Special Delivery (Mountain Meadow Homecoming 1) (19 page)

Evan’s gaze slid to Jenny. “Maybe not.”

Tyler bounced around them. “This calls for a celebration. And this time of year that means
Christmas decorations
…which we don’t have. Cut me some slack here. I’m in fifth grade. Andrew Jones’s house has
five
lighted reindeer out front, and one even moves its head. I’m losing face.”

Jake and everyone else stared for a moment, then burst out laughing. Evan hooked an arm around Tyler’s neck. “So you’re saying this is a case of needing to keep up with the Joneses. Would that be correct?”

Jenny snickered and Holly giggled. Tyler glared at them, then replied, his expression serious. “Yes, sir.”

“Well, by all means, then.” Jake grinned. “Let’s go shopping.”

“Never,” Evan drawled, shaking his head as if he were in pain, “did I think I would hear those words come out of your mouth. You are unmanning our entire gender.”

“Stuff it, Ev. You’ll find out soon enough.”

They were still laughing as they piled into Jake’s truck. While Holly and Jenny pushed carts, Holly carried Noelle in the sling Jenny had brought her. Lord, Holly was pretty with excitement putting color in her cheeks.

Jake trolled behind Evan and Tyler, who were like kids in a candy store, until Holly tugged on his sleeve.

“Should we be spending this much money?” she whispered, biting her lip and looking at everything in their cart.

Knowing he could, put a smile on his face mainly because he could do something to make her and Tyler happy. “Don’t worry about it. I have income other than my salary from the town. We can afford it.”

“Besides,” Evan, who had caught up with them, added, “this is for two houses. Jake and I are going halves, and in case you hadn’t already heard, my family’s loaded.”

Holly’s eyes rounded and she just laughed as Evan winked at her. With the decorations stashed in the back of the pickup, Jake drove to the Presbyterian Boy Scout Troop’s tree lot. The minister happened to be volunteering, and half the church was there as well. He smiled as he peeked in at the sleeping Noelle, but his eyes settled on Evan and Jenny who stood next to each other behind Jake and Holly. Jake sucked in a deep breath of satisfaction. So the minister saw what he had.

“The doctor and the lawyer. It’s good to see the two of you. It would be even better to see you in church on Sunday.”

Evan flushed. “Point taken, Reverend.”

They decided Evan would buy his tree there, and then they moved two blocks to the Baptist church’s Mission Outreach lot. Jake helped Holly from the truck, his heart beating just a little faster when her eyes widened at the tree selection. She took such pleasure in everything.

As she cradled Noelle, she tugged Jake’s arm. “Doesn’t this smell fantastic?”

Pastor Joe approached, looking far more angelic than Jake knew him to be. He arched a brow at Jake before smiling at Holly. “Hi. I’m Pastor Joe. You’re Holly, right? And this must be Noelle.”

“You know me?” Her eyes widened even more, making Jake chuckle.

Joe grinned back at her, amusement sparkling in his sky-blue eyes. “Let’s say I’ve already heard of you. Jake and you are the talk of the town.”

“As I’m all too aware,” Jake said with a grimace. He should be used to the gossip by now, but it sure was harder to take when you were the subject of it. “Joe…uh…plays cards with us sometimes. He’s new around Mountain Meadow, too.”

“Yep. My first church, but things are working out pretty well.” He glanced at Tyler. “We’re building our youth ministry. I love working with kids.”

“Reverend Taylor,” a voice Jake couldn’t fail to recognize called from across the lot, “we need your help for just a moment to move a tree.”

Jake spotted the hostile glare of Betty Gatewood. He smiled, eyes narrowing as he stepped closer to Holly and put his arm around her shoulders. She, bless her heart, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and, knowingly or not, showed off the ring Jake had so recently put there. Joe’s eyes followed the glint.

“Is that an engagement ring, Miss Morgan?” he asked with a tilt of his head as his amused gaze slid once more to Jake. No doubt about it. Joe would be telling Sam before even Evan could get to the phone.

Holly blushed. “Yes. Jake asked me to marry him.”

“Well, congratulations. I love weddings, and I love officiating at them even more. Have you set a date? Maybe before the new year?” Joe smirked as he held Jake’s gaze.

“No need to rush things,” Jake mumbled and narrowed his eyes to glare at Joe.

Joe grinned in return. “I’d love to see you Sunday. If you’ll excuse me right now, I better check on my other helpers.”

The church ladies’ eyes followed them as Holly and Tyler inspected several trees before picking one. Jake leveled a look on the knot of them gathered near the wreaths, but all they did was tighten their circle. Evan bought a pair of wreaths for the double front doors on his house, and then they all piled back into the pickup truck.

As Jake pulled out of the parking lot, Evan turned in the seat and asked Holly. “So was our combination holiday-shopping-and-public-relations excursion successful?”

“Oh I think so.” Jake hoped so. And now that he had his ring on Holly’s finger, he’d better hear a whole lot less gossip about her.

“How are we going to do this?” Jenny asked as they pulled into Jake’s driveway. “It’s almost ten now.”

“Let’s do Jake’s house tonight and we can decorate mine tomorrow,” Evan suggested. “We can make a party out of it.”

“All right!” Tyler cheered. “Now you’re getting the idea. It’s Christmastime!”

Jake and Evan set the tree in Jake’s living room, then satisfied it was straight, they trooped outside to fulfill Tyler’s dearest wish by assembling three lighted reindeer for Jake’s yard and three for Evan’s. Tyler looked so excited, Jake wished he’d thought of decorating sooner.

The kid stood out on the sidewalk in between both houses. “Three, two, one,” he called. “Light ’em up!”

Jake and Evan plugged in extension cords and a half dozen glowing reindeer now stood or grazed in the two front yards…and two of them moved. Tyler danced in circles. “Oh! This is so cool, dudes. You got to come see.”

Jake joined Evan and Tyler on the sidewalk, and they all gazed in an ecstasy of male bonding over their electrical and mechanical feat.

“He’s right,” Evan said. “That is cool. My dad never let us put fun stuff like this at Richardson Homestead. Too undignified.”

“Hmm,” Jake agreed. “We never did either. We lived so far off the road, Dad didn’t see the point. Who’d see it? But this is great.”

“Yeah,” they all said at once and stood for a moment staring at the glittering lighted deer and listening to the faint click and whine of the two moving ones.

“Who wants hot chocolate?” Jake asked.

“Me.”

“Me, too.”

“Let’s go.”

* * * *

Holly’s eyes clouded just a bit as Jake boosted Tyler up so he could top the tree with a glittering angel. The clock in the hallway struck midnight as they all sat back to look at the tree’s bright decorations and sparkling lights.

Holly sighed as she snuggled against Jake’s chest. A month ago, she’d known she’d have no gifts for Tyler and feared she wouldn’t have a tree. Now everything was different, largely due to the man who had his arm wrapped securely around her. “This is turning into the best Christmas ever.”

Jake kissed her forehead. Tyler was curled at the other end of the couch, his eyelids drooping. Holly smothered a yawn.

“It’s late,” Jenny said. “I should get going.”

Evan stood. “I’ll walk you out.” Holly shifted to show them out, but he held up his hand. “Stay where you are. We’ll see ourselves out. You’re all invited to my place tomorrow. Two o’clock. We’ll decorate then grill steaks.”

“Grilling in December.” Jenny laughed. “Guys and grills.”

When the door shut behind them, Jake searched Holly’s gaze before he tilted her chin to kiss her. The shyness was all but gone from his hazel eyes, but oh the heat was there.

Tyler woke enough to look at the two of them, say, “Eww,” and dash up the stairs to bed. Holly giggled and Jake chuckled, but his laughter stopped when she wrapped her arm around the back of his neck and pulled him down so she could kiss him again.

“Jenny said since I’m no longer spotting she thought we could be intimate in a couple more weeks.”

“Mmm.” Jake nuzzled her ear and slid his warm palm along her rib cage under her sweater. Holly loved the feel of his hands, slightly rough but amazingly gentle. She also loved the destination she knew he was heading to. “Did she say anything else?”

Holly kissed him, tugging at his bottom lip with her teeth. “Yes,” she whispered against his mouth. “She said to be careful because you were a breast man.”

Jake had just begun to rub the heavy globe of Holly’s left breast and stopped. “I’ll kill her,” he growled.

“No.” Holly smiled. “I like breast men, but only if they’re named Jake.”

“Are we allowed to play…?”

Her hand slipped to his belt. “Yes.”

Jake groaned against her lips, pulling her with him as he lay back on the couch. His erection pressed into her soft belly. For just a moment, she stiffened.

“Hey.” Jake raised her chin. “Everything okay?”

This was Jake, Holly reminded herself. Gentle Jake who would never hurt her. The knowledge gave her confidence. She nodded. As he threaded his fingers into her hair, Holly teased his lips with her tongue. He groaned again and held her still as his tongue plundered her open mouth. She tasted chocolate and inhaled the rich male scent of him, the tang of spice and musk all his own.

Heat pooled between her thighs, setting off a throbbing ache low in her belly, and now she was the one groaning.

Jake tugged at her sweater, pulling it over her head. His hazel eyes burned dark and hot as they raked over her naked breasts. As his gaze touched her, Holly’s breath escaped in short, shaky gasps. He raised his head and captured one of her nipples between his lips. His suckling sent a shaft of desire to her very core and made her cry out.

Jake broke contact. “Am I hurting you?”

“Just the opposite.” She sucked in a shaky breath.

Her breasts had never been sensitive, but now she was afraid if he touched her again she would go right over the edge.

“Holly?” he murmured.

“Do it again.”

He teased her with the tip of his tongue and then took her once more into his mouth. Holly gasped, clutching his dark hair in her fists to hold him against her. Wave after wave of pleasure crested and crashed over her. Holly bit her lip to keep from crying out as she longed to. She sagged against him, burying her face against his neck. Jake stroked her back with his broad palms while her trembling eased and her breathing returned to normal. Only then did she become aware of his erection still pressing against her.

She followed instinct as she slid along the couch, her fingers going to the button on his jeans. She slipped it free and unzipped his fly, gazing at him. “Your turn,” she whispered and wrapped her fingers around him.

“Oh yes.” He sighed. She held his heated gaze as she took him between her lips. With her mouth and her hands, Holly soon had him gasping out his pleasure.

* * * *

Evan and Jenny reached her BMW. As she started to open the passenger door to put her bag back in, Evan stopped her, his arms trapping her against the car. “Would you like a nightcap? You could tell me about your tough day, and why you were so sad when you first got here. I listen pretty well for a cynical prick.”

Jenny met his steady gray gaze. “Evan, I didn’t—”

“You did. It’s a small town, Jenny. Word gets round. Doesn’t matter, though, because it’s true. Or was. Come over. Have a brandy with me.”

She studied his lean face. All she saw was sincerity, and she remembered her vow earlier to let him know everything so there would be no more lies or secrets between them.

“Okay.”

Jenny was leaping off a cliff, but it had to be done. They couldn’t remain where they were. Not if they were both going to live and work in Mountain Meadow.

Evan held the door for Jenny. She hadn’t noticed the other night when she’d been searching for Evan what a beautiful house he owned. The wide front hall was two stories high with a large chandelier, and an L-shaped staircase. To the right was a formal dining room, and to the left a large living room. They didn’t speak. Evan took her coat and bag, then dropped his arm around her shoulders.

“Come on, Doc. I’ll give you a brandy and lend an ear.”

Doc. Said in a purely conversational tone, yet it made her melt. “Do you know that’s the first time you’ve called me Doc without making it sound like ‘bitch’? It’s always been either Dr. Owens, or Jenny.”

He set two glasses next to each other on a silver tray and unstopped the decanter sitting nearby. He paused before pouring the brandy. “My way of keeping you out, I guess. As long as you weren’t Doc Owens, you didn’t have any permanence.”

“Does that mean you’ve changed your mind?”

He handed her the glass. “I have. Have you?”

How should she play this? She had no idea because there was still so much
baggage
. Jenny sipped her drink. “I don’t know.”

He took her fingers and started to lead her toward the couch, but she shook her head. “I need to sit in a chair. There’s a lot I need to say, Evan, and I can’t be near you to say it. I have to be able to think.”

She cringed, realizing just how much she had already admitted to him with that statement.

“Is this about today?” Evan’s voice was gentle.

Jenny sighed. “Not really. But I’ll start there.” She took a sip of her brandy, hoping it might give her courage. While she formulated her thoughts, she stared into the flames from the gas logs he had lit. “I had to tell a woman today her husband of more than fifty years was not going to recover from his stroke. It’s left him in a vegetative state. She’s so lost, Evan. I called her children so they could help her make the decision to take him off life support.”

She glanced at his quiet face, his features outlined by the glow of the fire and continued. “I got into medicine to heal others, because I couldn’t heal me. I wanted to make other people’s lives whole because mine had become empty and unbearable.”