TheSurpriseChristmasBride Read online

  “Sure,” Jake countered, getting to his feet and following her. “As soon as I came up with the cash Don wanted for the land.”

  “Exactly.”

  He laughed again. Odd, but he didn’t remember laughing so much in years as he had the past few days with Casey. “What’s thatmean?”

  She settled onto her end of the long couch in the main room and waited for him to sit down beside her before answering. “You were able to find the money once the universe had obliged you by arranging everything else.”

  Jake leaned his head back against the cushions and stared up at the ceiling. “You’re amazing.”

  “Thank you.”

  He wasn’t prepared. He hadn’t heard a thing. When at least thirty pounds of snuffling drooling fur landed on his stomach, his breath whooshed out of him.

  “Hello, baby,” Casey crooned, and laughed as the dog wriggled ecstatically on Jake’s stomach.

  “Get off, you flea-bitten mangy excuse for a dog!”

  The big puppy’s head drooped and both ears flopped down to rest against its cheeks.

  “Jake, you hurt his feelings.”

  If the dog had landed an inch or two lower on his abdomen, it would have hurt something a tad more precious to Jake than his feelings. Looking into sad brown eyes, though, he did feel almost guilty for shouting.

  Almost.

  “It’s all right, Stumbles,” Casey soothed. “Come over here, and never mind Daddy.”

  Jake’s eyes widened. “I am notthat dog’s daddy.”

  She wasn’t paying any attention to him. But then, neither was the dog. For a moment he watched as his wife cuddled and stroked the ugliest animal he’d ever seen.

  Gray and black hair stood out in odd tufts over its forehead and legs. Its ears were lopsided, giving the impression that the dog’s head was continually cocked, and it had the biggest feet Jake had ever seen on anything smaller than an elephant. He shuddered to even think about how big that hound was going to get.

  He still wasn’t sure exactly how they’d come to own a dog. He wasn’t entirely certain that Casey knew, either. Stumbles, so christened because he tripped over his own feet, had simply appeared one evening at dinnertime and hadn’t left.

  Yet.

  Casey had immediately dubbed the puppy their “Christmas visitor” and calmly informed Jake that it would bring terrible luck down on them if they were to turn him away.

  “He’s not ugly,” she said quietly.

  Jake’s gaze shot to hers. “How’d you know that’s what I was thinking?”

  “It wasn’t hard. You say it often enough.” Stumbles scooted himself around until he lay in the small space separating Casey and Jake on the couch. Laying his head on his mistress’s thigh, he closed his eyes and promptly began to snore.

  Jake’s eyebrows lifted as he took in the animal’s position. A hell of a note—envying a disreputable hound.

  “I always wanted a dog,” she whispered.

  Jake watched her fingertips trace lightly over Stumbles’s ragged fur. Her voice sounded so wistful his insides twisted, bringing a pain he didn’t want to feel. Or acknowledge. He could just imagine what her parents’ reaction to a dog like Stumbles would have been. They would have called the pound immediately of course. And no one visiting the shelter to adopt a cute puppy would have given Stumbles a glance.

  Jake frowned and looked at the happily snoring mutt. If not for Casey, Stumbles would no doubt have ended up walking that long last mile.

  Instantly memories of Casey as a teenager raced through his mind. He recalled how much she’d loved the animals on the ranch. From the barn cats to the horses, she’d never been able to get enough. No doubt, the Oakeses’ idea of a family pet was the buffalo on one side of a nickel.

  It must have been hard for someone as loving and caring as Casey to grow up in such a cold home.

  He pushed that notion aside and said gruffly, “Well, if he’s going to stay, we’d better get him to the vet for his shots.”

  Casey grinned and Jake felt oddly rewarded.

  “He’ll need a collar, too,” she said. “And tags. We wouldn’t want anyone to steal him.”

  Jake laughed and Stumbles snorted, clearly disturbed by the racket. There wasn’t a chance in hell that anyone but Casey would steal the ugly Stumbles. But if she wanted to get the dog collared and tagged, that was what they would do.

  He was just being nice, he told himself. After all, she was the mother of his child.

  It was the least he could do.

  A few days later Casey stood in the modern well-equipped ranch kitchen and surveyed her handiwork. Every muscle in her body ached. She’d been up half the night completing this order, but it was worth it.

  So many things had changed in such a short amount of time. Married, pregnant and, apparently, a new and flourishing career.

  “Who would have thought it, Stumbles?” she murmured to the dog lying beneath the kitchen table.

  His tail thumped against the floor and a low pleading whine issued from his throat.

  “Not a chance,” she said on a laugh. “These goodies are not for you.”

  Sorrowfully the dog laid his head down on his paws and watched her as she walked the length of the room, inspecting everything.

  She looked at the carefully arranged trays laid out on the countertops and went over the list in her hand for the third time.

  “Napoleons, check. Crème brûlées, check. Eclairs, check.” Each and every order received a final inspection. “Ladyfingers, check. Petits fours, check. And cookies…” Dozens of them—stars, angels, santas—each dusted with crushed silver dragées and looking fit for a fairy feast. When she reached the end of the counter, she sighed and nodded to herself.

  Finished. And if she did say so herself, a nice job, too.

  This was by far the most important catering job she’d been offered since the wedding. The Ladies Guild of Greater Simpson’s annual Christmas fund-raiser could be the start of something wonderful for her. Or, a little voice inside taunted, a fiery crash into disaster.

  “Ready?”

  She spun around to see Jake, standing in the doorway. Dressed in jeans, a worn flannel shirt, with the sleeves rolled up past his elbows, he took her breath away. He leaned against the doorjamb, arms folded over his chest, his blue eyes fixed on her in a way that made her heart race and her mouth go dry.

  Yet even as she watched him, that look faded from his eyes and was replaced by a detached friendly concern. Casey felt a familiar swell of disappointment rise in her. It didn’t seem to matter that they were getting along better and better. It didn’t seem to count with him that they had fun together. They still weren’t sharing a bedroom. He still insisted on holding himself back from her. Not just his body.

  His heart.

  “Casey?”

  “Hmm?” She shook her head. “Sorry. Daydreaming, I guess.”

  He nodded and pushed away from the doorway. Walking toward her, he said, “So, are you ready to go?”

  “Jake, you don’t have to take me to town. I can drive the truck myself.”

  “No trouble. Besides, I don’t want you lifting all these trays in and out of the truck bed.”

  She inhaled deeply and nodded.

  “You look tired,” he said, and his husky voice sent awareness skittering through her.

  She swallowed back her reaction and said, “I am. The order took most of the night.”

  “It’s not good for you,” he told her, “staying up that late. Working this hard.” His gaze swept over her quickly, thoroughly. “You’re pregnant, Casey. You need to get rest.”

  “I’m fine, Jake.”

  He didn’t look convinced.

  “When’s your doctor’s appointment?”

  “This afternoon. At three.”

  “You sure the doctor won’t mind if I’m there, too, will she?”

  She smiled at him. “She said that all fathers are welcome—as long as they behave.”

  �
�Good.” He nodded and picked up the flattened pastry boxes. As he folded one of them into shape, he said, “I want to ask her about all this catering stuff you’re doing. Don’t want you injuring yourself or the baby.”

  “Jake…”

  “It won’t hurt to ask.”

  She sighed and changed the subject. “I thought I’d visit with Annie until it was time to go to the doctor’s office.”

  “OK,” he said, then picked up a tray of éclairs and slid it into the waiting box. “I’ve got some business in town, so we can deliver your goodies first, then drop you off at the hairdresser. I’ll pick you up when it’s time.”

  She knew it would be pointless to argue. She’d tried to tell him there was no need for him to accompany her to the doctor. He hadn’t listened then, so there was no reason to suppose he would listen now.

  Whatever else she could say about him, he certainly seemed determined to be a good father.

  That was a start.

  Wasn’t it?

  Nine

  “Ithink I’m losing my mind.”

  Frank Parrish laughed at his son’s serious tone and waved him to a chair. “You’re not losing your mind, Jake. You’re just spending too much time arguing with your common sense, instead of listening to it.”

  Jake turned away from the window and the view of Simpson City Park. Several men were setting up the town Christmas tree. He was notin a holiday frame of mind. Studying his father, seated in a worn but comfortable easy chair, he asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I think you know what it means, and that’s what’s got you so scared.”

  “Scared?” He barked a laugh and shook his head. “I’m certainly not scared, Dad.”

  “Don’t know what else you’d call it, then,” Frank said. “You’ve got a real nice wife—pretty, too. A baby on the way, a good ranch, big house and all the land you’ve ever wanted. If you’re not scared, why aren’t you happy?”

  It did sound ridiculous when put like that. But dammit, he’d had most of those things before, too. And it hadn’t changed anything. Linda had still walked out. Leaving him reeling.

  How could he risk having Casey do the same thing?

  “She’s not Linda,” his father said softly.

  “I never said she was.”

  “You didn’t have to say it. It’s in your eyes every day.”

  “What?”

  “Every day, you’re waiting for the ax to fall. You keep looking out for the thunderclouds, you never notice the sunshine.”

  “And if I’m not watching for the storm, I get caught up in it. Then what?”

  “You get wet.”

  Jake laughed shortly.

  “Then you dry off again and start over.”

  “No, thanks.” If the storm came this time, Jake knew it would be far worse than the drizzle he had faced at Linda’s hands. He was sure of it, because he cared far more for Casey than he had ever thought possible.

  Every day spent with her was a good day. Listening to her, hearing her move around the once-silent house with that damned dog at her heels, was like music to him. He hadn’t even known how lonely he really was until Casey had come.

  But if he let himself care for her, if he told her he loved her, only to lose her, the pain would kill him.

  “It’s your decision of course.”

  “What is?” Jake’s gaze locked with his father’s.

  “To let yourself enjoy the second chance you’ve been given.”

  Jake stiffened and shook his head.

  “Or,” Frank went on, “to turn your back on it and live the half life you’ve been living for the past few years.”

  Some choice.

  Lonely?

  Or dead inside because he took a chance?

  “So, how you feeling these days, pregnant lady?”

  Casey grinned at Annie. “Great.” The grin slipped a bit. “Aren’t I supposed to be feeling terrible? Do you think something’s wrong?”

  “I think everything’s fine and you worry too much.” Annie pulled a wide-toothed comb through her customer’s wet iron gray hair. “You should be like Mrs. Dieter here. Don’t worry about a thing.” She raised her voice to a near shout. “Isn’t that right, Mrs. Dieter?”

  “Who’s gonna fight?” the old lady yelled.

  Casey laughed quietly, briefly met Annie’s amused gaze, then looked around. The sharp distinctive odor of permanent solution hung in the air of the tiny beauty shop. Annie was the owner and sole employee, so her customers always had to wait, but as Annie liked to tell them, she was worth it.

  Casey wandered around the small room, admiring pots of flowers and hanging plants that made the waiting area look like a rain forest. Gold and silver stars were sprinkled amid the greenery, and life-size posters of both Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman were hung on the walls. Multicolored lights twinkled around the windowframe, and Christmas carols drifted quietly from a tape player in the corner.

  A floor-to-ceiling bookshelf along one wall was lined with paperbacks, and the latest magazines and mail-order catalogs lay scattered across a low table set in the middle of four overstuffed chairs.

  Since she was waiting to go to lunch with Annie, Casey sat down in one of those chairs, snatched up a catalog and made herself comfortable.

  “I won’t be much longer,” Annie said. “Mrs. Dieter was an emergency cut. Her grandson’s coming to take her out on the town.” Annie’s voice rose in volume again. “Joe’s quite the dancer.”

  “How can I answer you if I can’t hear your question?” The old lady sniffed and closed her eyes, apparently deciding to catch a quick nap in the chair.

  With a smile Annie glanced at Casey and asked, “So how’s my big brother taking the news of impending fatherhood?”

  “I think he’s pleased about the whole thing.” Actually she wasn’t sure, but she certainly heard Jake muttering, “A baby,” to himself often enough to know he was thinking about it.

  “Well, why shouldn’t he be?”

  Indeed. Casey only wished he was half as pleased about being a husband. Oh, things had definitely improved between them in the short time since she’d done the pregnancy test. They actually talkedin the evenings. Jake was always solicitous, offering to make her tea, bring her a pillow. He was sort of the 1950s movie version of a soon-to-be father. The only thing he hadn’t done was boil water.

  But they still slept in separate rooms, and any time the conversation took a turn to the personal, he took a turn to the door. Emotionally speaking of course.

  “How’s everything…else going?”

  Casey glanced up from the catalog. “The same,” she said, and hated the defeated note in her voice. But really, what more could she do? She’d tried seducing him five years before. Apparently she wasn’t very good at it.

  Besides, how did you go about seducing your husband?

  “Jake always was too stubborn for his own good. It’s amazing you even gotpregnant.” Annie tugged at a stubborn knot, and the old woman opened her eyes to glare at her in the mirror. “Sorry, Mrs. Dieter.”

  Casey folded the corner of a page down over a couple of items she wanted to order, then asked, “You think one of these magazines of yours will have an article on how to get your husband back in bed?”

  Annie opened her mouth, but Mrs. Dieter cut her off.

  “Meet him at the door naked,” she said sharply. “Worked on Mr. Dieter every time.”

  Casey looked at Annie.

  Annie looked at Casey.

  Then they both stared at the wizened old woman.

  “For Christmas,” Mrs. Dieter added, “I used to wear a big ol’ red ribbon tied around my chest with a great big bow right in the middle of my boobies.” She glanced down sadly at her pendulous breasts. “I had real perky boobies back then, too. Always brightened Mr. Dieter right up, seeing them.”

  A stunned silence stretched out in the room before the woman snapped, “You think I was bornold?”

  Annie lau
ghed first, then bent down and kissed the woman’s papery cheek. “Mrs. Dieter, today’s hairstyle is on the house.”

  “You may call me Agnes.”

  As Annie and Agnes laughed together, Casey sank back into the cushions. Staring blankly out the window, she giggled and told herself that what was good for Mr. Dieter, might just be good for Mr. Parrish.

  On the way from the snowy parking lot to the doctor’s office, Casey and Jake passed four people who stopped to offer congratulations on their coming baby. As the last well-wisher moved off, Casey said, “Now how do you suppose everybody found out about the baby already?”

  Jake took her hand and pulled her toward the shiny new medical building. “No supposing about it,” he said wryly. “I told you that Emma with a phone in her hand could outdo supermarket tabloids.”

  “She’s good,” Casey muttered.

  He glanced down at her and smiled. “Now aren’t you glad we only told her and Uncle Harry yesterday? Think what she could have done if she’d had more than a week.”

  “It chills the blood.” Casey shook her head and hurried to keep pace with Jake’s long strides. Emma and Harry weren’t the only people they’d waited to tell. She still had to break the news to her parents that they were going to have a grandchild. Talk about blood-chilling.

  A few minutes later they were being ushered through the empty waiting room to the examining room. Casey stepped behind a dressing screen, took off her clothes and donned a ridiculously sheer open-in-the-back, pink cotton gown. When she climbed onto the table, she turned to Jake.

  “You don’t have to stay for this part, you know. You could just come in when the doctor’s finished and ask any questions you might have.”

  He glanced at the cold steel stirrups, already up and waiting for her feet, then shifted his gaze back to her. “It’s all right. If you don’t mind, I’d rather stay.”

  She squeezed a laugh past her suddenly tight throat. “It’s OK with me.”

  A moment later Dr. Dianna Hauck bustled into the room, her nurse right behind her, and grinned at them.

  “So,” the doctor began, “pregnant, huh?”