“Amazing isn’t it?” Abbie asks softly.
Mason, nods quickly and chews it up. “Delicious!” he whispers.
Abbie quickly butters his and spreads the jam and offers it to him. “See, we’re learning about each other already. I know you like strawberries and you know Tucker is sometimes very naughty but always a great friend.”
Tucker grins at her, “You didn’t think so when I pulled your ponytail.”
Mason gasps and his eyes are wide with fear. “Did you have to go to the closet, Mr. Tucker?”
Both of their smiles fade, and he shakes his head. “No, Son. No one will ever put you in a closet again,” he promises.
“And Coralie?” he asks staring into his eyes.
“And Coralie,” he promises. “Now, you have to try the blueberry one. I can’t have Abbie thinking you like her more.”
Abbie sticks out her tongue at Tucker who sits back with a loud laugh. Coralie startles and starts crying.
“I’ll get her, this is my second lunch,” Tucker smiles at the shock on Mason’s face and hurries to pick her up.
Mason eats his biscuit and again he is wide-eyed with surprise at the flavor. “We are going to have so much fun cooking. With the holidays coming I love to bake. Maybe you can help me, that way we can learn together what foods you like and dislike?”
“That sounds fun,” Mason says softly.
Coralie is starting to fuss and Tucker calls Abbie. “I think she’s hungry too.”
“I’ll make her bottle if you’ll hold her.” Abbie quickly makes the bottle.
Mason waits until they aren’t looking at wraps a biscuit in a napkin, stuffing it in his pocket.
Tucker watches and his heart breaks for what this child has faced in such a short time. How do you heal a broken heart? He wonders and glances over at Abbie as she talks to Mason about Coralie. He smiles, because if anyone knows what it feels like to have hurt inside of you it’s the two of them. Together they will heal this child and hopefully, each other.
Chapter 42
“Alright, it’s time for a bath,” Abbie says while Coralie naps.
Mason glances at her and blanches. Abbie hurries to fill the tub in the next room and once she has it filling with warm water, she returns to find Mason staring at her and shaking.
Immediately she drops to her knees in front of him. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”
“I, I don’t like baths,” he murmurs and backs away from her.
Abbie nods, “I understand. Mason you may have germs on you that could make Coralie sick. Its better if we just give you a quick bath. We will make it fast.”
She stands and holds out her hand while her heart beats wildly in her chest. Slowly he reaches up and grips her hand. Abbie smiles, “You are safe with me, Mason,” she promises.
They walk in the bath room and soon Tucker is surprised to hear giggles coming from him. “Bubbles!” he laughs, and Abbie’s laughter joins his.
“You just play for a minute, while I grab a towel,” she steps just outside the room and presses her forehead to the wall in an attempt to calm down.
“Abbs!” he hurries to her and pulls her into his arms.
“Tucker… no, I can’t,” she murmurs and scrubs at her eyes and attempts to calm herself. “I wasn’t expecting…”
Tucker releases her and steps inside the bathing room and smiles at the child playing in a tub full of bubbles. The moment his eyes drop to Mason’s bare back he almost shouts with shock. Whip marks, scars, and bruises litter his body. He turns and storms away.
“I’ll kill them…” he rumbles and paces.
Abbie watches him and her heart falls hard. Any reservation she had about Tucker loving another’s man’s child is squashed in that moment. Love swells in her and she feels light. As if the weight of the world is now lifted and shared.
She steps in front of Tucker, causing him to stop. “Thank you,” her mouth says but her eyes say I love you. All the rage dissipates, and she kisses him softly. “You always know just what to say, Tucker.”
Tucker laughs hollowly and watches her return to the bath room.
“Time to wash those beautiful curls,” she teases.
“You have your Daddy’s hair. I always loved his curls,” Abbie tells Mason.
Mason stops moving, and stares at her. He stands while she rinses his body free of the soap and wraps him in a large soft towel.
“How did my Daddy die, Ms. Abbie?” She lifts him from the water and sets him on the rug.
Abbie stops moving and stares at him, wondering what to tell him. “There was an accident at the Mill. A fire, and eight people died, including your father.”
“Oh,” he frowns and pulls the towel closer, shivering. “I never met him,” Mason tells her.
“You would’ve liked him Mason,” she says.
“Did you like him?” he asks.
Abbie smiles, “Yes, we were great friends once.” Her heart squeezes. Once she loved him, and hopefully, someday, with God’s help, she will be able to think of him with fond memories.
Chapter 43
Clint rages against the image reflected back at him. The red, blistered flesh on his chest and neck infuriate him. “She will pay!” he snarls.
His father sighs, “Son, it’s time to refocus. You are worrying over the wrong woman!”
He whirls on his father, “Look what she did to me!”
“I know, son, and I promise we will make her pay after we deal with the Gilbert Mill,” he drops into a chair breathing heavily. “Winter is coming. They won’t get much done on the new Mill until spring.”
“I’ve been thinking about Maggie Rose,” he starts but his father leaps to his feet
