A Tale of Two Christmas Letters

by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  Telling herself he could not possibly be jealous of the pediatrician, not when she and Jack had been making love with as much passion and frequency as they had, she wrinkled her nose at him. “No.” Holding her phone beneath the tabletop so he could not see, she typed a reply into her phone.

  “Sure about that?”

  So he was staking out his territory. She tried and failed not to be too thrilled. “Positive.” Seeing he needed a little more information, she added, “Now that word’s out Tim is looking for a girlfriend, women are coming to him and asking him out. So, I’m no longer needed as his matchmaker slash coach.”

  “Uh-huh.” Jack sat back.

  Another message dinged. She read the screen and typed something else.

  “Then why all the secrecy?” he persisted, the desire she felt for him reflected in his eyes.

  Already aching for another kiss, Bess turned off her phone and put it facedown on the table. “Oh, for heaven’s sake! If you must know, my older sister Erin is helping me out with a portion of your present.”

  Now she had the good doctor’s attention.

  “It’s something I would have a hard time getting done here, at least in a short amount of time, but is not an issue in Amarillo, where she and Mac and their kids live now. She’s just been letting me know it’s all taken care of and she’ll be bringing the gift with them, to the Monroe Christmas party out at the family ranch tomorrow. So. Satisfied?”

  Apparently so, judging by the smug male satisfaction in his gaze.

  He tilted his head. Intrigued. “Is she making me a new pair of boots?” Erin was one of the premier custom bootmakers in the Southwest.

  “Nice sleuthing,” Bess said dryly. “And no, that’s not it. She would have needed to have your measurements to do that.” She lifted a staying hand. “And don’t ask me anything else, because I’m not going to tell you anything more. You’ll have to wait until Christmas to find out.”

  He chuckled. “So am I going to this party with you?”

  It was a valid question, one she had been wrestling with for days. Seeing they had both finished eating, she rose and carried their take-out containers to the kitchen. “My sisters really want me to bring you and your girls.”

  He followed with the silverware and drinks. “Your brothers don’t agree?”

  Bess separated trash from recycling. “Gavin and Nick haven’t said anything since the intervention.”

  “You’re worried about what they’ll think if you do bring me?”

  “No.” It was her life. She was going to live it in any way she saw fit.

  “So what’s the problem, then?”

  She hesitated, not sure how much to reveal. “I’ve gone to a lot of McCabe gatherings, but—” she swallowed nervously “—you and the girls have never been to one of ours.”

  “About time, don’t you think?”

  “You’d really want to go?” she asked cautiously, wishing she knew what was in his heart. “Especially after what happened at the last McCabe get-together?”

  His brows knit together, confirming her opinion this was dangerous territory. “You think we’re going to face questions?”

  Heck yes. “I think,” Bess pushed on, figuring they might as well be completely candid about this, “when they all see us together and read our body language, that assumptions will be made.”

  “Assumptions are okay with me,” he said gruffly.

  But were they okay with her? Bess couldn’t say. “Don’t you have to get back to the hospital?”

  “I’ve got the rest of the afternoon off.”

  So, in other words, she thought, they had plenty of time to settle this. It was a risk, bringing him into her life to that degree. “It will change things,” she said quietly. In ways they might not even be able to predict.

  Jack drew her close. “Haven’t you heard?” He lowered his mouth to hers and delivered a searing kiss. “Change can be good.”

  “Well, in that case,” Bess murmured, taking him by the hand and leading him down the hall to her bedroom. With a sweeping gesture, she invited him to sit on her bed. Then she began a slow and seductive striptease.

  When she was clad only in her bra and panties, they changed places.

  “My turn.” Grinning, he took off his shirt and tie. Stripped off his shoes and pants. Clad only in his boxer briefs, he drew her to her feet. “Time to unwrap my present.” He drew her bra straps down over her arms, exposing her erect nipples, before dropping it, along with her bikini panties, to the floor.

  “And mine,” she whispered playfully. Her hands whisked off his briefs, then closed over his pulsing hardness.

  He guided her back down to the bed, stretched out facing her. Found her damp, silky, waiting. Then he positioned himself between her thighs, his lips lowering, suckling gently. She came up off the bed, her thighs falling even farther apart as he explored, touched, adored. Until she shattered in his arms.

  Then it was her turn once again to worship him, and only when he could stand it no longer did she relent. Moving up to kiss him again, she clenched around him as he possessed her, making her his. She claimed him in return.

  Until there was no more denying how much she wanted and needed him in her life. Until it wasn’t just the holidays that were theirs for the taking, but the future, too.

  * * *

  It wasn’t easy, given their penchant for spilling secrets, but during their pizza dinner Friday evening, Jack somehow managed to keep the girls from telling Bess what else they planned to give her for Christmas. He worried Saturday might be a lot harder, though, given the fact they had gone shopping for and wrapped said items that very morning.

  “I don’t understand why we can’t give Bess her presents now.” Nicole pouted as Bess parked her car in front of his house, got out and came up the walk, carrying food for the get-together.

  Jack shepherded his girls outside to his Suburban. “Because we’re going to wait until Christmas,” he said. “And remember, it’s a surprise.”

  Lindsay scowled. Chloe put her thumb in her mouth.

  “Everything okay?” Bess asked cheerfully.

  “Great,” he said. And it was, since Bess had included him and his girls in this part of her life, for the first time.

  “I promise you, we’re going to have a lot of fun at my family’s ranch,” Bess told the kids, once they were all settled and on their way. “The Triple Canyon is not too far from your grandparents’ ranch. It’s very pretty out there. And it’s going to be all decorated for Christmas. Plus, there are going to be lots of little boy and girl cousins for you to play with.”

  “Are they going to be dressed alike?” Nicole asked.

  Jack tensed.

  “What do you mean?” Bess turned to look at his daughters in the back seat.

  “Are they going to be wearing the same as their mommies?” Lindsay elaborated.

  Nicole scowled. “Daddy won’t let us. He said it’s not a good idea.”

  Oh, hell, there was no way this was going to turn out well. “Girls...” Jack warned, giving them a censuring look in his rearview mirror. Let’s not bother Bess with our difference of opinion.

  Bess turned forward, still a little perplexed but ready to let it drop.

  His daughters were not. Lindsay continued airing their grievance. “We wanted you to dress the same as all of us. So we would be matching. Like we did with our mommy. But Daddy said no.”

  That did it. Finally understanding, Bess turned a blotchy pink and white.

  “It’s not what you think,” Jack whispered, able to see this adventure was quickly turning into a complete disaster.

  Bess nodded, clearly doing her best to tamp down her hurt. “I think you should always do what your daddy says,” she told his girls. “Now.” She clapped her hands together with enthusiasm, declaring the whole matter closed for
discussion. “Who wants to have another Christmas sing-along?”

  Joyous shouts followed, and a whole host of carols occupied them during the rest of the journey. When they reached the ranch, Jack came around to Bess’s side of the vehicle. “I can explain,” he said swiftly, before he moved to let the girls out.

  She’d had plenty of time to compose herself, and put up the emotional barriers he had so painstakingly taken down. “I know it’s not what it sounded like,” she said with a brisk smile.

  Did she? It seemed as if she had a different take on the situation than what had transpired.

  He had no chance to correct her, though, because her siblings were already streaming out of the house to greet them.

  Inside, the ranch house was full. There was her oldest sister, Erin, with her husband, Mac, and four children; Bess’s youngest brother, Nick, and his wife, Sage, and their two young boys; her oldest brother, Gavin, his wife, Violet, and their two little girls; and of course, her very pregnant twin, Bridgett, with her husband, Cullen, and their son, Robby.

  Before greetings were even finished, his daughters had their coats off and had forged right in to play with the younger set. Jack knew everyone there, so introductions weren’t necessary.

  As he spoke to everyone in turn, Bess left his side and went over to greet Bridgett. Jack wasn’t sure if everyone else could tell, but he knew darn well there was a new aloofness between them. One that became ever more insurmountable with every second that passed.

  He was still trying to figure out how and when he could get her alone, just for a minute, when she went over to sit beside her twin. They hugged. “You look exhausted,” Bess said.

  She received a deadpan look in return. “Thanks, sis.”

  “Seriously.” Bess patted her twin’s hand. “How are you doing? Your face is kind of red.”

  Bridgett winced in chagrin. “You mean from my Braxton Hicks debacle?”

  “C’mon. Happens to every first-time pregnant mom!”

  Bridgett eased a hand to her lower back. Rubbed. “Not NICU nurse moms. Or it shouldn’t.”

  “I keep telling her to let it go.” Erin settled in on the other side of Bridgett, like the mother hen she’d become to her orphaned sibs. “And try to sleep while she still can.”

  “Fat chance of that,” Bridgett grumbled, completely hormonal. “They’re wrestling in there, nonstop!” As if to demonstrate, her tummy punched visibly outward. “See what I mean?” She spread her hands wide, as everyone laughed.

  Bess leaned down to put her ear to Bridgett’s tummy. “Hey, there, little fellas. It’s your aunt Bess speaking! Give your mommy a break, okay?” she said, as all the adults laughed again. “Mommy needs her sleep.”

  The room grew quiet. Bridgett looked down at her tummy. “I think it might have worked,” she said in awe. “They’re totally calm for the first time in days.”

  “What can I say?” Bess blew dust off her knuckles. “I’ve got the magic touch!”

  “Which is great—” Bridgett grimaced, as if in pain “—except now I think I have to get up.” She levered herself up off the sofa. “And go to... Oh, no. No, no!” she cried.

  “What?” everyone asked in unison.

  Bridgett clapped a hand over her tummy and looked at the liquid streaming down her legs, pooling at her feet. “It would appear,” she said, deadpan, “that my water just broke.”

  The normally unflappable Cullen leaped up. “I’ll get the truck!”

  “I’ll take care of Robby and Riot,” Erin promised Bridgett.

  Bridgett grabbed Bess’s hand, in full twin mode once again.

  “Not to worry. I’m coming with you,” Bess soothed. She glanced at Jack, clearly thinking of him, the girls and the puppies.

  “I’ve got it.” Not caring who was watching, he went over to buss her temple and hug her close, then whispered, “Just go.”

  He would catch up with her later.

  They would work out their problem when the time was right.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jack walked into the hospital shortly after midnight, eager to see Bess. He knew he still had to explain the girls’ comments to her, why he had felt it was presumptuous for the women in his life to all dress alike for this particular holiday.

  But it wouldn’t be, in the very near future.

  That was, if all went as he wished. And Bess agreed with his plans for them. In the meantime, he hoped that the Christmas gift he had in his pocket would show her how he felt about her and their future in a way that words alone could not.

  His heart racing, he stopped at the desk in the maternity ward, aware he hadn’t felt such a complex mixture of emotions since the night his youngest child was born.

  Elation and joy, over all he’d been given.

  Worry and uncertainty, about how all the change ahead and the advent of a new person would affect the delicate balance of his home life.

  Confidence, that love and patience would help them find the way to the happiness they all wanted. And needed...

  Because they did need each other, more than he had ever imagined they could.

  “Looking for the Monroe twins?” the nurse behind the desk asked, oblivious to the hopeful nature of his thoughts.

  “You got it.”

  She inclined her head to the other end of the hall. “They’re all in room 221.”

  “Thanks.” Jack strode toward his destiny.

  The door was open. Bess was seated on the edge of the bed, next to her twin sister, a newborn nestled in her arms. She was gazing down at the infant with such incredible maternal tenderness Jack caught his breath.

  She turned to him, tears of happiness glistening in her pretty green eyes. “Come see our new nephews,” she whispered. “This is Colt.”

  “I’ve got Cade,” Bridgett said.

  Bess looked up at him, glowing with joy. “Aren’t they gorgeous?” she whispered.

  Gorgeous didn’t begin to cover it, Jack thought, taking in their dark hair, angelic faces and sturdy little bodies. For the babies. Or the incredible woman in his life.

  A woman he did not want to let go. Not ever. No matter the yuletide bargain they had made.

  He nodded his agreement, suddenly feeling almost too choked up to speak. “They’re perfect,” he managed.

  Cullen, who’d been filming on his phone, moved to include Jack in the shot, then shut it off and put it back in his pocket. He was grinning wildly.

  “Congratulations,” Jack told them both. Bridgett was occupied, so he contented himself with shaking his older brother’s hand and embracing him in a hug.

  Reluctantly, Bess stood and handed the infant back to his daddy. “Thanks for letting me be a part of this,” she said.

  “Thanks for being here,” Cullen told Bess.

  Bridgett chuckled. “You kept us both calm!”

  “My pleasure.” Bess put on her coat and picked up her bag. Bent to embrace her sister one last time, then Cullen. “Call me if you need anything,” she told them.

  Bridgett and Cullen nodded. “Will do,” they promised, just as happily.

  Jack and Bess eased from the room, her pique with him earlier seemingly mostly forgotten. Mindful of those who might be sleeping, they were quiet as they walked through the hospital, not speaking again until they were outside.

  “How are the puppies?” Bess finally asked.

  “Good. Mrs. D. came back in to help out tonight. So I was able to go back to your place and let the puppies out at six, feed them and make sure they did what they needed to do. I returned home for bedtime with the girls.”

  He steered her into the physicians’ parking lot.

  “Then I went back to your place around nine o’clock and hung out with the puppies for several more hours, getting them good and tired, before I came by to see if you needed a ride
home.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

  “I do.” Briefly, she leaned into his touch, then turned her face up to his, her cheek brushing his shoulder in the process. “So if you wouldn’t mind...”

  “Have you had anything to eat?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “A granola bar from the vending machine.”

  “Not to worry. Erin sent food home for you. It’s in your fridge.”

  “That’s my big sister. Always thinking ahead.”

  Jack held the door for her. She stepped in and let her head fall back against the seat.

  He circled around and climbed behind the wheel. Tenderness swept through him. She’d watched over him and the girls so many times. Now it was his turn. He leaned over to stroke her cheek. “Exhausted?”

  She nodded.

  He drove the short distance to her house and, once again, got out and walked around to hold the door for her. He put a steadying arm about her waist as they moved up the walk and mounted the porch steps. When they walked in, the puppies barely lifted their heads, then sighed and settled back into sleep.

  Bess grinned at him with appreciation. “You weren’t kidding, Doc,” she remarked. “You did get them tired.”

  He eased the bag off her shoulder, helped her out of her coat. “You know us Texans,” he drawled, shedding his own jacket. “We aim to please.”

  “That we do.” Bess unlaced the cranberry scarf from around her neck and turned to face him. The next thing he knew, she was in his arms. Their lips met halfway in an explosion of heat and need, want and passion. He gave her everything she asked for. Taking command. Losing himself in the touch and taste and feel of her. And still she kissed him, letting herself go in a way she never had before.

  Yearning welled up inside him. He pressed the hardness of his body against the softer length of hers. Lost in the ragged intake of her breath and her low, shuddering moan.

  * * *

  In turn, Bess melted against Jack in boneless pleasure, savoring the feeling of his hard, warm chest against her breasts, the safety of being cradled in his strong arms. Lower still, his arousal pressed against her, weakening her knees.