Mistletoe Miracles

by Jodi Thomas

  Jax hated hearing details, but if she came home with him he’d be seeing the damage himself. “I could get my cousin Tim to pick up all the supplies we need. He’s a writer, so he’s probably not doing anything important. Then I could carry her out the back door of the hospital and we’d vanish. No one would see us leave.”

  “You’d bring her back if any bleeding starts or if she has any signs of internal injuries?”

  “I know what to look for.”

  “You armed at the cabin?”

  He smiled. “Isn’t everyone who lives in the county?”

  Toni smiled. “I guessed you would be, and you do know what to do to doctor her. You were about the best fireman we ever had in this county. I was just a nurse working the clinic when you banged through the door eight years ago with a bloody man on your back. You were shouting orders and we all were jumping.” She brushed his arm. “You saved Cap Fuller’s life that day.”

  “It was just a kitchen fire. In his day, when he was teaching the whole county about fire safety, he would have had no problem dealing with it. But age has slowed him down. His arm was burned, but it was the fall he took backward off his porch that caused all the blood. Cap’s part of the reason I became a firefighter. I didn’t know if we were dealing with a burn, a concussion or heart attack. I just couldn’t let him die on my watch.”

  Jax didn’t want to be reminded of what he’d done; he only remembered what he hadn’t done. He’d frozen in the line of duty almost two years ago. He’d almost got his men killed.

  Two years of taking classes, of learning the chemistry, the forensics, the laws surrounding arson fires hadn’t changed the fact that he’d frozen when he should have led his men. The courses, the books, the videos online couldn’t tell him why he hadn’t acted.

  Toni moved to the bedside and brushed a short strand of dirty dark hair back from Mallory’s forehead. “If you want to go home with your cousin, dear, I’ll call the sheriff and see what he says. Then I’ll come out every other morning when my shift is over and check on you. How does that sound? You’ll be safe with Jaxson O’Grady. I’ve known him since he was a little lamb in the Christmas play at church.” The very proper head nurse winked at him.

  To Jax’s surprise, the patient moved her head slightly. Yes!

  Toni turned toward Jax. “Call your cousin Tim and have him pull that huge pickup he’s got to the back door at midnight. It should hold a bed and all that you’ll need. I’ll send Todd Baker with him to help set up. That should take about an hour, then Tim can come back, drop my orderly off and make the trip again with you and Mallory as passengers. She’ll get worn out from the short trip. I’ll make sure Todd leaves everything ready so you can put her right to bed.”

  Jax handed Toni his keys. “Have Tiny Baker drive my Jeep out if he can get behind the wheel. He better follow closely behind Tim or he’ll never see the turnoff. The cabin won’t be locked.”

  The nurse moved toward the door and glanced back. “Jaxson, you may be saving her life, you know. Eventually we’ll have to release her. Until she makes a formal statement, the sheriff can’t arrest the guy. The crime didn’t happen in his county and her ID lists her address in Arlington, but the car was registered in Terry County. The county seat is in Brownfield. There may be a few other sheriffs or police departments who want to go after this guy.”

  “I’m just helping out a cousin,” he said, turning away from the hospital bed and lowering his voice. “And when she’s better, whether she files charges or not, I plan to have a talk with whoever did this to her.”

  “I did not hear that.” Toni moved to the door. “But I’d suggest you start carrying a bat. I’ve seen evidence that he uses one.”

  Jax turned back to Mallory. Her arm in a cast. Her leg wrapped. The thought that she’d felt the slam of a bat made him sick at his stomach. He’d never been a man given to anger. He’d always wanted to help people. But for once his thoughts were dark.

  Life might not always be fair, but this time he planned to even the score.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Maverick Ranch

  SUNLAN KROWN HAD only planned to stay at the Holloway headquarters for an hour. Just long enough to meet the brothers and make sure there were no surprises.

  The headquarters was as she’d expected it to be, after years of men growing up alone there. Drafty, unkempt, in great need of updating. But there was a beautiful craftsmanship in its bones that she hadn’t expected. A line from a book she once read came to mind: Look beneath the dust and scraps, for glory often lies dormant in both wood and men.

  Another thing she hadn’t expected was how comfortable the ranch itself felt. The rambling land, still half-wild. The barns and corrals well built, well maintained. The main house constructed of solid logs that would withstand any storm. She wouldn’t mind spending a few days here from time to time. Maverick Ranch could almost be home.

  Her place in Colorado was like that, only smaller, almost home. Sunlan thought if she added just a bit more to Griffin’s place, reorganized, redecorated, it would be a perfect place for her to spend time with her child.

  She hadn’t thought much about how her child would react to Griffin. But now she thought, boy or girl, her child might enjoy the place from time to time and the Holloway men would be kind.

  Her father’s spread had never been welcoming or safe. It was a fancy train station where people passed through, though no one ever planned to stay. Or more accurately, she’d never wanted to be on what her father constantly reminded her was his land, his home.

  Some of her earliest memories were of her parents fighting after parties held there. The house would be decorated with all six fireplaces blazing, fine china and crystal and massive furniture. They would be all dressed up, looking like fashion models for a magazine.

  Except after they’d told her to go up to bed and the company had left, her mother and father would stand at the bottom of the stairs, yelling at each other. Like Sleeping Beauty’s palace, the mansion seemed to decay and crumble before Sunlan’s eyes. Sometimes she’d even hear crystal shattering below. Unhappy people tied together by money.

  So her mother took her on trips. Shopping in Dallas. Vacationing in Vail in winter, the Caribbean in the fall. Then, as soon as she was old enough, she left for the quiet retreat of school. Most of the girls cried the first few nights when the semester started. Sunlan cried when the semester ended and she knew she’d be going home.

  The big house. The parties. The fights. The only thing she looked forward to was the horses. She spent every holiday outside riding or in the barns working with vets and cowboys who knew more about horses than her father ever would.

  Her mother complained, but her father said horses were in her blood. So she was never banned from the barn, but she did become one more topic for them to argue about.

  Sunlan noticed, even as a child, that her mother controlled her by keeping a tight rein on Sunlan’s money. Sunlan was never allowed any freedom to buy what she wanted or take trips with anyone else but her mother. But when Sunlan inherited Misty Bend in Colorado, her father made sure everything was legally put in only Sunlan’s name. He’d given her an independence her mother would never have allowed. Winston Krown continued to give his daughter advice, but they both knew any final decisions concerning her ranch were up to her.

  Growing up, a love of horses was the only craving Winston Krown indulged his daughter in without strings. He gave her whatever she wanted in that area of her life, probably more because it angered her mother than because it made Sunlan happy. No matter how loudly Sunlan’s mother objected, he sent riding horses to every school she attended. Books on horse breeding packed the shelves of his study, never read by anyone until she came home.

  By nineteen, she knew more about the care and breeding of horses than most trainers who circled through the Krown Ranch. Her mother might have insisted she study art in s
chool, but she couldn’t smother Sunlan’s love for horses.

  The idea of having a husband who’d give her free rein to follow her dream was exciting. Sunlan’s thoughts danced with possibilities. The more she was around Griffin Holloway, the more she believed she might finally be free of both her parents. At twenty-seven, she’d buy herself a husband and finally live the life she wanted. No one, including her parents, knew how much money she’d inherited from her grandfather. No one would ever know about her bargain with Griffin.

  It was almost midnight when Griffin walked her to the door for the third time.

  The first time, Elliot had drawn her back from leaving by asking if she wanted to see a new program he’d developed for managing the ranch’s input and output. While they were in the study, Griffin pulled up the records he kept on facts about cattle breeding. She understood finance and horses, but running cattle was something new. Her father never explained anything to her, but Griffin answered every question.

  Cooper and Elliot listened in, even asking a few questions. She had a feeling that the brothers kept to their own interests.

  When she’d stood to leave the second time, Elliot said they had to have a toast to the engagement. Cooper washed out four wineglasses and Griffin poured milk in each. Elliot lifted his glass and the others followed. “To the first Holloway lady of this generation. To Griffin’s bride.”

  “To my bride,” Griffin echoed as their gazes met.

  Since they had moved to the dining room to toast, all three men agreed they needed to try another dessert from the selection of pies and cakes the Franklins had sent over. Sunlan laughed out loud when they passed the coconut pie to Cooper. He pushed his plate away and ate the last half of the pie straight from the pan.

  His two big brothers kidded him and then broke into telling stories about Cooper. Their kid brother seemed to have had a little trouble accepting that he was a human, and he thought everything that flew, walked or slithered should be a pet around the place.

  Sunlan couldn’t help but laugh, which pleased all the men. Cooper even started telling crazy stories about himself.

  Finally, Griffin said they had to let her get some sleep. She took his hand and waved goodbye to the brothers.

  “I had fun tonight,” she admitted as they stepped onto the long porch that would be perfect for watching sunsets.

  “Next time you come, I’ll have you a room made up and ready so you won’t have to drive back to town.”

  She didn’t argue, but she didn’t plan on moving in before the wedding.

  “I could drive you—”

  “No.” She didn’t let him finish. “I can take care of myself.”

  “I have no doubt.” He walked with her down the steps, but he didn’t touch her. “When will I see you again?”

  “I’d like to come out tomorrow and walk though the white barn. If it won’t upset your operation, I plan to have any repairs or adjustments done before we marry so I can begin to move a few horses south.”

  “Of course. I figured you’d want to paint the rooms that will be yours upstairs, as well. Maybe get new furniture.”

  “I can’t be around fresh paint without throwing up. But I would like to have the rooms redone to fit my taste.” She smiled. “Bunk beds are not really my style and the wagon wheel light fixtures won’t work either.”

  “Do whatever you want. We’ll help with anything you need done. Just send the bills to me.”

  “I think I can handle the charges and I will never send a bill to you. You take care of the ranch. I’ll take care of me and the baby.”

  Griffin drew a long breath. “I understand. Hell, I even agree. But it’ll take me time, Sunshine. You live your life. I live mine. A marriage of convenience. I got that.” He paused. “But there’s no reason we can’t be friends, is there?”

  “No reason at all. I kind of like the idea.”

  She almost felt sorry for him. This arrangement was new to them both, but she had to make it clear that she would never feel trapped again. Never.

  They were at her pickup. Neither seemed to know how to say goodbye. Finally, she broke the silence. “We need to set routines. Things married people do to show the world all is right between them. I want everything settled and in order so there will be no fights, no arguments once we’re married.”

  “What kind of things?” He wasn’t looking at her.

  “I don’t know. My parents usually fought at the end of an evening. I don’t think I’d like that. We may be married but I make all my own decisions. I’ll try not to interrupt your world and you stay out of mine. Clear?”

  “Perfectly.” The one word came fast and hard.

  “Good, now back to the routine. We’ve got until the wedding to figure out how to look like we’re in love. I don’t think all people will be as easy to fool as your brothers.”

  “How about we just say good-night and hug when we’re together?” He looked like he had no idea what she wanted. “No end-of-the-day disagreements, no lectures. Just a hug. My parents used to do that whenever one of them left the ranch.”

  “Sounds good.” She opened her truck door, then turned to face him.

  He put his hands on her waist, but he didn’t try to pull her to him. He waited for her to move closer.

  She did. They were barely touching. Then she put her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder in an awkward embrace. His hand moved up her back, gently pressing her a fraction closer. She could feel his chest moving in and out and see each breath in the cold air. The warmth of him made it not seem so cold, but his nearness was foreign. She’d developed an invisible shell years ago, and he was getting too close.

  She moved her lips against his ear. “You think the brothers are watching?”

  “I know they are.” He laughed. “You were great tonight, Sunshine. I had a few rough spots, but I’ll catch on.”

  “No one’s ever called me Sunshine.”

  “Then I will, if you have no objection. People about to be married usually have pet names for each other.” He pressed his cheek against hers. “See you tomorrow.”

  Sunlan moved away, barely noticing him trying to help her up into the seat. Then he closed the door and stepped back as she pulled away without saying a word.

  He might call her Sunshine, but she didn’t plan to play along and give him a nickname. She’d call him Griffin, or maybe Griff like his brothers did.

  He still stood on front of the porch, watching her, until she turned onto the county road.

  She didn’t wave. He was just a solution to her problem. Nothing more. Once they were married, she probably wouldn’t see him a dozen times a year.

  Friends. That she could be. Nothing more.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  LONG AFTER MIDNIGHT, Jaxson carried Mallory Mayweather out the back door of the hospital and climbed into Tim O’Grady’s truck. Charlie was already in the cab, nervously leaving muddy footprints on Tim’s back seat. The minute the dog saw Mallory, he calmed and pushed his nose between the seats so he could put his head lightly on her bandaged leg.

  “I got her, Buddy. I mean Charlie,” Jax whispered. “We’re heading home.”

  The dog whined low as if he understood.

  Toni fussed over Mallory, blanketing them both as Jax held her in his arms. “You drive slow, Tim O’Grady—” the nurse glared at the redhead “—or I’ll find you and thump you so hard short stories will dribble out of your head every time you hiccup.”

  Tim groaned. “I wonder if New York cab drivers have to put up with as much abuse as I do. I don’t guess either of you stopped to think that I might have been busy tonight.”

  “No,” they both answered.

  Tim rolled his eyes back. “Even Tiny Baker threatened to sit on me if I didn’t take every turn slow. I have a feeling the whole O’Grady clan will disown me if I accidenta
lly hurt this cousin I’ve never met.” He leaned over, trying to see her in the dashboard lights. “She’s not even redheaded. Are you sure she’s related to us?”

  He looked at Jax as Toni closed the passenger door. “How is it possible you, the family recluse, knows this lady, and me, the guy who makes every wedding, reunion and funeral, has never heard of her?”

  Jax cradled Mallory carefully and whispered, “You remember, she’s Uncle Luther’s granddaughter. He was one of your grandmother’s brothers who went to California during the depression. Most of them we don’t see back in Texas until they retire, then they move around between relatives like they think we’re a chain of bed-and-breakfasts, telling us how hard the march to California was back in the Model T days.”

  “Yeah, I try to avoid them. I read their story in The Grapes of Wrath. Which is where most of them got their info from, I’m guessing.” Tim pulled slowly away from the hospital and took the back road off the parking lot. “I figure they go back to the sunshine state and tell everyone stories about their hick relatives who still scratch in the dirt like chickens. To date, not one has written me to tell me how much they love my vampire stories. That just shows how uninformed most of my relatives are.”

  Jax watched the rearview window, making sure no lights followed them.

  “Tiny Baker wouldn’t tell me anything about what was going on while he was setting up the bed,” Tim complained. “You never talk about anything, so I have little chance of getting the facts. Some kind of drama is going on here, and I appear to be playing the getaway driver.”

  Jax looked down at Mallory. She’d had enough meds to help her sleep through this transport. With luck, she wouldn’t even remember the journey.

  “Some guy beat the hell out of her,” he began, knowing Tim had a right to know. “We’ve got to keep her safe. Toni said she didn’t think it was the first time the guy beat her up, and if he finds her, the next beating may be the last time because he’ll finish killing her. Toni’s seen this kind of thing before. Relationships like that don’t get better, just worse.”