A Family for Christmas (17 page)

He waited until Sammy was out of earshot before turning to her. “Rachel, he’ll be fine. So let’s talk about what’s really bothering you.”

She looked at him with tears in her eyes. “If Sammy’s not yours, it’s not fair to you to be saddled with a child who’s sick—”

He reached her side. “
Stop it. D
o you really think I would love Sammy any less just because a piece of paper says I’m not his father? I love Sammy and I love you.”

“How can you say that?”

He closed his eyes for a moment. “Because it’s true. I love you both. Rachel, please trust me.” His fingers were gentle against her cheek.

“But don’t you want to know for sure?”

He shook his head. “Naw. I just want to spend the rest of my life making you and Sammy happy.”

*****

“
I
s Jack here with you?” Rachel opened the door at exactly six a.m. the following morning to find Liz standing on their doorstep.

“Mom, what are you doing here?” Liz brushed passed her impatiently.

“Is he here?”

“I’m here, Liz. What’s this about?” Jack came out of the kitchen at the sound of all the commotion.

“I have news! Mostly for Rachel’s benefit.” She turned to her daughter. “Because I know she’ll be worried until this thing is settled. Jack, I know it doesn’t matter to you.”

“Mom, what on earth are you talking about?” Rachel asked in exasperation.

“Jack, Rachel, sit down. I have a story to tell you that will shock you both.”

“You want some coffee first, Liz? It is...” He glanced at his watch and then rubbed his eyes to be sure he’d seen it correctly. “Extremely early.”

“I know, I know, and yes, I’d love some coffee, and yes, I know it’s early, but Jack, I’ve found your aunt.”

“What?” both Rachel and Jack said in unison.

“I said I’ve found your aunt. Your mother’s sister, Charlotte.”

Jack looked dumbfounded. “Liz, I don’t remember my mother or
any of
her family so—
“

“I never told either of you this, but your father and I got to know each other pretty good through the years. We talked a lot with you and Mike being friends. And yes, I know he didn’t approve of your marriage to my daughter, but you were wrong about him thinking Rachel wasn’t good enough. The truth was he was worried that you weren’t ready.”

“You and Dad were friends?”

“Yes, but that’s not my point. After hearing the news yesterday about Sammy, well, I knew I had to find out the truth. I remembered your father telling me once your mother had family still in San Antonio. I must have called a dozen different numbers before I finally reached a relative. Your mother’s sister, Charlotte. Jack, your mother had diabetes. The same type as Sammy. So you see, it runs in your family.”

She squeezed Rachel’s hand. “You see honey, Sammy is Jack’s son.”

Rachel got to her feet and ran from the room.

Liz turned to Jack in surprise. “I thought this would make her happy? I don’t understand.”

Jack got to his feet and headed after her. “It does, it will. I’ll be right back. Hold that thought.”

Jack found her in their room. “Are you okay?”

She shook her head. “No. No, I’m not okay. You deserve so much more than me.”

He came to her and pulled her back against him. She could feel him grinning.

“How do you figure that?”

“I’m a horrible person. I run away from you. I keep you from your son. I marry a man I don’t love. And when you tell me you love me and you ask me to trust you, I can’t. When the first little thing comes along, I’m looking for trouble.”

“Oh Rachel.” He turned her in his arms. “Baby, you are not horrible. You are the best thing to ever happen to me. You gave me Sammy. You gave me back my life. I love you and I wouldn’t trade a moment of our life together. Now or in the past.

“Sammy’s your son
, Jack
. We have to tell him.”

He stopped her.

“What is it?”
She look at him in surprise.

“No, Rachel. I’ve never had any doubt that Sammy
was
mine. But I know he loved Sam as well. I can’t take that from him. I have the rest of my life to be his father. Let’s leave the past where it belongs.”

And then he kissed her and she believed him. And in se
cond chances.

The End

About the author

Mary Eason grew up in a small
Texas
town famous for, well not much of anything really. Being the baby of the family and quite a bit younger than her brothers and sister, Mary had plenty of time to entertain herself. Making up stories seem to come natural to her.

As a pre-teen, Mary discovered her first romance and was hooked. She knew instinctively that was what she wanted to do with her over-active imagination.

Today, Mary still lives in Texas, and still writes about
romance
. In fact, she can’t think of anything else she’d rather do.

The Rebel Rancher

Chapter One

Alec pulled his pickup truck into the last available short-term parking space outside of Bergstrom International Airport. It was still early in the day and yet the Texas heat had already threated to break another all-time record.

He grabbed his Stetson from the seat next to him and slammed the truck’s door a little harder than necessary, even for a 64 Ford with a contrary door latch.

It still galled him that he’d let his cousin talk him into doing his dirty work. The last thing he wanted was be party to another one of Drake’s gubernatorial schemes. Especially when it involved hurting his friend Jackie.

Alec clamped his Stetson low over his eyes to block out the afternoon sun as hurried inside to the American arrival gate to wait for Grace Richmond’s flight. He was already fifteen minutes late, yet according to the flight board, her plane had been delayed forty-five minutes.

“Oh, hell,” he exclaimed to no one in particular. A flight delay meant he’d be stuck at the airport half the afternoon.

It dawned on him then that he had no idea what the girl even looked like. Drake hadn’t bothered to tell him that little detail in his haste to convince him to pick her up.

Alec paced the waiting area, his patience for the situation all but gone. He should just walk out the door and leave Drake to clean up his own mess. While he toyed with the idea, the PA system announced her arrival. Now he was committed.

He watched as a stream of passengers filed past him, mostly couples and a few business travelers, yet no one who came close to what he imagined Grace would look like walked by.

Alec grabbed his cell phone from his pocket and had just started dialing Drake’s phone number when the last few passengers came through the gate. He spotted his girl.

First glance had him struggling to keep from laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of Drake’s plans. This girl wasn’t going to help him win the governor’s office, but it might get him landed in jail for statutory rape. Alec wasn’t sure where Drake got his facts, but the girl was close enough now for him to realize she barely looked a day over fifteen, if that.

She was dressed in jeans that had seen better days a few years back and a simple gray T-shirt that had some logo on it, probably some designer that seemed to be the fashion with the younger kids around town. Nothing about Grace Richmond would have him believe she came from the illustrious political stock Drake was counting on so desperately to give him the edge in the election.

She wore no makeup, emphasizing hazel eyes beneath smoky-colored lashes. She’d pulled her short blond hair up into a clip yet part of the curls were escaping.

She stopped a few feet past him and glanced around. Upon a second look, Alec decided she definitely wasn’t a child. Not by a long shot. She had all the right curves, enhanced by the tight jeans and snug-fitting T-shirt. Okay, so she had
something
going for her. But could Drake really compare her to Jackie, the woman he professed to love.

Alec took a step closer. “You Grace Richmond?” She swung around at the mention of her name, her startled gaze met his and two things became clear to him at that moment. Grace Richmond was very young, no matter what her birth certificate or her curves declared, and she was way out of her element. Yeah, Drake had definitely lost his mind.

“Yes, I’m Grace. Who are you?” Her eyes slipped over his faded jeans, white T-shirt, and broke in boots. A delicate flush spread over her cheeks and she couldn’t quite hold his gaze. He had a feeling something about him made her uneasy.

Alec quirked a grin. He had that effect on women. He’d gotten used to it.

He tapped his Stetson impatiently against his leg. He was just here to drop her off at the hotel. Whatever Drake was planning to do with her wasn’t his business.

“I’m Alec Standing—Drake’s cousin. Drake asked me to take you to your hotel. He was…unexpectedly detained.” Truth be told, Drake was probably right in the big middle of one hellacious argument with Jackie.

It was obvious, Grace wasn’t happy with the turn of events. She looked downright crushed. It occurred to him for the first time that Grace actually knew Drake. For some reason his cousin had given him the distinct impression that they’d never actually met.

“Oh no, that’s too bad. I was looking forward to seeing Drake again. I hope it’s nothing serious?”

Oh yeah, it was definitely something serious all right. Alec was surprised that half of Texas hadn’t heard Jackie yelling at Drake by now.

“So you and Drake
have
met before? I’m sorry I was under the impression that you hadn’t.”

She smiled a little and it wiped away some of that worried look from her face. She was actually quite pretty, Alec thought.

“Yes, we’ve met on several occasions. Drake was a good friend of my father’s and supported many of his causes. Will he be joining up with us later?”

Something even more disturbing than Drake’s lie occurred to Alec. This girl was infatuated with Drake.

Alec took the overnight bag from her. “I’ve no idea. I’m just here to take you to your hotel. Where are the rest of your things,” Alec asked impatiently. For some reason, Grace’s feelings for Drake annoyed him. Probably because he knew when this scheme of Drake’s came to fruition, the one person who was going to be hurt was Jackie.   

“I don’t have any other bags. This is everything—”

“Good. Then let’s go. Please,” Alec added as an afterthought then turned and walked away.

Drake had told Alec that he didn’t need to make polite conversation with her, well that was exactly what he intended to do. She could figure out what she needed to know on her own.

Alec headed for the terminal doors with Grace struggling to keep up. The late afternoon as the hot September sun blasted them with a gust of scorching humid air. The temperature had to be over a hundred today. Unusually warm, even for September in
Texas
. The heat waves rising above the black asphalt told him it was that and more.

He ignored the little voice inside his head that told him he was only confirming his reputation of being one of the most impatient people around Standing. Not that he cared. That certainly wouldn’t be the worst of his sins.

He slicked back his collar-length hair with his hand and put on the hat. Right now, he wanted to drop Grace off so that he could let his cousin have the full extent of his anger without her forming any further opinions of him. He had a sneaking suspicion he wouldn’t be on her most favorite list anytime soon.

Alec unlocked the truck, threw her bag in first, then waited for her to get in. She glanced in his direction but she didn’t say a word. He shut the door behind her then climbed behind the wheel.

They left the parking lot, heading in the direction of the expensive hotel that Drake had her registered in. The scent of her cinnamon perfume reminded him of how long it had been since he’d been this close to a woman who wasn’t part of his business, or who wasn’t Jackie. After his last disastrous relationship ended a few years back, Alec decided serious love wasn’t in the cards for him. He’d taken a much-needed break from dating then. So far, he hadn’t run into a woman yet who made him want to take another shot at love again.

Alec glanced at the girl close to him once more. Their eyes collided. Something unsettling passed between them and suddenly it was hard to catch his breath. He swallowed hard.

Somewhere close by, horn blared. Reality reared its ugly head and he glanced at the road ahead in time to realize he’d crossed the yellow line and almost tagged an oncoming car. Alec swerved back in the nick of time and kept his eyes on the road. He gave himself a mental shake. Best to leave those feelings unexplored because he’d only despise himself if he let his imagination go there. Especially knowing what lay in store for her.