A Home for Christmas (21 page)

Blake didn't speak. He just trailed his hands down to her hands and laced his fingers with hers, hoping she'd keep talking.

“After I began my own life, I insulated myself from those hurts. I created a world that I could control, with no one in it who could hurt me.”

Blake brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. His heart broke for her. How incredibly alone she must feel. This strong, wonderful woman deserved so much more than an isolated existence.

“Since I came to Angel Ridge and met my uncle and you and so many of the people here, things have changed. By stepping out of the safety of my life in the city, those old longings I used to get for a home and a family have resurfaced. I hate having those feelings again, because along with those old longings come the reality. I never had those things. I don't trust that I
can
have those things.”

“But you can.” Blake couldn't remain quiet any longer. “You can have all those things. We can have those things together.”

“I know you want to believe that, but I don't know if I can let myself . . . hope.”

He released her hands and pulled her up close to his side. He liked that she came willingly. “Tell me what you feel when we're together.”

“I'm very attracted to you.” She slid her hands across his chest. “I like being in your arms, kissing you, touching you. When you touch me, kiss me, I feel so much, I don't want it to end. But I know that's just attraction.”

He shook his head and settled his arm around her waist. This was way more than attraction. “What do you feel when we're apart?”

“I think about you. Dream about you.” She turned her head, focusing on the Christmas tree again.

“So, you can let yourself give in to the attraction, but when it goes too far, you pull away. Why?”

She abruptly stood and marched over to the tree, her arms crossed in front of her. “You were right. I pull away because I'm afraid I'll develop feelings for you beyond attraction.”

Blake stood as well and followed using slow, measured steps. “And you don't trust that I can care about you. That I won't desert you.”

She nodded.

This wouldn't be easy, but there was a simple answer. “There's only one way to resolve this.”

She looked up at him. “How?”

He stood before her, reached out and touched her face. He loved the way she leaned into his hand. “Time.”

“Time?”

“Spend time with me. Let me prove that I'm not going anywhere.”

She considered that for a moment, but then caution blanketed her eyes. “I can't promise you anything beyond Christmas. I can't give up my life in the city. I can't just tell them I'm not coming back. I have obligations to my partners and my patients.” And she was safe there, she supplied silently.

“Fair enough. Give me till Christmas to prove to you that I won't betray what you're feeling for me. After that, if you still feel you can't relocate here, we'll discuss my moving to the city with you.”

Shock registered on her face at his words.

“I love you, Janice.” It felt so good to finally say it, he could barely restrain himself from shouting it. “If I have to move to the city with you to prove that, I will. I don't want to live a life here that doesn't include you.”

“But your work, the house—”

“As a contractor, I can work from anywhere. I'll have to drive more, but I'm willing to make the sacrifice to be with you. As for the house, it'll still be here. When we're ready for it.”

“How can you make promises to me when you don't even know if there's anything between us beyond attraction?”

Blake smiled. “I know there's more.”

“How? How do you know?”

“What we have goes way beyond attraction. What's happening between us is rare.” When he kissed her this time, she didn't pull away. That encouraged him to continue. Against her lips and interspersed with kisses, he said, “Just open yourself up to these incredible feelings we share. Let me prove to you that what we have is real. Something you can trust.” He kissed her again. Longer. Deeper this time. “I love you, Janice.” He whispered against her neck, “I love you. I'll do whatever it takes to make you believe that.”

He sealed the promise with a hot, hungry kiss that left them both weak and breathless.

A heavy pounding on the door shocked them apart.

“What in the world?” Blake said.

“I don't know, but if you don't open it quick—”

“Blake Ferguson, open this door this instant or as God is my witness, I'll break it down!” Doc Prescott boomed.

“Uncle Charles!” Janice said in a shocked whisper, pulling at the hem of Blake's flannel shirt.

“Aw, hell.”

The pounding started up again. That door was unlocked. He'd only have to try the knob to be inside, but the pounding was certainly more dramatic. Blake had taken one step toward the foyer when the old door banged open. In two angry strides, Doc Prescott was standing in the doorway to the parlor, and Blake found himself staring down the double barrel of a shotgun.

He held up his hands. “Whoa there, Doc. This isn't what you think.”

“Uncle!”

Janice rushed to the older man's side and pulled at his arm. Not exactly what he would have done given the fact that the man was pointing a loaded gun at him.

“Easy there, Janice.”

“What are you doing, Uncle? Put that gun away this instant,” she insisted.

He shrugged her off. “I'll do no such thing.” He swung his angry gaze to Janice. “Where are your clothes, young lady?”

“I delivered a baby today and soiled them. Blake gave me his shirt while he washed and dried them.”

He raked her with an assessing gaze. “Couldn't he have given you some pants as well?” He refocused on Blake, wildly waving the shotgun at him.

Blake frowned, the doc knew better than to handle a gun like that.

“And why did you bring her here instead of to our home?” He took a step forward and continued, “I'll not have you sullying my grandniece's reputation, Ferguson. I demand satisfaction!”

“What?” Had he just been challenged? To a duel? Had the old doc finally lost it?

Like lightning, Janice grasped the barrel of the shotgun, tilted it to the ceiling, and then wrenched it to the side. Blake closed his eyes and prayed. When no shot discharged, he opened one eye a bit to find Janice holding the weapon. She stood there wearing nothing but his flannel shirt, looking regal and damned sexy. And incredibly angry.

“Uncle Charles, what has gotten into you? Coming over here, interfering in my affairs, and threatening Blake with a gun? You could have seriously injured him, yourself, or all three of us.” She expertly opened the shotgun and gasped. “At least you had the good sense not to load it.”

“Well,” he blustered, “I wanted to scare the boy. Not kill him.”

He'd certainly accomplished that.

She handed the weapon back to her uncle. “I am going to find my clothes. We can discuss what just happened here when I return. While I am gone, I expect the two of you to be civil to each other.”

Doc Prescott grumbled something under his breath. Blake tried to refrain from patting himself down to reassure himself he wasn't bleeding from a bullet wound.

She pointed a finger at her uncle. “Promise me.”

“Oh, very well.”

“Blake?”

He held up his hands and took a step back. He wasn't about to further antagonize the man.

Janice turned and walked to the back of the house, toward the kitchen.

Doc Prescott didn't waste any time. He propped the shotgun by the door and marched into the room, pinning him with an angry glare. “How dare you, Blake Ferguson. I turn my back for one second, and you compromise my grandniece. This is not the behavior of a proper gentleman. I expected more of you.”

“There was no compromisin' goin' on here, sir, I swear. My intentions toward Janice are honorable.”

“I find nothing about this situation honorable.
And,
you haven't spoken to me. Not one word about your intentions, honorable or otherwise.”

“I haven't had a chance. Me and Janice have been tryin' to sort it all out.”

“Well?” he demanded.

“I'd like to court your grandniece, sir. I'd like your blessing, but I'll be seein' her with our without it.”

“Insolent, ill-mannered—”

“Uncle!”

Janice hurried into the room and didn't stop until she stood between the two men. “What is the meaning of this? Why are you behaving this way?”

“I'm behaving as any responsible guardian would.”

Janice laughed. “Uncle, I am well beyond the age of needing a guardian.”

“Regardless—”

It was all Blake could do to keep from rolling his eyes. The older man swung his gaze to his as if expecting an explanation. “Janice was exhausted after the day she had, and I wasn't comfortable leaving her alone with you gone to your cabin. That's why I brought her here. Sir,” he added.

Doc Prescott nodded. “
Harrumph!
“ He took Janice's arm. “I'll speak to my grandniece regarding your request. If she is inclined toward you, I'll consider permitting you to see her.”

He folded his hands in front of him. “Thank you, sir.”

“Excuse me?” Janice said.

“Come, dear. Let me take you home. We'll discuss this on the way.”

“Your medical bag and equipment are still in my truck.”

“She won't be needing any of that tonight,” Doc Prescott supplied. “Just bring it by the clinic in the morning, Ferguson. Janice.”

He ushered her out of the room. Janice looked back over her shoulder at him. Blake just smiled and thought,
Welcome to Angel Ridge.

Out on the front porch, Janice wasted no time in questioning her uncle. “What was that about, Uncle?”

“Here now, my dear. Let me get you settled in the car. It's colder than a witch's—well, it's cold out here.”

She hardly knew where to begin. She'd never experienced anything like that in her life. Once he had her settled in the roomy interior of his Cadillac and had gotten behind the wheel, she asked again, “What were you and Blake talking about when I came into the room?”

He put the car in motion. “Let's discuss this when we're safe and warm in front of the fireplace in our parlor, shall we.”

“I'd prefer to discuss it now, if you don't mind. You were saying something about Blake having a request and me being inclined?”

“The Ferguson boy has asked my permission to court you.”

“He did?”

“Albeit under duress, he did indeed. I dare say that had I not forced the issue, he wouldn't have approached me at all.” He shook his head. “Young people these days. There's a proper way to handle these things . . . ”

Janice bit her lip to hold back a laugh. “So, what did you tell him?”

“I told him I would discuss it with you to see if you were inclined toward him.”

“I see.” She stared out the window, a feeling of pleasant warmth spreading through her limbs. Was this how it felt to be cared for? If so, she could get used to the feeling.

“Before tonight, I would have said the Ferguson boy was a proper young gentleman, suitable for you to spend time with. Now, I'm not so sure.”

Janice was glad for the dark interior of the car that hid her blush. “Oh, Uncle. It was nothing, really. We just talked. He made me soup.”

“
Harrumph!
”

“Honestly.”

“I believe you were innocent in the matter, dear. However, I'm not so sure what might have happened had I not come back and, well, interrupted whatever was about the transpire.”

The giggle slipped out before she could stop it.

“Young lady!”

She pressed her lips together. “I'm sorry.”

He pulled into the drive. When he had placed the car in park and killed the ignition, he asked, “Janice, do you have a
tendre
for this young man?”

She pressed her hand to her uncle's cheek and said, “I like him very much.”

His sigh was heavy. “Very well, then.”

“You approve?”

“I admit, I had selfishly hoped to have you to myself for a bit longer, but if this is what you want, I'll not stand in your way.” He held up a warning finger. “But I'll have my eye on that young buck. If he so much as—”

She grasped her uncle's hand and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. “I'm sure he'll be the proper gentleman.”

“See that he is. Now let's get inside. I want to hear about your day.”

Janice walked arm in arm with her uncle up to the house. Against all odds, she'd found an uncle willing to act as a father to her and a wildly sexy man willing to navigate old-fashioned social mores to date her. Could she be any more blessed? Could this be real? Could it last?

She had to admit, all these events combined to fill her heart near to bursting with hope for the future. A future where loneliness would become a distant memory.

Janice and her uncle
spent the next day going through patient charts and just simply getting to know each other better. As the afternoon shadows began to lengthen, he said, “I think I'll head down to the diner for supper. Dixie's fixin' chicken fried steak. Would you like to join me?”

She could feel her arteries hardening just thinking about it. “No thanks, Uncle,” Janice said. “I think I'll just make a salad and curl up with a book by the fire.”

“You're sure?”

“Yes. You go and enjoy yourself.”

“I hate leaving you alone.”

“Don't worry about me. I'm used to being alone.”

“Something that needs remedying.”

Janice smiled, thinking how he hadn't liked her remedy of the night before, but linked arms with her uncle, and ushered him to the front of the house. “I'm in no danger of being lonely while you're at the diner having supper. Are you meeting Miss Estelee?”

“Not tonight.”

At the front door, she asked, “So, tell me. Will we be hearing wedding bells soon?”

Her uncle chuckled. “Only if they're ringing for you.”

Determined to get to the bottom of things, Janice pressed, “You spend so much time with Miss Estelee, I just thought—”

“Oh no, dear.” He held up his hands and shook his head. “It's much too late for an old cuss like me to be contemplating marriage.”

“Were you ever married?”