Forever Santa (9 page)

Gracie shook her head. “No dent, and it’s not all that interesting.”

“You’re flying back to New Zealand for Christmas and leaving Trent behind?”

“Nope. Do you want another drink?”

“Can’t change the subject that easily, Gracie.”

“Hi ya, handsome.” Tess stood breathlessly beside Jordan. “Want to show me how to two-step my way into trouble?”

Jordan looked up at Tess and smiled. “Don’t mind if I do, Sugar.”

Emily made a gagging noise in the back of her throat.
“Sugar
?”

Tess grabbed Jordan’s hand and pulled him out of the booth. “Ignore Emily. She doesn’t appreciate you.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Before Tess could yank him onto the dance floor he grinned at Gracie. “I’ll think of more questions on the way home.” He followed Tess, disappearing behind the people in front of them.

Gracie dropped her head into her hands. “I’m doomed. Jordan won’t stop pestering me until I tell him.”

Emily nudged her arm. “You might not have to worry.”

“What do you…” She looked at where Emily was pointing and her heart sank. “I’ve got to warn Jordan.”

“No you don’t. We’ll stay here and wait for him. He’ll come back when he’s ready.”

Gracie didn’t think it would take long for Jordan to see Tracey and her new boyfriend.

And she wasn’t wrong.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Gracie opened the back door of the homestead and slipped her boots off. She could hear the television, felt a wonderful warmth creep along her skin from the heat of the fire.

The ride back to the Triple L had been almost as bad as she’d imagined it would be. Jordan had driven slowly along the highway. Between a slippery road, a broken heart, and a secret she wasn’t ready to share, it had been one of the most stressful journeys of her life.

“Hi, Gracie. I’m in here.”

She smiled at Trent’s voice as she unbuttoned her coat and left it on a hook on the wall. “I’ll be there soon.” She took a small parcel out of her pocket and held it in her hands.

She needed to tell Trent she was pregnant and she needed to do it tonight. Jordan had been upset when he’d seen Tracey. He hadn’t said much on the way home, but he’d been thinking lots. Thankfully none of his thoughts involved Gracie. For now.

She wondered if some of Jordan’s broken heart had more to do with not seeing what was happening. He had a sixth sense that usually kept him out of the worst kind of trouble, but it hadn’t worked this time. The breakup with Tracey had rocked his confidence and his heart.

“Is everything all right?”

Gracie slipped the parcel into her pocket. “I’m fine. Just thinking about tonight.”

“Did you have a good time?” Trent leaned against the door frame, watching her face so closely that she started fidgeting. “What happened, Gracie?”

She took a deep breath and reached for Trent’s hand, taking him with her into the living room. “We had a great time. I think Jordan would sooner forget the last ten minutes. Tracey turned up with her boyfriend. He saw them dancing together.”

Trent turned the television off. “What did he say?”

“Not much,” Gracie sighed. “Even on the way home he wouldn’t talk about it.”

“His heart’s been trampled, Gracie. He’s a guy. We don’t go around telling people how we feel.”

“But it might make it easier to deal with.”

Trent sat on the sofa and pulled Gracie beside him. “Nothing will do that except time. Tracey doesn’t love him anymore. It’s hard for him to accept.”

Gracie leaned her head against Trent’s shoulder. “I suppose you’re right.” She watched the lights in the Christmas tree sparkle against the decorations they’d hung.

She thought about the tree that had stood in the corner of her mom’s home. Each year her mom had wrapped the tree in lights before Gracie arrived home for Christmas. They’d hung the decorations together, laughing as they remembered the story behind most of the baubles.

After her mom died she’d bought a fiber optic tree. She’d hung the decorations on her own, pretending her mom was with her. But it hadn’t helped ease the bone-deep loneliness inside her. Until last Christmas she hadn’t realized how much she’d missed a real tree, the smell and the look, and everything it meant.

She slid her hand into her pocket and put the small parcel on Trent’s leg. “I bought you something.”

“It’s not Christmas day.”

Gracie sat up and brushed her hair off her face. She looked down at the parcel, then pushed it a little further up Trent’s thigh.

He frowned, then picked up the purple box, gently shaking it close to his ear. Gracie’s mouth felt dry. She licked her lips, watched him try to work out what was inside.

“It’s not going to explode is it?”

Gracie shook her head and tried to smile. Except her lips wobbled and she felt dangerously close to crying.

“What’s wrong, Gracie?”

“Nothing. It’s just…” She looked at the parcel in Trent’s hand, then up into his eyes. “I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know how. So I…”

Trent ripped open the box and stared at the bubble wrap. “It’s a decoration for the tree?”

Gracie nodded. She waited while he pulled the Scotch tape off the bubble wrap.

“It’s a cradle. With a baby in it.”

The confusion on his face made Gracie’s pulse beat fast. She started doubting herself. It hadn’t been a good idea. She should have blurted out her news, just told him straight out instead of giving him the decoration. He didn’t get it, didn’t understand what she was trying to tell him.

He read the little plaque attached to the end of the cradle. “Baby’s first Christmas? But it’s got next year’s date on it. I don’t…” He looked down at Gracie and his jaw dropped. “
You’re pregnant? We’re having a baby?”

Gracie nodded and before she could say anything, Trent wrapped her in a tight hug, pulling her onto his lap. “Oh, Gracie. That’s wonderful. I never thought we’d have a baby.” He hugged her again, holding her close. “A baby,” he whispered against her hair. “How long have you known?”

“A few days. Doc Johnson’s booked a scan for next Monday. We’re somewhere between three and four months pregnant.”

“Is that why you’ve been so tired?”

Gracie pulled back. Trent’s eyes were gleaming with happiness. “How did you know?”

Trent ran his fingers along her jaw. “Hard not to when you’re yawning every five minutes. Did you notice there’s no coffeepot in the kitchen?”

Gracie shook her head.

“I’ve put it in the barn while Jordan’s finishing off the conversion. You didn’t seem too happy about the smell.”

“But you like coffee.”

“I like you more.” Trent smiled and for the first time in days Gracie felt herself relax. “Have you told anyone else?” he asked.

“Emily and Doc Johnson know, but that’s it. I wanted to tell you first, but Emily guessed when I nearly vomited in the mall.”

Trent looked worried. “What makes you feel sick?”

“Everything.” Gracie sighed and snuggled closer to her husband. “If I get out of bed too quickly, open my mouth too far when I’m brushing my teeth, or even move too fast. Doc Johnson said it will get better.”

“Did he give you anything to make you feel less sick?”

“It’s hormones. Once I get used to what’s happening inside my body it should settle down.”

Trent rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “We’re going to be parents.” He sounded as surprised as Gracie had been. Surprised and proud.

“Your mom’s going to be a grandma.”

Trent groaned. “You know what this means, don’t you? She’ll get her knitting needles out and fill the house with little outfits. And then she’ll start making a quilt with the other women in her craft group.”

Gracie smiled. “She’s already started the quilt.”

“You’re kidding?”

“She gave up waiting for us. I think she was hedging her bets with Jordan.” Gracie thought about Jordan and how unhappy he was. “Do you think he’s talked to her?”

“Mom?”

“No, Tracey.”

“I don’t know.” He glanced down at Gracie and frowned. “I know what you’re thinking and I’m not doing it. Besides, we’ve got more to do than talk about my brother.”

Gracie smiled. “What would you like to do next?”

“Well,” Trent turned toward her. “I thought we could go to bed.” He leaned forward and kissed her neck. “You’ve had a long day…” He trailed kisses along her jaw and laughed when she squirmed in her seat. “It’s Saturday tomorrow. We could have a sleep-in.”

“Sounds like the perfect way to start the weekend.” Gracie felt Trent’s lips curve into a smile against her skin.

“But we’ve got something else to do first.” He lifted her onto her feet and handed her the Christmas tree decoration. He stood behind her, placing the palms of his hands on her tummy as she hung the cradle on the tree. “Welcome to the world, little one.”

Gracie held Trent’s hands against their baby. She knew, without a doubt, that no matter what happened their baby would be loved.

***

“I need coffee.” Trent stumbled past Jordan, straight to the coffeepot plugged in on the barn’s third floor kitchen counter.

“Don’t let Gracie hear you say that. She thinks she’s saving your body as well as her stomach.” Jordan lifted another drop cloth off the floor. “Have you told her not to come over here for a few days?”

Trent leaned forward and sniffed the coffee as it dribbled through the machine. “She knows. She’s making Christmas cakes with Mrs. Davies this morning and then she’s starting on the curtains. When do the flooring guys arrive?”

“Eleven. They want to get a coat of primer and varnish on each floor today, then they’ll be back on Monday to finish everything off.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“After you’ve had your coffee you can help me get rid of these drop clothes. The flooring guys will do the rest.” Jordan carried a saw horse over to a pile of tools he’d left beside the stairs. “I can’t believe you didn’t guess Gracie was pregnant. You’re supposed to be a hot-shot rancher.”

Trent poured himself a mug of coffee and sighed. “The only pregnant females this hot-shot rancher deals with have four hooves. Do you have anything to eat?”

Jordan pulled a square tin out from the pantry. “Peanut butter cookies.”

Trent looked at the thick, golden, cookies. “Mrs. Davies?”

Jordan grinned. “Yep.” He wiped his hands on his jeans and reached for a folder on the counter. “Take a look at these. I printed them off the computer last night. Thought they might make good images on the website.”

Trent opened the folder and glanced at each photo. Jordan had found pictures of the barn, a few shots of horses, cattle, and the ranch hands working. Then there was a shot of Gracie leaning against a shovel with a grin a mile wide on her face.

Jordan looked over Trent’s shoulder. “That was when Gracie first arrived on the ranch. Mucking out the barn was still a novelty.”

Trent smiled and remembered Gracie sitting in the middle of the hayloft, her red hair spilling all over the place with a tiara perched on the side of her head. It had been the beginning of something neither of them had expected.

“Does the goofy grin mean you like the photos or just one in particular?”

Trent closed the folder and pushed them back to Jordan. “They’re great photos.”

“Good.” He left the folder on the counter and went back to work. “Did Gracie tell you we saw Tracey last night?”

Trent glanced at his brother, then walked across to the sink to wash his mug. “She said something about it.”

“She’s dating some guy from Kansas. He’s working here for a few months.”

“Could be interesting when he heads home.”

“She might go with him.”

Trent’s hand hovered over the dish towel. “You’ve talked to her?”

“Last week. The guy’s name is William.”

“William?”

“The dumb ass she’s dating. He’s a computer engineer. Works for a big company that’s got offices around the world.”

Trent put the mug back in the pantry. “Sounds like an interesting job.”

Jordan grunted, then rolled another drop sheet into a ball. “He’s probably earning shit loads of money.”

“Probably.”

“You’re not helping.” Jordan carried a plank of wood across the room, then disappeared down the stairs.

Trent looked around Jordan’s apartment. With two bedrooms, an impressive bathroom, and an open plan living room and kitchen it was bigger than the bunkhouse Jordan was sharing.

By the time his brother got back, Trent had moved most of the leftover building gear out of one of the bedrooms. “You don’t need my help with Tracey. What you need is another pair of hands to clean up this mess.” He picked up an empty paint bucket and walked across to a pile of trash. “I’ll take all of this downstairs. Where are you putting it?”

“Leave it on the second floor by the landing. It’s quicker moving everything floor by floor, otherwise you spend most of the time going up and down the stairs.”