Whispers of Moonlight (49 page)

The boys' eyes were huge when they gained the living room the next morning. Travis had not planned to wake early, but he was wide awake before the sun rose. With great anticipation for the day, he got up, built a huge fire in the living room fireplace, and loaded the underside of the tree with the gifts he'd purchased. The twins wanted to begin tearing into packages, but Travis stopped them. He directed them to the sofa and then hunkered down in front of them.

"We have some work to do."

They looked crushed.

"This morning?" Wyatt asked.

"Yes. We have some presents to deliver."

The boys looked at each other.

"We
have presents to give?" Garrett clarified.

"That's right. Now we need to go back upstairs and get dressed, but we need to do it quietly so your mother can sleep. Come on." Travis rose and, like a man leading his troops to battle, was followed very seriously to his bedroom. Once there Travis shut the door, and the boys took careful positions alongside the washstand to watch their father shave. They were greatly fascinated, their own chins tilting high when Travis shaved his throat. Travis glanced down often, careful to keep the smile from his face.

"Are you going to shave someday?" he asked them as he wiped the lather from his face.

The
ir heads bobbed in unison. Travis leaned close to their little faces.

"I think maybe you should start now," he said watching their eyes grow round. With a gentle finger, he brushed a bit of soap on each small chin. With his razor kept carefully "blade out," Travis swiped the soap from each face. The boys fingered their chins in wonder.

"Now, I don't want you to try this without me because you might get cut, but I think it's best if we're all clean-shaven for Christmas morning. Don't you agree?"

"Do we need some more?"

Travis bent again, his eyes carefully assessing his work. "I think I got it all."

"Let's show Mama."

"No." Travis' voice was deep and quiet and stopped them in flight. "We're going to let your mother sleep. You can show her later. I'm going to get dressed, and then I'll help you with your clothes."

The boys followed him into the closet, and again he fell under their scrutiny. Wyatt wanted to know if he ever shaved the hair on his legs. Travis could only laugh. He watched Garrett look at his chest and then peek down the front of his own pajama shirt. Wyatt saw his action and did the same thing. Travis decided not to comment on that at all.

"Okay, let's head to your room, but remember to be quiet."

It was a fiasco. They didn't wake Rebecca, but they were so excited about this gift outing that they tore nearly everything from their dresser drawers. Travis didn't know whether to get them out of there as fast as he could or make them clean it up. He opted to leave and hoped that Rebecca didn't find the mess first.

The three Buchanan men went down to the study where Travis retrieved some burlap bags from beside his desk.

"Can you each carry one?"

He tried to give them the lighter loads and then led the way to the kitchen where they could find their coats on the hooks by
the door. They made their way outside and to the bunkhouse. The boys were quiet with their loads as they shuffled through the snow, and Travis held the door open wide to let them go in ahead of him. As he knew they would be, the hands were up and preparing to go to breakfast.

"Merry Christmas," Travis greeted them.

The men answered back, some quiet, some a little more boisterous. It helped that all the men, even those who were more prone to shyness, liked the boys.

"We have gifts," Wyatt told Race.

"Do you now?" The bearded cowboy looked pleased without smiling.

"Here you go." Travis began to open the bags and direct traffic. "Everyone gets a rope." He paused while the boys, their faces serious with concentration, handed each man a new manila rope. "Now the gloves," Travis went on, and the boys took a pair of new leather gloves from Travis for each cowhand. "And this is the last item." Travis placed small pocketknives into their palms, but the boys only stood there looking down at the prizes in their fingers.

They men had gathered around to watch the proceedings and receive their gifts, and smiles lit their faces. It was clear to all that the little Buchanans were utterly torn over parting with the knives.

"I think they're a little uncertain if we're going to like what they picked out, boss," Kyle commented. He was the bunkhouse character and regularly supplied the group with laughter.

"Can you hand them out?" Travis asked, watching them.

"Do we get one?" Garrett was bold enough to ask.

"Not until you're a little older."

This present took a little longer because each boy looked
at the knife he had to give away and then at the man's face who received it. It didn't help their five-year-old hearts that the men were pleased, smiling and thanking them. Giving away those knives was torture. It took some time, but the job got done.

"Merry Christmas," Travis said to the group at large and started away. "Oh!" Travis had passed Colin's bunk. Someone had set his Christmas gifts in a pile.
"Where is Colin today?"

"I think he stayed in town," Chad told him.

"I thought he said on Friday that he would be out here today and the rest of the week." Travis was sure that the older man had said as much.

"I don't think Lavena cooperated." This came from Chad. His voice was low and just a tad amused.

Travis stared at him. Had he really meant that the way it sounded? The ranch owner's eyes traveled to the others. They all had slightly amused looks on their faces.
Lavena and Colin?
Travis was thunderstruck. The men didn't say any more, although they all stood taking in Travis' surprised face. His sons were calling him, asking if they were leaving now, and Travis was forced back to the business at hand. He and the boys left a moment later.

"You'd think he would know what was going on with his own housekeeper," Jud commented unfairly.

"Don't be an idiot," Kyle said good-naturedly. "When a man's married to a woman who looks like Rebecca Buchanan, he doesn't spend much time thinking about his housekeeper's problems."

It wasn't true. Travis cared deeply for Lavena. But no one else commented. Each had his own opinion, however, most being that the boss' affairs were none of their business.

"Is there more?" Wyatt asked for the second time.

"Oh! Yes. I have some things for Woody, and then when we get back, we'll take Lavena's to her."

"Did we get Lavena a rope?"

But Travis' mind was gone again.
Lavena and Colin.
Or was it just Colin? Any way he looked at it, it was still a wonder. Travis was half in a daze as he gave Woody his Christmas gifts, and by then the boys were more than anxious to get back to the house. Realizing that all he'd done was listen to gossip, he forced his mind off idle speculations and told the boys to head inside.

"Is it our turn for presents now?"

"I think it must be getting that time. Or would you rather we ate breakfast first?"

"No," they shouted in unison.

"Come on then. Let's see if your mother is awake."

She was more than awake. She was up and dressed in a lovely rust-colored gown that made her eyes look huge. Her hair was piled on top of her head, and the tendrils of soft curls hanging down the back of her neck were most inviting.

"Merry Christmas," Travis said, bending to kiss her check.

"Merry Christmas," she replied as she turned her back on the warmth of the stove. "You look like you've been busy."

The boys had hugged their mother but now were slipping through the kitchen door toward the living room.

"Leave the gifts alone, please," Travis called after them as they ran.

They didn't answer, so Travis excused himself, followed them, and made certain they understood. He was back in a few minutes, stopping again in front of his wife.

"Do you want to eat first or open gifts?"

The boys' voices, loud and excited, floated to them from the other room.

"I think we had better put them out of their misery," Rebecca told him.

''What about you? Not excited at all?"

Her eyes went down. "I would be if I'd shopped for you."

"Rebecca," Travis started, but she wouldn't look at him. With two long fingers he tipped her jaw until her eyes met his. "It's all right."

"That's easy for you to say—you shopped."

"You're stubborn; do you know that?"

"What's stubborn about wanting to give you something?"

"It's stubborn because I've told you honestly that I won't be upset."

Rebecca looked at him. The fingers that had been holding her jaw were now the back of his whole hand. He stroked down over her downy skin until he had one hand along the side of her neck.

"I knew the skin on your neck was soft."

"I don't remember your being like this, Travis," she said softly.

"We didn't have much time together." His hand still lay alongside her neck. "In fact, it will be years before we can say we've lived together longer than
we did apart."

It did considerable good for Rebecca's heart to hear Travis talk about years, and especially their future. Everything had happened so fast, coming back to Boulder, being so frustrated and angry with Travis, but then realizing how wrong she had been about his motives. The realization that she did want a real marriage was a revelation so staggering that it often gave her a feeling of unreality.

"Why don't you head in and sit with the boys?" Travis now suggested. "I want to check on Lavena."

Travis had no more said the words when Lavena came from her room. She was rather dressed up, and Travis smiled at her.

"You're looking pleased with yourself," she snapped in her usual manner.

"Merry Christmas, Lavena." Travis ignored the mood. "You look nice."

She snorted and Travis, with the men's words riding him hard, needled her.

"Is there some chance that you're in your best dress for a certain cowhand?"

"Now don't you start on me, Travis Buchanan!" she rounded on him. "I've had to listen to Woody for two months."

Travis tried not to smile. "Two months! Where have I been?"

"Where you should be!" She was still outraged. "Fixing your marriage and staying out of my business. Now go with your family, or I'm not going to cook today."

However Travis went toward her. Lavena eyed him bale fully but stood still. Travis put his hands on her shoulders and said, "Don't say anything."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Just keep your mouth shut because I have something to say to you. If Colin wants to take you to dinner, go with him. Close your mouth, Lavena."

She did so with a snap.

"I mean it." His voice was very firm, and the argument went out of her, her shoulders relaxing under his hands. "All you do is work and work some more. Now, go to dinner if you'd like. Colin North is a decent guy." He ended with these words and then leaned down to kiss her cheek.

She was pleased, he knew that, and he also knew that she was going to enjoy the gift he found for her. However, at the moment his family was waiting.