Worth the Weight (41 page)

He turned away from her and started leading Peg to the barn. “You forget, Liz, I happen to know how much you like hidden agendas.”

This was not going well at all, Lizzie thought as she followed
Finn
into the barn. She hadn’t expected him to fall into her arms begging her to take him back when he answered the door, but she’d hoped it’d go a little better than this.

Here she stood, no lists, no tablets. For the first time in her life, she didn’t have a plan. Oh, buying
Finn
’s favorite horse was kind of a plan, but, beyond getting
Finn
to board the beast, she didn’t have a clue. She’d just have to wing it.

Finn
was already at the far end of the barn, putting P
egasus into a stall, when she
joined him. She sat on a bale of hay across from him and watched as he began brushing her new horse. Neither of them said anything for a while, Lizzie settled in, taking off her mittens and hat.

“You cut your hair,”
Finn
said.

“Mmmm, about a month ago,” she answered as she brushed her hand thro
ugh her new short
cut.

“Why?” he asked.

She didn’t know if she could explain her decision, one of many she’d made in the last two and a half months, so she only said, “I didn’t need it anymore.”

He looked at her, as if finally seeing her for the first time since she walked into his kitchen door, and nodded his understanding. “It’s cute short. It suits you.”

“Thank you,” she said.

He brushed a few more strokes, then stopped. “You know, I think that’s the first time you’ve ever taken a compliment from me.”

“What do you mean?”

He put the brush down and picked up some other grooming tool, one that Lizzie didn’t know the name of or even what it did.
Oh yeah, she was going to make a great horse owner.

“I’ve never heard you just say
‘
thank you
’
to a compliment. You always crack a joke, or do a ‘get out of here’ kind of thing.”

A silence fell over them as she thought on that. She watched as he worked, his love for the animal obvious. His hands swept across the quivering horse, along its f
lanks. He ran his hands down
its
leg, lifting its calf to check the condition of her shoes.
She
was reminded of the night at the beach when he had done the same to her and she told him the movement always made her think of him with a horse. Apparently
Finn
had the same thought because as he dropped the horse’s leg he looked at Lizzie with a hunger in his eyes that made
her
think that maybe, just maybe, all was not lost.

“I never lied to you, you know,” she said quietly.

He dropped his gaze from hers and turned his attention back to Peg. “You didn’t tell me the whole truth though, either.”

“No,” she whispered, “I didn’t.”

When he didn’t respond, but kept on with Peg, Lizzie turned her attention elsewhere. He had done a lot of work in here, she mused to herself. She held her breath as she looked at the wall where the patched holes were, not knowing what she hoped she’d find. The entire wall was now repaired and good as new.
She
didn’t know what to make of that.

Finn
followed her gaze and knew what she was thinking about. He placed a blanket over Peg and put a bucket of
feed
within her reach, made sure she had plenty of water, then stepped out of the stall, closing the door behind him.

He came to the bale of hay and
stood in front of Lizzie. “How are
things in Detroit?” he asked. He coul
dn’t bear to ask her about Cummings
. Were they still together? He stole a look at her hand and saw no engagement ring, then chastised himself for looking. The guy would have to work pretty fast to have a ring on Liz’s finger in only a few months. Of course,
Finn
had wanted to put one on her last October. He didn’t let himself think about that. That was different, he told himself, though couldn’t expound on why that may be true.

“Last time I was there, everything was fine,” she said.

Puzzled, he asked, “What do you mean?”

“I haven’t been in Detroit since before Christmas.”

Visions of Liz and Davis cavorting on white sand beaches almost stopped
Finn
from asking, but he was curious. “Where have you been?”

“Here. Well, to be exact, at three twelve Lighthouse Drive.”

Finn
knew that Lighthouse Drive was a street on the water in Hancock. He waited for Liz to go on.

“My new home,” she said.

“What about your business?” he asked.

Her hazel eyes looked up at him. “Hampton and Associates is doing fine. I work from an office at my new place, and so far have only needed to leave the Copper Country once, to meet a prospective new client. I took on partners to free myself up more. And so I could move back here.”

Finn
caught his breath. God, she wouldn’t tease him like this, would she? Would she purposely seek him out and tell him she’d moved back to town when she had no intention of ever
being a part of his life? The woman who could devise a plan to sleep with a man a few times to gear up for a real romance could do something like this. In fact, it would be right up her alley.

Suddenly
Finn
knew that Liz was not that woman. Had never been that woman. Not the Elizabeth Hampton he knew. And loved. Whatever her original intention had been last summer - and he’d be the first to admit it was pret
ty fucked up – she’
d fallen in love with him and wanted to be with him.

Finn.
Not Davis Cummings.

With a new sense of assurance, he raised his leg, resting it on the hay bale next to
her
hip.

“Tell me about Davis
,” he said, leaning toward her. He rested his arm on his knee and placed his face level to hers, daring her to meet his gaze.

Meeting him head on, as he knew she would, she said, “Nothing to tell. The first time I saw Davis since the night at the rec center was the night of Annie’s operation.”

He knew it
.
No way could good girl Liz Hampton sleep with a man she wasn’t in love with. He could kick himself for not sticking around that night at her place and finding out the truth of the situation. His damned pride. He vowed to never let it ge
t in his way with her
again.

“I won’t lie to you,
Finn
, and I won’t omit anything this time. He called
quite a bit
once I was back in Detroit. I kept putting him off. What you walked in on that night was him making me dinner and me planning on telling him there could never be anything between us
.
I’ve always liked Davis, and thought at one time that he’d be the perfect guy for me. But we are
–
always were, really
–
just friends.”

“Why? Why be just friends if he’s the perfect guy for you?” He knew he was skating on thin ice. He couldn’t be sure she wanted him back, and he was opening himself up to potential heartbreak by taking this route, but he had to know.
Had to hear her say it.

“Because he’s not the perfect guy
for me
, not really. You’re the perfect guy for me,
Finn
, you always were.”

He
realized just how much Liz was opening herself up by being here, by coming to him after he’d walked out on her. Twice. Three times if you count what happened eighteen years ago. Her courage and strength humbled him.

“
Finn
,” she said, “about that tablet…that list…”

He put his hand up, cutting her off. He turned around and walked out of the barn.

Lizzie watched as
Finn
left the barn. What now? Did she chase after him? Did she wait? Was he coming back? Should she sit here until spring if that’s what it took?

The hay was cold under her butt and she was just about to give up when he returned.

He held a tablet, not a steno like the ones she used to carry, but a legal-sized pad. He thrust it in her face.

“You’re not the only one with plans, Liz. Here’s my list.”

“
Finn
, wait, I said…” He pushed the tablet under her nose, stopping her.

Her hand trembled as she took the tablet. The light in the barn was dim, but she was able to read
Finn
’s list.

Annie starts walking.
It was checked off. Lizzie looked up at
Finn
, tears stinging her eyes. “Oh
Finn
, is she…”

“She’s close,” he said, “any day now.” He motioned her back to the paper. “Keep reading.”

The next item was also completed.
Get Stevie something for making the honor roll.

She
smiled. “I’m not surprised. He’s one sharp kid.”
Finn
nodded, she returned to the next
item.
Start horse boarding business
. Check.

“I’m your first client,” she said, looking up at him.

“That you are,” he answered. He nodded toward the tablet. “There’s one more item on my list.”

She looked back down at the yellow paper.
Marry Elizabeth Hampton.
Her head tilted back to see
him
. His blue eyes – eyes she saw every night when she’d lie awake in bed – stared down at her.

“It’s not checked off,” he said. The words she’d spoken at the rec center echoed in her ear.

She smiled, and pulled the pen from his hand. She slashed it acr
oss the paper. “It is
now.”

“Elizabeth,” he whispered. She was in his arms the next instant. His mouth sought hers and was ecstatic to feel it open beneath his. She tasted wonderful, like winter and mint, fresh, clean. She tasted like the woman he loved.

“You feel so good,” she sighed, catching the breath that he had robbed from her in his desire to taste her. She was clinging to him, tearing at his jacket, trying to find the zipper.

He did the same, unzipping her jacket, putting his hands on her sweater, needing to feel her body, the only body he’d ever desire. His hands brushed under her sweater, going right to her breasts. She let out a squeal as his freezing cold hands touched her warm skin. He instantly released her, but she pressed herself against him, not wanting to lose contact.

“I forgot how hard it was to makeout in the wintertime. Cold hands, too many layers. Just one of the many things about the U.P. I’ll have to get used to again.” She laughed the boisterous laugh that he loved so much, the laugh he’d been aching to hear these past months.

“God, Liz, I missed you so much.” He looked into her eyes, letting her see the warmth and love that came from his own.

She cradled his face in her hands as she whispered, “I love you,
Finn
. I want a future with you.”

“Me too, babe, me too. But, I’m a package deal, Liz. Love me, love my kids.” He knew he was safe saying the words.

“Done and done,” she said. She was nuzzling into his neck, trying to get past the layers of warmth to breath
e
in his scent.

“Come on, let’s go in and tell Gran and the kids.” He started zipping her up, putting her mittens over her hands, pleased to see they were trembling as much as his were.

“I can’t wait to see them, I’ve missed them so much,” she said. She waited for him to put her hat on her, allowing herself to be garbed for the Copper Country winter as she’d been by her mother when she was a child.

He pulled the hat down tight, covering her ears, kissing the tip of her nose as he did so. “It’s not going to be easy, Liz. We’ve got a long road ahead with Annie’s recovery. Your business, the farm, the horse boarding business. I’m not sure how it’s all going to shake out, but I do know that we’re going to spend the rest of our lives together, figuring it out.”

She held his hand as they walked toward the farmhouse, lights burned from its windows making it seem alive with warmth.

“Don’t worry,” she said, “I’ll come up with a plan.”

The End

Read on for a Sneak Peek at Katie’s story in

Worth The Drive