LITMIR.BIZ

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been back in Lenox, nursing a broken heart...and coming to grips with an unexpected pregnancy.

      Max had never known he’d been a father. Had never known the grief, the anguish, she’d gone through in losing the baby. He’d been living the dream and loving life while she’d been burying the last bond of love they had.

      But now Raine had a second chance, and she wasn’t going to blow it just because Max was back in town. No matter how much her heart fluttered when she’d seen him, no matter how sexy and handsome he looked, no matter how heated his gaze was when he looked at her.

      Raine had more important priorities now, like making sure this legal guardianship of her cousin’s baby went through and keeping her grandmother’s home from going into foreclosure. Since she wasn’t exactly flush with cash, Raine had used the rest of her meager savings and had taken out a loan against the property in order to pay for the adoption.

      However, none of that had felt like a sacrifice to her, because Jill had entrusted Raine with Abby...and Raine wasn’t about to disappoint her. So there was no way in hell she’d go down without a fight...not after getting nearly everything she’d ever wanted. Where there was a will, there was a way, and Raine had more will than anything else.

      * * *

      Max helped his mother to her bedroom, which was now a guest room on the first floor. With her being a little lethargic at times, he’d made sure all of her things were on the first floor so she didn’t have to climb steps.

      Although she would say she was fine, he could see that she was tired and just being stubborn. He knew she’d be even more so when her radiation treatments started. So he’d let her keep her pride and just keep his mouth shut, but he would make her as comfortable as possible, which was why he’d made sure the nurse who had been here the past two days would stay on and come by for a few hours a day.

      As he settled her into bed, he eased down to sit beside her.

      “Care to tell me what Raine was doing here?” he asked.

      His mother rested against her plush pillows. “She brought me a lovely gift bag.”

      Narrowing his eyes, Max gave her a skeptical look. “So she just stopped by, because she knew you’d had surgery, and now you two are all chummy?”

      Elise laced her fingers together across her lap and smiled. “Actually, no. During the past several summers when I’ve been staying here, she’s taken care of the landscaping, brought me fresh vegetables, fruits and eggs.”

      “Wait, back up.” Max held up a hand, even more confused than he’d been seconds ago. “Raine does the landscaping?”

      “During the summer months, she does a great deal of it. Just the flower beds, Max. You don’t have to look so angry. We have another man do the grass cutting.”

      Raine worked for his mother? What the hell had happened to her dreams? To her trust fund? She shouldn’t have to work odd landscaping jobs for his mother. The thought of those small, dainty hands marred with calluses bothered him.

      Most of the shallow women he knew back in L.A. wouldn’t dream of doing their own landscaping, let alone someone else’s.

      “Who else does she work for in the summer?”

      Elise shrugged a delicate shoulder. “Several families around here. Not her own, of course. Her mother is mortified that Raine does so much manual labor.”

      “And what kind of manual labor does she do?” he asked.

      “She’s quite the gardener and farmer. She prides herself on growing her own organic plants to keep them as natural and healthy as possible. Her grandmother would be so pleased.”

      Max knew Raine had never felt a familial bond with anyone other than her cousin, Jill, and her grandmother. He’d seen firsthand how that elderly woman had catered to Raine, showed her all she would need to know about running a farm, raising animals and growing gardens. Raine’s maternal grandmother was accepted in Lenox because she was sweet and elderly but when a twenty-something woman tries to follow in those footsteps...well, he assumed that bohemian lifestyle didn’t go over so well in the posh, hoity-toity land of tea sippers and pearl wearers.

      “I just saw her house,” Max stated. “It needs quite a bit of work. I can’t believe she’d let it get like that.”

      His mother shrugged. “None of my business. But if she doesn’t take care of it, the Historical Society will come in and make her. That house is a landmark in Lenox, even with the barns. In fact those barns are kept up better than her house. That girl cares more about the animals and the people around her than she does her own comfort.”

      As much as Max wanted to know more about Raine, his mother looked tired as her eyelids were growing heavy. He would be here for a few months, so there was no doubt he’d find out all he wanted about Raine and her new life.

      His life was always splashed all over the internet and in the tabloids...or the life the media tended to fabricate. There was no doubt Raine knew more about his life over the years than he knew about hers. It wasn’t like he’d find anything if he did a Google search on her name...at least nothing of use.

      “Is there anything I can get you before I go?” he asked, turning his attention back to his mom.

      His mother grabbed his hand and squeezed. “No, I’m just glad you’re here.”

      “I wouldn’t be anywhere else, Mom.”

      “Please, Max, don’t make this about your father.” Her eyes held his, a sad smile forming on her lips. “He’s busy this time of year.”

      Max nodded, really not wanting to get into this argument again. “He’s been busy his whole life, Mom. I’m not here to fight, but I also won’t pretend that it’s okay to put work before family, because it’s not. I work across the country, and I’m here.”

      Her eyes misted. “All I’ve ever wanted is for the two of you to make peace. That’s all.”

      Guilt weighed heavily on Max because he knew of his mother’s wishes, but he and Thomas Ford would never get along, because they viewed life from opposite ends of the spectrum.

      Max leaned forward, kissing his mother on the cheek. “Good night, Mom. See you in the morning.”

      He turned off the light on his way out of the room and pulled the door shut behind him. It was odd spending the night in his old home. The memories that filled these halls, these rooms, played through his mind like a movie. The glimpses he caught seemed like another lifetime, another person.

      As he went back downstairs, he recalled the time he’d snuck Raine in after they’d first started dating. His parents had been out at some charity dinner and wouldn’t be home for hours. He knew they wouldn’t approve, and to be honest, that just made the clandestine encounter all the more appealing.

      He’d never forget how it had felt kissing her in that dark foyer as soon as they’d stepped through the door. As he stood at the base of the steps now, he could still see that young couple, arms intertwined, lips locked. Max had waited weeks to get her alone to kiss her, and she’d been so worth the wait.

      Max sighed, raking a hand over his face. Teenage love was so complicated at the time, but looking back, he realized that was the best experience of his life. He and Raine had had something special, something he’d convinced himself could stand the test of distance and time.

      But no matter how many letters he had written, emails he had sent or calls he had made, she’d never acknowledged him after he left. And he refused to tell anyone how deeply her rejection had hurt. Then and now. Although years had passed since they’d last seen each other, they’d once been very much in love. So how could Raine be so cold and act like they’d shared nothing?

      Max was still recovering from that heartache—and seeing her up close, knowing she had a baby, a life, only twisted that knife a little deeper into his already wounded heart.

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