Christmas Showdown (12 page)

“And another apology,” Jason said
discouragingly. “Heather, what do you have to say to your
Uncle?”

“Oh goodie, another boy.” She feigned
happiness.

Kelly held back her laughter as Heather’s
parents frowned, looking at each other.

“She’s your daughter,” Paula said.

“I’m so glad to see you so thrilled about TJ,
Heather. I thought maybe you and Janet would watch him for us,”
Trey teased, or at least Kelly hoped he was teasing. The girls were
too young to watch their son.

When the two girls’ mouths dropped, their
mother said, “They’d love to, especially Heather.”

The youngest daughter, whose hair was almost
a sable color and had brown eyes like her mother’s, spoke up.
“Grandma asked us to help set the table.”

“Okay,” Paula gave in easily. “Off with the
both of you.” They ran back to the house after being dismissed.

That’s when a black-and-tan German Shepherd
yelped and came speeding by before darting beneath one of the
trucks. Laughter followed the dog as a boy a head taller than TJ
came darting from behind a vehicle.

“And that would be Samuel or Sam, Jason and
Paula’s youngest,” Trey said, chuckling.

For a moment all Kelly could do was stare. If
it wasn’t for the maturity in the toddler’s face, he could be TJ’s
twin. Except that he didn’t posses the cowlick Trey and TJ did.

Before Samuel could poke the dog with the
stick he carried, his father scooped him up in his arms. “If you
strike Marley again with that rod, I swear I’ll use it on you. Do
you hear me, buster? We do not hurt animals.” The child’s gaze
darted to Jay. “And no. You can’t whop your brother or anyone
else.”

Paula shook her head. “I hope TJ didn’t get
the Burstyns’ need for adventure.”

Trey and Kelly glanced at each other, not
saying a word.

Lance burst into laughter. “Their silence
says a helluva lot. Should I release him and see who gets Marley
first, Samuel or TJ?”

“No!” both Trey and Kelly said at once.

That’s when she saw the older couple standing
in front of the truck Samuel had come around. The woman had her
palm over her mouth, her startled stare pinned on TJ as if he were
a ghost. The man beside her looked just as stunned.

Kelly couldn’t help herself. It was like her
child was a bug under a microscope. She stepped up to Lance and
stretched her arms out. TJ crawled into her embrace, hugging her
close.

As the couple approached, the woman’s eyes
grew misty. Like most of the people in this family, her hair was
black. “This is my grandson?” While the woman kept her attention
peeled on TJ, the man beside her took the moment to scrutinize
Kelly. Now she was beneath the scope.

“Mom. Dad. This is Kelly McMaster and our
son, TJ. Barbara and John Burstyn.”

Barbara stood eye to eye with Kelly, but her
gaze never strayed from TJ. “May I?” She held her arms out to the
child.

TJ buried his face into Kelly’s shoulders.
“It might take him a bit to warm up. He’s not usually around so
many people.” And neither was Kelly. Not only was she forgetting
everyone’s names, she knew there were two more sisters to meet.

“Trey tells us you’re from Denver.” John’s
cool eyes burned into her as if he might be attempting to see past
her veneer and into her soul.

The fluttery feeling in her stomach returned
with a vengeance. But Kelly wouldn’t let this man get to her. “Yes.
Born and raised.”

“What brought you to Arizona?” There was a
hint of steel in his voice.

“Dad?” Trey groaned.

It might be her imagination but was everyone
holding his or her collective breaths?

Kelly squared her shoulders. She didn’t enjoy
confrontations, but she’d never run from one before either. “Not
the reason you’re thinking.” Her response was delivered
nonchalantly, but there was nothing calm inside her. She had been
prepared to defend herself, but she didn’t think she’d have to
right out of the chute.

His eyebrows jumped so high she thought they
might get lost in all his dark hair peppered lightly with gray.

Lance exploded in gales of laughter. “She’s a
redhead, Dad. You should know better than to try to get her
goat.”

“Hell. I was just asking a question.”

“Sure you were, Dad. It wasn’t what you said,
but how you said it.” A striking, ebony-haired young woman in her
early twenties sauntered up beside her father. “I’m Suz.” She
jutted her hand out and Kelly adjusted TJ to shake her hand. “His
bark is worse than his bite,” she whispered.

John frowned at his daughter.

“C’mon, Kelly, why don’t you join us in the
kitchen.” Before she received an answer, Suz spun on a booted heel.
“Oh and Dad,” she threw over a shoulder as her narrow hips swayed,
“I’ll let you know later what I pry out of her.”

Kelly slid her questioning glance to
Trey.

“That’s Suz.” Trey shook his head. “She walks
to her own beat. I’ll take TJ.” He reached for their son and Kelly
held tight. “Darlin’, he’ll be fine. I won’t let him out of my
sight and I won’t give him a stick to hit the dog with.”

The dog stuck its head out from beneath the
truck. When TJ saw the animal, he cried, “Down, Momma.”

“If he gets one scratch on him, Trey, your
ass is mine,” she growled for his ears only as she set the boy on
his feet.

“Baby, my ass is yours either way.”

When Lance coughed and gave her a wink, heat
flared across her face.

As Paula and Barbara joined her, they walked
side by side toward the house.

“Kelly, does TJ have any dietary constraints
I should know about?” Barbara asked.

“No. He’ll usually eat anything.”

“What about you?”

“No. I’m good too.” Kelly glanced over her
shoulder to see TJ and Samuel running in the same direction, which
happened to be after Marley, with Trey and Jason close on their
heels.

“You’ll have to forgive my husband.” Barbara
slid her an apologetic expression. “He’s protective of our family.
He didn’t mean any disrespect.”

Uh huh. Yeah, right
.

“He doesn’t need to worry about me. I don’t
want anything from your family or Trey.”

“Sure you don’t, honey. I just didn’t want
you to take offense.”

“No offense taken,” Kelly lied easily, eager
for this day to be over.

This wasn’t good. Not good at all.

Trey glanced down at his muddy son and knew
his momma would be angry, but the boy was quick. He hit the puddle
and fell before Trey could get to him. Now the bloodcurdling scream
TJ let out could have woken the dead; it sure seemed to carry far
enough to reach the house. The screen door of the kitchen burst
wide and Kelly appeared. Her head jerked left and then right until
she saw them. As if her feet had wings, she raced across the
ground, stopping before them wide-eyed with her lips drawn in a
straight line.

“What’s wrong?” she demanded.

TJ held out his arms to her, but Trey pulled
him back. “He’ll get you dirty.”

“So what. Give him to me.”

TJ crawled into her embrace, locking his
muddy arms around her neck. “Wet,” he whimpered.

“I can see that. What happened?” she asked
Trey.

“Running toward his pony, he didn’t see the
mud puddle.”

“Running toward his what?” Her voice pitched
and her eyes grew even rounder.

“Mom and Dad got him a Welsh pony.” His
vision strayed to the palomino with four white socks his father
held the reins to. It was a damn fine-looking horse. “Jason and
Paula sprung for the saddle and blanket. Lance gave him the bridle
and spurs.”

“Spurs? Good Lord. Is there anything else I
should know about?” When TJ cried louder, she jostled him on her
hip. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Momma brought you a change of
clothes.”

“You did?” Trey didn’t contain his
surprise.

“Yes. They’re in his diaper bag. Shhh, baby.
I think it’s still in the truck.”

“Everything okay?” Barbara asked, wiping her
hands on a towel, stopping in her tracks when she saw TJ’s
condition. “Oh goodness. Take him into the house, Kelly. We’ll wash
him up in the kitchen sink.”

“Trey, will you grab the bag?” Kelly asked
before she turned for the house.

Lance strolled up alongside Trey. “So what
does
your ass is mine
entail? Because, little brother, this
incident definitely qualifies, judging by the fire in your little
redhead’s eyes.”

“I’m not sure, but it doesn’t look good for
me.” Trey climbed into the truck. “Here, make yourself useful.” He
pushed several gifts into Lance’s arms. “Will you take those in the
living room and place them beneath the tree?”

“Sure thing, but I still want to know what
that woman of yours means.” He chuckled.

Strapping the diaper bag over a shoulder,
Trey filled his own arms with presents, and then headed for the
kitchen. He was almost to the back door when he heard a squeal and
then a scream. Rushing into the house, he pulled to an abrupt halt
and burst into laughter.

Suz stood paralyzed, dripping wet, her
shocked expression priceless.

That’s when he saw the next stream of water
gush out of the faucet’s pullout sprayer in TJ’s hands. Standing
naked in the sink, he giggled each time one of the women would
approach and he’d let them have it with the water, chasing them
off.

Trey couldn’t help it, he guffawed louder,
gaining him several disgruntled looks from his female side of the
family, and that included Kelly. When Jason and his father skidded
through the back door they almost slipped in the pooling water.

Jason joined Trey in his amusement while
their father shook his head, a gleam sparkling in his eyes. “That
boy is
definitely
a Burstyn.” He slapped Trey on the back,
nearly making him drop the presents he held.

Kelly’s heated glare snapped toward his
father, who continued to snicker with pride. Her brows were tugged
together and she didn’t look happy.

“Hey, buckaroo.” Trey made a funny face,
catching TJ’s attention while Kelly snuck up on the child from the
other side. Closing in on the boy, she grabbed the sprayer out of
his hand. TJ fussed, his little fingers flexing as he reached for
his newly found play toy. When the sprayer rested in its cradle,
Trey swore the women in the room breathed a sigh of relief.

Melissa ran toward him. “TJ’s absolutely
adorable. I can’t believe how much he looks like Sammie and
you.”

“Adorable?” Suz harrumphed, brushing at the
water spots that stained her silk shirt. At times his sister forgot
herself, like now. “This blouse is dry clean only.”

“I’m so sorry.” Crestfallen, Kelly apologized
as she wrapped TJ in a towel. “I’ll pay for it. Just let me know
how much or where I can replace it.”

“I’m just kidding.” Suz’s tone immediately
changed when she saw the distress in Kelly’s weary gaze. “I’ve had
this shirt since Christ was born. In fact, after today I was
thinking of throwing it away.”

Trey mouthed
thank you
to his
sister.

“Trey, take that boy of yours. Kelly and I
are going upstairs to get changed. I should have a couple of things
that will fit her. You might even be thanking me later.” Suz winked
at him.

Trey gave the presents he held to Melissa,
hating the downtrodden look on Kelly’s face as she handed him TJ.
“You’ll find everything you need inside the diaper bag.” She
sounded so deflated.

He knew how much this day had meant to her.
“It’s okay, darlin’, just a little water. Right, Mom?”

“Oh my goodness, yes,” she tittered. “I think
that’s the most fun I’ve had in ages.” But her words didn’t change
the expression of dread on Kelly’s face as she left the room with
Suz.

“So what happened here?” his dad asked,
looking around at the mess.

A huge grin curved Melissa’s mouth. “Kelly
was holding TJ up while Suz sprayed him off. Suz laid the faucet
down for only a second and TJ snatched it up. The rest is history.”
She laughed.

“That boy of yours is a quick learner,” his
mother said as she began to soak up the water from the counters
with a towel. “He knew immediately how to work the button.”
Dropping the rag, she closed the distance between them and pinched
TJ’s chin between her thumb and forefinger, beaming with pride that
tightened Trey’s chest. “Didn’t you, TJ? He’s a beautiful boy,
Trey. Definitely a handful like his father.” Then she hugged Trey.
“So how are things going with your arrangement at the house?”

Paula stopped mopping the floor and Jason
paused to look at Trey.

“Good. We’re good.” Really good, he could
honestly say. Kelly’s sweater wet and plastered to her body had
definitely caught his eye. He couldn’t wait to get her home and
strip her out of those clothes and show her how much she had come
to mean to him.

“Down,” TJ cried.

“Not yet, buckaroo. Let’s see what Momma has
in this bag.” Trey dug through it to find a long-sleeve shirt,
jeans, socks and an extra pair of shoes. Taking a diaper out, he
started to dress his son.

“I guess it will take some time for her to
feel comfortable around us.” His mother sent a scornful glance to
her husband. “It didn’t help that your dad started to interrogate
her right off the bat.”

“Me?” His father’s innocent act fell short as
he stared back at his wife.

“What did Dad do now?” Melissa asked,
stepping into the kitchen.

“I didn’t do anything. I just asked a couple
of questions to see if they jived with what the attorney discovered
yesterday. I had George draw up papers for a paternity test and
custody.”

“Dad, I told you not to concern yourself with
this matter.” Trey slid a discouraging look toward Jason, who stood
quietly by the table.

“Son, you know how it went with Kristen and
Lance. He hardly gets to see Chastity.”