“Thanks for the lift home.”
Her eyes darted away from his, to the baby, to the snow swirling around them, anywhere but on him.
“Do I make you nervous?” he asked gruffly.
Now she did meet his gaze. “No. You make me remember, and that’s worse.”
He stepped closer, near enough to see those gold flecks in her bright eyes. “Is remembering so bad?”
“For me it is, maybe not for you.” She shifted, holding the carrier between them as if to use the baby as a shield. “I’m not the same person I used to be.”
“You’re still just as beautiful.”
Raine rolled her eyes. “Surely you don’t think during the brief time you’re home that you can just pick up where you left off?”
“Not at all.” But damn if some of those old feelings weren’t right there at the surface. “We’re both different people, Raine, but you’re still stunning. Is it wrong of me to say so?”
“It’s wrong of you to be watching my mouth when I talk,” she said.
Max grinned. “Just doing a little remembering of my own.”
Raine gasped, and Max couldn’t suppress his laughter.
“I’ll let you get inside,” he said. “It’s too cold to be out here with that baby.”
Just as she started to turn, he called her name.
“What?” she asked on a sigh.
“See you tomorrow.”
He walked back to his car without waiting on her to sputter a response or narrow her eyes at him. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind she wanted to be left alone, but he just couldn’t. Raine had an underlying vulnerability, and like a fool, he couldn’t ignore the fact they shared a past and he wanted to know what happened after he left.
Even after all these years apart, all the blockbuster films, all the starlets on his arm and all the lavish parties, Max never felt so at ease, so...comfortable as he did with Raine. He honestly had no clue their past could come back at warp speed and take control over his emotions.
These next few months may be spent caring for his mother, but he sure as hell was going to have an interesting time with the beautifully sexy Raine Monroe.
Two
Raine all but sank against the door. Her heart was so far up in her throat she thought she was going to be sick.
The irony was not lost on her that, when Max had left years ago, she’d been so ready to be his wife and the mother to his children; yet, when he returned, she actually had a child.
But too many years had passed between. A lifetime, really. She’d lived through hell and was still clawing her way out. Her bank account was laughable, and her father was trying to play matchmaker with one of his minions.
Added to that, there was some sort of holdup with Abby’s adoption. Raine never could get a straight answer from her lawyer, who was equally frustrated at the untimely manner of the judge. Everything should’ve been finalized by now.
Other than all of that, her life was great.
Or it was until Max Ford had found her at a humiliating time when she’d wrecked her car thanks to a patch of black ice.
Raine shivered against the memories and the chill that had followed her inside. The Weather Channel update was calling for more snow, and this was just the start of several days. They hadn’t officially called it a blizzard, but they were talking in feet and not inches.
She’d have to go check on her chickens and her goats before it got too bad. Worry gnawed away at her, despite the fact that they were each in their own barn, and they had all the necessities an animal could need to endure rough elements. They even had a small built-in hatch to come outside, if they so chose. She loved owning such disciplined, albeit sometimes overly friendly, animals.
At least if she was snowbound, she could finish working on the new lotions for the Farmer’s Market next month. Raine was so excited that spring was right around the corner. Each day brought her closer to her favorite time of year, when she could sell all her goods at the market, meet new customers and chat with old ones.
Her finances always dipped in the winter, and she had to really watch her budget. Spring and summer were much more prosperous. Hopefully by next winter her online store would be even more popular, and she would feel more comfortable with her bank account.
Raine had gotten such great starts of cherry tomatoes, lettuce, kale, a variety of peppers and a few types of beans. Indoor winter gardening was quite different, but she had no choice except to take the extra effort to make these plants thrive inside. This was her livelihood and all that was between her and begging her parents for that money they’d taken away when she had refused to live by their haughty standards.
The vegetables were almost ready for the market next month, so all she needed to concentrate on now was making her soaps and lotions to prepare nice, cheerful gift baskets.
But first she had to get Abby sleeping through the night.
Mercy sakes, she had a whole new level of respect for single parents. This all-important job was most definitely not for wimps. But she wouldn’t have it any other way. She loved this baby, and her heart had ached nearly a year ago when her cousin, Jill, had come to her and said she was considering an abortion.
Raine couldn’t let Jill feel trapped into a decision she wasn’t ready to make, especially since Raine had once been in Jill’s shoes. Living as a teen with parents who had higher expectations had certainly taken its toll. Of course, their circumstances weren’t exactly the same. Jill was in college and just not ready for a baby, whereas Raine had been fresh out of high school and had just had her whole world torn apart. When Raine had discovered her pregnancy, Max had just recently left, and she’d felt so alone. Her parents had been less than supportive, so there was no way Raine would let Jill go through this without a friend and family member to lean on.
When Raine had mentioned adoption, Jill warmed to the idea. And when Raine had offered to be the one to take guardianship, Jill had wept with relief and delight that her baby could live in a loving home.
The scenario seemed so simple looking back now, but for months there were tears and prayers, moments of panic and indecision, hours of contemplation and ultimately pure happiness. After the birth, Jill had returned to school and settled back into her life. She kept in touch with Raine, but said she’d keep her distance for a while so Raine and Abby could bond.
Raine knew absolutely nothing would replace the baby she’d lost years ago. But she loved Abby with every fiber of her being. There was nothing Raine wouldn’t do for Abby, no sacrifice she wouldn’t make.
Which meant she would do whatever it took to ensure that the little girl’s future was secure. But that was easier said than done, since Abby’s adoption was still in limbo. All the legal paperwork had been put into place long before Jill ever delivered, so what could possibly be amiss here?
Frustration threatened to consume Raine, but she focused on the here and now. The adoption would go through...eventually. She wouldn’t allow any other outcome.
Raine bent down, unzipped the cover over the carrier and unfastened Abby from her seat. Her sweet little bundle was still napping. Raine had always heard the advice “Nap when your baby is napping,” but she’d never get anything done if that’s how she lived her life.
And who could nap now? Max Ford, Hollywood icon and most eligible bachelor, was back in town. He couldn’t get out of Lenox fast enough when he’d turned eighteen, and the tire tracks were still smokin’ after he’d landed his first role. Everything had fallen into place with his lifelong goals.
She recalled hearing that he’d been in a severe motorcycle accident not long after he’d gone to L.A., and at that moment, Raine had ached to be by his side. But she quickly realized that, if he’d truly wanted her with him, he’d have sent for her as promised.
And if she’d thought hell was when he had left and didn’t contact her, it was the entire year after that which had scarred her for life.
Bitterness threatened to bubble up. He’d gotten all he’d ever wanted—without so much as a wave goodbye. But when she looked to the sleeping baby in her arms, how could she be upset that her life had turned out to be less than what she’d expected?
If she’d gone to L.A. when he did, she wouldn’t be here now...and being there for Jill and raising Abby as her own was the most important task of her life.
Kissing Abby on the forehead, Raine walked through the old house and headed upstairs. Once she laid the baby down, she could call the tow truck. Hopefully her car was drivable when it was on all four tires again, because if there was any damage, there was no way she could pay for it.
But even if there was damage under the hood, she’d think of something. She’d been doing a lot of praying since Abby had come into her life. Every decision made wasn’t just for Raine anymore. Life may have been easier before, but it sure had been empty. Now she was filled with such a sense of joy and purpose, and it was due in large part to this precious little girl. As she lay Abby down in her crib, she made sure to place a very thin blanket over her legs to keep her warm. Raine tiptoed out of the room and went into her bedroom to call a tow truck.
But all she got was the receptionist who indicated all the drivers were out on calls from all over the county, and they’d put her on the list. Which was fine with her. She wasn’t going anywhere tonight anyway, and her car was off the road, so unless another driver went off the road and slammed into it, all was well.
Raine put on a kettle of water to boil. She may be the only person left living under the age of sixty who still used a tea kettle and boiled water the old-fashioned way. She knew she was old-fashioned in pretty much everything, which was probably why she had no man in her life. But in all honesty, Raine didn’t mind being labeled as “weird” or “hippie” or her absolute favorite, “tree hugger.”
So she liked to use her own herbs, grow her own veggies, and make organic lotions, soaps and other feminine products. Did that really make her stand out so much? All this processed stuff was killing people, and she wanted better for her life, her baby.
Which was just one more area where her parents thought Raine was being difficult. They simply didn’t understand Raine’s need to grow organic and make a little more effort in being healthy.
Her parents were more concerned about driving the flashiest cars, keeping up country-club appearances and being on the right board of commissioners at said country clubs.
Maybe men were just thrown off by Abby. Some men weren’t all that comfortable around children.
Like Max Ford. She hadn’t missed those wide, terrified eyes when he’d first caught a glimpse of the carrier. Oh, he’d been the perfect gentleman and had helped her, but she knew men like him, who, at the first sight of spit up or a smelly diaper, would turn tail and run.
Not that Max needed any reason to run. He’d had a life planned with her; yet he still had found something more appealing, and instead of facing her, he had avoided her.
The man was used to winning awards, filming epic movies and smiling that knee-weakening grin for the cameras.
The tea kettle’s shrill whistle cut through her thoughts. Why did he have to come back here? Why did she have to run into him right after she had driven her car into a ditch? And why on earth was she allowing past emotions—and unsettled feelings—to ruin her evening? Lord knows she had other things that she needed to focus on.
Just as she grabbed her favorite flavor of tea from the crock on the counter, her cell rang. Raine pulled the phone from her pocket and resisted the urge to groan...as she did each time she saw the number pop up on her screen.
“Good evening, Mother.”
“Loraine, I’m calling to let you know the luncheon I had planned for tomorrow has been postponed.”
Raine didn’t sigh, didn’t roll her eyes—okay, in her head she did—but she refrained from physically doing so, because she knew the gesture would come through in her tone.
She found her favorite mug for drinking tea. A tacky one with a hot, hunky man draped around it. When filled with hot liquid, his clothes disappeared. Who needed a traditional tea cup and saucer?
And if her mother forced her hand at this ridiculous luncheon, the mug might make an appearance.
“Mother, I hadn’t planned on coming, remember?”
“Oh, darling, of course you’ll be here. I mean, really. When are you going to stop being so stubborn?”
Raine opened the small cabinet above her stove and pulled out the bottle of whiskey she kept on hand for emergencies. And talking with her mother was most definitely an emergency.
“Let’s not go through this again, Mother,” she pleaded as she poured a dab of liquor into her hot tea. “We’ve agreed to disagree. You don’t like my social life. I don’t like yours.”