Berry on Top (A Farm Fresh Romance Book 6) Read online

  Mom’s smile faded. “That inflatable mattress probably isn’t the best. We got it for when Madelynn stays over.”

  Better to just say it. “Mom, it leaks.” Not that the mattress was all that kept her awake. Mason’s piercing eyes hadn’t helped.

  “Oh, no.” Mom’s hand covered her mouth. “I’m so sorry. We’ll find something else for tonight.”

  Like a hotel? Driving into town, Liz hadn’t seen anything besides the old Landing Pad. She’d only be in town a few days, so it wouldn’t burn too much of her savings. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve slept on worse.”

  Her mom glanced at the clock, but whatever. She’d gone back in time ten time zones. Or ahead fourteen, depending which way you looked at it.

  “What would you like to eat? Bacon and eggs? Pancakes? Waffles?”

  Liz closed her eyes and silently counted to ten. “No need to go crazy. Mind if I have a quick shower? Then I’ll get some toast and coffee, if that’s okay.”

  “But—”

  “I don’t need a big breakfast. I never did.”

  “I don’t mind…”

  “Mom, please.”

  Her mother blinked back tears and her jaw trembled.

  Good job, Liz. Back for less than a day, and Mom’s crying. That’s got to be a record, even for you. But what could she say to smooth things over?

  “I’ll just be a few minutes.” She bolted into the bathroom and turned on the shower. A minute later, water sluiced over her body. Get it together, Liz. Other people have normal conversations with their parents all the time. Yeah, but they didn’t usually leave an eleven-year gap. She shouldn’t have returned until she had her life together. Or she should’ve come much sooner. One or the other.

  She’d make some small talk over coffee then go online to see if the placement company in Las Vegas had news for her. Her hands stilled from massaging shampoo into her scalp. Surely they had faster Internet here in town than the dial-up they’d had on the farm?

  A few minutes later she peered at herself in the steamed-up mirror. Just a bit of makeup. Dry and style her hair. Nothing to do with the possibility of running into Mason. She had to look together. No one needed to know how fragmented she was inside. She could pretend for a few days.

  Mason.

  Imagine him a father. Imagine him a nice guy. A friend of her brother’s.

  Imagine the impossible.

  Today was all about her parents. She’d drive out to the farm and deal with all that later. One thing at a time.

  “Ready?” she asked her reflection.

  There was no reply.

  * * *

  Mason stared out the big windows of the straw bale house to the children having a snowball fight beside the driveway in the dusk. He wasn’t watching for Liz. Not at all. Simply keeping an eye on the twins and hoping Christopher didn’t pelt Maddie Nemesek in the face again.

  Christopher and Finnley, Brent’s son, had ganged up on the two girls. Avery was the same age as the boys and could hold her own, or at least close enough. Maddie, on the other hand, flung handfuls like a three-year-old and whined if any snow hit her. Not that he could blame her. Christopher had developed a strong throwing arm with little accuracy to go with it. Mason had felt the sting more than once with a few bruises to prove it.

  Headlights crept down Thompson Road in the gathering gloom, falling snow angling across the beams.

  His heart sped up. Liz. What a shock to see her yesterday. She looked good. Glimpses of the teen girl remained, but she’d become a beautiful woman. Strong. Wary.

  The car turned in the driveway and parked beyond Noel’s truck.

  Jo came up beside Mason. “She’s here?”

  He nodded. “Looks like.”

  Zach stepped out onto the deck as Liz exited her car. A snowball sailed over the truck and splattered on Liz’s head. She whirled. Christopher’s hand came over his mouth then he shoved at Finnley and the two boys wrestled in the snow, Zach's Border collie joining in the melee.

  Mason strode to the door and shoved his feet into boots. Did he have to admit the young hoodlum was his? What a way to make an impression. He opened the door and stepped into the icy dusk. “Christopher!”

  No response, other than the muffled sound of wrestling and a few grunts.

  Face flaming, Mason forged across the driveway and pulled his son up by the hood of his parka. “Christopher.”

  The little boy’s jaw set as he glared up.

  “You will come with me, and you will tell the lady you’re sorry.”

  Christopher shot a sidelong glance toward the parking area, where Zach and Liz spoke quietly. “Don’t wanna.”

  “I’m not asking you, son. You don’t even know her, and you hit her right on the head. Do you think that was very nice?” Not that it would be better to bean someone he knew.

  “Wasn’t on purpose.”

  “It was still your hand that threw the snowball. Which you need to learn to control.” He gave Christopher’s shoulder a little nudge. “Move it.”

  “Yeah, Christopher,” taunted Avery. “Go say sorry.”

  Christopher whirled out of Mason’s grasp and glared at his twin. “Shut up.”

  “Dad! He said—”

  “I heard him. Christopher. Now.”

  How could such a small body give such a deep sigh? Mason set his arm across Christopher’s shoulders and urged the reluctant boy forward.

  Zach lifted Maddie in his arms to meet her Aunt Liz as Mason approached. Liz’s gaze narrowed as she caught sight of him behind her brother.

  She was going to be so impressed to find out who’d hit her.

  Mason steered his son beside Zach and squeezed the boy’s shoulder. “Liz, I’d like you to meet my son, Christopher. He has something to say to you.”

  “Sorry,” his son mumbled sullenly to his scuffing boot.

  “Christopher.”

  The boy sighed and glanced up at him before looking at Liz, who was finger-combing snow out of her shoulder-length blond hair. “I’m sorry for hitting you with a snowball, Miss Liz.” He glared up at Mason. “Happy?”

  Uh. Not really. Mason became aware of Avery sidling up on his other side. Might as well get it all over with at once. “Liz, this is my daughter, Avery.”

  Liz’s eyes warmed as she glanced from Avery to Christopher. “Nice to meet you two. Apology accepted.” The darts returned to her eyes when she focused back on him. She might forgive his son, but Mason wouldn’t be so lucky any time soon.

  “Well, let’s get inside.” Zach turned toward the house. “Come on, Finnley. I know you’re out here somewhere.”

  The other boy ran toward the house, and Christopher wrenched free and chased after him. Both slid on the packed path then scrambled up the steps, across the deck, and past Jo through the open door.

  Liz turned toward her brother as the little girls ran after the boys. “So this is your house?”

  “Nope, Jo and I live in a log cabin at the foot of the hill.” He pointed up the path lit by solar lanterns.

  “Then...”

  “We eat most of our meals here, though. This was the first house built after Jo and her friends bought the property. Come back in daylight, and we’ll give you the full tour.”

  “What’s the big building at the end of the driveway? It looks like a hotel or something.”

  “A school, to teach people how to live sustainably.”

  Liz shook her head. They were at the base of the steps to the house, and Mason hung back to let Liz and Zach go first. By the time he got inside, the sounds of childish laughter and running water intermingled from down the hallway. Somebody had sent the kids to wash up. Good call.

  Mason caught Liz’s coat as she shrugged out of it and met her eyes as they narrowed. He smiled and hung her jacket with his.

  The great room stretched to the right. Flames flickered in the fireplace, casting a welcoming glow to the seating areas. A tall, glittering Christmas tree stood in the corner. To the left, t
he farmhouse table.

  Liz stared at the long table. “How many people live here, anyway?”

  Zach tucked another log in the fireplace, so Liz must be speaking to Mason. “Uh, five families? Or six. But some of them have gone to Portland for Christmas.”

  “You don’t know how many?” Liz’s plucked eyebrows tented above her blue eyes.

  He could lose himself there. “Depends on if you count me and the twins or not.”

  She shook her head and turned away.

  Guess that meant Liz didn’t think he counted. Surprise.

  * * *

  A petite woman with a toddler wedged on her hip and a big smile on her face bustled toward Liz. “Liz! I’m Jo. I’ve heard so much about you.”

  Liz smiled. Her sister-in-law looked just like the photos. “Nice to meet you.”

  Jo held out her free arm, and Liz leaned in for a quick hug.

  “This is our son, John. He’s thirteen months old.”

  The little guy looked just like Zach’s baby pictures. Zachary. A dad. But that wasn’t as weird as Mason with kids.

  What was he doing here, anyway? Hadn’t Mom said he lived next door at the old farmhouse? Now he and Zach shepherded the children to the table. Another baby banged a spoon on a highchair tray, and Jo deftly strapped John into a second one.

  Liz looked past Jo into the kitchen, where four people worked together. “Who’s that?”

  Jo handed a strip of yellow pepper to her son and another to the other child. “Come, let me introduce you to everyone.”

  Deep breath. More people meant she had to pay less attention to Mason. The diversion could only be good. She allowed her sister-in-law to link their arms and pull her to the kitchen.

  “This is Zach’s sister Liz,” Jo announced. “This is Claire and her husband, Noel. Claire is a chef, and I’m a lousy one, so I’m glad I was smart enough to latch onto her friendship back in our college days.”

  A woman with short brown hair smiled at Liz. “Pleased to meet you. The little guy in the high chair is our ten-month-old son, Ash.”

  Her husband nodded at Liz, a dimple deepening his scruffy cheek. “Welcome.” He turned back to scooping chicken into a large pottery bowl. It smelled amazing.

  “It’s good to be here.” It was even kind of true. Her curiosity about the group was getting the best of her.

  “I’m Allison,” said the other woman. Tall and thin, her long dark hair swung nearly to her waist. “And my husband, Brent. I take it you’ve met our little guy, Finnley?”

  Finnley. The shadow that disappeared after Mason’s kid nailed her with a snowball. She nodded. “Nice to meet you. Are you a chef, too?”

  Allison chuckled. “Not so much. I can cook well enough to keep folks from starving, and that’s about it. My main job here is running our school.”

  “Oh.” The school Dad had mentioned? “That’s nice.”

  Allison glanced at her husband. “Brent is a contractor. He’s just finished up a couple of big houses in the area and will be renovating your childhood home soon.”

  “Oh?” Liz turned to the man with an Asian cast to his features. Definitely not Thai. Korean, maybe. “Like what?” It was hard to imagine the farmhouse any different, but it had needed updating when she was a kid. If nothing had been done in the meanwhile, it no doubt could use a facelift.

  “We’ll be taking it apart, room by room, adding insulation and updating wiring before adding new sheet rock and flooring.”

  “They put a new roof on the house in October,” said Jo from behind Liz.

  A baby yelled from over at the table.

  “Everyone ready to eat?” Claire set a bowl of vegetables on the table. “We can fill Liz in on the details over dinner.”

  Liz turned and rammed straight into Mason, who caught her arms to steady her. She jerked away, not meeting his gaze, and edged past him as the others set bowls and platters on the table.

  Where would they want her to sit? Better not be anywhere near Mason Waterman.

  Christopher glared at her from across the table as she approached. No problem. She’d keep her distance.

  “Here, Liz. Have a seat.” Jo indicated a chair beside Zach, who was bent over, listening to whatever his daughter whispered in his ear.

  Liz slid into the chair, trying not to notice Mason round the table and sit between his children. At least he wasn’t directly across from her but down a bit. She could live with the arrangement just this once.

  “Who wants to say grace?” asked Noel from the end of the table.

  Maddie’s hand shot up. “Me!” The little girl ducked her head. “God is great. God is good, and we thank Him for this food. Amen.”

  Looked like Liz’s brother and sister-in-law were busy brainwashing the next generation. Before Liz could do more than reach for her napkin, she realized everyone’s heads were still bowed.

  Noel’s voice continued, “Thank You, Father, for all Your blessings to us. We thank You for bringing Liz home and ask that You’ll guide her path. We love You. In the name of Your son, Jesus, amen.”

  If God were guiding her path — which was pretty much laughable — He’d better start with guiding her away from Idaho. This was not a place she wanted to stay.

  Chapter 3

  “This chicken is yummy, Mr. Noel.” Avery batted her eyelashes as she looked at Noel. “Thank you for dinner.”

  Mason slid his arm across the back of his daughter’s chair. Now that was more like it. Liz would see at least one of his kids had some manners.

  “You’re welcome, Avery. We’re always glad to have your family over.”

  He didn’t miss the sharp glance Liz shot him, but there was no need to meet her gaze. All through dinner he’d remained acutely aware of every movement she’d made and every word she’d spoken, all while never looking directly at her. His presence made her uncomfortable, but it was hard to know how much of her discomfort was about him and how much from returning to Galena Landing at all after such a long absence.

  Mason was pretty sure both sources of angst could be laid directly at his feet. He owed it to her to apologize and do what he could to put the past where it belonged. He’d moved on, albeit in fits and starts, but it didn’t look like she had. God’s grace had—

  “Mason?” Allison’s voice.

  He blinked. “Sorry, yes?”

  She chuckled. “What shifts are you working across the holidays? Have your parents said what days they can keep the twins?”

  School vacation. The bane of single parents. “I work my regular shifts, other than Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Mom can do Mondays and Tuesdays. Dad can manage a day here and there in a pinch.”

  Dad had flat out told Mason he didn’t know how he did it. Dad couldn’t have raised kids by himself. Well, Mason hadn’t planned to. Who did? Life, lemons, and lemonade. A guy did what he had to.

  Thank You, God, for strength for every day.

  Not that Mason would be against marrying. Where had that thought come from? It’s not what he told his mother every time she brought up the subject or introduced him to the daughter of another long-lost friend.

  But Liz… now where had that thought come from?

  “Brent and I need to go to Coeur d’Alene for a couple of days after Christmas.” Allison sighed. “It’s been so busy with the farm school we haven’t gotten away in forever.”

  “You’re taking the same break as the public schools?”

  “Longer. We’ll reconvene in mid-February and teach greenhouse maintenance before starting the planting season. Also animal husbandry with lambs and calves starting to pop.”

  “The break will do you all good.”

  Several farm members worked at the school, which had finally become established with fifteen to twenty students per term.

  Brent turned to Mason. “Allison and I are snagging a week away in late January. I got a great deal on a four-star on the beach in Thailand.” He grinned at Liz. “I should get some tips from you before
our trip.”

  The old restlessness shifted in Mason’s gut. Someday he’d get a chance to travel. Someday his life wouldn’t revolve around a dead-end job and two small children in a rural backwater. But the future stretched out before him bleakly. The only spark was Liz, and she hated him.

  So did Erin, for that matter.

  He deserved the hate in both cases, and more.

  But God had forgiven him. Mason shouldn’t have moved back to Galena Landing, even though Liz hadn’t returned in more than a decade. Even though Mom and Dad had agreed it was the only thing that made sense after Erin moved out. Even though he’d made better, closer friends in this group than he’d ever had in his life.

  He was still a guy alone. A single dad. Who would want to take him on, him with all his baggage?

  Certainly not Liz.

  Even the thought was crazy. Why think of her that way? Why allow a crack in his facade?

  Her voice caught his attention as she spoke to Brent. Mason’s mind strove to catch up as she talked about how the tsunami had devastated the coastline and traumatized Thailand not long before she’d moved there, and how the country had recovered.

  “We’d love to see some of your photos.” Allison's eyes shone. “We’re really looking forward to the trip.”

  Zach glanced at Liz. “We can either plug a flash drive into the TV or hook your laptop up to it. I’d love to see your pictures, too.”

  “Oh, I don’t know...” Liz’s voice petered out as she glanced at Mason.

  “Sounds good.” He looked straight at her. “I’m interested, too.”

  Bright dots rode high on her cheeks as she swept a lock of blond hair behind her ear. “I didn’t bring my laptop tonight.”

  “Maybe Sunday after church?” suggested Jo. “We can invite your parents for lunch and the afternoon.”

  Liz concentrated on moving her fork around her plate. She hadn’t eaten much of the fabulous dinner Claire and Noel had created. “I guess,” she said at last.

  “How long are you in town, Liz?” Jo scooped two more pieces of broccoli on the highchair tray, and John attacked them. She glanced at her sister-in-law. “Rosemary didn’t say.”