HOLLY AND MISTLETOE

by Susan Mallery

  "I'm not a troll, I'm short. Something people like you can't appreciate. Do you know what it's like to never be able to reach the top shelf at the grocery store? I have to stand there waiting until a tall person walks down the aisle. It's humiliating."

  Sandy leaned back against the sofa and sighed. "I can't believe you've already got Craig's three boys and you're going to have another child."

  Rebecca, Elizabeth and Jill stared at her, then laughed.

  "You had three kids, then had a fourth with Kyle," Elizabeth said.

  Sandy nodded slowly. "I know. I can't believe Jill was as foolish as I was. Four children. Do you know how much laundry that is?"

  "I refuse to think about it. Anyway, Louise will come to help." Jill touched her belly. "I know it's going to be a lot of work, but it will be worth it."

  Rebecca leaned forward and grabbed a plate of cookies. She took two, then passed it on to Sandy. "You don't regret the baby for a minute," she said.

  "You're right," Sandy said. "Although four is a handful. That's why this afternoon is so wonderful. In fact—" she glanced at Holly "—you might never get rid of me."

  "At first I thought the men taking their children to get Christmas trees and not taking the wives was a bad idea," Jill said. "I thought I might feel left out."

  "Don't," Elizabeth told her. "It's cold out. The children constantly have to go to the bathroom, although not at the same time. They argue, they whine, they can't agree on the tree they want. Oh, and the men will come home with huge monstrosities that won't even begin to fit in the house." She took the plate from Sandy and picked out a couple of cookies, then handed it to Holly. "It's much better to stay in here and be warm. We have witty conversation, no husbands, no children. Gee, Holly, Sandy's right. None of us will want to leave."

  "You're welcome to stay as long as you like."

  Elizabeth winked. "Oh, sure. We believe that."

  Sandy started to prop her feet up on the coffee table, then froze and looked at Holly. "Is this a valuable antique?"

  "No, it's Jordan's."

  "Whew! Okay then, let's trash the place."

  Everyone laughed. Holly joined in and felt some of her tension ease away. These women were nice to her, and she appreciated that. She enjoyed their company. By the end of the day she would probably be able to figure out who was married to whom. Except for Rebecca, who wore a dark wool jumper over a cream turtleneck, they were dressed in jeans and sweatshirts. No one had on a lot of makeup or expensive jewelry. They were friends, and they obviously welcomed Holly into their circle. She wished she could tell them how much that meant.

  Elizabeth looked at Jill. "How are you feeling?"

  "Tired, even though I've been sleeping well."

  "It gets worse."

  Jill grimaced. "I sort of figured that. When are you going to have another one?"

  Elizabeth poured herself a cup of coffee. "We've been talking about it. Little Jessica is nearly two. If we're going to do it, now's the time. I want another baby. Of course, that would mean three girls." She shook her head. "You know what they say."

  Holly stared at her. "About having girls?"

  Elizabeth nodded. "With boys you just have to worry about one—" she pointed to her lap "—you know. But with girls you have to worry about all of them."

  Laughter exploded in the room. When they had quieted, Jill said, "I think you should have another baby."

  "We're thinking about it, too," Rebecca said. "Of course, not being married to an official Haynes brother, I have the option of either a boy or a girl."

  Jill glanced at Holly. "How long have you known Jordan?"

  Holly cleared her throat. She reached for her coffee, then changed her mind. Better to not have something to spill. "A few weeks. After my apartment was destroyed in that last big storm, he offered to let me live here for a while. I'm helping him restore the house in return for room and board."

  Jill stared at her. "You're living with him?"

  Holly felt color flare on her cheeks. "No," she said quickly, then realized she was.

  "They're not living together," Rebecca said.

  "What would you call it?" Jill asked.

  "Louise is here," Elizabeth said. "I'm sure everything is very circumspect."

  For the second time in ten minutes, laughter broke out in the room. "A Haynes brother behaving himself," Sandy said. "Oh, that's new." Her smile faded. "I suppose out of all of them, Jordan is the most likely to be a gentleman."

  "The first time I met Travis, he picked me up and carried me," Elizabeth said. "It was very romantic."

  "Fine for you," Sandy grumbled. "The first time I met Kyle after I moved back here, he came riding up on his motorcycle, all tanned and muscled. I couldn't even speak. There I was, a grown woman with three children, and I couldn't form entire sentences. I didn't know whether to throw myself at him or run away screaming."

  "I was naked," Jill said brightly. Everyone turned to stare at her. "Okay, maybe not naked, but I was just wearing a skimpy little robe. I thought it covered me just fine, Craig later told me it didn't. He spent our whole first conversation in a very uncomfortable state."

  Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. "I believe Rebecca has the best story of all."

  "It's silly," Rebecca said, and nibbled on a cookie.

  Jill brushed her short red hair off her forehead. "I don't think I ever heard this story. What happened?"

  Rebecca waved her hand. "Nothing."

  "Not nothing." Elizabeth picked up her coffee and gestured with the cup. "Rebecca had a crush on Austin. It was very tragic. She couldn't even be in the same room with him without knocking something over or spilling. So one day she went to see him."

  Rebecca drew in a deep breath. "If the story has to be told, I'll tell it. Although I don't know what purpose it serves."

  "Entertainment," Elizabeth said.

  "I went to see him at his house. It was raining, and my car got stuck. When the storm got worse, he lost his phone, so we couldn't call for a tow truck." She folded her hands primly in her lap. "There. Are you happy?"

  Elizabeth grinned. Her brown eyes danced with amusement. "That's not the whole story. Tell us the good part."

  "I had to spend the night."

  "And?"

  Rebecca rolled her eyes. "We made mad, passionate love. All right? Can we drop this now?"

  Holly was surprised. "The first night you went over to his house?"

  "It was an accident."

  Jill sat up. "Honey, there are no accidents."

  Rebecca smiled. "You're right. I seduced him. Although he denies it. He says he was the one doing the seducing."

  "They all do," Sandy said. "It's better to let them think that. At least they've all grown up. You should have been here in high school. They were dangerous heartbreakers then. No female was safe."

  "Did your heart get broken?" Holly asked.

  "Not really. Jordan and I went out for a while, but we didn't have chemistry, so we ended up being friends. Good thing for all of us. It would have been so awkward to face him as my brother-in-law if we'd gone at it hot and heavy in the back of his car."

  At first Holly didn't recognize the tight feeling inside her belly. Then she realized it was annoyance. She didn't want any of these women to have a past with Jordan. It was illogical and unfair, but it was how she felt.

  Then Sandy's smile faded. "All teasing aside, I think we're very lucky women. The Haynes brothers, including Austin, are about the best men I've ever met."

  "You're right," Elizabeth said. "I never thought I'd be willing to risk caring about anyone again. Travis taught me differently."

  "I agree," Jill said, then sniffed. "But can we please not talk about this. I'm pregnant, and it doesn't take very much to make me cry."

  Sandy leaned over the sofa and took her hand. "Don't cry. We'll tell funny stories instead."

  Holly reached for the carafe of coffee. It was empty. "I'll go get some more," she said, and stood up.

 
"I'll help," Rebecca said, and followed her.

  When they were in the kitchen, Rebecca shut the door. "I don't mean to intrude. I just wanted to make sure that you're all right. This is new to you, and sometimes the teasing can be a little overwhelming. For what it's worth, if we didn't like you, we wouldn't be telling these wild stories."

  Holly felt her eyes tear, and she didn't have the excuse of being pregnant. "Thank you for that. All this is very different for me, but I like having everyone here. You're all so nice and you barely know me."

  Rebecca touched her arm lightly. "We heard good things about you. Jordan has talked to his brothers and to Austin. Word gets out. Jordan mentioned your mom died a couple of years ago and you're all alone. We're happy to share our holidays with you."

  "Thanks."

  Rebecca leaned against the counter. "Austin and Jordan are a lot alike. They're both loners."

  "I don't understand. Everyone says that to me, but Jordan's not a loner. He's friendly and open. He's got a great sense of humor. Sometimes I feel as if you're talking about someone else."

  Rebecca's delicate eyebrows rose slightly. "Interesting. You're seeing a side of him he keeps hidden from most people. I wonder what that means."

  "Nothing," Holly said quickly.

  "You know what they say about people who protest too much."

  "We're just friends." She ignored the image of the evening she'd spent in his bed. Nothing had happened, she reminded herself. They had both been fully dressed. Well, she didn't have her shirt and bra on, but aside from that…

  He'd touched her, though. Touched her in the most intimate way a man can touch a woman. And he'd made her feel wonderful things. He'd shown her the possibilities.

  "Why isn't Jordan married?" Holly asked.

  Rebecca reached for the pot of brewed coffee and began to pour it into the carafe. "Probably because he doesn't date."

  "How could he not? He's so good-looking and fun. There must be women crawling all over him."

  "Maybe, but he manages to ignore most of them." Rebecca looked at her. "You're the first woman I've seen him with since I moved to Glenwood, and that's been nearly four years."

  Holly couldn't take in that thought. It didn't make sense. "Jordan holds a lot of himself inside. He doesn't open up easily or share what he's thinking."

  "I agree with that," Holly said. Jordan rarely talked about personal things. She didn't have a clue as to what he was thinking about her, or their situation.

  "The Haynes brothers don't make it easy," Rebecca continued, "but they're worth the trouble. Just one warning. Once you fall in love, there's no getting over it."

  Holly took a step back. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm not going to fall in love with Jordan. I know I'm not his type."

  Rebecca picked up the full carafe. "Of course you're his type. But that's not what's at issue. As for not falling in love, we don't always get a choice. I'll go ahead and take this back to the living room."

  Holly stayed in the kitchen for a few more minutes. Love? The concept startled her. She'd never thought of her feelings in that context. She didn't love Jordan. She barely knew the man. But the word had a nice ring to it. Love. She would like to love someone and have him love her back. But that required trust, and she'd been let down too many times.

  She shook her head. Everything was too confusing. This time last month she'd been living a solitary, albeit happy, life. It had been just her and Mistletoe. Her business had been growing steadily, and she was content. Now her life was upside down. Still, she wouldn't trade it away for anything. Looking at the world from a new point of view showed her things she'd never seen before.

  She glanced at the clock and saw it was nearly two-thirty. Then she hurried back to the living room. She hoped the men and children didn't return too quickly. She wanted to spend some time with her new friends.

  * * *

  The crowd returned a little after seven. They'd called at five to say they were stopping for dinner. The "hunt" had been successful, but everyone was hungry. The women had ordered pizza and continued the fun until the cars had pulled up in front of the house.

  They grabbed coats and walked onto the porch. Holly saw the small trailer was now filled with several cut trees. Children circled the cars, calling out for their fathers to make sure they put each tree on the correct car.

  Jordan headed for the stairs. Holly could see he was limping.

  "Are you all right?" she asked as she hurried to the edge of the porch.

  He looked up. The light by the door illuminated his face. There were shadows under his eyes and lines of strain around his mouth. "I'm tired," he said.

  "You're hurting." She tucked her arm under his and helped him inside. He collapsed on one of the sofas.

  When she would have settled next to him, he waved her away. "Go be social," he said. "I'll be fine here. Oh, and make sure Kyle brings in the tree."

  Holly hesitated, not wanting to leave him alone but knowing she should see everyone off. Reluctantly she returned to the porch. Elizabeth pulled her to one side.

  "I have a favor to ask," the woman said. "May I bring over several presents? They're for the children. I'm afraid they're going to find them. I know it will be okay with Jordan, but I don't want him to be responsible for them. Men don't remember things like bringing presents back in time for Christmas morning."

  "Sure," Holly said. "There are plenty of closets here. Do you want me to wrap them?"

  "They're already wrapped. But thanks for the offer." Elizabeth squeezed her hand. "I know there isn't a romance between you and Jordan. Speaking for all the Haynes wives, I wanted to tell you, we would love it if you two got together. You're good for him, and I think he's good for you, too." Elizabeth's brown eyes danced. "If he's anything like his brother, I promise you won't be disappointed when the lights go out."

  Holly already suspected that. "You've all been so nice to me. I don't know how to thank you."

  "You don't have to."

  Impulsively Holly gave her a hug.

  "Hey, if there's hugging going on, I want to be included," Kyle said as he carried one end of a huge fir tree up toward the open front door.

  "Talk to your wife," Elizabeth said.

  Travis came up the stairs, holding the thick end of the tree. "Wife," he said.

  Elizabeth laughed.

  Holly led the way inside. Austin followed behind with a tree stand. In about ten minutes the tree was up in the living room's bay window. Five minutes after that the appropriate trees had been tied onto car roofs and everyone had left.

  Holly checked on Jordan. He pulled himself to his feet and grimaced. "I'm tired," he said. "Would you mind if we decorated the tree tomorrow?"

  "Not at all. I'm worried about you."

  He gave her a half smile. "I'll be fine. I just need to rest."

  The front door opened, and Louise stepped inside. "What a day," she said. "Those little ones about ran me into the ground."

  Jordan's jaw tightened. Had something happened to upset him?

  "I have a few ornaments I brought from the store," Holly said. "I want to bring them down before I forget." She waved at Louise and headed for the stairs.

  "The tree looks nice in here," Louise said.

  Jordan grunted.

  Holly started up the stairs. Some premonition made her slow her step. Something was going to happen. She could feel it.

  "Do you want me to hang the lights tonight?" Louise asked, her voice slightly muffled as she walked into the living room.

  "No," Jordan roared. "Haven't you done enough today? Just stay the hell out of my life."

  * * *

  Chapter 11

  « ^ »

  As soon as he said the words, Jordan wanted to call them back. It would be a big mistake to get into this now. They were both tired, and nothing would be accomplished.

  But watching Louise with his nieces and nephews had been more than he could stand. She'd held the little ones; played with the older on
es. All the kids adored her. He hated knowing she'd wormed her way into his family under false pretenses.

  Louise tossed her coat over a chair by the entrance to the living room, then she walked toward him. Her cheeks were flushed, her blue eyes bright with anger. In her purple slacks and fuchsia shirt, she didn't look like anyone's idea of a dangerous person, but he knew the truth … and her secrets.

  She came to a stop about three feet in front of him. After planting her hands on her hips, she glared at him. "I've had it with you, Jordan. I've been here nearly a month. I'm tired of the rude comments, the innuendos and hostile looks. Your attitude stinks. If you've got something to say, then be man enough to say it."

  He stared at her for a long time. "You don't want to hear this," he said at last, his voice low.

  "Try me. Or are you only good at being a bully?" The taunt did what it was supposed to. The heat of his anger increased. He made one last effort to maintain self-control, then let it go. "I don't like you, Louise. I haven't for a long time."

  "Why?" she asked, her confusion obviously genuine. "What did I ever do to you?"

  "You destroyed my family."

  She stared at him as if he were crazy. "I don't know what you're talking about."

  He focused his attention on her face. He wanted to see her admit the truth. "I know about your affair with my father."

  His expectations were fulfilled. Louise paled to the color of chalk, then sank onto the sofa behind her.

  "Oh, Lord," she murmured. "Alter all these years." She raised her head and looked at him. "How did you find out?"

  "That's not important. The point is I know what you did."

  She tried to smile, but her lips were trembling too much. "What I did? You make it sound like I planned the affair. I didn't. I was just seventeen. Still in high school." She turned away. "A virgin."

  He saw the flush of color on her cheeks. Jordan steeled himself against any hint of softer emotion. Alter what she'd done, she deserved to suffer.

  She drew in a deep breath. "He came to the high school and talked about drunk driving. I was sitting in the front row. Your father was older, of course, but a handsome, charming man. He smiled at me and—"