Jane's Gift (8 page)

It was loud. It was chaos. It was nothing like he’d experienced at any family get-together in his life.

He loved every blessed second of it.

“There’s nothing going on,” Chris finally answered. And it was the truth. Yes, his reaction to her, their reaction to each other, confused the hell out of him. She had him tied up in knots. He wanted to make her smile, make her laugh, talk to her, learn her dreams, her hopes, her likes and dislikes.

He wanted to hold her, kiss her, undress her. He wanted to take her to his bed.

He wanted a lot with Jane. Sometimes, he also wanted to run like hell. And apparently, so did she.

Chris blinked, shook his head once. His thoughts…were serious. Like, whoa serious.

“You looked like you were about to kiss her.”

“We went to the movies once, a couple weeks ago. No big deal. We’re just friends.”

Mac stared at him, his gaze unwavering, and Chris gave as good as he got. Finally Mac looked away, watched the scramble of adults and children in the giant backyard.

“If you wanna date my sister, I’m not going to stop you. But it can’t be like it usually is.”

“What do you mean by that?” Chris’s feathers were ruffled. His shoulders tensed, his voice rough with irritation.

“I’ve known you since you moved here and I’ve never seen you get serious about a woman—ever. But hanging out with my sister, or whatever you want to call it? Come on, dude. You told me yourself you don’t do commitment.”

“I don’t.” He didn’t. He never had. His parents’ terrible marriage had cured him of ever wanting that. So why, when he looked at Jane, did she make him think of forever? He barely knew her.

But he wanted to know her better. Of course, he’d been the one to insert his foot in his mouth and remind her of the
just friends
bit. Forget about what had happened between them before and call it good.

Was he some sort of idiot or what?

“And Jane is too fragile to go out with someone like you and then get dumped. She’s suffered enough,” Mac added.

“I told you, there’s nothing going on between Jane and me.” It was a lie, but he had to say it. Had to convince himself it was the truth.

“She’s my sister and she’s had a tough time of it.” Mac sent him a measured look. “You break her heart and I’ll hunt you down, tear you apart.” His friend smiled, but Chris knew he was being serious. The entire family was protective of Jane.

“I won’t break her heart. I promise,” Chris vowed solemnly. But could he back up such a promise?

“You better not. Don’t want to send you to the hospital.” Mac chuckled.

Chris rolled his eyes. “Like you could.”

“Whatever, man. You gonna play some ball or what?”

“Yeah, I’m in. Are the kids playing?”

Mac snorted. “Of course. I’ll have you know if you don’t watch it, one of those punks will take you down. Mindy’s kids are wild, and Jane’s boy is picking up pointers from them.”

“He’s six.” Chris shook his head in disbelief.

“And he’s tough. He’ll take you down at the knees.”

Chris and Mac both laughed.

“I’m serious. Watch your back—or your knees. Those kids might bite.”

Chris figured they probably
did
bite, and he rubbed his hands together, ready to get the game going. His thoughts wandered yet again to Jane, to everything she’d said earlier. The expression on her pretty face when she’d looked up at him, when he’d been so tempted to kiss her.

If Mac hadn’t interrupted when he did, he would have kissed her. Thrown everything he’d just said out the window and kissed her for so long they both would’ve been left dizzy and gasping for more.

Yeah, he did not need to think about this right now. He shouldn’t want her. He didn’t do commitment. She was too vulnerable and she’d want more. They always wanted more.

But maybe, just once, he wanted more, too.

…

“Who’s the guy?” Cameron whispered, close to Jane’s ear, nodding toward Christian.

“Mac’s friend,” she whispered back, smiling at her big brother. They sat beside each other at Mindy’s endless dining room table, the Thanksgiving meal almost wrapped up. Everyone was too full to move, so they sat and chatted. Reaching out, she grabbed his forearm and squeezed. “It’s so good to see you.”

She meant it. She hadn’t seen Cam in a few years, not since before the fire, though she’d learned he’d been there for Stephen’s funeral, had come to the hospital after the fire. But she was also trying to distract him. He was perceptive, quiet, the one who could always figure out who lied, who broke something, who told on someone. The dark and moody one, who left home the minute he graduated high school and very rarely came back.

No way did she want him to figure out that she and Chris had a…thing going on.

“It’s good to see you, too, Janey.” He smiled at her, a rare sight. “But I want to know why Mac’s friend is staring at you.”

She kept her gaze trained on Cam’s face, her voice light. “He’s not staring at me.”

“He so is,” Cam growled. “Do you need me to do anything? Tell him to lay off? Break his jaw with my fist?”

Jane laughed. “Stop it. You’re way too overprotective.”

“Break it up, you two,” Mac said from across the table. Chris sat at his left, directly across from Cameron. Looked a little overwhelmed by the bustling activity and nonstop chatter that came with a McKenzie Thanksgiving dinner. “What are you guys whispering about?”

“How great it was when I kicked your ass at football.” Cam’s smile was smug. “You’ve been trying to beat me for years, little brother, and you still can’t do it.”

“Just wait, old man,” Mac grumbled. “I’ll get you next year.” He jostled Chris in the ribs with his elbow. “I told you to watch out for the biting six-year-old.”

“How was I supposed to know he’d
really
bite me? I thought you were exaggerating.” Chris nodded at Jane. “You’re raising a wild man. That kid is crazy on the football field.”

“Are you talking about Logan?” He’d picked up a few habits from his cousins lately. Sounded like they were bad ones. “He
bit
you?”

“I put him up to it,” Cam muttered, earning a slap on the shoulder from Jane. “Mindy’s boys were trying to get him to do it, but the little weenie refused!” he said with a laugh. “I finally paid him a buck to bite his uncle Mac. Two bucks if he got anyone else. Kid earned five dollars for his efforts.”

“Don’t call my son a little weenie.” Jane slapped her brother again. “Cam, you can’t do that. He could really hurt someone.”

“Through their jeans? I doubt it. Gotta teach that kid to be a fighter. He needs a better male influence than that guy.” Cam jerked his thumb in Mac’s direction.

Her brothers loved to argue and she was always caught in the middle, considering she was literally in between them, birth order–wise. The constant insults and bashing felt familiar, comfortable. She liked it, despite Cameron teaching her son some horrible habits.

But Cam had a point; Logan did need a male role model, and he didn’t see his uncles enough to get the constant attention he needed. Her father worked as well. Logan was constantly surrounded by females.

Mac gave Cameron the finger, which Cam returned with gusto before he flicked his chin in Chris’s direction. “And this joker can’t be much better.”

Jane shook her head, shot a pleading look at Chris. God, her brother could be so rude.

“Stop being such an ass.” Mac nodded toward Cam. “Chris is a good guy. Better than you, that’s for sure.”

“Whatever.” Cam scowled. The air grew thick with tension and she wondered what Cam’s problem was. She knew he was intuitive down to a fault, but he couldn’t have figured out there was anything going on between her and Chris.

Could he?

“Break it up, all of you,” their mother said, her hands on her hips. She stood at the other end of the table, watching them. “Be nice to our guest, Cameron.”

“Yeah, be nice,” Mac mimicked, earning a death stare from his brother.

Jane wanted to die. Could her family be any more embarrassing? And why was Cam so wary of Chris?

After dinner, Chris cornered her in the garage as she was putting away leftovers in the second fridge and was just about to go back inside. “I think your brother hates me.”

Jane leaned against the refrigerator. “Cameron hates everyone when he first meets them. He takes some getting used to.” She waved a hand. “Don’t worry about him.”

“If you say so.” He ran a hand through his hair, blew out a harsh breath before he rested his hands on his hips. “I want to apologize for what happened earlier, when Mac interrupted us. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s fine. Really. No big deal.” She smiled, refusing to feel bad about anything today. “I hope you had fun.”

“I did. Your family is crazy. In a good way.” He smiled.

“Yes, they are.
We
are,” she corrected, though really, she hadn’t been crazy in a long while.

All of a sudden, she felt like she needed to break it up. Get a little crazy for once. Prove to Cam she could take care of herself. What’s the worst that could happen?

And Chris might be the perfect candidate for her to get a little crazy with.

“Mindy’s about to serve the pumpkin pie,” she said. “We should go back inside.”

“I hear her pie is amazing.”

“It is,” Jane agreed as she started for the door. “She’s the baker of the family. Sadly, I lack those skills.”

“I’m sure you have others to make up for it.” He smiled, his tone flirtatious.

“Oh, I do,” she tossed over her shoulder, feeling light. Happy. Grasping hold of the door handle, she paused. “And if you’re lucky enough, maybe you’ll get to know just how skilled I am.”

“In what?” He sounded intrigued.

“You’ll just have to wait and find out.”

Chapter Eight

“Are we going to the tree lighting now?” Lexi asked, hope shining in her eyes.

Jane nodded as she placed the last dirty dish in the dishwasher. “Has everyone cleaned up their rooms?”

“I’ll go check.” Lexi ran off, her booted feet stomp, stomp, stomping on the wooden floors. “Logan! Have you picked up your toys?”

The frustrated yowl from Logan indicated that he hadn’t and Jane shook her head, pushed her hair out of her face. Today had been a trying one. Her kids were still tired from the never-ending Thanksgiving celebration, even though she’d put them to bed early last night. They wanted to be with their cousins. They’d whined about it continuously all day and she’d finally relented, calling Mindy to see what everyone was doing that night.

They were going to the Lone Pine Lake annual Christmas tree lighting, of course. Mindy said it as if Jane had lost all her marbles for forgetting such a beloved Lone Pine event. Now, Patrick and his family were coming to pick them up in less than half an hour.

Despite her wanting to make this holiday season the best ever for her kids, Jane would much rather stay home. She was tired, worn out from a day spent with over-stimulated, crabby children. She’d taken down all of her Thanksgiving decorations that morning, which spurred Lexi to start begging for the Christmas decorations to come out. Three boxes sat on the floor in the garage—their old decorations Patrick had pulled out of storage and brought up with him from San Jose. They hadn’t decorated last year, since they’d spent Christmas at her parents’ house.

She didn’t want to open that box. Didn’t want to revisit all the bittersweet memories that came with it. The box represented her old life, a life she didn’t want to focus on anymore.

The decorations she’d collected over the years were probably too fancy for their current digs, anyway. Her old house had been a showcase, a place to flaunt her decorating skills and their wealth. She would’ve never admitted that last part before, but it was true. Stephen had loved showing off his home, his wife, and his children. He bought only the best of the best. Their home had been gorgeous, especially during the holidays.

After this year, she decided she would get rid of those decorations, give them away to any of her siblings who wanted them and then donate the rest to charity. New decorations were needed, homemade ones by the kids, themed ones from the local shops. Patrick’s house was styled in a sort of rustic mountain-cabin theme, so it made sense to have their future tree decorated in a similar way.

A knock rapped on the door and Jane checked the clock. If it was Patrick, he was early. And he was never early, considering he and his wife had four kids to round up.

“Just a minute,” she called as she folded a dishtowel and hung it on the oven handle before going to the door.

She found Mac standing on her doorstep. “What are you doing here?”

“Nice greeting,” he muttered as he walked past her and into the house, bringing the cold air with him. “Patrick called and asked me to pick you up. His car is too full, since now he’s taking Mindy’s kids.”

“Isn’t Mindy going?” Jane shut the door, worry filling her.

Mac shook his head, his expression grim. “She and Marty are having a big talk. I’m guessing one of them is going to drop the divorce bomb on the other. Mom is gonna freak out, especially if they decide this right before Christmas.”

“I hope everything’s all right.” Sure, she knew her sister and Marty weren’t happy together, but she still felt terrible. And Mac was right. It was their mother’s greatest pride and joy that none of her children were divorced. If Mindy took that plunge, she’d throw the curve.

Jane felt as if she’d already thrown the curve a bit, what with being the official widow of the family and all.

“Mindy always lands on her feet.” Mac glanced around the living room. “Are the munchkins ready to go?”

“They just need their coats on.” She rested her hands on her hips. “And what are you doing, going to the tree lighting ceremony anyway? You’re single, why are you hanging out with all the families on a Friday night?”

He shrugged, looked a little embarrassed. “It’s not only families who go to the tree lighting.”

Jane smiled as she went to the hall closet and grabbed a handful of coats. “Is there someone in particular you want to see?”

“Not at all,” he said too quickly. “Is there anyone in particular
you
want to see?”

“No,” she answered just as swiftly. And damn it, she felt her cheeks warm with embarrassment. Like Chris would be at the tree lighting anyway. He was a young, single man, too, who didn’t have to hang out at an event so geared toward families and children. For all she knew he was out on a hot and heavy date.

Please don’t let him be out on a hot and heavy date.

She really needed to get over herself. But she hoped he’d be there tonight. She wanted to see him. Talk to him. Flirt with him…

“So what’s going on with you and Chris?”

“Kids, let’s go! Uncle Mac is here!” Jane ignored her brother’s question, involved herself with getting the children ready to leave. But she could tell he kept a close eye on her throughout.

“You’re avoiding me,” he said once they’d loaded up in her SUV, Mac behind the wheel.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She glanced out the window, smiling faintly when she saw so many houses already decorated with Christmas lights. Reaching over, she flicked on the radio and searched until she came to a station playing Christmas music.

“You and Chris? When I found you two in the dining room alone yesterday, it looked kind of serious. And he told me you went to the movies together.”

“It was nothing. We’re just friends.” Jane even waved her hand for emphasis.

“That’s exactly what he said.” Mac was quiet for a moment, as were the children.

As if they were absorbing every single word the adults were saying. “Can’t we talk about this later?” She gave a subtle flick of her head toward the back of the car.

“Oh. Yeah. No problem.” Mac looked remorseful, and Jane hoped he suffered just a little bit. Much like she’d suffered when he started drilling her.

“He’ll be there tonight, you know. Santa rides in on the fire engine every single year.”

“Santa’s going to be there?” Logan’s hopeful little voice sounded from the backseat.

“He sure is.” Jane turned sideways to talk to him. Tried to ignore the fact that Chris would be there. A heady mixture of nerves and excitement trembled through her. She was going to see him, but she didn’t want to make a big deal about it, not in front of Mac. “And if you’re a good boy, you’ll get to sit on Santa’s lap and tell him what you want.”

“Yay! I can’t wait to see Santa.” Logan clapped his hands together.

“What about you, Lexi? Are you going to sit on Santa’s lap?”

“No. I just want to see my cousins.”

“They’ve played together for the last two days. She loves the girls,” Jane told Mac, and he nodded.

“Yeah, and Madison told me something but I don’t want to talk about it.” Lexi sounded stressed. Jane turned, peering into the semi-darkness of the backseat, trying to make out her daughter’s face.

“What is it?”

Lexi shrugged. “I told you I don’t want to talk about it.”

“All right. Maybe we can talk about it later.” Worry filled Jane. She didn’t like to see any of her children upset, and from the sound of it, something was bothering Lexi. Could it be all the talk about Chris? Maybe it wasn’t smart, seeing him while she was with her children.

But they were such a part of her life, how could she avoid it?

The drive to the small downtown area of Lone Pine Lake was short, and when they arrived, both the streets and the small parking lots that surrounded the area were packed. Mac finally found a spot, though they’d have to walk a bit.

Making sure everyone was bundled up against the cold, Jane and her family exited the car and headed toward the giant, unlit tree. A large crowd surrounded it, and Jane noticed a makeshift booth set up to the right of the tree selling hot cocoa and snacks. They found Patrick in line, flagging them down and looking desperate for help. Mac stood with him so they could carry all of the drinks, and Jane went to find Lyssa, Patrick’s wife. It was cold, the coldest night yet, and Jane knew just by the scent in the air that snow was on its way. After growing up there, she knew it was a sense a local just didn’t forget.

“Jane, there you are! We’re so glad you came.” Lyssa wrapped Jane in her warm, parka-covered embrace, and Jane returned the hug with equal fervor.

She considered herself lucky that Patrick had married such a nice woman. She’d thought Marty was nice once, too, though lately he’d seemed so distracted. Her heart panged and she hurt for Mindy, wished that she was there with them. She hoped everything would be okay. She knew her sister was strong.

But was she strong enough to make it through a possible divorce?

“Lexi is thrilled to be here. She loves spending time with your girls.” To prove her point, Lexi took off with Madison and Emma, the three of them chattering and giggling as they crowded closer to the tree.

“Ah yes, they get along so well. It’s so nice to see. Too bad we have to leave Sunday.” Lyssa frowned, pulling baby Noah closer to her.

“You’ll be back for Christmas, though, right?”

“Yeah, and this time we’re renting a cabin at the resort. The kids are excited. We went on a tour with them earlier.”

“I’m so sorry to put you out of your house. You could stay with me, of course.” Jane clutched Logan’s and Sophia’s hands when they were jostled by the growing crowd.

“Don’t worry, the children have enjoyed staying with your parents. And trust me, Patrick and I have had fun staying at the hotel all by ourselves.” Lyssa shot Jane a quick wink. “Every couple needs alone time.”

“Noah does all right without you?” The baby was only ten months old and from what Jane could tell, a total mama’s boy.

“He sleeps through the night, thank goodness. He’s my best sleeper out of the bunch. I lay him down in his crib at eight and he wakes up like clockwork at six thirty. And he’s always thrilled to see his grandma in the morning. She indulges his every whim,” Lyssa explained, then kissed Noah on the cheek.

“Sophia is really close to my mother, too. All of that time she spent living with them when she was so young, you know. For a long time she cried whenever she was with me. She always wanted to be with Mom.” It had broken her heart at first.

“I remember. She’s doing okay now though, right?”

Jane nodded, tugged Sophia a little closer to her side. “She’s doing great. They’re all doing great. The adjustment was tough at first, but they love living in the house, playing in the big backyard, and being close to the lake.”

“I’m so glad. Stay as long as you’d like; we love that you’re all healing there. After everything that happened, Patrick and I, we’re willing to do anything to help you.”

Jane smiled, too moved to say anything else. Not that she could, considering the town mayor’s voice boomed from the speakers flanking either side of the giant redwood, silencing nearly the entire crowd. He gave the usual general speech, welcoming everyone to the annual tree lighting, thanking the sponsors of the event, encouraging everyone to go buy a round of hot chocolate. Jane didn’t really listen, too distracted by the idea that she could see Chris at any given moment. Was he here yet?

She tried to push thoughts of him from her mind when Patrick and Mac returned with many cups of hot cocoa to go around. Jane helped pass them out, holding onto one for Sophia and telling her daughter to wait so she wouldn’t burn her lips or tongue on the hot liquid. She blew on Sophia’s cup, took a few sips, and when she scorched her tongue she shook her head. Bad as a kid, even she couldn’t wait.

“…And we want to thank CAL Fire, specifically Captain Christian Nelson for escorting the jolly man in red himself, Santa Claus!” The crowd erupted in cheers, most of the voices young and high-pitched. Jane’s heart turned over in her chest.

“But first, we must light the tree. Is everyone ready to count down with me?”

The mayor started at five and everyone counted along, Jane included, though her heart and head were elsewhere. She kept her eye on the one spot she figured the fire engine would come from, ready to see it appear with the dashing captain behind the wheel.

Okay, now she was being just plain hokey. Was she pinning all of her fantastical and romantic hopes and dreams on this one man because of his good looks? Stephen had been no slouch in the looks department, but he was nothing like the fire captain.

Chris went against her normal type. Besides being a handsome man, he was also the hands-on type. Physical, fit, didn’t mind getting a little dirty. The men she’d been attracted to before had been the type more likely to work behind a desk.

And maybe that was the allure, as well. That he did happen to be so different from her normal type. It didn’t hurt that he was nice to her children. And friends with her brother. He smiled often and with ease, and he seemed so utterly confident in his surroundings…

She envied him that. She didn’t have that sort of confidence. She never really had.

“Look, Mommy, it’s the fire engine! And the captain! Wow, Santa’s riding with him. The captain’s so lucky!” Logan squeezed her hand so tight that she grimaced. He jumped up and down, trying to catch a better glimpse of the fire engine. Mac caught sight of him and swung him up on his shoulders, allowing Logan a bird’s-eye view of all the action.

The crowd quickly turned chaotic, kids clamoring to see Santa and their parents forcing their way to the front of the line for the jolly fat man. A small stage had been set up with a giant, throne-like chair. Santa was already perched atop it, waving and ho-ho-ho’ing to beat all.

“I wanna see him!” Logan shouted down at Jane.

Mac swung in her direction. “I’ll take him if you take the girls.”

“Deal.” Jane nodded. She went in search of Lexi.

“I don’t want to go,” Lexi said when Jane found her, clinging to her older cousin’s side. “I want to stay with Madison.”