Midnight Under the Mistletoe (15 page)

Standing at the window, Zach looked at the dry, yellowed
windswept landscape beyond the fenced yard. Why had life become empty without
Emma? It had only been the weekend since she left, but it seemed eons ago.
Common sense told him she was not the woman for him, not even in a casual way.
He smiled at the thought. No relationship was casual to Emma. Not even the brief
affair they had.

He paced the room restlessly. “Go to Italy,” he advised aloud.
“Pick up your life and forget her.”

Memories flooded him of holding her, kissing her, making love
to her. Of her laughter, her hands on him, her luminous green eyes studying him.
Even the looks of pity she had given him came back to haunt him. Was he missing
out on the best part of life as she had said? Was he letting that armor from
childhood keep him from loving and being loved today?

Would he really want to be tied down with a family? Tied down
with Emma? The last thought sounded like paradise.

Was he going to mope through Christmas? It was a time he had
never given much thought to since he was grown.

He saw three limos coming up the drive so he left to open the
front door.

Will, Ava and Caroline climbed out of the first limo. Ryan
emerged from the second and Garrett and Sophia from the third limo. The drivers
carried boxes filled with wrapped presents. Zach directed the drivers where to
put the presents and then turned to greet everyone.

“Don’t tell me all this stuff is for me,” Zach said.

“Who else is here for us to give presents to? Although I do
have one for Nigel and one for Rosie and I’ll bet the rest do, too,” Ryan said
with a cocky grin. “You said you were giving Nigel and Rosie three weeks
off.”

“And I did. Come in,” he said, picking up Caroline to give her
a hug. He led them to the family room where the drivers had already placed boxes
of presents.

A sofa beside a large wingback chair was piled high with Zach’s
presents for his brothers, Sophia and their families.

“You should have had Nigel bring down the Christmas tree,” Will
said.

“Don’t you start that. Emma had decorations up and I got rid of
them.”

“You have turned into Scrooge,” Will said.

“Hardly,” Zach replied, waving his arm in the direction of the
sofa with presents. “I believe I have a few presents for everyone.”

“My apology,” Will said, laughing. “Not entirely Scrooge. I do
see mistletoe hanging over the door. That’s a weird decoration to put up for a
man living alone.”

“Just drop it, Will,” Zach said.

“Maybe I should have stopped by last week and met the
secretary,” Ryan said.

“Will a beer shut you two up?” Zach asked. “First, let me see
about the drivers and get them settled with something to eat and drink. I’ll be
right back. When I do, we’ll start this little family Christmas celebration that
I suspect is totally for my benefit,” Zach remarked dryly.

When he returned he asked them, “Eggnog, beer, wine, martini,
margaritas, Scotch, an old-fashioned—none of you have to drive home and I have a
full bar, so what do you prefer?” he said, going behind the bar to fill orders.
In minutes he brought out snacks Rosie had left.

Ryan held up his bottle. “Merry Christmas to our newest family
member, Sophia, to Ava and Caroline, to my big brothers, to Garrett who’s been
like a brother,” he said, including Garrett as he always had.

They all held up bottles and echoed his toast.

“Now I’ll propose a toast,” Will said, “and a Christmas prayer
of thanks for Caroline in our lives, for Sophia becoming part of our family and
for Ava. The four of us have been blessed by them.”

“Here, here and amen,” Ryan said and they clinked bottles
together again.

In a few minutes Ryan raised his bottle high again. “Here’s to
the two surviving bachelors in this group. Zach, my bro, I’m going to outlast
you.”

All three of the others protested at the same time. “Ryan,
you’re next,” Garrett said. “No way is anyone getting Zach down the aisle.”

“They can’t get him to stay in one country long enough to fall
in love,” Will added, making Zach grin.

“Sorry, Ryan, but I’ll win this one,” he said, thinking about
Emma.

They soon went to the kitchen where Zach got out ribs from a
Dutch oven. All night he had cooked ribs and he had baked beans that had
slowcooked for hours. He got a large bowl of Rosie’s cold potato salad. He
replenished beers and they all gathered around the big table to feast on the rib
dinner. As he passed out the beers, he thought of Emma. If she could see him
now, she would know he enjoyed his family. They just weren’t together as often
as hers.

“When are you leaving for Italy?” Will asked.

“Tomorrow. The weather prediction is good. So when is everyone
else going?”

“We’re leaving tomorrow morning for Colorado,” Will replied.
“Caroline is hyped over going and she is almost climbing the walls now,” he
said, smiling at her and Caroline giggled.

“Garrett, when do you leave?”

“We’ll go to my folks’ house Thursday. We’re going out with
Sophia’s friends Friday night.”

“Ryan, what about you?”

“I’m leaving to go back to Houston. I need to see if I still
have a drilling business, I’ve been gone so long. Meg and I have parties Friday
night, Saturday night and Sunday night. Meg’s a party girl.”

“Meg?” Zach asked. “Should I know who Meg is?”

“No. I can answer for him,” Will said. “Meg is just the most
recent.” He grinned at Ryan. “You two are kids, still doing kid stuff,” Will
teased.

“May be kid stuff, but it’s fun. At least I’m not so decrepit I
have to sit around someone’s home each of those nights,” he teased.

“And Zach in Italy. Who is the latest beautiful lady?”

“I’ll be alone at my villa, which is fine.”

“Well, all of you should come to Colorado. This is going to be
the best ever Christmas,” he said, smiling at Ava and then at Caroline. “We have
a Santa suit for Muffy that Caroline thinks Muffy loves to wear. We’ll have
worlds of fun and if anyone wants to come afterwards to ski and enjoy Colorado,
you’re invited. Except our invalid.”

“Not an invalid any longer,” Zach said. “Doc’s given me a big
okay and I can do whatever I want. We didn’t discuss skiing.”

“C’mon, Zach,” Ryan said. “Garrett, you, too. Let’s fly up
there after Christmas and ski. I’ll come, Will, right after New Year’s if you’re
staying that long.”

“Sure. All of you come join us. You can bring anyone you want
with you.”

“I’ll see how it goes in Italy,” Zach said. “I doubt if I’ll be
back that soon.”

“The bird has flown the coop again,” Will teased. “You just
can’t stay put. We’ll see you next summer.”

“I’ll pass this time, but thanks,” Garrett said. “I’m building
furniture and Sophia is painting.”

“Still the workaholic,” Ryan stated. “Some things never
change.”

They ate ribs until they had a platter filled with bones. When
they finished, they all cleaned up and soon they returned to the family room to
open gifts.

The first gift went to Caroline and her eyes sparkled as she
unwrapped a box that held a new doll. She gave Zach a hug and he smiled at her.
“Merry Christmas, sweetie,” he said, wishing Emma was with him.

After the gifts were unwrapped and stacked neatly to go, Zach
said he had something else for them.

He left and returned with a box holding the gold pocket watch,
the Colt revolver and the Henry rifle. “My secretary and I have been through a
lot of the memorabilia. I don’t know why these things were buried under the
letters. So far, we found these three items. Why doesn’t each family take one.
We can draw if you want to see who gets what, regarding this stuff.”

“You ought to have something,” Garrett said. “Leave me out.
These are Delaney possessions and I’m not a Delaney.”

“Sophia is,” Zach said immediately. “There was a locket that I
gave to my secretary. Sorry, I didn’t wait to ask you, Sophia, when I gave Emma
the necklace. She has pored over this stuff and enjoyed it. You’d think these
people were related to her.”

“That’s fine, Zach,” Sophia said. “Really. I don’t need it and
it’s nice you gave it to her.”

“Sophia, you participate,” Zach said. “I’m staying out of it
because all of you know I don’t care about the letters and the ancestors and our
past. It’s history.”

“Our parents weren’t sentimental, and you’re really a chip off
the old block,” Will said.

“Now that remark and comparison, I can do without.” Zach
scribbled out words on three pieces of paper and wadded each up. “We can draw or
you can each say what you want and see if anyone else wants it. Or we can go in
order of age.”

“Hand us the papers and that will be that,” Will said.

Zach held out his hand and in seconds Will picked up the Henry
rifle, Ryan the Colt revolver and Sophia the pocket watch. “Okay. Is everyone
happy with what you got?” Zach asked.

“Sure,” Ryan said, rubbing his hand along the Colt. “This is
excellent.”

“I love this watch—more than I would the rifle or the
revolver,” Sophia said. “I would like one of the letters to put with it.”

“Good choice. I like the watch,” Garrett said, exchanging a
smile with his wife.

“Go to the office and pick out whatever letters you want,” Zach
instructed. “We can divide them all three ways when someone finishes going
through them.”

“These things are treasures,” Ryan said, continuing to turn the
revolver in his hand.

“The Henry rifle is fantastic. I’m definitely happy,” Will
added.

It was late afternoon when Garrett stood. “We need to get home
because we’re flying back to Dallas.”

Ryan stood and gathered his gifts. “I’ll go, too. Soon I’ll fly
out for a tropical paradise, palm trees and warm breezes and a beautiful
woman.”

“Won’t seem like Christmas,” Will said. “Of course, you may not
care. I’ll bet you’ll be ready for snow-covered mountains before New
Year’s.”

“Probably will,” Ryan replied cheerfully.

“You can bring your friend with you.”

Ryan winked. “I think I’ll come alone and see if I can find a
new friend. See you in the summer, Zach, and thanks.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll let your drivers know you’re going.”

Zach saw them out, then returned to join Will and Ava while
Caroline played with her new doll. “Want one more beer? You don’t have to go
because they did.”

“Sure, I’ll have a beer. Is your foot hurting?”

“No. It’s healed,” Zach said, getting two beers from the
bar.

“You don’t look so great. Anything worrying you?”

“No. Maybe you’re getting me mixed up with Ryan. He’s the one
who’s always got a smile. Remember, I don’t have his rosy outlook on life. This
is my natural look all the time.”

“I know that, but you aren’t usually as quiet as today and you
look as if something’s on your mind besides Christmas and us.”

“Actually, Christmas hasn’t been on my mind, which I’m sure,
surprises no one. ”

“What do you think about the prospects for the Cowboys this
next year?”

“Great,” Will answered and the talk shifted to football and
then moved to business while they told each other what the current projects
were.

When Ava and Will finally stood to go, he paused. “Will you
come back from Italy or just go to a job site?”

“Probably just go to a site. I’m through here, so I’m dumping
the letters and memorabilia. It’s up to you and Ryan now. Garrett, too, if you
can rope him into it because of Sophia.”

“I’ll see. So you sent your secretary back to the Dallas
office.”

“Yes. We won’t see each other again. She turned out to be
efficient and good, Will. She’s read a mountain of old letters.”

“I don’t want to shred them. She’s right about a tie to our
past.”

“With time they’ll disintegrate. She copied some of them
carefully and put them in a scrapbook between clear acid-free sheets. She said
that way we can make copies for family members who want them.”

“I’m astounded they got through our parents without being
destroyed. You know Mom wouldn’t care at all about them. Dad didn’t until the
end of his life.”

“Frankly, I can’t work up a lot of interest.”

Will chuckled. “So how did she get you to go home for
Thanksgiving with her? Is there something going on here that I haven’t been
told?”

“Will, don’t quiz your brother about his personal life,” Ava
said, smiling at Will. “Caroline and I will say goodbye. The ribs were delicious
and thank you for the gifts. You know we’ll all love everything.”

“Merry Christmas, Ava,” Zach said, walking her and Caroline
outside. “Take care of him.”

“Merry Christmas, Zach. I intend to,” she answered and waited
while he hugged Caroline before the two of them climbed into the limo to wait
for Will.

“So how did your secretary get you to go home for Thanksgiving
with her?” Will persisted.

“I think she’s trying to rescue me. You can’t imagine how sorry
she feels for me and how much sympathy I get.”

“Sympathy.” The word burst from Will and he started laughing.
“She feels sorry for you because you don’t celebrate these holidays. Does she
know how you live and how much money you spend whooping it up on holidays?”

Zach grinned as he shook his head.

“So she made you go home with her for Thanksgiving. Now what in
the world incentive did she use to get you to do that?”

“Mind your own business, Will. And the best possible incentive
of all.”

“I never ever thought I’d see the day.”

“You haven’t seen it yet. Don’t worry, there isn’t anything
serious between us and there won’t be. She is one hundred percent a homebody.
I’m almost one hundred percent traveler. That’s not a good fit and we both know
it.”

“Yeah, right,” Will said, smiling. “By the way, you didn’t tell
me that she’s gorgeous. I know now why from the first you didn’t want me to get
someone else to work for you.”