All I Want for Christmas: A Kinnison Legacy Holiday novella (11 page)

“You want to sleep some more?” he asked.

She shook her head. By the expression on her face, he saw that she was fighting with her emotions.

“Sweetheart,” he said, brushing the hair from her forehead,” it’s going to be okay.” He leaned down and kissed her softly.

“Rein, there’s something I need to tell you.” She took a deep breath.

“Honey, you can tell me anything.” His gut twisted, even though he meant what he said.

“I didn’t think it would matter. The doctors told me it wouldn’t.” She looked up at him. Tears seeped from the corners of her eyes. “I should have said something, early on.”

Rein searched her face. “Baby, whatever it is won’t make a difference in how much I love you.”

She turned her face from him. “I hope you’ll feel the same after I tell you.”

He turned her face to meet his gaze. “Liberty, you know you can always tell me—”

“I had an abortion.” She held his gaze.

Reins’ heart seemed to drop in his chest.

“It was long before I met you.” She averted her eyes directly from his. “I’m not proud of it. But I was young—too young to be pregnant—and I—” She struggled with the words. “I didn’t want to be a mom back then.” Tears flowed in rivulets down her temples. “They told me it’d be okay. That I should be able to have children again, but they warned me of the risk—the chance that I might not be able to due to complications.”

She broke down then, great sobs shaking her shoulders. He held her hand, absorbing the information, not knowing what kind of doctor she’d seen, how experienced they were in such things. He blew out a long breath, looked away, and, rubbing his hand over his mouth, walked to the window. He stood a moment, staring at the snow-covered cars in the parking lot.

“Rein, I’m sorry I didn’t say something sooner. But I’ve wanted to tell you from the moment we started talking about a family.” Her face crumpled. “Now I’m afraid that what they told me back then wasn’t true.” Her voice cracked as she rambled on—verbally flogging herself for the choices she’d made in the past.

“Stop.” He said, looking back at her. “Stop it, Liberty.” He walked over and sat on the bed, pulling her into his arms. “You’ll stop this now. Stop feeling guilty. Stop beating yourself up.” He rocked her softly, all the while saying a silent prayer that those doctors had been good, reputable, and right. That she’d have no complications in being able to bear and carry a child. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart. Either way, we’ve got each other. We’ve got our family. It’s going to be—”

“Mr. Mackenzie?” Dr. Stephens, one of the family practice physicians associated with the Billings hospital, stood inside the door. In his hand was a clipboard with several papers attached to it.

Rein stood. Holding Liberty’s hand in his, he faced the white-haired man. His cell phone jangled in his pocket, but he ignored it. Finally, he apologized and looked at the caller I.D. “It’s Ellie. Should I take it?” It was long past time when the party should have started. He’d gotten a text earlier from Wyatt saying the suit still fit. The ringing stopped, and he tucked the phone in his pocket. “I’m sorry. Please continue.” But he couldn’t shake the weird feeling in his gut.

“Well, after running a number of tests—”

Rein’s phone rang again. Once more, it was Ellie’s number.

At that moment, the doctor’s pager went off and he read the code. “I’m sorry, folks, this will have to wait. It seems we have an emergency situation coming in.”

Rein answered his phone. “Ellie? What’s up?”

“Rein, there’s been a shooting,” she began.

“What? A shooting? Wyatt. Is Wyatt okay?” His heart began to race.

“He managed to get most of the kids into the back room with me and one of the other staff members.”

“Ellie! Is Wyatt okay?” Rein knuckles were turning white.

“I think so. The medics are bringing him to Billings Hospital. They should almost be there.”

Cody. Rein closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “The kids—Cody—is everyone okay?” Rein fought past the lump in his throat. God, please don’t take Cody away from me.

“He’s fine. Frightened, but okay, I think. I’m afraid that it had to do with Rowena. The two came in looking for her. They started shooting.” There was a pause. “They aren’t sure she’ll make it. I’m with Cody. He keeps asking for his daddy.”

Rein’s hand flew to his heart. Never again would he doubt Emilee’s gift.

“The police insist that everyone be checked out. They killed the two men before they could shoot anyone else. Rowena knew them. She tried to stop them.”

“Jesus,” Rein said in way of prayer as he paced the floor, listening. “I’ll see you when you get here.”

“How’s Liberty? Wyatt told me why he was filling in.”

His gaze met Liberty’s. “We’re going to be fine.” It felt more like a decree than a prayer. “See you soon.”

He sat on the edge of the bed. “They’re bringing in Rowena and Wyatt.”

She clutched his hand. “Are they okay? Ellie and Cody, everyone?”

He nodded. “She thinks so. But the police suggested they all come up and be checked.”

“And the people who did this?” she asked.

“Ellie said the police shot two men who’d come in demanding to see Rowena.”

“Payback,” Liberty said. “Trust me, my father was the king of payback.”

“Because of her plea bargaining, giving up those names.” He shook his head. “Baby, I need to go check on Wyatt and Cody, okay?”

“Of course, go. I’m fine. Really.”

“You’re sure?”

“Go,” she said, “and be sure to call Aimee.”

Epilogue

It was a Christmas Eve to remember at the Kinnison ranch this year. Amid the flurry of news of the new twins in town, and the tragedy striking Miss Ellie’s shelter, a surge of community camaraderie spread like wildfire, along with word-of-mouth invitations to the Kinnison holiday gathering. From noon on, a steady stream of friends, family, and townsfolk had been filtering in and out, bringing greetings, food, and non-perishable items to donate to Miss Ellie’s shelter pantry.

Wyatt, his leg in a cast from where a bullet whizzed through his calf, miraculously missing bone, sat in a chair reading and re-reading Jed’s traditional Christmas story to any kid (or adult) who wanted to hear it. Sadie slept on the floor beside him, oblivious to the chaos disrupting her household.

Clay and Sally had decided that this was a not-to-be missed event for their week-old twin daughters—Ava and Aubrey. The family held court in one corner of the massive living room where they received advice and well-wishes—not to mention baby-sitting offers from several folks who’d stopped by.

Liberty sat on the couch watching Rein carry in more wood for the fire. Outside, Michael Greyfeather and Dalton offered short sleigh rides across the snowy back pasture after Emilee decided to come in and play with her cousins.

Her eyes bright with the spirit of Christmas, Emilee plopped down on the couch next to Liberty. “How are you, Aunt Liberty?”

Liberty smiled at the young girl and took her hand to give it a squeeze. “Just fine, Miss Emilee, and ready to open up a can on you in a game of checkers whenever you’re ready.”

Emilee didn’t respond right away, but stared at their entwined hands.

“Em?” Liberty eyed the girl as she nudged her.

She looked up at Liberty, her eyes wide with delight.

“Don’t. Say. A. Word.” Liberty leaned down nose-to-nose with the girl.

Liberty looked up when Ellie came through the front door. Cody stood at her side, his face drawn. Liberty wondered if they were strong enough to help him through the horror of his mother’s death. If love would be enough to instill the sense of security lost to such a tragedy.

Cody’s gaze quickly scanned the roomful of people until he found Rein, who had just risen from tending the fireplace. “Dad,” he yelled and ran across the room, leaping into Rein’s outstretched arms. He buried his face in Rein’s shoulder as he hugged his neck.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Liberty swiped the tears from her cheeks and walked to meet the two. She brushed her hand over Cody’s angel fine hair.

Ellie joined them. “Here’s his backpack,” she told Liberty, then motioned her aside to speak privately. “The judge accepted Mrs. Conner’s recommendation that Cody be placed in temporary custody with the two of you.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful news. Isn’t that the woman from Social Services who stopped by our house that day?”

Ellie smiled. “Yes, and apparently she was quite impressed with you both. She gave the judge her report from that day. It should go a long way in helping the judge to decide on permanent custody.”

“And Rowena? There’s no other family?” Liberty asked.

“None that has shown up thus far.” She shrugged. “The aunt up north she spoke of wasn’t real. It’s very sad. I wish I could have done more to help her.”

Liberty took Ellie’s hand. “You did the best you could, Ellie. You always do. No one could have predicted this would happen.”

“I know, but it doesn’t make it any easier.” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.

Liberty watched Rein speaking quietly to the child. “Cody’s going to need some special help, I think, to get over this. What a horrific thing to experience.”

“For an adult or child.” She glanced at Cody, who had a death grip around Rein’s neck. “We’ve arranged for counselors to come in and speak with everyone at the house. And we’re revisiting our security policies. We just can’t have this happen again.” She looked at Liberty and squeezed her hand. “But today is Christmas Eve, and I think we should enjoy and be thankful for those around us.” She glanced toward Angelique and the baby she held. “If I’m lucky, I’ll get to hold Sawyer a few minutes before his daddy comes back. It’s tough prying that little one away from Dalton.”

“Agreed,” Liberty said, and pulled the woman into a warm hug. “Merry Christmas, Ellie.”

“Merry Christmas, Liberty, and thank you, both, for all you’ve done.”

Liberty’s phone buzzed in her back pocket. She peeked at the number. It was a call she’d been waiting for. Turning to face the cathedral windows, she looked out on the blanket of fresh snow. In the distance, she saw Michael Greyfeather bringing the sleigh across the field. “Hello, Dr. Stephens. Merry Christmas, and thank you for taking such good care of my brother, Wyatt in the ER the other night. We all appreciate what you did.” She paused taking a fortifying breath. “About my tests. Do you have some news for me?”

“I do,” he said. “And provided you abide by a few staunch rules, young lady, I think you’re going to be able to carry this one to term.”

She bit her lip to keep from squealing. “You’re sure?”

“As sure as I can be, Liberty. Things can and do happen. I don’t need to tell you that. But based on the fact that you’re already almost to your second trimester, I’d say things are looking very good.”

“Thank you, Dr. Stephens. This is a wonderful Christmas gift for both Rein and me.”

“Don’t thank me just yet, Liberty. I want to put you on a strict regimen of plenty of water, rest, and getting enough protein in your diet. If you don’t, I’ll have to sic my nurses on you, and trust me, they make a New York fishwife seem docile.”

She smiled. “I understand.”

A movement outside caught her eye, and a snowy owl landed on the corner of the deck railing. Its great yellow eyes blinked at her. She grinned and placed her hand on the cool glass, watching as the great bird flew off into the tall pine forest.

She sniffed and turned to find Rein. Their gazes met across the room. He pointed at Cody and sat him on the ottoman beside Emilee. He tossed her a wink as Emilee looked over her shoulder and placed her arm around Cody, tucking him in as they waited for Wyatt to read the story. Rein skirted around the edge of the room, ducking into the one of the bedrooms down the hall to transform into Santa with the help of Jed’s suit. She swallowed the lump that had formed suddenly in her throat. There was so much to be grateful for.

Though the week had been riddled with sorrow—three lives lost in senseless violence, a young boy orphaned, the lives of others changed forever—somehow, someway, the world righted itself again. Love found a way through the worst of situations. “I’m fine, Dr. Stephens. Truly, I have all I want for Christmas… and so much more.”

“That’s true for all of us. On that note, I will bid you Merry Christmas and see the both of you next Tuesday,” he said.

“We’ll be there.”

Sometime later, after the guests had gone and the remaining family had been bedded down for the night awaiting Christmas morning, Liberty stood with Rein in his old room as he prepared to retire the suit for another year. “Santa, have you got a minute? I didn’t get to tell you what I wanted for Christmas.”

He grinned and pulled her onto his lap as he sat in the overstuffed reading chair he’d made. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Well, now Miss Liberty Belle,” Rein said in his best Santa voice. “Have you been a good little girl this year?”

She leaned down and whispered in his ear. “You know I have, Santa.”

Affirmation flickered in Rein’s blue eyes. He cleared his throat. “And what would you like for Christmas?” he asked, his gaze holding hers.

“All I want for Christmas this year is my husband, and our lovely boy, Cody.” She paused as if in thought. “Oh, and a newly designed nursery where my husband’s office used to be.”

He pulled off the fake beard, wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, and drew her into a soft, thorough kiss. “Already thinking of some ideas.” He grinned, searching her eyes as she backed away.

Liberty eyed him, realizing then that her secret had been revealed. “She told you.”

Rein kissed her again. “About ten seconds after you left the couch to talk with Ellie.” He pulled her into his arms. “Don’t be upset, sweetheart. Everyone already knows. I’m pretty sure Aimee’s already planning a shower.”

“Seriously, can’t there be any surprises in this family?” Liberty stood, planting her hands on her hips.

Rein grinned and held out his hand. “Hey, you want a surprise?”

She eyed him warily. “Should I lock the door?”

He stood. “Probably.”

He pulled out his cell phone and, after a moment, laid it on the nightstand. He guided Liberty to the edge of the bed and stood in front of her. The music began, and Liberty recognized the chords of Mariah Carey’s rendition of one of her favorite songs, “All I Want for Christmas.”

“I don’t need a lot this Christmas,” Rein crooned as he began to remove the Santa suit.

Liberty shook her head and tried not to laugh. So some of the words were questionable. The intent was right. Apparently, surprises were still alive and well in End of the Line. “Is that a candy cane in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?” she asked with a wry grin.

“But there is something I need.” Clearly on a roll, he pulled the Velcro closure open with one yank and tossed the coat aside, revealing suspenders over his sleeveless muscle shirt.

“Are you seriously stripping for me?” she asked, tugging at one of the suspenders.

He offered a wicked grin. “Turnabout is fair play,” he said, referring to a time when he’d asked the same from her during their torrid summer affair. “You wanted a surprise. I aim to give the lady what she wants.” He danced and offered some seriously tantalizing moves through to the next chorus—piece by piece, leaving all notions of Santa on the floor. “All I want for Christmas,” he sang, turning to face her without a stitch, and pointed at her with more than just his fingers.

She raised her brow. “Hell, yeah, you can surprise me anytime, cowboy.”

And he did. More than once.