A Christmas Blessing Page 13

  Dead silence greeted the announcement, and for the space of a heartbeat Luke thought he’d made a terrible mistake in calling, rather than just showing up. It had been less than twenty-four hours since he’d flatly declared he wouldn’t be coming to White Pines. If his father started one of his typical, if somewhat justifiable, cross-examinations, Luke didn’t have any answers he was willing to share. He waited, unconsciously holding his breath, to see how his father would handle this latest development in their uneasy relationship.

  “I’ll have the plane there in an hour,” his father said finally. It was as though he’d struggled with himself and decided to give his son a break for once.

  Luke heaved a sigh of relief. “Thanks.”

  “No problem,” Harlan said. He paused, then added, “But if you go and change your mind on me, though, I’m warning you that you’ll pay for the fuel.”

  Luke laughed at the predictable threat, relieved by it. Obviously Harlan hadn’t mellowed that much. “That’s what I love about you, Daddy. You never allow sentiment to cloud your thinking about the bottom line.”

  * * *

  By the time Jessie got downstairs for breakfast on the morning after Christmas, only Mary remained at the table. She looked as stylish and perfectly coiffed as she had the night before, despite the fact she couldn’t have had more than a few hours sleep.

  Last night, surrounded by family and old friends, by the famous and the powerful, she had been in her element. She was equally at ease at the head of the table with only her daughter-in-law to impress. Jessie found that polish and carefully cultivated class a bit intimidating.

  Her reaction to Mary Adams had a lot to do with the older woman’s unconscious sense of style. In fact, Jessie couldn’t ever recall seeing Erik’s mother in anything more casual than wool slacks, a silk blouse and oodles of gold jewelry. Nor had she ever seen her with a single frosted hair out of place. Mary eyed Jessie’s jeans and pale blue maternity sweater with obvious dismay.

  “We must take you shopping,” she announced, without a clue that her expression or her innuendo were insulting.

  “I have plenty of clothes,” Jessie protested. “Unfortunately, the baby arrived before I’d planned, so I didn’t bring anything except maternity clothes along. The pants can be pinned to fit well enough.”

  “Not to worry,” Mary said cheerfully. “I’ll ask Harlan if the plane’s free. The pilot can take us over to Dallas for the day. We can shop the after-Christmas sales at Neiman-Marcus. I have half a dozen things that I need to return and you certainly won’t be needing those new maternity outfits we gave you now.”

  She shook her head, an expression of tolerant amusement on her face as she confided, “Harlan hasn’t gotten my size right once in all the years we’ve been married. I’ve become used to these post-holiday exchanges.”

  Jessie tried again. “Maybe another day,” she said a little more forcefully. Deliberately changing the subject, she asked, “Where are Jordan and Cody this morning?”

  “Jordan’s already flown back to Houston. He had business to attend to, or so he claimed. He’s probably chasing after some new woman. I think Cody is off somewhere with his father,” she said without interest.

  She regarded Jessie thoughtfully. “That shade of blue isn’t quite right for you. I believe something darker, perhaps a lovely royal blue, would be perfect with your eyes.”

  Jessie had been so certain she’d ended the subject of the shopping excursion. Apparently she hadn’t. “I’m not sure I have the energy yet to keep up with you,” she confessed as a last resort.

  Finally something she’d said penetrated Mary’s self-absorbed planning.

  “Oh, my goodness, what was I thinking?” Mary said, looking chagrined. “Of course, you must be exhausted. I remember when the boys were born, I didn’t even leave the hospital for a week and here it’s only been a few days since Angela was born. How on earth are you managing? Young women today are much more blas;aae about these things than my generation was.”

  Since Mary’s question seemed to be rhetorical and she appeared to have fallen deep into thought, Jessie concentrated on spreading jam on her perfectly toasted English muffin. She’d once wondered if the kitchen staff at White Pines had been told to toss out any that weren’t an even shade of golden brown. Her own success was considerably more limited. She burned as many as she got right in the old toaster she had in her apartment.

  “A nanny,” Mary announced triumphantly, capturing Jessie’s full attention with the out-of-the-blue remark.

  “A nanny?” Jessie repeated cautiously.

  “For Angela.”

  She’d hoped for a new tangent, but this one was pretty extreme even for Mary. “Please, it’s not necessary,” she said firmly. “I can take care of the baby perfectly well. Besides, you couldn’t possibly find anyone on such short notice. And I’ll be going back home next week, anyway.”

  “Nonsense,” Mary said dismissively. “You’ll be staying right here.”

  When Jessie started to argue, Mary’s expression turned intractable. It was a toss-up whether Luke and the others had gotten their stubborn streaks from Harlan or their mother. The combined gene pool was enough to make Jessie shudder with dread.

  “I won’t take no for an answer,” Mary said just as firmly. “Even if you insist on going back to that tiny little apartment and that silly job eventually, you have to take a few weeks of maternity leave. You’ll spend it right here, where we can look after you.”

  Jessie bristled at having the life she’d made for herself dismissed so casually, but she bit her tongue. She honestly hadn’t given any thought to the fact that she was entitled to maternity leave. It was on her list of things to worry about closer to the baby’s arrival. Angela had thrown that timetable completely off.

  “I don’t know how much time I’m entitled to,” she admitted.

  “I believe I’ve heard six weeks is the norm,” Mary said distractedly, jotting herself a note on the pad she always had at hand at breakfast for writing down the day’s chores. She dispensed them to the staff as merrily as if they were checks. They weren’t always received in quite the same spirit, but Jessie doubted if Mary noticed that.

  Her mother-in-law glanced up from her notes. “Of course, three months would be better. Why don’t I have Harlan call your boss and make the arrangements?” She made another note.

  The thought of Harlan Adams negotiating anything with her boss gave Jessie chills. “Absolutely not. I’ll make the call later today. After that I suppose we can talk more about how long I’m staying.”

  She gazed directly at Mary and tried to recall the precise tone of voice she’d used so successfully the evening before. “But no nanny. It wouldn’t be fair to hire someone and then turn right around and fire them again.”

  “Well, of course not,” Mary agreed far too readily. “We’ll send her home with you. It will be our gift.”

  Jessie felt as if she were losing control of her life. “You said yourself that my apartment is tiny. When you visited, you complained you could barely turn around in it. It can hardly accommodate a live-in nanny.”

  Mary didn’t even bat an eye at that complication. “Then we’ll find you someplace larger,” she said at once. She picked up her cup of tea. “If you decide to go back, of course.”

  “I thought we had settled that,” Jessie began, then sighed. Clearly she would be better off saving this particular fight for another day. She didn’t have the strength for it this morning. She stood. “I think I’ll go back up and check on Angela.”

  “No need, Jessica. I believe Maritza’s sister is sitting with her now.”

  She had married into a household of control freaks, Jessie decided, fighting her annoyance. Erik had quite likely been the only one in the group whose personality didn’t demand that he take charge of every single situation. She had learned her lesson from observing him, though. If she didn’t stand up to them, they would dismiss her opinions and her plans as no more than a
minor nuisance.

  “There’s no need for her to stay with the baby,” she told Mary forcefully. “I have a few letters to write this morning and some calls to make, so I’ll be with her.”

  With that she turned and headed for the stairs, fully expecting yet another argument. For once, though, Mary was silent. Well, almost silent, Jessie amended. She thought she heard her mother-in-law sigh dramatically the instant she thought Jessie was out of earshot.

  Back in her suite, she found a beautiful, young Mexican woman sitting right beside Angela’s crib. Apparently she had taken her instructions to watch the baby quite literally, because she didn’t even look away when Jessie entered the room.

  “Buenos dias,” Jessie said to her.

  The young woman glanced her way and smiled shyly.

  “Do you speak English?” Jessie asked.

  “Yes.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Lara Mendoza.”

  “Lara, thank you for looking after the baby. I’ll stay with her now.”

  Lara seemed alarmed by the dismissal. “But it is my pleasure, se;atnora. It is as Se;atnora Adams wishes.”

  Jessie bit back a sharp retort. “It’s not necessary,” she insisted gently. “I’ll call for you, if I need you, Lara.”

  Lara’s sigh was every bit as heavy as the one Jessie had heard Mary utter. Apparently she was testing everyone’s patience this morning.

  Still, she had to admit that she was relieved to be on her own. Perhaps the decision to come to White Pines had been a bad one, after all. All of the things she’d hated most—the control, the dismissal of her opinions, the hints of disapproval—were coming back to her now.

  She realized that for all of her hopes and dreams when she’d married Erik, this still wasn’t her family. Jordan and Cody seemed to like her well enough. Even Harlan appeared to be fond of her. But Mary was another story. Every time her mother-in-law addressed her, Jessie couldn’t help concluding that the older woman found her sadly wanting.

  Suddenly she was filled with a terrible sense of despondency. Perhaps there was no place she really belonged anymore, not here and certainly not with Luke. He’d made that clear enough. Perhaps it was time she accepted the fact that she and Angela were going to have to make it entirely on their own.

  A tap on the door interrupted her maudlin thoughts. She eyed the door suspiciously. She didn’t think she could take another run-in with Mary just yet.

  “Who is it?” she called softly, hoping not to wake the baby.

  “Open the door and find out,” a masculine voice said.

  The sound of that unmistakable voice gave her goose bumps. She practically ran to fling open the door, relieved and elated by his timely arrival.

  “Luke,” she cried and propelled herself into his arms without considering his reaction.

  Despite his startled grunt of surprise at her actions, he folded his arms around her and held her close. Suddenly she no longer felt nearly so alone. Breathing in the familiar masculine scent of him, crushed against his solid chest, she felt warm and protected and cherished. Those feelings might be illusions, but for now she basked in them.

  After what seemed far too brief a time, Luke gently disengaged her and stepped back just far enough to examine her from head to toe. His expression hardened, as if something he saw angered him. She couldn’t imagine what it could be.

  “What’s this?” he demanded, rubbing at the dampness on her cheeks. “What’s wrong, Jessie?”

  Jessie hadn’t even been aware that she’d been crying before his arrival. Or maybe they were tears of joy at seeing him. Or perhaps simply the overly emotional tears of a woman who’d just given birth. She couldn’t say. She just knew that at this moment she had never been more grateful to see someone in her life.

  “Jessie? What’s going on?” he asked as he led her away from the door and shut it behind him. A worried frown puckered his brow as he waited with obvious impatience for answers. “What has my family done to you now?”

  “Nothing,” she said. “Everything. Oh, Luke, they’re taking over. I’m trying so damned hard not to let them. I am not a weak woman. You know that.”

  “No mistake about it,” he agreed.

  Jessie barely noticed the sudden return of a twinkle in his eye. She was too caught up in trying to explain her frustration. “But they’re bulldozing right over me,” she said, giving full vent to her exasperation. “They don’t listen to a word I say. They don’t even hear me.”

  To her astonishment, Luke chuckled. “Darlin’, that’s nothing to get all stressed out about. That’s just Mother and Dad. Talk louder and stand your ground. Sooner or later, they’ll get the message.”

  Jessie recognized the wisdom of his advice. She’d even seen how well it worked in action. She’d just lost her strength to fight there for a minute. She gazed up at Luke, tears still shimmering in her eyes, and offered a watery grin. “Quite a welcome, huh?”

  He grinned. “Can’t say I’ve ever minded having a woman hurl herself into my arms,” he teased.

  His gaze captured hers and held. Suddenly the teasing light in his eyes died out, replaced by something far more serious, something far more compelling. Jessie’s breath snagged in her throat.

  “Luke,” she began huskily, then cleared her throat and tried again. “Luke, what are you doing here? Yesterday you flat-out refused to come. Did something change your mind?” She thought of the ring she’d left behind and the odd call he’d made the day before when he’d discovered it.

  “I suppose you could say I came to take the pressure off you.”

  She regarded him uncertainly. It wasn’t exactly the response she’d been anticipating. “In what way?”

  He shrugged. “With me around, Daddy will be so busy trying to take charge of my life again, he won’t have time to go messin’ in yours.”

  “That’s what you think,” she said dismally. “Harlan could fiddle with the lives of an entire army platoon without missing a beat. As for your mother…” She sighed heavily.

  Luke grinned. “Don’t I just know it,” he said, matching her sigh with apparent deliberation. “Maybe we should both just hide out in here for the duration.”

  An intriguing idea, Jessie thought. She was stunned, however, that Luke had suggested it, even in jest. Or, perhaps that was the point. Perhaps he intended to tease and taunt her as he might a younger sister, robbing her of any notions that he thought of her in any kind of sexual way. She searched his gaze for answers, but whatever emotions had been swirling there a moment before had given way to pure amusement.

  “I have an idea,” he said. His voice had dropped to a daring, conspiratorial note.

  “What?” she asked suspiciously.

  “I saw this very bored young woman sitting right outside your door. I have a feeling she would be more than glad to baby-sit for a bit.”

  Jessie rolled her eyes. Obviously Lara had decided to stay within shouting distance. “I’ll bet,” she muttered. “She’s there under orders from your mother.”

  Luke chuckled. “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Let’s let Lara do her thing. You and I can go to lunch.”

  “I just ate breakfast,” Jessie protested.

  “Obviously you haven’t noticed the roads into town. By the time we get there, it will definitely be lunchtime.”

  “Won’t your family be expecting you to eat lunch here? Have you even seen your father or mother yet? Or Cody?”

  “Not hide nor hair of them. I snuck in the back way,” he admitted. “You can help me keep it that way a little longer. Are you game?”

  Jessie would have hopped a bus to nowhere if it would have gotten her away from White Pines for a little while, long enough to get back her equilibrium. A trip into town with Luke sounded perfect.

  “You tell Lara,” she said. “I’ll get my coat.”

  As he started toward the door of the suite, Jessie called after him, “Luke?”

  He glanced back.


  “I don’t have any idea what really brought you here, but I’m very glad you came.”

  An oddly wistful expression came over his face for an instant. It was gone in a heartbeat.

  “Maybe I just heard your prayers for a knight in shining armor,” he taunted. “My armor’s a bit tarnished, but I can still stand up to a common enemy.”

  Hearing him expressing the view of Harlan and Mary that she’d been thinking to herself only a short time earlier made Jessie feel suddenly guilty. For all of their bossiness, they had always been kind to her. The huge pile of Christmas presents stacked in the corner—everything from a silver teething ring to a car seat for the baby, from a golden locket to a filmy negligee and robe for her—attested to their generosity.

  “They’re not that bad,” she countered.

  “Don’t need a hero, huh? Want me to head on home, then?”

  Jessie had the feeling he would be only too relieved to comply. For a multitude of reasons, she wasn’t sure she could bear it if he left.

  She leveled a challenging glare at him. “Just try it, Lucas. You’ll have to walk through me.”

  He winked at her. “An interesting idea.”

  That wink stirred ideas in Jessie that could have gotten her arrested in some parts of the world, she was sure. Harlan and Mary would certainly have been scandalized by her thoughts. She grabbed her coat before she was tempted to act on any one of them.

  As if he’d read her mind, Luke inquired lazily, “In a hurry, darlin’?”

  “You have no idea,” she replied in a choked voice.

  “Oh, I’ll bet I do.” He touched a finger lightly to her lips. “Hold those thoughts.”

  Jessie had no problem at all complying with that rather surprising request. She doubted she could have banished them with a solid whack by a crowbar. What she couldn’t comprehend to save her soul was why Luke had suddenly taken it into his head to torment her like this. Whatever his reasons, though, she intended to make the most of his presence.

  He might walk away from her and from White Pines eventually, but if he went this time it wouldn’t be without putting up the fight of his life for his heart. Jessie intended to claim it, this time for good.