It was Thanksgiving week, and Mercedes had a million things to do.

She had sat with her mom, going over the menu and had been to the grocery store.

She and Michelle had already decided, it was going to take an act of Congress, to keep their mother out of the kitchen, especially, since, everyone was going to come over to their parents' house, for Thanksgiving this year.

Michelle had initially offered to host it at her and Mark's place, but having their mom travel too much, wasn't a good idea.

Plus, if she got tired, it was easier for her to just go to her room, so she could rest.

Mercedes had been invited to Sam's parents' house as well, but there was no way she could juggle it all, which was too bad.

She'd always liked Dwight and Mary Evans. They were great people, and she'd spent a lot of time at their house, when she was dating Sam.

In fact, one of these days, she had to stop by and say hello to them again.

Just not this week.

"Are you sure we can't just go to Marley's bakery and buy some pies?" Mercedes asked her mother.

Mrs. Jones gave her a look of horror.

"One does not buy pies to serve during Thanksgiving, Mercedes. One makes them."

"Why not? I buy them all the time. Marley makes great pies."

"Yes, she does. And she'll sell a lot of them this week, to people who don't cook. But we can cook."

Mercedes nodded and pored over the list of to-dos.

"We can do a lot of things, but you will not be making your homemade crust this week."

As her mother opened her mouth to object, she waved her pen in her direction.

"No. Too much work. It's too hard on your arm. No homemade crust. I've already bought ready-made crust. It's in the freezer, so forget about it.

Her mother looked crushed, which made her stomach tighten, but she refused to yield.

"I'm not an invalid, you know."

"No, you're not. But this year, there won't be homemade crust on your pies. And you know what? I bet they'll still taste amazing. Michelle and I will help with them."

Some of the items had to be made early...like six pies...since her mother had to invite, practically the entire town of Hope to Thanksgiving dinner, which was why she had to buy a twenty-six-pound turkey, plus a huge ham.

They made a pumpkin pie and pecan pie, and tomorrow, they'd make several more. Plus, the cookies her mother had also suggested.

"How do you do this?" Mercedes asked later in the day, while her mother sat drinking some hot tea and she did dishes.

"Do what?"

"Work a full-time job, and make all this food? You do this every Thanksgiving?"

"I do a little bit every night after work. Your father is very helpful."

Mercedes shook her head.

"You're like Wonder Woman, Mom."

Her mother beamed.

"Well, thank you, honey. I just enjoy staying busy."

"Now you sound like Sam."

"Really? How's that?"

"He works a full-time job. He's renovated practically every room in his new house and he works on his cars."

Her mom took a sip of tea, then set the cup down.

"He's motivated to stay busy. And he isn't out carousing every night."

'Carousing.' Mercedes smiled at the word, as she finished scrubbing a pot and put it in the dish rack.

"I guess so."

"So what's bothering you about him?" her mother asked.

She grabbed the dish towel to dry her hands, then turned around and leaned against the sink.

"Nothing bothers me."

"The two of you have restarted your romance since you've been back home."

"Not really. We're just spending time together. There's no romance going on."

Her mother gave her that look, the one she used to give her, when she knew she had been lying about something.

"I think we can be honest with each other, honey. I've given you a wide berth all these years...when you left so suddenly and when you refused to come home. I've always let you and Michelle decide your own fates."

"I appreciate that, Mom..."

"But you and Sam...you two were so much in love...so seemingly destined for a future together. And then, you suddenly broke up and decided you had to go on this grand adventure without him...subsequently changing your entire life's direction. I didn't understand it then, and I still don't."

Mercedes shrugged.

"I just...changed my mind, Mom. I was under so much pressure at the time, and I made a choice about what I wanted to do with my life. As far as Sam, well that was a high school romance and it just didn't work out, so we broke up. It really wasn't a Romeo and Juliet kind of tragedy, you know.

Her mother gave her that look again.

"He's a good guy, Mercedes."

She so didn't want to have this conversation with her mother, but saw no way out of it at the moment.

She kept her head down, focusing on the extensive list she'd started to make.

"Yes. He's a good guy."

"Do you want to tell me what happened? Your breakup was so abrupt."

She shrugged.

"We just realized we wanted different things. I wanted to travel, and he wanted to go to college."

"You wanted to go to college, too. So what changed?"

'Everything.' "I don't know, Mom. Like I said, I changed my mind...my direction."

"I'm not stupid, Mercedes."

Mercedes' head shot up.

"Of course you're not."

"You left here a wreck, emotionally. Did that have to do with Sam?"

She wrapped her arms around herself.

"Please don't ask me to bring up the past, when there's nothing I can do to change it."

"Did he hurt you?" her mother asked.

There was nothing that brought out her mother's protective instincts, more than a wounded daughter.

Her mother...and her father...had come to her defense on countless occasions, whether it was emotional or physical hurt.

But she was a grown woman now, and she wanted to leave the past behind her. Or at least she was trying to.

Dredging it up time and time again, wouldn't help.

"No, he didn't hurt me. We had come to a crossroads in our lives. I had changed my mind about college and we had made plans for our future, that no longer meshed. It was kind of a messy breakup...you know how it is for teenagers. He went one way, and I went another. It's just...I was an emotional mess about it."

Her mother studied her for a few minutes, then nodded.

"And the last thing you wanted, was to come crying to your parents about it, because, we might have blamed Sam."

"Exactly. I just needed to get away. From Sam, from Hope, from everything that reminded me of the past. I needed a fresh start. I wanted to shake loose of everything here."

Her mother looked hurt.

"Not you or dad or Michelle. I don't know, Mom...it's hard to explain. My independence came at a cost, and I know that. I never meant to hurt you."

Her mom stood, and hobbled over, to fold her into her arms.

"Oh, honey, you didn't hurt me. All these years, I was just so worried about you."

She hated lying to her mother, but she couldn't...wouldn't...share that part of her past.

Knowing what had happened, would only hurt her deeply, and she might blame Sam for it. That, she wouldn't allow.

So instead, she hugged her.

"I know you were, and if I could take back all the years of worry, I would. But I'm doing good, Mom. I'm happy with the life I lead."

Her mother pulled back.

"Are you? Are you really happy?"

She gave her mother a genuine smile.

"I'm living my dream. I love the travel, and the opportunity to meet new people everywhere I go. I've had so many interesting jobs and I've learned so much...not just about the work I do...but about myself. I don't know, that I would have become as independent as I am, if I hadn't chosen this life."

Her mother grasped her hands.

"I'm so proud of you, baby. I've never told you this before, but I see a lot of myself in you. Our paths are different, but our passion is the same."

That was the first time her mother had ever told her, she was proud of her. Tears sprang into her eyes.

"Thank you, Mom."

Thanksgiving day dawned, clear and crisp. Just the way Sam liked it.

He knew his mom would be up early, so he headed over there to help out, and spend the day with his parents.

He didn't get to see them as often as he'd like. Work and other projects kept him busy. But they were busy, too. Now that they were retired, they'd bought an RV and enjoyed traveling the country.

But days like today, when his aunts, uncles, and cousins were over, he could settle in, eat his fill of great food, and catch up on all the family gossip.

Still, his mind lingered on Mercedes, who he hadn't seen for about a week, not since she'd abruptly fled his house, while they were watching a movie.

He had no idea what was going on there.

They'd talked a few times, but he sensed she needed distance, and he knew to give her the space she needed, to figure things out.

But there was only so much he was willing to give her.

Her mom had invited him over for Thanksgiving dinner, and once things had started winding down at his parents' place, he said his goodbyes and drove over to the Jones' house.

Sam knocked and Mr. Jones answered.

"Hey, Sam. Happy Thanksgiving."

"Same to you, David."

They shook hands and Mr. Jones led him inside.

There was still a houseful of people, so he said his hellos to Samantha's grandmother, and a few of Mercedes' cousins and aunts and uncles, that he knew from around town.

'Damn, was the entire town here? Leave it to Marlene Jones to have one hell of a holiday shindig.'

Speaking of, Mrs. Jones was holding court in the living room, so Sam came over and kissed her cheek.

The McCormick's former housekeeper/stand in mom, Mavis from the ranch, was sitting next to her.

"Hi, Mavis," he said.

"Hi, yourself. I haven't seen you for a while. Keeping busy?" she asked.

"I have been. Nice to see you off the ranch."

"Marlene invited us all out here today, to have lunch, so I'm taking the day off."

"Good for you." He went back over to Mrs. Jones and whispered, "And I hear you're doing cartwheels with your new casts on."

She laughed.

"Nearly. I'm feeling pretty good these days."

"You're looking even better."

"And you know exactly what to say to make a woman blush. Go find my daughter. She's in the kitchen."

"Yes, ma'am."

He turned away with a smile on his handsome face, excited to see Mercedes.

Mercedes was indeed in the kitchen, with Michelle, Cassidy, Debra, Samantha and Marley, all of them nestled up at the kitchen table, having what he could only assume, was intimate girl talk.

Their heads were bowed close, and they were all drinking wine and laughing.

Until he walked in.

Then, they pushed their chairs back, as if they'd been caught saying something they shouldn't.

"Oh! Hi, Sam" Mercedes said. "I didn't expect to see you today."

"Your mom invited me."

"That's true. Nice to see you Sam," Michelle said, kissing his cheek.

Cassidy stood, a little unsteady on her high heels.

"What's up, handsome?" she asked, kissing his other cheek.

"Not much."

"Beer or wine?" Samantha asked. "Though I already know the answer."

She went to the refrigerator and grabbed a beer, popped off the top, and handed it to him.

"Thanks, Samantha."

Debra got up, too.

"How's it going, Sam?"

"Good, Deb. How's the movie business?"

"Busy. How's the auto repair business?"

He grinned.

"Busy."

"Let's go find Bash," Cassidy said.

"Bash is here?" Debra asked.

"Somewhere. Maybe outside having a cigar with the rest of the guys," Michelle said.

"There are cigars?" Sam asked.

"One of Mercedes' uncles brought them." Cassidy winked and slipped out the back door with Michelle, Debra, Marley and Samantha.

Sam took a long swallow of beer, then took a seat at the table.

"I interrupted. Sorry," he said.

Mercedes shrugged.

"We were just talking. Trust me, it was nothing important. Just gossiping about Cassidy's date the other night."

"Really?"

"Yes." She cracked a smile. "It didn't go so well for him. He was late, obnoxious, checked his phone repeatedly during dinner, then wanted Cassidy to pay her half of the tab. And that was after, he'd been relentlessly pursuing her for a month."

Sam shook his head.

"The poor guy. I can only imagine how badly Cassidy took him down."

"It wasn't pretty...very loud and very public, in a very nice restaurant."

He leaned back in the chair and took another swig of beer.

"I actually would have liked to have seen that. Sounds like the son-of-a-bitch deserved what he got."

"That's what I said."

"Someday Cassidy is going to find a man worthy of her," he said.

Mercedes graced him with a warm smile.

"That's what I said. And it's nice of you to think so."

"I like her. She's ballsy, and a man would like that. She's also beautiful and smart. What man wouldn't appreciate those qualities in a woman? If I knew any men deserving of her, I'd set her up. Unfortunately, no one immediately comes to mind."

She sighed.

"I know. Michelle and Deb tell me, they're always on the lookout for great men for her. Sadly, few measure up."

"There's someone for everyone. Her day will come," Sam said.

"So I keep telling her."

Mercedes emptied her wineglass, then went to the refrigerator and grabbed the bottle.

Sam got up.

"Here, let me do that for you," he offered.

"Thanks."

He pulled the cork out and poured her refill.

"How did your dinner go?"

"It was hectic, but we pulled it off, and everyone seemed to enjoy the meal. How was dinner at your parents?" she asked.

"Great. They said to tell you hello."

"I'm sorry I couldn't make it over there. I wanted to see them...I do want to see them."

"Plenty of time for that. And speaking of time, how about starting work with me next week?" he asked.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that. You know, Mom's still hobbling around, so I don't know if I can leave her just yet..."

"Quit using me as an excuse. It's time for you to go back to work, Mercedes."

Both turned, to see that Mrs. Jones had made her way into the kitchen.

"Oh, Mom. I didn't see you there."

"Obviously. Now, Sam offered you a job. And I think it's high time you started it, don't you think?"

Sam folded his arms across his muscular chest. He wasn't going to interfere in this conversation, though he had been the one to initiate it.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay here by yourself?" Mercedes asked.

"Yes. I'm dying to get you out of here, to see if I can fend for myself during the day, without you hovering over me, waiting for me to fall. If I feel like I can't, you'll be the first person I call. How's that?"

Mercedes looked from her mother to Sam.

"Does that work for you?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Of course. Your mother is your first priority."

With a sigh, Mercedes nodded.

"Then, I'll start on Monday."

"Good. Now go enjoy the heaters outside with the rest of the young people. I'm going to get a glass of eggnog."

"I can get that for you, Mom."

Her mother shot her a glare across the kitchen, and she stepped back.

"Okay, you can get it for yourself."

"Good girl. Now out of my way."

Mrs. Jones made a shooing motion and Mercedes shook her head.

"Guess we're going out back to play with the other kids," she said.

Sam laughed.

"I guess we are."

There were portable heaters set up, though it had turned out to be a pretty nice day today.

Bash was out there, along with Mark, Logan, a couple of Mercedes' uncles, and Ben, Mavis' husband.

"About time you showed up," Mark said.

"You're lucky we didn't smoke all the stogies before you got here," Logan said.

"Yeah, yeah...I'm here now and I did hear there were cigars," Sam said.

Frank, Mercedes' uncle, offered him one.

"Thanks," he said.

Mercedes had wandered off to sit with the women, so Sam stuck with the guys, catching up on life at the ranch with Logan and Ben, and listening to Bash complain about some personnel issues, he'd been having with a couple of his cocktail waitresses.

Then, Sam talked about how he'd hired Brad, and how he was doing...typical guy stuff.

But he kept skirting glances across the patio to Mercedes, who hadn't once looked in his direction.

She was pretty engaged with her friends. They were all laughing and having a good time, talking about God only knew what.

"...and then we all had sex with the suspect, but since she was a hooker, she charged us. We got a discount though, since we gave her a get-out-of-jail-free card..."

Mark's conversation finally entered Sam's brain. He whipped his head around, his face masked in confusion.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked.

Mark smirked.

"Nice to see you finally paying attention."

They all laughed.

"You were so focused on what the women were doing, we could have been talking about anything. Mark asked you a question four times and you didn't answer," Logan said. "Why don't you just go over and sit with Mercedes? But be sure to hand in your man card on the way over."

"Fuck you, Logan," Sam said, his face and ears red.

"Aww, come on," Bash said, slinging his arm around his shoulders. "My man here has obviously got issues."

"Yeah," Mark said. "Serious ones. A woman's got him by the tail."

"More like by the balls," Logan said.

"You're one to talk," Sam said as he pinned Logan with a glare. "And you, too, Mark."

"I can at least keep track of a conversation," Mark said. "Whatever's going on with you and Mercedes has your brain scrambled."

Maybe it did.

And the only way he could address it, was with her.

In the meantime, he shrugged it off and concentrated...really concentrated this time...on his friends.

After a while, the women headed inside and the guys stayed out, the conversation turning to sports.

They started debating the football game, so they went inside and joined Mr. Jones in watching it, while the remaining women gathered around the dining room table, drinking coffee and talking, with the exception of Marley and Cassidy, who came over to watch football with them.

Once Sam got into the game, that's where his concentration stayed, especially, when they all argued over which team was going to win.

It was halftime before he got up from his spot on the sofa, to venture into the kitchen, deciding to switch from beer to coffee.

"Having fun?"

He turned from the counter to see Mercedes.

"Yeah. How about you?"

"I am. Thanks for coming over today. My mom was really happy to see you."

"I was happy for the invite...but I guess you and I aren't going to have any time to talk tonight."

She shrugged.

"Too many people hovering around today. Sorry."

"No big deal."

She lingered, so he figured there was something on her mind. Then again, like she said, today wasn't the day to have that talk. So instead, he looked out the doorway.

Everyone was busy talking or watching the game.

"Mercedes..." He moved in closer.

"Yeah?"

He slipped his arm around her and pulled her in for a kiss, intending on taking just a brief taste of her.

Then, she moaned, and clutched his shirt, dragging him in.

He groaned and swept his hand across her back, right down, letting his fingers skim over the top of her butt, lost in her, and wishing they were alone.

But they weren't, so with great goddamned reluctance, he broke the kiss and she licked her lips.

"Careful," he whispered.

"I'm not careful when I'm with you. I'm trying for distance."

"Why?"

She lifted her eyes to his, deep pools of brown, filled with the same desire and need that was tearing through him right now, making it hard for him to resist, pulling her out of the house, driving her over to his, and throwing her down on his bed, so he could sink inside her, satisfying both their needs.

He laid his forehead against hers.

"I don't know," she said. She put her palms on his chest. "I don't know. I just need...a minute...a day. I don't know."

He grasped her hands in his.

"Take what you need, Mercedes. I'm not going anywhere."

She drew in a deep breath.

"Thank you for that."

She took a step back, and walked away and his eyes followed her.

'At least she looked reluctant when she left the room.'

Stay safe!