Once Burned (24 page)

“You coming or what, love?” Henry asked.

“Yeah….”

Yanking her gaze from the mountains, she took his offered hand and Noah’s and headed into the warmth of the restaurant. For the first time, she noticed the decorations. Unlike when she’d been here in August, garlands of fresh pine boughs decorated with bright red ribbons and white twinkle lights hung along the two side walls, a sprig of mistletoe hung from the first beam inside the door—Henry promptly kissed her when they passed under it—and each table had a mason jar with a candle floating above cranberries and holly leaves. A towering Christmas tree dominated the front corner of the room to the right of anyone walking in through the double doors, and stockings with the names of the employees of the Bedspread hung from the mantle beneath which a roaring fire cast a lively golden glow.

“This is like something out of a country Christmas fantasy,” she murmured.

Skye, Aaron, and Jessie stepped around the massive fireplace, and Lindsay let go of Henry’s hand to embrace her friend. Then she introduced Noah to Aaron and Jessie before inspecting her friend while the two kids immediately struck up a friendship investigating the gifts under the Christmas tree. The first thing Lindsay noticed was the brilliant happiness on her Skye’s face. It had been so long since she’d smiled like that, and it was infectious. The second thing Lindsay noticed was the flash of something glittery on Skye’s left hand, but before she could further investigate what she’d seen, Skye hid her hand behind her back. The conspiratorial glance she and Aaron shared gave Lindsay a pretty good idea that it was a ring she’d seen.

“Spill it,” she demanded.

Shyly, Skye held her hand out, and Lindsay snatched it to inspect the diamond solitaire now adorning her ring finger. Without a word, she hugged Skye again. Then she hugged Aaron.

“I’m so happy for you both,” she whispered.

“That makes two of us,” Henry agreed, wrapping his twin in a bear hug. “About damned time, Aaron.”

Lindsay couldn’t be sure, but she thought she heard Aaron whisper to his brother, “You’re next.”

“I certainly hope so.”

“What about your studio?” Lindsay asked Skye to prevent herself from pondering the twins’ side conversation and getting herself worked into a fluster over the possible meanings of it. “Because I know you’re going to stay here. Aaron has his job with the sheriff’s department, and I’ve heard rumors that he’s planning to run for sheriff someday in the not too distant future.”

“Yes, we’ll be staying Northstar,” Skye replied. “He belongs here… but so do I now. Joel will take over the studio, and I’ll start a new one here. I’ve shot a couple weddings for the Ramshorn now, and it’s sounding like June’s party planning endeavor is beginning to catch on in a big way, so she’ll have a few more events for me this winter, and even more in the spring. And speaking of her endeavor, she might have mentioned that she’s always looking for someone to cater because the one catering company in Devyn is always booked, so they end up doing most of that themselves, and it’s inefficient.”

“Uh-huh,” Lindsay said flatly despite the flare of hope. “She just
happened
to mention that.”

“Okay, she asked me if you’d be interested. I may have let it slip that you’ve been wanting to open your own catering business for as long as I wanted to own my own photography studio.”

“But I don’t have a culinary degree, nor do I know the first thing about running a business.”

“Maybe not, but as to the first, you’re a natural talent, and I’m sure Henry can attest to that by now.”

“I certainly can,” he asserted.

“And the rest can be learned.”

“What about the money to start it up?”

“That can be figured out. But the question is… are you even interested?”

Lindsay’s chest tightened. This was exactly her dream—the dream she had given up to take care of her son while Max went off to college to pursue and attain
his
dream. Given up, she wondered, or only set aside? The way her heart beat faster with anticipation suggested it was the latter. “You know I am. I just don’t know how it’s possible.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Skye said. “You and me together, just like we used to dream we would.”

“You know, you’re sounding an awful lot like Evie right now,” Lindsay mused. “Pushy, ready with an answer to shoot down all my doubts, looking out for my happiness with an optimism that borders on obnoxious….”

Skye laughed heartily. “Must be something in the air around here. But imagine it, Linds. You, me, and Evie back together like old times… but in Montana and even better.”

The arrival of more of their party—Lindsay’s parents, Henry and Aaron’s parents with a young man they introduced as Jeremiah Mackey, and Vince and Evie—put an end to their conversation.

True to form, Evie immediately launched a lengthy inquiry into Lindsay’s relationship with Henry, and the more she learned, the more excited she became until Lindsay had to tell her to calm down.

“Sorry, Linds, I can’t. I’m just too happy for you.”

“Well, don’t get your hopes up
too
high yet.”

“Too late.” She grinned, then hugged Lindsay again. “I just
knew
he’d be the one to help you unpack all that baggage you’ve been carrying around for the last eight years. You just wait and see, Linds. I bet you’ll have a ring on your finger before too much longer. And that sparkle in your eyes right now says a whole lot. You’re hoping I’m right, aren’t you?”

“I’ve tried to enjoy the moment and not overthink this like I tend to overthink everything, but yeah, I’m hopeful. He’s great with Noah, and he makes me feel….” Lindsay glanced at Henry, who was currently talking with his twin and Skye about who knew what, though she suspected by their animated expressions that the topic was likely Skye’s new photography endeavor and the possible business venture for Lindsay. Damn, he was sexy. All the Hammond boys were, but Henry had a roguish flair that set him apart from his brothers, a wild and adventurous spirit that burned brighter in him than in either Nick or Aaron and drew her like a moth.

“He makes you feel… what?” Evie prodded.

“Everything,” Lindsay said simply, returning her attention to her friend. “Loved, adored, strong, capable, hopeful… everything.”

Evie squealed quietly, and promised she’d leave Lindsay and Henry alone for now.

Nick and Beth showed up then with their son Will in tow, and Lindsay watched Noah and his new friends while her discussion with Skye about the Ramshorn’s need of a caterer flirting with her mind. She wanted it, there was no doubt about that, but no matter how she tried to figure her way through making it work, all she found were the same walls and doubts blocking her. So, for the time being, she pushed it from her mind and focused instead on the love and laughter that filled the air around her.

She loved her family’s holidays, but they’d always been somewhat small and quiet—just her parents, her Aunt Jeanie and her daughter Jasmine, her grandparents, Noah, and her. This noisy gathering was something new and wonderful, and she would love to get used to it. Her parents and Henry’s seemed to be kindred spirits, and Noah, Will, and Jessie were getting along fabulously as well. When Aaron and Skye announced their engagement, the congratulations and love offered to them washed over Lindsay as well. She could easily picture spending every Christmas like this, with these people.

Henry found her hand and gave it a squeeze, then kissed her cheek. “Having a good time?”

“I’m having the best time of my life,” she replied honestly. “I love this, and I love
you
.”

“That’s good… because I love you, too. And so do they.” He leaned back in his chair and folded his hand behind his head as the gleam of adoration danced in his eyes. “Think about that for a second. Every single person at this table loves you, Lindsay.”

“It’s incredible.” She leaned into his side, and he tucked his arms around her. “Noah’s right. This is already the best Christmas ever… or the best one
yet
.”

He kissed her soundly with everyone at the table watching. “I like hearing you say that.”

* * *

It was one of those sharply clear blue and white days, and despite the bitter temperatures, Henry wasn’t ready to head back to the house yet and the reason why was now rolling down Aspen Creek Road. His horse shifted beneath him while he sat motionless and watched the familiar SUV pull up in front of his house. Even at this distance, he knew it belonged to Doug; the customized paint job—matte black with flake metal red scallops on the hood outlined in silver—was instantly recognizable.

“This was a bad idea,” he said, suddenly queasy.

“Too late now to change your mind,” Lindsay replied. “I’m guessing that’s them.”

“Yeah.”

“Who?” Noah asked.

“My ex, her boyfriend, and their son.”

“The son you thought was yours but wasn’t?”

“Yep.”

Lindsay glanced sharply at Henry. “You told him about that?”

He winced. “Just the bare minimum that night you called Max to tell him about Christmas. I should’ve asked your permission before I did, and I’m sorry, but it proved a point.”

“Don’t worry, Mom,” Noah said. “He just told me that he’d been hurt by someone like Dad and Logan hurt you and that she made him believe he had a son when he didn’t. That’s all.”

“What was the point it proved?”

“That I needed to wait and give you two time to make sure you dating each other wasn’t a mistake like those other times.”

“I suppose I’m going to have to get used to you two having these kinds of boy talks, huh?”

“Yep,” Noah replied cheerfully. “Isn’t that a good thing?”

Smiling, Lindsay nodded. “Yes, it is, and you’re going to need it more and more as you get older because I can’t teach you everything you’ll need to know about being a good man.”

“I bet you could,” Henry said. “My mother taught me just as much or more than my father did.”

“I bet she could, too,” Noah agreed. “But I bet having you both will be even better.”

“Thanks, bud.” Henry glanced back at his house and sighed. “I suppose we should get this over with.”

He touched his heels to his horse’s sides, and the gelding lurched forward at a lope. Lindsay and Noah nudged their mounts forward, following close behind him. The powdery snow that had made their drive from Washington so miserable and piled up almost two feet in the two days since their arrival churned beneath the horses’ hooves in glittering clouds. Lindsay was much more comfortable on the back of her mount than she’d been on her first horseback ride in August, and she hadn’t been exactly uneasy then, either. He liked they way she had settled right back into life here in Northstar and the way the strain that was her constant companion in Washington had fallen away again. Was that because she’d known only happiness and relaxation here, making it easier to forget the worries in her life? Or was it more than that?

Those questions and the myriad of others he had about their future—the logistics of it, anyhow, because he was certain now that she and her son were his future no matter where they landed—would have to wait until he finally and firmly closed the door on his past. And that’s just what he intended to do today when he sat down with Mel and Doug. It didn’t matter what they had to say to him. He was done with that part of his life and moving forward into the next chapter.

Of course, the real test would come when he saw Dylan again. No matter how hard he’d tried to push that little boy out of his heart, it couldn’t be done.

“You all right?” Lindsay asked as they rode toward his house. “Because your face is about three shades paler than it was a minute ago.”

“I’m not looking forward to this,” he admitted.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’m not, either.”

“No, it doesn’t make me feel better. It makes me feel worse because I shouldn’t be dragging you through a mess that should’ve been cleaned up before I even met you.”

“You’re not dragging me through anything, Henry. I’m here for you just like you’ve been there for me since we first met.”

They rode the rest of the way home in silence. Too soon, they had the horses unsaddled and turned loose in the corral behind the house and were climbing the stairs to the back deck, stomping the snow from their boots. Mel and Doug were out front, sitting in the warmth of the SUV, and Henry was both grateful and mildly surprised Mel hadn’t let herself in. He’d left the front door unlocked like he always did when he was home in the valley, and she was familiar with that habit of his.

As Henry, Lindsay, and Noah shed their coats and the rest of their winter clothing, Henry addressed Lindsay. “If you’d rather Noah not be here for this, we can call Beth to come get him. I’m pretty sure she was planning to be home all afternoon today.”

“If that wouldn’t be too much trouble,” Lindsay answered, “I think he might like to hang out with Will for a bit. Wouldn’t you, Noah?”

“Yeah, that’d be fun.”

“We’ll tell you what happens later, all right, bud?” Henry said.

The boy nodded, and Henry called Beth while Noah donned the coat he’d taken off only moments ago. Beth said she’d be there in two minutes. Henry waited until his sister-in-law pulled up beside Doug’s SUV before he walked to the front door to beckon his guests in. Doug climbed out of his vehicle and followed Beth up the front steps. She offered little more than a nod in greeting.

“If it’s all right with you, I’d like to wait until Beth and Noah leave,” Henry said the moment Doug stepped inside right behind Beth.

“I don’t think anything we have to say would be too much for him, but I understand.”

“Thanks.” Henry shook Doug’s hand. “Good to see you again, man.”

“Yeah. It is.”

“Beth, thank you. We’ll be down to get him as soon as we’re done here.”

“I’m happy to do it, Henry. Having Noah over for a while will give me a few moments of peace from Will. Poor kid’s going stir crazy today, and I just don’t have the patience for it right now.”

Beth not have patience?
Henry frowned. Something tickled his mind, but he didn’t have time to explore it right now. “Everything all right?”