To Santa With Love

by Janet Dailey

  Plus, it was the only certain way she had to block out her potent memories of Choya. With each passing day they became more vivid. So far she hadn’t confided in her parents about him, although she thought her mother suspected there was more to her story than Jacquie had told.

  She entered the house through the side door into the kitchen.

  “Mom, I’m home!” Jacquie called.

  Setting her books on the dinette table, she walked to the cupboard and removed a glass, then to the refrigerator where she filled it with cold milk. Her mother appeared in the doorway, a beaming smile on her attractive face.

  “There’s someone here to see you,” she announced.

  “Who?” Jacquie asked uninterestedly, raising the glass to her lips.

  “Mr. Barnett from Arizona. Honey, what’s his first name? I’m not sure I heard it right. It’s very unusual.”

  Jacquie nearly choked on her milk. “Choya!”

  “Yes, that’s it.” Her mother nodded.

  “What’s he doing here? How did he know where I was?” Liquid fire raced through her veins at the thought that he was in the next room. She panicked, knowing she didn’t dare see him again.

  “Didn’t you give him your home address?” her mother said. “You must have—anyway, he’s here.”

  “Tell him”—she rubbed her hand across her forehead, trying to force herself to think—“tell him that I’m sorry but I can’t stay. I’m on my way to the library to do research. I’ve got to go—now.” Setting the glass on the counter, she rushed for her books on the table.

  “Nonsense.” Her mother tucked a hand beneath her elbow. “If he came this far to see you, the least you can do is say hello.”

  “Mother, no, please!” Jacquie protested anxiously.

  Maureen Grey stopped, frowning. “Why on earth are you so afraid to see the man?”

  “I’m not afraid.” The denial was an outright lie. “It’s just that”—she began helplessly, then realized it was no use. She couldn’t make her mother understand without explaining in detail—“I guess I have time,” she sighed in defeat.

  “That’s more like it,” her mother nodded. “He’s in the living room waiting to see you.”

  Choya was standing in front of the sofa when Jacquie entered the living room with her mother. Tall and even more masculine than she remembered, he wore newlooking jeans and a chambray shirt—and that same ancient concho belt.

  She tensed all over as the tawny cat eyes held her gaze with ease. Not for the first time Jacquie had the sensation that she was looking at a predator who’d sighted its prey. The taut alertness was etched in every muscled inch of him. She felt weak at the knees.

  “How are you, Jacquie?” The rich timbre of his voice tugged painfully at her heart.

  “Fine.” She swallowed convulsively. “And you?”

  “Doing all right.” He paused. “I promised Robbie I would see you while I was here.”

  So that was why he had to come, Jacquie thought silently—to fulfill a promise to his son. The tiny hope that he might have wanted to see her for himself was dashed instantly.

  “How nice.” Her mother’s blue eyes sparkled. “Thank you for being so nice to our daughter when she ended up in Tombstone. You know how it is. Parents always worry, and Cam and I are no exception.”

  “Ah—yes, ma’am. I did my best. And she certainly worked hard.” His gaze narrowed slightly on Jacquie and the faintest possible smile flickered over his lips. “She’s a little headstrong but she’s a fast learner.”

  “Thanks,” Jacquie said stiffly.

  “That’s our girl,” Maureen beamed.

  “I’d recommend her to anyone, in fact. But I don’t think she wants to make a career out of cooking and cleaning,” Choya added. “She’s too smart for that.”

  “How nice of you to say so,” her mother replied.

  Jacquie cleared her throat. “Well, thanks for stopping by, Choya. I’m sorry I can’t ask you to stay, but I have a ton of work to do. I was on my way to the library when Mom told me you were here.”

  “I see.” Choya’s friendly cheerfulness diminished visibly.

  “If you’d known Jacquie before she went to Arizona,” her mother spoke up, “you wouldn’t believe the way she’s changed since she came back. It used to be her evenings were taken up with parties and socializing. Now, it’s studying. She doesn’t even want to go out.”

  “Mother, please!” Jacquie murmured angrily, turned away from Choya’s piercing gaze.

  “Would you mind, Mrs. Grey, if I spoke to your daughter alone for a few minutes?” he asked with annoying deference.

  “Of course not.” She smiled, missing Jacquie’s beseeching look for her to stay. “I have to start dinner anyway.”

  An electric silence filled the room when her mother left. The charged undercurrents made her feel slightly unsteady. Jacquie walked shakily to the large picture window.

  “How did you know where I was?”

  “I contacted your insurance company and they gave me your parents’ name and address here in Dallas,” Choya answered. Jacquie had forgotten all about giving him the name of her insurance company back when she’d collided with his jeep. “I phoned the other night to see if they knew where you were. I found out you were here.”

  Jacquie tipped her head back, looking at the ceiling, then around the room—anywhere but at him. She felt like a fool. Vaguely she remembered her mother mentioning that some man had phoned the other evening and asked for her, but hadn’t left a name. It hadn’t meant anything at the time. Although she hadn’t gone out at night since she’d come back, that hadn’t stopped a couple of former dates from contacting her. She’d spoken to them and brushed them off. Just his luck that he’d gotten her mother, who wouldn’t have recognized Choya’s voice.

  “Unfortunately, I didn’t know you were coming or I would have arranged to be somewhere else,” she said with bitter truthfulness.

  “That’s what I thought.” His comment was clipped and harsh. At the sound of his approach, she turned warily to face him. “Well, I didn’t come here just to chat. You left this behind.”

  Her gaze flicked briefly to the dull green of folded bills in his hand. She guessed it was the money she’d left on the nightstand.

  “It’s yours. I always pay my debts in full!” she flashed.

  A muscle leaped in his jaw. “I deserved that.” Choya breathed in slowly, glancing at the money in his hand.

  “You’ve explained how you found me. Now tell me why you’re really here,” Jacquie challenged, reeling at his intoxicating closeness yet unable to walk away from him.

  Like a magnet, his tawny eyes seemed to draw her toward him. The enigmatic light in their depths tightened her ribs until she could hardly breathe.

  “Changed my mind. I want you back,” he stated. “I thought it might be easier to persuade you in person.”

  Her eyes widened. “No. We ended it—let’s leave it that way.”

  “I did some more thinking. I don’t think it’s over yet. That was just Round One.”

  There was a twinkle in his eye, but Jacquie deliberately ignored it. “I don’t want to fight with you, Choya. We did too much of that.”

  “That wasn’t all we did.” His low tone was gentle. “We had good times too. And Robbie misses you.”

  A wavering laugh broke from her throat. She had a strong feeling that his concern for his son was mostly the reason why Choya wanted her back. But as much as she loved the boy, that would never be enough. She turned back to the window, cradling her arms around her middle to ward off the sudden chill.

  “What exactly are you saying, Choya? That you want me back as an employee or your girlfriend?”

  “You tell me. I’m ready for Round Two. On your terms,” Choya said firmly, leaving her in no doubt that he meant it.

  “I miss Robbie too,” she murmured in a choked voice. “Walking away from him was about the hardest thing I ever did. But what if I go back and it doesn’t
work out and then”—she broke up, looking at him—“I can’t do that twice,” she whispered. “It would hurt him too much.”

  Choya took a little while to respond. “He learned something worthwhile from it, Jacquie.”

  “Like what?” she asked in an agonized voice.

  Choya sighed deeply. “He learned that you lose people you love and you still survive. Life goes on.”

  His voice was calm but she knew instinctively how much he himself had been hurt. No matter what, she would always respect his hard-won strength of character.

  “Oh, Choya. I just wish he hadn’t had to learn that from me,” she answered, racked with guilt.

  “Well, now—I take some responsibility for the way things turned out. I was too tired to think straight by the time I found you the day you wandered off. All I could think of that night, watching you sleep, was how damn young you are.”

  She hadn’t known he’d watched over her. The thought filled her with renewed tenderness for him.

  “Jacquie, I was angry because you made a dangerous mistake by heading out alone. Too angry. You didn’t know any better.”

  He hesitated and she took the chance. A question about something he’d said to her had stayed with her.

  “You said you had gone through something like it before,” she said softly. “What?”

  “I owe you an explanation on that—and some other things. But that can wait. Just seeing you again is making me so damn happy.”

  She could feel herself sway toward him. Jacquie stiffened her spine.

  “But that night, whatever we were doing just seemed to come apart. I really didn’t see how you and I could ever make it work. I wasn’t lying to your mother when I said you were headstrong.”

  Leave it to Choya to put it so bluntly. She searched his face, hoping her feelings didn’t show on hers. “So why on earth would you want me to come back?”

  “I don’t think I gave you a chance to prove yourself. And I never did tell you that I love you, Jacquie.”

  “You do?”

  His hands settled onto her shoulders and she found she didn’t have the strength to move away. She closed her eyes, reveling in the almost painful sensation of his touch.

  “Yes. I do. And I was wrong when I said you were trouble.” His low whisper was like a caress. “The trouble has been living without you, Jacqueline.”

  Exerting the slightest pressure, he turned her into his arms. Her turquoise eyes were riveted on his mouth, watching it form more words she wanted to hear more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life.

  “I’ve wanted to do this ever since you walked into the room,” he murmured.

  His fingers tangled themselves in the silken length of her silver blond hair. His mouth covered hers in a searching, possessive kiss, and Jacquie responded to it with all the pent-up longing in her heart.

  Then he was tearing his mouth away from her lips. The iron band of his arms held her so tightly she didn’t think she could breathe, but she didn’t care. She felt him shudder against her and the joy seared her veins.

  “Lord knows I never intended to fall in love with you,” Choya muttered thickly against her hair. “After what I’ve done to you, it would be poetic justice if you hated me.”

  “So you missed me too,” Jacquie breathed, letting go of the anguished thought that he only wanted her back for his son.

  “Not in the same way Robbie does, but maybe more. I can’t sleep without remembering what it was like to have you in my arms and cuddling you against me like a kitten,” he said. “I told myself I was only coming to see you to make sure you were all right. But the minute I saw you, I knew I had to do what I could to get you to come back.”

  “I’m not sure it was fair to mention Robbie.”

  Choya took the hit and stood. “Maybe it wasn’t. But I knew you loved him.”

  “Not as much as I love his father,” she whispered.

  He lifted his head to gaze doubtingly into her eyes. “Do you?”

  “Y-yes.” Her voice quaked with the depth of her feelings—and a measure of uncertainty. “I think I have from the beginning. But that doesn’t mean you and I are going to get along. Love doesn’t guarantee anything.”

  “I know that,” he groaned, raining kisses over her face and throat as if trying to make up for all the hurt they’d both been through. “And I think we could do better. Just give me a second chance.”

  “Why did you let me go? Why didn’t you make me stay?” Jacquie quivered in his passionate embrace.

  “Maybe I wasn’t man enough. I’ve been thinking about that since you went away.”

  “Uh-oh,” she laughed, but this time without pain. “You’re more than enough man for me.”

  “Are you going to come back?” It was barely a question. She had to smile at his commanding tone.

  “Yes—”

  Jacquie never had a chance to complete her answer as his mouth came down on hers, demanding an answer that wasn’t verbal. Her arms slid around his shoulders, clinging to him.

  The front door opened and Cameron Grey walked in. He glanced at the embracing couple and halted in shock. It was several seconds before Choya bothered to lift his lips from Jacquie’s.

  Tawny eyes danced to the older man standing just inside the door. The kiss ended by silent mutual agreement. Choya was the first to speak.

  “You must be Jacquie’s dad.” He removed one arm from around Jacquie, still holding her firmly against his chest with the other. He offered his hand to her stunned father. “I’m Choya Barnett. Your daughter’s going back with me to Arizona.”

  Cameron blinked. “But she just came home!”

  “Dad, it’s my decision,” Jacquie assured him.

  He glared at Choya and turned to walk out of the room. “Maureen!” they heard him yell down the hall. “Did you know about this?”

  “Know about what?” her mother answered distantly.

  They couldn’t hear the rest of the heated discussion that ensued because Jacquie’s mother had closed a door somewhere.

  “They’ve had you all to themselves for twenty-one years.” Choya smiled into her upturned face. “Now it’s my turn. And I have a feeling that a lifetime together isn’t going to be enough.”

  “Whoa.” She looked at him with wide, startled eyes. “Where did that come from?”

  “My heart.”

  Jacquie felt thrown. “But we barely know each other.”

  “I know what I want.”

  “Good for you—I don’t. And I didn’t say anything about a lifetime, Choya. I just said I’d come back, that’s all. When I do, we can take it from there.”

  If he was fazed, he didn’t show it. “All right. Have it your way. I’m not going to push you. How about we go with the original plan?”

  She nuzzled the smooth warmth of the chambray shirt front as she went into his arms. “What was it again? Refresh my memory.”

  “You were going to stay through Christmas.” He stroked her hair and held her close. With quiet pleasure she heard the words rumbling in his chest.

  “Oh, right. Okay, we can start with that. But if this is going to be on my terms, I have to have a car or truck that can handle those back roads.”

  “You know, I meant it when I told you I was planning to buy a new car. I looked at a used SUV on the way here. It’s almost new, still on the warranty. A friend of mine owns it—he’ll give me a good deal.”

  She didn’t feel in the least bit guilty about asking for her own wheels. She wouldn’t last a week on the ranch if she was stuck there day in and day out again. “And there’s one other thing I want under the tree,” she said boldly.

  “Only one? Name it.”

  “A new stove,” she said. “Buy a lot of wrapping paper.”

  “Done. And you don’t have to do all the cooking. Or any of the cooking. Now, how fast can you pack?”

  Jacquie tilted her head to listen. The discussion her parents were having was somewhat less heated but far from ov
er, by the sound of it. “It won’t take me long to pack, but I’m not going to run away again. This time I’m going to wrap things up here, say a proper good-bye to my parents before I leave. After I take care of everything here, I’ll fly to Tucson and you can meet me.” She looked up at him and he kissed the tip of her nose. “But first, are you ready to be interrogated by my dad? He’s going to have a lot of questions and he’ll expect answers.”

  “I don’t doubt it. I’ll do the best I can.”

  Jacquie laughed. “My mom’s probably in your corner already. Except for me not going to Galveston with them.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Relatives with a beach house invited us all for Christmas. I don’t want to go, period.”

  “And you won’t. You’ll be spending Christmas with us on the ranch.”

  “That’s a deal then.”

  “Jacquie, do you know how much I love you?”

  “Show me.”

  He bent her over backward for an amazing kiss, then brought her up gently. “How’s that?”

  “Whew,” she laughed dizzily. “It’s a start.”

  She still couldn’t specify if, or how, or when what they had would all work out. But she hoped like hell it would. She did love Choya. She’d made a whole lot of mistakes and so had he. Jacquie suspected they both had a whole lot more to learn. The ranch would be the proving ground.

  Chapter 11

  Choya sat behind the wheel. Jacquie was happy to have him drive for the return journey from the Tucson airport to Tombstone and on to the Barnett ranch. His meeting with her parents in Dallas had gone well, and it had been worth the plane fare to take the time she needed to get her college transcript and explain her plans to her mom and dad.

  Robbie had been thrilled by the news that she was returning and his excited greeting at the airport still warmed her heart. Now, he was in the rear seat of the jeep, resting his blond head on a pillow atop Jacquie’s college textbooks. His limp fingers almost reached the handles of her padded laptop case, tucked in the back footwell and out of the way.