Mason (Remington Ranch Book 1) (Contemporary Western Romance) (21 page)

Mason decided to call Beau first thing in the morning. He might want to sell it. It would be ideal if he did. Even just renting it for a while would work. It would be a place he and Gina could call their own while they figured out what to do long-term. He smiled as he let himself into the cabin. He'd had some great times sharing this place with Shane and Chance, but it was time to move on. Time for him to start the next chapter of his life, the chapter where he and Gina finally got their happily ever after.

Gina smiled at Cassidy. “So, what do you think?”

Cassidy grinned. “I love them! I can't believe how you managed to capture the light and color. Look.” She held the photograph Gina had showed her up next to one of her paintings. She was right. The watercolor almost shimmered with the light greens and pale yellows of a cut hayfield under a bright blue sky. Gina's photograph echoed and reflected the colors. The bright hues of a bluebird perched in sunlight that shone through early yellow and green leaves.

Gina nodded happily. “We seem to look at things in the same way, even if we capture them differently, we reflect each other perfectly.”

“I can't wait for people to see these,” said Cassidy. “Are you all packed and ready to go tomorrow?”

“Ha. You don't know me very well yet, do you? I'll be packed and ready about ten minutes before we need to head to the airport.”

Cassidy laughed. “I see. Good to know.” The bell sounded out front, alerting them to the fact that someone had just entered the gallery. “Oops. Give me a minute?”

“Of course.” Gina looked around the back office where they'd been sitting. She loved this place. She'd never felt this at home in Liam's gallery. To be fair, she wasn't comparing apples to apples. While the Moonstone sat on Main Street and was open to the public, who often wandered in out of curiosity or simply hoping to buy postcard prints, Liam's gallery was very different. It was one of those places you'd never find unless you knew where to look. It made Gina feel inadequate. Even the doorman looked down his nose at her—or so it felt.

She started when Cassidy popped her head back around the office door. “Sorry, this may take a while.”

“No worries. Do you want me to run over to the coffee shop and get us some lunch?”

“That'd be great. Thanks. I'll take a Turkey Rueben and an apple juice.”

“Okay, see you in a little while.”

Gina gathered her purse and made her way out through the gallery. She was pleased to see that the customer Cassidy was dealing with was Mrs. Dunbar. She was a good friend of Monique Remington and had been one of the ladies interrogating Cassidy in the kitchen at the party. The fact that she was here confirmed that Gina had been right. The locals were accepting Cassidy and the Moonstone as their own. With Mrs. Dunbar's stamp of approval, many of the other well-to-do ladies would soon become clients, too.

She enjoyed the feel of the warm sunshine on her back as she wandered down Main Street. She waved through the window of the hardware store as she passed, glad that Iris had a long line waiting at the cash register and she wouldn't be able to come out to talk—or dig for gossip.

She pushed open the door to the coffee shop and hesitated a moment. Guy and April were sitting at a table in the corner. Guy looked angry while April looked terrible. She looked scared and pale. Gina would love to be able to help, but she didn't know how she could without making things worse for April. She averted her gaze and hurried to the counter to wait in line.

She knew Guy was coming over to her, even with her back turned to him. Her creeper alert was finely tuned after living in New York for so long.

“Good to see you again, Gina. Have you considered my offer?”

She didn't turn around to face him, simply shook her head. “I told you. I'm not interested. Not interested in selling to you and certainly not interested in anything else.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder. “I hate to see him make a fool of you again, Gina. Don't forget that I'm here for you when you see the light.”

She shrugged his hand off, hating the feel of it, but decided not to waste any more words on him. She waited until he walked away before she shuddered. The girl behind the counter gave her a sympathetic smile, but said nothing. It seemed Guy had the same effect on most people. Gina watched him leave and was surprised to not see April with him. She turned and saw her still sitting at the corner table. The poor thing looked even more miserable. Gina would have thought she'd be happy just to be away from Guy!

When she finally reached the head of the line, Gina ordered the sandwiches and went to get the two apple juices from the fridge. April caught her eye and beckoned her over.

“Are you okay?” Gina asked.

April nodded slowly. Gina could see she was shaking. “I'm fine, thank you. I need to talk to you.”

What on earth might she have to say? “Give me a minute?” She went back to collect and pay for the sandwiches, then pulled out a chair to join April. The two of them had never really known each other. April was a couple of years older than her. Their only real connection over the years had been Mason. “What is it?”

April fiddled with her coffee cup with trembling hands and refused to meet her eye.

“Are you okay?” Gina was starting to worry about her. Was this going to be a cry for help? Was Guy hitting her?

April nodded. Her reply couldn't have been further from what Gina was expecting. “I'm fine, but there's something I have to tell you.”

Gina waited.

“I think you should know.”

She was starting to get impatient, wishing April would just spit it out—whatever it was.

“Guy told me you didn't believe him.”

Gina drew in a sharp breath. Was April saying what she thought she was? “That I didn't believe him about what?”

“That Marcus is Mason's son.” April's face turned even paler as she said it.

Gina felt her heart starting to race. It couldn't be true. Mason had told her. For a moment her mind began to spin wildly. What if he'd lied? She held April's gaze and saw the truth in her eyes. She took a deep breath. “I don't know what's going on with you. I don't know why you would tell me something like that, but it's not true, is it?” She slammed her fist down on the table, causing heads around them to turn in their direction. “Is it, April?”

April looked panic-stricken, her eyes wide with fear. She shook her head mutely and her eyes filled with tears.

“What the hell are you playing at, then? Why would you say that?”

“I'm sorry, Gina. I'm so sorry, but I have to. He's threatening me. He told me if I don't make you believe Marcus is Mason's then he'll take Marcus away from me. Claim I'm an unfit mother. He'll do it, too. You don't know what he's like.”

Gina stared at her. “He'd try to take your own son away from you?”

“He won't just try. He'll do it.”

Gina shook her head. “So, what are you going to do?”

“I don't know. Once he finds out that you don't believe me, he might do it anyway. I just want to take Marcus and run, but even that would be no use. I've got nowhere to run to. He'll take my boy and ruin me.” April was shaking as she spoke, the tears starting to run down her face. “I don't know what I can do, Gina.”

Gina covered her hand with her own. “We'll come up with something. You're not alone, you know. You have friends here.” She squeezed her hand. “Including me and Mason. And you have family, too. What about them? Can't they help you get away from him?”

April shook her head sadly. “I haven't told them. They told me I was a fool to ever marry him. I knew it even then. He's not a nice man. But it was already too late. I was pregnant, and you know how that goes around here.”

Gina did know how that went. A single mom here was destined to a life of poverty. There was very little work to be had for anyone, and few of the businesses were willing to hire women who needed to make their kids a priority.

“Well, for now, I guess all you can do is tell him I believed you. It's hardly your fault if I choose to stay with Mason anyway, is it?”

“I guess not. You mean you're not going to tell Mason about this? I know he wouldn't just let it lie. He'd be straight onto Guy and then I'll get it.”

“Don't you worry about that.” Gina knew what Mason's reaction would be, too. But they had promised one another no more secrets and this was a big secret to keep. “For now, you just tell Guy that you did what he wanted you to and that I was shocked. That's all he needs to know.”

April looked around wildly. “But he'll ask me what you said. He'll know we sat here and talked.”

Gina shrugged. “Tell him I was asking you questions. That's not a lie.”

April nodded. “Thanks, Gina. I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you, or Mason. But I had to do what I must, for my boy.”

Gina nodded. “I can see that. I should go, but you call me if you need to, okay? I hate the thought of you going home to him.”

“So do I, but it's all I can do. If I leave him, I have to leave my boy, too. I'll never do that, so I live with it.”

“I have to go.” She needed to get back to the gallery, but she also wanted to talk to Mason.

“Please don't tell Mason.” April seemed to read her thoughts.

“I have to, but don't worry. I won't let him do anything that will cause more trouble for you.”

April looked terrified again. “I know you love him, Gina, but do you think you can stop him from doing what he sees fit? He's not the kind of man who will bow to what a woman wants, is he?”

“Don't worry. It'll be all right.”

As she hurried back down the street, she saw Guy standing on the corner. She did her best to look worried so he would think she'd taken April's news to heart. It wasn't too difficult to look worried, either. April's last words had struck a chord with her. Mason wasn't the kind of man to be told what to do or to show any patience or restraint when it came to Guy. She couldn't help but wonder what he would do when she told him. She hated that she doubted him, but she did. For all she wanted the two of them to be equal partners in a relationship, she was concerned that he didn't know how to do that. He would want to step in and take charge, do as he saw fit, no matter what she might say. She had a heavy feeling in her stomach at the thought that that was just the way he was. Could she live with that?

She arrived back at the gallery and went in. Cassidy was still talking with Mrs. Dunbar, so Gina went through to the back to call Mason. She didn't want to live with doubts or secrets anymore. She needed to talk to him as soon as she could.

~ ~ ~

Mason slid down from the mare he'd been working and led her over to the fence where Shane was sitting watching.

“See, I told you. She's bomb-proof. You can send your city slickers out on her without a worry now.”

Shane grinned. “Thanks, Mase. She's turned into a real sweetheart. I never would have believed it when she first came in, she was so spooky.”

“She just needed some time and understanding. Most of them are that way. When you show them they can trust you, they start to trust themselves, too.”

He'd just ridden the mare around an obstacle course where she'd had to pass a burning oil drum, waving flags, a parked car with its headlights flashing and horn blaring, and she hadn't batted an eyelid. She'd stepped over a fallen tree trunk and waded through water, coolly and calmly. It had taken him several weeks to get her to this stage, but he truly believed that horses were just like humans. Once you showed them there was nothing to be afraid of, they started to gain confidence in themselves and ended up believing that they could handle anything, and take care of their rider, too.

Shane gave him an odd look. “Are you doing any better about giving Gina time and understanding?”

“What do you mean?”

“Yesterday it seemed like you were trying to push her faster than she's ready to go.”

Mason scowled. “We lost ten years already. How much longer do we have to wait?”

Shane laughed. “Patience is a virtue, you know that.”

Mason shook his head. “Why can't hurry the fuck up be a virtue, huh? Why waste more time?”

Shane pursed his lips. “It's not wasting time. It's giving her the time she needs to be comfortable with it all. Nothing much is changing for you in all of this. You still have your life, your work, everything the same as it's always been. You get to add to the woman you've always wanted into what you already have. It's not the same for G. She's giving up the life she's known, the city she lived in, her work, everything. She needs to find her feet with who she is
here,
now.”

Mason nodded grudgingly. “I suppose.”

Shane hopped down from the fence. “All I'm saying is don't screw it up, okay. You know how to do it for the horses. You've got all the time in the world to do the groundwork with them, make them feel comfortable and gain their trust. I don't understand why you can't do the same with Gina. Anyway, I need to get back up there. We've got a new group checking in this afternoon and I want to make sure everything's ready. I'll catch you later.”

Mason thought about it as he watched his brother walk away. Everything Shane had said was true, but he didn't understand how much Mason wanted to make up for lost time. He just didn't get it. He led the mare back to her stall and brushed her down. When he got done here, he was going to call Beau again. He'd left him a message this morning, but hadn't heard back yet.

When he got back to his office, he did have a message, but it was from Gina, not Beau. She sounded agitated about something. He called her straight back.

“Hey, Mason.”