Merry Christmas, Baby Read online

  He leaned down and kissed her. “Come on,” he murmured. “We need to finish decorating the tree.”

  “Slave driver.”

  He lifted his head to smile at her. “You know you want to.”

  “I do, actually. I want to see how that popcorn garland looks once it’s done.”

  “See, I knew it. Besides, I think we have a good system going.”

  “Oh? What’s that?”

  “Make love, decorate the tree, make love, decorate the tree.” He punctuated his sentence with more kisses. “That’s working for me.”

  “Yeah, but eventually we’ll have the tree all decorated. Then what?”

  He gave her a stricken look. “I guess we’ll just have to make love nonstop after that.”

  “Wow, that sounds drastic.”

  “I know.” He shrugged. “But that’s all we’ll have left. We’ll have to make the best of it.”

  6

  THE SYSTEM WORKED TO perfection, and as Lacey had predicted, they ran out of decorations and ended up back in bed for the rest of the night. Eventually they even went to sleep in that bed, with Lacey nestled inside the curve of Tucker’s body.

  She woke up in the gray light of dawn with a sense of safety, peace and happiness she hadn’t felt in years. Tucker was already up, and the sound of a crackling fire and the scent of evergreen and coffee brewing filled her with memories of waking up as a child on Christmas morning.

  Throwing back the covers she shivered in the chilly bedroom as she pulled her blue terry bathrobe and fuzzy blue slippers out of the closet. Of course there would be no presents under the tree, but anticipation bubbled through her anyway. It was Christmas morning and she had someone special to spend it with.

  He sat on the couch in front of the fire drinking a mug of coffee, but he put the mug on the end table immediately and stood when she came in the room. His smile flashed. “Merry Christmas.”

  He’d lit the emergency candles sitting on the mantel, and light from the fire reflected off the aluminum foil chain and Hershey’s Kisses. Her snowy-white popcorn garland was the perfect touch against the dark green branches. As if that weren’t enough, a foil-wrapped box lay at the base of the tree. It even had a fluffy white bow.

  She glanced at Tucker. “A present?”

  “It’s not much.”

  She approached the tree, marveling at how he could have come up with anything at all under the circumstances. No matter what he’d put in that box, she was touched to the point of feeling her throat close up. It was Christmas morning, and a wonderful man had somehow created a present for her to open.

  Sitting on the floor beside the tree, exactly as she used to when she was little, she picked up the box, her eyes moist. Then she laughed softly. The ribbon was toilet paper.

  She cleared her throat. “You’re very clever.”

  “I used more than I wanted to, because it kept tearing.”

  “You did all this while I was asleep?”

  He nodded and walked over, mug in hand. “It’s funny, but I never used to be able to sleep on Christmas Eve. I was always too excited. It’s like that feeling sort of came back.”

  She gazed up at him. “I know what you mean. When I woke up and smelled the tree and heard the fire, it made me all cozy and warm inside, like I used to feel on Christmas morning. Then I walked in here and discovered a present.” She patted the floor beside her. “Come and sit with me while I open it.”

  “Okay, but I hope you’re not expecting too much.” He leaned down and set his coffee mug on the floor before sitting cross-legged beside her.

  “The fact that this present even exists is a miracle. I didn’t think about dreaming up a gift for you.”

  He shrugged. “Like I said, I was too excited to sleep.”

  “Well, I’m very impressed that you did this.” She tried to get the bow off without tearing it, but it came apart despite her careful effort. “Sorry.”

  “Hey, it’s just toilet paper. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Yes, but you worked so hard to make the bow. I wanted to save it.” She tucked the wad of toilet paper in her bathrobe pocket and took off the aluminum foil wrapper. Underneath was a box of graham crackers, except it felt too light to still have crackers in it.

  “I put the packets of crackers in the cupboard so I could use the box.”

  “I am amazed at your ingenuity.”

  He leaned closer. “Be careful when you open it.”

  “It’s not alive, is it?”

  “No, but it’s kind of delicate.”

  She glanced over at him and her heart squeezed. He’d made her something and now he was almost breathless as he waited to find out what she thought of it. Her world shifted in that moment as she fell helplessly, hopelessly in love.

  Opening the top of the cracker box, she reached gently inside and pulled out…a foil angel.

  “It’s for the top of the tree,” he said.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “Hey, are you crying?”

  “No.” She sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Yes. Oh, Tucker.” Laying the angel carefully on the floor next to the tree, she turned to him and climbed into his lap.

  He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

  “They’re good tears.” She nestled against his warm body and sighed. “Tucker, it feels like Christmas.”

  “Yes.” He stroked her hair. “Yes, it does.”

  THE MORNING FELT SO RIGHT that Tucker hated to think about leaving. But the storm had ended and he needed to contact the ranch. After attaching the angel to the top of the tree, he shoveled a path to the outbuilding and gave Houdini the rest of the oats and some of the carrots Lacey had left over. Then he texted Jack, who responded that someone would be over with a snow-mobile within the next two hours.

  Tucker relayed that information to Lacey over breakfast. She’d served him scrambled eggs, bacon and the best cinnamon toast he’d ever eaten. He wanted to stay and spend the day with her, but that wouldn’t be happening for several reasons.

  First of all, he had to help get Houdini back home. And although Lacey was on vacation, he wasn’t. The ranch was short-staffed over the holidays, and he was needed there. He’d made a point of saying he would cover for the hands who’d gone home to their families over Christmas.

  He gazed at her sitting across the table from him. She still wore her bathrobe. Without makeup and with her hair still tousled, she looked like a teenager. He thought how wonderful life would be if he could spend every morning across the breakfast table with her.

  He put down his coffee mug with a sigh. “I hate to go.”

  “Couldn’t you come back later? Borrow a different snowmobile?”

  He shook his head. “Not really. They need me at the ranch.” Then he had an idea. “Would you like to come over there for Christmas dinner? I’m sure they’ll want to show their appreciation for what you’ve done, and at least that way we could spend some time together.”

  She regarded him steadily. “I would love that.”

  “Great! Dinner’s around four. I’ll come over with a snowmobile and get you about three, and then bring you back here after dinner. I won’t be able to stay all night, but I could stay for…a little while.”

  “Okay.” Her smile told him she knew exactly how they’d spend that little while. “That sounds very nice.”

  It sounded more than nice to him. It sounded promising.

  “And by the way, I’m looking forward to seeing all the decorations at the ranch.” She swept a hand around the room. “All this has changed my attitude. You were smart to insist on creating our own celebration.”

  “It worked for me, too. I—” He heard a cell phone, but it wasn’t his. “I think you have a call.”

  “Yeah.” She looked disconcerted. “Excuse me.” She picked up her phone from the kitchen counter and walked into the bedroom with it.

  Tucker wasn’t sure how he knew who had called, but he k
new, all the same. He’d bet his last dollar Lenny was on the phone. His stomach felt queasy and he stood up, unable to sit any longer. Coffee mug in hand, he paced the living room.

  He couldn’t hear what Lacey said, but from the low pitch of her voice, he knew the conversation was serious. Maybe something had come up regarding a member of her family. He tried to convince himself this was a family matter, but he didn’t believe it. The way things worked in his world, the minute he started getting invested in a woman, something like this happened.

  After what seemed like an eternity, she walked out of the bedroom. “That was Lenny.”

  His stomach pitched. “Oh?”

  “He misses me.” She looked slightly dazed. “He said he made a terrible mistake by breaking up with me and he wants to get back together. He said he’d find a way to get out here today, so we could spend the holiday the way we’d planned.”

  He wanted to yell at her that Lenny couldn’t come to this cabin and enjoy the tree he’d dug up, or the decorations he’d made, or the woman he’d fallen in love with. Because he was in love with Lacey, probably had been a little bit in love with her for years.

  Cruelly, he’d had these few hours to fall completely head-over-heels, and now she would go back to Lenny because that’s what women did. They had a great time with Tucker and then went back to their regularly scheduled lives.

  He swallowed. “So I guess you won’t be coming over to the Last Chance, after all.”

  “I didn’t say that.” There was an edge to her voice.

  He started the painful process of putting blockades around his heart. “No, but you won’t, will you?”

  “I don’t know, Tucker.” She sounded almost angry. “Do you want me to?”

  “That’s entirely up to you, Lacey.” He might have said more, but the roar of a snowmobile cut off their conversation. It was too soon for Lenny to be arriving, so it had to be someone from the Last Chance. Tucker grabbed his hat and coat from the peg by the door. “I need to get going.”

  “I’m sure you do.”

  He paused by the door. “Give the ranch a call if you decide you want to come for dinner.” He’d deliberately said the ranch because he’d never given her his cell phone number and he wasn’t going to stop and do it now. He had to get the hell out of there before the pain overwhelmed him. She was going back to Lenny. Goddammit, she was going back to that idiot Lenny!

  LACEY STOOD WITHOUT MOVING, her cell phone clutched in her hand. Tucker hadn’t been able to get out of there fast enough, and her head was still spinning from his dash to freedom. She could hear him outside laughing and joking with whoever had come to pick him up. It seemed as if he’d already put her out of his mind.

  Heartbreaking though it might be, she had to face the possibility that she was simply a bright spot in his life, a person he’d remember fondly but not someone he’d keep around for the long haul. Years ago Tucker had dated lots of girls, but he’d never stuck with one for very long. Maybe he was built that way.

  When she’d told him about Lenny, he’d leaped to the conclusion that she was going back to him. Maybe he’d been relieved about that. He’d left the Christmas dinner invitation up to her instead of saying that he really wanted her there. In actuality, she had no idea how much she meant to Tucker. She only knew how much he meant to her.

  He’d left before she could tell him what she’d said to Lenny. What we had wasn’t love. I know that, now, because I’ve truly fallen in love, maybe for the first time in my life.

  How odd that she’d told Lenny, but Tucker was oblivious. If she had any pride at all, he would remain oblivious. Then she looked at the tree in the corner with the angel on top and decided that pride was overrated.

  Tucker might not know it, but he had a lot of love to give and she was just the person who could bring it out in him. She wasn’t going to abandon her feelings for him because he was too dense to realize he needed her. They needed each other. They’d proved that last night and this morning.

  Loving him seemed right, and even if he didn’t totally love her back, he had some affection for her. After all, he’d dug up the tree for her, and he’d made an angel to go on top of it. Those two things meant more, in her estimation, than the great sex they’d shared, although that was a bonus. It was good to be turned on by the man you loved.

  The sound of the snowmobile starting up prompted her to walk over to the window. They’d tied Houdini’s lead rope to the back of the snowmobile and Tucker was just now climbing on behind whoever had driven over to get him. He turned and glanced back at the cabin.

  She raised a hand in farewell, even though she didn’t think he could see her. But she counted it as a good sign that he’d looked back. He might not be as ready to write her off as he’d seemed. She wondered if pride had kept him from telling her that she meant something to him.

  Glancing at the cell phone in her hand, she took note of the time. She’d give him a couple of hours to get situated before she called and asked for a ride to the ranch. She had no intention of waiting until three.

  She wasn’t nearly through with him, and he wasn’t through with her, either, not if she could help it. If nothing else, she could use some help replanting the tree he’d dug up.

  TUCKER WAS GETTING DRESSED after a long-overdue shave and shower when the bunkhouse phone rang. He was the only person down there, so he hurried over to the wall phone while he fastened the snaps on his dark green Western shirt. He picked up the phone. “This is Tucker.”

  “Hey, Tuck.” Jack’s voice boomed over the phone and raucous noise in the background indicated the Christmas party was starting a little earlier than planned.

  Tucker decided from Jack’s cheerful tone that he was already into the eggnog. The guy had seemed damned happy to get Houdini back in one piece, and Tucker had now become Tuck, which he took as a sign of Jack’s goodwill. “What’s up?”

  “That woman you stayed with last night called here asking if you’d come over and pick her up. She said you invited her for dinner. Did you?”

  “Uh…” Tucker’s heart lurched into high gear. He’d been so sure he’d never hear from Lacey again, and he had trouble wrapping his mind around this new development. “Yeah, I did. I hope that’s okay.”

  “It’s more than okay. Mom’s been chewing my ass about why I didn’t invite her when I went over there to get you. I wish I’d known you invited her. I could’ve saved myself some grief. Oh, and tell her to bring an overnight case. Mom won’t hear of you taking her back tonight. Too cold.”

  “She might not go for that.”

  “Then you’ll have to use your manly charm to convince her. Since the fence is still down, you can take the shortcut. I expect to see you both back here ASAP.”

  “You want me to go now?” Tucker glanced at the bunkhouse clock. “It’s only one. I thought dinner wasn’t until four.”

  “That’s the official time the food will be on the table, but…hang on.” Jack lowered the phone and called out to someone that he had the situation in hand. Then he was back. “Did you hear that? They’re bugging me about this lady. What’s her name again?”

  “Lacey Evans.”

  “Yeah, Lacey. Gabe and Nick think they remember her from school. Anyway, you need to produce this woman before I end up in some serious shit for lacking good manners. Take one of the snowmobiles. But don’t wreck it, okay?”

  “I won’t. And I’ll pay for fixing—”

  “Ah, hell, don’t worry about it. I just can’t afford to lose another one of those machines in the middle of snow season. See you soon, buddy. With the girl,” Jack said, ending the call.

  Tucker hung up the phone, but he was so distracted that he walked out of the bunkhouse minus his hat and coat. The freezing weather sent him right back in to retrieve them. He’d have to snap out of it or he really would wreck another snowmobile.

  Forcing himself to concentrate on one thing at a time, he eventually headed across the snowy meadow in the same direction he�
�d gone the day before when he’d chased Houdini. He and Jack had retraced this route going back to the ranch, so by now the snowmobile had created a recognizable path in the snow.

  That was fortunate for Tucker, who thought far more about Lacey than he thought about driving the snow-mobile. He’d worked so hard to banish her from his mind earlier today because he’d been convinced she was reuniting with Lenny. Apparently not. And that meant… He didn’t know what that meant, or rather, he was afraid to speculate for fear he’d be slammed again.

  No smoke came from the chimney as he approached the cabin, which was a good thing. She couldn’t go off and leave a fire burning. But then, she’d know that, being a Forest Service employee.

  His chest tightened as he parked the snowmobile near the porch. She’d shoveled most of the snow from the steps and he wished he’d been here to help her. He wished he could walk through that door, close it and stay right here instead of carting her back across the snow to the ranch house where he’d have to share her with a whole lot of people.

  As he mounted the steps, the blood rushed in his ears. He hadn’t been this nervous about seeing a woman in…he’d never been this nervous, come to think of it.

  Lacey opened the door. “Thanks for coming to get me.” She stood there looking ready to party in a bright red sweater and crisp jeans. She even had on makeup and gold hoop earrings.

  “What happened to Lenny?” He hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that, but it was uppermost on his mind and apparently he’d lost control of his tongue. “I thought he was coming out here.”

  “You thought wrong.” She stepped back from the door. “Come in for a minute, Tucker. I have something to say.”

  He struggled to breathe normally, and when he finally dragged in some air, he got a whiff of the peppermint-soap scent clinging to her. He wanted to gobble her up. He took off his hat, mostly so he’d have something to do with his hands.

  She closed the door and turned to him. “Tucker, about Lenny. I—”