by Carol Henry
“So, how was your date with Dennis last night?” he said, taking a big bite out of the warm muffin.
“It wasn’t a date.”
He swallowed, sipped from the dainty teacup. His ease at handling such petite china made Gabriella’s insides warm.
“Yes, well, with Dennis, it’s a big deal.”
He placed the cup on the saucer he held in his left hand, then placed his right ankle over his left knee. He looked too comfortable and sexy leaning back in the chair. Gabriella turned away.
“I’m sure he considered it a date. He doesn’t go out very often these days. It’s been a long time since he’s been with a woman.”
Gabriella wondered what it was with these two men, warning her to tread lightly where each was concerned. Anyone would think she was a Matahari.
“He’s a big boy, Chad,” Helen jumped into the conversation.
Gabriella had forgotten his mother was in the room.
“I’m sure he can take care of himself. What harm did it do for the two of them to go out to dinner? I’m sure Gabriella needed a night out, isn’t that right my dear?”
Gabriella blushed.
“Yes, of course,” she said. She turned to find Chad’s piercing blue eyes boring into hers. She wasn’t about to let this man make her feel guilty about something as innocent as a dinner date with his friend.
“We had a very good time. Dennis is a delight—he’s very caring. He told me to say hi to you and Chadwick, by the way.”
“He is such a polite boy, it’s too bad about Patti…”
Nina interjected with a howl. Chad jumped to his feet, and ran to the baby.
“Is she okay? For God sakes, make sure she isn’t choking or something.”
Concern etched his face. Gabriella side-stepped him to reach the screaming infant.
“She’s fine. She’s letting me know it’s time for her bottle.”
She bent over, lifted Nina from the bassinette, and wrapped the blanket around the now whimpering baby. She patted her gently on the back, soothing her, and made her way to the kitchen to warm a bottle. When she returned, Chad stood, watching her every move. Helen stared at her son in astonished silence. She faced Gabriella, put her teacup down on the side table, a wide smile and sparkling eyes etched on her elated face.
Oh, my God, had she just become one of Helen’s “hopefuls” because Chad showed concern for Nina?
“Here then, let me feed that darling girl before you take her upstairs and put her down for a nap.”
Gabriella handed the baby over to Helen and returned to her chair. Chad crossed the room and stood next to the window overlooking the lake. Gabriella wondered once again what he was thinking. His reaction to Nina’s needs wasn’t of someone who was allergic to children—an impression that he’d managed to impart from the beginning.
“By the way, Chad, the Stanton’s are coming to town the weekend before Christmas and of course, we’ll have them over for the evening. And, I’ve invited the Newell’s to join us again, as well. Jennifer and you seemed to hit it off last Sunday. Didn’t you think so, Gabriella?”
What was Helen up to? One minute she felt as if she was on Helen’s match-making list, but now it was evident Helen was playing matchmaker between her son and Jennifer. She didn’t want to get in the middle. Thankfully, she was saved from having to reply.
“Mother!” Chad exclaimed, obviously embarrassed.
“Yes, Chad?” Helen looked at her son with such an innocent expression Gabriella wanted to laugh.
“No matchmaking,” Chad said, sternly.
Helen paid no attention to his tone. Gabriella smiled—the interaction between mother and son amusing.
“I’m wounded,” Helen said. She put Nina over her shoulder and proceeded to burp the now content baby. “Of course I wouldn’t presume to play matchmaker. Why, whatever gave you such an idea? Jennifer is free to bring a friend. Besides, dear, I think Gabriella is a much better catch.”
“Mother!”
“Helen!”
Startled, Chad and Gabriella looked at Helen, at each other, then back at Helen.
“No,” Helen continued, undeterred by their outbursts. “You have to choose for yourself, son. Why, I would never interfere where love is concerned. Never.”
“Love.” Chad shouted.
“Pardon me,” Gabriella said. “I think Nina needs to settle in for a nap. If you’ll excuse us, I’ll take her up now.”
Helen relinquished Nina without a struggle. Gabriella didn’t like the satisfied smile on the older woman’s face.
Love. Humph. Helen was completely wrong. There was nothing remotely resembling love between she and Chad. Absolutely nothing. She wasn’t looking for a relationship, and even if she were, he wouldn’t be on her list of possibilities. Sure there were moments when they weren’t able to take their eyes off each other, and his touch did make her tingle a bit, but surely it wasn’t love. Of course not.
Helen didn’t know what she was talking about.
****
Gabriella didn’t see Chad all day Friday. It wasn’t until they were ready to leave to join the rest of the family on Saturday morning to go hunting for a Christmas tree that he appeared. Dressed in blue jeans, hunting boots, a heavy parka, and knit cap, he looked very rugged indeed. Rugged, and handsome. Gabriella had all she could do to keep her hands tucked in her jacket pockets and her eyes off his piercing blue eyes, his magnetism overpowering.
“You look lovely,” he said, coming to her side, taking her arm and leading her toward the front door.
Gabriella gulped at the ease with which he took over—his touch. She wore a red wool sweater, a fleece-lined jacket, and a pair of black leather winter boots. She’d combed her hair back in a braid and twined it in a circle at the nap of her neck so she could put on her red beret-style cap.
“You’ve got to be kidding. I’m dressed for the outdoors, not a night on the town.”
“We’ll have to remedy that soon. Shall we go?” he asked.
Who was this man? What was he up to?
So much for his sister’s swinging by to pick them up. He opened the car door, made sure she was settled before he circled the Mustang, and got behind the wheel.
“Buckle up.”
Gabriella did. But before she could relax, he had the sport car on the move and out of the city winding around the wintry countryside.
“Is there a man in the picture, Gabby? Someone to turn to for help?”
****
“I don’t need a man to lean on,” she said, startled by his familiar use of her name, and the bluntness and direction his questioning was taking so quickly. It was true. She’d be just fine once she figured it all out.
“You sound as if you’ve been hurt. Did someone hurt you?”
“That’s none of your business.”
It was none of his business, yet he made her feel as if it should be, as if he really cared.
“My guess is once this guy found out about Nina he dumped you flat. Bet you scared the pants right off him. Not many men are eager to settle for a ready-made family.”
He’d surmised correctly. Was he clairvoyant? This wasn’t the first time he’d been able to read her mind. It was getting altogether too disconcerting.
“He never said anything about marriage.”
“But he let you down and you don’t want to be hurt again?”
She refused to confirm or deny his words.
“What about you? Why aren’t you married? I’m sure there are plenty of Jennifer’s out there who would jump at the chance.”
“You asking for the job?”
“No. I told you, I don’t need a man in my life right now.”
“What? You’re not looking for security? A home for Nina? Money?”
He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. She squirmed.
“You didn’t answer my question. How come you aren’t married like your sisters with a passel of kids of your own?”
The silence i
n the car stretched before Chad spoke.
“Almost was, but I had a rude awakening,” he said, his voice low and angry. “It’s no picnic finding out your fiancée is only in it for your money.”
Which confirmed what Dennis had said. No wonder he was so hung up on the money issue.
“Please put your mind to rest. I’m neither after you, or your money. I have too many other problems facing me at the moment to worry about getting involved in a relationship going anywhere.”
“So you’re not interested in a relationship?”
“No way.” Her words were quick and emphatic even to her own ears.
“The boyfriend?”
“Boyfriend?”
“Yes, the one who dumped you.”
“What about Jennifer?” she shot back, ignoring his question.
“Nope. So, what about the boyfriend? What really happened?”
“Nothing to tell. Like you said, once he found out about Nina, he basically dumped me. End of story. Like Mindy says, I’m better off knowing how Charles feels, now, before we got real serious.”
Chad turned onto a side road, and for the next five minutes they climbed, twisted and turned, changed roads again, and in silence, continued to climb even higher until they arrived at a sign announcing Christmas Trees for Sale. Another sign with a picture of a horse and sleigh indicated an old-fashioned treat was in store.
Chad turned onto the long narrow drive. Gabriella spotted Jodi and Sean with their three kids, Sara, Brianna, and Constance, bundled up like chubby penguins against the cold and snow.
Chad smiled at the girls as they ran to the car to greet them. His smile—brilliant, warm and genuine—so different from a few moments ago in the car. It took Gabriella’s breath away.
“Look, Uncle Chad,” Constance called. “See my new boots.”
“Cute, Connie,” Chad said, staring at the pink Barbie boots, thinking Connie was too young to be head over heels in love with Barbie stuff, already. He looked at Sara and Brianna who both wore regular boots.
“Where are your Barbie boots?” he asked them.
“That’s baby stuff,” Sara said, wrinkling her nose.
“Yeah, baby stuff,” Brianna mimicked her sister.
“Thank, God,” Jodi whispered to Gabriella. “I’m glad they’re over that craze. Thankfully, Devon is a boy and I won’t have to go through that again. Just wait until Nina’s a bit older—everything will be Barbie. That babe’s young girl appeal never grows old.”
Gabriella smiled at the girls. She hadn’t even begun to think that far ahead, but it didn’t stop the warm motherly feelings starting to fill up the empty places in her heart. Watching Jodi’s three kids was a balm to her bruised soul. Instead of emptiness, she had something to look forward to. Something to feel positive about. Being around this family was the best medicine to help heal her heart—their laughter contagious and uplifting.
She smiled. A tummy-warming smile. She and Nina were going to be all right.
Sheila, Jim and their boys were the next to arrive. Everyone waved with excitement, and a second after their car stopped, Jason and Jeffrey jumped from the vehicle and started slinging snowballs at their two uncles—who paid them back without mercy.
“All right,” Sheila yelled. “Let’s try to keep dry until we at least find our trees. Afterwards you can romp in the snow all you want.”
“Can we build a snowman?” Constance asked.
“A whole family of them if you still want to,” Jodi told her.
“Come on, brats,” Chad called to his nieces and nephews. “Let’s go find a sled to get our trees.”
Jim had called ahead to make the arrangements so everything was ready to go—no waiting involved. Chad headed for the old carriage house where sleighs and wagons were hooked up to teams of waiting horses and drivers. All five of the children ran toward him. The three girls and three women piled onto one sleigh, and the boys and men on the other, while a third wagon brought up the rear in order to carry the trees back to the parking lot. Red and green plaid blankets were tucked in around everyone’s laps and legs, and scarves were wrapped tightly around necks clear up to their noses to ward off the cold.
The gold bells on the horses’ braided manes jingled into the crisp mid-morning air as the horses clopped along through the snow-covered hillside toward a stand of trees. Getting into the spirit of the season, the girls started singing Jingle Bells, and before long both sleighs filled with tree hunters were bursting with song.
When the horses approached the thicket surrounded in evergreens, the drivers turned them onto a slightly worn path, meandered another five hundred yards, before circling a young grove of evergreens and positioned the wagons to head back downhill.
Without waiting to be told they could get started, the children jumped from the sleighs and started scouting for their perfect Christmas tree. The adults climbed down from their sleighs more sedately.
“Let us know when you find the trees you want,” one of the drivers said. “We’ll wait here until you decide.” The men pulled out thermoses, poured steaming liquid in the lids, and settled back to wait.
Jodi and Sean caught up with their three girls, while Sheila and Jim curtailed their anxious boys. Which left Gabriella and Chad pairing off together in search of a tree for the Hempstead’s home.
Chad followed behind Gabby, her boots making deep indentions in the snow. His mind wandered back to the past week. He’d been busy working on his novel, holed up in his bedroom turned office, only coming out when necessary—his story progressing nicely since Jennifer Newell had shown up for drinks. He’d been delighted with the results. At first. But when it came to the femme-fatale character he wanted for Dean Reynolds, the image of Gabriella standing naked, fresh from the shower, kept popping up in his mind, instead. There was just something about her that had him linking Gabby with Dean Reynolds. It kept him frustrated wondering why. Until he finally determined Dean Reynolds bore a striking resemblance to himself.
When the hell had that happened?
While Dean’s life was moving right along, Chad’s however, was stalled and going nowhere, fast. And, he wasn’t sure why. He couldn’t stop watching Gabby when she wasn’t looking. Like now. She was genuinely warm and caring with his family, and was a loving, devoted mother to her niece. The little tyke was getting to him, too, and a couple of times he caught himself wanting to pick her up and hold her. Where that urge had come from, he had no idea. He shook his head and continued traipsing behind her.
Gabby on the other hand, didn’t appear to be too broken hearted over this Charles character. If on the rebound, she wouldn’t have admitted she was glad he dumped her. But it didn’t explain why he was beginning to care. Or why he should care if Charles had dumped her and left her with a baby to care for all on her own. Why should he care if Dennis took her to dinner while he stayed home and stewed? He simply cared. And, he had to admit he liked the warm cozy feelings he got every time she was near.
Chad took a deep breath and discovered the heady scent of crisp, clean, country air mingled with pine and snow. A hint of horse odors reminiscent of his youth surrounded him—the horses’ whinnies, the steam from their nostrils shot into the clear morning air, and the jingle of the bells hanging around their necks tinkled melodiously. As a child, he’d spent many summers at his grandparents’ horse farm in central New York. But like many other farmers these days, their children, like Chad’s father, chose a different vocation. His grandparents retired, sold the place, and moved south. Chad missed those summer visits.
He longed for those happier days. Damn, he was feeling sappy again. ’Tis the season.
What would he do with a horse now?
“This one. This one. It’s the biggest,” Jeffrey yelled to his parents.
“No. No,” Jason called back. “This one over here. It’s taller.”
On the other side of the trail, Gabriella trudged through the snow, circling one tree after another. Chad had a strong urge to grab he
r hand and wrap his arm around her to protect her from the cold. She stood back, looked a tree up and down the way he was looking at her, now.
The temperature shot up a notch.
She chewed the corner of her lower lip as if she were contemplating the biggest decision of her life. He wanted to place his lips on hers. Help her decide.
The heat surrounding him soared higher.
Chad wiped the sweat from his forehead. Hell. What was it about this woman that had him reacting like a teenager every time they were together? It was getting worse day by day. He had to break the spell or he’d go mad.
He wondered if she liked horses.
Chapter Eight
“You’re not seeing anyone at the moment?” Chad asked again, unexpectedly. “What about Dennis? Is something going on between the two of you?”
Chad was persistent, if nothing else.
Gabriella took a deep breath, looked up into his dreamy blue eyes, and felt her stomach bunch. She pivoted in the snow needing to put distance between them. She circled another tree. Her arm brushed against one of the elongated branches, the movement causing a cascade of snow to flurry and plunk to the ground. She heard Chad cuss under his breath and knew he’d received a cold shower.
Gabriella continued until she came to another tree. She stopped to check it out before she dare look at him again. “What difference does it make?” She finally answered on a sigh, and moved on to circle another snow-covered tree. This time she was careful not to brush against it, knowing he was hot on her heels.
“Just answer the question, dammit,” he bit out, clearly frustrated.
“It’s none of your business.” She moved past a large tree to their left, looked it up and down and decided it was the perfect tree. Once it was decorated, it would be magnificent.
He followed and stopped beside her.
“It’s a simple question. Yes or no?”
Cocooned in the dense hillside, white covered pines and green spruce boughs softened their voices. In a world of their own where there were no sounds of children, or the whinny of horses. No tinkles of sleigh bells. The breeze stood still. The scent of evergreens heavy in the air. Wrapped in a winter wonderland, they were suspended in time.
