His Other Woman: A Renny and Rachel Christmas Romance by Nancy MacLaren Page B

plan?”
    “Sneak back to Portland and cry myself to sleep for a year?”
    “You tried that. It didn’t work. Tell me the truth, do you love this man?”
    “Yes.”
    “Is he the best lover you have ever had?”
    “Yes!”
    “Do you want a life with him?”
    “Yes.”
    “Then show him, and me, and yourself. Fight for this. Unless you don’t think it’s worth it. Is it worth it?”
    “I don’t want to make a fool of myself! Can’t you see that? This scares me more than …”
    “I know that sweetheart but we are all fools for love. Do you love him?
    “Yes, I do but …”
    “Then you either face your fears or you have already lost.”
    “I can’t … I can’t lose him. Not now. Not ever.”
    “Then have a nice tour. I’ll water the plants that aren’t already dead.”
    “Marlene!”
    “I’ve been busy. Now crawl back next to that hunk and tell him you’re going with him.”
    “What if he’s changed his mind about me going?”
    “Then you’ll have your answer, right?”
    “Right.”
    “Call me from the road.” Click.
    Damn.
                                                            *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
     
    I didn’t have the heart to wake Renny when I went back to the bedroom. It had been a long, trying day for both of us. I was happy just to settle in next to him and feel him push back against me instinctively. We fit together well. He had said that about us sexually once before but it was more than that, we fit together in every way. I hadn’t ever met a man whom I had felt equal to. Not ahead and not behind, just side by side.
    By the time I woke the sun was full up and Renny was gone. For a moment I felt panic but remembered that it was Christmas morning and he was surely with the family opening presents. I lay back in the bed relieved I hadn’t been included. I had wanted to purchase gifts for everyone but Renny told me not to.
    “That’s ridiculous,” he said, “You don’t know them. I’ll add you to my card and we’ll be good.”
    He also knew I didn’t really have the money to spare. I had already used up most of my reduced book advance in the last months. I needed to eke out a slim living in the next few months before the book premiered in May. I seriously considered becoming an Uber driver but my car was way too old, so that was out. I was already anticipating a few months of rice and beans and a couple of trips to the plasma bank. All said, not buying gifts was a gift to me.
    “Hey sleepy,” Renny popped his head in. A huge smile escaped both of our faces. Just seeing his face, wow, just seeing his face … you know?
    “You ready for some breakfast and a ride?”
    At first I thought he was offering to feed me and have sex but then I remembered the horseback ride he had promised the day before. He came to sit on the edge of the bed.
    “I saw that, you thought I meant ride, as in …”
    “Shut up,” I playfully put my hand on his lips. “Shut up and kiss me you fool.”
    Why not go for the whole corny bit! And kiss me he did, as though there was no other woman lurking in our shadows. He kissed me with his whole heart and a good amount of his tongue.
    I dressed ready to ride and joined him in the breakfast room. I was spared an awkward meal with the rest of the clan. Renny assured me that everyone was as exhausted as we were and the day was going to be a mellow affair. My kind of Christmas!
    We saddled out horses, Well, I saddled mine and Renny eventually saddled Bastard. The stallion looked even more imposing out of the stall and I wasn’t sure I wanted to get anywhere near the beast but as soon as Renny led him out of the stable and let him run to the edge of the yard I could see that they were a team. Both dark-haired, wild and beautiful. If horses laugh, Bastard was.
    Abigail was as calm as Renny had promised and I found ‘my seat’ pretty quickly. We took off up the hill behind the house