Love Inspired December 2014 - Box Set 1 of 2: A Rancher for Christmas\Her Montana Christmas\An Amish Christmas Journey\Yuletide Baby (33 page)

“Right, Daisy. I'll pick her up tomorrow.”

“I can pick her up on my way home and bring it to your place,” he offered.

“Okay, thank you, Jake.”

“Mia and Slade are welcome to stay and join us for Christmas.” He made the offer and Marty nodded her approval, then motioned that she was going to the fellowship hall for cookies.

Breezy looked at her sister, hopefulness in her expression. He knew she missed Mia. He knew this had been hard for her, being tossed into the lives of strangers.

“Of course we're staying,” Slade answered, his arm sliding around his wife's waist. Caleb moved to the spot in front of his dad and Slade's hand rested on the boy's shoulder.

Jake gave the other man a cursory nod, then he looked at Breezy. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

Breezy stepped forward. Her sister had taken Rosie and she had Violet in her left arm. With her free right hand she touched his cheek and then she stood on tiptoe and kissed where she'd touched.

“I'm sorry, Jake.”

She really knew how to bring a guy to his knees. He didn't think she realized how she twisted him inside out. He didn't think she had a clue that he was fighting the urge to kiss her in a way that would show her that friendship just wasn't going to work.

He just stood there, watching as she stepped back, a sweet expression on her face.

“I'm sorry, too,” he said. As soon as he could he would offer a real apology for the private investigator, for not trusting her.

As he stood there thinking about how to make amends, she walked away with the twins, a boy named Caleb, her sister and her brother-in-law. They looked like family.

And oddly, he felt like the outsider.

* * *

Breezy and Mia stayed up long after the twins, Caleb and Slade went to bed. They curled up on the couch with herbal tea and talked about home. Mia's home in Dawson, her family the Coopers, the Mad Cow Café where Breezy had worked and all of the other people Breezy had known while living in that small Oklahoma town.

“Are you homesick?” Mia asked.

Breezy had to think about that. She missed Dawson. But it would hurt Mia's feelings to tell her it hadn't been her home. It had been Mia's home, Mia's family and friends. Breezy had felt somewhat settled there.

“I do miss it,” she admitted. “I miss you and your family.”

Again, they were Mia's family.

“But?” Mia set her cup on the table next to the sofa and pulled an afghan up to her waist.

“This really does feel like home. I miss you all, but I'm supposed to be here. I'm supposed to raise Rosie and Violet. I keep thinking about how Lawton came into my life when he did. What if he hadn't found me? What if I'd never known him? I would have missed out on so much.”

She wouldn't have known her brother. She would never have known who her father was. She wouldn't have had the twins. It would have been Jake raising those little girls alone.

And she missed him so much. Even though she'd just seen him, she missed
him.

“So about your parenting partner,” Mia started with a knowing look, her mouth turning slightly and her eyes twinkling. “He's easy on the eyes.”

“Yes, he is.” There was no denying it.

“And the two of you are close?”

“Do we have to go there?” Breezy sipped her tea and dragged part of Mia's afghan to her own feet.

“Yes, we do. I'm worried about you. I'm worried that he is going to break your heart.”

“He won't break my heart. We know what we need to do.”

“And what's that, Breezy?” Mia jerked the blanket back to her side and grinned. They had missed out on so many moments like this because Maria had taken Breezy away. They had just found one another, just started to get reacquainted, and then Lawton had found Breezy.

But their reconnecting didn't have to end. They could visit, talk on the phone and share pictures. Breezy would definitely be with Mia when she had the baby.

Mia nudged Breezy with her foot. “Come back to earth.”

“Jake and I have to be friends for the sake of the twins.”

Mia barked a laugh and then covered her mouth with her hand. “That's hilarious. Friends, for the sake of the twins. There's electricity between the two of you. You look at each other and forests in other states catch fire.”

“That isn't true.”

“Oh, it's true,” Mia said with a grin. “And if you think you can contain that in a mason jar like a lightning bug, you're fooling yourself. There's no lid tight enough to hold in that force. I know because I fought my feelings for Slade for a long, long time.”

“I know.”

Slade's wife, Mia's best friend, had died in a car accident. It had taken Mia a long time to be okay with what she felt for Slade.

“I want you to be happy, Breeze. You deserve to be happy. And to have this awesome home. And stuff to fill it with.” Mia grinned and lifted her cup to her lips.

Breezy looked around the house, at the things she'd bought to make this house her home. She wouldn't leave it. She wouldn't take off in the night and leave behind the things she loved, the things she cared about.

She wouldn't leave Jake behind. Or the twins. Because when she thought of things she couldn't leave behind, it wasn't material things at all. It was the people she loved.

And she loved Jake Martin.

Chapter Eighteen

C
hristmas morning dawned and Jake was awake. He made coffee before Marty came to the kitchen to start cooking. She kissed his cheek and went to work on the meal that would feed their family. She could have gone to visit family in Austin or San Antonio, but she considered the Martin kids her kids. She had told him last night that she really wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

He was glad she felt that way. He knew without a doubt that they wouldn't be nearly as functional without her.

He plugged in the lights on the tree and the lights on the mantel while he waited for everyone else to wake up. And he waited for Breezy, the twins and Breezy's family. They would be there within the hour.

“I'm going to run out to the barn to take care of a few things.” Jake walked through the kitchen on his way to the back door.

“I'll have breakfast ready when you get back. Over easy?”

“Yes, thanks,” he called out as he headed out the door.

When he got to the barn he stopped to check on Breezy's Christmas gift. He was kind of proud of himself. He hoped Breezy would like it as much as he did. He planned on giving the gift to her here, in the barn. He wanted time to talk to her. Alone. He wanted time to explain that he'd been wrong and he wanted to make things right.

Her brother-in-law's truck was in the drive when he got back. He found them all in the kitchen, seated at the bar stools around the counter. Caleb, Slade's son, was wearing a cowboy hat today and what appeared to be new boots.

“Nice boots, Caleb.” Jake leaned down to take a look.

The kid began to tell him all about the boots and how they were the best. Jake tousled his blond hair before stopping to see the twins, who were sitting on Breezy's lap. They were barely awake. Rosie rubbed a hand over her eyes and smiled up at him. And then she raised her arms in a silent request. He picked her up, holding her close.

“Have you been in the living room?” he asked.

Breezy shook her head. “No, we didn't want to give anything away.”

“Good. I want to see their faces when they see...”

Breezy cut him off, a finger to her lips. “Shh, don't tell them.”

“You know, it's all I could do not to come over last night and get them so they could have their gifts,” he admitted.

Slade laughed at that. “Caleb got a new saddle and we gave it to him two days ago. I couldn't wait.”

Mia gave her husband a sweet look. Jake thought that look said it all when it came from a woman like Mia, who appeared able to take down small armies if necessary.

“We could take them now,” Breezy offered.

“No,” Marty said in a loud, firm tone. “Breakfast, then gifts. New parents always get ahead of themselves.”

Jake looked at Breezy and saw it register in her expression. That moment when they realized this was it. They weren't going to wake up tomorrow and have this all be a dream.

She reached for his hand. He'd missed her.

Brody walked into the kitchen a few minutes later, rubbing sleep from his eyes and then smoothing hair down with his hand. He might be an adult but he still looked like a kid who woke up on Christmas morning half-asleep but ready to open gifts.

“Breakfast,” he muttered.

Caleb took a long look at him. “You're a bull rider.”

Brody narrowed his eyes and looked at Caleb. “Did we get another kid?”

Caleb laughed at that. “No, I'm Breezy's nephew. Those are my parents. They kiss a lot. Grown-ups do that when they love each other.”

He said the last part as if repeating what he had been told often.

Jake wished the kid would stay around a little longer.

Brody looked at Caleb, one eye squinting. “So you're the new sister's nephew. I guess you can call me Uncle Brody. And yeah, I used to ride bulls.”

“You don't ride bulls anymore?” Caleb continued to quiz even though Mia had put a hand on his arm.

Jake watched the exchange, interested in things Brody didn't really say to any of them. And yet he'd tell a kid he barely knew.

“No, I don't ride anymore.” Brody grinned. “But I'm finding other things to do.”

Duke showed up next. Caleb eyed him as he walked through the door. The kid's eyes widened. Duke poured a cup of coffee and hugged Marty, who handed him a plate of food. Everyone else was eating.

Everyone but Caleb. He spun in his chair to watch Duke take a seat at the table. “Are you a giant?”

Duke spooned a mouthful of eggs into his mouth. “Yeah.”

“Cool.”

Everyone laughed.

After breakfast they all walked to the living room. The twins held Jake and Breezy's fingers. They had been little last year and Christmas hadn't been like this, filled with awe and wonder.

Christmas music played on the radio and the smell of ham baking filled the air. Rosie and Violet stopped in the living room, their eyes widening at the sight of the tree and all of the gifts.

They had put the rocking horses under the tree with ribbons around their necks. Jake had bought some type of scooter for Caleb. It would work great in the driveway, the salesgirl at the toy store had told him. When Caleb saw the scooter he just looked at it.

Jake grinned at the boy and indicated with a nod that he should head for the tree with the twins. “I think you'll find something with your name on it, Caleb.”

Caleb took the twins by the hand and led them over to the tree. The girls climbed on those rocking horses and Caleb pulled the scooter out to give it a thorough look.

Jake put Brody in charge of handing out the other gifts. As he did, their other guests arrived. Joe, Oregon and Lilly. He watched as Lilly immediately went to Duke, showing him the ring she'd gotten from her mom and telling him how much money she had saved in her piggy bank for a horse.

Joe took a seat next to Marty and asked if she'd like some help in the kitchen. Jake saw Marty's cheeks turn red. Joe had secrets, but it was no secret that he was charming.

As things settled down, Jake walked up to Breezy. She looked up at him with a soft smile playing on her lips. “Merry Christmas, Jake.”

“I have something for you,” he said. “If you could escape for a few minutes.”

She looked at the twins. They had unwrapped gifts and were busy on the floor with their new dolls. Next to her, Mia gave her a little push.

“Go. I'll watch them,” Mia offered.

The day was cool so Jake handed Breezy a jacket from the hook at the back door. They walked outside together. He reached for her hand. As they walked, he wondered if this was the right gift, at the right time.

He'd soon find out.

* * *

Breezy hadn't expected more gifts from Jake. He'd given her a wooden box from Lefty's shop filled with family recipes. He'd also given her a bracelet with pretty charms and jewels. The gifts were sweet gestures of friendship.

Now he said there was more.

“Where are we going?”

He shrugged. He didn't answer.

“Jake?”

“Do you understand what a surprise is?”

She sighed and continued to walk with him, trudging across the crunchy, frosty ground. They reached the barn and she wondered if maybe he had given her boxing gloves. That would be nice. She'd like to hit something.

He led her through the barn, turning on lights as they went. A horse whinnied. Jake didn't say anything. Why didn't he say something?

“Are you going to give me a hint?” she asked.

“No need.” He put his hands over her eyes and turned her. When he removed his hands she faced a stall. And in the stall a pretty golden horse with an almost white mane and tail stood watching them, its golden ears pricked forward.

“What?”

“It's a horse,” he said, close to her ear. She could feel the warmth of his breath. She could almost sense his lips close to her cheek.

“Yes, a horse.” She reached and the animal nuzzled her fingers.

“Merry Christmas, Breezy.”

She turned to look up at him, awed, unsure. “You bought me a horse?”

“I'm hoping you're happy. I was really going for happy.”

“Of course I am, it's just... I didn't expect a horse.” A horse belonged to someone with roots, someone who stayed. She wanted a horse and all it implied.

He pulled her close. “That's the wonderful thing about a surprise. It's unexpected.”

Yes, unexpected. Like Jake. “You didn't trust me.”

He sighed. “I should have told you about that report. I started all of that before I met you. And then I didn't know what to say, how to tell you.”

“You could have asked me to tell you what happened.”

“I know,” he admitted.

“So what do we do now?” She waited, knowing that she loved him more than she'd ever expected to love anyone. How did she keep boundaries when her heart had already made up its mind?

“I think we should agree that Lawton made a good decision and he knew what was best for the twins.”

Her heart quaked a little because she didn't know what that meant. “Okay.”

“Breezy, you're the best friend I've ever had. I don't want to lose you.”

She pushed her hands through his hair and brought his head close to hers. Face-to-face she stood on tiptoe, touching her lips to his. “And yet, you make friendship more...”

He kissed her long and sweet, her arms around his neck.

“I make friendship more...?” he leaned in to her.

“More complicated. More interesting. More difficult. I'm not sure what we're supposed to do now.”

“I think that what we do now,” he said, “is move forward.”

She waited, knowing there had to be more. Her heart needed more.

“I know you've left a lot behind, Breezy. I think you've left more than people and possessions. You've left pieces of yourself.”

“Oh, Jake.” Had anyone ever gotten it the way he did?

“I love you and I want to put all of our pieces back together and make us whole. Together.”

She placed a hand on each of his cheeks and pulled him down, touching her lips to his. “Thank you.”

“I messed up, Breezy. When you first came I was in a panic, trying to protect the girls. Protect my family. And I let you down. I didn't trust Lawton. And I didn't trust you. I should have.”

“I think we couldn't have imagined this happening.” She raised the hand she held and brushed her lips over his knuckles. “I love you, too. I'm not going anywhere. I want to be here. I want to be in your life and in your arms.”

“That's where I plan on keeping you, Breezy.”

“Forever?”

“Yes, forever.”

He kissed her again. It was a slow, lingering kiss, the kind that made them forget the barn, the horse, the people waiting inside. Slowly they returned to themselves, and Jake took her by the hand and led her back to the house for Christmas with the family.

Their
family.