“That’s one of the things that drew me to you to begin with.”
Her hands froze, her back rigid.
“I liked your simplicity,” he went on. “I liked the fact you didn’t care what others thought and that you were determined to be your own person. It was so refreshing to find someone else at the theater that day who was just like me.”
* * *
Raine’s mind flashed back to that day he spoke of, and she had no doubt his mind was replaying the same moment.
That day her parents had given her strict orders to go to the local Shakespearean Theater and try out for a role. Any role, just something that would make it look like the family was supporting the local arts and to get her out of the house to socialize.
But she’d seen Max with his mischievous smile and stunning baby-blue eyes, added with that chip on his shoulder, and she had felt like she’d found her new best friend...and for a time she had.
“Seems like a lifetime ago,” he said.
Raine nodded, refusing to let this cooped-up ambience cloud her vision. They were kids with immature emotions. But when he’d left... God, it still pierced her heart. She hated admitting that, even to herself, but it hurt like hell being rejected by the one person she’d leaned on and loved so completely. And then discovering the pregnancy...
“Yeah,” she agreed. “A lifetime.”
Refocusing on lunch, she turned off the burner and slid the tofu burgers onto her grandmother’s old floral plates. He had said he wasn’t eating, but he had to have something, and she’d made plenty. Once she had all the food on the table, she had to laugh at Max’s expression.
“You have something to say?” she asked when he continued to stare at the plate of food.
He burst out laughing, shaking his head. “Looks good.”
Raine kept her smile in place. “You’re such a liar.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “I’ll have you know I have an Oscar award and several Golden Globe awards to prove that I’m awesome at lying.”
“You hate everything on your plate,” she said. “Even the best actor in Hollywood can’t hide that.”
Max picked up his fork, held it above his plate. “You think I’m the best actor?”
Great. Why didn’t she just tell him she owned all of his movies and they were in her nightstand? God, that would make her extremely pathetic, and it would seem like she was clinging to a past that had left her vulnerable and shattered.
First the locket she kept, now this. Next she’d have a shrine in her basement like some stalker.
“You know you’re good at what you do,” she said, picking up her own fork and jabbing a piece of asparagus.
“I love the work I do. I think when you love what you’re doing, it comes through, no matter the job.”
Raine nodded, remembering that’s how their bond had started years ago. They both had had dreams, aspirations that no amount of parental guilt could diminish.
“I suppose you don’t have a frozen pizza in your freezer?”
Raine eyed him across the table and raised a brow. “You didn’t just ask me that, did you?”
With a shrug, Max grinned. “Worth a shot. I’m not surprised you’re still so...”
“Earthy?” she finished.
Max cut into his tofu and slid a bite into his mouth. His slow chew, the wrinkling of his nose and the quick drink of water had Raine sitting back in her seat, laughing.
“God, you’re priceless,” she said through fits of laughter. “I would’ve thought you had moved past this. Isn’t everything in L.A. about being fit and thin? People wanting to be healthy?”
Max took another drink of water. “Yeah, but most people either use drugs, plastic surgeons or home gyms.”
“Well, I prefer to go about staying healthy the old-fashioned way.”
Several minutes passed as Max toyed with his food before he spoke again.
“So upstairs, you were making lotion?” he asked.
Popping her last bite of asparagus in her mouth, Raine nodded. “I make organic soaps and lotions. I usually sell gift baskets at the Farmer’s Market during the spring and summer, so I’m working on the startup for that right now. I also have an online business that’s growing.”
“You took a gift bag to my mother.”
At his soft words, Raine glanced across the scarred table to find his piercing blue eyes on her.
“Yes.”
“Even though my parents never liked us together.”
Raine nodded. “Your mother was caught in a rough spot, Max. She just wanted you and your father to make peace.”
Max grunted and shoved his chair back. “My father and I never had peace before or after you were in my life.”
“Even now?” she asked.
“Especially now,” he confirmed.
Max came to his feet, picked up both plates and set them on the counter. He stared out the window which was quickly becoming covered with icy snow. He wasn’t getting out of here anytime soon.
“Nothing I ever do will please that man,” he said. “Which is why I do whatever the hell I want.”
Raine came to her feet, not sure what to say, to do.
“I used to do things just to piss him off,” Max went on. “Dating you for example. I loved being with you, but parading you around him, knowing he disapproved, made me feel like I had the upper hand.”
Raine knew all of that, or at least she’d always had that feeling, but she’d never heard him say the words aloud until now.
“I think we used each other,” she told him. “I knew my parents frowned upon everything I did, so dating someone who had no aspirations of college or a political career really made me laugh. They were so angry, and I loved it.”
He glanced over his shoulder and grinned. “Guess we didn’t turn out too bad for rebellious teens.”
Raine thought of her depleting bank account, the baby sleeping upstairs who wasn’t technically hers until the judge said so and all the repairs her home needed. Spring couldn’t get here soon enough, because she desperately needed to sell a couple of goats and get set up at the local market. That was her best source of income.
A loud pop came from the back utility room and Raine jumped.
“What the hell was that?” Max muttered, already moving in the direction of the noise.
Raine was afraid to find out, but she followed him. As soon as they opened the pocket door, she groaned at the sight of the hissing furnace that may date back to Moses’s time.
“That’s not good,” he stated.
Raine leaned against the door. “God, I so don’t have time for this.”
Not to mention money. What the hell was she supposed to do now that her furnace gave out? Could things possibly get any worse? “I thought the thermostat was going bad,” she said. “I had no idea it was the entire unit.”
Max squatted down looking at the furnace, jimmying around a few things, but to no avail. When he came to his feet, he turned to her and sighed. “There’s no way anyone can come look at this as long as the roads are in this condition.” Raine nodded, forcing herself not to cry. What would crying do? Would it keep the three of them warm? No, so she needed to take those frustrations and redirect her energy toward something productive.
“I have some wood in the barn and two fireplaces, one in the living room and one in my bedroom. But the one in the living room hasn’t been cleaned out for some time, so I’d be afraid to use it. We’ll have to use the one in my room.”
Her bedroom. Where they’d all have to sleep tonight if the roads weren’t any better. Raine nearly laughed in hysteria at all the crap life was throwing at her.
Oh, well. She’d always heard the saying “Don’t pray for a lighter load, pray for a stronger back.”
“Let me get my coat, and I’ll go get the wood,” Max offered.
“No.” She held up a hand to stop him, but he ran into her, forcing her to feel those hard pecs beneath his thick wool sweater. “You’ve only got those fancy city shoes on, and my chickens are like dogs and will bombard you for affection. I’ll do it.”
“Chickens are like dogs?”
Raine laughed. “Yeah. They would’ve run up to you when you got here, but they’re in the barn staying warm, and you got inside before they could get out of their little flap and onto the porch. You step in that barn, and I guarantee you’ll be surrounded.” She blew out a breath. “Then you’ll trip, fall on your butt into a snow pile and will be of no use to me.”
Something sparked in his eyes, and she realized perhaps that hadn’t been the best choice of words. “I meant—”
“I know what you meant,” Max said, cutting her off. “But I can’t let you carry in all the wood that we’ll need. You’d have to make numerous trips, and I’d rather do it. Don’t forget, I was a country boy before I lived in Hollywood. I’m not afraid of some chickens, Raine.”
“You will be when they chase after you and knock you down.”
He merely raised a brow as if he didn’t believe her. She smiled in return, more than ready for the show to begin.
Six
Humiliation had long since settled in.
Max lay on his back, staring up at the sky. He’d barely taken a step inside the barn before he was...attacked by feathers. God, the feathers were everywhere.
Thankfully he’d donned his heavy coat and wool cap, but there was that sliver of flesh on the back of his neck that was exposed to the icy snow. Max shivered and sat up. No way in hell was he turning around to see Raine, because he knew she was plastered at the back door waiting for him to bring the wood back. He had no doubt she was also laughing her ass off when his feet flew in the air, and he landed face up in the mounting snow piles. The bucket had flown to who knows where, because he was just trying to stay upright and not get mauled by feathers and beaks.
Which totally took his mind off the fact that some very delicate areas were going to be bruised and sore. He doubted Raine would offer to rub him down.
Damn, she hadn’t been kidding about these chickens. They were everywhere. Clucking, pecking, swarming. Weren’t they just supposed to lay their eggs and sit on them?
Max came to his feet, shaking the snow off his back. He found the bucket had flown closer to the barn door, which was one thing in his favor. He moved to the wood pile, which was located in the corner under a bright blue tarp...right next to the small flap where the chickens obviously came in and out of.
“’Scuse me.” He waded through the stalking chickens, feeling even more absurd for talking to them. “Just need to get some wood.”
He stocked the bucket with several pieces and carefully moved back out of the barn. Thankfully those little heathens wanted to stay warm, so between the house and the barn he only had to tackle the snow mounds.
As Max stepped up to the back door, Raine swung it open for him. One hand held the door, the other covered her mouth. But the way those beautiful eyes were squinting, he could tell she was dying to laugh and holding it in...barely.
“Go ahead,” he muttered. “Get it out of your system.”
Quickly she removed her hand and composed herself. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He sat the bucket down and picked up the empty one before turning toward her. His face was mere inches from hers, causing her to tilt her head back slightly.
“Now who’s a terrible liar?” he asked.
Raine’s eyes darted to his lips, and he was damn glad he wasn’t the only one having a problem controlling desire. But could he trust what he was feeling? Were these merely past emotions or brand new ones brought on by her spunky behavior that he found so refreshingly sexy? And the way she stubbornly tried to keep that vulnerability of hers hidden added yet another layer of irresistible appeal.
She’d been private and vulnerable before, but as a mother, he found her to be even more so now. That protective nature of hers really had a part of him wanting to dig deeper to unearth more Raine mysteries. But his realistic side told him to back off.
“I’ll unload this bucket,” she said, evidently trying to break the moment. “I think one more trip ought to be enough.”
“Trying to get me out of here?” he asked gruffly.
Raine swallowed. “Trying to stay warm.”
Max inched closer until her warm breath settled on his face. “There are a number of ways to stay warm, Raine. If I recall, you always loved hot showers.”
Her lids fluttered down as she sighed. “Max...I can’t...I just can’t revisit the past.”
“I’m not talking about the past,” he murmured, easing his bucket to the ground and placing his hands on her narrow waist. “I’m talking about right here, right now, and the emotions we’re both feeling.”