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“Why do you assume that just because a man is rich he’s somehow not worth having?” Judith demanded, taking the potatoes off the stove to drain.
Chase noted the grinning Walter seemed to agree with Judith that he was very much worth having.
Mitzy continued her gentle waltz about the kitchen. “I don’t know, Mother.” She bent to kiss her baby’s head, then cast a chastising glance over her shoulder. “Maybe your second, third and fourth husbands might have something to do with it?”
Chase knew Mitzy’s previous stepfathers had all been emotionally remote and/or neglectful, at best, often viewing Mitzy as a nuisance. Luckily, she’d had Gus, and her time in Laramie to counter that.
“Exactly why I promptly divorced them after only a year or two,” Judith huffed, handing over a bottle of wine for her husband to open. “They weren’t the right person for me to be married to.”
“But they were increasingly wealthy,” Mitzy pointed out as Walter worked off the cork.
“Well, of course.” Judith refused to apologize for that as she passed the canapés around. “I wasn’t going to fall for anyone who guaranteed us downward mobility!” She paused to put the tray aside then grasped Mitzy by the shoulders. “Listen to me, darling, it is just as easy to fall in love with a wealthy man as it is to fall in love with a poor one. The difference is a truly wealthy man has so many more ways to make you happy! And if you need an example of that—” Judith let go of Mitzy and went to kiss her fifth husband on the cheek “—you need to look no further than my darling Walter.”
Chase wanted to disagree with that, but couldn’t. Not entirely, anyway. It was a heck of a lot easier to be happy if you didn’t have to worry about putting food on the table or a roof over your head.
Mitzy frowned. “I’m not disputing the fact that Walter is wonderful, Mother, or always has been.” She sent Walter an affectionate smile, which he returned. “But it’s not his money or his talent with investing that makes him so exceptional. It’s his kind heart and generosity.”
Judith took the turkey out of the oven and set it on the back of the six-burner stove. “You think Chase has your best interests at heart?”
Mitzy paused, a little too long for his comfort. Which meant he had a lot of work to do to get their relationship back on an even keel.
“Yes. Of course,” Mitzy said finally. She added as a caveat, “Now, anyway.”
Still managing the meal prep with a former chef and caterer’s ease, Judith turned to him with a raised brow. “I assume you’ll attest to the same?”
“Absolutely.” Chase held Mitzy’s pretty aquamarine eyes. If the past few days had taught him anything, it was that he wanted a fresh start with his ex-fiancée. And that yearning had nothing to do with any secret deathbed promise he’d made to Gus.
“Then prove it.” Judith threw down the gauntlet with customary flair. “Use your clout within the industry to find a buyer for Martin Custom Saddle, or purchase it yourself, so Mitzy can finally be free of the company that’s ruined our family from the get-go. And then help my daughter understand that much as she might want to be, she’s not a superwoman.”
Maybe not in Judith’s view, Chase thought wistfully. But in his, she was pretty darn close. For a mortal, anyway.
“Mother,” Mitzy groaned, putting one hand to her head.
Ignoring the entreaty, Judith carried on. “So if she wants her babies to have the fabulous first Christmas they deserve, she needs to put off all this closure business...”
Like hell they would, Chase thought.
“...say goodbye to you. Leave Laramie for good. And come and live with us in Dallas, ASAP.”
* * *
“Thanks for coming by,” Mitzy told Chase at eight o’clock Sunday evening. She ushered him inside the Craftsman-style bungalow she had inherited from her father. As Chase walked in, he took a moment to look around.
Many changes had been made since Gus had passed. Walls in the living area had been opened up. The interior had been painted a welcoming ivory, which attracted tons of sunlight and contrasted nicely with the newly refinished pine floors. Plantation shutters replaced the dated drapes, comfortable neutral furniture had been brought in to replace the old faux leather pieces. And of course the kitchen, family room and dining area between, where they had spent most of Thursday, had all been redone and redecorated with the same classic understated elegance for which Mitzy was known.
Only one room downstairs appeared to have been left untouched, he had noted the other day. Gus’s dark, paneled study. And most of the time, Mitzy left that door closed.
Chase turned his attention back to Mitzy. She was dressed in figure-hugging gray yoga pants and a long-sleeve white T that did equally nice things for her lush breasts. The need to haul her into his arms and make love to her intensifying, he lifted his gaze back to her face. “You said you needed to see me?”
“That’s right, I did.” Mitzy took his jacket and hung it in the coat closet. Then led him toward her father’s old study, where it seemed she had set up quite an organizing operation.
“What’s all this?” Chase looked at the four large bulletin boards set up on easels around the room.
One held sticky notes of calls needing to be made to various colleagues at the DCFS office. The next a schedule of baby-wrangling volunteers for the week. A third, a list of Christmas errands and chores to be done. The fourth was blank except for the initials MCS, the family saddle company.
A glimmer of ambition lit her pretty eyes. “I think of it as my war room.”
He pointed to the holiday to-do list, slanting her a concerned glance. She had at least one activity slated for every day. “You’ll definitely need a battle plan to get this all done. Even without four babies.”
Mitzy’s lips set in a deliciously kissable moue. “Don’t start. You’ll sound like Mother.”
Brought up short by the comparison, Chase lifted a staying hand. “Sorry,” he said brusquely. After that tension-filled Thanksgiving dinner he was pretty sure that Mitzy lamented him impulsively agreeing to attend, that was the last thing either of them wanted. Him criticizing or undermining her at every turn, even in jest. “You deserve my unbridled support,” he said soberly. “I’m here because I plan to give it.”
Their eyes met. Another shimmer of heated desire sizzled between them. “Thank you,” Mitzy choked out emotionally. “I appreciate that.” Her cheeks pinkening, Mitzy swept a hand through her tousled hair. Shoving it away from her face, she went on with difficulty, “I asked you to come over tonight because I wanted to apologize for what happened on Thursday. It was...” She paused, clearly at a loss for words.
Chase guessed at what she was about to say. “One of the most stilted holiday meals either of us have ever had?”
Mitzy laughed ruefully. As did he.
Resisting the urge to pull her into his arms, Chase continued with a shrug, “The food was amazing, though.”
“Still, I should have known better than to let Mother have access to you. She’s never forgiven either of us for canceling our wedding at the last minute. Even if it was the right decision.”
Maybe at the time. Now, seeing Mitzy again, kissing her and feeling those emotions rekindle, Chase was not so sure.
He also knew his ex-fiancée was a “one step at a time” person. He couldn’t rush her into anything.
She reached over to turn on the woefully outdated desktop computer located in the center of the desk. “So, as far as Mother’s third degree about the scope and success of your business. Never mind her wild idea about you finding a buyer for MCS...”
Or purchasing it myself, Chase added silently.
Mitzy winced as the computer slowly—and noisily—booted up. “Or talking me into moving back to Dallas in time for the holidays, in exchange for her blessing on our monthlong closure process...?”
Sensing she needed her space, he moved to the overfilled bookcases. “You’d prefer I earn it some other way.”
Mitzy made a seesawing motion. “I’m not really sure that’s possible,” she admitted, tossing a candid glance his way, “even if you were to do everything Mother asked. As you might have noticed, the women in my family can hold a grudge.”
He sure as heck had.
Mitzy lifted her chin. Totally serious now. “Still, I’d like to call a permanent truce between the two of us.”
Gratitude welled.
He ambled toward her. “I’d like that, too, darlin’.” He paused on the other side of the desk. Noted the quick, excited jump in her pulse and decided to just go for it. “So does this mean you want to start seeing me again instead of just working on ‘closure’?”
Her smile faded. She arched a censuring brow. “I’m seeing you now.”
He shook his head and moved around to stand next to her. “Seeing you as in dating you.” He tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “The sparks are still there, Mitzy.” Evidenced anew by the erratic nature of her breathing. “We proved that the other day.”
With a smile, she danced away. “Actually, I was thinking we might try something else while we work our way out of the animosity that has plagued us for the past decade.” She moved one of her easels slightly, before spinning back to him. “Something more platonic and casual.” She met his level gaze with familiar stubbornness. “Like friendship.”
Which was nothing remotely close to what he wanted.
Sifting through his disappointment, Chase took a moment to consider.
In the past, he would have told her it was his way or the highway. She would have said the same to him. That approach had never worked. So if he wanted to pursue any kind of relationship with her, he would have to do more than simply pick up where they had left off. He would have to revise their way of dealing with each other into something that would weather hardship and stand the test of time.
“Okay,” he said, willing to give this friendship thing a whirl, at least for now. Anything to avoid the permanent “closure” she’d been talking about. “I’ll give it a try.”
“Good.” She smiled, mirroring his enthusiastic tone. “Because I need your help.”
“Putting up Christmas decorations?”
So far, she’d done absolutely nothing on that score. Which was unlike her. Usually, Mitzy went to get a tree and started hauling out the decorations the day after Thanksgiving.
Amazing, how easily he could envision himself helping her decorate for the holidays. When he was on his own, it wasn’t really his thing. Although he was always around to help his parents and his sibs.
She tilted her head, as used to denying herself what she wanted as he was in going after it no holds barred. Openly curious, she queried, “Are you volunteering?”
Aware he’d do anything that might bring them closer, Chase nodded. “I am.”
“Well,” she said, mischief sparkling, “I could use someone to help with the heavy lifting.”
Given how fit she was, he doubted she really needed it. “Want” was something else entirely, however. Bolstered by the idea she might privately yearn for more with him, too, he aimed a thumb at the center of his chest. “Then I’m your man.”
Mitzy raked her teeth across the soft lusciousness of her lower lip. “I could also use your help with a few other things, as well...”
Though so far he’d had only a brief, blocked glimpse of one of her four infants, it stunned him to realize how much he wanted to meet them and help her with them, too. “The babies?” he asked eagerly.
She shook her head. Her gaze darkened worriedly. “With figuring out what’s really been going on at MCS.”
Chapter Three
Mitzy wasn’t sure how Chase would take her request. Especially after the “conditions” her mother had thrown out. His long pause indicated she had been right to worry. She could feel him sizing her up, trying to figure out the exact nature of her innermost feelings about him. When she didn’t really know herself.
All she knew for certain was that she had appreciated his kindness. Enjoyed kissing him—way too much! And that she wanted the cold war between them to end, so she wouldn’t have to keep going out of her way to duck his sexy presence, now that he was living back in Laramie.
He continued to study her wordlessly.
She jerked in a breath, wary of inadvertently revealing too much. “That is why you initially came to see me, correct? To lend aid in any way I needed?”
In the kitchen, an “end of cycle” bell sounded.
“Yes.” His mood was suddenly all business.
Mitzy glanced at her watch. The boys would be waking soon for their next feeding. It was time to get a move on. Wishing she weren’t quite so aware of his presence, she retreated into scrupulous politeness. “Unlike my mother, I’m not asking you to find a buyer for MSC.” She pivoted and headed for the kitchen.
Chase stood to the left of her, watching as she opened the dishwasher, pulled out two dozen newly sterilized baby bottles as well as the basket of sterilized nipples and caps, then set them all on the counter.
The way he looked at her then—as if he was thinking what it might be like to make love to her again—sent tremors of aching need tumbling through her.
“And if I could find a buyer?” he asked.
Mitzy shook her head. Aware that every time she got near him her heart beat faster, her senses got sharper and the romantic disappointment she’d felt since their breakup became more acute. All factors, she knew, that made her ripe for a renewed affair. And that could be disastrous, given the fact he was still all business. And she was...now more than ever...all family.
Yes, they still had sparks. And an amazing rapport.
Yes, she was incredibly attracted to him.
And even still enjoyed spending time with him.
But she did not want to end up in the same place they’d been before, with him choosing to pursue a financial bottom line over her feelings, or those she loved.
She couldn’t be with someone who had once felt that semiautomation of the MCS saddle-making process had been the way to go, even if it disrespected her father’s artistry and cost some of their beloved employees their jobs.
She could, however, rely on his expertise in the leather business to help get MCS back on track. And she knew her late father would very much approve of that!
Deciding she had gotten lost in his mesmerizing gaze for far too long, she went to the pantry and emerged with a gallon of purified water and a new can of powdered infant formula.
Promising herself she was not going to let herself fall victim to the attraction simmering between them, she forced her gaze back to the rugged contours of his face. “I could never let the company go.” She set both items on the counter. “Not when I promised my father I would always take care of it.”
His eyes narrowed skeptically. “Did Gus want you to run it personally?”
She made a show of opening both containers, then went down the row, adding one scoop of powdered mix to each bottle. “It’s why Dad left it to me, and made me the CEO before he died.”
“Gus never discussed you selling MCS if it became too much?”
Mitzy flushed. “Well, yes.” She bent her head and added purified water to each bottle, too. “When it became clear my dad’s cancer was terminal and he didn’t have long to live, he and I talked about the possibility.”
“And?” Moving closer, he flashed her an encouraging smile.
Mitzy handed Chase the bottle and gestured for him to continue. While he did, she topped them off with nipple, plastic screw cap and protective cover.
“What did your dad say to you?” he prodded.
“That I could sell if I wanted. But I didn’t want to.”
Chase paused. He slanted her a perplexed look. “Why not?”
“Because his custom saddle company was his baby as much as I was! He started it from scratch in a one-room operation and, over the years, built it into a multimillion-dollar operation with twenty-nine employees. The quality of the work at MCS has always been legendary. Until the last year, while I’ve been in charge,” she admitted unhappily as she lifted the capped bottles and shook them vigorously to mix. “Which is why, more than ever, I have to get things back on track. I have to carry on his incredible legacy, not just for myself, but for my sons! And their offspring, too!”
Chase seemed to understand her need to make this more than a one- or two-generation family business. He stepped in to help with the mixing, his biceps flexing against the soft cotton of his shirt. “Have you talked to anyone at the company yet?”
Mitzy consulted her watch again, then took four of the finished bottles over and put them in the warmers. “No. It’s a holiday weekend.”
“But you’re going to.” He helped her move the rest of the prepared baby bottles into the fridge.
Mitzy nodded. Knowing communication was always key. “Eventually, yes, when I have a better idea of what’s going on.” Chase’s shoulder brushed hers as he put the last of the formula into the fridge. “How are you planning to get the facts without talking to employees?”
Arm tingling, Mitzy stepped back. “That’s where you come in. I was hoping if you looked at the company records with me, via the log-in on my dad’s desktop computer, we might be able to pinpoint how and why and when everything began going wrong.”
“And then what?” He turned his pensive gaze on her.
She adopted a brisk businesslike demeanor. “I’ll talk privately to whoever is responsible for making some of the decisions that have lowered the quality of our saddles substantially.”
He came closer. “Planning to fire them?”
She scoffed and backed up until her spine rested against the quartz countertop. “No! These people are all family.” Her heart ached at the mere idea. “I’ll just make sure they understand, we’ll make a course correction and that will be that.”
He asked, tone matter-of-fact, “You have access to all the company records?”
Glad he was there to help her navigate the unfamiliar inner workings of the business, she said, “Every last one.”
He kept his eyes locked with hers. And leaned forward close enough for her to inhale the brisk masculine scent of his aftershave lotion. “Is everything computerized?”
She ignored the comforting warmth of his body, so near to hers. Frowning, she pushed back the unwanted emotion welling up inside her. “I think so.”
Concentration lines appeared at the corners of his eyes. “You’re not sure.” His expression remained genial, but otherwise inscrutable.
Reluctantly, Mitzy admitted, “I’ve never actually looked. I gave everyone the autonomy to make the decisions they felt necessary, just the way my dad did when he was first diagnosed with stage four bone cancer and began undergoing treatment.”
“Which was a year ago, October.”
Mitzy was surprised Chase remembered that so precisely, since he had still been living in Fort Worth at the time.
Throat tightening, she went to him and laid an entreating hand on his forearm. “The point is, Chase, when I go to them, with whatever the situation is, I want to also have the solution at the ready.”
He nodded. A mixture of understanding and acceptance came into his eyes. Covering her hand with his own, he asked gently, “So what is your timetable?”
Mitzy savored the warmth and strength of him. “I want this all wrapped up before the MCS annual Christmas party, on the twenty-second of December.”
His brow furrowed. “That means we’re going to have to get started with the audit right away.”
Taking comfort in the fact she wasn’t going to be locked in this stressful situation all on her own, Mitzy nodded. Chase might not know her as well as she had always wished, but he did know business.
She frowned as she heard the sound of a fussing baby on the monitor.
She dropped her hold on Chase and stepped back, then headed for the stairs. Remembering to add, “And one more thing, Chase. This all has to be done in secret.”
* * *
Of course it did, Chase thought, as he followed Mitzy up the staircase to the second floor. Trying and failing not to admire the snug fit of her yoga pants over her gently rounded derriere. She cast him a warning look over her shoulder. “I don’t want people worrying unnecessarily, Chase. Especially not during the Christmas season!”
Of course she didn’t.
Just like her father hadn’t wanted her to worry when he was sick.
I’d sell MCS to you right now, Chase, if just the idea of it weren’t so upsetting to my daughter, Gus had said, from his hospital bed, that last week.
Heartsick at the way the disease had ravaged the body of his mentor, and almost father-in-law, Chase had pulled up a chair and taken Gus’s frail hand in his. Did you try talking to her?
Yes. And she took that to mean I was giving up. My death is going to be hard enough on her as it is, and we both know it’s coming, Gus had grimaced, a heck of a lot sooner than I would like.
Unhappily—because no good had ever come from keeping someone deliberately in the dark—Chase had guessed, So the plan is to humor Mitzy?
Gus had nodded. Until the end of the fiscal year. By then, she should have realized she’s not cut out for the business world, any more than I was ever meant to be a social worker. I want you to help her let MCS go, Chase...so she can move into the future, unencumbered...
“Chase?” Mitzy came back to the nursery door, to find him barely clearing the top step. “Did you want to see the babies?”
Abruptly, he realized she had been talking to him. He’d been so lost in the poignant memory of her dad, he hadn’t heard a word of what she’d said.
“Sorry.” He lifted an apologetic hand. “Thinking...”
She looked stressed. “The volunteers are going to be here in another half an hour, but I don’t think the boys are going to make it that long. They’re usually pretty hungry upon waking.”
It was easy to see why she might feel overwhelmed in the moment. He didn’t know how she had made it thus far. “Not to worry. I’m here.”
Glad he was there to come to their rescue in a way he hadn’t been in the past, when he hadn’t spent nearly enough time understanding where Mitzy was coming from or why...never mind tried to meet her halfway on anything...or persuade her to do the same with him... He hurriedly closed the distance between them and followed her into the nursery. He and Mitzy had been too young before to realize just how incredible and rare the love they had was. But they were older now, wiser. So if they ever got even half of what they’d had back, he was damn sure not going to squander it. And he wouldn’t let her do so, either.
In the meantime, he’d help her—and her sons—in every way he could, as a way of making amends.
He wanted her to see she could count on him, the way her father had hoped, and more. And so could her boys.
“Wow,” Chase said, as he caught his first glimpse of Mitzy’s four adorable new sons.
For once, the talk around town had been right on the mark. The quadruplets were gorgeous, just like their mom, with dark hair, fair skin and big, long-lashed blue eyes. As Mitzy surveyed them, she beamed with pride. He could see why. They were just perfect. As was the nursery she had set up for them.
The four full-size white cribs were fit together in the middle of the room, like a foursquare. All were decked out in “baby boy” blue. Colorful, eye-catching mobiles were attached to each bed. The babies all wore engraved bracelets that coincided with the names written across the tops of all the side railings.
Mitzy made the introductions proudly. “This is Joe.” The most social, Chase guessed, taking in the long lashes. “He is always smiling and laughing and cooing.”
She moved to the next bed. “And this is Zach.” Who still seemed sleepy, Chase observed, as the little one yawned. Mitzy smiled. “He’s my little Zen baby. Peaceful, content, never complaining.”