Back in the house, Patrick went straight upstairs to his cell phone. He found his assistant, Maggie, who was number three on his list of favorites, after Cameron and Mary, and placed a call, not caring one iota that it was Sunday night or that he tried not to bother his hardworking employee on the weekends.

“Hi, Patrick,” Maggie said. “How was the weekend in Vermont?”

He hadn’t told anyone why he was coming to Vermont, even his faithful assistant, who was also one of his closest friends after so many years of working closely together. “It was great. I need to make some changes to the itinerary for the trip.”

“Um, okay… What kind of changes?”

“I want to be home in ten days rather than fourteen.”

“Patrick… You know as well as I do that’ll be almost impossible.”

“Almost impossible is not impossible. Will you see what you can do to shorten it up?”

“I’ll take care of it,” she said with a long-suffering sigh. By now she was certainly used to the never-ending challenges that went with working for him, and he paid her an exorbitant salary to ensure that she’d never leave him.

“You’re the best, Mags.”

“Anything for you, Patrick. Have a safe trip, and I’ll be in touch.”

“Thanks.”

Knowing he could see Mary again in ten days rather than fourteen went a long way toward making him feel better about her leaving. He went downstairs and poured himself a glass of Linc’s best bourbon and took it to the window that overlooked the lake. It was so pretty here. He could see why Linc and his family loved it so much.

As he stared out the window, another thought came to him, making him smile as he considered the idea from every angle. Then he went back upstairs, taking them two at a time, so he could call Cameron. She answered on the second ring, sounding out of breath. He sure as hell hoped he wasn’t interrupting anything between the newlyweds.

“Hi, Dad. We just got home from skiing, and I got your email. I was going to call you tonight.”

The sound of her voice made him happy—and if she was skiing, there was no way she was pregnant. Mary was right—he had to tell Cam sooner rather than later about her family history when it came to childbirth. “You had a good time skiing?”

“It was great. Will said there’s hope for me yet. I say there’s hope as long as I stick to the bunny slopes.”

Patrick sat on the unmade bed and listened to her tell him about being the only student Will had ever failed to teach to ski.

“He doesn’t give up, though,” Cameron concluded. “Even with defeat staring him in the face.”

“Your mom was a terrible skier, too.”

“She was?” Cameron asked in a small voice that made him feel bad that he’d never told her that before.

“Yeah, I took her a couple of times, but she couldn’t get the hang of it.”

“Will!” Cameron called. “It’s in my DNA! My mother couldn’t ski either. It’s not my fault!”

In the background, Patrick heard the deep rumble of his son-in-law’s voice and then the delicate sound of his daughter’s laughter. “He says that’s no excuse and he’s going to teach me if it takes the rest of our lives. If he wants to waste his time, I can’t stop him!”

“You two are funny.”

“What’s up with you?”

He felt guilty for not telling her he was in Vermont, but this weekend had been for him and Mary, and he suspected Cameron would approve. She’d been hoping he’d find someone new to love since she was old enough to understand what he’d lost when her mother died. “Getting ready to leave on my trip in the morning.”

“Oh, that’s right. Back to Asia. How long this time?”

“A couple of weeks. I’ll let you know.” He didn’t say anything about shortening his time overseas, because he wanted to surprise Mary by coming home early.

“Did you get the invite to Hunter and Megan’s wedding?”

“I did, and it’s on the calendar.”

“Excellent. You’ll stay for Christmas, too, right?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” He’d missed too much with his daughter in the past and appreciated that she held him close regardless of his failings. She was the greatest blessing of his life, and he adored her.

“Oh good! We’ll have so much fun.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” Christmas in Vermont had never sounded as good to him as it did this year, because he’d get to spend the holiday with the people he loved best. “I won’t keep you. I’m sure you must be tired after all that skiing.”

“I’m exhausted and bruised from all the falling.”

Patrick laughed. “Take a hot bath.”

“That’s the plan.”

“One of the other reasons I called is I was trying to remember the name of that friend of yours in the city who does personal shopping. You know who I mean?”

“Oh, Layla?”

“Yes, is she still doing that?”

“Yep.”

“You think she’d mind helping me out with some Christmas shopping since I’m going to be gone for a couple of weeks?”

“Ah, yeah, Dad,” Cam said with a laugh, “I guarantee she’d be thrilled to have Patrick Murphy as a client.”

“Excellent. Will you send me her info?”

“As soon as we hang up. Have a safe trip, and call me if you get a chance.”

“I will, sweetheart. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

He ended the call with a smile stretching across his face. Not only had he gotten the chance to talk to his little girl, but he’d found someone who could help make sure that Mary didn’t forget about him while he was gone.

Returning to her routine after the magical weekend with Patrick was pure torture for Mary. The days dragged. Work that normally kept her fully engaged was suddenly boring and tedious. The book her book club had chosen didn’t hold her attention, and Mildred was battling a bad cold and had forbidden Mary to come over out of fear of her catching the bug. Even the needlepoint projects that were her favorite spare-time hobby didn’t interest her the way they usually did.

The only thing that raised her spirits was the euphoria of the Abbott family when they welcomed Max’s son, Caden, the day before Thanksgiving, which they spent in Burlington to be near Max and the baby. Things had been weird between Max and his girlfriend, Chloe, during the final months of her pregnancy, and everyone was on edge about what would happen next. For now, though, they were focused on the baby and Max, the youngest of the ten Abbotts, who’d given Molly and Linc their first grandchild.

Otherwise, Mary was completely out of sorts, and it was all Patrick’s fault, which she told him on Thanksgiving night when he called around eleven.

“How is it my fault?” he asked, sounding close enough to touch when he was on the other side of the world.

“Spending time with you makes the rest of my life look boring in comparison.”

“I think that’s a compliment, but I can’t be entirely sure.”

Mary laughed. “It’s a backhanded compliment.”

“See, you should’ve come with me since you’re no good to anyone there.”

“True. This is all part of your evil plan to lure me into your trap, isn’t it?”

“Is it working?”

“Maybe… But it’s a good thing I stayed home, because Linc is going to be out all next week. They’re staying in Burlington to help out with the baby, and Hunter, Ella, Will and Cam are heading to their friend’s wedding in Turks and Caicos tomorrow.”

“I talked to Cam earlier. They’re so excited for the trip.”

“They were giddy with excitement in the office this week. So I have to ask how you managed to have another gift delivered, and on a holiday, no less.”

“Which one did you get?”

“A gorgeous pale pink cashmere sweater, scarf and hat that is so soft I may never take it off.”

“I can’t wait to see it on you—and to take it off you.”

“This has to stop.”

“No, it really doesn’t.”

“Patrick…”

“Mary…”

“I told you I’m not going to forget you in the two weeks you’re gone. How could I when I can still feel…”

“Finish that sentence,” he said on a low growl. “Right now.”

“I can still feel you inside me.”

His groan echoed through the phone line. “Mary…”

“I couldn’t forget you. Stop sending me presents.”

“No.”

“Yes!”

“No.”

Mary laughed and shook her head. “I don’t need you to do that, Patrick.”

“Maybe I need to do it. It makes me happy to imagine you getting something from me every day.”

“We need a compromise. Every other day.”

“No.”

“Patrick! Do you know the definition of the word compromise?”

“Yes.”

“Are you being intentionally dense?”

“Maybe.”

“Ugh. You drive me crazy.”

“I love driving you crazy. Will you do something for me?”

“What?”

“Apply for a passport. The next time I go somewhere, I want you with me.”

“We were talking about you sending me gifts.”

“Now we’re talking about you getting a passport.”

“I can’t pick up and travel around the world. I have a job and a life and bills to pay.”

“If the stars align and you’re able to join me, having the passport would make it easier.”

“I’ll look into it.”

“Excellent.”

“See, that’s called a compromise. You need to compromise on the gift issue.”

“I like sending you gifts. It makes me happy.”

“So you said, but we both know you aren’t actually sending them.”

“That’s not true. I was personally involved in choosing everything you’ve received.”

“You were? Really?”

“Swear to God. I have someone who has given me options, and I choose what I want for you. It’s actually been fun imagining what you’ll think of the things I sent.”

“I love it all. Anyone would love cashmere and sterling silver and designer purses. But it has to stop, Patrick.”

“Tell me again why that is?”

“Because!”

“Ahh, I get it now.”

“You enjoy being intentionally obstinate, don’t you?”

“I enjoy sparring with you.”

“Will you please stop sending me gifts every day?”

“I’ll stop as soon as I get home. How’s that for a compromise?”

“That is not a compromise!”

“It is to me. I’d planned to send you something every day for the rest of our lives. So, you see, I did listen to you, and I heard what you said, and I’m doing what you asked me to.”

Mary’s mind had gone completely blank at his mention of the rest of their lives.

“Nothing to say to that?”

“I…”

His laughter rang through the phone, and she wondered if it were possible to actually die from missing someone so badly. In all her life, she’d never missed anyone as much as she currently missed him.

“No wonder you’re so successful in your business. You’re a scoundrel.”

“Why thank you, sweetheart. That’s so nice of you to say.”

“Only you would take being called a scoundrel and a tempting devil as compliments.”

“Coming from you, they’re the best compliments I’ve ever received. I miss you. You’re all I think about. I can’t concentrate in any of my meetings because I’m thinking about you and counting the days until I can see you again.”

“Patrick,” she said on a long sigh. “I miss you, too.”

“You do? Really?”

“Yes,” she said, laughing. “Really. I’m having some concentration issues of my own at work.”

His deep sigh said it all. “I wish you had a smartphone or a computer at home so we could FaceTime. I want to see your gorgeous face.”

“There’s no point to having a smartphone in Butler, and I spend enough time staring at a computer at work. I’ve never felt the need for one at home.”

“Maybe I should send you one so I can have the pleasure of seeing you.”

“Don’t you dare!”

His low chuckle made her smile. “I should let you get some sleep, and I’ve got a meeting to get to.”

“Thanks for calling.”

“Highlight of my day. Sleep tight.”

“I’ll try.”

“You have to hang up.”

“You first.”

“Don’t want to.”

“Bye, Patrick.”

“Mary…”

“What?”

“Don’t go out with anyone else while I’m away, okay?”

She laughed—hard. “I’ll do my best to resist the multiple offers rolling in on a daily basis.”

“That’s not funny.”

“Yes, it really is. Now hang up and go to your meeting.”

“You first.”

It pained her greatly to click the Off button on her portable phone, but she did it so he wouldn’t be late to his meeting. After the phone went silent, she pulled her down comforter up around her shoulders and tried to get comfortable as thoughts of him and the things he’d said kept her wide awake.

What was happening to her and her well-ordered life at the hands of this man she couldn’t stop thinking about? If you’d asked her a couple of months ago if she knew what it felt like to be in love, she would’ve said of course she did. She’d been in love with the man she’d expected to marry after college—or so she’d thought. Patrick was showing her that she’d known nothing about love or desire or true passion until she met him.

And what was she going to do about the many emotions running around inside of her, all of them focused on a man who lived six hours from her and ran a complex life that in no way resembled hers? How would they ever make it work?

Though he hadn’t said he loved her again since last weekend, he’d been showing her every day with his thoughtful gifts, the phone calls, the words he used to tell her how much he missed her. Mary was woefully unequipped to deal with the myriad emotions he roused in her and fearful of where it all was leading. She wished she could talk to someone about it, but she was fiercely private. Cameron was the one person who could shed some insight, but she couldn’t talk to Patrick’s daughter about the weekend she’d spent with him, the things he’d said or what they’d done together in bed.

Dear God, the thought of that conversation mortified her. And besides, it was up to Patrick to decide what he told his daughter about them, not her. That left her stuck without anyone who knew him and knew her and could maybe tell her whether she was a total fool for letting this happen.

Molly. The thought popped into her head out of nowhere. Linc and Molly had known Patrick for thirty years, since the two men had gone to college together. Molly had always been a good friend to her, and Mary had no doubt that if Molly had insight to share about Patrick, she’d do so willingly.

After tossing and turning for another hour, Mary decided she was desperate enough to confide in her boss’s wife, if she got the chance.