A Christmas Blessing

by Sherryl Woods

  As he stood there he caught the glint of something gold on the nightstand beside the bed. The last rays of sunshine spilled through the window and made the metal gleam, beckoning him. Instinctively he knew whatever it was, it wasn’t his. Puzzled, he crossed the room to see what Jessie had left behind.

  Even before he reached the nightstand, he realized what it was: a ring. Her wedding ring. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of it. He picked up the simple gold band and let it rest in the palm of his hand. Even though he knew what it said, he read the engraved message inside: Erik and Jessica—For Eternity.

  What had she been thinking? he wondered. She must have taken it off when she was cleaning and simply forgotten it, he decided because he wasn’t sure he wanted to consider any other implications. He didn’t want to believe that she’d been deliberately making a statement, leaving him an unmistakable message that would force him to act or forever damn himself for his inaction.

  Eventually he pocketed the ring and returned to the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. He put the ring on the table in front of him as he sipped the rank brew that had been left since morning.

  What the devil was he supposed to do now? He could mail it to her at White Pines. Unfortunately, the arrival of her wedding ring in the mail might stir up a hornet’s nest, if anyone in the family happened to notice. Heaven knew what interpretation they might place on her leaving it behind. He hadn’t even figured out his own interpretation of its significance.

  If an outsider saw him, he’d think Luke had lost his mind, Luke acknowledged dryly. He was studying that tiny ring as if it were a poisonous snake, coiled to strike. The truth was, though, that the ring’s presence in his bedroom was every bit as dangerous as any rattler he’d ever encountered.

  “Seems to me like there are two choices here,” he finally muttered, his gaze fixed on the gold band. “Send it off and quit worrying about it or call her up and ask what the devil she had in mind. Sitting here trying to make sense of it isn’t accomplishing a blessed thing.”

  It was also leading him to talk to himself, he noted ruefully.

  He carried the coffee and the ring into his office, where he’d left the cellular phone. He sat behind his desk for several minutes, trying to figure out what he could say that wouldn’t make him look like an idiot. Finally he just dialed the damn number, taking a chance that Jessie would be in her old suite and that it would still have the private line Erik had had installed. She answered on the first ring.

  “Jessie?”

  There was the faintest hesitation before she asked, “Lucas? Is that you?”

  Something inside him suddenly felt whole again at the sound of her voice. It was a sensation that probably should have worried him more than it did. “Yeah, it’s me,” he confirmed. “How was your flight? Any problems?”

  “No, everything went smoothly. Angela never even woke up.”

  “That’s good. I imagine everyone there made quite a fuss when they saw her.”

  “That’s an understatement,” she said. “According to Cody, your father will probably want to plan out her entire life, up to and including her choice of a husband.”

  Luke found himself laughing at the accuracy of his youngest brother’s assessment. “Listen to him. He has the old man pegged.”

  That said, he suddenly fell silent.

  “Luke?”

  “Yes.”

  “Was that all you wanted, to see if we’d arrived okay?”

  He sighed. “No.” Without quite realizing that he’d reached a decision on his approach, he blurted out, “Actually, I wanted to let you know that you’d forgotten your wedding ring. You must have taken it off when you were cleaning or something.”

  “I didn’t forget it,” she said, a note of determination in her voice.

  Her response left him stymied. “Oh,” he said and then fell silent again, struggling with the possibilities, fighting a flare of hope he had no business at all feeling. Finally he asked, “Why, Jessie?”

  “Think about it, Lucas,” she said softly and he could almost see her smiling. “You’re a bright man. You’ll figure it out.”

  “Jessie…”

  “Goodbye, Luke. Merry Christmas.”

  She hung up before he could get in another word. He sat staring stupidly at the phone in his hand. He closed his eyes and wished with all his heart that he’d gone to the Caribbean for the holidays. Or maybe taken a trip to Australia. Or even the South Pole.

  Then he remembered that Jessie would have found the house empty when she’d gone into labor on the highway. Who knew what might have happened then. He couldn’t regret having been here for her. No matter how much pain his feelings for her caused him in the future, he couldn’t regret these few days they’d had.

  He just had to figure out how to make them last a lifetime.

  * * *

  Jessie gently placed the telephone receiver back in its cradle and turned to the wide-awake baby on the bed beside her.

  “That was your Uncle Luke,” she whispered, unable to keep a grin from spreading across her face. Just hearing his voice made her pulse do unexpected somersaults.

  Angela understood. Jessie was absolutely certain of it. She waved her little fist in the air approvingly.

  “How long do you figure it’s going to take him to show up here?” Jessie wondered aloud.

  She was far more confident now that he would turn up than she had been when she’d ridden away from his ranch with Doc Winchell. Leaving her own car there had been her ace in the hole. If Luke didn’t make the trip to White Pines, after all, she knew she could always go back to get her car and have one last chance at making him see what they could have together.

  She rolled onto her back, only to have her wedding picture catch her eye. It was still sitting on the dresser, just as it had while she and Erik had lived in this suite.

  “You understand, don’t you?” she whispered with certainty. “You’ve forgiven Luke and me for falling in love and that’s all that really matters.”

  A soft tap on her door quieted her. “Jessie?” Mary called softly. “We’ll be serving dinner in half an hour.”

  “I’ll be right down,” she promised.

  “Bring the baby. I’ve found a carrier for her. I’ll leave it outside the door.”

  “Thanks, Mary.”

  Jessie listened as her mother-in-law’s footsteps faded, then she glanced down at her daughter. “Showtime, angel. It’s time to go and dazzle your family.”

  The baby waved her arms energetically, an indication that she was more than ready for anything the Adams clan had in mind for her—now or in the future. Jessie wished she could say the same.

  She had no sooner reached the bottom step, when Jordan appeared to take the carrier from her. At thirty, he was a successful businessman, one of the few to weather the Texas oil crisis and come out ahead. He was considered one of the state’s most eligible catches, but he had remained amazingly immune to any of the women who chased after him.

  “You look lovely, Jessie.” He glanced down into the carrier, his expression faintly nervous as if he weren’t too sure what to do with a baby. He seemed worried she might be breakable. “Everyone’s anxious to see the newest addition to the family.”

  Jessie hesitated. “By everyone, I assume you mean that this isn’t just a family celebration tonight.”

  Jordan’s mouth quirked in a grin that reminded her so much of Luke, she felt her heart stop.

  “Nope. The usual cast of thousands,” he said. He leaned down and whispered, “Stick close to me and I’ll protect you from the multitudes.”

  “And what about your own date?” she whispered right back. “I know perfectly well you must have one here. I’ve never seen you without a beautiful woman on your arm.”

  A flicker of something that might have been sadness darkened his eyes for just an instant, before his ready smile settled firmly back in place.

  “I decided even I deserved a night off,” he replied
.

  “Tired of small talk?” Jessie asked.

  “Tired of all of it,” he admitted. When Jessie would have questioned him further about whether this indicated an end to his days as Houston’s most available playboy, he prevented it by taking her arm and propelling her into a room already crowded with guests.

  “Behold the heir apparent,” he announced, holding the baby carrier aloft as everyone applauded. That said, he seemed only too anxious to turn the baby over to the first person who asked to hold her. He wandered off without a second glance, his duty done.

  For the second time since her arrival at White Pines, Jessie was gently shunted aside by people anxious to get a glimpse of the newborn. She heard the story of her being stranded at Luke’s ranch told over and over. She heard her own bravery magnified time and again.

  What she never heard, though, was any mention of Luke’s incredible role in any of it. Just when she was prepared to climb halfway up the stairs and demand that everyone listen to her version of the events, Harlan folded a strong arm around her shoulders and called for silence.

  “A toast,” he announced. “Everybody have some champagne?”

  Glasses were lifted into the air all around them.

  “To Jessie and Angela,” he said. “Welcome home.”

  The toast echoed around the room, as heartfelt from strangers as it was from the family. Even so, the welcome left Jessie feeling oddly empty. White Pines no longer felt like home. What saddened her more was that she wasn’t sure whether it was the loss of Erik or the absence of Luke that made her feel that way.

  When the cheers had died down, Harlan announced that the buffet supper was ready. The guests moved swiftly into the huge dining room to claim their plates and a sampling of the food that Jessie knew Maritza and the rest of the staff had been preparing for weeks now. She recalled from past years how bountiful and diverse the spread would be, but her own appetite failed her.

  She surveyed the room until she finally spotted Cody holding her daughter and went to join them.

  “I’ll take her,” she offered. “Go on and have your dinner.”

  Cody grinned. “I don’t mind. I’m practicing my technique. I figure if I can charm ’em when they’re this little, I’ll have no problems with the grown-up ladies.”

  “Well, Angela’s certainly fascinated,” Jessie agreed as she observed her daughter’s fist tangled in Cody’s moustache. The baby tugged enthusiastically and Cody winced, but he didn’t give her up. He simply disengaged her fingers as he chattered utter nonsense to her. Like Luke, he seemed totally natural and unselfconscious with the infant in his arms.

  “You might have to work on your conversational skills,” Jessie teased, after listening to him.

  “You’re not the first woman to tell me that,” he admitted with a wicked grin that probably silenced most women on the spot, anyway. Jessie was immune to it, but she found herself amused by his inability to curb the tendency to flirt with any female in sight.

  “I guess it’s what comes from spending most of my days with a herd of cows,” he added. “They’re not too demanding.”

  “And what about Melissa?” she inquired, referring to the young woman who’d been head over heels in love with Cody practically since the cradle. “Is she too demanding?”

  Cody’s eyes lit up at the mention of the woman everyone assumed he would one day marry, if he ever managed to settle down at all. “Melissa hangs on my every word,” he said confidently.

  The touch of arrogance might have annoyed some people, but Jessie knew that Cody’s ego wasn’t his problem. The young man was simply a textbook case of a man who was commitment phobic. Melissa had contributed to the problem by wearing her heart on her sleeve for so long. Cody tended to take her for granted, certain she would be waiting whenever he got around to asking her to marry him.

  One day, though, either Melissa or some other woman was going to turn Cody inside out. Jessie smiled as she envisioned the havoc that would stir.

  “What are you grinning about?” Cody asked.

  “Just imagining how hard your fall is going to be when it comes. Yours and Jordan’s.”

  “Won’t be any worse than Erik’s,” he teased. “Or Luke’s,” he added, shooting her a sly look.

  Jessie swallowed hard. “Luke’s?” she said, feigning confusion.

  “I’m not blind, Jessie. Neither is anyone else around here, for that matter. Why do you think they were so appalled when they realized where you were when you had the baby? Luke never did have much of a poker face.”

  She was stunned. “What are you saying?”

  “That my big brother is crazy in love with you. Always has been. Luke may be the strong, silent type, but he’s transparent as can be where you’re concerned.”

  Even as her heart leapt with joy at his confirmation of her own gut-deep assessment of Luke’s feelings, Jessie denied Cody’s claim. “You’re wrong,” she insisted.

  Cody shook his head, clearly amused by her protest. “I’m not wrong. Why do you think he’s not here?”

  “I explained that earlier. It’s because he’s feeling guilty about Erik’s death.”

  “He’s feeling guilty, all right, but it’s not because of Erik’s death. At least, that’s only part of it,” he told her emphatically. “Luke’s all twisted up inside because he’s in love with Erik’s widow.”

  Jessie practically snatched Angela out of Cody’s arms. When she would have run from the room, when she would have hidden from Cody’s words, he stopped her with a touch.

  “Please, Jessie, I didn’t mean to upset you. I, for one, think it would be terrific if you and Luke got together. Erik’s gone. We can’t wish him back. And if you and Luke can find some kind of happiness together, then I say go for it. Jordan agrees with me. He seems to be looking for happy endings these days. Don’t say I told you but I think the confirmed bachelor is getting restless,” he confided. “He needs you and Luke to set an example for him.”

  Once more, Cody had startled her, not just with his assessment of the undercurrents that she thought had been so well hidden in the past, but with his blessing.

  “I don’t know what the future holds,” she said quietly, the words as close to an admission about her own feelings as she could make. “But I will always be grateful to you for speaking to me so honestly.”

  Cody draped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “Hey, Luke might be stubborn as a mule, but he is my big brother. I want him to be happy. As for you, the whole family lucked out when Erik found you. We want to keep you. And there’s Angela to think of,” he said, touching a finger gently to the baby’s cheek. “She deserves a daddy and I think Luke would make a damned fine one.”

  Only after he had walked away did Jessie whisper, “So do I, Cody. So do I.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Luke could see only one way to push Jessie out of his life once and for all. If she had chosen Erik because she wanted a family to call her own, if she clung to him now for the same reason, then he would give her one. Not his, but her own. Her biological family.

  He’d been awake half the night formulating his plan. First thing in the morning on the day after Christmas, he was on the phone to a private investigator he’d used once when he’d suspected a neighbor of doing a little cattle rustling from his herd. He supposed finding a long-lost family couldn’t be much trickier than tracing missing cattle.

  “Her adoptive family’s name was Garnett,” Luke told James Hill, dredging up the surname from his memory of the first time Jessie had been introduced to the family, practically on the eve of the wedding. Erik hadn’t risked exposing her to too many of his father’s tantrums or too many of his mother’s interrogations. It was probably one of his brother’s wisest decisions. Jessie might have fled, if she’d realized exactly what she was getting into. The surface charm of the family disintegrated under closer inspection.

  “What else can you tell me about her?” Hill asked.

  “What do you mean?�
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  “Where was she born? Where did she grow up? Her birth date? Anything like that?”

  Luke listened to the list and saw his scheme going up in flames. For the first time he realized how very little he actually knew about Jessie. He’d fallen in love with the woman she was now. It had never crossed his mind that he might want to be acquainted with the child she had been or the lonely teenager who’d longed to discover her real family.

  “I don’t know,” he confessed finally.

  “You’ll have to find out something or it’ll be a waste of my time and your money,” the private investigator informed him. “With what you’re giving me, I can’t even narrow the search down to Texas.”

  Luke sighed. “I appreciate the honesty. I’ll see what I can find out and call you back. Thanks, Jim.”

  “No problem. If I don’t talk to you before, have a Happy New Year, Luke.”

  “Same to you,” he said, but his mind was already far away, grappling with various ideas for getting the information he needed about Jessie without her finding out what he was up to. He didn’t want her disappointed if he failed to find answers for her.

  To his deep regret, he could see right off that there was only one way. He would have to follow her to White Pines. The only way he could ask his questions was face-to-face, dropping them into the conversation one at a time over several days so she wouldn’t add them up and suspect his plan. If the thought of seeing her again made his palms sweat and his heart race, he refused to admit that his reaction to the prospect of seeing her had anything at all to do with his decision to go. The trip was an expediency, nothing more.

  For the second time that morning, Luke made a call he’d never in a million years anticipated making.

  “Hey, Daddy, it’s Luke.”

  “Hey, son, how are you?” Harlan asked as matter-of-factly as if Luke initiated calls to White Pines all the time. If he was startled by Luke’s call, he hid it well.

  “I’m fine.”

  “What’s up?”

  He drew in a deep breath and finally forced himself to ask, “Can you send the plane for me? I’m coming home.”