Western Kisses – Old West Christmas Romances (Boxed Set) (32 page)

She tried to be calm, but her words had far more edge than usual and she said, "Food should be ready soon."

Jonathan slammed his cup down, and said, "We're cold and hungry and you have nothing to offer us?" Elijah reached up to grab Jonathan's arm, but he shook him off. "What have you been doing all day?"

Heloise went ice cold, and glared at him. "Elijah, it should be ready shortly. Help yourself. There is pie as well." She turned on her heel and strode out of the room, faintly hearing Elijah ordering Jonathan to sit down.

She tore through the bedroom, layering herself in warm clothes, thankful that she had managed to knit so many wool leggings. By now, she knew the weather as well as the men, and knew it would be calm for a while. More than enough time for her to get to town.

She paused, long enough for some thought for Elijah to slip in. Heloise pulled out paper and her inkwell, hastily scrawling a note to Elijah as to her intentions, folded it over and wrote his name on the outside. If Elijah saw fit, he could tell Jonathan were she was.

She threw the note on the parlor floor, and then she slipped out the back door, not wanting another confrontation with the angry Jonathan, and went quickly to the barn. She readied her favorite horse, a lovely little sorrel mare named Celie. She quickly saddled the horse, and even in her anger, enjoyed how easy she found it. She led the horse outside and closed up the stable. She was glad there was a mounting block, so it was very easy to mount and head out. They moved as one, quietly past the house, not wanting to rouse the men. She gave the mare her head and raced over the snow, the speed intoxicating and soothing her as they thundered towards town.

~*~

Elijah glared at Jonathan, and said, "You goddamn idiot." Jonathan glared back, but couldn't keep the man's gaze, and dropped his eyes to the table.

Finally, he dropped his head into his hands, and said, "I am an idiot. I just, I'm so tense and worried. Is it always like this, out here? It would be so easy for her to be hurt, by herself."

Elijah leaned back in his chair, sucked at his teeth and said, "Whelp, yes, kind of. Life is dangerous, Jonathan. You can't wrap her up in wool cotton and expect to keep her happy. You've been pretty hard on her lately. What did she do today? She made us pie! And she must have been out and about for a reason."

Jonathan looked up, sighed and said, "Well, what do I do?"

Elijah rolled his eyes and said, "You great fool, you go up to the bedroom and you get down on your knees and you beg her for forgiveness. And then you give her a reason to have a smile on her face, if you get my meaning." He gave Jonathan a long, knowing nod. "And I'll eat the pie."

Jonathan clapped him on the shoulder, laughing and headed back to the bedroom. Elijah, curious, walked to the parlor. He'd seen her in the window, bustling about. He walked in and couldn't help but smile. There were swags of garland, gracing every surface, and she'd clearly sacrificed a great deal of ribbon for all the sweet little bows. A bit of a tear rose in his eye, as he remembered holidays past, with his sweet Clarabelle. He hadn't had the heart to do much for the holidays after she was gone.

He finally looked down, and saw the note, with his name scrawled on it. He picked it up and read it, and sighed as Jonathan came racing into the room, his eyes wild.

"She's gone, Elijah. She's not in the house!"

Elijah grabbed the panicking man's hand, smacked it, hard, and said, "Just found a note. She said she was heading into town, staying at the hotel overnight." Jonathan turned, heading for the door, when his uncle grabbed him back, and said, "Think man. You want her to come home?"

Jonathan got a mulish look on his face and said, "She's my wife, she has to come back."

"Jonathan, you'll never get another good meal again if you just throw her over your shoulder. She's mad at you, and you deserve it. Give her a reason to come back. And...look around you." Jonathan finally looked up and took in her simple decorations. "It's Christmas Eve, tomorrow. She went out because she wanted us, no you, to have a beautiful home for the holidays."

"But Elijah, she could get stuck, I didn't hear the wagon, she could be anywhere."

"She'll have taken Celie. She loves riding and is damn good. She's as likely to run into trouble as you or I. No. I have a plan. First, we'll give her time to get to the hotel, settled in."

~*~

Heloise slipped out of the bath, her temper finally cooled. She knew she was lucky that they had such a nice hotel in town. She toweled off, and slipped into the robe they provided. She'd been in such a state when she left, she hadn't entirely been thinking of what she would wear. Luckily, it was fairly common for people to take advantage of the hotel for a much nicer bathing experience than most people could have on their farms.

She sat at the vanity, untangling her hair with a comb, tears slipping down her face. She'd gotten used to Jonathan brushing her hair every night, and missed the tender intimacy. He'd been so snappish and just plain mean lately, but no matter what, he had always brushed her hair.

She finally just rested her head and gave into another bout of weeping. She couldn't take it anymore, she was starting to hate the farm and the endless toil. For what? For Jonathan to criticize her every move? She'd worked so hard to be an asset to the farm, but lately, her confidence had taken a real blow. She just wanted their first Christmas together to be, well, magical. Or at least happy. Her heart ached when she thought of the rift between them and sat up with a shock.

She loved him. It wouldn't hurt so bad if she didn't love him. It was miles above anything she'd felt about Albert. That was a dull ache that quickly went away, and this was a fierce pain that threatened to consume her. What was she going to do? To crawl back to him, that may hurt her pride, but meant at least her heart might not completely break. To leave would salve her pride, and devastate her heart.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and a soft voice called out, "I've come to set up your dinner, Mrs. Cushings." She quickly dried her face, and made sure her emotions hadn't ravaged her face, and unlocked the door. She stepped behind the dressing screen for a little privacy, and called out for the maid to enter. The woman bustled about and quickly left.

Heloise stepped out, and her stomach rumbled at the delectable scents filling the air. She was past due for a meal, and it would be nice to have someone else responsible for the meal. She frowned when she saw all the dishes, it was far more than she was expecting.

"Don't frown at that feast, it cost me a pretty penny."

Heloise gasped and turned, as Jonathan stepped out from where he'd been hidden. She stiffened and turned a cold face towards him.

He moved towards her, and ran a finger down her face, and said, "Please, don't turn cold."

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because you're my wife." As soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, her spine went rigid, and she snapped away from him. He said, "Wait, because you're my wife, and I'm your husband and I've been a bear. A rotten, mean bear, who should have taken his sour disposition and hibernated."

She relaxed some, he lead her to the meal, and said, "I...it's just. This is my first winter here too. And with the storms and the cold, I worry."

Her eyebrows shot up, and she said, "You...worry?"

"About you." The words jumbled out of him. "I just realized, you could be hurt! While we were out, and you were alone, you could be hurt and I wouldn't know, and getting you to a doctor, I can't be there to protect you and do the work Elijah needs."

Heloise looked into Jonathan's tense eyes. She'd hoped he would spill his heart, but she'd take fear and worry, those she understood. She said, "I worry too. When you have to go tend the animals in a storm. I know there's the line up, but it could break."

He smiled at her. "I have to do it."

"I know, of course you do. We all have work to do, but, so do I. I can't stay in the house all winter. Besides, I just.." She broke off, looked away and picked at her food.

"Today, you just wanted to do something nice for your mean bear of a husband. You had dinner simmering away. Coffee hot and ready. And you'd started decorating for Christmas." She looked down at her hands and nodded. "I can't take it back," he reached over and lifted her chin and gazed into her eyes, "all I can say is I am so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you and I'm so very sorry. I can't even promise I'll never do it again. But what I can promise you is that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and happy. And I hope when I fail, well, I hope you'll let me know and let me make it up to you."

A tear fell down her cheek, she abandoned her meal and flung herself into Jonathan's arms, sobbing. "I just don't want to be a burden. I've never really fit anywhere, and I'd hoped I was at the very least a helpmate for you." He rocked her in his arms and let her talk. "When Albert left me for Lavinia, it hurt, but it was all pride. He wanted me for my land. And when he thought Lavinia would get it for him, he dropped me without looking back. He never needed me for anything but a stupid piece of dirt." She felt Jonathan's arms tighten around her. "Lavinia lorded it over me, that I was going to be a spinster taking up room in her home, that she was going to be kind to me though, I'd never be hungry. I gave up everything for her, to make sure she had everything Momma and Poppa had wanted us to have."

Jonathan gently pulled Heloise's hair back from her face, and said, "What happened then?"

"I'm not especially proud of it, but the land was mine, not hers. I wasn't willing to fight Lavinia for Albert, but I wasn't going to let them steal my land. So, I leased it to a neighbor. Lovely family, and they needed a bigger house, and Albert's family just hates them. I sent her off to be fussed over for her wedding, signed everything over with the Judge and, instead of joining her in the church, I got on a train to come here."

She felt Jonathan shaking, and thought he might be angry at her until he started whooping with laughter, and said, "Heloise, you are a dream. I promise to never, ever make you do something like that to me."

He guided her over to the vanity, sat her down, picked up the brush and said, "Please, may I?" and met her eyes in the mirror. She smiled, blushed and nodded as he slowly stroked the brush through her hair.

Christmas Eve

Heloise stood in shock in front of the stagecoach. Jonathan looked at her, puzzled. A good looking, blond man stepped down and straightened his coat with a flourish. He looked up and saw her, and bowed.

"Why Heloise, I had no idea you would meet me!"

Heloise felt Jonathan stiffen next to her.

"How did you find me?" Heloise was horrified, they had just reconciled, and Albert could ruin everything.

"You told Anna, who is a delight, but not very sneaky. It was fairly easy to acquire your address." Heloise leaned toward Jonathan, gaining strength.

"So, trickery. Why on earth have you come? And where is Lavinia?"

"You must have gotten my telegram, why else would you be here, waiting?"

"Absolutely not. My husband and I were in town, coincidentally."

"Your husband?" Albert's face stiffened and he said, "clearly you did not receive my telegram, which should have beaten you here."

"As I said, I had no idea you were coming. Now, where is Lavinia? Have you abandoned your bride already?"

"Why on earth would I know where she is? Luckily for both of you, the Judge clued me into your little plan. Leasing that property out from under me? If I couldn't have the property, why would I have your sister?"

Heloise gasped and said, "You didn't marry Lavinia?"

"No you silly woman, I didn't." He put his smooth face on, the one he'd used to court her initially. Heloise had never noticed the cruel cast to his features before. "I was sacrificing love for the family, you know how my father is about the land. But if I couldn't have the land, then I had to have you, not that sister of yours."

Heloise sniffed at the ridiculousness of the situation. Apparently her previous passive behavior made him think her daft or perhaps he just thought her stupid. She drew herself up and looked down her nose at him, instead of the passive mask he was expecting, she put as thick a regal air as she dare.

"Albert, I am very happily married. This is my husband, Jonathan Cushings. Jonathan, this is Albert Stampton, who I told you about." The men eyed each other warily, like bantam roosters, when Heloise said, "I'm afraid you have come a very long way for nothing." She nodded to him, and took Jonathan's arm. "Even if I were not married, I would not be available for courting. You should take this coach, there won't be another one for some time." She started walking away, but saw the coldness in Albert's eyes.

"Oh, I think I'll be staying."

~*~

Jonathan helped Heloise up onto the wagon, and they drove away, while Albert watched them, it wasn't until they were out of sight and he let his anger ooze out and said, "Did you get a telegram from him? Is that why you came to town?"

Heloise snapped around to him, grabbed his arm, and said, "Don't be ridiculous. Did you see his smarmy face? I can't believe I ever believed him. Besides, don't you trust me?"

Jonathan hung his head, his heart pounding. "I just got you back, I guess I'm a little jealous." He tucked his unspoken fears down and said, "I just didn't like the way he looked at you."

Heloise gave a very unladylike snort. "He's looking at my land. He doesn't care a toss about anything but himself. Oh my god, he didn't marry Lavinia. And I leased the land and the house, expecting him to take care of her. Why didn't Anna write me!"

Jonathan turned down a different path than usual and said, "I think I'll let the sheriff know he's in town and to keep an eye out." He looked at the sky and sighed. "I'm not sure we're lucky, but the weather is starting to look rather wicked. Maybe you'll get a nice white Christmas."

"Oh, that would be so divine. I haven't had a real holiday celebration in so long."

~*~