Sisters and Secrets

by Jennifer Ryan

  She chuckled under her breath, a pretty pink blush brightening her cheeks. “And started a fight with David.”

  “I wanted to start something with you.”

  She pulled him in a step and laid her forehead against his chest. “I don’t know what to do with that now after everything that’s happened. I married David. We had a good marriage for the most part.”

  He wanted to dive into that for the most part, but left it alone because he didn’t want to talk about her and David. He wanted to talk about them and the here and now.

  He cupped her face again and made her look at him. “The past is the past. Let’s focus on right now. Do you want to be with me? Do you want to see where this thing between us goes?”

  A shyness he’d never seen in her filled her eyes as her gaze fell away, then came back to meet his. “Yes.” The whispered word rang loud and clear in his brain.

  He brushed his thumbs across her pink cheeks and smiled down at her, his heart light, excitement thrumming through him. “Now we’re getting somewhere.” He leaned down and kissed her softly. “I’m so glad you came back.”

  She snuggled into his chest and he held her close. “Me, too.”

  The oven buzzer went off and she pulled away, but he took her hand to keep the connection between them. “Pick a day that you can get a babysitter for the kids. Let’s go out to dinner.”

  A smile bloomed on her soft lips. “A date?”

  He squeezed her hand. “It’s long overdue.”

  The smile went megawatt. “I’d like that.”

  He wanted to make her that happy all the time. “I want to spend a lot more time with you.” He squeezed her hand to let her know he meant it and mentally kicked his ass for not being this open and honest with her back in the day.

  She reached over and turned the incessant buzzer off, then opened the oven door, letting loose a blast of heat and the aroma of barbecue pulled pork.

  He couldn’t help himself. “That smells so good.”

  “I can’t take credit. I picked it up at the Barbecue Pit. I’m just reheating it.”

  “I love that place.”

  “I know.” She gave him another shy glance. “You’re not the only one who paid attention.”

  “Mom, I’m thirsty.” Danny spoke around the chunk of hot dog in his mouth.

  Sierra turned to Mason again. “You get that I’m a package deal, right?”

  “Rug rats and all. Got it. They’re great boys. I like having them here. I like you here.”

  She cocked a hip and leaned heavily on one side. “How come we never got together in high school?”

  “Because I was a dumbshit back then.”

  “You swore.” Oliver appeared at his side out of nowhere.

  Mason frowned. “Sorry, buddy, just telling your mom the truth.”

  “Are there any grapes?”

  “In the cooler.” Sierra took Oliver’s hand and led him over to it, pulling out the covered bowl filled with green and red grapes. “Do you want a slider to go with that?”

  “Yes, please. No slaw.”

  “I know.” Sierra pulled the cover off the grapes and handed the whole thing to Oliver. “Go sit at the coffee table. I’ll bring you your sandwich.”

  Oliver went back to the living room, sat on the floor, set the grapes on the table, and ate while watching some car insurance commercial.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind them eating in there?”

  “It’s no big deal. If they spill something, I can have the carpet cleaned.” He went to the freezer, pulled out the ice container, and dumped the ice into the metal bucket filled with sodas.

  “You sure you want to give them soda? They’ll be hopped up on sugar for a couple of hours.”

  “Relax, Sierra. I don’t care if they make a mess, jump on the furniture, and just be rowdy boys. I used to be one, you know.”

  She sighed. “I just want this to go well.”

  “It is. It will.” He stopped in front of her with the bucket under his arm. “Are you talking about today, or us?”

  He loved that she always met his gaze when she had something serious to say. “I don’t want to mess this up. You’ve been so nice, getting me the job, and asking us over here.”

  “Stop. I didn’t do those things so you’d say yes to a date, or to manipulate you into saying yes.”

  She put her hand on his chest like touching him was so easy now.

  He loved it.

  “That’s not what I meant at all. I’m grateful for the help you’ve offered, but that isn’t why I’m here.” She raked her fingers through her hair again. “I appreciate what you’ve done and I’m so glad we’ve reconnected.”

  “Me, too.” He saved her from trying to explain herself further when he got that this meant something to her. He mattered. “Let’s eat before the boys start chewing on the furniture.”

  She smiled and went to make up the sliders where she had everything set out next to the stovetop.

  He took the drinks into the living room and set the bucket on the coffee table.

  “No way. Root beer in bottles. Cool.” Danny pulled one out and stared at the cap.

  Mason took it, twisted off the top, and handed it back.

  Oliver held up a bottle to him. “Me.”

  Mason uncapped his and handed it back. Both boys took deep sips, burped, then fell into a fit of giggles. Mason took a big swig of his own bottle and burped long and loud just to make them laugh.

  Sierra stared at him from the kitchen island, smiling, and shaking her head, but enjoying it all the same.

  * * *

  The rest of the evening went smoothly. The boys ate too much and ended up on either side of Mason and Sierra on the sofa where their legs touched the whole time but he resisted the urge to hold her hand or hook his arm around her shoulders and pull her into his side because he didn’t want the boys to see how close they were getting before Sierra was ready to talk to them about her moving on. The boys loved their father, missed him, and may not be ready for a new guy in their mom’s life.

  He got that and kept a respectful distance for their sakes.

  The game ended with their team winning. Danny jumped up and fist-pumped the air. Oliver was half asleep watching the tablet next to Sierra.

  They worked together to clear the food and put everything away. Mason loved that she rummaged through his kitchen looking for plastic containers and appreciated that she stored the leftovers in his fridge for him to eat later in the week. He hoped to spend more time with her and the boys and not eat all his dinners alone anymore.

  “Ready to go, boys?” Sierra stood by the entryway with the cooler she’d brought at her feet, holding the kids’ jackets.

  “Can’t we ride Star again?” Danny dragged his feet on his way to get his jacket and gave Mason a pleading glance.

  “Next time you come over. It’s too late to do it tonight.”

  “You boys need to get home and take your baths and get ready for bed.”

  “But Mom . . .” Oliver walked with his shoulders slack. “Please. I’m not tired.” The yawn he let loose said otherwise.

  “Come on. Say thank you to Mason.”

  “Thank you.” Danny frowned, not making the words sound so appreciative, but Mason got that he wanted to stay and have more fun. He chalked that up to a win for today.

  “Thank you, May. Son.” Oliver barely kept his eyes open.

  “Maybe you guys can come over tomorrow for another ride.”

  Both boys shot their mom a pleading look.

  She eyed him, then addressed the boys. “We’ve got some errands to run tomorrow, but maybe we can stop by in the afternoon before dinner.”

  The boys bounced on their toes, excited. “See you tomorrow, Mason.” Danny ran out the door to the car, eager to get to tomorrow, it seemed.

  Oliver trailed after his brother with a wave good-bye.

  “What errands?” he asked, curious about what she had planned.

  “M
y mom is going to see a play. I promised to do the grocery shopping. I also need to get some new work clothes, since everything I owned went up in flames. I’ll have to take the boys with me, which means it will take twice as long and require tablet time bribes to get them to cooperate and not have a total meltdown in the dress department.” She shrugged and rolled her eyes, looking exasperated already.

  “I can watch the boys.”

  She held up her hand. “Oh, that’s nice of you to say . . .”

  “I mean it. I don’t mind. Drop them off on your way into town.”

  Her head tilted to the side as she eyed him. “Don’t you have your own plans for the day?”

  “I’ll be doing ranch chores. The boys can help. I’ll let them ride again. We’ll have fun.”

  “Mason, I don’t want to take advantage . . .”

  “You’re not. I’m offering.”

  She hesitated a second, one side of her mouth drawn back in a half frown-smile thing that made him think she really wanted to say yes, but felt she shouldn’t.

  “Sierra, seriously, bring them over. You’ll get your stuff done faster and without the hassle of dragging them along with you. They’ll be bored and acting out. At least here, they’ll be doing something outdoors and having fun. It’s for them, really,” he teased, knowing it would really be a huge help to her if he took the boys for a few hours.

  “You have no idea what you’re asking for.”

  “A chance to get to know them better, and let them get to know me, too. We know each other, so dating is just a next step for us, but the boys may see me as intruding in your life, or taking their father’s place. I don’t want to do that. I want them to see me as a friend and someone who likes their mom and wants to make her happy.”

  Sierra’s shoulders went slack. “I don’t know what to do with you being sweet like this.”

  Which made him think David hadn’t been all that sweet during their marriage if a simple babysitting gesture made her go all gooey on him.

  Sierra went on, “You don’t know how much your offer means to me. Things have been really hard lately, but thanks to you, they’re looking up.” She needed something to be easy and hassle free.

  He could do that.

  Mason put his hand on her shoulder and kissed her forehead. “I know you’ve got a lot on your plate with settling your affairs back in Napa and starting a new job here and getting settled again. If I can help, I will.”

  “You really mean that.”

  She didn’t pose it as a question, but he assured her anyway. “Yes. I do. So drop the boys off tomorrow, go do what you need to do and take your time about it, and I’ll see you when you pick up the boys and I’ll get to do this again.” He tugged her the two steps out of the doorway and into the kitchen so the boys couldn’t see them, leaned in, and kissed her, long and deep. He broke the kiss far sooner than he’d like and smiled down at her. “I’m really glad you came over today.”

  “Me, too.”

  He picked up the cooler, took her hand in his free one, and walked her out to the car. He put the cooler in back and waved to the boys before placing his hands on the driver’s-side open window and staring in at Sierra.

  A soft smile made her even more beautiful. “See you tomorrow.”

  “I’m here whenever you need me,” he assured her, then stepped back and waved them all good-bye.

  He watched them drive away, knowing they weren’t going far, just next door, but wishing they’d stay because the empty house behind him didn’t feel the same without them in it anymore.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sierra sat at the kitchen island counter listening to the boys upstairs brushing their teeth before she took them to school. She sorted through the envelopes in front of her.

  Her mom sipped her coffee, then stared at her over the rim. “I know that frown isn’t about Mason. Not after you’ve come home every day from his place with a smile on your face.”

  Sierra couldn’t contradict her mother’s assessment. She and the boys went over every night to help Mason feed the horses and spend time with him. The boys loved it. They were learning a lot about taking care of the animals.

  She herself liked getting to know who Mason was now. They were both the same but different, and she enjoyed discovering new things about him.

  They’d kept things light this past week because they’d both been busy at work and having the boys around all the time meant they had to be careful about what they said and did.

  “Mason is great. The boys love him.” Her feelings were growing deeper the longer she spent with him.

  Dede said, “What’s not to like? He’s got a cat and horses for the boys to pet and ride. They like his company because having a big strong man around to let them be rowdy and wrestle is a lot of fun. And hey, you get to just look at him and kiss him.” Her mother’s eyes twinkled with delight. She hadn’t actually seen Sierra and Mason kissing, but it was a good guess that she was still smiling when she came home because of it.

  “We do more than kiss, you know. It’s nice to spend time with him. I miss coming home and having someone to talk to about my day.”

  “Have you asked him to help you with your David problem?”

  How could David be such a problem after his death?

  Sierra brushed her hands over the bill in front of her. She didn’t like where her mind went every time she thought about it. She hated the monthly reminder that her husband kept a big secret from her.

  Dede pressed her. “Why are you stalling? If Mason can figure out where the money is, you can get rid of that loan and leave it in the past where you should leave David.” Bitterness filled those words. “If you can’t deal with it, let me pay it off and be done with it.”

  Sierra appreciated her mother’s anger and resentment that David left her carrying the debt. She had to admit she didn’t have a lot of kind thoughts when it came to David and the loan, but she wasn’t one to bury her head in the sand, either. Still, the thought of taking that kind of money from her mom didn’t sit right, even if her mom could easily afford it.

  “Between David’s death, struggling to get by after he was gone, helping the boys through their grief while I worked through mine, and losing everything, I’m not sure I can take one more blow. Our marriage wasn’t perfect. I know that. No one’s is. But I don’t want to find out it was broken and I didn’t even know it.”

  “Don’t blame yourself for something you didn’t do.”

  Sierra’s stomach knotted. “That’s just it, I don’t want to know what he did with that money.”

  “So you’re just going to worry over it, pay it back, and just take it?”

  Part of her wanted to, but no, she wasn’t one to just let it go. “Who am I supposed to make pay for and answer for it? David isn’t here.” That really ticked her off.

  “It’s your decision, but I think this has more to do with the fact you’re afraid to ask Mason for help because you don’t want him or anyone else to know that David wasn’t the great guy and husband everyone thought he was. You don’t want anyone, Mason especially, to know that David pulled one over on you.”

  No, she didn’t. “Is it so hard to understand why? I feel stupid and duped and like I didn’t even know him if he could do something like this behind my back. He lied to me for months before his death by not telling me he took out the loan. What else was he lying about?”

  Her mom thumped the coffee mug on the counter. “That’s a very good question. If it were me, I’d want to know so that if something else comes at me out of the blue from his past I’d be prepared. If you know, you can protect the boys. And yourself, Sierra. Who knows what he was into that cost that kind of money.”

  She’d like to think it was a bad investment, or gambling, though that really seemed unlikely. David had never been a gambler. Maybe he was helping out a friend and didn’t want her to know for whatever reason. Sierra hoped it was something easily explained.

  The boys stomped down the stai
rs and headed for their backpacks by the door. She scooped up the mail, set her mug in the sink, and met her mother’s inquisitive gaze. “I need more time to think about it.”

  She needed superpowers. She’d love to resurrect David and shake some answers out of him.

  Instead, she headed for the door to take the boys to school and get herself to work. The boys ran out the door and she turned back to her mom. “I appreciate the push and that you’ve kept this between us.”

  “I only want to help, honey. If there’s a way for you to recover some of that money, it will make your life easier.” Her mother paused, then sucked in a steady breath. “I also think that if you’re really hoping to move on with Mason, you should put the past to rest with a clear head and heart.” Dede held up her hands and let them drop. “That’s my two cents.”

  In other words, Sierra should be honest with Mason about her and David’s relationship. She should trust him to help her with this problem without judgment.

  David had shaken her ability to trust. He’d made her cautious. Where her desire was to jump into a relationship with Mason now, she’d cautiously erected a wall between them, using the boys to keep him at a distance and make things uncomplicated.

  “Damn. I’m still letting him influence my decisions and get in the way of what I want.”

  Her mother’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t David let you have what you want?”

  She drew back one side of her mouth in a half frown, thinking back to how David subtly manipulated her into doing what he wanted most of the time. “I wanted to move back here. I talked to him about it, but he refused. He didn’t want to change jobs or be so close to all of you. He wanted us to have our life.” As in separate from her family. “I went along because I thought what he wanted was me and the boys.”

  “And now you’re not so sure that’s what it was.”

  “I think something was keeping him in Napa Valley and it wasn’t me and the boys.” She shrugged. “Maybe I’m wrong.” And in that moment, it became clear. “I guess I’ll find out.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Mason stared at the change on his calendar and wanted to smile, but found he was more confused than happy about his next appointment. He walked to his office door and found his assistant at her desk, typing.