Second Chance at Love (The MacKenna Born & Bred Trilogy) (11 page)

Brooke just stared at her, sadness crossing her face.
Karissa immediately realized her mistake. “Oh, Brooke, I'm sorry. I'm so
sorry.”

Brooke knew her sister truly was. Karissa didn't have a
hurtful bone in her body. Brooke waved her apology away.

“It's okay.” Karissa reached out to take her hand. “And yes,
I
do
know what it's like. I also know how much it hurts to love a
MacKenna,” Brooke said, a hint of sadness in her voice. “How do you know Seth
doesn't share those feelings? Have you talked to him about it?” Brooke asked.
The look on Karissa's face was comical, and Brooke had to laugh.

“Of course not,” she said, biting her lower lip and
frowning. “And I want you to promise me that you won't tell anyone. And that
means not a living soul,” Karissa said, matter-of-factly.

“I promise.” Brooke crossed her heart, something they used
to do when they were kids and you were taking a secret with you to the grave.
“But I think you're going to see that you're wrong about Seth.”

Karissa hoped Brooke was right about that. She hoped more
than anything that she was right.

Sunday dinners at the MacKenna home had become a much
anticipated event over the past two years. Once her boys had all left home,
daily life had changed a lot. Logan had left the nest first, heading back east
to Harvard. The following year Seth had enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and
left for basic training. After, he'd been stationed in several places,
including the U.S. and overseas. He'd learned drafting and design while in the
military, which he loved. When he was discharged after four years of service,
he attended college to earn his degree in architecture. Chase was the last of
her boys to leave home, and studied here and there while on the racing circuit,
where he'd made quite a name for himself.

Diana hadn't cared for her boys being away from home one
bit. When they'd all been home on break or during the summer, things seemed
more normal. Otherwise, they hadn't been the same, not for many years. Chase
had finally found his way home, thank goodness. He loved racing, but his true
passion was to build and restore cars. He'd come home to open his own shop, and
he'd been very successful. Seth and Logan had come home to stay within a
relatively short time span of each other. Diana was thankful every single day
that her boys had been brought back to her. Their family hadn't been complete
without them.

The past two years had been full of family love and bonding.
Diana loved having all three of her sons home together. It reminded her of when
they were young and there had been plenty of time for family. She just wished
they would find suitable wives and settle down, start families. She was dying
to have little grandchildren running around her home, laughing and playing,
caught up in the innocence of childhood. She would teach them, and be an
example to them. And love them unconditionally. Just as she had with her own
boys. But it didn't appear as if it was going to happen anytime soon. She
sighed, and popped the baked ziti into the oven.

Heading to the family room to see what her men were up to,
she stopped at the doorway and watched them. Her boys had some similar
qualities; they were all handsome, intelligent, honest, caring men who had
hearts of gold. They were willing to help anyone, anytime, and never expected a
thing in return. That's because they knew they would be rewarded for their
goodness, in the way it really mattered. Diana loved that about them.

They also each had their own personalities. Logan, her
oldest, was determined and thoughtful. Seth, her middle child, was more
serious, but charming and funny. Chase, her baby, was carefree and a dreamer.
He was a people person, and loved interaction. But regardless of their
individual traits, they all shared one thing in common. They were MacKenna's,
born and bred. They needed their home, their family, and their roots to
survive.

Diana thought of the fateful night that had brought Seth to
them. He had been ten years old when his parents were killed in that tragic car
accident. His father, Michael, was Nicholas' younger brother. He and his wife,
Isabelle, had been on their way to a Christmas party when another driver lost
control of his car on an icy road and hit them head-on. They died instantly.

Seth came to live with them from that moment. He was a first
cousin to Logan and Chase, but they'd never thought of him that way. To them,
he was their brother, and they loved him like one. Diana and Nicholas embraced
him as their son, and Seth made their family complete.

They were watching the race, and Nicholas sat with them huddled
on the sectional, his eyes glued to the big-screen TV. Even after having lived
with sports in her home for so many years, Diana still didn't understand their
fascination with watching a bunch of grown men speed around a race track in
circles doing one hundred and thirty miles per hour. They were fools, if you
asked her. She just didn't get it, and likely never would. But her men enjoyed
sports, all sports mostly, and sometimes sacrifices had to be made. They'd
better remember that when it came time for them to tolerate something she
enjoyed. They were typical men, she mused. But they were her men, and she
wouldn't have them any other way.

“Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes,” she announced.
Their half-hearted grumbles didn't faze her; she'd gotten used to them over the
years. She was about to head back into the kitchen when the front doorbell
sounded.
Who might that be,
she wondered. Detouring to the front door,
Diana pulled it open to find Brooke standing on her porch. To say she was
delighted to see her was an understatement. 

“Brooke, darling, come in,” she said, taking Brooke's arm
and leading her into the house. “It's so good to see you. I was wondering when
you were going to stop by and visit.” Diana was as hospitable as ever, Brooke
thought, smiling warmly at her. Diana wrapped her arms around Brooke and
squeezed tight, holding on for a minute. She had been a big part of Brooke's
life all of the years Brooke had lived in Angel Ridge. And also Karissa's and
her parents' lives, Brooke thought. She'd always been like a second mother to
her and Rissa. And Nicholas had been a second father.

“Mama, Dad wants to know if you---”  Logan stopped short,
his words trailing off when he saw Brooke standing in the foyer embracing his
mother. It touched him, and reminded him of so many times before when he'd
witnessed this closeness between the two of them. He wondered what had brought
her over.

Diana stepped back, and spotted the bundle that Brooke
carried.

“What have you got there, honey?” Diana asked, eyeing the
case she carried.

“Oh, just a fresh, piping hot homemade apple pie compliments
of mama,” Brooke answered, gently waving the carry case back and forth in the
air. “Nothing you'd be interested in,” she added, teasingly.

“Would you care to bet on that?” Diana teased back.

“She wanted me to bring it over before it cooled.”

“Oh, how thoughtful,” Diana beamed. “I'll give her a call
after dinner to thank her personally. I wanted to talk to her anyway.” She took
the case that Brooke held out to her.  Brooke smiled, and Diana cupped her
cheek with the palm of her hand.

“So tell me, Brooke honey, how have things been going since
coming home?” Diana was curious. She knew that Logan and Brooke had run into
each other a handful of times, but that was all she knew. She loved her sons,
and because she did, she'd made it a point not to involve herself in their love
lives. They were grown men, and in her mind, they should be able to handle
their own affairs when it came to that sort of thing.

“I can't really complain,” Brooke answered, a bit
uncomfortable.
The hell she couldn't,
Logan thought. Diana caught the
hesitation in her voice, and remembered that Logan was still standing there.
He'd been so quiet she'd forgotten.

“Logan, sweetie, what did your father need?” she asked.
Logan took a second to regain his train of thought.

“He wants to know if you remember where he put his reading
glasses.

She looked back at Brooke and smiled. “He wants to know if
I
remember where
he
put
his
reading glasses,” she said, shaking her
head playfully, her stylish blonde hair bobbing back and forth. “What would our
men do without us?” she teased.

Brooke met Logan's gaze. He watched her speculatively, and
she wondered what he was thinking at that moment.

 “It just so happens that I do remember,” she said to Logan.
“Tell him that they're in the drawer of the table next to the recliner, would
you, sweetie?”

“Will do, mama,” he said, as she rubbed his shoulder
affectionately. He leaned down to kiss her cheek, then turned and headed back
to the man cave.

She looked at Brooke, and just smiled. Tears misted her
blue-gray eyes. When alarm crossed Brooke's face, Diana just waved it off.

“I'm just so happy to see you. I've thought about you so
many times over the years. We've missed you, Brooke.”

“I've missed you, too.”  Brooke took Diana's hands in hers.

“Please, stay for dinner,” Diana said. “I'm making baked
ziti, and I happen to know it's one of your favorites.” She used her most
persuasive voice.

“Thank you, so much, for asking, but I really shouldn't.”

“And why shouldn't you, exactly?” Diana asked, one perfectly
arched eyebrow raised.

Brooke opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it again.
How could she tell Diana MacKenna that the reason she couldn't stay for dinner
was because she was a big chicken? That she couldn't trust herself to be near
Logan because she wanted him entirely too much? And that her heart, even after
all this time, still wasn't ready for him.

“That's what I thought,” she said, matter-of-factly. “Come
with me into the kitchen while I finish up a few things for the meal,” Diana
urged. Brooke followed her past the enormous formal dining room, down a small
hallway, and into the kitchen. The smells were incredible. The smell of
marinara and oregano filled the room, and Brooke couldn't help but breathe it
in. Diana had always made exceptional Italian.

Brooke took a seat at the breakfast bar while Diana began
taking out fresh produce from the refrigerator and setting it on the island
next to the sink. Brooke watched while she washed vegetables—lettuce, tomato,
cucumber, baby carrots, celery—and set them to dry. Next, she brought out a
bowl of green olives and set them on the counter, as well, followed by
previously-sliced onion, croutons and various dressings.

“I was going to bake a cake, but since Raelyn sent over that
delicious-smelling apple pie, I think we'll have that for dessert.” She had
finished with preparations for the salad, and took a seat next to Brooke,
settling comfortably into it. “I made a loaf of Italian bread, too,” she told
Brooke. “Logan bought me a bread maker last year and I've never used it. I
guess you could say I'm a traditional kinda gal.” She winked and Brooke smiled.
“Anyway, I decided to try it out tonight, so let's cross our fingers that it
makes a mean bread loaf,” she said, and made Brooke laugh.

“If you want to hand me a knife, I'll start chopping
vegetables for the salad,” Brooke offered, and laughed when Diana put one in
her hand in less than five seconds flat.

“I never turn down help in the kitchen,” she said, as she
began chopping lettuce. “Well, hardly ever,” she added. “The boys usually help
out. All of my boys are good cooks,” she said with pride in her voice. “They
certainly know their way around a kitchen.”

“I suppose they'd better, or they could risk starvation,”
Brooke remarked, a smile on her lips. “Although, living right down the road
from your mama has its benefits, I'm sure,” Brooke teased. Both women laughed
at that, and continued to chop.

“So,” Diana began, “how do you like being back in Angel
Ridge? I'm sure it's a lot different from California, isn't it?”

“It's very different,” Brooke agreed. “I love California;
it's beautiful. There's the mountains and the coast, the exciting, fast-paced
cities. Interesting people. There's a little bit of everything, I suppose,” she
said. Diana watched her, her interest piqued. “But Montana is equally as
beautiful. I was born here; I grew up here. I have a connection still. When it
comes right down to it, I suppose I will always consider it my home.”

Diana had argued with herself over whether or not to bring
up the subject of Logan and the past.  On one hand, she knew it was none of her
business. And it was history. But on the other hand, she had wanted to say a
few things on the subject for so long, and hadn't had the opportunity until
now. She was about to break one of her most important rules. But she could
learn to live with it.

“I'm so sorry, Brooke, for what happened between you and
Logan,” she began.

Brooke glanced up momentarily to find that Diana's attention
was focused on slicing a cucumber, and not directly on her as she spoke. God,
she'd dreaded having to have this conversation. But she continued to slice and
just listened.

“It was something none of us ever expected.” She looked up
then to meet Brooke's stare, and her eyes were filled with compassion.

“I know exactly what you mean.” Brooke replied, an
unmistakeable sadness in her voice. It tugged at Diana's heartstrings.

She thought of that spring eight years before, when her baby
had come home from college devastated, emotionally broken. He lay in bed for
weeks, not eating, not even sleeping, really. Just laying there. He'd cut off
all communication with not only the outside world, but with his family, as
well. No one could reach him.

After nearly a month of that, and his depression worsening,
Nicholas literally had to break down his bedroom door one night because he'd
barricaded himself inside and wouldn't speak to anyone. Not even to Diana. When
she'd finally gotten him to open up and talk, she was horrified by what he had
to say. He had no reason left to live. He wanted to kill himself. To stick a
gun in his mouth and just end it. His depression was so severe that she forced
him to seek treatment. And threatened to take him to a psychiatric hospital if
he didn't.