The next morning, Christmas Eve, Mac set his phone on the desk in the den and placed both hands behind his head. He hadn’t felt this alive in years.
All those donation requests? Done. They’d been the easy tasks.
Funny, how two days ago the easy tasks had seemed impossible. All it had taken was one perfectly timed Bible passage to get him moving.
He’d called Dina Jones first. She’d shrieked—actually shrieked—when he told her he was donating enough to replace the uniforms for every sport and renovating the football stadium. She didn’t strike him as overly emotional, but he’d heard the tearful joy in her thank-yous.
Next he’d contacted John Lutz and assured him he’d pay for the entire irrigation diversion project. John, shocked, had assured him it wasn’t necessary, that they could do fundraisers for part of the money, but Mac had insisted. John excitedly pronounced Mary would be bringing over a double batch of cinnamon rolls later.
Mac hadn’t objected. He loved her cinnamon rolls.
Then he’d gone down the line and called every person in Sunrise Bend who had requested a donation and told them he was cutting a check for a thousand dollars to their cause. And he’d told them it was courtesy of his dad, Roger Tolbert.
Donating in honor of his father felt right. More than right.
On top of that, he’d realized he didn’t want to deal with a flood of requests for money every year, so next week he was calling his team of lawyers to set up a foundation for Sunrise Bend residents. If they had a need, they could apply for funds through the foundation instead of asking him.
Finally, he’d taken Bridget’s advice and taken action on the one cause closest to his heart. He’d just gotten off the phone with Dr. David Carr. David mentioned the possibility of starting a satellite cancer clinic here in town. If two or three other nearby towns wanted to share costs, they could hire a small group of oncologists who would rotate between the clinics in each town and offer telehealth visits in between.
Mac would gladly fund that project.
He rose and peered out the window. It was just after 10 a.m. The snow was falling gently. Half an hour ago Kaylee had eaten a bowl of cereal and retreated to her bedroom. He hadn’t had the heart to ask her about singing tonight.
His mind went back to yesterday. How he’d lost his temper. How Bridget had stood there so vulnerable as she poured her heart out to him. How she’d told him she was trash.
She wasn’t trash. She was his treasure.
He couldn’t imagine how painful life must have been for her after her father died. No wonder she’d never wanted to discuss it.
Bridget was brave.
And he wasn’t.
The last time he’d been brave was when he’d stood up to his dad and asked to move to Sunrise Bend. That had been many years ago. What had happened to him?
It was time for him to be brave, too. Time to once more pursue the life he wanted. Bridget was the woman for him. He didn’t have to worry about her walking all over him. She wasn’t the type. He just prayed she’d forgive him.
It was strange how she could be pleasant to customers even while her heart was pulverized. Bridget had been selling coffee all morning as people rushed around for last-minute gifts. Brewed Awakening would be open for a few more minutes, until noon. Tomorrow, Christmas Day, the shop would be closed.
She rang out another customer and was thankful to see people leaving. As soon as the place was empty, she glided over to the front door and turned the sign from Open to Closed.
A man appeared in the doorway. She jumped back, placing her hand against her chest.
Mac pointed to the door and mouthed, Can I come in?
Her heart was thumping as she opened it for him. He came inside, and she locked it behind him.
Stamping his feet free from snow, he took off his gloves and gave the place a quick once-over. “Everyone went home?”
Nodding, she spun on her heel and went back to the counter where she continued emptying the dishwasher with shaking fingers. Why was he here? What was he going to say?
She looked up then and realized he’d followed her. He plucked the mug out of her hand, set it on the counter, took both her hands in his and looked deep into her eyes.
“I’m sorry for yesterday.” His throat worked. “I attacked you and it was unforgivable. I’m ashamed of the things I said, the things I accused you of. I would tell you I don’t know what came over me, but I’d be lying. I know. And it had nothing to do with you.”
Bridget’s eyelashes fluttered. What was he talking about?
“You were honest with me about your past, and I can’t tell you how sorry I am that you went through all that. I’m also sorry I didn’t say all this yesterday. But since you told me what happened to you, it’s only fair I tell you the truth about me, too.”
The truth about him? What did he mean? Her fingers trembled, and he squeezed them.
“What you see isn’t what you get with me, either.” His jaw shifted. “Most people around here see me as a good guy. A rancher. Someone born wealthy. Nothing more. Honestly, they might not even see me as that. I don’t know.”
Bridget immediately wondered if it was true. His friends saw him as more than that, for sure, but the other people in town? He was well-liked around here. Not one person had said a word against him since she’d opened the coffee shop.
“My dad wasn’t around much when I was a kid. He liked to lay down the law, though, when it came to his rules. I was pretty much raised by a rotation of nannies until I moved here as a teen. Convincing him to let me was the hard part. He wasn’t having it. I wore him down, but it cost me.”
“What did it cost you?” she asked quietly.
“He told me hard work would do me good but I’d better not forget the fact everyone around town knew I had money.”
“As if they wouldn’t like you for yourself?” What an awful thing to say to a kid.
“He also told me women would walk all over me. Last night I realized women have never walked all over me. He did. Dad was the one who walked all over me my entire life. I can’t remember a single year of ranching where he didn’t threaten to take it away from me—sell it, put someone else in charge, whatever—if I didn’t do things exactly the way he wanted. And I put up with it.”
Just the thought of losing Brewed Awakening and her apartment had made her an anxiety-ridden wreck this morning. She couldn’t imagine constantly worrying about having his ranch snatched away.
Mac let go of her hands. “I couldn’t face losing the ranch. But all those compromises...all the years of going along with his demands...they wore me down. I wouldn’t let a woman in, mainly because I was afraid Dad was right. She’d walk all over me, the same as he was doing. I didn’t see it for what it was, though, until last night.”
Bridget wanted to comfort him, but she wasn’t sure how.
“Ever since Kaylee moved here, I’ve been a mess. You’re right—I’ve been a pushover when it came to her, and it wasn’t helping her. On top of that, getting the inheritance...” He shook his head, averting his gaze. “Every time someone wanted a donation, it was a big, fat reminder Dad had prioritized money over me my entire life. I hated it. Hated that he cared more about making a profit than spending time with me.”
She suddenly understood Mac in a way she hadn’t before.
He drew his shoulders back. “So I’m standing here asking you to forgive me. The real me. The wimp who wouldn’t stand up to his father. The pushover who couldn’t see his sister needed him to have some faith in her, not an easy way out. The jerk who accused you of being the problem. I’m the problem, Bridget. Me.” He jabbed his thumb into his chest. “You told me you loved me. Well, I love you, too. I started loving you the minute you told me to keep my discount when I asked you to hire Kaylee. I just didn’t know it. I don’t blame you if your feelings have changed. I’m not the man you thought I was. But I’ll be the man you need if you’ll let me.”
Tears stung her eyes, but they weren’t tears of sadness. She was stunned and grateful and...she understood.
“You’re right,” she said. “You aren’t the man I thought you were.”
Mac’s heart dropped with a thud. He’d known he was taking a risk telling her the truth.
“You’re better than the man I thought you were.” Bridget stepped closer, caressing his cheek. Her brown eyes shimmered with appreciation. “It’s easy to look at someone like you and assume your life is perfect. I did. I won’t deny it. You’re so handsome and nice. It’s also easy to think that because you have money, you don’t have the same problems I have.”
It was true. His problems were minor compared to hers growing up.
“But your problems are hard, too, Mac, and I don’t want you to think they aren’t. Thank you for sharing that about your father. I had no idea, and I’m sorry he didn’t value you. My own father was absent in my life, too, and he looked the other way when my stepmother mistreated me. I blame him for not protecting me.”
“Is that why you took such an interest in Kaylee?” he asked.
“Partly. I saw a lot of myself in her. An orphan, quiet and shy, feeling like she doesn’t belong. I’ve dealt with the same things for most of my life. I wanted her teen years to be better than mine were. So I tried to support her as best I could, but you were right. I shouldn’t have pushed her yesterday. I’m sorry for that.”
“Don’t be sorry. Don’t ever be sorry for caring about Kaylee.” He brushed her hair behind her ear. “You were right to encourage her to honor her commitments. I should have, too.”
“But she was so upset.” Bridget’s lashes lowered. “I feel terrible.”
“She’s not upset at you. She told me the closer it gets to Christmas, the more she misses her mom. That’s why she was upset.”
“I should have known...”
“I should have, too.”
Silence stretched between them.
“Bridget?”
“Hmm?”
“Where do we stand?” He needed her. He needed this woman who helped him make sense of life. He needed to hear she still loved him, that he hadn’t ruined everything. “You and me? I love you. And I know there’s a good chance you no longer feel the same. I wouldn’t blame you.”
A soft smile spread across her face, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, looking up into his eyes. “I love you, too. I’m glad we’re being honest. We know the ugly stuff now, and I love you all the more for it.”
The words filled him with hope and joy.
“You’re no pushover,” she said. “And I don’t think anyone would ever walk all over you. Your father mistook your kind nature and generosity for something negative. Don’t ever lose that part of you. Those are your greatest traits.”
He slid his arms around her waist and kissed her. He wanted to show how much he appreciated her honesty, how much he loved her bluntness, how much he admired her integrity. He poured his heart into the kiss. And, as she kissed him back, rational thoughts fled, replaced by visions of a wedding and life together.
His city girl.
She broke away, wide-eyed and short of breath. “Oh, wow.”
“Yeah.” He couldn’t help but grin as she fanned herself.
“Do you have any idea how much I admire you?” he asked, pressing his forehead to hers.
“No?”
“Well, I do. Not just for overcoming your past. And for the record, you are not trash. You are my treasure. I admire how you treat people and how you listen to them. I especially admire how you value Joe. A lot of people around here take him for granted, and I can see the difference you’ve made in his life.”
“He’s made a difference in mine, too.” Her eyes sparkled. “He’s a good friend. I’m thankful for him.”
“I know.” He held her waist lightly. Her perfume was doing something funny to his brain. “You know how I’ve been putting off all those requests for donations?”
“Yes.”
“I took care of it.”
“How?” She frowned slightly.
“I honored them all. Every one of them.” He couldn’t help but grin. It felt good to help his community. This was his home. These were his people. “I can afford it.”
“And here I was certain you were going to donate to cancer research.” She let her hands slide down from the back of his neck to rest against his chest.
“Oh, I’m taking on cancer, too. Hannah’s brother and I are figuring out what it will take to set up a satellite clinic specifically for cancer patients here. If the neighboring towns are interested, we could have a group of oncologists taking appointments in each town on a rotating basis.”
“What a great idea!” She beamed. “Tess will be thrilled.”
“Ken, too.”
“And Sawyer.” Her face lit brighter than he thought possible. “You’re a good man, Mac. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Bridget.” He gazed into her eyes, ready to kiss her again.
“What about Kaylee?” She frowned. “Is she singing tonight?”
“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “I have an idea, though.”
“What is it?”
“Well, it’s...” He cringed. Should he suggest it? Was it stupid? “You and I know the song inside and out. We’ve practiced with Kaylee for weeks.”
A cloud covered her expression as her throat worked.
“And I was thinking maybe instead of a solo, the three of us could sing it.” He watched her carefully.
“The three of us?” She stepped back, her eyes wide.
“Yes. You have the alto part down. I’m good on tenor. Do you think Kaylee would go for it?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it should be a duet—just you and her.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that was fine if it was what she wanted. However, something gave him the impression she wanted to sing but was afraid to. The same thing Kaylee had been doing for weeks.
This time, he was going to be the one to push. He’d be honest with her. He owed her that much.
“You’re a part of Sunrise Bend now.” He took her hand in his and kissed the back of it. “I think you should sing with us. I think people would enjoy seeing this part of you.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, I do.” He couldn’t pinpoint why, exactly, but he knew it had something to do with how ashamed she was of her past.
“Maybe you’re right. When I moved here, I told myself to keep a low profile, to not reveal too much. I was worried I’d be rejected.”
Judging from the worry pursing her lips, he’d say this was the first time she’d ever even considered doing something that would put her in the spotlight.
“You won’t be rejected. You have a lot of people here who care about you.”
“I think you’re right.” She began to nod, clearly overwhelmed but working through it. “If Kaylee agrees, I’ll do it.”
“Come on.” He offered her his arm. “Let’s go back to the ranch and ask her together.”
“You’re sure about this?” She took his arm.
“I’m sure.”
He’d never been so sure of anything in his life.