A South Texas Christmas

by Stella Bagwell

  “I wonder if Mom is trying to deal Grady out of that gray mare I’ve been wanting? He wanted a fortune for her, but she might talk him down.”

  Lex’s comment penetrated Neil’s thoughts and he turned his gaze back on the two men and tried to catch up on their conversation.

  Matteo chuckled. “She has a lot better chance of talking Grady down than you do.”

  Lex grimaced. “Thanks for your confidence in me, cuz. I’ll remember that the next time you call me in the middle of the night and want me to help you pull a calf.”

  It was Matteo’s turn to laugh. “Well, everyone knows that Geraldine has more Ketchum blood in her veins than McCormack. That’s why she’s such a horse trader. ’Course, being a woman helps. Especially in Grady’s case.”

  While the two cousins chuckled, Neil felt as if he’d just been slapped and he struggled not to appear dazed as he stared at the men.

  “What did you just say?” he asked Matteo. “Did you say Geraldine was a Ketchum? What do you mean by that?”

  Both Lex and Matteo were staring back at Neil as though they considered his questions more than strange.

  “Yes, Geraldine and my mother Elizabeth’s, maiden names were Ketchum. Their father was Nate Ketchum. Why?” Matteo asked.

  The rancher might as well have slugged Neil in the gut with his fist. The revelation nearly staggered him and he quickly took a long swig of beer in hopes it would steady him.

  “Uh, I, just happened to know some people by that name. I grew up with them.” He glanced at Raine and blew out a heavy breath. “Like they say, small world.”

  “Yeah,” Lex agreed. “I flew out to Sacramento last year and ran into an old friend I’d gone to school with years ago. Just happened to run on to him in the airport terminal. Guess you never know whom you might see in faraway places.”

  Matteo continued to thoughtfully regard Neil. “That’s something. You think these Ketchum friends of yours are related to us?”

  There was no thinking about it, Neil thought. He was certain they were related. It explained everything. The odd, familiarity he’d sensed the moment he’d met these people and, even more so, the missing pieces of Esther’s story. She was Darla Ketchum Carlton. That’s why she’d spent the past twenty-four years on this ranch. He figured she’d gotten into some sort of trouble and she’d found refuge with her in-laws. But did they have any idea who she really was? Somehow Neil doubted it. Otherwise, the facts would have reached Raine long ago.

  “Well…I…couldn’t really say. I will ask them, though, the next time I see them.” He looked at Raine and felt his heart crack like a piece of hard candy. “If you guys will excuse me, I think I’ll go dance with my fiancée.”

  Raine spotted Neil coming her way and quickly excused herself from Nicolette to cross the small expanse of yard to meet him.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked in a low voice as she took in the frown marring his forehead. “Is attending your own engagement party becoming too much for you?”

  He quickly smiled and drew her arm beneath his. “Not at all. My stomach is gnawing, that’s all. I thought we might take a whirl on the dance floor while the servants finish bringing out the food.”

  “You mean you actually dance?” she asked as they wove their way through guests that had gathered in small talkative groups.

  “Sshh!” he scolded for her ears only. “Remember, I’m your fiancé, you’re supposed to know all about me.”

  She laughed softly as he led her up two steps and onto the polished dance floor. “Some people are married for years and never know their spouses.”

  He pulled her close and linked his hand with hers. “It wouldn’t be that way with us,” he said as he began to move her to the slow beat of the music.

  His comment surprised her and she tilted a glance up at him. “Coming from a man who only wants a woman’s company in small doses, that’s hard to believe.”

  He frowned. “You believe I’m not capable of having serious feelings, that I could never stick with one woman long enough to really appreciate her.”

  His body was warm and hard against her and the slow rhythm of their movements only added to the sensual thoughts going around and around in her head. Being close to him like this and remembering the delights of his lovemaking made it difficult for Raine to focus her mind on anything else.

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “But you’re thinking it.”

  A heavy sigh passed her lips and she looked up at him with an annoyed expression. “Does it really matter, Neil?”

  His hand tightened against her waist. “This morning—”

  “We both understand what that was. And don’t worry, I’m not going to get all soppy about it.”

  He continued to frown. “I wasn’t worried that you would. I just—”

  Neil couldn’t finish. He couldn’t tell her that he’d been wondering how he could ever go back to New Mexico and pretend that this time with her hadn’t changed him. How could he ever look at another woman, make love to her and expect it to be as good, as right as it had been with Raine?

  “Just what?” she prodded.

  Neil shook his head. He couldn’t talk about it now. He couldn’t think about it now. He had to turn his attention to Darla Ketchum Carlton aka Esther Crockett and try to figure out what the hell he was going to do about it. Telling Raine would finally give her the truth. But at what cost? he asked himself. She’d learn that her mother was a fraud of sorts and that her father was likely dead. Although, to be fair, there was no way he could assume to know who Raine’s father might really be. Randolf had been an ill man just before he died, but whether he’d been too weak to sire a child was anybody’s guess. That left Jaycee Carlton. Neil had never seen or met the man, but his background was murky. He didn’t want to imagine Raine’s father being a murder victim. But either way she was going to be devastated to learn the man was dead and it was too late for her to know or love him.

  “Nothing, honey. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I still want you like hell.”

  Her green eyes softened and her lips tilted to a sensuous smile. “I want you, too.”

  Something pierced the middle of his chest and he sucked in a deep breath and glanced away from her. His eyes settled on a couple moving around the dance floor and he was shocked to see the woman was Raine’s mother.

  Nodding his head toward the couple, he said, “Raine, look. Your mother is dancing. Does she normally do this?”

  Twisting her head slightly, Raine glanced over her shoulder to see her mother moving around the dance floor with a man who ran the Goliad county livestock auction barn. Since the Sandbur often did business there, he was a frequent guest of the ranch’s social events. But Raine had never seen her mother dance with him or anyone else for that matter.

  “Dear heaven! I’m shocked that she even knows how to dance. What has come over her?”

  Neil glanced down at her, then thoughtfully back to Esther. “Well, this is her daughter’s engagement party. Maybe she decided she should act happy.”

  Raine’s eyes widened with wonder. “Maybe she is happy, Neil. God, wouldn’t that be awful?”

  “Raine!” he scolded softly. “Why are you saying that? Don’t you want her blessings?”

  Of course it would be wonderful to have her mother’s blessings. But not over a phony engagement which was soon going to end!

  “Snap out of it, Neil. I don’t want her to get too happy about us. Not when we’re eventually going to break up, so to speak.” Shaking her head, she rolled her eyes and groaned. “Can this possibly get any worse?”

  She didn’t have a clue to how awful it already was, Neil thought sickly. But he couldn’t tell her tonight while everyone was celebrating and having a good time. He wasn’t even sure he could bring himself to tell her tomorrow. Yet somehow he had to find the courage to give her the news, even though he knew it was going to break her heart.

  Wanting to keep her as close as possible, Neil k
ept Raine on the dance floor until Geraldine announced to the crowd that it was time to eat.

  The food was served buffet style and after the two of them filled their plates, they found seats at one end of a long table. While they ate, many people stopped by to offer congratulations and view Raine’s engagement ring. She accepted the well wishes gracefully and, for once, since this ordeal had started, Neil watched the exchanges with regret. And it wasn’t just the deception that was bothering him. He was beginning to realize how very much Raine had come to mean to him and a part of him wished they were truly betrothed and he had the rest of his life to love her.

  Raine had eaten less than half the food on her plate when she glanced over at Neil. “That’s all I can eat.”

  Tossing a soiled napkin on top of his plate, he said, “I’ve had enough, too.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t have to stop eating just because I am.”

  He smiled wanly. “It’s not that. I guess I wasn’t as hungry as I first thought.”

  Concerned, she leaned closer and peered at him. “Are you feeling sick? Normally you have a big appetite.”

  Earlier this evening, Neil had been looking forward to the delicious food Cook had spent the past two days preparing. But after a few bites, he’d lost interest in everything on his plate, including the succulent smoked brisket. All he could think was that he’d found Linc’s long lost mother and soon everything was going to change in a drastic way. This engagement, be it fake or real, would have to end and so would this precious time with Raine. This whole trip was not turning out the way he’d planned, he thought miserably. He’d thought he’d be spending a few pleasant days with a beautiful woman. Never in his wildest dreams had he really expected to find Darla Carlton or to lose his heart to her daughter.

  “I’m okay,” he said quietly. “I think—I need a bit of quietness for a moment. Do you think anyone would miss us if we took a walk?”

  Smiling suggestively, she rose to her feet and reached for his hand. “Even if they do, they’ll understand.”

  He wrapped his hand around hers and together they strolled away from the noisy eating area.

  By now, the evening shadows had turned into darkness, but there was enough residual lighting coming from the Saddler house to dimly illuminate the path leading toward the horse barn. A southerly breeze carried the scent of jasmine and across the way a mare softly nickered to her colt.

  The night surrounded them and as the music and the laughter began to fade into the distance, Neil said, “The party is far more extravagant than I expected. Geraldine went all out for us.”

  “Yes. She’s a generous, loving woman.”

  And Geraldine could also be Raine’s aunt, Neil thought, if it turned out that Randolf was her father. Raine could possibly be a true blood relative of the Ketchums! But he didn’t want to think about all of that now. Not when he was finally alone with her again and his body was aching to be next to hers.

  Raine glanced up at him and smiled. “Are you enjoying the evening?”

  Slipping his arm around her back, he urged her closer to his side. “I am now,” he assured her. “And have I told you how absolutely beautiful you look? That dress is driving me crazy. All I want to do is take it off of you.”

  “Neil—”

  Before she could say more, he stopped their forward movement and swooped his lips down over hers.

  She groaned with pleasant surprise, then rising on her tiptoes, quickly wrapped her arms around his neck

  His kiss was immediately hot and hungry, telling Raine in no uncertain terms of the depths he wanted her. She clung to him tightly as flames kindled and swept throughout her body.

  “C’mon,” she urged when he finally lifted his mouth from hers. “I know a place we can really be alone.”

  Taking his hand, she led him down the path toward the horse barn. Here, a yard light illuminated a portion of the training pen. They circled the iron railing and entered the barn through a small, back entrance.

  The interior was dark and the scents of horses and alfalfa hay mingled with dust. From somewhere at the other end of the barn, he could hear the restless stirrings of stalled horses and the creak of the wind against old wood.

  “Aren’t there guards around here?” he asked in a hushed voice. “The horses in this one barn must be worth thousands.”

  “They are worth thousands,” she agreed. “But except for two pairs of black-mouthed curs, the Sandbur doesn’t have security guards. We trust our neighbors.”

  Neil’s worried glance suddenly darted around their feet. “Where are the dogs?”

  Raine laughed softly. “Probably up at the party gorging on brisket scraps.”

  Placing her hand on his arm, she urged him across the darkened building, past several horse stalls, to a wide wooden door. After pulling it open, Neil followed her inside and she quickly bolted it behind him. He’d not expected her to be this bold or blunt about making love to him and the sound was like a match scraping and fire bells clanging in his head.

  “Now we are truly alone,” she whispered huskily.

  With his hands firmly gripping her waist, he glanced around him. “What is this room?”

  “Some of the ranch’s tack is stored here. So watch out that you don’t run into any saddles hanging from the roof.”

  He followed her through a shadowy maze until they reached a small cot in one corner of the room and then she pulled him down beside her. He quickly reached to drag her into his arms.

  “This is decadent behavior,” he whispered against her lips. “We’re supposed to be out with the guests.”

  “We will be—later.” She clasped his face between her hands. “Neil, if you’re thinking that I’m behaving like a hussy it’s only because…I want you.”

  Groaning, he kissed her hungrily as desire began to quickly grip his mind and his body. “You don’t have to explain, my darling. I want you just as much. You’ll never know how much. But if we lie down on this cot, we’ll ruin your dress and your hair and—”

  His words broke off as she pushed his shoulders down on the narrow, make-shift bed.

  “Shh, you talk entirely too much,” she said, using the very same words he’d used on her this morning. “And we don’t have all night.”

  Neil was about to tell her he wished they could have all of tonight together, plus thousands more, when she suddenly hiked her dress up on her thighs, climbed astraddle of him and robbed the air right out of his lungs.

  After that, he was desperate, and the only thing that mattered was getting inside her and cooling the heated ache in his loins.

  With hurried movements, he unfastened his clothing and she removed her panties. Once the hindering pieces of fabric were out of the way, their bodies quickly joined and Raine let out a moan of pleasure that curled Neil’s toes inside his boots.

  Like a rocket shooting toward the stars, his senses soared as Raine’s sweet, sweet body moved against his, her fingers stroked his face and hair, while at the same time her lips clung to his.

  Raine didn’t know what had come over her or where this brazen behavior had come from. All she knew was that she wanted this man with an urgency that was literally consuming her. She had to have his arms around her, his lips on hers, his body moving inside hers. And through it all she could feel her heart swelling with a love so pure, so deep that tears stung her eyes and clogged her throat.

  With each passing minute the rhythm of Neil’s thrusts grew more frenzied. Raine clung to him and tried to keep pace, but her lungs were on fire and her mind was already spiraling upward toward that magical place where she could float peacefully among the stars.

  When she reached that place her fingers gripped his shoulders and the soft mewing in her throat turned to a guttural groan. Beneath her, Neil could feel her body tightening around him, urging him to follow her to paradise.

  The delicious sensation pushed him over the edge and with a desperate growl he thrust deep within her and clutched her upper bo
dy close to his.

  Long moments ticked by. With Raine’s limp body draped lovingly over his, Neil’s hand slowly meandered up and down her back while he attempted to draw his scattered senses back intact.

  Eventually Raine was the first to stir and she sat up on the edge of the cot and began to fasten the strands of hair that had loosened from the twist at the back of her head.

  In the semidarkness Neil watched her sensual movements and wondered what was happening to him. It was impossible to think that a slip of a woman like Raine could shake the very ground beneath him. For a while she’d made him forget where they were and the long minutes ticking by. She’d transported him to some ethereal place that he’d never been or seen before and he’d never felt this vulnerable in his life.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  If he hadn’t felt so scared, Neil might have laughed. After all, it was the man who usually posed such a question. Certainly he’d never been quizzed in this situation.

  “Not really.”

  He said the words more bluntly than he’d intended to and her head jerked around toward his.

  “What’s wrong?” She didn’t wait on his answer. Bending down, she brushed her lips along his cheek. “I didn’t scratch you or anything, did I?”

  Dear Lord, how could he resist her when she was so sweet, so sincere? Just having her velvety breath upon his cheek was enough to send his blood back to the boiling point.

  “No. I’m fine.”

  She raised her head and peered at him. “That’s not what you just said.”

  He eased her away from him and after straightening his clothing, sat up and ran a shaky hand through his tousled hair.

  “Forget I said that. I’m just—” He looked at her and felt his heart crack. “We need to get back to the party.”

  Her fingers curled around his arm. “I thought—you wanted this to happen,” she said in a bewildered voice. “Now you sound angry.”

  He sighed. “I’m not angry. I’m just wondering if—” He paused and pressed his cheek against hers. “I just wonder what it’s going to be like for both of us when I go back to New Mexico.”