I'll Be Home for Christmas

by Barbara J. Scott

  Amy hoped Dan didn’t plan on hanging around a lot. That would be way too distracting. “But none of you are sure about selling now, right?”

  Bella nodded, grabbed a can of mixed nuts, and started nibbling. “True. Once I came back with David and he and I’d had some quiet time together away from Chicago, he started pointing out what a jewel this place could be. I have to admit, the more David and I discussed it, the more viable it sounded to stay and make things work. Then Dan showed up, and now the idea of selling to him is gnawing at me.”

  “What’s his story?” Amy asked after opening a bottle of water. When Bella’s right eyebrow quirked and her expression turned smug, she wished she’d kept that question to herself.

  “He was married,” Bella said. “Bad divorce.” She shrugged. “His family is fairly wealthy. He has a younger sister who’s married with two children. She and her executive husband live in a big house inside the family compound near Lexington.”

  “Family compound?” Amy couldn’t imagine someone living in a family compound. “I could tell from the building and his office that he’s successful, but he’s not snobbish at all.”

  “No, but his family has roots in this area that date back before the Civil War,” Bella said. When her phone buzzed, she held up a finger and checked it. “It’s David. I have to take this.”

  Amy watched her younger sister rushing off to talk to her fiancé. A native Kentuckian, David wanted to settle down in his home state. Bella and David had met in Chicago and dated in a long distance sort of way since they both traveled a lot for work, but Bella, who worked as a high-powered executive, had never planned to return to Kentucky. When David suggested that they both head home for Christmas, she’d agreed since she had some vacation time. After returning and rekindling their somewhat stale relationship, Bella and David were now figuring out where to live once they married. So Bella was siding with Sophie and Jo-Jo on possibly not selling. Amy knew what finding someone to share your life with could do that to a person, but all three of her sisters? And right now at such a crucial time?

  Where did that leave Amy?

  Before she could even form a disgruntled pout, the kitchen door burst open, and Timothy rushed in sporting a big grin and a tousled head of hair.

  “Mom, this place is great. There’s a creek and Jed took me fishing and I caught a bluegill. That’s a fish.”

  He spaced his hands apart to show her the estimated length. “Jed says I caught a good-sized one, but we threw him back so he can grow.”

  Amy’s heart lifted, seeing her son so excited. “I used to catch bluegill from that very creek. Your granddad taught me.”

  She stopped, a distant memory surrounding her like mist on a mountaintop. She could hear Tuck’s bold laughter as he urged her on. “Hold the line, Amy. Gotta give him time to grab the hook along with the worm.”

  “Mom!”

  Amy blinked, her eyes burning with unshed tears. She saw her son pointing at the cookie jar. “What, honey?”

  “Can I have a cookie?”

  “Only one,” she replied, her tone husky with raw-edged pain. “We’re making the famous Tucker family pizza for dinner.”

  “I get to help,” Timothy said. “Aunt Jo-Jo said I could.”

  “We all get to help,” she replied. “It’s a tradition. But you smell fishy, so go wash up.”

  Timothy hurried off toward the back of the house as Jo-Jo and Jed walked into the kitchen.

  “I have a great idea,” Jo-Jo said, grinning at Timothy’s departing back. “We’re gonna pull out all the old photo albums and show them to Timothy.”

  Amy frowned but nodded. “I guess that might be fun.”

  Jo-Jo shrugged. “It’s Christmas, Amy. Later, after dinner, we need to sit down and discuss what we should do. Dan’s offer is tempting, but it’s looking now like it’s three against one on selling.”

  Bella waltzed in from the front. “And we know who that one is.”

  Jed stepped forward. “We could invite Dan over tonight and go over the details one last time, now that you’re all here together.”

  “She’s frowning again,” Bella said, her gaze on Amy.

  Amy didn’t know why Dan Wentworth had gotten under her skin so quickly. It had to be because she had something he wanted, and she wasn’t sure what to do about that. She didn’t want to like the man, but she couldn’t find a reason not to. He was good-looking and sure-footed, and he had a confidence that made her feel good when she was with him. But that same confidence scared her, too.

  Dear Lord, help me to make the right decision.

  Why couldn’t she make a decision and then persuade her sisters to accept Dan’s offer? Unloading this place was what she’d wanted since the day the letter from Tuck had arrived. No, since the day she’d left. She wanted to be done with this old horse farm. But now that she was back, she was starting to see it wasn’t the farm she wanted to leave behind, but the painful memories.

  Her sisters were depending on her and, as the oldest, her opinion carried a lot of weight. But she hadn’t done her part to help them. She’d abandoned the place and them. And while she didn’t regret leaving and getting married, she did regret the selfish way she’d never looked back. Didn’t she owe them her full support now?

  But if they did sell the place, what would she do? Go back to New Orleans?

  “Amy?”

  Jo-Jo stood beside her. “I know you aren’t sure what to do. I don’t know what to do either. But Jed can tell you all you need to know about the cost of the upkeep on this place. And Dan can explain how the sale would work.”

  “And David,” Bella offered. “He’s already helped us clean the place up, and he has experience in real estate.”

  Finally, Amy nodded. “If Sophie agrees, we’ll have the meeting tonight. I guess Matt will want to come, too.”

  “I’ll call her right now,” Bella said.

  Soon, everyone had dispersed, leaving Amy alone in the kitchen, memories of her daddy’s laughter echoing around her with a sweetness that penetrated the barrier she’d put up around her heart.

  Dan hadn’t expected to be back out at the farm so soon after the not-so-successful impromptu breakfast he’d had with Amy. Wondering if the sisters had made a decision, he pulled his Cadillac Escalade into the sprawling front yard and parked underneath a towering live oak near a line of several other cars.

  Not one to get nervous, he hopped out of his SUV and tugged his leather jacket closed. The wind whipped against him, icy on his skin. He glanced out toward the stable where Jed Weatherly had explained to him when they’d first met that they housed five working ranch horses along with rescue horses and retired racehorses that would eventually be adopted out. Jed and a few hands took care of the place and made extra income by opening the stable to school groups and people who wanted to experience horseback rides on the weekends. Some of the horses served as therapy animals.

  Dan knew most of the horses by name since he volunteered as often as possible out here, giving riding lessons to kids. He hadn’t planned to do that, but the first time he’d come out to tour the place, Jed had shown him Big Red, a grandson of a mare named Maranatha . . . and Stanley, a gelding in rehab . . . and Lucinda, the gray mare with arthritic knees.

  He’d been hooked, and since he rarely made it back to the fancy stable at his family home at Wentworth Hills, he immediately asked Jed how he could help, thinking he’d make a donation.

  “We need volunteers,” Jed had replied.

  If you buy this place, all that will be gone.

  Before Dan could ponder that thought, the front door of the house burst open, and the little boy he’d put to bed last night ran out onto the porch.

  When the kid looked up and spotted Dan, he stopped in his tracks. “Hey.”

  “Hey, yourself,” Dan said. “Where you going in such an all-fire rush?”

  “We found an old sleigh in the barn, and I get to help clean it up and put lights all over it and—”


  “And you’re talking mighty fast,” his mother said from behind him. “Timothy, slow down and let Mr. Wentworth come inside. It’s cold out here.”

  Dan grinned up at her. “But this one is ready to get that sleigh up and running.”

  “It don’t run,” Timothy said on a pragmatic note. “It’s pretend.”

  “It doesn’t run,” Amy corrected, her no-nonsense eyes moving over her son.

  “I said that,” Timothy retorted. “Can I go look at it again, Mom?”

  “Why don’t we wait till morning? It’s late and the horses are getting settled for the night.”

  “I’m gonna learn to ride a horse,” Timothy told Dan.

  “That’s great,” Dan replied. “I teach horseback riding. Maybe I can help you.”

  Timothy did a fist pump and turned to head back inside while his mother stood there with her arms crossed, a doubtful expression on her face. “Do you really teach lessons?”

  “Yes, I really do,” Dan replied, taking in her pretty green sweater and worn, rolled-up jeans over puffy, suede boots. “Right here, every other Saturday. I’ve been around horses all my life. My sister is an award-winning horsewoman.”

  The look of surprise on her face was worth the trip. “Interesting.”

  Then she waved a hand toward the door. “Come on in. We’re making pizza, and we could use your help chopping vegetables.”

  Dan stepped closer. “Vegetables on pizza? Isn’t that a crime?”

  She flipped her hair away from her chin. “No, that’s every woman’s excuse to eat pizza.”

  “Got any sausage or pepperoni?” he asked with a whine.

  “Of course. We’re not completely helpless in the kitchen. Our mama taught us the way to a man’s heart.”

  As if she’d realized what she’d said, Amy shook her head. “That hasn’t always paid off though.”

  Dan met her gaze and saw the hint of sadness in her eyes. “Your mama sounds like a wonderful woman.”

  “She was,” Amy said, “even if her husband somehow forgot.”

  And just like that, her good mood seemed to disappear. Catching up with her, he said, “Hey, why exactly was I summoned here tonight?”

  Amy kept walking. “For pizza, of course.” Then she glanced back over her shoulder. “And . . . we all have questions about your proposal.”

  “That’s fine,” he said. But when he walked into the spacious great room and saw Jed, David, and Matt sitting there, he wondered if the Tucker girls had brought in reinforcements to make him see that they weren’t going to sell the horse farm after all.

  Chapter Six

  Sarah sidestepped Amy as she poured drinks and tasked Timothy with setting out paper plates. “Okay, we have four large pizzas baking,” the white-haired woman announced. “Ready in about twenty minutes.”

  “We’ll help,” Jo-Jo said, hurrying to wipe the long counter so Timothy could place the plates.

  “No.” Sarah had a no-nonsense attitude and a steel-magnolia backbone. “You all go and get to talking. You’ll be good and hungry by the time the pizza is done.”

  Jo-Jo took Amy by the arm. “You can’t avoid this by staying in the kitchen. Jed knew what he was doing when he asked his mom to come on back. He needed her to herd us like we’re stray cats.”

  Amy smiled at that. With her feisty attitude, Sarah Weatherly reminded her of a human hurricane. But she was one of the kindest, most loving women Amy had ever known. Miss Sarah had always been loyal to the Tucker family. Amy respected her in the same way she’d respected her own mother.

  She followed her sisters into the great room where all the men had gathered around the fireplace, talking football and NASCAR. The scene looked so natural that Amy had to stop and catch her breath. She only wished there could have been happy family scenes like this one here before.

  Dan stood laughing with Jed, his smile brighter than the crackling fire. Why did her heart betray her each time this man came around? It had only been a little over twenty-four hours since he’d turned toward her there in the yard, the house silhouetted behind him. She’d been determined to get to the bottom of his motives that morning, and he’d somehow turned that confrontation into a breakfast in the quaint café. Now it seemed as if the house and Dan belonged together. With her.

  Shaking her head to get rid of that crazy notion, Amy moved into the spacious room crowded with oversized worn furniture. When Bella motioned to the men to quiet down, all eyes turned toward Amy. She didn’t know she was the spokesperson here, but Sarah had Timothy busy in the kitchen, so Amy couldn’t use him as an excuse to exit the room.

  “I guess Dan’s wondering why we invited him to our pizza party,” she said, her gaze flitting around the room before she made herself glance at him.

  His eyes held a warmth that filled her with that funny feeling again. That feeling of belonging there with him. That feeling of wanting to stay and fight for the things she’d left behind long ago.

  He filled the void with a quip. “Because I love pizza?”

  “We all came for that reason,” David retorted with a grin.

  Dan didn’t wait for an explanation. “Let me guess. You’re trying to decide what to do with this place, and you want to have a final sit-down to ask me some questions.”

  “Wow,” Jo-Jo said. “Just wow.”

  Bella looked a bit skeptical, but she smiled and sank down on the arm of the sofa. “We do have some concerns.”

  Dan held Amy in his sights, which caused her to want to get this over with. He went on, smooth as a windless lake. “I’m used to that. I buy land that’s been in families for generations. It’s to be expected that a lot of emotions are tied up in things.” His steady gaze stayed on Amy. “Your sisters have been waiting for you so you can make this decision together. I don’t mind, especially if it involves homemade pizza.”

  David nodded. “The Tucker sisters just need to know that their parents’ land will be in good hands.”

  Amy finally spoke. “You’ve made us a generous offer, and we’ve talked about it, but we’d still like to wait until after the holidays to make the final decision. After we eat, we’ll gather back here and get down to business. My sisters invited Jed, David, and Matt here because Jed and Matt knew my father and David has real estate and investment experience.” She shrugged. “And because their futures depend on what we decide, too.”

  “Or maybe because the three of them can toss me out on my ear if I don’t say what you want to hear?”

  Everyone laughed, but Amy saw the concern behind his banter. He had a lot at stake here. What would happen if he didn’t get this deal? And was he being nice to her because he needed the land?

  “Pizza is ready,” Timothy called from the kitchen, a proud grin on his face. “I helped make the man ones.”

  “We have man ones?” Matt asked.

  Timothy bobbed his head. “Yeah. They have tons of meat. Fully loaded, Miss Sarah said.”

  “Well, let’s get to it,” David replied, giving Timothy a high-five.

  “We need to say grace,” Timothy informed them. “Miss Sarah said so.”

  Dan met Amy at the edge of the counter. “You okay with this?”

  “I want this,” she reminded him. “My sisters might have been swayed by three handsome, capable men, but I’m going to make up my own mind.”

  “I don’t see any more handsome men here,” he said. “But if I have my way, we’ll be working together to give us both what we want. And . . . I don’t mind that one bit either.”

  She didn’t tell him that he ranked right up there with the other three. But she did remind herself not to get distracted by all his Kentucky confidence and charm. Amy needed money, and fast. But she also needed to know she was making the right decision without any added pressure from a suave, real-estate developer who made her heart lift and expand like a hot-air balloon. Because Dan Wentworth, as nice as he seemed, only had one goal here—to build fancy estates on their land.

  Two hours later,
only two slices of pizza remained on the baking stone and the official part of their meeting was over. Jo-Jo had walked to the stable with Jed to check on the horses, and Sophie and Matt helped Timothy decorate with a few felt Christmas ornaments for the tree. Bella and David had insisted on helping Sarah clean the kitchen.

  That left Amy sitting with Dan in the great room.

  “I guess I should mosey on home,” he said, getting up to rub his stomach. “The pizza was good. I’ve never had actual homemade pizza before.”

  Amy stood and put her hands in the back pockets of her worn jeans. They’d talked shop for well over an hour, and Dan had done his best to stay honest and sure. Did Amy trust him yet?

  She stared at the embers in the fireplace. “Mama loved to cook from scratch. She believed a good home-cooked meal was much better than any kind of take-out food.”

  “Having eaten a lot of take-out, I can vouch for that,” Dan replied.

  She slanted her head, causing her hair to tumble down onto her sweater. Dan envied that sweater right then. “Even though we grilled you about everything from drainage to acreage to erosion to the size of each estate house?”

  “All good questions,” he replied, hoping he’d made a good impression. Hoping she’d walk him to his truck.

  “I’ll walk you out,” she said, grabbing a coat from a wall hook near the door. “Thanks again for coming. We’re going to finish decorating the house tonight and tomorrow.”

  “Any pizza involved in that?”

  She gave him a thoughtful stare. “No. I promised the clan I’d make red-velvet cupcakes and gumbo tomorrow night.”

  Dan caught a hand against his heart. “You’re killing me.”

  She only hesitated a moment. “You can always come back and bring those comps you mentioned. That, and anything else we might need.”

  He opened the door and a blast of frigid air greeted them. “I think we’ll have snow for Christmas.”