Secret Santa (8 page)

Marcy and Jake took off their coats and hung
them on the hook beside the back door. They had just returned from
the hospital and a special early morning visit with their new
grandbabies. They had delivered presents to the proud new parents
and taken the time to hold their grandson and granddaughter.

Annie and Cade were playing with Sophie when
they had arrived. Sophie enjoyed Cade putting his face near hers so
she could grab his nose. Paige and Cole had been resting, which
left Marcy and Jake with plenty of snuggle time with little
Ryan.

Marcy looked up as feet pounded the hardwood
floor above her. Jake shook his head and grabbed a cup of coffee
before heading into the living room.

Marcy laughed as Pierce and Cy pushed and
shoved their way into the living room to open presents. "Okay boys!
Who wants to play Santa Claus?"

Marcy took a seat on the couch and watched
as her two grown sons transformed into little boys right before her
eyes. No matter how big or how strong they became, they'd always be
her little babies.

Dani opened her eyes and groaned. She was so
tired and her stomach was a nervous mess. She had always loved
Christmas, but not this year. Not with her in-laws harping on her
about not being pregnant. Her parents had arrived from Italy by the
time they had gotten home last night. Her father, Tony De Luca, had
brought plenty of wine from his winery and had already started
supplying the king with it. Thank goodness!

Her mother, Mary, a blonde-haired beauty
from Maine, was just happy to see snow on the ground. Her mother
had wrapped her in an embrace and in one single hug managed to make
her feel calm, loved, and supported all at once. She needed her mom
now because she wasn't feeling well. She leaped out of bed and ran
to the bathroom with one hand covering her mouth.

Mo pushed up onto his elbows as he watched
Dani run for the bathroom. The sheet fell from his bare chest as he
sat up. She had been acting strange lately. He knew his parents
weren't helping. She wasn't eating much at dinner, but then he'd
find her stealing sweets from the kitchen almost every night. Her
body had changed too. Her breasts were larger and she just looked
different to him. His brain began to click the pieces together. And
she had been complaining of an upset stomach a lot. They had
figured it was stress, but…

"Dani!" He yelled as he jumped out of bed
naked. He stepped into black silk pajama bottoms he had nearby and
ran into the bathroom.

"Ugh. I think I ate something that disagreed
with me," she moaned from her place on the floor.

Mo opened one of the large cabinets and
rifled through the items until he found what he was looking for. He
pulled out the package with two pregnancy tests in it. He tore it
open and handed one to her.

"I think you need to take this."

"It's not that. I've been too stressed to
get pregnant recently."

"But, we had that trip last month to the
Bahamas, remember?" Mo reminded her. They had made love every day
in their private villa, the ocean, the hot tub, the pool, on the
private beach, and well, anywhere else the urge hit them.

"Oh." Dani blushed and he knew she
remembered it too. "Give me that!"

They paced as they looked at the clock on
the wall. She had taken the test and then placed it on the counter
and closed the door, so they wouldn’t just sit and stare at the
test, making the three minutes seem like a lifetime.

"It's time, sweetheart." Mo whispered as he
reached for her hand. "How do we do this?"

"Well, two lines, we're pregnant, one line,
we're not. So, we'll just go in together and look."

They walked into the bathroom and looked
down at the test. She felt the tears well up in her eyes. They were
going to have a baby. She couldn't believe it. Her hand went to her
still flat stomach and in that instant everything changed. This was
no longer about her, she had a baby to take care of.

"I can't believe it sweetheart!" Mo's arms
came around her as he lifted her up into a hug.

He brought his lips to hers and kissed her
deeply. She could feel his excitement in the kiss and it just
fueled her own excitement. "We have to tell our parents," she
squealed. Her mom and dad would be so excited!

"Not yet. We have some private celebrating
to do first." Mo picked her up and carried her to the large bed.
"Let me show you how I plan on celebrating."

The black silk pajama bottoms slid to the
ground and she had no doubt about what he had in mind. She scooted
back on the bed and opened her arms wide.

Dani and Mo made their way downstairs and
into the living room. Her mother and father had always waited until
they were together to decorate their tree, so she found them
unloading boxes of ornaments from her childhood while King Emir and
Queen Fatima looked on with a slightly curious expression.

"Why, those are old and dingy. Why wouldn't
you get new ones?" the king asked, pushing aside the long sleeves
of his white silk robe.

"Because these hold sentimental value, Emir.
They are from the places we've visited. Some are ones we bought to
mark special occasions and these are the ones Dani made as a child.
They are better than any ornament money can buy," her father
responded.

"Oh, good morning Dani! We brought the
ornaments so we can decorate the tree before we open the gifts."
Her mother smiled as she opened the final box. "Honey, is
everything okay?"

"Actually, Mo and I have a Christmas gift
for you all." Dani was so nervous to tell them. It made it real. It
would no longer be her and Mo's little secret. She waited until
everyone looked at them.

"Well, first we have to apologize. We think
you'll love the gift, but it's backordered until next August." Mo
smiled and squeezed her hand when he got the expected confused
looks.

"We're going to have a baby!" Dani
squealed.

Her mother rushed from the place she was
sitting to give her a hug. Her father shook Mo's hand and then they
all turned to Emir and Fatima.

"I'll drink to that." The king held up a
glass of eggnog in toast, "To my daughter and son. May she have a
healthy pregnancy and safely deliver to us a baby boy."

"Salute!" her father and mother toasted in
Italian.

Dani leaned over to Mo, "I still can't
believe we're having a baby."

"It's not just a baby, it's a royal
baby."

Happy Holidays!

NEWS ABOUT THE
BLUEGRASS BROTHERS SERIES

Wondering where Miles is during the Christmas
party? Life has taken some incredible turns for Miles recently. The
return of Keeneston's most notorious bad girl has straight-laced
Miles on his toes in more ways then he could imagine. The next book
in the Bluegrass Brothers Series will be Miles’ story and the
anticipated release is mid-January of 2013. So, make a pitcher of
special iced tea, cut a slice of pecan pie, and get ready for some
more Southern charm from your favorite town!

Want to know when each new
book is published? Go sign up on the
contact form
on
http://www.kathleen-brooks.com. I will email you as soon as the
next book is published. I will also update facebook, twitter, and
my blog with information as soon as I have it available.

ABOUT THE
AUTHOR

Kathleen Brooks is the USA Today bestselling
author of the Bluegrass Series. She has garnered attention as a new
voice in romance with a warm Southern feel. Her books feature
quirky small town characters you’ll feel like you’ve known forever,
romance, humor, and mystery all mixed into one perfect glass of
sweet tea.

Kathleen is an animal lover who supports
rescue organizations and other non-profit organizations whose goals
are to protect and save our four-legged family members.

Kathleen lives in Central Kentucky with her
husband, daughter, two dogs, and a cat who thinks he’s a dog. She
loves to hear from readers and can be reached at
[email protected]

Check out the
Website
for updates on the
Bluegrass Series. You can also “Like” Kathleen on
Facebook
and
follow her on Twitter
@BluegrassBrooks
.

Excerpt
from
Bluegrass State of
Mind

A Bluegrass Series Novel

Kathleen Brooks

Prologue

Her bare feet pounded down the concrete
stairs. Her panty hose were ripped from snagging the cold metal
strips on the edge of each stair. Her feet stung with every step
she took. She heard the door above her open. She pushed herself
faster. She couldn’t let him catch her.

She jumped the last stair on the sixth
floor, the impact of the jump reverberating up her body. She felt
as though she had stopped breathing two floors ago. Her lungs
burned as she forced her legs to move faster. Her hand was sliding
along the railing to brace herself as she raced down the stairs at
breakneck speed.

She heard him yell her name. She turned
around to see he was now just one floor away. The look cost her
dearly as she missed a step and had to slow down to steady
herself.

Her heart beat in turn with each slap of her
foot. Faster. Louder. She just had to make it to the garage. He
would kill her if she didn’t. He called her name again as if she
were a disobedient child. He was taunting her, triggering her fear.
Her heart felt as if it would explode as she ran faster and faster
down the stairs.

She didn’t feel the cuts causing her feet to
bleed. She didn’t feel the pain running up her legs. All she knew
was she had a couple more flights to go. She tried to suck in a
breath of air but could only manage a small gasp. He was closer
now. She could feel him right behind her.

The door to the garage was so close. She
could see it now. She had to reach it. He closed in on her. She
could hear him breathing. She willed her legs to move faster. He
reached out his arm to grab her….

Chapter One

McKenna looked around and saw nothing but
black, four-plank fences and green grass for as far as she could
see. Daffodils were playing peek-a-boo with the bright morning sun.
She looked down at the GPS in her cherry red BMW M6. Only five more
miles until her destination. Bringing her eyes back up to the
narrow country road, Kenna gasped and hit her brakes as hard as she
could.

The stabilization in her car kicked in and
kept it from fishtailing off the road. She fought for control of
the car as her brakes locked. A massive horse was standing in the
middle of the road, calmly watching her scrambling for control over
her car. She rested her head against the steering wheel and let out
a shaky breath when she stopped the car in the opposite lane.
Hearing tires squealing, she lifted her head and saw an old pick-up
truck heading straight for her, fishtailing out of control. Kenna
shifted into reverse and floored it. The truck skidded by her,
narrowly missing her car. The truck came to a sudden stop in the
grass ditch off the side of the road.

Kenna watched a jeans-clad woman wearing a
stylish, black, long-sleeve shirt and bright pink scarf belt jump
out of the truck. The woman with beautiful, shiny, shoulder-length
brown hair was the polar opposite of what McKenna expected to see.
Instead of being concerned about her truck, the woman slowly
approached the horse with her hand out. Kenna saw her mouth moving
as she talked to him. Ever so slowly, she placed her hand on his
head and gave him a smile. Sliding her hand down, she grasped the
halter and scratched his nose.

Kenna opened her door and got out on shaky
legs. She could hear the woman talking on the cell phone as she
walked toward the scene. “Yeah, Bets, I'm out here on Route 178,
and it looks like one of your stallions is loose. Another woman and
I almost hit him. Yes, we’re okay. No, I have him now. You better
have one of the boys bring a trailer. Okay. Bye.”

“Hi. Are you okay?” Kenna asked after the
woman put away the cell phone.

“Yes. Thanks. Looks like you made it out
okay. I’m Paige Davies. Do you mind helping me for a sec?”

“McKenna Mason. What do you need?”

“Here, hold this.” Paige walked the massive
stallion over to her and indicated where she was to hold him. “I
need to see if my truck is able to run or if I need to call a tow.
Thanks!”

Kenna took a hold of the halter and stared
at the horse. She hadn’t been around a horse in decades. She held
on for dear life, even though the horse seemed content to just
stand off to the side of the road and watch the world go by.

Paige’s truck roared to life. She drove it
out of the ditch and parked next to Kenna’s M6. What a sight: a
brand new M6 next to a rusted, blue, Chevy pickup that had to be
fifteen years old. Paige gracefully jumped down from the cab and
walked over to her.

“Thanks. Now we have room for the little guy
to be picked up. I wonder how he got out?”

“I'm just glad we didn’t hit him.”

“This is part of the Ashton Farm, and
unfortunately they've been having a lot of problems recently.”

“Ashton, as in Will Ashton?” Kenna couldn’t
believe it. She hadn’t even pulled into town and she had just found
the person she was looking for.

“Yes. The family owns and runs it. You know
Will?”

“I used to. I haven’t seen him in seventeen
years.”

“Are you here to visit them?”

“No, I'm here to interview with Tom Burns
for the assistant district attorney job.”