Texas Christmas

by Holly Castillo

  Gabby swallowed and began thinking some of that morphine might have been a good idea after all. Her head was throbbing madly and she was beginning to feel the cuts and scrapes of the rose bushes, and it seemed each one was its own little fire in her flesh.

  “I—I didn’t want you to fight,” Gabby said, wincing and trying to reach up to touch her jaw. Luke’s hand stopped her.

  “It will only hurt more if you touch it. Your jaw is very swollen right now, and it’s going to take some time for it to go down.”

  Gabby drew a deep breath, bracing herself against the pain in her head and jaw. Was the bump on her head really that painful? Or was it that Dominic had punched her that intensely? “I knew you didn’t want to fight. I couldn’t let you ruin your promise to yourself to never fight again on account of me.” She spoke slowly, but was able to get the words out.

  He frowned, his fingers having returned to her cheek. “So all of this is because of me.”

  “You? How can you think that? This entire mess is my fault! Dominic...I should have told him I had chosen you, I should have...” She closed her eyes and allowed the tears of pain and remorse to slip down the sides of her face.

  “You’ve had enough for one night.” Luke held a cup out to her and she tentatively drank from it and realized he had put morphine in it. “You need your sleep, and you need to heal. I’m right across the hall. The President will let us stay however long we need to.”

  Gabby nodded her understanding, though she was quickly beginning to feel fuzzy. “I’ve missed you so much,” she whispered.

  “As I’ve missed you, Vixen. Now sleep. You need it.”

  He turned to leave and she caught his hand and held on to it, not wanting him to leave her yet. But then the morphine took over and she felt her fingers slowly relaxing their grip around his hand. And then she fell into the arms of sleep.

  Chapter Twenty

  Luke was feeling far from sleepy. He felt murderous. Dominic was fortunate that he was in a room down the hall and that Gabby didn’t want him to fight anymore. Otherwise, he would have beaten Dominic to a bloody pile as soon as he had the chance.

  He had tried to get Gabby out of harm’s way the moment she had run forward on the porch. But Dominic was already on the move, and he couldn’t grab her fast enough. He had heard the impact of Dominic’s fist hitting her jaw and knew it was bad. But to make it even worse, those bloody skirts she was wearing had tripped her at the edge of the porch, and there was nothing he could do other than watch her fall, tumbling head over heels to the ground below.

  He had shoved Dominic out of his way as well as any other guests who got in his path as he raced down the steps to her, slipping on the icy footing. The frost covering the ground had crunched beneath his knees as he dropped down next to her, and his heart had been pounding through his chest.

  Dear God, she could have broken her neck. The thought returned as he paced his room, reliving the terror he had felt as he’d found her unconscious and completely unresponsive to his voice or touch. The punch alone was sufficient to knock her out, but he knew the fall had done its fair share of damage as well. He wouldn’t know how severely she was injured until she awoke.

  Fortunately, the crowd had kept Dominic from coming down to check on her, though several of the men were ready to beat him the way Luke wanted to. But it was a foolish notion. The damage had been done. Dominic would punish himself far more for what he had done than any other person could. Yet that still didn’t take away Luke’s desire to make him hurt.

  He had carefully lifted Gabby into his arms and climbed the stairs, and the gathered crowd parted for him quickly. President Lamar had immediately told him to take her to one of the bedrooms upstairs, and it was in that moment that Luke asked for Dominic to be spared and given a place to sleep off his drunken state. It brought a smile to Luke’s face as he recalled them taking Dominic to the small, uncomfortable servant’s room at the end of the hallway and telling him not to leave until morning or there was a chance the President himself might shoot him.

  Luke had cared little about the party after that. His only focus had been Gabby, and one of the servants, a beautiful older woman named Susie, and Rebecca Ann had come in to help him. Carefully they had pulled her gown off of her and revealed the numerous cuts and scrapes that covered her from head to toe. As gently as possible they had pulled the thorns from her skin, wincing for her at the more stubborn ones.

  When she had first begun to stir, she had moaned in pain and he gave her a small amount of morphine. But only a little. He had needed her to wake up so he could fully assess her injuries, so he could tell if she had suffered trauma to her head from the fall. Nearly an hour later—an hour of him holding her hand and staring at her face—she had awoken. It had been nearly three hours since he had brought her to the room, and with every passing moment he had grown more worried.

  But she was all right. She was bruised and in pain, but she was all right. Luke looked at the bed that waited for him and continued to pace. He wanted to be with Gabby. He needed to be with her. He had been so terrified he was going to lose her...again. He had lost her once by not staying to demand to know how Dominic could be her fiancé and had tried to convince himself she was the same as all of the other women he had ever known.

  But he had been wrong, and deep in his gut, he had known it. He should have trusted Gabby. He should have given her the chance to explain. But instead he had stormed away from her, his pride more bruised than anything.

  He sat down on the edge of the bed and removed his shoes, and sighed with relief when he could finally wiggle his toes again. So much had happened in just one short night it seemed unreal. He shucked his shirt and attempted to lie back on the bed, but couldn’t get comfortable. He needed Gabby.

  With his mind set, he grabbed his lantern and headed out into the hallway, listening intently. The entire house was completely silent. Tiptoeing, he crossed the hall to Gabby’s room and opened the door quietly, locking it behind him. Gabby appeared to be in a deep sleep, but her occasional restless movements told him she wasn’t comfortable.

  With the fire from the fireplace providing enough light, he blew out the lantern and approached her bed, slowly sliding between the sheets and blanket until he was against her and was able to slide an arm around her waist.

  She stirred slightly and her eyes fluttered open. “Luke?” she asked groggily.

  “If you ask me to leave, I won’t. I’m staying with you until someone drags me away from you.”

  Her lips pulled back into a partial smile. “Sounds fair,” she murmured, then snuggled up close to him.

  And with Gabby finally in his arms, they both fell into a much-needed deep sleep.

  Luke left Gabby’s room early in the morning, before any of the servants were up and about. He made a point to lie in his bed and jumble up the blankets to make it appear as if he had slept there all night. Lying with Gabby in his arms throughout the night had been well worth the risk of getting caught.

  But now, as the faint light of dawn filtered through his window, his mind ran through everything that had happened the night before. He couldn’t have imagined that he would have Gabby in his arms, dancing with her once again. He had prayed that there would be a way he could convince Dominic that Gabby really belonged with him.

  But now that he knew the truth, it was a bit harder for him to come to terms with. What if it actually hurt Gabby instead of bringing her joy if she stayed with him? What if, in a few years, she came to regret her decision, realizing that her children would have no land to their names?

  He shook his head in frustration and got out of the bed and began pacing the room, the same as he had the night before. What if Gabby was making the wrong choice? Then again, he thought of the drunken man he had encountered the previous night and wondered if that would be the type of man she should be with. Regardless, he needed to make the decision that was the best for Gabby and her future, and he wasn’t sure she knew what that was.
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  As the rays of sunlight filled his room, he shrugged on his shirt and buttoned it and wished desperately for his belongings from the hotel so he could once again be comfortable. There was a light tapping at his door and he hurried to it, worried that something had happened to Gabby.

  A servant stood at the door with his satchel of belongings from the hotel. “The President sent for your luggage from your hotel room, sir. Would you like me to unpack for you?”

  “No, that isn’t necessary. I can take care of myself. Thank you.” He took the bag from the servant and nodded to him, then closed the door and quickly shed his stuffy clothes from the night before. Soon he was in the clothes he had grown accustomed to—a simple shirt and pants, with a day jacket that complemented his broad shoulders. His feet were also relieved not to squeeze back into his tight evening shoes but instead slipped into his boots comfortably.

  Once he was finally dressed, he stepped out in the hall and silently entered Gabby’s room. Much to his surprise, Susie looked up at him as he entered from where she was sitting next to Gabby’s bedside. She stood quickly at his entrance and nodded to him. “Doctor,” she said softly.

  He nodded to her in return. “How long have you been with her?” he asked, wondering how long he had been away. It had felt like only minutes, but now as he saw the sunlight in the room he realized it had been easily an hour or more. He had been too lost in his own thoughts.

  “Only an hour or so, sir. She was fussing a bit when I came in to check on her, and I just couldn’t leave her. But she still hasn’t woken up.”

  Luke came to her bedside and saw her face was tense with pain, but as Susie had said, she wasn’t awake yet. “Thank you, Susie. I’ll stay with her from here.”

  “The man—that man who did this to the little Miss left this morning.”

  Luke raised his eyebrows in surprise. “When? Did he say anything?”

  “About the same time I came in to check on the little Miss. He was apologizing to President Lamar, and then he was gone. I don’t know what all they discussed, but he sounded mighty pained for the problem he caused.”

  Luke nodded, then turned back to Gabby as Susie left the room. Gabby whimpered and, in her sleep, tried to raise a hand to her jaw. Luke caught it and pulled it back down and watched her eyes flutter, but they didn’t fully open.

  He hated seeing her in this much pain. He reached into her medicine bag, which had been set next to his, and pulled out the poppy paste. He smeared a little on the inside of her lip, and within a few minutes her face gradually relaxed and the sharp look of pain gentled. He couldn’t keep her asleep all day, but the more rest she got, the faster she would heal, and the less time she would actually feel the pain.

  President Lamar came in to check on her progress in the middle of the morning, and at some point a tray of food was delivered to him, but he barely noticed. He was in the process of checking all of the cuts and abrasions on her arms and legs when her hand reached out and caught his sleeve.

  He looked up in surprise and was startled to see her smiling at him, though it was a small smile. He would take any smile he could get. “How do you feel?” he asked softly.

  “Like I was in one hell of a fight,” she whispered.

  He chuckled. “Well, you were. Between Dominic, the rose bushes, and the ground, I’d say you were severely disadvantaged.”

  She reached up and stroked his face and he caught her hand and pressed a kiss into the center of her palm. “I still can’t believe what you did,” he said, shaking his head at her. “You’re lucky Dominic didn’t hit you with his full power. He was able to check it right before he struck you.”

  Gabby’s eyes widened slightly. “I think he would have killed me had he hit me with his full strength,” she said, trying not to move her jaw much.

  Luke’s stomach clenched. She was right. More than likely a full punch from Dominic would have killed her. She was too tiny to take such a beating. He decided to change the mood. “The good news is that the swelling in your jaw has gone down significantly. You’ll be feeling better very soon.”

  “And Dominic? What have they done to him?”

  “Nothing.” Luke shrugged. “He left first thing this morning, but whether it was to go to San Antonio or Corpus Christi, I don’t know.”

  Gabby shook her head, wincing slightly. “No, he’s headed to San Antonio. He won’t let this go until he knows Abuela and Abuelo have given their approval to break the marriage contract.”

  “Do they have to give their approval? They didn’t even know about the contract.”

  “Abuelo has to approve whoever I marry—you know that.”

  “Yes, but I don’t see what that has to do with the contract. He can petition to marry you, as can I. Given your recent conversation with your abuela, I doubt there will be a problem.”

  “Dominic probably thinks similarly—for himself. He’s going to try to convince them he is the right choice for me.”

  Luke shook his head and smiled down at her, though inside his stomach was in knots. Everything she was saying only reinforced his concern that he was not the right man for Gabby. She deserved so much. He could offer her a small room above a doctor’s clinic as a home. In a few years he may be able to afford a home in San Antonio, but there was no guarantee, and his future in general was uncertain. He may not even become a decent doctor for San Antonio. He had no idea what to expect.

  “Don’t worry.” She squeezed his hand. He had forgotten that he was still holding her hand; he had been so focused on the thoughts whirling through his head. “I’ve already made my decision, and that’s all that matters.”

  “What actually matters right now, Vixen, is that you listen to your doctor and get some much-needed rest.”

  “I’m feeling better, honestly.”

  “I’m sure you are. When you can talk and move your jaw at the same time, then I’ll agree. But while you continue speaking through clenched teeth, I disagree and think you just don’t want to listen to me.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut and drew a deep breath. “Abuela only expected me to be gone for the gala. She’ll begin to worry if I don’t get home.”

  “I’ll have a message carried to them. It will at least be three days before we can leave. You took a solid beating.”

  “Oh, Luke, we must be home for Christmas Eve. We simply must. I don’t want you to miss out on the magic.”

  He could see the sparkle in her eye, even through the pain. “If you listen to me, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Whatever you say, Doc,” she began to smile then winced and attempted to look away from him, but that only put pressure on her jaw and she gasped.

  “Here,” Luke said, helping to lift her head so she could drink some water.

  “No, Luke, no more morphine.” Her eyes pleaded with him.

  “If you are sleeping, you are healing. It makes your recovery easier. Now drink.”

  She glared up at him, then reluctantly did as he said. He let her head settle back down into the soft pillow and caught her hand again. “How do your cuts feel? Are any of them very painful?”

  “Compared to my jaw, nothing is bad. But my arms are burning, if you must know.”

  “That’s where you have the most cuts. I’ll keep a close eye on them.”

  “Luke?” she said softly, drowsily. “Before I can’t feel anything, will you do something for me?”

  “Anything,” he said just as softly.

  “Kiss me.”

  For two more nights, Luke snuck across the hallway to join her in her bed, where they would sleep peacefully, snuggled together, until early morning called him back to his own room. By then, Gabby was off of any medication, and she thoroughly enjoyed having the arms of the man she loved wrapped around her, protecting her, throughout the night.

  Morning dawned on December twenty-second, and Gabby was sick of being treated like someone who was ill. With Susie’s help, she slipped into one of Rebecca Ann’s day dresses, and, even
though it still felt foreign, it felt better than just lying in bed with her chemise on.

  When Luke came into the room to check on her, he did a double take when he saw her. “What are you planning on doing?” he asked, the suspicion obvious in his voice.

  “I plan on having you show me Austin. I haven’t done any of my Christmas shopping, and we head home tomorrow. I have to get gifts...at minimum for the kids.”

  “Do you realize how hard it is going to be for you to travel home? You haven’t fully recovered, and instead of resting today like I’m telling you to do, you’re insisting on me taking you shopping? No. Absolutely not.”

  Thirty minutes later the carriage pulled around and Luke helped Gabby climb up the steps. “For the record,” he said, “I already stated this is a bad idea. If you’re uncomfortable tomorrow, that’s all your fault.”

  “We’re taking two days to get back there. Are you planning to crawl back?” Gabby teased him.

  “That’s the last time I make sure you are comfortable,” he grumbled.

  Gabby leaned across the carriage and kissed him, pressing her lips to his tenderly. “You worry too much,” she whispered.

  “When it comes to you, Vixen, all I can do is worry.”

  Gabby laughed as she settled back down in her seat, drawing a smile from Luke, who said, “It is good to hear you laugh. It has been too long.”

  “Well, I happen to know a talented doctor who took great care of me and has me feeling better than I have in days.”

  “Good. I’m actually thankful for the cold weather because it is keeping your bruise hidden by that scarf.”

  Gabby’s hand subconsciously reached up to touch the space that was purple and blue, but when she saw Luke’s raised eyebrow, she dropped her hand. “I know how terrible it looks. Can you imagine what Abuela and Abuelo are going to say when they see it?”