AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His eyes darted to hers sharply.
She continued, “You didn’t have to go out there and find him. And you definitely didn’t have to take him to the hospital. That was really… kind of you.”
Mason moved to the edge of the porch and leaned against it. “I didn’t do more than anyone else in Copper Creek would have.”
“That may be true, but you still didn’t have to.” Harley released a slow breath through pursed lips. The adrenaline that had been coursing through her body since they’d discovered her uncle was missing was still wreaking havoc. She couldn’t seem to get to a calm state. “Did they tell you how long it’s going to take him to get better?”
Mason turned away from her, resting his elbows on the railing as he stared out at the property. “Due to his age, they think it’s going to be at least two months, but more likely, it will be closer to three.”
“Three months? That’s the rest of the summer!” Harley glanced toward the house as if she could see through the brick and wood siding to see her uncle. “What are we going to do?”
“What do you mean what are we going to do?” Mason shot a look at her over his shoulder. “I’m going to help run things as planned.”
Her eyes snapped back to him. “You are? I thought—”
“If I were you, I would consider staying quiet. I’m still not too keen on being here. Your uncle needs me more than you do, and I plan on running this place to his exact specifications.”
Though she couldn’t fault him for his words, that didn’t mean they didn’t sting. What else did he have to go off of? She hadn’t exactly been the warmest of people. That, combined with what her uncle might have shared, would add up to some pretty deep prejudices.
Her jaw tightened, and she gave him a sharp nod. They were stuck with each other. Perhaps she had been too quick to believe she could manipulate him to do her will. This summer was proving to be a much bigger hassle than she originally thought.
“While your uncle is out of commission, you’re going to have to step up. I hope you’re aware of that.” Mason turned to face her fully. There wasn’t a degree of kindness that she could read in his gaze. What she’d seen glimpses of before had been shielded away.
“Meaning?”
“Meaning,” he drawled, “you’re going to have to prepare meals for your uncle.”
The realization hit her hard enough to almost knock her off balance. She’d never had to take care of someone before. Could she cook a decent meal? Well, that depended on what Mason would consider decent. Did he expect her to help her uncle bathe or handle other private matters? Her gut clenched, and she stared wide-eyed at Mason. “I don’t think he’s gonna want me to—”
“Relax. I’ve told him that I can spend my days here to help with… personal matters. I’ll be here before he gets up in the morning and leave after he’s gone to bed.”
She snorted. “You might as well stay here at that rate.” When she caught sight of his judgmental gaze, she looked away. “Well, there are plenty of rooms. I doubt you would want to travel back and forth…”
“I’ll be fine. It’s not that far.” Mason straightened. “Clearly, none of us planned for this to happen, so we have to make the most of it. I stand by what I said. I’m not going to put up with you messing around. If you’re going to be here, you’re going to pitch in. I have several siblings and we were all raised to do just that.”
“How many siblings do you have, really? Cuz I don’t believe for a second all those people are your family.”
He ignored her question. “Now, I would imagine that there are several things left to do today that didn’t get done. Your uncle is resting now, but he should eat something before he turns in for the night. Do you think you can manage?”
The way Mason spoke to her felt familiar in a way. She couldn’t place what it was about the authority that exuded from him, but it was nothing like the judgment she got from her mother on the regular. She glanced at him once more. “Yeah. I think I can do that.”
He gave her a sharp nod. “Good. I’m going out to the barn to take care of the horses.”
“The horses?”
Mason was down two steps when he stopped and glanced at her. “Yeah. I need to give them a good brushing so they don’t develop skin issues.”
“I already did that.”
“You… did?” Mason couldn’t hide his surprise.
She hugged herself, pleased that she’d finally thrown him off. “I’m not so useless after all, am I?” With that, she turned and escaped inside. She didn’t need another snide comment from Mason. He’d made it all too clear how he felt about her.
Well, if he thought he had her all figured out, he was dead wrong. She’d show him. No one truly knew the real Harley Pembrooke.
13
Mason
