Texas Christmas Bride: The Gallaghers of Sweetgrass Springs Book 6 (9 page)

He saw her looking and cast her a grin and a wink. His eyebrows rose as if to ask
do you need me in there?

She shook her head, then smiled and blew him a kiss. She hadn’t had a champion all that long, but it was certainly nice, knowing she could have one at any given moment. All she had to do was say the word, and Ian would charge in on his white horse.

That she seldom asked bothered him more than a bit at times, she was almost positive.

The warmth in his beautiful brown eyes melted her defenses. Yes, he was overprotective, but after a lifetime of being nearly alone but for a mother who flitted from man to man to man, experiencing Ian’s fierce guarding felt like luxury of the highest order.

She blew him a second kiss as Jackson entered.

“Did you need something, Scarlett?”

Oh, this was hard. “I do.” She resisted the urge to wring her hands. “I’m not sure how to say this, but…I’m really sorry, Jackson. I don’t think I can do all that I wanted to with your initial visits from your staff. I just—” She swallowed. “I’m not used to saying I can’t do something. I hate this.”

He took her hand. “It’s okay. Really.”

“But you were counting on me, and now I still don’t have the courthouse open and running, and you invested so much—”

He was grinning at her.

“What?”

“You are so much like Aunt Ruby.” A fond smile as he delivered the supreme compliment.

But she couldn’t accept it. “No, I’m not. I’m not accustomed to failing, Jackson. I never make a promise, then not deliver.”

“You’re pregnant.”

“So?” Everything in her took umbrage. “Women accomplish lots of things despite being pregnant. Life doesn’t stop.”

“Best I can tell, you’re still outworking nine-tenths of the population. So you’re not superwoman. Deal with it.”

“But—”

He laughed, but the laughter had a hollow ring to it.

Abruptly she noticed how exhausted he seemed.

And dispirited.

“Are you okay? Something’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong.” The tone was hollow. At last he sighed. “It’s going to work out. I hope.”

“Are you having trouble with your employees over this plan to move to Sweetgrass?”

“What? No—well, yeah, but my business is based on the internet. With the cell tower coming online, proximity isn’t a huge issue. Sure, I’d prefer that my staff would see what I love about Sweetgrass, but most of them are quite young.” He smiled. “Although what the difference in working twenty hours a day in the office in Seattle or here is, I’m not sure.”

“But when they do poke their heads out, the nightlife is about as different as humanly possible. And not a Starbucks in sight.”

“Yeah. That.” Again his gaze went distant. After a moment, he shook himself. Looked at her. “I’m thinking that the community Christmas will work well as a way to introduce a few of them to the essence of Sweetgrass, so don’t worry. Truly.”

“Spritz them with Eau de Sweetgrass Springs.”

His lips curved. “Something like that. I’ll figure this out.” He sobered. “Scarlett, I wanted to invest in the courthouse and Ruby’s Dream because of Aunt Ruby and Ian and you, but not at the expense of your health or your baby’s. I truly have no emotional investment in when it comes to fruition or what form it takes. I trust you. Take that worry off your list, all right?” He cocked his head. “I do want to ask, though, if it’s possible that some catering could be done down the road, if I needed that. For instance, I’m making plans with Bridger to renovate the old hardware store and the dry goods next door. Make the downstairs office space and the upstairs a set of studios. But because my people tend to work odd hours and long ones, I’d like to promise some sort of commissary for the times when the diner isn’t open, and I also wonder if you’d be willing to think about expanding the menu here when you are open.” His eyes twinkled. “I do have more than my share of food issues to deal with. Can you do Asian and vegan, for instance? Gluten free?”

“I can do anything. Tell me what you’re thinking about.”

For a few minutes they discussed options that would allow him to accommodate the more exotic fare his crew was used to consuming.

Scarlett started getting enthused about the possibilities. She could use the kitchen at the courthouse to serve his commissary, and maybe she’d open for dinner at Ruby’s Dream on weekend nights only, when Nana could be closed at the diner….

“I can see that brain clicking. I wasn’t trying to double your workload but to relieve some of it. Anyway, I honestly don’t know how many will choose to relocate. Probably more of them will want to telecommute, but we might stage regular in-person meetings here, sort of retreats. I’m still thinking,” he said. “Mostly I just want not to be traveling so much. I want to stay here with my family.” But his fond look slid to sad.

“I’m a good listener if you wanted to talk over whatever’s bothering you,” she prompted.

“I don’t doubt it for a minute. I just—marrying into an existing family is a little more complicated than I realized.”

“The kids adore you.”

“The girls do. They can’t wait.”

“But not Ben?”

Jackson heaved a sigh. “I don’t want to be angry with Vee for not telling me about him, and I don’t want him to be, either. I know it’s my fault for leaving and never getting in touch, but—” He shook his head. “We’ll figure it out.”

“But meanwhile the clock is ticking on a wedding.”

“Yeah. And that’s on me, too. I pushed Vee into it.”

“She loves you, Jackson. Anyone can see that.”

Those electric blue eyes locked on hers. “She’s the dream I could never forget, however little I believed I’d ever have a chance with her again. We had so many plans when we were young, but then…”

“Life likes to toy with us, doesn’t it? Fate has a nasty sense of humor.”

“Fate or human error. I’ve made more than my share of mistakes.” He shook it off and straightened. “Thank you, Scarlett. I’m really glad Ian found you. He’s the best.”

“He is.” She had to grin. “Even if he’s a wee bit too protective.”

“You’re a treasure. We dragons like to guard ours.” He clasped her shoulder. “Don’t spend one more second worrying about the courthouse or the restaurant, all right?” His glance dropped to her belly, then back up. “Take care of that little one. Nothing matters more. We’re good at what we do, cousin, but we’re not so great at kicking back and going with the flow, are we?”

“Nope.”

“Maybe we should form a support group.” His handsome face smiled.

She rose to her toes and hugged him. “I’m so glad you came home.”

His arms tightened on her. “Me, too. More than I know how to say.”

As he drew away, she spoke once more. “If I can do anything…”

He nodded with a smile and walked back into the dining room, where Melba promptly snagged him.

Poor guy.

Better him than me, though
.

The more boxes she opened, the more Penny found their family’s past springing to life. It hurt and it filled her heart and she couldn’t stand it, but she couldn’t stop—

“It looks like a fabric bomb went off, and you’re the only survivor.” Rissa emerged from the stairs, cookies in her hand.

“You were so cute in this dress, Clary—” She extended a scrap of plaid that she recalled a gap-toothed redheaded moppet wearing for her school picture.

“I hated wearing dresses. You’re the one who loved prissing around.”

“You were the cutest thing in this, your front teeth missing, grinning at the camera. Funny how you don’t look like a pint-sized demon.”

“Surely you’re not saying I was.” Rissa grinned and extended a cookie. “Here.”

Penny took it and bit in. “Oh. Oh, wow—I forgot to eat lunch, I just realized.” She made short work of the snack and reached out. “More. Gimme.”

“What makes you think I brought more than one for you?”

“You did, you know it.” But as she glanced around, the cookie stuck in her throat. “Did you know all this was here?”

“Nope. Didn’t want to. I was too mad—at all of you. Mama most because she left me, but—”

“I left you, too. Jackson and I both did. There’s no way to apologize enough.”

“You got that right.” Rissa blew out a breath. “But we’re moving on now, right? I did promise to forgive you. Even if I still don’t want to,” she grumbled.

Penny bit her lip. “You deserve to hate me, Clary—Rissa. You do. Mama would have wanted me to take better care of you.”

Rissa lifted one shoulder. “I turned out okay.”

“More than okay, little sis. You did an amazing job of raising yourself. I’m known for being a strong woman, but I’m peanuts compared to you.”

A little girl’s eyes peered out of Rissa’s bravado. “Thank you.” She tried to smile, but it wasn’t steady.

“I feel awful,” Penny whispered. “I look around at this, and I think of the tremendous love Mama poured into us. She’d be so upset to know that the family she spent her life building and nurturing fell apart without her. She raised me to be better than that.” It was her deepest shame and sorrow. She rose to her knees and seized her sister in a hug. “If I could do it over, I would.”

Rissa grabbed on and held her tightly. “Just these few months of being someone’s mother…I don’t know how she did it. We were unbelievably lucky to have her. I don’t know anyone who had anything comparable.” She released Penny. “But remember what she also said, over and over? Life takes turns you don’t expect, but if you like where you are, you can’t regret the road that got you there.” She gripped Penny’s hand. “You’re back and Jackson’s back, and we all have love in our lives. Dad and Jackson have reconciled. We’re strong and united now, even if we weren’t always. We are what she raised us to be, at last. Even if she might not like how we got here, I think she’d approve, don’t you?”

Penny nodded. “I miss her so much.”

“This—” Rissa gestured around them “—has to make it worse. What are you doing?”

Penny explained about the quilt. “Will you help me pick some fabrics that represent all of us?”

“Sure. Any more boxes to open?”

“I’ve barely made a dent.”

Rissa glanced around. Saw a trunk. “Oh, Penny. Remember that? It’s Mama’s hope chest.”

Penny gasped. “Oh! I remember her letting us go through it when—” She gasped. “Do you suppose her wedding dress is still in there?”

Rissa’s eyes widened. “Let’s see.” She picked her way over and opened the trunk. Drew out a zippered bag Penny remembered as though it was yesterday.

Hastily she joined her sister. With trembling fingers, they opened the bag and let the dress spill out of its second protective wrapping.

“Oh! Oh, Ris…look. It’s so beautiful.” Lace bodice with camisole beneath, long, flowing chiffon skirt, the dress was fairy princess lovely.

“You should wear it,” Rissa said. “When you and Bridger get married.” Naked longing was on her features. She and Mackey had done a quick justice of the peace wedding to be eligible to adopt Eric.

There was nothing that appealed more, but—“You and I both grew too big. We’re much too tall.”

A thought struck her.

Rissa spoke at the same time. “Veronica.”

They traded smiles. “Mama would love that,” she said.

“Veronica might not want it. And Jackson is eager to spend a fortune on her.”

“I don’t think that’s what she wants, though.” Excitement seized Penny, and she wiped away the tears from her sister’s eyes, then her own. “She should have the opportunity. But no pressure. We’d better catch Jeanette quickly, though, before she does any work on a new one.”

“I’ll call her. Then we should go see Veronica.”

Penny hesitated. “I…I’m not sure it’s a good time.”

“Why do you say that? Is something wrong?” Rissa read her expression. “Penny, I’m not the little girl anymore. If there’s a problem with my family, I deserve to know. I always hated it that you and Jackson shared everything and left me out.”

She was right. They’d been so smug in their twinhood. “We were wrong to do that. It’s more that I’m not sure I’m not imagining things.”

“What things?”

“I really don’t know. It’s just this sense…there was a tension between them at the meeting earlier…or a sadness or…I’m not sure. You didn’t notice anything?”

“Not really.”

“I hope I’m wrong.”

“You used to be infallible when it came to Jackson—and vice versa.”

“We’ll pay closer attention, okay? Meanwhile, why don’t you hang the garment bag over the bannister while we pick out some fabrics and reseal these boxes. We’ll call Jeanette as we head to Veronica’s.”