Page 361 of On A Manhunt: Complete Series

GEORGIA

Fifteen minutes later, Sassy left with Tommy and Sally Ann.

Keely took her brood home but gave me a thumbs up on the way out the door.

Momma was downstairs with Andy. Together, they were making cookies, even though Momma had prepared a different dessert which we didn’t get to eat.

Andy had taken to her like a bee to a flower, even though she was a little prickly.

But having a grumpy father must’ve given Andy coping skills because he was handling her like a pro.

He could man handle anyone, that kid never knowing a stranger. Plus, he loved cookies.

Mac and I were in my room. Officially, we were alone. Sorta. We had two chaperones downstairs, but I doubted they’d disturb us, especially since I caught Mac locking the door. The kiss earlier, and the time apart, made me eager to try on his size twelve shoe.

But we had something to tackle first. Like finding out what some people had been up to.

I had a video call pulled up on my laptop and I’d gotten Bradley, Maverick and Drew in a meeting room.

Mac and I were in a little box on the screen.

We were side by side on my bed leaning against the white Sears headboard.

The pink pillow shams and floral wallpaper couldn’t be missed in the background.

Thank the Lord this wasn’t a business call.

The others were in their own little video windows. They had to know why we’d texted and told them to get on this group call. Therefore, there was to be no southern chitchat that was a polite start to a conversation. I was going straight to the point.

“Did y’all play matchmaker?” I asked.

“Yes,” they said at the same time.

There wasn’t any lying or waffling. They admitted it outright.

“I told you she’d find out!” a woman called. It sounded like Bridget and it was coming from off screen. So she knew, too.

I glanced at Mac out of the corner of my eye.

“Explain,” he said, staring at the laptop screen.

Bradley started. “A while ago, Theo told me about Mac, how they worked together on the fire trainings. Then I met him back in the fall when I was in Hunter Valley.”

“At the party for Theo and Mallory,” Mac said, confirming Bradley’s statement.

Bradley nodded.

I didn’t know when that was, but the details of the event were probably irrelevant. But they met.

“I thought you two would be perfect for each other. Coincidentally, you just found out about Art and you needed a man who wasn’t an asshole in your life. I confirmed personally that Mac is not an asshole.”

“Thanks,” Mac said at the odd compliment.

“An idiot, or at least dense since it seems you’re finally together, but not an asshole,” he corrected.

“Yeah, um, true, and thanks,” Mac said again, rubbing the back of his neck.

“That was months ago,” I reminded.

Bradley nodded. “I know. Bridget is tackling the philanthropic arm of James Corp and has been working on a list of ways to support and grow Hunter Valley. Like the small business grants. It was Theo, though, who mentioned the fire department fundraiser. He knows about it because of the trainings.”

“This is where I come in,” Maverick said. “Bradley told me about you, Georgia. The situation you were in. He thought, instead of a lower earning fundraiser, he suggested it as a way to grow income for the kids’ club, merging the James Corp community donations with it.”

“You brought the idea of switching the charity to me,” Mac said.

Maverick nodded. “Yes, but the fundraiser resource was added on.”

“You made the job for me to go to Montana to meet Mac?” I asked. That seemed a little far-fetched, but it seemed exactly what they did.

“In one sentence, yes,” Bradley said.

“This is insane!” I was indignant. Hurt. “Did I get the job because of my abilities or because I was the only applicant?”

“Both,” Maverick and Bradley said at the same time.

“I… I wanted a job because I’m good,” I said. Mac wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close.

“You are good, G,” Bradley said, emphatically.

He looked me square in the eye. “There was no way I would have suggested this avenue to get you both together if I didn’t think it would work.

I’d never set you up for failure. In fact, based on the way Mac wants to kill me with his eyes and has his arm around you, it seems we were successful. ”

Mac wanted to beat Bradley up because I was feeling upset and he wanted to hold me and know I wasn’t alone. So yeah, they were successful. Still…

I waved my hand in the air. “Irrelevant.”

“Georgia, do you think I would hire someone unqualified to represent James Corp? You were my resource, my representative on this project with the town. Your work attitude, effort and abilities reflected on me.”

When he put it that way…

“So I got the job and came to Hunter Valley,” I said, moving the story along.

“And got on the same plane as Dad and Andy,” Mac added.

“That was me,” Bradley admitted.

“I knew it!” I said, sitting up and pointing at the screen.

“And he put you up in my garage rental,” Mac added.

“Again, me.”

“I told you, Bradley. I figured you were up to something that first day when I called you. You denied it.”

“I did and I’m not sorry,” he said in his usual, precise way. “You hadn’t fallen in love yet. Or you had and definitely weren’t admitting it.”

“The flight, the rental, the job, it was all to put me with Mac?” I was amazed. This was more coordinated than the pulling the calendar together.

“The calendar idea was unexpected,” Bradley admitted, the corner of his mouth tipping up. “So was both of you being so stubborn.”

“So was Lindy having Justine while you were over their house for dinner,” Maverick added.

“And Dad?” Mac asked. “You didn’t break his foot on purpose.”

Drew had been quiet until now.

“Of course not,” he said. “I will say it helped and that was the only perk of this stupid boot.”

“How did you get Andy to keep the secret all this time?” Mac asked.

That was a good question. That little guy had zero filter talking about nipples and toy submarines without a bit of embarrassment.

“Oh, he didn’t know anything about it,” Drew said.

“Not until he was in the car with me and Ralph. Ralph asked how it was going and Andy asked after what makematching was. Out of everyone, he was the most genuine in his feelings for you, Georgia. I hope you know you had more than one man fall in love with you.” He cleared his throat.

Tears filled my eyes because he wasn’t only talking about Andy.

“I fell in love with three Andrew MacKenzies,” I admitted.

He smiled. I smiled. A real one.

If I started crying again, I wasn’t sure if I could stop, so I stayed on topic. “Back to the fundraiser. With your talent for organization and planning us getting together, I don’t know why I was needed for the fundraiser. Y’all could do it by yourselves.”

“Because Bradley said I needed you at James Corp,” Maverick explained. “He was right. I wouldn’t have my new Hunter Valley-based PR director otherwise, now would I?”

“Oh dear Lord,” I said, putting a hand on my cheek, then glanced at Mac. He’d been quiet for most of this, most likely trying to come to terms with several people conspiring behind our backs.

We’d been set up in secret in a very big, very planned way.

“They put us together,” I said. If it wasn’t for them, we never would have met. I sure as hell wouldn’t have taken a job in far off Montana.

I wasn’t sure if he was angry or not.

For a second.

Then Mac smiled. “Yeah, they sure did.”

Then he shut the lid on the laptop, ending the call, and kissed me.