Page 252 of A Merry Mountain Christmas

He read the note, analyzing all the ways she could poke fun at it. Still, he wasn’t sorry for laying his heart on the line.

Chaco jumped up on his legs and released a little whine. He squatted down and rubbed the little dog’s head, but Einstein, who’d been right next to her, backed up, cowering, and eyed his hand like Jack might hit him instead of doling out pets.“I’d never hurt you, buddy,” he said softly. “Hopefully, this isn’t goodbye. If your mom lets me, I’ll bring you treats next time, okay?”

Chaco looked up at him with adoring eyes, but Einstein still eyed him distrustfully. “I like you too, girl. And I’ll find a way to win you over, Ein. If you and your mom just give me a chance.”

Then he stood and walked out the door. He might be leaving a piece of himself at Maisie’s, but he couldn’t dwell on that at the moment. Now he had to find the fortitude to face his sister.

CHAPTER FIVE

You weren’t supposed to sneak out on a one-night stand if it was your own house. That was how you got burgled, or went home to find all the flour bags had been emptied onto the counter and the guy had finger-written expletives in it. Not that either of those things had happened to her, but her little sister, Molly, worked for a dating blog in Seattle, and she had stories.

Of course, Maisie knew Jack wouldn’t do any of those things. It was far more likely she’d come home to find he’d cooked her breakfast.

The thought of coming home to find him in her kitchen, hopefully nothing on him but an apron, cooking pancakes or fake bacon, lit a little flame of hope inside her. That stupid flame was the reason she’d left like that, without leaving a note. Which was, objectively speaking, a shitty thing to do. She’d needed to leave—someone had found a two-month-old puppy locked in an empty apartment, and it had needed a foster home stat—but she could have woken him up. Or donesomething.

The reason she hadn’t was because she was afraid—an emotion she reserved solely for her romantic life, it seemed.

Last night, she hadn’t thought much beyond scratching an itch. Having some fun. Making the kind of memories that wouldget her hot and bothered the next time she needed a little self-pleasure. But it had backfired on her, and she couldn’t stop thinking about Jack. And she wasn’t just thinking about his head between her thighs, or the way those amazing arms of his had pinned her to the wall for their third round. No, she was hung up on his smile. On the way he’d cradled Chaco to his chest, humming softly, when they brought the dogs inside. How he’d announced, “Your sex banishment is over, kids!” and made her laugh so hard she actually snorted.

She wouldn’t mind having him around some more. In her mind, she could practically see Molly rolling her eyes at her. “It’s okay to admit you like someone, Maisie. The world won’t end.” Mary would pipe in, “If she hasn’t told River after ten years, she’s not gonna tell this guy after one night.”

You said just one night. No takebacks.

Except it was a woman’s prerogative to change her mind, wasn’t it? And sure, Jack was Georgie and Adalia’s brother, but maybe that didn’t matter. She’d be seeing Georgie anyway if she intended to continue her friendship with River. And continuing their friendship would be so much easier if she was seeing someone else.

So maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if Jack hadn’t taken the hint and left.

He won’t still be there, she told herself.He’s a sexy, confident man. The last thing he’s going to do is stick around where he doesn’t think he’s wanted.

When she neared the house, she saw there was a car in the drive, and for a second her heart lifted. It was the same color as Jack’s car, but as she got nearer, she realized it wasRiver’scar.

He stood on the porch waiting for her, wearing a thermal just like the one Jack had worn last night, plus a pair of old jeans. Acting for all the world like it was normal for him to just show up. Which it had been. For years. Back in high school,they’d spent half their time out in what was now the dogs’ clubhouse. Most of it had been spent studying, with Maisie tutoring River to help him catch up. His mother’s free-range parenting had extended to education, and River’s reading had been two grade levels behind, something that had filled him with shame. Although Maisie had quickly made it known she would eviscerate anyone who thought they could call him stupid and get away with it, she hadn’t wantedhimto believe it. But it hadn’t just been studying. They weren’t angels. They’d smoked the occasional joint in the trees beyond the clubhouse, hiding from Mary as much as they were from her parents. Snuck beers from Beau’s stash.

But things had changed after high school. Her parents had died, and River had gone off the rails, hopping from job to job, mistake to mistake, and the only thing holding them together had been each other. Once, when they were twenty-one and a little tipsy off of Beau’s beer, sitting in the clubhouse so their carousing wouldn’t wake Molly, River had leaned in to kiss Maisie. She’d pulled back. Told him that she’d rather be his friend than one of his many ex-girlfriends.

He’d thanked her for that afterward, and then he’d seemed to forget all about it. But she hadn’t forgotten. She’d had a crush on him at the beginning, when he’d shown up to Asheville Middle with his hair tucked behind his ears and those big brown puppy dog eyes with more than a hint of defiance in them…and their almost kiss had sparked something in her. Something that had waxed and waned over the years but never fully gone away.

Except when she saw him standing there now, so handsome in the morning light, she wished she were seeing a different man.

Sucking in a breath, she parked the car and headed toward the porch. Ein and Chaco were waiting behind the door, whimpering and padding the glass. River was the one man Ein loved, unabashedly, as if he took his cues from Maisie.

“This is a rather extreme reaction to an unanswered text,” she said.

River reached for one of the disposable coffee cups he’d set on the little table between the Adirondack chairs. There was a paper bag there too.

At least someone had brought her breakfast. But she had that strange ache again, like she wished it had been Jack. Which was crazy. Jack didn’t know that she liked the blueberry muffins from Beans and Buns. He didn’t know anything about her—just like she didn’t know anything about him.

Except that wasn’t quite true.

“Better be the right one,” she griped weakly, glancing at the bag.

“Yeah, yeah, got you the wrong muffin one time, and I’ll never hear the end of it. What happened to you last night?”

She opened the door to let the dogs out. Ein raced over to River, tail wagging so wildly it looked like it would fall off. But Chaco didn’t approach either of them—she just went to sit at the top of the steps, looking down at the drive.

Almost like she missed Jack.

Her first thought caught her off guard:she’s not the only one.

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