A Very Lusty Christmas [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Cara Covington

  “Is there a way we can check the fuel in the tanks for purity?”

  “Yes, sir,” the chief master sergeant said after a moment. “I believe there is.”

  * * * *

  “Have you spoken to either one of them?” Miranda set the pot of hot tea on the table. Kate had set out the cups from the cupboard, and brought over the pitcher of milk and the sugar bowl. The lunch dishes were done, and the two residents whose turn it had been to help had just ambled off, intent on a game or two of poker.

  Kate was grateful her friend had waited until the two of them were alone to ask. Of course, all the residents knew by now that there’d been trouble the day before at Goodfellow Field. Since they also knew the brothers Benedict, and that both men were flight instructors there, they’d been concerned.

  Yesterday was sheer hell. Word had traveled quickly that there’d been an accident, and that one of the training planes had crashed. Kate had heard the news from Rose Benedict, who’d come over to relieve her—affording Kate the opportunity to go to the Big House and wait with the family for news.

  It had been hours before Jeremy Jessop-Kendall had been able to discover the name of the unfortunate man who’d died.

  Kate still felt a little bit ashamed that her first reaction had beenrelief. Her heart ached for the family and friends of Captain Barnesdale, and for the rest of the men stationed at Goodfellow. She knew that many of them would be dealing not only with the loss of a comrade, but the knowledge that it could have happened to any one of them.

  Accidents happened. Although her men hadn’t said, she had the sense that there’d been more than the normal number of mishaps in the last few months. She recalled all too clearly the fear she’d tasted weeks before when Gerald had talked of his own close call.

  Miranda’s question still echoed in her thoughts. “No,” Kate said. “I don’t really expect to hear from them until they show up sometime Friday evening. They’ve got a forty-eight-hour leave coming up. What about you? Have you heard anything fromyourmen?”

  Miranda sighed. She poured tea out for them both, and took a moment to put a bit of milk in her cup. “No, unfortunately. Mail is dreadfully slow when they’re at sea. I’ve sent dozens of letters, of course. All of them addressed to Martin.”

  Kate knew that the tradition that had begun with the grandparents continued on for their children, and now their children’s children. A woman couldn’t legally have two husbands, of course. So the oldest brother became the legal husband. Miranda had described the family ceremony that had been held after the actual marriage one.

  “We made a pact before they shipped out,” Miranda said, “that they were to understand that all the letters might be addressed to Martin but they would be meant for them both.”

  “I’m sorry that you have to be separated from them. And especially, because you are, I’m very grateful to you for making it possible for me to spend time with Gerald and Patrick when they come home on leave.”

  Miranda waved that away. “I have no doubt you’d do the same for me, if our positions were reversed.”

  “Yes, I would. In a heartbeat,” Kate said.

  “That was very tense last night while we waited to hear. It got me to thinking how—well, how fragile life can be.”

  “Yes, I was thinking the same thing.” Because it felt good to do so, Kate reached over and put her hand on Miranda’s. “It also made me realize how much worry Mattie, Chelsea, and Rose live with every day. They all have more than one son in harm’s way.”

  Miranda sighed. “It’s hard enough, knowing my men are in danger. I can’t imagine how it would feel to have a son in peril—or daughter, for I know there are nurses serving overseas, too.”

  “There are, yes. “ Kate shook her head, grateful that none of the nurses who’d become her friends had as yet been sent there. “Jacob, James, and Rose have four of their five sons overseas,” Kate said. “William and Peter—Gerald and Patrick’s brothers—are serving, as well.”

  “Mom and the dads have four of their five sons serving too,” Miranda said. “I haven’t even met Douglas or Warren. They were in England, and unable to attend our wedding. That’s a lot of family members we’re all holding vigil and saying prayers for—and we haven’t even mentioned any of the Parker-Joneses.”

  Kate shook her head. She’d only met a few Parkers, Joneses, and Parker-Joneses. But the high ratio of men serving certainly explained why so many in the community pitched in and helped to run the Convalescent Home.

  “Mother and Aunt Mattie and Auntie Rose and the grandmothers have been talking about Christmas. They’ve already started making plans. No one knows who’s going to make it home this year—or even who’s going tostayhome.”

  Kate hadn’t given the celebration much thought. This would be the first time, ever, she wasn’t home for Christmas. Part of her was a little bit homesick at the thought. She did miss her parents, for all that she and her mother were at odds, more often than not anymore.

  “It’s not even Thanksgiving, yet,” Kate said. And this year, despite the war, she knew she had a lot to be thankful for.

  Miranda smiled. “I think one of the things that makes this family—heck, this town—work, is the fact that the women of Lusty don’t let much dampen thespiritof family.” She leaned forward. “This will be the second Christmas that Amanda is without either of her husbands. And I think that it’s for her, mainly, that Sarah and Mom and the others want to make it special.”

  Kate understood the sentiment. While they’d been waiting for news, yesterday evening, Kate had been struck by something she thought was simply amazing. The women of the family—the women of Lusty—had come together, a single, strong, loving unit. She’d seen it before, but yesterday she’d been the recipient of that loving concern. They’d poured her tea, and sat close. They’d talked to her about mundane things, but had reached out, both spiritually and physically, and made sure that she felt a part of them, and not alone.

  “Even though I’m likely not going to see my husbands,” Miranda said, “I want to do everything I can to make this Christmas special for the family. I’ll do itforMartin and Nick.”

  “I’ll help you,” Kate said. “Let’s see what we can do to make it special for everyone here.”

  “I can tell, just looking at you, that you have something in mind.”

  Kate thought of the months she’d already passed here in this Central Texas town, and the years to come that she planned to spend here. Years that would be filled with love, and laughter and living—at least they would or there’d be hell to pay, she thought.

  And she thought about the men, the wounded warriors who’d been sent to her—a few of whom had already gone home, making room for others who would soon arrive.

  In the midst of war, and in the darkest of times, there must always be things to be held up, to be thankful for, to celebrate. In these times, family needed to remain family, and whether they sat down together to break bread, or were huddled in foxholes on the other side of the world—or even had passed on to the next life—familywasstill family.

  Family, love, connections—these were the enduring values, the heart of life itself. These were the reason for everything, and they were the answer to every question.

  And this was not true just for their families—hers and Miranda’s—but foreveryfamily.

  “Yes,” Kate said. “I do have an idea or two. Let’s see if we can make them happen.”

  Chapter 18

  Neil Brown tried to quell his nerves. When he’d looked up from his desk to encounter two soldiers—MPs—he’d genuinely been confused. When they had ordered him to accompany them to Goodfellow Field, he’d complied, of course. He kept a confused but cooperative demeanor about him, and had taken his seat in the back of the jeep. The fact that he sat between the two strapping young men gave him pause.

  The fact that neither of the young men smiled, or talked to him, or even met his gaze began to gnaw at him.

  He supposed that
Colonel Hamilton had discovered that he’d substituted cheaper ingredients for some of the more expensive components in the fuel.Hell. He’d likely have to pay back some of the money he’d already banked. Damn it, he was so close to having all he needed.

  As the jeep drew closer to the base, Brown marshaled his arguments. He would say that every business did what it could to stretch the dollar. That he’d been assured by the chemical company rep—the man was old as sin and nearly senile—that the way he wanted to structure his formula was sound.

  He supposed the government’s accountants would be all over him, demanding that he even pay a penalty on some of the money he’d been paid for the fuel he’d delivered.

  He’d fight that, of course. Hell, the war hadn’t changed the way things worked, not really. He had a lawyer that he paid a pretty penny to, who looked after the interests of the refinery.

  He’d make that son of a bitch earn his money for a change.

  There seemed to be a lot of men standing around as the MPs escorted him to Colonel Hamilton’s office, and none of those men looked very friendly, either.

  Who the hell were they to be looking at him like that? They were just grunts—just men filling uniforms, who at any moment could be sent off to be nothing more than cannon fodder.

  They had no right to look down their noses at him. He was a businessman, damn it, a businessowner.

  Offense was the best defense. He decided to go in with both barrels blazing, as it were. As soon as the door opened, Brown strode in and stopped in front of Hamilton. “What is the meaning of this, George? You could have called and asked me to come in for a meeting. Is this any way to treat a respected member of the community?”

  “This isn’t a meeting, Mr. Brown.” Colonel Hamilton nodded at a man who stood behind Brown and to his right, a man that he hadn’t even noticed when he entered the office.

  “This is Captain Carville of the Texas Rangers. And what this is about, sir, is treason.”

  “How dare you! I am a patriotic American.” Brown looked around the office. There were other men there, too. A couple of majors, and a few other officers, none of whom he knew. The MPs had accompanied him, and they’d brought their rifles into the colonel’s office with them.

  “Are you going to stand there and tell me that you did not sabotage the fuel you sent us?”

  “Sabotage?” Brown had no doubt the horror he felt at such a charge showed on his face. “Of course I didn’t sabotage it! That, sir, is a ridiculous charge!”

  “We’re having a sample of that last shipment you sent us tested, but we can tell, just from the smell of it, that there’s kerosene in it. We’ll have the official analysis soon enough.” Hamilton’s tone, ice cold, let Brown know that his substitutions had indeed been discovered.

  But that sure as hell wasn’t sabotage, and he sure as hell was no traitor!

  Captain Carville stepped forward. “We also attained a warrant and I have a team of men at your refinery. They’re conducting a search as well as drawing samples of fuel from your tanks—both the ones you have ‘set aside’ for the airfield, here, and your other tanks.”

  “What the hell were you thinking, man? Do you have any idea of the damage you’ve caused?”

  Something in the way Hamilton asked that simply ignited Brown’s temper.Self-righteous son of a bitch.“Oh, give me a fucking break. I’m a businessman, and my job is to ensure that my company turns a profit. You set the price of what you were willing to pay for the fuel you needed, without having any idea how expensive it is to give you the higher-grade product you ordered. Sure, the gas I gave you may have caused your planes to run a little rough, but so what? I have to make a profit. That’s what America is all about.”

  “You stupid son of a bitch.” Hamilton surged to his feet. “Your greed caused one of my planes to explode, midair, killing a man, a man under my command!”

  For one moment Brown felt certain George Hamilton was going to punch him. The colonel looked at the MPs that flanked him. “Cuff this bastard and throw him in the brig.” Then he turned his gaze back to Brown. “As soon as the analyses come in, showing that the fuel has been doctored from what our contract calls for, you’ll be turned over to the Texas Rangers, and charged with treason.”

  “I’m not a traitor! I’m a businessman!” Brown struggled but the two men proved too much for him. The metal handcuffs bit into his wrists. Heart pounding, fear a copper taste in his mouth, he tried to get the colonel to see reason.

  “I was just trying to make a profit! You can’t arrest me for that!”

  “Watch me.”

  Brown screamed and fought as the MPs dragged him toward the door. He had to make them see reason. He had to!

  They hanged traitors in this state, and Brown had no intention of going to the gallows for doing the same thing every other businessman did.

  * * * *

  “I never thought that I’d ever be grateful to have washed someone out of flight training.” Gerald tossed his car keys in the air, caught them, and then grinned at his brother.

  “It looks like the Smith boys from Durant, Oklahoma are pretty damn glad you did it, too,” Patrick said.

  The brothers were receiving promotions for their part in uncovering the sabotage at Goodfellow Field. They’d also gained the respect of Chief Master Sergeant Thomas, no small feat.

  “I’m also grateful to have that mystery solved,” Gerald said. He reached for the driver’s door and then stopped. “Why don’t you drive?”

  “Yes, why don’t I?”

  Gerald nearly grimaced but handed over the keys. He knew his brother would drive faster than he would, but right now, that was fine.

  He needed to hold his woman.

  “You know,” Patrick said, “when Brown came into Colonel Hamilton’s office and I laid eyes on him for the first time, all I could think was that he didn’t much look like a traitor.”

  Gerald shook his head. “When the MPs dragged him away and he kept screaming that he’d only doctored the fuel for the money, that he wasn’t a traitor, it made me think. I remembered how Grandpa Warren used to talk about the way some men’s souls were so black from greed that they could talk themselves into doing and believing damn near anything.”

  “I thought about Grandmother Sarah,” Patrick said, “and how Tyrone Maddox had plotted to murder her so that he could steal her inheritance, as if he had a perfect right to do so.”

  “Thatson of a bitch met his end with a shot to the chest, thanks to Grandfather Joshua,” Gerald said. “And I very much suspect that Mr. Brown is going to meet his at the end of a rope.”

  Gerald thought about how quickly a life could change—or end. Roland Barnesdale, Captain, United States Army Air Corps, had taken to the skies just a few days ago, thinking to share his knowledge and expertise with his student. Minutes later, he’d been dead.

  That very morning, Neil Brown had likely arisen, secure in his place in the world, in his rising fortunes, and his outlook for the future.

  Now he was headed to prison, or, more likely, the hangman’s noose.

  Life, by any measure, was just too damned short and precarious. He patted the envelop that was in his shirt pocket. “This was a surprise.”

  Patrick shot him a quick glance, meeting him grin for grin. “That,” his brother said, “had Grandmother Sarah’s fingerprints all over it.”

  “I thought so, too.”

  “Well, she was pretty upset when we told her that Kate couldn’t marry us without having to leave the armyandnursing,” Patrick said.

  “She was,” Gerald agreed. “You know I’ve always had the utmost respect for Grandmother Sarah. Grandmother Amanda, too. They must have been a couple of real firecrackers in their day.”

  “Not too hard to imagine with all the stories the grandfathers used to tell,” Patrick said.

  “I just never imagined the woman’s reach extended to the Surgeon General of the United States, nor the War Department.”

  “Well,” Pat
rick laughed. “We must have, because it was her we petitioned when we fell in love with our Kate.”

  “True enough. Still, she amazes me. Do you know what I want?”

  “Besides having our woman wedded and bedded between us every night for the rest of our lives?”

  “Yeah, besides that. I want to be as much of a going concern as our grandmothers are—as our grandfatherswere—when we reach their ages.”

  Patrick nodded. “The only thing I can think of to say to that is amen.”

  The drive to Lusty really didn’t take as long with his brother behind the wheel. It was early yet, not even full dark. Since the families—and Kate—knew they were coming home for their forty-eight-hour leave, they just headed to the Big House.

  He hoped the family would be fine with the news they had—that they wouldn’t be able to make Thanksgiving, but they’d arrive on Christmas Eve, and have three days, instead of their usual two, as leave.

  Gerald and Patrick had petitioned Colonel Hamilton, pleading a very specific reason—a reason that the colonel had already surmised when he’d handed him the copy of the letter currently in his pocket. A letter that was meant for Kate.

  The letter wasn’t the only thing he had in his pocket for their woman.

  “Let me see it one more time,” Patrick said.

  Gerald reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the jeweler’s box. They’d gone into San Angelo one evening, hoping to find the perfect ring for their woman.

  They’d always made a habit of living off their earnings, instead of the fortune that was banked, in their names, in Waco. For this purchase, they’d had no qualms, either of them, about dipping into those savings.

  They’d have spent any amount for this, and yet the ring that had caught their eyes wasn’t as expensive as some. Neither flashy nor large, they both also knew, almost instinctively, that this was the right ring for their woman.

  Set in solid gold, the twin diamonds lay horizontally, nestled between twin blue topaz aligned vertically. The ring was perfect. The setting reminded them of a star—fitting, for Texas. Also what the jeweler had told them about the pretty blue stones had, in their minds, clinched the deal.