Black Rose Page 0,34

don't you give me a hand fetching the supplies?"

"Sure." He passed Lily back to Hayley, and followed his brother out of the room.

"Can't miss this," Mason whispered to his mother, then strolled out behind them.

"PRETTY THING,ISN 'Tshe, our cousin Hayley?" Austin commented.

"You've always had a keen knack for stating the obvious."

"Then I'll keep my streak going by saying I think she's soft on me."

"And an infallible way of misjudging women."

"Hold on," Mason told them. "I've got to find something to write on so I can keep score."

"She's got the prettiest mouth. Not that you'd notice, big brother, since it's not something growing out of a pot." He took out a beer, had a swig from the bottle even as Harper got out pilsners.

"And the only way you'd get your fat lips on hers is if she has a seizure and requires mouth-to-mouth."

"He shoots, he scores. By the way, I'm the doctor here," Mason reminded them. "She needs mouth-to-mouth, I'm first in line. We got any Fritos or anything around here?"

"Got ten bucks says different." In an old habit, Austin boosted himself up to sit on the counter. "Maybe you could babysit so I can see if our resident babe would like a little stroll around the gardens. Seeing as I haven't heard you call dibs."

"She's not the damn last piece of pie." With some heat, Harper grabbed the beer from his brother, took a long swallow. "What the hell's wrong with you talking about her that way? You ought to have a little more respect, and if you can't come up with it on you're own, you and I can take a little stroll outside so I can help you find it."

With a grin, Austin jabbed a finger at Mason. "Told ya. Can I call 'em or can I call 'em?"

"Yeah, he's hooked on her. What kind of kitchen is it that doesn't have any Fritos?"

"In the pantry, top shelf," Roz said from the doorway. "I'm surprised you'd think I'd forget your childish addiction to corn chips. Austin, have you finished messing with your brother's head for now?"

"I was really just getting started."

"You'll have to postpone that portion of your holiday entertainment." She glanced over, had to smile when she heard Mason's cheer as he located the bag of chips. "We have company, and it might be nice if we present the illusion that I raised three respectable and mature young men."

"That's pretty well shattered since he's already juggled," Harper grumbled.

"There's a point." She moved over to touch Harper's cheek, then Austin's before she turned to Mason. "You may not be respectable and mature, but by God, the three of you sure are handsome. I could've done worse. Now get those drinks together, Harper, and take them out to our guests. Austin, get your butt off my counter. This is a house, not the neighborhood bar. Mason, put those chips into a bowl, and stop dropping crumbs all over the floor."

"Yes'm," they said in unison, and made her laugh.

CHRISTMAS DAY WENTby in a blur. She tried to imprint specific moments on her mind - Mason's sheer delight in the antique medical bag she'd found him, Harper and Austin squaring off over a foosball table. There was Lily's predictable fascination with boxes and wrapping rather than toys, and Hayley's joy in showing off a new pair of earrings.

She loved seeing Logan sitting cross-legged on the floor, showing Stella's boys - his boys now - the child-sized tools inside the toolboxes he'd made them.

She wanted to slow the clock down - just for this day, just this one day - but it sped by, from dawn and the excitement of opening gifts, to the candlelight and the lavish meal David prepared and served on her best china.

Before she knew it, the house was quiet once more.

She wandered down to take a last look at the tree, to sit alone in the parlor with her coffee and her memories of the day, and all the Christmases before.

Surprised when she heard footsteps, she looked over and saw her sons.

"I thought you'd all gone over to Harper's."

"We were waiting for you to come down," Harper told her.

"Come down?"

"You always come down Christmas night, after everyone's gone to bed."

She lifted her eyebrows at Mason. "I have no secrets in this house."

"Plenty of them," he disagreed. "Just not this one."

Austin came over, took her coffee, and replaced it with a glass of champagne.

"What's all this?"

"Little family toast," he told her. "But that comes after this one last