A Stockingful of Joy

by Hannah Howell

  Maura quickly regained her senses and abruptly urged him over onto his back. She covered his strong body with kisses, loving the taste of him, the way he groaned and arched beneath her attentions. When she reached the juncture of his muscular thighs, she proceeded to return the intimate kisses he had given her. Mitchell cried out his approval of her caresses, but he did not allow her to continue them for long. He dragged her up his body and set her on him. Maura revealed her growing skills as she kept them teetering on the edge of release for a long time, before taking them both to the heights. As she collapsed in his arms, she decided there were definite advantages to letting Wanton Maura rule.

  Chapter Ten

  “THE THREE WHAT?” MAURA asked as she blinked against the glare of the snow and tried to see the gates of the ranch they approached more clearly.

  “The Three Angels,” Mitchell repeated. “Jason named his ranch in honor of the aunts who raised him. They also helped him with the funds to build this place. All three maiden aunts live with him. Cora, Flora, and Dora Booker.”

  “Cora, Flora, and Dora. Amazing.”

  “I don’t think it was an intentional thing by their folks.”

  “They are not triplets?”

  “Nope, although they look more and more alike every time I see them.”

  “Halt!” called a voice, and a man stepped out of a lean-to near the gates, his steadily aimed rifle enough to make them stop. “What do you want?”

  “Name’s Mitchell Callahan,” Mitchell replied. “I’ve come to see Jason Booker.”

  “A Callahan, huh.” The man relaxed his guard and cradled his rifle in his arms. “Got anyone chasing you?”

  “No, not that I know of.” Mitchell frowned, growing curious, for it was an odd question.

  “Well, go on up to the house. Get out of this cold.”

  Mitchell nodded and nudged his horse forward. He glanced back once to see the man returning to his small shelter, then shook his head. The man probably just wanted to be sure he could safely return to his little fire.

  As they reined in in front of the huge ranch house, Jason Booker himself stepped out. Maura tried not to stare at the man as Mitchell dismounted, then helped her down, but it was hard. She had thought Mitchell was huge, but this man topped Mitchell by several inches and was a bit more muscular. He had thick blond hair that was a little too long, and bright-blue eyes, the color so clear and sharp it could be easily seen even from a slight distance. He made Maura think of Vikings, big, very handsome Vikings.

  “Well, Mitchell,” Jason said in his deep, somewhat booming voice as he shook Mitchell’s hand and clapped him soundly on the back. “Fancy seeing you here, old friend. Bad time of the year to be traveling.”

  “I wasn’t given much choice.” When Jason looked at Maura, Mitchell wrapped his arm around her shoulders, tucked her up against his side, and coolly ignored Jason’s knowing grin. “This is Miss Maura Kenney from Saint Louis.”

  “Delighted.” Jason took her hand in his and touched a kiss to the back, apparently oblivious to the icy mitten she wore. “I expect you want some warmth, good food, a soft bed, and a hot bath.”

  “Oh, yes, please,” Maura said.

  Mitchell dogged Maura’s steps all the way up to the room she was shown to. He was acting almost jealous of their host and she tried to ignore the thrill that gave her. It tickled awake the love and need she had for the man, emotions she was desperately trying to keep buried. She did laugh softly, however, at his slightly pouting look when he was taken away to a room far down the hall. Clearly, Jason Booker wanted them to behave properly and she felt that they should honor that wish. Maura knew she would miss Mitchell’s big, warm body curled up against hers, but, considering her plans for the future, it was probably for the best that she get used to the loss.

  * * *

  “So, is she the one?” asked Jason as Mitchell entered the parlor a few hours later to share a drink with him.

  “It’s not something I want to joke about,” Mitchell said as he accepted the brandy the man served him and sprawled in a chair facing his friend.

  “Actually, for all I teased you, I never really saw it as a joke. Not like Tyrone did, anyway.”

  “Are you saying that you actually believe a person can recognize his mate for life quickly, almost at first sight?”

  “Yes and no.” Jason grinned when Mitchell rolled his eyes in mock disgust over his evasiveness. “Have some sympathy. It’s not something any man would want to believe. It tastes a little bit too much like female romantic nonsense. And yet, there is a part of me that feels there is some truth to it. I have seen folks who took one look at each other and were married days later, then spent many, many years content and faithful. I have also seen folks who followed all the rules, looked for all the things society says should be considered, and seemed perfectly suited in many ways, yet their marriage failed miserably and they are trapped together. Who knows? I think it may be somewhere in between that the truth lies, or maybe some of us are just blessed with the knowledge.”

  Mitchell smiled faintly. “Blessed, is it? Maybe so. And, yes, she is the one. Knew it within hours of meeting her. Hell, I started to get an inkling the first time I heard her sweet voice telling a man that she was going to rip his lungs out through his eyes.” He grinned when Jason looked briefly shocked then laughed heartily.

  “And such a lady she seemed to be, too.”

  “Oh, she is that, all right.” His smile was sweetly lecherous as he thought of the passion he and Maura shared. “When need be. Sweet, yet tart. Prim, yet . . .” He shrugged. “Yup, she’s definitely the one. Now I just have to get up the nerve to ask her.”

  “You haven’t found it in what, about a month?”

  “She has this plan to take the money she earns from this job and run the farm in Missouri with her cousin Deidre. If I could be sure she would fail, I’d let her go, then go find her again in a while, say, in the summertime, and see if she had softened up some. But, dammit, I think she could succeed.”

  “Oh, I shouldn’t worry about that plan,” Jason said as he sipped at his drink.

  Mitchell frowned. There seemed to be some knowledge behind Jason’s words, a knowledge Mitchell was not privy to. Jason had always been a clever man, sometimes a little sneaky and sometimes a little manipulative. Mitchell had the feeling that the man was being some of each this time. After so many years of friendship, however, Mitchell knew that whatever secret Jason was holding back, nothing would pry it free until Jason wanted to release it.

  “You think it is just empty talk?”

  “I think you and circumstances can change her mind.”

  “Well, maybe if I lay my cards on the table, I can change her mind about going to be a farmer, but I don’t think that’s the only obstacle I need to surmount.” Mitchell frowned slightly as he stared into his drink. “I think she keeps a very tight control on certain emotions and the occasional little remarks she makes and tales she related of her childhood make me think it has to do with her mother and father. I may be looking for something she cannot or will not give.”

  “Ah, you want love and constancy.”

  “No need to be sarcastic.”

  “Sorry. I occasionally let my bitterness spew out onto others. I am pleased that you have found the woman you love and hope you will be happy with her,” Jason drawled.

  “Phew!” Mitchell shook his head and stared at Jason in wide-eyed surprise. “Could you possibly have come up with words any more polite and more totally not heartfelt than those?”

  Jason suddenly laughed and also shook his head. “Sorry again. I can get moody at this time of the year.”

  “Fair enough, if you agree to put up with my moodiness tomorrow morning.”

  “Spending a night alone makes you cranky, does it?”

  “When did you get so prudish? Hell, I’m at one end of the hall and my Maura is at the other, with the triple guard of your aunties in between us. It may not have been gentlemanly to
seduce the woman, but I do mean to marry her.”

  “I suspect you do, only a lot can happen between here and the church.” Jason just met Mitchell’s disgruntled look with a smile. “Mustn’t shock my poor, dear aunties.” He cocked his head, listening for a moment, before announcing, “I believe your lady approaches.”

  Maura smiled at the two men as she entered the parlor. She accepted the glass of wine Jason offered and took a seat on a little settee. Her eyes widened slightly with surprise when Mitchell suddenly sat down beside her.

  “The chair was pinching you?” murmured Jason, then he met Mitchell’s glare with a smile.

  A moment later, three plump, graying ladies entered, and Maura was introduced to Jason’s aunts. They were sweet, readily welcoming her, yet seemed to be bubbling over with some secret amusement. Maura did not have much time to consider the puzzle as they all moved to the dining room to eat. Between savoring a delicious meal and replying to a barrage of questions from Jason’s aunts, Maura was kept very busy. They soon all trooped back to the parlor for an after-dinner drink and the questions asked began to make Maura uncomfortable. Every time the papers were mentioned, she inwardly winced, hating the lying she was being forced to do. Barely a moment after the aunts had excused themselves, Maura did the same. She knew she was simply delaying the inevitable, but she did not care.

  Once in her room, she stripped off her clothes and crawled into bed. Her cold, empty, lonely bed, she thought, and sighed. The closer they got to Paradise the harder she had to fight her feelings for Mitchell. Maura found herself thinking of trying to win Mitchell’s love. The spectre of her mother weeping over yet another heartbreak delivered by her feckless father was losing its strength. Maura huddled into a tight ball beneath the covers. It was going to hurt like hell when she walked away from Mitchell, but that pain would eventually ease. If she stayed with him, a man who had not once even mentioned the word love, she risked renewing that pain on a regular basis. She was, she realized, a complete coward. She would rather cut him out of her heart with one, swift blow than risk having it taken out piece by tiny piece by trying to hold on to Mitchell.

  * * *

  “Your lady has a secret or two,” Jason said as soon as the women had left.

  Mitchell sighed, and nodded. “I got that feeling, too. Not sure I want to poke around trying to find out what it is.”

  “I shouldn’t bother. She also tries very hard to keep herself tightly controlled.”

  “But why?”

  “Who knows. There are shields there, however. You’re going to have to get through them to get to her. I think you’ve already made some chinks in her armor. The reason I saw the shields is because they slip around you and then she has to prop them back up again.” He smiled faintly. “Trust me, I am not that good at reading people.”

  “Better than most of us. Maura was only your guest for a few hours, and you have already seen the problems it took me almost this long to perceive.” Mitchell shook his head. “This kind of troubles a man with some skill at words. I’m a blunt speaker.”

  “That obviously doesn’t trouble her.”

  “True, but plain speaking isn’t always the way to pull secrets out of a person.”

  “I think you’ll find a way, although I doubt you’ll find it easy. Still, I have the feeling that she might just want you to try.”

  “Hell, I have to, don’t I.” He sighed, then shook aside his concerns. “Still have that sled?”

  “Yes, I recently loaned it to someone and it has just come back.”

  “Can I borrow it?”

  “Of course, along with some of my men. Don’t argue. You are almost there. It would be tragic to get shot now. Also, a few of my men are headed into town for Christmas anyway. ”

  “Ah, yes, Christmas. I wanted to be back for the holiday, wanted to spend it with my brothers. Maura was also hoping her cousin Deidre had made it to Paradise by now. No word, huh?”

  “None. But, wasn’t that part of the plan?”

  “It was, but, right now, I wish Tyrone had broken the rules, bent them just enough to let me know he’s alive.” He shook his head. “This not knowing anything is a little hard.”

  “You and Maura have made it through unscathed. I am sure the others will, too.”

  Mitchell just nodded. He had the feeling Jason truly believed what he said, but the comforting words did little to still his fears for his brother. As he excused himself and made his way to bed, Mitchell prayed he would find good news when he reached Paradise and home.

  * * *

  “We are going to travel in that?” Maura asked as she gazed at the sleigh, barely able to contain her excitement.

  Mitchell smiled at her as he picked their bags up off the veranda. “It’s suitable for Christmas Eve, don’t you think?”

  “It has been years since I have ridden in one, but I always enjoyed them.”

  “It might be a little colder than you are used to.”

  Maura grinned. “That has been true for most of the trip here.”

  “Just let me put our bags away and then I shall escort m’lady to her carriage.” Mitchell bowed slightly and then went to put their things in the sleigh.

  “I want to thank you for your hospitality, Mister Booker,” she said, turning to Jason. “And it is very kind of you to let us use the sleigh. Are you sure you won’t be missing it come the holiday?”

  “It was something my aunts always enjoyed, but they can no longer bear the cold,” he replied. “Take it and enjoy.”

  “Oh, I will. At least until the cold changes my mind.”

  “There is one thing I would like to say before you leave, Miss Kenney,” he said seriously, keeping a coven watch on Mitchell’s whereabouts. “A bit of unasked-for advice if you Will.”

  “Well, one should never turn away advice,” she murmured, and the way he looked at her, as if he could see right inside her heart, made her nervous.

  “Sometimes the lessons we think we learn from our parents are not the right ones.”

  Her eyes widened slightly, but she struggled to maintain her air of calm interest. “Such as?”

  “A child can see things one way, but it would be a wise person who stops one day as an adult and takes another hard look. True, it is foolish to repeat the mistakes we know our parents made. Just be sure you know what those are.”

  “Thank you, sir. I will give all you say some consideration.”

  “I wish you would, Maura,” he said quietly, smiling gently. “Mitchell is a good friend and I think we could be friends as well. I always find it annoying to see my friends make themselves miserable when there is no need.”

  Maura was relieved when Mitchell came and got her. Jason made her very uneasy. She began to feel as if those blue eyes could see her every fear and secret.

  Once Mitchell had set her in the sleigh, he spent several minutes making sure she was well wrapped up in warm clothes and blankets. She was so well wrapped up by the time he was done, Maura felt she could be tossed out of the sleigh and not be hurt. It was rather nice to be so pampered and fussed over, but she finally told him to just get in and take up the reins. The men waiting to ride with them were becoming a little too amused.

  It did not take that long for the joy of the ride to slip away. Maura did not completely lose all the pleasure she found in the sleigh, but it was hard to have fun when one was wrapped up like a mummy and the cold still managed to seep through to the bone. She felt bad for the men riding with them, but they seemed to accept it in stride. They were probably far more accustomed to such cold than she was, she mused, and they had chosen to ride to town.

  Her thoughts drifted to what Jason had said and she quivered with unease. It was uncomfortable to think that someone you had just met had seen such things in you, especially when those observations were so directly on target. She was acting upon lessons learned from her parents, but she was not sure they were the wrong ones. A part of her was afraid to look over the sad years of her childhood
and try to reevaluate what she had seen, but she decided that it might be a good idea to do so. Even if she did not believe Jason was right, she now felt compelled to actually prove him wrong. That would require a bit of soul-searching.

  “Cold, darlin’?” Mitchell asked, glancing at her with some concern.

  “I could be sassy and say that is a very stupid question,” she drawled, and returned his grin.

  “You could be,” he agreed. “It’s not that much farther to Paradise and a nice warm room.”

  “Do we go to your ranch?”

  “Not yet. We’ll take a room in the hotel. I need to see my brother, Stephen, and maybe the judge.”

  She inwardly cringed. He was thinking of the papers again, the very useless, fake papers. “Do you think there will be some word about your brother Tyrone? Maybe about my cousin, too?”

  “I hope so. We certainly didn’t cross the miles any faster than they could have, despite using the trains for a while. I am really hoping that Tyrone, and maybe Deidre, too, have already arrived.”

  “Wouldn’t they have stopped at Booker’s ranch, too?”

  “I would have thought so, but obviously not. Don’t worry. As soon as I get those papers where they belong, there will be no more danger for Deidre or for Tyrone, and we can openly hunt them down.”

  After you spit on me and kick me out of town, she thought morosely. She had not given much thought to how it would be when she told him that the papers she had were forgeries. She now decided it was because she had not wanted to think about it. He was going to feel so betrayed, and that feeling would be made all the worse if Deidre and Tyrone had not yet arrived. Maura huddled a little deeper into her blankets, suddenly feeling a chill that she suspected had nothing to do with the weather.