Mason's Marriage (11 page)

Mason saw Mimi’s back go tight and knew she was about to let him have it. She’d yowl about him being a chauvinist, and that would be good, because it would keep his mind off the pain.

Not the pain in his face, which hurt, but the pain of seeing his girl get snippy with two no-goods. For the first time in his life, he’d been frozen, unable to do anything, his body pretty much defying even the will to stand up.

Later, when he was more rational, he would make sure she’d never do that again. Right now, it was enough to give her a small tongue-lashing. Closing his eyes, he listened to her heap abuse on him for his smart remark.

What had he gotten himself into? Mimi was always going to be a sheriff’s daughter. She would
never think anything of going right at any problem, and since she’d thought Mason needed saving, there she’d gone.

His lips pursed. “I do not want you saving me ever again, Mimi Cannady.”

She gasped. “That’s a strange thank-you.”

“From now on, I want you to stay home with Nanette.” There at least he would know she was safe, with their daughter, and not into mischief. “If you think there’s a problem, you can send my brothers.”

But next time there won’t be a problem because I won’t have my mind so wrapped up in Miss Independence.

As soon as he thought that, he realized he was kidding himself. If he married her—
when
he married her—she was going to keep his brain running in dizzy circles. It was who Mimi was and why he couldn’t get enough of her, but God, she made him kooky.

“You know, your dad would have wanted your mother to stay home,” he began, and as soon as he said that, he knew he’d struck a wound far deeper than the ones he’d just suffered.

Silence met his words.

Mason winced, kicking himself. “Mimi, I’m sorry. I…wasn’t thinking about what I was saying, I swear.”

She didn’t say anything. Once she stopped the
truck at her town house, she got out, made sure he could stand upright, then opened the front door.

Sheriff Cannady cursed when he saw Mason’s face. “Looks like you got the wrong end of a baseball bat, son, not that there’s a right end.”

“Something like that,” Mason said, desperately needing a bed and wishing the pain meds would wear off so he could think more clearly.

“Mason, I’m making up the guest bedroom for you,” Mimi said, her tone stony. “And remember, Doc doesn’t want you moving for forty-eight hours because of your concussion.”

“Concussion?” Mimi’s dad asked. “You’re going to have a hell of a headache most likely. For a few days at least.”

“I already do,” Mason said, treading up the stairs. He had a helluva heartache, too, but he didn’t know if forty-eight hours of rest was the proper course of action for that or not.

“H
E’S SO PIGHEADED
, Dad,” Mimi said, putting away the cups after she and her father had late-night tea. Tea never kept her awake, but tonight she’d probably stay awake, caffeine or not. “He was upset with me for going after him.”

“Well,” her father said, “that’s probably my fault.
I felt it was best for you to go, since I didn’t feel anything was really wrong—I just wanted to ease my worries. I didn’t want to look like ol’ nosy Pop going to check up on his daughter’s beau.”

Mimi smiled. “I don’t think Mason would have thought that, but at the same time, I was worried, too. I wanted to know where he was.” But Mason wasn’t going to see it any way but his, of course.

That was something she needed to accept about loving him the way she did: he was contrary, and he wanted everything to fit his views. “Unfortunately,” she told her dad, “he heard me confront the bad guys. It’s really set him off.”

Her father nodded. “Think maybe you shouldn’t have.”

“I was…worried. They didn’t look like they were up to any good. Still, I couldn’t be certain. We don’t usually have anything but the odd mischief-maker come through Union Junction.”

“Mimi, my girl, you know it didn’t make two bits of difference once you got it in your head to take matters into your own hands. If Mason’s gonna be the sheriff, you’re gonna have to let him be a man, honey.”

Mimi blinked. “Ugh, I don’t like anything about the sound of that.”

Her father laughed. “I imagine you don’t.”

“Maybe he’ll forget.”

“I don’t know.” Her father snapped a cookie in half. “The thing about the male of the species is that he’s very possessive about what belongs to him. No man wants his woman to be in danger.”

“Belongs to him? Woman? Dad, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk like this,” Mimi said with a teasing smile.

He shrugged. “It’s hard to remember the feeling, but I know I had it once.”

“Oh, Dad.” Mimi’s smile faded.

“I made my peace with things over the years. I have to be honest, though, I admire Mason’s determination to make certain his family stays together. It takes two to feel that way, you know. Commitment.” He sighed. “Not so many people understand that word anymore.”

“Maybe what I think is stubbornness on Mason’s part is really commitment,” Mimi murmured.

Her dad stood. “Well, I enjoyed the tea and cookies, daughter.” Leaning down, he kissed her forehead. “You’re a good girl, Mimi. You’ll make the right decisions for everyone concerned.”

“I love you, Daddy. Good night.”

Mimi watched her father head up the stairs. For the
first time, she felt some comfort about the situation with Mason. She’d been the driver in their relationship for so long that she hadn’t given him much credit for
his
driving skills—nor a chance to assert them.

When the revelation came, it left Mimi breathless. She had always wanted control because she was afraid. Abandonment by her mother had made her want to take care of everything in her environment. Rescue it. Make it happy. Whatever
it
was—fill in the blank—she took charge.

And because of his father, Mason was the same.

“Which means we’re going to butt heads every day of our lives, just like he did with his brothers,” Mimi murmured. Neither of them trusted enough to let go and relax.

Her father was right, even if he’d couched it in unpalatable terms. If she loved Mason, if she wanted to spend her life with him, she had to realize that just as she’d sent him off to read his father’s journal, in case there was some hidden booby trap that would affect their relationship,
she
needed to be doing some housekeeping in her own life.

She felt as though a boulder had lifted off her spirit.

It was okay to be fragile. Okay to be weepy, scared and cranky. It was even okay to allow Mason to make some decisions. He could be the leader sometimes,
and she could follow. In an adult relationship there was give and take, compromise. It didn’t matter who the leader was. As long as their hearts cared more about togetherness.

M
ASON AWAKENED
to find a fully dressed Mimi tucked next to him, burrowed against his back. He started to grin, then realized that hurt. But the smile was inside him.

His smile grew steadier when he realized that what had awakened him was a sweet little angel staring down at him. “What is it, honey?” he asked Nanette. “Can’t you sleep?”

“You didn’t read me a bedtime story,” she whispered, so she wouldn’t awaken her mother.

“I was on my way here,” he said, tucking her into bed next to him, right up under his chin. With Mimi’s arm over his waist and his daughter’s sweet-smelling hair under his chin, surely he was the happiest man on earth. “I’ll read you two tomorrow night. You go to sleep now.”

“’Kay.”

He kissed the top of her head, allowing his eyes to drift shut again.

“Why is Mommy sleeping in here?”

“Because I bumped my head and the doctor said
I have a bad headache. So she’s keeping an eye on me, like she does for you when you’re sick.”

“Oh,” Nanette said. “How did you bump your head?”

“I wasn’t paying attention,” he said with a sigh. “But I’m not going to do that anymore.”

Nanette giggled. “You might.”

“I don’t think so. It hurt.”

Mostly what had hurt was watching Mimi bossing around a couple of bad guys.

“I love you, Daddy,” Nanette said, her voice already sounding sleepy again.

“I love you, too, sweetie,” he said, his own eyes closing.

He was very grateful Mimi had made him a father, and that alone was enough to make him forgive her just about anything.

M
ANY HOURS LATER
, when the sunlight was streaming into the room, he felt Mimi try to pull away and leave the bed. He held her arm tight so she couldn’t. Rolling over to face her, he said, “Good morning,” and kissed her forehead.

“Good morning. You’re uglier than last night,” Mimi said, gently touching his forehead. “Can I get you anything?”

“No. Just you.” He pulled her tightly against him.

She giggled. “Mason, why is Nanette sleeping in here?”

“She wondered the same thing about you.”

“And what did you tell her?”

“That this was the most comfy bed in the house, and, so, just like in
Goldilocks and the Three Bears,
everyone wants in it. Mommy Bear, Papa Bear and Baby Bear.”

Mimi smiled. “That’s not the way the story went, and I doubt you said any of that because I would have heard the two of you jabbering.”

“And yet you didn’t.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “You snore like a hardworking ditchdigger, lady.”

“I do not!”

He kissed her lips. “Yeah, you do. It’s all the stress from crime fighting.”

“That’s not funny.”

“No, it’s not,” Mason said, giving her fanny a tiny slap. “No more badass chick adventures for you.”

“I’m going to let you be the big man from now on,” Mimi said primly.

He let out a roar. “What a sweet little thing you are in the morning. So accommodating! But I think your nose is growing, Mimi Cannady.”

“No. I mean it. I realized last night that what I did was dumb. Brave, maybe, but also dumb.”

He chuckled. “You are brave. You also want to be right in the thick of everything that’s happening in life and with everybody’s business.”

She gave him a pretend tweak on the abdomen. “For a guy with a concussion, you sure do think you know a lot. Maybe you should rest your brain.”

“There’s my saucy wench.” He nipped her shoulder.

“Mason,” Mimi said, running a finger down his chest, “I had this bright idea that you would make a great sheriff. You know? But you’re not really cut out for this job. I want you to let Shoeshine Johnson take over the job.”

“Shoeshine can’t,” Mason said. “He runs the school bus, and his own farm.”

“We could run the school bus,” Mimi said.

“We could,” Mason said, “but I like my bright, shiny badge.”

She smiled wistfully. “It looks good on you. I just don’t want you to wear it anymore.”

“Has someone gotten cold feet?” He raised her chin and looked in her eyes. “You’re the one who got me into this gig.”

“I know. You made that clear last night when you said it was my fault you’d gotten hurt.”

Mason forced himself not to grin so he wouldn’t pop a stitch, but he thought Mimi’s little fit of conscience was adorable. “You’ve never taken me seriously before.”

“That’s because you’ve never been injured like that before. They could have killed you, or paralyzed you, or—”

Mason stopped her talking by kissing her. When he estimated he’d enjoyed about thirty seconds of silence, he said, “See? I’m just as good as always.”

“No, you’re not. Your face is purple in spots and pasty in others. Actually, it’s fairly Frankensteinish, with that zigzag of stitches. What did Nanette say about your beauty treatment?”

He resisted the urge to run his hands under her nightgown. After all, his daughter was in the bed, and that just wouldn’t do. “She doesn’t care what I look like. She’s only interested in my personality, not my looks,” he teased, but Mimi didn’t smile. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I’m sorry for dragging you into this dangerous profession.”

“You’re a pushy broad, Mimi, but I do what I want to do.” He looked at her and saw worry in her blue eyes; he could feel tension in her body. “What are you afraid of?”

“Losing you,” she said softly, sending a spear into his heart.

“You mean to some bad guys?”

She nodded.

“I guess there’s no one hundred percent chance that might not happen,” Mason said, “but I’m pretty tough, Mimi. You can’t go through life being scared.”

“I have,” she said, “and so did you.”

He pulled back to frown down at her, puzzled.

“And it’s influencing our choices now,” Mimi said.

“I don’t get it.

“Maybe we’re just reaching out to each other now,” Mimi said, “because it’s what we know best.”

“I don’t know,” Mason said. “I plan on getting to know you a hell of a lot better. I didn’t realize I’d never seen your bare nipples until I caught you in that lacy thing. They’re cute, Mimi. Sexy and kinda sassy, like your whole personality.”

“Mason!” Mimi buried her head against his chest. “I’m trying to be practical for once in my life. So would you listen?”

“I don’t like what I’m hearing.”

Mimi laid a fingertip over his lips. “We’ve waited this long. We have plenty of time to make certain we’re doing everything for the right reasons.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to be scared anymore. Do you?”

“Listen, Mimi, fear is when your lady thinks she’s a superhero and tries to open up a can o’whoopass on two fellas who outweigh her by at least fifty pounds and are carrying a large piece of wood. Hell, you
did
open up a can o’whoopass. Where’d you get pepper spray?”

“It was actually hair spray,” Mimi said. “All my friends work in a salon, and they taught me everything I know about self-preservation. However, I’ve always carried pepper spray because my father insisted. It just wasn’t needed for those weenies.”

“Oh, jeez,” Mason said, “I think my heart’s gonna give out.” He dramatically laid a hand over his chest and rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling. “If I’d known my woman was shaking down bad guys with a can of Dippity-do, I would have lost it.”