Butler, Vermont Series: Boxed Set, Books 1-3

by Force, Marie

  “Thank you for an amazing weekend,” Mary said, gazing up at him, wanting to memorize every detail of his gorgeous face to hold her over until she saw him again.

  “I loved every minute of it.” He kissed her softly. “Will you be okay driving in the snow?”

  “This dusting doesn’t count as snow to Vermonters, and yes, I’ll be fine.”

  He leaned his forehead on hers. “I don’t want to go.”

  “You have an early meeting.”

  “I don’t want to go.”

  Mary held on to him longer than she should have with the snow falling and the chopper waiting to return him to the city.

  “I hate that I don’t know when I’ll see you again.” He was off to the West Coast for the next week. His low moan of distress made her smile. He was too cute when he didn’t get his own way.

  “You’ll see me when you get here for the wedding and Christmas.”

  “That’s weeks from now. I can’t bear it. Tell me you’re thinking about what we talked about the other night.”

  “Patrick…”

  “Please?”

  “I’m thinking about it. I swear.”

  “Start the car and let it warm up for a minute. I want to make sure you’re all set before I go.”

  Mary got into the car, started it and turned up the heat. Then she got out to see him off.

  “I miss you so much, and I haven’t even left you yet.” This was said against her lips as he kissed her. If the ache in her heart at having to let him go—again—was any indication, she had fallen all the way in love with him.

  He broke the kiss and wrapped her up in a tight embrace, holding on for dear life, or so it seemed to her. She loved being wrapped up in him.

  “I love you, Mary. I love every damned thing about you. I want to be with you every day and never have to leave you like this again. I know you need time, and I’ll give you all the time you need. But I want you to know how much I want you in every way that I can have you.” He kissed her cheek and then her lips and was gone before she started breathing again.

  Mary watched him jog to the helicopter, climb inside and secure the door. She watched as the engines roared to life, the big blades started spinning and the chopper took off, taking the man she loved away from her—again. When the helicopter was out of sight, she got into her car to drive home, feeling lonelier than she’d ever been. It was like he took all the magic and beauty and joy in her world with him when he left.

  In a weekend filled with magic as he showed her his beloved city, he had given her a lot to think about.

  I want you to promise me that you’ll think about the possibility of moving here to live with me and travel with me and be with me every day.

  His words were with her every waking moment of the busy days that followed her weekend in New York. They spoke every day, sometimes twice a day and often late in the night. He called from Los Angeles between meetings with the executives who ran his hotel group. His stay was extended after a woman was found dead in one of his hotels, and he had to do damage control on behalf of the property that bore his name. That crisis kept him on the West Coast until the police determined the woman had died of natural causes.

  He’d promised to come see Mary the minute he got home, but a windstorm in Vermont made it impossible to fly in the helicopter or the Lear.

  Mary went to bed disappointed, having counted the days until today when he’d be back after two long weeks apart. Work and her commitments to friends, church and the soup kitchen kept her frantically busy, but not so busy that she didn’t miss him fiercely.

  When the phone rang at ten, she pounced on it.

  “Hi, sweetheart.” He sounded tired and aggravated. “Sorry about tonight. You can plan everything but the weather.”

  “That’s one of our favorite sayings up here in Vermont. The weather is always scuttling plans.”

  “I can’t recall the last time I was this disappointed.”

  “Me either, but another week won’t kill us.” He’d be in town for Hunter and Megan’s wedding five days before Christmas and would be staying through the holiday. At some point, they were going to have to come clean to Cameron about the fact that they were together, especially if he planned to stay with Mary while he was in Butler.

  “It just might kill me.”

  “Don’t let that happen, please. One more week and then we have entire days together.” She’d taken the week between Christmas and New Year’s off and planned to spend as much of her vacation with him as she could. “Were you able to get some time off after Christmas?”

  “Uh-huh. I told Maggie to clear my schedule and that I didn’t care what had to happen to get it done.”

  “Don’t make her dislike me.”

  “Are you kidding? She loves you. She loves that I have a real life outside of work for the first time since Cam moved out.”

  “Oh, well, that’s nice to hear.”

  “How about we go somewhere warm after Christmas?”

  “Like where?”

  “Wherever you want. The Caribbean?”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really,” he said, chuckling. “Did you get your passport?”

  “About a week ago.”

  “Then you’re all set. Where would you like to go, my love?”

  “I… I have no idea. How about you decide and surprise me?”

  “Consider it done. Pack for the beach, and we’ll take off the day after Christmas.”

  “I still can’t believe that this is my life now. That you… That you’re my life now.”

  “Mary,” he said in that sexy tone that made her heart beat fast and her palms get sweaty. “You have no idea what it means to me to hear you say that, because the same is true for me. You are my life. Everything I do revolves around getting back to you.”

  Her doorbell rang, startling her from the lovestruck swoon she’d descended into.

  “Hang on a sec. Someone is at the door.”

  “At this hour? Make sure you look to see who it is before you open it.”

  “I will.” Mary put on a robe over her snowflake pajamas and went to see who was calling so late. At first, she thought her eyes were deceiving her, but then Patrick said into the phone, “Open the door, sweetheart.”

  She let out a happy cry and opened the door to him, on her doorstep, holding his cell phone to his ear and grinning.

  He held out his arms to her, and she leaped into his embrace, wrapping her arms and legs around him as he kicked the door closed behind him.

  “I can’t believe your phone didn’t cut out.”

  “I was praying it wouldn’t, because that was perfect.”

  “How did you get here?”

  “The old-fashioned way. I drove.”

  “You drove six hours? By yourself?”

  “Yes, by myself,” he said indignantly. “Contrary to popular opinion, I am still capable of taking care of myself.”

  “I can’t believe you’re here! And that you didn’t tell me you were coming.”

  “I’ve waited two long, torturous weeks to see you. I couldn’t wait another minute.”

  She kissed him with weeks’ worth of desire and love and raw need. It was the first time she’d initiated that kind of kiss, and he responded with unrestrained ardor.

  Without missing a beat in the kiss, they fell onto her sofa in a pile of limbs, his phone falling to the floor with a loud thud. She tugged at his heavy winter coat until she freed him from it.

  He pulled at the tie to her robe, pushed it open and began to unbutton her pajama top. “Oh, the snowflakes. I’ve missed them so much.” Bending his head, he kissed between her breasts and then down to her belly, seeming to breathe her in as he went. “I can’t take much more of living this way, Mary. I feel like I’m half-alive when you’re not with me.”

  Her fingers sifted through his hair, which had gotten long since she last saw him. With his chin propped on her chest, he looked up at her, slaying her with the overwhe
lming emotions she saw in his eyes. “I feel the same way.”

  The weeks without him had given her too much time to think and to ponder his offer and to imagine what her life would be like if she decided to take the leap. And now that he was back in her arms, where he seemed to belong, it became that much harder to picture the rest of her life without him by her side.

  “Tell me again,” he said. “I can never hear it enough.”

  “I love you, Patrick.”

  “You make me so damned happy, Mary. I’d forgotten what it feels like to be truly happy.”

  “You do the same for me. I’ve never been so glad to see anyone as I was to see you at my door tonight.”

  “Good surprise?” he asked with the sexy grin that made her heart race.

  “The best.”

  “Are you still afraid of what’s going to happen because you love me?”

  “I’m terrified.”

  “No, Mary, don’t be terrified. You’re so safe with me. You own me. I’d do anything to make you happy. Anything at all. I’d even retire early and move to Vermont if that’s what you wanted me to do. Whatever it takes to be with you every day. That’s all I want.”

  “You’d retire early and move to Vermont?” she asked, flabbergasted.

  “If that’s where you want to be, then yes, I’d do it. Just say the word.”

  “You would hate it here.”

  “No, I wouldn’t. You’re here, my daughter and son-in-law are here, my friends Linc and Molly are here. I could make it work.”

  “I can’t see you here long-term.”

  “Well, I see myself with you long-term. Where we are doesn’t matter as long as we’re together. I need you, Mary. Nothing makes sense without you. I’m not sure how that even happened, but my well-ordered life is a mess since I met you.”

  “Right back at you,” she said with a laugh. “I have no idea how you did that to me. Everything was fine until you strolled into my office one day and tipped my whole world upside down by smiling at me.”

  “That was all it took?”

  “That was it.”

  “We’re not making any big decisions until after the holidays. My lady told me she needs time to think, and I respect her too much to rush her into deciding anything before she’s ready. But she ought to know that no matter what she decides she wants, she can have it. Here, there or anywhere, I’m in this for keeps.”

  Mary took a deep breath that sounded more like a sob than a breath. “So you’re basically saying I’m stuck with you?”

  “Uh-huh. Any objections?”

  “Not a single one.” She drew him into another kiss, and after that, there were no more words. There were only more kisses, gentle caresses and pleasure so sharp and so intoxicating, it left her feeling almost drunk from it by the time he joined their bodies and made love to her right there on the sofa. The buzz continued when he carried her to bed, shed his clothes, climbed into her bed and made love to her all over again.

  “This can’t be healthy,” Mary muttered after the second time—and her fourth orgasm of the evening. She was facedown on the bed after he took her from behind. Her orderly world had been thoroughly rocked once again.

  “It’s the healthiest thing you’ve ever done.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Mmm.” His lips vibrated against her shoulder, then moved to her spine, where he kissed his way down her back, his tongue dabbing into the groves and making her squirm with renewed desire for more. How did he do that?

  “You’re going to break me.”

  “Never.”

  “How long can you stay?”

  “I have to leave tomorrow afternoon.”

  She moaned. “It’s not enough.”

  “I could mention that offer I made that would allow us to be together every day, but we’re not talking about that for a few more weeks yet.” As he spoke, he cupped her ass cheek and squeezed, making her moan from the sensations that zinged through her, all of them converging in an insistent throb between her legs.

  “I want to tell my daughter about us.”

  “I… um, okay.”

  “Is it?”

  Mary turned her head so she could see him and nodded. “Since you show no sign of losing interest in me, I suppose we ought to tell her.”

  “Is that what you thought would happen?” he asked in barely a whisper, his expression stricken.

  “I was joking.”

  “Were you?”

  She turned over and raised herself up on an elbow. “At first, I worried about that. I don’t anymore.”

  “Why… Why would you ever worry about such a thing?”

  “Because! You’re you, with your great big over-the-top life, and I’m just…”

  He tipped her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “You’re just the sun and the moon and the stars and the entire universe wrapped up in one incredibly beautiful package. The more time I spend with you, the more interested I am. The more I touch you, the more I want to touch you. The more I’m inside you, the more I want to be inside you. I want to die inside you, my sweet love. Please don’t ever have that thought again, because you are everything to me.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, deeply moved by his words. “I didn’t mean to hurt you by saying that.”

  “You didn’t hurt me. The only way you could hurt me is if you doubt my love for you is sincere and true and forever.”

  Mary closed her eyes against the burn of tears. “I believe you, Patrick.” Believing in him required the greatest leap of faith of her life, but he’d already shown her time and again that he’d be worth the risk. She fell asleep in his arms, wrapped up in his love and thankful for every minute she got to spend with him.

  Mary left Patrick sleeping the next morning and picked up Mildred for church.

  “You’re quiet this morning,” Mildred said as they drove the short distance.

  “Am I?”

  “Indeed. How is your gentleman friend?”

  Mary felt her face grow warm with embarrassment when she thought of making love with him the night before. “He’s good. Things are… good.”

  “You seem awfully burdened for a woman who has found a good man.”

  “My good man doesn’t live here. He lives in New York City, and he’s… He’s very successful.” The word successful didn’t do justice to Patrick or his many accomplishments, but it was the best word she could think of.

  “That sounds complicated.”

  “It is and becoming more so all the time.”

  “Do you love him?”

  “I do,” Mary said with a sigh. She’d probably loved him since the first minute she met him. Her reaction to him had been unprecedented and immediate.

  “You don’t sound happy about it.”

  “He makes me so happy. Happier than I’ve ever been.”

  “But you’re facing a difficult decision.”

  “Yes.” Stopped at a light, Mary glanced over at the sweet old lady who was her dear friend. “He wants me to move to New York and live with him and travel with him.”

  “How do you feel about that?”

  “Excited and scared and uncertain and confused. When I’m with him, I want to take everything he’s offering and to hell with the consequences. But when I’m here by myself in the midst of my lovely, orderly little life… I fear I’d be crazy to change everything for a man.” It was such a relief to air it out with someone she trusted. “So I guess you could say I’m a bit of a mess.”

  Mildred laughed. “You’re a woman in love with a man who wants to give her the world.”

  “Yes, that about sums it up,” Mary said as she pulled into the church lot and parked in the spot reserved for Mildred, the parish’s most senior member.

  “If you don’t accept his offer, are you prepared to spend the rest of your life with regrets?”

  “Ugh,” Mary said with a groan. “You don’t pull any punches.”

  Mildred smiled. “Life is too short to spend it fill
ed with regrets over chances you didn’t take.”

  “I know. And you’re right.”

  “Don’t let him rush you into something you’re not ready for. Take your time and think it through. If it’s the right thing for you, you’ll know it.”

  “Thank you for listening.”

  “I’ve hoped for so long that you would find someone who would love you and care for you the way your gentleman seems to. I couldn’t be happier for you.”

  Mary leaned over to kiss Mildred’s lined cheek. “Thank you.”

  She helped Mildred into church and tried to stay focused on the service, but her thoughts kept wandering to the man she’d left sleeping in her bed as she tried to figure out what she was going to do about him.

  Chapter 13

  “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”

  —Muhammad Ali

  Patrick woke to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and a note on the pillow.

  Went to church. Coffee is on. Will make breakfast when I get back. xo Mary

  The last time Patrick had stepped foot in a church had been for his wife’s funeral. Her death had shaken whatever faith he might’ve had in the Almighty, and he’d kept his distance from God ever since. Church seemed to be an important part of Mary’s life, though, so maybe it was time to reconsider his stance on the matter.

  Whatever it took to make her happy, and if it made her happy to go to church, he could certainly sacrifice an hour out of his week for her.

  While he waited for her, he took a shower and got dressed. He checked out the books on her shelf—mostly mysteries and biographies—and examined the photographs that were interspersed with books. Mary with an older couple that must be her parents, groups of friends and one of a much younger Mary with a guy that made him unreasonably jealous. In every photo, her smile shone brightly, her inner joyfulness on full display.

  He loved that about her. It was one of many things he loved about her. He withdrew his cell phone from his pocket and called up the photo the jeweler had sent him yesterday of the ring he’d designed for her. Vincent, the jeweler, had taken his requests and crafted them into a stunning ring with an emerald-cut, three-carat diamond surrounded by a nest of smaller diamonds that continued around the band. All told, the ring was five carats of flawless diamonds, but it wasn’t gaudy. It was perfect and one of a kind, just like the woman it’d been made for.