Once Upon a Texas Christmas

by Winnie Griggs

  The heat rose in her cheeks as she took his meaning. To be honest, she had been flirting with him, but she’d thought—

  No matter, she’d obviously thought wrong. “I understand. But just because things are businesslike, it doesn’t mean we can’t also be friends.”

  He smiled at that. “I apologize if I misread your feelings. And I’d be honored to call you my friend. As long as it doesn’t interfere with our ability to work together.”

  Abigail wasn’t altogether sure he had misread her intent. Not that she’d ever admit as much. If being friends was all he wanted, then she supposed she’d have to be satisfied with that.

  * * *

  After Abigail made her exit, Seth picked up his pencil again, intending to get back to work. But instead, he stared at the closed door, tapping his pencil against the pad.

  Abigail was one of the most intriguing women he’d ever met. She had looked so strong and determined when she’d confronted him just now. And even when he’d gone on the attack, when he’d seen the hurt and vulnerability cloud her expression, she’d still not let it defeat her. Instead, she’d faced him down and even managed to put a positive light on his demands.

  How did she do that?

  It had been all he could do to keep his seat, to not march over to her and take her in his arms.

  Not that she’d have welcomed such an action on his part. She wanted his friendship, nothing deeper.

  And that was for the best. After all, he had a deadline to meet and he couldn’t afford distractions.

  No matter how tempting that distraction might be.

  * * *

  On Thursday morning, Abigail stepped out of her library just as Zeke Tarn entered the lobby from the front entrance. He was clutching a piece of paper in his hands. As soon as Abigail’s gaze met his, he held up the note. “I have a telegram here for Mr. Reynolds.”

  “He’s up on the second floor looking over the work that’s being done. I can show you the way.”

  But Zeke shook his head. “Do you mind if I leave it with you? Lionel is shorthanded today and wanted me to hurry right back.”

  “Of course.” She glanced at the grandfather clock. It was nearly time to deliver refreshments to the Hendrickses. She could take care of both deliveries at the same time.

  Retrieving a tray from the kitchen that she loaded with lemonade and cookies, Abigail let the sound of hammering lead her to the area where the men were working today.

  When she stepped into the as yet doorless room, she halted in her tracks. Seth was lending a hand today. She knew he often did, but this was the first time she’d actually witnessed him at work. He had his back to her at the moment, and was bent over a worktable, sawing on a board.

  His coat and vest were off and his sleeves were rolled up to just above his elbows. His shirt stretched tight across his back as he worked and the hair that had fallen across his forehead was plastered there by the sweat from his exertion. The muscles in his arms flexed with each push-and-pull motion.

  Seeing the normally well-tailored businessman in this light was a revelation. Abigail felt rooted to the spot, unable to look away.

  “Oh, hello, Abigail. That lemonade for us?”

  At Calvin’s question, Seth halted his work and his gaze shot to hers.

  Had he caught her staring? Abigail tried to ignore the heat rising in her cheeks as she quickly shifted her gaze to Calvin. “It is,” she answered brightly. “And Della sent along a few cookies, too.”

  She set the tray atop a crate and fussed with it a moment as she collected herself. By the time she plucked the telegram from her skirt pocket and turned, the three Hendricks men were crowded around.

  But Seth still stood near the worktable. He’d set aside the saw, however, and was rolling down his sleeves. His gaze was locked on her with an unreadable expression. She only hoped hers was equally unreadable.

  Pasting a businesslike smile on her face as she moved toward him, Abigail held out the folded piece of paper. “This telegram came for you.”

  His expression shifted to a concerned frown and he grabbed his cane and moved forward to take it from her.

  She watched as he read the missive. From the way his jaw tightened it didn’t appear to be good news.

  Was it a problem with this project? Or something more personal?

  He finally looked up and met her gaze. “There’s something I need to tell you.” The normally unflappable Seth Reynolds looked rattled.

  What in the world had happened?

  Chapter Sixteen

  A few moments later Seth allowed Abigail to precede him into the office. She took a seat on the settee, but he was too distracted to sit still. Instead he paced across the room, his cane rapping against the floor with satisfying thumps.

  How much should he tell her? Where to start?

  With the bare basics, of course. “The telegram is from Judge Madison. It concerns my nephew, Jamie.”

  “You have a nephew? But—” Then she waved a hand dismissively and leaned forward, her anxiety evident. “Has something happened to him? Is he all right?”

  No doubt she recalled his response to her question about family that first day. He hadn’t lied to her, but he acknowledged that he had misled her. “He’s my ward and he’s fine. The problem is that his dormitory at the boarding school he attends has been shut down temporarily. So he’s being escorted here until other arrangements can be made.”

  She leaned back, a frown on her face. “You enrolled him in a boarding school?”

  There was a censorious note in her voice and he remembered she’d spent time in a similar institution as well. He wondered again what her time there had been like.

  Her forehead creased. “But, I don’t understand. It’s not an ideal circumstance, of course, but it’s not so terrible.” Then she tilted her head in question. “How old is he?”

  “Eight.”

  “Are you worried he’ll be in the way? Because I can help you keep an eye on him.” She waved a hand. “I help Daisy and my brother with their children all the time.”

  “Yes. No.” Seth rubbed the back of his neck, trying to focus his thoughts. “I mean, that’s not my main concern.”

  “So what is your main concern?”

  That was a good question. “My relationship with Jamie is...complicated.”

  Some emotion flashed across her expression then but for once he couldn’t read it.

  “In what way?” she asked.

  Seth tried to find the right words. Then he dropped into his desk chair and set his clasped hands on the desk in front of him. “Jamie is my sister Sally’s son. Sally and I lost our parents at a young age and subsequently became separated. We grew up apart from each other and never reconnected in any meaningful way.” He straightened a sheaf of papers. “I didn’t even know she’d married or that she had a child until Jamie was dropped in my lap a year ago with the information that Sally and her husband were deceased and I was Jamie’s only blood relative.”

  She stood and crossed the room. “How terrible.” This time she was easy to read. Her expression was full of sympathy.

  Was it on his behalf? Or on Jamie’s? Knowing her, it was both.

  Then she reached across the desk and touched his hand lightly. He immediately felt his pulse jump.

  She gave him a soft, approving smile. “At least Jamie had you to turn to, someone who could understand what he’d lost. I’m sure that was a great comfort to him.”

  Seth’s conscience twinged at that. Had he done everything he could to help Jamie through this difficult time? Truth was, he wasn’t so sure.

  Then she removed her hand and gave him a probing look. Strange that he felt the loss of that touch so keenly.

  “Would it be wrong to assume that you registered Jamie in th
at boarding school shortly after he dropped in your lap?”

  He tried to keep the defensiveness from his tone. “I was in the middle of an out-of-town project when it happened. Of course I took time off to acquaint myself with him. I also spent quite a bit of time researching facilities to find the one that would afford him the very best care.”

  “The kind of care you didn’t feel you could provide yourself?”

  He didn’t like the note of accusation in her tone. “I’m a twenty-nine-year-old bachelor with absolutely no idea how to take care of a kid. Sending him to Bridgerton Academy was the best thing I could have done for Jamie.”

  “I imagine part of the reason your relationship is complicated is because the two of you haven’t had much opportunity to get acquainted. But now that he’s going to be here with you, you have a chance to fix that.”

  He didn’t feel very optimistic on that score.

  Fortunately she didn’t wait for a response. “When is he scheduled to arrive?”

  He waved a hand toward the telegram. “According to Judge Madison they should be here tomorrow.” The man certainly hadn’t given him much notice. Had that been deliberate, or had things really happened that quickly?

  “Oh dear, that doesn’t give us much time to prepare.”

  He focused on Abigail again. “What is there to prepare?” And had she really meant the us part?

  “Lots of things.” She placed a finger on her chin. “Naturally you’ll want him to have the other room in your suite.” Her gaze was no longer focused on him. Instead it seemed focused inward. “I’ll have Ruby get it ready today. Then, of course, you’ll want to have the kitchen prepare something special so he feels properly welcomed.” She met his gaze again. “Do you know what his favorite meal is?”

  “I’m afraid not. But surely that’s not—”

  “Never mind, I’ll have Della prepare a special dessert, that will have to suffice.” She focused on him again. “I assume he’ll be accompanied by an escort?”

  “Of course. Judge Madison mentioned a Mrs. Carmichael he hired.” Perhaps he could convince the woman to stay on as a governess or some such.

  “Then we should make certain we have a room ready for Mrs. Carmichael as well.”

  “I thought all three available rooms were booked.”

  “Yes, but we can make an exception and open up one of the other ones. It won’t be ideal but we’ll have to make do.” She fiddled with her collar. “And I’d be happy to accompany you to meet his train. Unless you prefer to meet him alone.”

  “Your presence would be most welcome, thank you.” And it would also delay the moment when he and Jamie would be alone together. Whatever would he and the boy find to talk about?

  Not for the first time he wished he shared some of Abigail’s easy way with people.

  * * *

  The next morning, as Abigail accompanied Seth to meet the ten-o’clock train, she found herself eager to meet Jamie. In fact, she’d thought of little else since she’d left Seth in the office yesterday.

  She felt a kinship with him already, based on the fact that she’d also been exiled to boarding school at a young age. Of course, his experiences might be quite different from hers. He could have made lots of friends, feel completely at home and be perfectly happy to stay there as long as his uncle would allow him to. After all, he was a different person than she had been, and his circumstances were certainly very different.

  But if he was unhappy being relegated to that Bridgerton Academy place, she was certainly ready to sympathize and do what she could to make his lot easier.

  Seth was quiet, which wasn’t unusual. On the other hand, though he gave no outward sign of it, she had the distinct impression that the normally unflappable man at her side was feeling nervous about the upcoming reunion with his nephew. She couldn’t help but wonder why. Did he actually not get along with the boy? Or was it that he just didn’t know how to relate to his nephew?

  Regardless, the man needed to relax. The poor boy was probably anxious about being uprooted once again, not to mention being sent halfway across the country. Seth needed to put aside his own anxieties—whatever they might be—and make certain his nephew felt welcome here.

  Perhaps talking would help him relax. “Tell me about Jamie.”

  His gaze shot to hers as if he’d forgotten she was there. “What do you want to know?”

  “Anything. Everything. What are his likes and dislikes? Is he shy or exuberant? What is his favorite color? His favorite subject in school?”

  His brow furrowed. “I would say he is more subdued than exuberant. As for school, according to his letters he enjoys mathematics and geography.”

  “What else?”

  “I’m afraid I really don’t know him very well. As I said, he’s only been with me a little over a year and we haven’t spent much time together in that time.”

  She gave him her best bracing smile. “We’ll just have to see about remedying that while he’s here.”

  Seth didn’t seem as taken with the idea as she was. He brushed at something on his sleeve. “We’re not here on vacation. There’s a job to be done and a deadline to be met, and Jamie’s presence doesn’t change that.”

  There he went mentioning that deadline again. Why was it so important to him? “Not even you can work all the time. There’ll be time enough in the evenings for the two of you to get better acquainted.”

  He seemed poised to argue the point, but the sound of a train whistle in the distance caught their attention. People on the platform and inside the depot began to stir in anticipation of the train’s arrival.

  The train pulled into the station with a flourish of noise and smoke and ash. In gentlemanly fashion, Seth escorted her back away from the tracks and stepped slightly in front of her to shield her from stray ash that might blow their way.

  As soon as the train stopped, they stepped forward, though Abigail could tell she was more eager than Seth was.

  “There he is.” Seth pointed to a woman and boy exiting from the third car up.

  The boy spotted them at the same time. “Uncle Seth!” he called out as a grin lit his face.

  Abigail let out a little sigh of relief. Jamie apparently liked his uncle.

  The boy pulled his hand free from the woman’s and raced over to where they stood, stopping just short of throwing himself at Seth.

  Abigail bit her tongue to keep from demanding Seth hug the boy.

  Instead, Seth patted his nephew awkwardly on the shoulder. “Hello, Jamie. It’s good to see you.”

  The woman whose hand Jamie had been holding, a stiff, tired-looking woman with steel-gray hair and a plump figure, approached at a slower pace, stopping when she was next to Jamie. “Mr. Reynolds, I presume.”

  He gave a slight bow. “And you must be Mrs. Carmichael. You have my sincere gratitude for delivering Jamie safely to me.”

  She nodded. “Of course. That’s what I was paid for.”

  Seth appeared taken aback by the woman’s very matter-of-fact response so Abigail quickly stepped forward and extended her hand to the woman. “Hello, Mrs. Carmichael. My name is Abigail Fulton and I’m Mr. Reynolds’s business partner. Welcome to Turnabout. I trust your trip wasn’t unduly difficult.”

  She patted her sensible black felt hat. “I will admit to being a bit travel-weary.”

  “We have a nice room waiting for you at the hotel where you can rest and freshen up. And if you’re hungry, our kitchen can provide you with an excellent meal.” She turned to Jamie with a conspiratorial smile. “And I do believe Mrs. Long has prepared a peach cobbler for dessert.”

  Jamie gave her an answering smile. “I like peach cobbler.”

  “Me too. It’s one of my favorites.”

  Once the pleasantries were complete, Seth reached for the carp
etbag Mrs. Carmichael carried. “Allow me.”

  She eyed his cane and hesitated.

  Abigail saw the woman’s hesitation and Seth’s answering stiffness.

  He kept his hand out and Mrs. Carmichael finally handed over her bag.

  “Are there any other bags to take care of?” he asked.

  “That one is all I have. However, young Jamie here has a couple of trunks in the baggage compartment.”

  Abigail quickly spoke up. “Why don’t I make arrangements for the trunks to be delivered to the hotel while Mr. Reynolds gets reacquainted with his nephew? It won’t take me but a moment.”

  As promised, it didn’t take long to make the arrangements, but she returned to find the three standing there without speaking.

  She stepped up and took Jamie’s hand. “Come on, you and I can lead the way.”

  The boy only hesitated a heartbeat before nodding.

  As they proceeded down the sidewalk he looked around, as if trying to take in everything at once. “Am I really in Texas now?” he finally asked.

  She smiled at the note of awe in his voice. “That you are.”

  “Then where are all the cowboys?”

  Abigail swallowed a grin. “You’ll find most of the folks around here are farmers and merchants, not cowboys.”

  “Oh.”

  She grinned sympathetically at the disappointment in his tone. “Let me guess, you’ve seen a Wild West show?”

  He nodded. “Momma and Poppa took me once, before...” He swallowed. “Before Uncle Seth became my guardian.”

  Her heart softened further. “Well, I’m afraid Turnabout doesn’t have much in common with one of those shows. But don’t worry, you’ll find lots of other things to like about our town.”

  He cocked his head her way, staring with big, curious eyes. “Like what?”

  “Well, there’s a sweet shop where you can get some of the best candy you’ve ever tasted. And there are some creeks and ponds where you can go fishing. Oh, and if you like wooden toys, we have a man right here in town who makes some great ones.”