Green Mountain Collection 1 by Marie Force (20)

One by one, the family members began to leave the room, each of them praising the site on the way out.

“I like to think I can admit when I was wrong about something,” Wade said. “I still don’t think we need a website, but you’ve succeeded in showing me how beneficial it can be. Thanks for your hard work.”

“Thank you, Wade. That’s very nice of you to say.”

Working around his crutches, Elmer enveloped Cameron in a big hug that brought tears to her eyes. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart, young lady. You’ve helped to ensure that what my parents started and Sarah and I continued will live on long after we’re gone.”

“I’m so glad you’re happy with it. I knew you’d be my toughest critic if it wasn’t up to par.”

“You’re darned right about that.” He leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “My grandson has been a mess without you. I sure do hope you’re back to stay.” Before she could formulate a reply to the audacious statement, he kissed her cheek and moved along.

“Great job, Cameron,” Hunter said. “I’ll be in my office.”

“Thanks. I’ll meet you there in a minute.”

Only Molly, Lincoln and Will remained as Cameron and Lucy packed up their equipment.

“Lucy,” Molly said. “Linc and I go to our favorite Italian place in St. Johnsbury every Friday night. I wonder if you might like to join us tonight?”

“I’d love to. Thanks for the invite.”

“Great. We’ll pick you up at the inn around six thirty.”

“I’ll be ready.”

Molly hugged Cameron. “I’d invite you, too, but I suspect you’re going to get a better offer.” She kissed Cameron’s cheek. “We sure did miss you while you were gone. Don’t forget about Sunday dinner.”

As she looked into the face of the woman who’d been more of a mother to her in the short time she’d known her than any other woman ever had, Cameron said, “I wouldn’t miss it.”

Molly squeezed her arms and left with her husband and the dogs.

“I need to speak to Hunter about something,” Cameron said to Lucy and Will, who hung back waiting for her. “I’ll be just a minute.”

Will’s brows knitted with what might’ve been displeasure, but he didn’t say anything.

“Don’t say anything to make him run away,” Cameron said to Lucy on her way out the door.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Lucy said with an angelic smile that made Will snort with laughter.

Cameron knocked on Hunter’s open door. “Here I am. Mind if I close the door?”

“Do you promise you’re not going to hammer me about Megan?”

“I promise. This time anyway.”

He gave her a reluctant grin and gestured for her to close the door.

The moment the door clicked closed, Cameron experienced a flutter of nerves. This was the part of her plan she was most unsure of. “I was wondering if I could speak to you in your capacity as HR director.”

He sat back in his chair, pencil in hand. As always, he was impeccably turned out in a starched dress shirt. “What about?”

“I’d like to apply for a job that doesn’t yet exist within your company.”

One dark brow lifted toward his hairline. “And what job would that be?”

“Webmaster.”

“The word master in the title tends to connote something slightly above an entry-level position.”

Cameron smiled. “Maybe just above entry level. I’m willing to take a pay cut if necessary. I’ve heard the cost of living in Vermont is slightly less than New York City.”

“Slightly. So you’d manage this proposed position from here rather than there?”

“That’s the plan.”

Hunter tapped his pencil against his lips as he appeared to think it over. “Does Will know about this?”

“Nope.”

“Why not go to him with it?”

“Because I didn’t want our personal relationship to influence a business decision.”

“But your personal relationship is influencing your desire to relocate, right?”

“That question is highly inappropriate in a job interview, Mr. Abbott, which you should know as director of HR,” she said with a grin.

“It’s also highly inappropriate to invent a job for yourself within someone else’s company.”

“Touché,” she said, enjoying the sparring match. Underneath his stuffy exterior was a nice guy with a dry wit.

“Tell me you’re here for him, will you, please? Inappropriate or not, I’d really like to know the answer to that question.”

“I’m here for him.”

“Thank goodness,” Hunter said with a sigh of relief. “He’s been a wreck since you left. It’s been hard to see him like that. Reminds us of another time, only this has been far worse.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. If it makes you feel any better, it’s been the same for me.”

Hunter eyed her, as if there was something he wanted to say but wasn’t sure he should.

“What?”

“I probably shouldn’t tell you this …”

“Tell me what?”

“He’s going to kill me for telling you.”

“If you don’t tell me right now, I’m going to kill you.”

“He’d planned to go with you.”

“Go with me where?”

“Back to New York when you left. He borrowed clothes from me and asked my folks to watch his dogs. He wanted to see where you lived and meet your friends and get a look at the place. He didn’t think it was fair, if you two were going to make a go of it, that he should assume you’d be the one to move.”

“Why didn’t he come?” Cameron asked in a whisper, stunned by what Hunter was telling her.

“Because he heard you tell your friend you weren’t moving to Vermont, and you told him you needed some time to figure things out. So he gave it to you.”

“Oh God. Poor Will! I would’ve loved to have more time with him and to show him my city.”

“You still can do that, you know, before you make any decisions about moving.”

She shook her head. “I’ve already made my decision. I’ll let you think about the job proposal. No pressure. If it’s not doable, I’ll figure something else out. But this is where I want to be.”

“It’s probably time you told Will that.”

“It’s past time. Thanks for listening to my idea.”

“Cam?”

His use of her nickname warmed her heart. “Yes?”

“We’ll figure something out with the job. I can’t imagine turning that beautiful website over to anyone but you. I could feel your affection for my family and our business in every frame of that presentation.”

“Thank you, Hunter.”

“Thank you—especially for coming back and for dealing with Will for us.”

“I’ll take very good care of him. Don’t worry.”

He nodded his approval, and she left his office, wanting to be with Will more than she’d ever wanted anything in her entire life.

She found Lucy alone in the conference room, attempting to check her e-mail on her phone and scowling in frustration. “What’ve you done with Will?”

“He’s in his office. He said he’d wait for you there. Didn’t seem too pleased that you were powwowing with his brother before you sucked face with him.”

“Very funny. Will you be able to find your way back to the inn, or do I need to escort you?”

“Since I know you’re dying to jump his sexy bones, I’ll put you out of your misery and tell you I’m more than capable of finding my way next door.” She gathered up her things and stood. “I’ll get my stuff out of the car and leave the keys for you under the driver’s side mat so you can get your bag. Leave me the keys, and I’ll lock it up when I go to dinner.”

“Sounds good.”

“Great job today, partner. You were on fire.”

“Thanks for being here. It helped.”

“Anytime. Call me in the a.m.?” Lucy had a return ticket for a Monday morning flight back to the city. Cameron had left her return open-ended.

“Will do, but probably on the landline in your room. The cell service sucks.”

“So I’ve discovered.” She rested a hand on Cameron’s arm. “Tell him everything, Cam. Don’t leave anything unsaid.”

“I won’t.”

“Good luck, not that I think you’ll need it. That man was devouring you with his eyes every minute of your presentation.”

Lucy walked out, said good-bye to Mary and went down the stairs.

Cameron’s stomach twisted with nerves as she picked up her lightweight jacket and purse and headed for Will’s office.

When she appeared in the doorway, he looked up from what he was doing. “All done?”

“Yes. For now.”

“Want to get out of here?”

The lump in her throat made it impossible to speak so she nodded.

He got up, grabbed his coat and keys and gestured for her to lead the way. “I’ll be gone the rest of the day, Mary.”

His gruffly spoken words had every cell in Cameron’s body standing at full alert, intensely aware of him and the hand he placed on her lower back as he ushered her out the door.

“Thanks again for the gift, Cameron,” Mary called after them. “So good to see you.”

“You, too!”

“Where’s your stuff?” Will asked when they reached the foyer at the bottom of the stairs.

“In the rental car across the street.”

“Why don’t you grab it, and I’ll pick you up out front.”

“Okay.”

“Unless …”

“Unless what?”

He was adorably uncertain as he propped his hands on his hips. “Unless I’m being presumptuous as all hell thinking you want to come home with me as badly as I want you there.”

Her heart beat fast with excitement and relief that nothing at all had changed between them during the long month apart. “You’re not being presumptuous.”

“Good. I’ll be right there.”

Not wanting to waste a second with him, she ventured across the street to the car. The keys were right where Lucy had said they would be. Cameron retrieved her small bag from the trunk and returned the keys to the hiding spot under the mat, which is something else she’d never dare do in the city. But here in Butler the car would be perfectly safe until Lucy locked it up later.

Will came along in his truck and pulled into a parking space near where she was standing. Like always, he got out to hold the door for her and stashed her bag behind the seat. When she was settled, he closed the door and jogged around the front of the truck to get in the driver’s seat.

She expected him to immediately back out of the parking space and head for the cabin, but he didn’t. Rather, he looked over at her, seeming to drink her in with his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Absolutely nothing. For the first time in a very long month, absolutely nothing is wrong.”

“I missed you, too.”

“I can’t believe you’re actually sitting in my truck again like you never left. I’m not going to wake up to discover this very nice day was all a dream, am I?”

Smiling, she shook her head.

“I need to kiss you right now. I can’t wait until we get home, not after having to sit through your awesome presentation and pretend like I wasn’t dying to drag you out of there—”

That’s as far as he got before Cameron was over the center console, giving him exactly what she wanted as much as he did. She melted into the kiss, loving the way his hand burrowed into her hair and tightened to keep her from getting away. When they had no choice but to come up for air, he nuzzled her neck while continuing to hold her as tightly as he could in the awkward space.

“Let’s go home,” he said, sighing as he released her. He backed the truck out of the parking space, and as soon as they were heading out of town, he reached for her hand.

Cameron cradled his hand between both of hers, relishing the connection and the familiarity of the ride to his cabin.

When they passed the spot where she’d run into Fred, Will tooted the horn. “Thanks, Fred.”

“I wonder if he’s heard I’m back in town.”

“I’m sure the word has reached him by now. He’s astonishingly well connected.”

“It’s so great to be back here and to see the trees budding and the grass starting to turn green. You guys are about a month behind us in the city. Spring is in full bloom there.”

“It’s a long, long winter here. People who didn’t grow up here often have a hard time adapting to it.”

Was he trying to warn her? Perhaps, but nothing—not even the threat of year-round winter—could make her not want to be with him in this special place.

He pulled onto the road that led to his house, and Cameron was surprised to find it had been smoothed out.

“What happened to all the ruts?”

“I fixed them. I do it every spring, and then winter returns, and it gets all messed up again. Circle of life around here.”

Stepping inside his circle of life sounded like heaven to her as he pulled up to the house and cut the engine. She’d learned to wait for him to come around the truck to open her door.

He leaned into the truck for another lingering kiss before he helped her out and reached behind the seat for her bag. “The boys are going to be really happy to see you, so be ready. I don’t want them to knock you over.”

“They won’t.”

“You’re underestimating how much they missed you, too.”

Sure enough, when he opened the door, the dogs went crazy jumping all over Cameron, competing for her attention.

“Told ya,” Will said as he helped to shoo the dogs into the yard and Cameron into the house. Inside the door, he dropped her bag with a thunk and had her pressed against the door in a move so smooth she never saw it coming until his body and lips were molded to hers.

She hooked her fingers through the belt loops on his jeans, holding on for dear life as his tongue delved into her mouth and his erection throbbed against her belly.

“I told myself I wasn’t going to do this the second we walked in the door, but I can’t help it.” His lips were soft and seductive against her neck. “We have so much to talk about.”

“Yes.”

He ran his hands down her arms and took her hands, towing her behind him to the sofa. “Are you cold?”

“Not hardly,” she said with a laugh that made him laugh, too, as she curled up next to him.

He turned to her, stroking her hair, her face, her arm. “Did you get all your thinking done?”

“Most of it.”

“I did a lot of thinking, too, and I’d like to tell you what I thought about.”

“I’d like to tell you some things, too.”

“Would it be okay if I went first?”

Since it seemed to matter so much to him, she bit her lip and nodded.

“Do you remember the night Max came here to tell me that Chloe’s pregnant, and he asked you how he’d know if he was truly in love?”

“Yes.” She remembered every single second she’d spent with him because she’d relived every one of them over and over again while they were apart.

“You told him he’d know when she was all he thought about, when he couldn’t wait to spend more time with her and when he couldn’t keep his hands to himself when she’s around.”

“That sounds about right.”

“You’re all I think about. I can’t wait to spend more time with you. Hell, I’d spend all my time with you if I could. And I can’t keep my hands to myself when you’re around. Check, check, check. I love you. I’m in love with you. I want to be with you here, in New York, anywhere you want. I don’t care where we are. I only care that you’re there with me.”

“Will,” she whispered, astounded by his words as well as the sincerity he put behind them. “I love you, too. I’m crazy in love with you, and I want all the same things you do, only I want them here.”

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, seeming to absorb what she’d said before he opened his eyes again. “Remember what I promised I’d do if you fell in love with me?”

“I’ve been holding on to that promise with everything I’ve got.”

“Now you can hold on to me with everything you’ve got.”

She launched herself into his arms, and he caught her, because he’d promised he would. With her arms wrapped tight around his neck, she felt like she was finally back where she belonged.

“Have we talked about everything we need to talk about?”

“Almost everything. You didn’t say whether you liked the website.”

He pulled back from her so he could look into her eyes. “I loved the website. It was magnificent. And you know what? I knew you had to be as in love with me as I am with you when I saw that website and the love you’d put into capturing my family and what’s important to us.”

“I love you, and I love them, too. That’s why I want to be here. I want to live here and work here and be with your family, and I talked to Hunter—”

He scowled playfully. “What exactly did you talk to Hunter about?”

“A job.”

“A job,” he said with a laugh. “You asked my brother for a job.”

“Technically, I asked him to create a webmaster position and give the job to me so I can keep working on the website that’s become as important to me as I hope it will one day be to all of you.”

“So you’re moving here for the website. I get it now.”

“That’s the primary reason. There were a couple of secondary reasons, but I can’t remember now what they were. I’m sure it’ll come to me—” All the air whooshed from her lungs when he hauled her up and flung her over his shoulder, making her scream with laughter as he swung her around.

He went to let in the dogs and then to the bedroom, closing the door to keep the dogs from joining them.

Cameron landed on the bed with an ungraceful ooph and took a moment to experience the sheer joy of knowing she was exactly where she belonged, with the man she’d been born to love. She held out her arms to him.

He came down on top of her, his body heavy and hard and perfect against hers.

She ran her fingers through his hair while feasting her eyes on the face that had become the center of her world. “Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to come to New York with me?”

“How do you know I was going to?”

“Like Fred, I’m amazingly well connected.”

His amusement made his eyes glow with warmth. “Because you said you needed some time, and I wanted to give it to you.”

“I would’ve taken more time with you in a heartbeat.”

“Now you’ve got all the time you want.” His lips slid into the sexy smile that had killed her from the very beginning. “You’re really going to move here?”

“If you’ll have me.”

“I’ll definitely have you.” He pushed his hardness into the V of her legs. “Now and always.”

“Thanks for the warning,” she said, smiling up at him.

“It’s a promise, baby.”

Keeping her fingers in his hair, she urged him into a kiss that was full of the love and longing she’d carried with her during the month without him. They pulled and tugged at clothes until all the important parts were revealed.

Without breaking the kiss, he surged into her and then froze. “Crap. Totally forgot the condom.”

“Wait.” With her hands on his backside, she held him where she’d wanted him every day since she was last with him. “I saw my doctor right after I got back to the city. I’m safe, and I’m protected.”

The look he gave her when her words registered was nothing less than priceless. “So what you’re saying …”

“What I’m saying is if you’re safe, too, no condom required.”

“I’m safe.” He leaned his forehead against hers, seeming to gather himself. “As this will officially be the first time I’ve ever had sex without a condom, it’s going to be over really, really, really fast.”

“That’s okay. I’m not going anywhere. You can make it up to me.”