Christmas Showdown

by Mackenzie McKade

  “Good night, darlin’.” He gave her chin a nudge and then released her. “I’ll see you bright and early in the morning—around seven.”

  ***

  The lights of Trey’s parents’ two-story ranch house beamed. As his mother promised, they were waiting up for him. In fact, his mother and Melissa, his youngest sister, sat on the front porch swinging with a blanket wrapped around them, guarding them from the chilly night. His father must have heard his truck, because he stood in the doorway.

  Before Trey climbed out of his vehicle his seventeen-year-old sister was at his door. “So is it true? You have a son?” Moonlight danced over her big eyes filled with concern. Dressed for bed, she wore flannels and fluffy black-and-white cow slippers, and her long black hair was pulled into two braided pigtails.

  He gave one of her pigtails a tug as he shut the door. “Yep.”

  “Any chance he’s not yours?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  His father had stepped outside to join Trey’s mother when Jason’s truck pulled up beside his. His older brother was out of the vehicle in no time flat. That’s when Lance maneuvered his four-wheel drive next to Jason’s.

  Getting out of his vehicle, Lance looked from one sibling to the next. “Hail, hail. The crowd’s all here,” he joked, before nailing Trey with an inquiring glance.

  “Well, except for Suz. She’s on a date. But she’s on her way,” Melissa added.

  “Rumors travel fast in this family,” Trey noted with a scowl. He should have anticipated that news like this would have the Burstyns coming out of the woodwork. He was just surprised that Granddad and Grandma weren’t present, or half a dozen cousins that lived in the vicinity.

  “Especially when the rumors are in the caliber of this one,” Jason added. “So?”

  “Will you leave him alone long enough to get into the house?” His mother came to his rescue. She hugged herself. “It’s cold out here. I’ve got coffee and hot chocolate brewing. There’s fresh cinnamon rolls on the table.”

  That was all Jason and Lance needed to hear. Both of them turned and hurried into the house. Melissa stayed with Trey, walking arm-in-arm toward the house.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  “Okay? Yes. Shocked? Hell, yes.” His boots echoed off the wooden porch while Melissa’s slippers made a shuffling sound.

  “Does he have the eyes?” she asked.

  “Mel, leave the boy alone. Son,” his father jutted out his hand to shake Trey’s, “your mom has been chomping at the bit, so you best come inside and spill the beans or no one is getting any sleep and that includes me.”

  The dynamics in this family were much like most families, Trey guessed. When something happened to one of them, it happened to all of them.

  As he stepped inside the warm, inviting cabin-style house, the fresh scent of pine wafted off the tall Christmas tree adorned with family heirlooms while the woodsy smell of mesquite burning in the fireplace touched his nose. He wiped his boots on the slab of carpet before the door as he had done for years, and then removed his hat and hung it on the hatrack.

  Walking past the living room, he entered the large open kitchen with granite countertops and copper pans hanging from the brass pot rack chandelier above the island. He took a seat at the table. Gazing out the bay window that overlooked the backyard, he stared into the darkness.

  “So, Trey, what’s this I hear about a son?”

  His father’s gruff voice broke into Trey’s wonderings. He drew his attention to the large man resting against a wooden chair. Gray peppered the man’s black hair, but he still had firm control over his family.

  “Did you happen to hear about the Collier’s Bank robbery today?”

  His mother and father nodded while Melissa shook her head.

  “You get the call?” Jason asked, chewing on a mouthful of pastry.

  Trey picked up the coffee cup his mother set before him with a comforting smile, and then he took a drink before continuing. “Yeah. The witness was a woman I met in Denver at a conference about two years ago.”

  “And?” Lance urged.

  “Hush.” Melissa swatted his hand.

  “I won’t go into a lot of detail, but—”

  “Oh no, bro.” Lance chuckled, dodging Melissa’s swing. “Don’t think you’re going to get away with glossing over the details.”

  Melissa, along with their mother, leveled another scowl at him.

  “Fine. I had a one-night stand in Denver and now I have a child. TJ is about fifteen months old. Yes, he has the Burstyn eyes.” He flicked a lock of hair that hid his stubborn cowlick. “He even has this damn thing.”

  “Have I taught you nothing about protection?” Jason sighed, stuffing another piece of cinnamon roll into his mouth.

  “Yes. Dammit. I used a condom.” When his mother and sister blushed and Lance choked on a laugh, Trey felt himself shrinking inside. “Sorry, Mom. Mel. But it is what it is. I have a son.” What more was there really to say?

  “If you used protection, how can you be sure that the boy is yours?” his father asked.

  “It can happen,” Melissa said. “Condoms are known to have a breakage rate of over two percent. In fact, women whose partners use a condom have a two percent per-year pregnancy rate possibility if the man knows how to— Uhmm. Put it on, versus a fifteen percent per-year pregnancy rate with typical use.” When everyone’s wide eyes landed on Melissa, she said, “What? Don’t tell me you guys weren’t listening in sex education? Or perhaps that was Trey’s problem. He, uh, didn’t know how to wear it right.” She grinned sheepishly while Jason, Lance and their father burst into laughter.

  Trey noted his mother wasn’t laughing.

  “Son, where is the boy now?” she asked.

  “With his mother. We had to take him to urgent care.” When concern darkened his mother’s eyes, he added, “It’s just an ear infection. But damn, the boy has some lungs. He’s sleeping now and hopefully will feel better tomorrow.”

  Melissa placed a hand over his. “So what do you plan to do?”

  “I’ve asked Kelly to move in with me. I want my son with me.”

  Jason frowned. “But you don’t even know this woman.”

  His large hands rested on his belly. Paula liked to cook and after ten years of marriage it was showing around his brother’s waist. Not that he was fat, but he definitely could spare a pound or two.

  “Tell us a little bit about the child’s mother,” his mother said.

  “She’s a lead teller at the bank. A gunman shoved a pistol in her face and she didn’t wilt like a flower, so that should tell you she has mettle. She’s smart, beautiful, and ready to fight me if she has to over TJ.”

  “TJ?” Melissa repeated.

  “Trey, but I don’t know what the J stands for. And no, I don’t know his birthdate. I don’t know what his first word was or when he took his first step, and I don’t have any idea what he wants for Christmas.” Trey paused to push his fingers through his hair. “I’ve missed a lot of his life and don’t want to miss any more.”

  “But moving this woman in with you. Son, that’s a huge step,” his father said.

  “Yeah, and letting Kelly out of my sight could be a bigger mistake. She was as surprised to see me as I was to see her.”

  His mother frowned. “So she intentionally kept you in the dark?”

  “No. It isn’t like that. I didn’t even tell her my last name. Where I lived. Nothing. I’m as much to blame as anyone.” He looked up at his mother. “I’m not proud of myself, Mom. But I am trying to make things right.”

  “I can see that, Trey, and we’re here to help in any way we can,” she assured him.

  Elbows on the table, his father steepled his fingers. “So what are your immediate plans?”

  “Tomorrow I’ll pack the two of them up and move them in with me. I haven’t done any shopping, so after that’s done I thought perhaps we’d go shopping. Stay up trying to put some toys together, ’cause ju
dging by what Jason and Lance have done in the past, I’ll probably be doing the same. Then Christmas day we’ll come and spend it with all of you.”

  “We’ll help with the moving.” Jason naturally included Lance in the offer.

  “Thanks, but I don’t think she’ll bring much over to the house. She’s still of the opinion this is a temporary situation, a trial run. Kelly believes within a week I’ll get tired of playing house and boot them out. So she’s only agreed to stay for the holidays.”

  “Can’t blame the girl for being cautious.” Suz breezed into the kitchen, stopping only to press red lips on Trey’s cheek that he knew would leave a lipstick mark. Of course she would think this way. At twenty, the ebony-haired beauty was as independent as a bird in flight.

  Their father gave the oldest of his daughters a discouraging glance after he scanned her tight leather pants and the rather low neckline of her sweater. “Did your mother let you out of the house dressed like that?”

  She swiped a hand through the air, brushing him off. “Oh, Dad.”

  “The girls and I’ll do some grocery shopping, because I’m sure your cupboards are bare, then we’ll go over to your house and give it a good cleaning, right?” Their mother pinned her narrowed gaze on both his sisters. They nodded obediently, because Dad wasn’t the only one who ruled the roost in this family.

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “And I’ll have our attorney run a full security profile on this Kelly. What’s her last name? You should also get a paternity test.” His father wasn’t one to let someone waltz into this family without checking their credentials, plus if he knew his dad he would also be paving the way to get custody of TJ should it be necessary. This wasn’t the first time one of his sons had gotten into a mess.

  “It’s McMaster, but it isn’t necessary. I’d rather you stay out of this.” No matter what his father might dig up, Trey would stay his course. TJ was his son. And Kelly intrigued him to the point he had every intention of getting to know her better—in the right way.

  Pushing his chair from the table, he stood. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some things I need to do before tomorrow.” Jason and Lance followed suit, each of them a step behind him as they grabbed their hats and headed for the door.

  When they got outside, his older brother grabbed Trey’s bicep, dragging him to a stop. “There’s more you’re not telling us.” It wasn’t a question but a statement.

  He started to inform his brother it was none of his business, but he paused. “There’s something about this woman. A chemistry.”

  “You mean lust,” Lance laughed.

  “No. If it were merely lust I could deal with it. It’s something more. Something stronger.” Now that mushy comment might get his man card taken away. “Truthfully, I’ve thought about her over the years. Haven’t been able to get her off my mind. When I saw her again today those feeling were, well, magnified. Now I find out I have a son. Damn. I’m so fucked up I don’t know which end is up.”

  “She’s a beauty?” Lance asked.

  “Oh hell, yeah. Fiery red hair. Green eyes that glow like emeralds. And long legs that—” He stopped because the thought of those long legs wrapped around his waist sent a shiver up his spine. “But I don’t get the sense she feels the same about me, because she sure isn’t running back into my arms.”

  “And maybe that’s the allure,” Jason stated matter-of-factly. “Still, I’m dying to meet the woman who has screwed this much with your head.” Jason slapped him on the back.

  “Me too,” Lance chimed in.

  “Back off, Lance.”

  His brother’s inability to keep his hands off other women had been one of the reasons for his divorce two years ago. The other had been that he and Kristen should have never gotten married since they fought like dogs and cats. But one thing Trey could say about his brother—he was a good father. His daughter Chastity meant the world to him.

  In his line of work, Trey had seen the toll a broken family took on children. His niece was no different. The fighting between her parents kept the child in a world of flux. Trey didn’t want that for TJ and he wasn’t willing to do this fifty-fifty split thing, so his only alternative was to convince Kelly to see things his way.

  Hell. What was he saying?

  Half his precinct was either divorced or on the edge of getting one. Evidently, policemen didn’t make the most reliable marriage material, but Trey was different. He wasn’t married to the job. If he needed to, he could quit the city and work on the ranch. It’s what his father and mother had always wanted.

  Would Kelly want the same?

  Chapter Five

  Kelly dreaded that knock on the door.

  Never had there been any doubt in her mind that her baby needed a father, but one who had the power to make her body melt was dangerous to her heart. And Trey’s kiss last night had definitely done a job on her. She hadn’t slept a wink all night. Tossing and turning, she’d wondered if her decision was right for TJ, as well as for herself.

  She glanced down at the little man holding on to the coffee table as he wiped every single toy on to the floor, laughing at what he’d done. As fast as she had packed his things, he had unpacked them. Yet it was no big deal. He didn’t have that much anyway.

  Another knock rapped on the door, this one louder, more impatient.

  God. Kelly hoped she knew what she was doing. Then she looked around and decided anything would be better than this place, at least for the time being. As she pushed against the couch to rise, something popped. That’s all she needed was another broken spring.

  “Kelly?” Trey’s deep, stirring voice bled through as the door shook beneath his pounding.

  “Hold your horses. I’m coming.” She took a calming breath before she jerked the door open. “What?” Crap. The man looked sexy in that black leather jacket and he smelled heavenly. Soap. Aftershave. Something earthy. The irritating thought made her edgy. “Did you think I’d skipped out last night?”

  His warm breath made puffs of white against the cold air as he spoke. “No. I saw your car.”

  Then he swept his gaze over her body, leaving her feeling as if he had mentally stripped her naked. Her grip on the doorknob tightened as her nipples hardened, and she didn’t think it was the weather’s fault.

  Dammit.

  “Then what’s the rush?” she managed to say.

  “Darlin’, if it hasn’t escaped you, it’s cold out here.” He cupped her face with icy hands and she stepped back, releasing his hold.

  “Well, if you hadn’t wanted to start moving at the butt-crack of dawn it wouldn’t be so cold.” In reality, TJ always woke up around six or six thirty, so it hadn’t been a hardship.

  “Kelly,” he growled her name. “Can I come inside or not?”

  Not was on the tip of her tongue, but she moved further within.

  The second he saw TJ, he went to him and swung him up into his arms. “How’s my li’l buckaroo this morning?”

  TJ giggled in response while Kelly slammed the door against the chilly morning.

  “Momma seems to be out of sorts today. Did you keep her up last night?”

  No. TJ had slept peacefully. Kelly hadn’t, because each time she closed her eyes, she felt his lips on hers, and then her mind soared a mile a minute in places better not visited. Or she faced a gun in her face. The image still made her sick to her stomach.

  Trey tickled TJ’s belly where his shirt had risen baring a span of baby fat. TJ batted the cold fingers away. “How is he?”

  “He’s fine. I’ve learned that children can spring back almost as quickly as they can come down with something.”

  Trey set TJ down on the floor and his sexy gaze locked with hers. “Where do you want to start?”

  She turned away from his mesmerizing stare and started to pick up the toys scattered about. “The two bags in the kitchen and these things will be all I’m taking. Unless we’ll need bedroom furniture or linen?”

  “I’ve
got that covered.”

  Retrieving the last of TJ’s things, she tossed them in the box. Finally she gathered up his sparse Christmas gifts and placed them atop the toys.

  “Then we’re good,” she said.

  “Just these two bags and this box?” he asked.

  “Yes, Trey. Our entire lives fit in two suitcases and a box.” A flush of heat spread across her face, neck and upper chest, setting off a flutter of wings in her stomach. “Unless you want to take this couch that just lost another spring, or a mismatched mattress set that has seen better days.” She paused, compressing her lips against the wall of tears that threatened. When she was in control again, she raised her tired gaze to meet his again. “I’m sorry. It appears I’m having difficulties with this arrangement. I don’t see how it will work and I don’t want to confuse TJ.”

  “It won’t if you don’t give it a try. Kelly, I don’t have all the answers, but it’s Christmas Eve. I want to spend the holidays with my son. Let’s get some breakfast. Afterwards we’ll go shopping. I could use your help on what to get my family. Then we’ll head home and the two of you can settle in. Okay?”

  “We need to talk and set the ground rules, because I can’t—”

  Trey pressed a finger to her mouth. “Later. For the next couple of days let’s enjoy ourselves. Get to know each other without making everything complicated.”

  “But it is complicated,” she muttered behind his finger.

  Shaking his head, he dropped his hand to his side. “Man, you’re stubborn. I didn’t know that about you.”

  Kelly lowered her brows slightly before she flicked a lock of her hair. “Redhead. Should have been a dead giveaway.”

  The deepest, most sensual laugh she had ever heard burst from his mouth. “Yeah. It should have. Now bundle that boy up and let’s get going.”

  After donning her own coat, Kelly took careful measures to ensure TJ’s ears were covered as they stepped outside. The clean, crisp smell of a new day stroked her senses. Clouds dotted the blue sky, the sun giving off a promise of warmth later on.