The Gamble (Colorado Mountain #1)(100)

“God’s country!” Mom declared loudly.

“Mom, what on earth?” I asked, walking toward them and Mom whirled.

“Neenee Bean!” she screeched and rushed up to me, throwing her arms around me and giving me a fierce hug.

I forgot to be shocked by Mom’s surprise visit when I felt her arms around me. Mine went around her and I hugged her tight.

“This feels good,” I whispered into her hair.

“Oh yes, sweetie, the best,” Mom whispered back.

I felt her hands gather up my hair and she pulled away, holding my hair at the back.

“I like your hair this long,” she observed, her eyes doing a Mom Scan.

“Thanks, you look good,” I observed, my eyes doing a Daughter Scan, seeing Mom looked fit and healthy, her skin tan, her hair perfectly dyed the blonde she declared she’d never let go and pulled softly back in an attractive, mature-lady’s ponytail at her nape. Her turtleneck and slacks were trim, neat and fashionable.

All pure Mom.

“Swimming three times a week, gardening, golf and a good diet. And you have to moisturize, Neenee Bean, day and night. Don’t forget.”

“I don’t.”

“I know, sweetheart, your skin is flawless, always was. Though, Nina,” she admonished, her eyes narrowing on my face, “you shouldn’t go to bed with your makeup on. If I taught you nothing, I taught you that.”

“You wanna let the big, bad stepdad get a hug in or are you gonna keep her all to yourself?” Steve’s rumbly voice asked from close and I stepped back and looked up at him.

Steve was big and tall, had gone only slightly soft, not losing his lean physique or his broad shoulders. His hair was all gray and he didn’t care most likely because it was a thick, silvery gray and it suited him. Unlike Mom, who was dressed for lunch with the girls, Steve was wearing jeans, comfortable walking shoes and a flannel shirt. He’d been a maintenance engineer and before he retired he’d supervised a complex of eight buildings.

He was also a lovely man.

“Hi Steve,” I said and slid into his arms for one of his deep, tight, bear hugs.

“Good to see you, doll,” he said to the top of my head.

“You too, Steve.”

“Oh!” Mom cried and Steve let me go so we could turn to her but he kept an arm around my shoulders. When we faced Mom, we saw she was addressing Max. “We get to know each other I’ll get to hug you.”

It was then I remembered to be shocked by Mom’s surprise visit. And at that moment, I added horrified.

“Mom!” I snapped and Mom turned to me.

“I get to do it when he doesn’t have a shirt on too. I’m calling it now,” Mom declared.

“Speakin’ of that,” Max muttered, grinning broadly but heading to the stairs. “I’m gonna get dressed.” He looked at me when he passed and said, “Babe, can you start coffee?”

“Um… yes,” I replied.

His eyes dropped to my shirt and I caught them darkening before he turned his head away and went up the stairs.

“Nina, sweetie, this house, that view, that man. My God!” Mom cried.

“Nellie, darlin’, this place is open plan. Max can hear you,” Steve informed her.

“So? We’re all family now. He’ll have to get used to me,” Mom decreed madly and marched toward the kitchen. “I’ll make coffee, rustle up breakfast. Neenee Bean, you go wash your face and moisturize.”

I was still swaying from the force of Mom’s “we’re all family now” statement so my protesting words were weak. “Mom, I’ll get coffee and maybe we should meet in town for breakfast or something and you can tell me then what you’re doing here.”

“Oh, tosh!” Mom was in the kitchen, opening and closing cupboards. “That’ll take too long, we’ll have breakfast here,” she declared then went on. “I’ll make pancakes. No! My famous scrambled eggs. Max strikes me as an egg man.”

I decided speaking was giving my mother fodder to embarrass me further so I grinned at Steve, ducked under his arm and rushed to the stairs, saying, “I’ll be back down in a second.”

I hit the loft as Max came out of the bathroom wearing a dark blue Henley thermal and jeans and I stopped dead.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered loudly.

Max got close and tilted his head down to me. “Yeah? Why?”

“My mother’s… she’s… well, my mother.” I was still whispering.

“Heard the knock, honey, expected to see your Dad at the door. Damn better sight seein’ your Mom smilin’ and wavin’ and jumpin’ up and down.”

I closed my eyes as the vision of Mom doing that, and she would do it, filled my head.

I felt Max’s hands on my neck and he called, “Duchess.”

I opened my eyes and repeated, “Sorry.”

He used my neck to pull me closer. “Only thing you got to be sorry for is passin’ out on me last night. Though, baby,” I watched up close as his eyes got warm, “you passin’ out na**d but leavin’ on those f**kin’ sexy shoes and now wearin’ my shirt makes up for it.”

“What?” I was lost in his eyes. I couldn’t process words especially since his words were mostly scary.