percent sure, but my radar is picking up some signals.”

  “I’d trust those signals with my life. If anyone knows pregnant, my love, it’s you.”

  “And whose fault is that?”

  Laughing, he flipped off the lights in the kitchen and directed her to the stairs with his hands on her hips. George and Ringo followed behind.

  After the last of their kids left home, they’d taken down a couple of walls and made a huge master suite for themselves, complete with a fireplace, sitting area and adjoining bathroom that had a bathtub big enough for two. They referred to the room as their reward for surviving the teenage years ten times. The dogs crashed in their beds by the window where they could keep a watchful eye on their best friend Lincoln.

  Molly went into the bathroom to get ready for bed, and when she came out, she saw that Linc had lit the fireplace and turned down the bed. She loved that fireplace and the cozy glow it cast over the room. Snuggling up to her husband, she knew a moment of pure gratitude for the life she’d had with him, especially when she thought of what her sister’s husband had done.

  She and Linc had had their ups and downs, their struggles, their sorrows, especially after losing their beloved son-in-law in Iraq. But through it all, they’d remained steadfast in their commitment to each other, their marriage and their big family.

  There was nowhere else Molly would rather be at the end of a long day than wrapped up in his arms.

  “Big weekend coming up around here,” Linc said.

  “Wait till you see the rehearsal dinner spot they chose.” Molly had gone with Hunter and Megan to make the arrangements and had thrilled in their excitement. “It’s unique. Not what you’d expect for him at all.”

  “I’m sure it’ll all be great. He’s smiled more in the last few months than he has in his whole life. She’s perfect for him.”

  “And vice versa. I had my doubts where she was concerned, but she’s overcome them all.”

  “Your dad is crazy about her.”

  “Apparently, the feeling is mutual. Did you hear she asked him to give her away in addition to presiding over the ceremony?”

  “No! Oh wow. He must be delighted.”

  “He is. She’s a special girl.”

  “Indeed she is.”

  “Hunter is getting married,” Molly said with a sigh. “Our little boy is all grown up.”

  Linc chuckled. “So I’ve heard.”

  “They’re dropping like flies all of a sudden.”

  “It happens.”

  “Especially with you and Dad running interference.” She ran her hand over his chest and the belly that was still flat when other men his age had gone soft. Not her man. “We should have another one.”

  He stopped breathing.

  Molly laughed at his reaction. “Just kidding.”

  “Jesus, woman! Don’t scare me like that. Whenever you said those words to me in the past, I was holding a new baby a few months later.”

  Molly couldn’t stop laughing.

  He turned over so he was on top of her, pinning her down with the weight of his body and his playful scowl. “Only grandbabies for you, Mrs. Abbott.”

  “Awww, you’re no fun at all. Remember all the hard work that went into making babies?”

  “I remember.”

  “Nothing says we can’t still do the work . . .”

  “I do love the way you think, Molly Stillman Abbott.”

  Smiling up at him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him down to her, wanting him as much today as she had the sweltering hot summer day she met him. And she was still hot for him all these years later.

  CHAPTER 20

  Charley was wiping down the counters and putting away the last of the dishes when Tyler came in through the garage, the door banging behind him and startling her. She was still getting used to the noises of this house.

  He came into the kitchen and stopped in the doorway when he saw her holding a dishrag. “What’re you doing? I would’ve done that.”

  “No need. It’s all set. Thank you for letting us borrow your home, and your pulled pork was a huge hit. My cousin Izzy wants to marry you.”

  Crossing the big room to where she stood by the sink, he kissed her cheek and tossed his keys and cell phone on the counter, bringing the scent of wood smoke with him. “Tell her I’m not available.”

  “You will be soon enough,” she said in a teasing tone.

  His deep sigh spoke volumes for him, and Charley wished she could take back the comment.

  He cupped her ass and drew her in closer to him. “I’m not available right now. I have a girlfriend until the end of the year, and she’s the jealous type.”

  “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings by saying that.”

  “You didn’t. Good to know your cousin is interested. I’m expecting a lonely January.”

  An emotion she didn’t recognize started in her gut and flooded her chest at the thought of him with the gorgeous, vivacious Izzy or any other woman for that matter. What the hell? Was she jealous? No, she couldn’t be. Charley Abbott didn’t do jealousy. What right did she have to feel that way? It wasn’t like he belonged to her or anything like that.

  “What’re you freaking out about?” he asked, his voice a low murmur next to her ear.

  “I’m not freaking out about anything.”

  “Tell me.”

  She pushed at his chest, needing some space and distance from the overwhelming things he made her feel.

  “Whatever you’re thinking, stop it. I’m not going near your cousin, or anyone else for that matter. You know you have nothing to worry about, and if you don’t know that by now, I’m not sure what I can do to convince you.”

  Aware of his arousal pressing against her belly, Charley relaxed slightly into his embrace. So what if the thought of him with other women made her jealous? She was sleeping with the guy, after all, so she had the right to feel a little possessive. That didn’t mean she wanted to marry him or anything.

  “I would give every dime I have to know what goes on inside that head of yours,” he said in the low, intimate tone that made her bones turn to jelly.

  “It’s probably better if you don’t know.”

  His low chuckle was as sexy as the gruff words. “I’d probably be crazier than I already am over you if I knew what you were thinking.”

  “Probably.”

  “Let’s go to bed, the one place where nothing between us is complicated.”

  Since she could hardly argue that point, she nodded. And when he picked her up to carry her to bed, Charley snuggled up against him, determined to enjoy every minute with him before their time together ran out.

  On Friday night, the Abbott family gathered with Megan’s family and other friends for the rehearsal dinner at the Pig’s Belly Tavern. Charley hadn’t known what to expect when she heard the name of the place where the dinner would be held, but Hunter and Megan had assured them that they would love the food and the atmosphere.

  In addition to immediate family, Cameron’s dad, Patrick Murphy, had been invited as had Lucy’s dad, Ray Mulvaney, as well as Emma and Simone, who were all now unofficial members of the Abbott family. A few of Hunter’s college friends were there as well as the Sultans, the group of Caleb Guthrie’s closest friends, which included Hunter, Will and Nolan.

  Attending on Megan’s side were her sister Nina and brother-in-law Brett as well as Butch from the diner and many of the patrons who’d become friends over the years.

  As he greeted guests and laughed with his friends, Hunter looked as relaxed and happy as Charley had ever seen him. He kept an arm around Megan at all times, and the bride-to-be glowed with the kind of happiness that Charley could only imagine. It had taken, she knew, a huge leap of faith for Megan to end up where she was tonight, and Charley admired anyone who ha
d the courage to take that leap.

  “They look really happy,” Tyler said in the intimate tone that Charley was becoming accustomed to. They were seated at a table with Ella and Gavin, Gavin’s parents and two of the Sultans—Austin and his wife, Debra, and Dylan and his new wife, Sophia.

  “I was just thinking the same thing,” Charley said to Tyler.

  She’d no sooner gotten the words out of her mouth when Jack, one of the perpetually single Sultans, came over to their table to talk to the others.

  As he caught up with Dylan and Austin, Charley avoided Jack’s pointed stare at the arm Tyler had around her. They’d had a brief fling years ago, right after Caleb died when her emotions had been raw, and she’d been looking for an outlet—any outlet—from the relentless pain of a loss that had left her and the rest of her family flattened by grief.

  Though she hadn’t slept with him in years, he always flirted with her when they saw each other, and she didn’t appreciate the possessive way he looked at her now.

  Apparently, Tyler didn’t either. The hand he had on her shoulder tightened as Jack continued to stare at them.

  “What’s up with him?” Tyler asked.

  “Nothing,” she said. “Now.”

  “Ah, I see.”

  “No, you don’t see anything, because there’s nothing to see.”

  “But there was? At one time?”

  “Eons ago.”

  “Am I allowed to invite him outside where I’ll ask him to keep his dirty eyes off you?”

  “You’re absolutely not allowed to do that.”

  “I won’t, but I want to.”

  “Thank you for restraining yourself.”

  He didn’t reply but his grip on her shoulder got tighter, and a tingle between her legs took her by surprise. Was she turned on by his possessiveness? Maybe just a little . . .

  They ate a delicious meal that consisted of every kind of barbecued meat and all the sides. Despite her worries about gaining weight through inactivity, Charley had a second piece of corn bread. Tyler kept a cold beer in front of her and made sure she had what she needed, the way he always did.

  After dinner, a band in the back room started to play, drawing everyone toward the music.

  “Who’s that dancing with Mary from your office? He looks familiar.”

  “Cameron’s dad, Patrick Murphy.”

  “The Patrick Murphy? The billionaire?”

  “Yep.”

  “How did I miss that he’s Cameron’s dad? That guy is a legend in my world. Totally self-made and one of the most brilliant financial minds of our time.”

  “Sounds like someone else I know.”

  “Aw, baby, I’ve got nothing on him. You’ve got to introduce me.”

  “I will,” she said, intrigued by his interest in meeting Cam’s dad. The opportunity presented itself an hour later when the band took a break and Patrick led Mary to the table next to where Charley sat with Tyler. “Patrick, I’d like you to meet my friend, Tyler Westcott. He’s a big fan of yours.”

  Patrick reached across the aisle between the tables to shake Tyler’s hand. “Pleasure. Why do I know your name?”

  “Uh . . .”

  “He’s a stock market whiz kid,” Charley said because Tyler had gone mute.

  “That’s it! I read about you in Fortune a couple of months ago.”

  “I’m surprised you still read Fortune,” Tyler said when he recovered his ability to speak. “You wrote the book.”

  “There’s always something new to be learned from others,” Patrick said modestly.

  He and Mary got up to join Tyler and Charley at their table so the two men could talk without shouting. Mary ended up next to Charley.

  “What’s the story, Ms. Mary?” Charley asked in an exaggerated whisper. “You and Patrick?”

  “We’re friends,” she said, but her bright eyes and brighter smile indicated there was more than friendship between them. “He’d like it to be more, but so far, we’re all about the phone calls.”

  “Mary! I had no idea. How long has this been going on?”

  “Since Will and Cameron’s wedding in October, but please don’t make it into something it’s not, Charley,” she said as some of the magic in her expression seemed to dim. “I was sitting at my desk yesterday, and the whole building started to shake. It was him. Arriving on his gigantic helicopter.” Mary shook her head. “What could possibly come of it? Our lives couldn’t be more different.”

  Regardless of her own thoughts about love and commitment, Charley found herself wanting to encourage Mary. “You don’t know that unless you try, do you?”

  “Look at him,” Mary whispered. “He could have anyone.”

  As she said the words, Patrick reached for Mary’s hand under the table without missing a beat in his conversation with Tyler.

  Mary’s face lit up with pleasure—and befuddlement.

  “Seems to me that you’re the one he wants,” Charley said.

  “He thinks so now, but what about a couple of months from now? What happens then?”

  “I suppose you won’t know if you don’t try.”

  “And what about you?” Mary’s brow lifted. “Are you prepared to take your own advice?”

  “Oh . . . Well . . . That’s different.”

  “Is it?”

  “I guess not,” Charley conceded.

  Mary smiled warmly. “Vivienne is a close friend of mine. I’ve known their family for years. You simply couldn’t ask for better people. She’s so proud of Tyler and all he’s accomplished.”

  “So you know then? About the money?”

  “I do, and if you know about it, that means something. He doesn’t talk about it.”

  “Our situations are not all that dissimilar.”

  “Except that Tyler lives here, and Patrick’s in New York—a place I haven’t even visited. He’d like to change that, but there’s something holding me back. I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

  “I understand that feeling.”

  Mary looked down at Patrick’s hand, which was wrapped around hers. “What if we were to make a deal, you and me?”

  “What kind of deal?”

  “That if I try—really and truly try with Patrick—you’ll do the same with Tyler. We’ll hold each other up and take the leap together. What do you say?”

  “Oh, I, um . . . I don’t know if I can. I’ve started to feel like I might want to, but I don’t know how.”

  Mary laughed. “Neither do I. I haven’t the first clue what I’m doing, but he’s worn me down.”

  “Sounds like he and Tyler have more in common than their financial prowess.”

  “I’m to the point now where I know if I don’t at least try, I’ll spend the rest of my life wondering what if. What if I’d had the guts? What if I’d put aside my fears and gone after what I wanted, when it might not be what I need? What if? What if?”

  Charley’s chest tightened. She glanced across the table and looked at Tyler. Tonight he’d worn one of those pressed dress shirts she used to disdain. His hair had gotten long in the weeks since her accident, and he hadn’t bothered to shave in a day or two. His contacts had been bothering him earlier, so he’d worn the sexy black-framed glasses. As her body zinged with awareness of him, she tried to remember why she’d thought he resembled Hunter.

  Other than a similar taste in shirts and a bent toward honorableness, there really was no comparison between them.

  “What if indeed,” Charley said in reply to Mary.

  “I don’t want to have regrets, Charley. Do you?”

  Charley shook her head. “No, I don’t.”

  Tyler glanced over at her and found her staring at him.

  His mouth lifted into a small, intimate smile that fanned the fire burning inside her. Then Tyler was shaking hands with Patrick and getting up to come to Charley.

  “Let’s dance,” he said, helping her up and matching her pace on the way to the dance floor.

  The band played
a slow song that Charley didn’t immediately recognize. They walked slowly to the back room, where the dance floor was crowded with couples surrounding Hunter and Megan—her parents, Will and Cameron, Ella and Gavin, Gavin’s parents, Lucy and Colton, Hannah and Nolan, Dylan and Sophia, Austin and Debra.

  Tyler put his arms around Charley and drew her in close to him, hardly moving as they swayed to the music.

  “What song is this? I haven’t heard it.”

  “‘Thinking Out Loud’ by Ed Sheeran.”

  “I like it.”

  His lips found the spot behind her ear that made her go weak in his arms. “I like it, too. It’s how I feel when I’m with you.”

  The song was about finding love right where you are.

  “Does your knee feel okay?”

  Charley nodded.

  “Good, because I couldn’t wait another minute to hold you.”

  “You didn’t enjoy talking to Patrick?”

  “I loved talking to him, but I wanted to get back to you.”

  Patrick had lured Mary to the dance floor, and she floated in his arms, her eyes closed as he whispered in her ear.

  Charley hoped they’d make a go of it somehow. She liked him for Mary, who’d been single as long as Charley had known her.

  One song became two and two became three.

  “We should take a break,” Tyler said. “You don’t want you to overdo it.”

  Only because her knee was beginning to ache did Charley nod in agreement. But she was nowhere near done with wanting to dance with him.

  They were on the way back to the table when Megan waylaid them. “Could I borrow Charley for just a minute?”

  “Sure, but make her sit down.”

  “I will.” Megan hooked her arm through Charley’s and led her away from the noise.

  They sat together at a table.

  “What’s up?” Charley asked.

  “I have something for you, and it may seem kind of weird, but well . . . They have very romantic rooms upstairs, and they gave us keys to two of them as part of the package for having our rehearsal dinner here. Hunter and I are going to take one of them, and I thought you might want the other one.”

  Charley glanced at the keycard that Megan held in her hand. “Wow, why me?”