Swept Away in Wilde (Wilde, Nevada Beginnings 1)

She took a bite of Carol’s pie. “Mmm. Oh my God, this is delicious.”

“It’s so easy to make. Do you like to bake?”

“I’ve only made cookies. My nanny showed Maude and me once.”

Carol tilted her head slightly. “What about your mother?”

“She was always too busy.”

“I can tell that makes you sad, Mary. I’m so sorry.”

Unable to hold back from the loving woman, she told her about growing up in the Kincaid household.

With eyes welling up Carol reached across the table and took her hand. “I know how you must feel. I, too, had a terrible childhood. Suffice it to say my parents loved their whiskey more than me. I ended up in an orphanage.”

“Oh my God, at least my parents were attorneys and provided for us.”

“Mary, children need love more than money, more t

han anything. Love is the most important thing you give to a child.” Carol wiped her eyes. “My mother-in-law passed away last year. She was the only mother I really ever had. She gave me love. Mary, if you will have me, I would like to be that for you.”

Happy tears fell from her eyes, and she got up and came around the table. She wrapped her arms around the dearest woman she’d ever met in her life. “Yes. Please.”

They held each other.

“Is it okay if I say ‘I love you,’ Carol?”

“It will be okay only if you call me ‘Mom,’ and I love you, too.” Carol kissed her on the cheek. “Now sit back down and finish your pie, young lady. I still want to hear all about your dates with Craig and Dillon. You have no idea how excited Dan is about your date tomorrow with him.”

Wilde, Nevada, had been a little sidetrack on her journey. Soon she would have to leave the town for her new future. Deep inside, she knew it would break her heart in two. But what choice did she have? She’d made up her mind on what she needed to do to get far away from her ex. Get the story, and then get back on the road. That’s what I must do.

“Blame it on me being a reporter or someone who can never quite control her curiosity, but I must know more about your story, Mom. You mentioned that you’re not from Wilde either. Can you tell me how you started dating three men and how you came to make such a relationship work?”

“I’d be happy to, Mary. I had just graduated from college. I was living in San Francisco when I met Jack at a diner one morning.” Carol’s face lit up, and she told her about how she’d fallen in love with her three husbands. What a whirlwind romance.

Mary hung on every word and began to realize that it was possible to be in love with three men at the same time.

As they finished their dessert, Carol started another pot of coffee.

They talked late into the morning hours.

When she finally did put her head on the pillow, Mary smiled before drifting off, thinking about Carol’s last words to her.

“Goodnight, daughter. Love you.”

Chapter Thirteen

Riding along the side of the pavement of the road on Suicide Hill, Dan looked over his shoulder at Mary, who was atop his mother’s horse. “My brothers told me you already seem like you were born in the saddle. I can see they were right.”

Her smile made her look even more beautiful in the midmorning light. “It’s all because of this girl. Right, Rosie? You’re the one doing all the work. I also didn’t know how much fun it was to ride.”

“Now that you have the itch, you’ll want to take Rosie out as much as possible.” He patted Star on the neck. “I know I still do and I’ve been riding my whole life.” One of the first things I’m going to do after we get her to stay in Wilde is find Mary her own horse.

“Why do they call this Suicide Hill?” she asked. “Did someone kill themselves here?”

“A guy passing through town who had too much to drink rolled his car and went over the hill into the ravine. No one was sure if he lost control or actually did it on purpose. My dads told me it happened way back in the 1920s. The tragic memory has stayed with my town all these years. The mothers of Wilde were the ones who gave the hill its name. To this very day that story is retold to teenagers as an example of the importance of safe driving.”

“I bet it’s quite effective. I think I might want to look back into that story. Do you know what the victim’s name was?”