It was three days later. Mac and Jo were standing in the cemetery along with Jason and Ellie. Jo was crying on Mac's shoulder. Her mother had passed away on Saturday night. She was glad that Mac was there with her but she could not help but think about her mother being gone. She had not been away from her a long time but she had always been able to call and talk to her. She remembered how her mother had been so good to her when she was young and all her life. How would she live without her?

Mac held Jo. He did not know what to say. He hardly ever knew what to say to people who lost someone. He just held Jo to him. He had not known her mother very long but she had been a nice lady and Jo was very close to her. He knew this was going to be a long grieving process for her to get through. He knew something about that. He remembered when he lost his mother. He had been a Marine but he cried like a baby. He supposed that was enough to make anyone cry if they loved their mother.

They finally went on to the car and Mac drove back to the house. "Come on, Ellie," Jo said when they got inside. She took Ellie's hand and they went upstairs.

Mac and Jason just stood there in the living room for a moment. Jason looked at Mac. "I think I should go back to New York," Jason said. "She doesn't need me hanging around here."

Mac considered that for a moment. He thought Jason might be right. "I hate for you to go back right now," he said.

"Well, I just think that she doesn't need any extra people around during this time."

Mac put his arm around Jason's shoulders. "She probably doesn't," he agreed. "I don't know that she would want you to leave though."

"Maybe I should go and stay in a hotel."

"We didn't get to take our fishing trip yet."

"I guess we'll have to postpone that."

Mac nodded. "I want to get upstairs and get this suit off," he said. "We'll see what happens later. She may want some time alone and we may have to get scarce for a while. Let's just get some different clothes on and go outside for a while."

"Maybe you can go out to the greenhouses with me."

"And meet your girlfriend?"

Jason smiled. "Yeah."

"I can do that."

Mac and Jason went upstairs. Mac looked at the door to Jo's room as he went by. He wondered what she would want him to do. She obviously did not want to see him right now. He went on into his room and changed into a t-shirt and jeans. Then he left the room. Just as he was closing his door, Jo came from her room, along with Ellie. She looked at Mac and then at Ellie. "Give me a minute to talk to Mac," Jo said.

"Okay," Ellie replied.

Ellie went on downstairs and Jo came over to Mac. She fell into his arms and hugged him tightly. "Oh, I love you so much," she said. "And I am so glad you're here."

"I love you too," Mac replied. "I understand if you want some time alone with Ellie."

Jo just stood there in Mac's arms for a moment longer and then she looked at him. "I do want to spend some time with her alone."

Mac pushed her hair back and kissed her. "You take all the time you need. I will go and spend some time with Jason."

Jo kissed him again and hugged him. "I love you, Mac," she sobbed.

Mac had never seen Jo cry so much. He wanted to make her pain go away but he knew how that pain was. There was nothing that could be done to ease it. It took time. "You won't be alone," he said.

Jo stood up and dried her eyes but when she looked into Mac's eyes, she wanted to fall apart again. Mac looked at her a moment. "You know, you don't have to be so strong all the time," he said.

"Trust me, I'm not right now," Jo said desperately trying not to burst into tears again.

"You go ahead and spend time with Ellie. She needs her mother too."

Jo nodded and wiped another tear off her face. "I'll see you later."

Mac watched her walk down the hall. He hated to see her in so much pain but he understood it. He went downstairs and found Jason in outside. "So, where are we going?" Mac asked.

Jason smiled. "We're going to the greenhouses," he replied.

"Okay."

They went out to the barn and got some horses. "You know how to saddle a horse?" Mac asked.

"I do now," Jason replied.

Mac laughed. "I guess you learn fast."

"That first day I was in here, I wasn't too sure of myself."

"Oh, I guess Marci showed you how to do it."

Jason smiled a smile that let Mac know that he was right. "Are you two getting tight?" Mac asked.

"Tight?" Jason asked. "We just met."

"Well, it doesn't take long before you start getting close."

"I guess it wouldn't if you knew somebody a long time before."

"Maybe but you spent the day with her more than once."

"She is fun to be with."

They finished saddling the horses and walked them outside. "You ready, Partner?" Mac asked.

Jason chuckled at Mac's mockery of a Texas accent. "Ready as I'll ever be," he replied.

They mounted up and headed out across the pasture. "I have to say it has been a long time since I rode a horse," Mac said.

"I had not ridden one since I was a kid," Jason replied. "It's relaxing."

"Yes, it is."

They rode in silence for a few minutes. "Have you ever thought about what it would be like to live somewhere like this?" Jason asked.

Mac nodded. "Yes, I have," he replied. "I think about it a lot."

Jason looked at Mac. "You think Jo is going to want you to move here?"

"I don't know. I've been wondering about it though. I know I want to be with her. I am not sure she wants to live here. She has not said that but she mentioned what it would be like to just stay here. She owns this house now and this land."

"If I was her, I wouldn't want to leave it either."

"I wouldn't either."

"You think you'll lose her?"

Mac looked at Jason. "No. Why?"

"Just wondering. You don't sound sure of yourself."

Mac looked out across the pasture. "I don't know what Jo really wants yet," he said. "I'm certainly not going to talk about it right now."

"No I know that."

"What would you do if I moved down here?"

Jason looked at Mac and considered that. "I don't know," he said. "I guess I would be making trips to the south."

Mac was not sure he wanted to live that far from Jason. He had just found him and he did not want to be more than a thousand miles away. Where they were now was much more than a thousand miles from New York. He did not want to be a thousand miles from Jo either. He loved Jo and wanted to marry her but he was not sure whether he wanted to live here or not. He had never lived in a place like this and he had never dreamed that he would have a home that he did not pay for himself.

"It's going to be a hard decision for you, isn't it?" Jason asked.

Mac nodded. He might as well admit it. "I'm not sure what will happen," he said.

"I know you love her cause you're always happy when you two are together."

"Yes, I love her very much."

"Sometimes I wonder if I will ever find love like that," Jason said.

Mac looked at him and he was looking out across the meadow. "When you do, you'll know it."

"How?" Jason looked at Mac. "How will I know it?"

"You've never been in love?"

Jason shook his head as though he were embarrassed by that fact. "No."

"I don't know how to explain that. When you know, you'll just know. It's like something happens inside you and your eyes don't see anyone but her and your heart beats faster when you see her and when you think about her. You will know that there's no one else for you but her."

Jason considered that. "I don't think I have ever felt like that."

"Don't worry, you will and then your life will never be the same again. You'll do crazy things trying to impress her and years later when you're married, she'll bring it up and laugh about it on every anniversary and you'll be wondering why you ever did that and it will be a cherished memory that you both will share. Love makes you do things you've never done before and things you wouldn't normally do."

"What if I don't do anything weird?"

Mac looked at him. "Well, I don't guess everybody does that but I would think that most people do," he said. He stared at Jason a moment. "Is this what you've been wanting to talk about?"

Jason looked at Mac. "Yeah I guess."

"Well, it's nothing to be embarrassed about," Mac said. "Everybody does things in their own time."

"But I'm almost twenty-six."

"So?"

"So?" Jason said incredulously. "I'm…old, Dad."

Mac snickered at that remark. "You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not kidding."

"Wait until you get my age. Then we'll talk."

"Yeah, but then you'll be even older."

"Right, so you'll never be old in my eyes."

Jason sighed. "I just wish I could have been around to call you 'daddy' when I was a kid," he said.

Mac looked at him. "I know we missed a lot but we're together now," he said. "That's one of the things I don't know how to deal with…"

"What?"

"Leaving you or staying in New York. I just found you and I don't want to lose you. I don't want to be a thousand miles from you."

"I don't want you to be a thousand miles from me either."

"I know you're grown but I just don't like the idea of that."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Don't know yet. Jo has to have some space right now and I'm sure we'll be talking about this soon."

Jason saw Marci outside the greenhouse shading her eyes as they were riding that way. He smiled a smiled that let Mac know he was very happy to see her. Mac grinned slightly. He thought Jason was probably closer to being in love than he thought. They rode up to the greenhouse and dismounted.

"Hi," Marci said with a smile.

"Hi," Jason replied.

"You ready to help me with the roses today?"

"Sure." Jason indicated Mac. "This is my dad, Mac Taylor."

"Pleased to meet you," Marci said. "I see where he gets his beautiful eyes from."

"I see why he's been spending so much time in the greenhouse now too," Mac replied.

Marci blushed with a shy smile. She smiled at Jason. "Come on." She took Jason's hand and led him into the greenhouse.

Mac was surprised at all the rosebushes. "Wow, these are beautiful," he said as he saw all the gorgeous blooms of all colors.

"Mrs. Danville loved roses," Marci said. She frowned. "It's so sad that she's gone."

Mac nodded. "Yes it is. I didn't really know her but she was a nice lady."

Marci touched a white rose. "This was her favorite," she said. "I grew more of these than any and at times I took this one up to the house so she could see it when it had the most roses on it."

Mac and Jason spent the rest of the morning in the greenhouse helping Marci prune the rosebushes. Mac had never known there was so much work to taking care of roses. Marci even talked to them. "They get spoiled," she said. "If you do something, you have to keep doing it or they will just get upset and die."

Mac scowled. "How do they know whether you do it or not?" he asked.

Marci looked surprised. "Well, they're alive."

Mac nodded. "Yes, I should have known that."

"They definitely know. If you stop taking care of them the same, they will wilt and just die."

"I've never really raised one so I don't know much about them."

"You can definitely spoil a rosebush."

Mac watched how Jason and Marci flirted with each other and "accidentally" touched each other's hand or had to "get around" each other and how Marci giggled at things Jason said and how he wanted to lift everything for her. He tried not to laugh but it was hard not to. He wondered what they did when he was not in there.

Mac was helping Marci move a tree when his phone rang. They set the tree in its new location and Mac got his phone. "Taylor…I mean, hello," he said.

"Hi, Taylor," Jo said.

"Sorry. I am so used to saying that."

"Where are you?"

"I'm down at the greenhouse. Been down here all day."

"When are you coming back?"

Mac looked at what they were doing. "Uhm, well, I can come now if you want," he said. "I thought you were out with Ellie."

"I have been. We've been walking and talking and shopping and just doing a lot of girl stuff."

Mac walked away from Jason and Marci. "Well, I've been hanging around here with these two lovebirds," he said. "I think I'm ready to leave them alone. I've heard all I want to hear about plants and trees."

"Oh Mac, they're just young."

"Yes, I know and I'm old."

"I want you to come back to the house."

"I'll be there soon."

"Okay."

Mac put his phone away. He knew Jo needed someone to talk to and to lean on. He went back into the greenhouse. "I'm going back to the house," he said. "I'll see you later, Jason." He smiled at Marci. "I've enjoyed this."

"Thanks," Marci said. She hugged Jason's arm. "Don't worry, I'll watch after him."

Jason smiled and looked at Mac. "See you later, Dad," he said.

"Okay," Mac replied.

Mac went out to his horse and mounted up. He hoped Jo was okay…