A Tale of Two Christmas Letters

by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  Jack nodded at the nearly finished Christmas letter. “I hope you told everyone that our two golden retrievers were the stars of their obedience class.”

  “I might have mentioned that, too,” she teased. “Along with the fact that Chloe, Nicole and Lindsay remain convinced that it was really Santa who engineered the advent of their new mommy, two puppies and two baby brothers.” She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him sweetly.

  His heart filling, he gathered her closer and kissed her back, just as tenderly. “If you think about it, given where we both were a little over two years ago, it kind of does all sound magical...”

  She splayed her hands across his chest. “It feels that way, too,” she murmured contentedly.

  They ruminated about their good fortune, all the love they had ever wanted flowing between them. Knowing all their dreams had definitely come true, he kissed her again, then said, “So, Mrs. McCabe, was it a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty kind of year?”

  Bess’s eyes glittered with happiness. “With you, Dr. McCabe? And our very merry crew? It will always and forever be a glass overflowing kind of life.” She kissed him ardently this time. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”

  Jack returned the sweet caress with all the love and passion he had to give. “Merry Christmas to you, too.”

  * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from The Soldier’s Secret Son by Helen Lacey.

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  The Soldier’s Secret Son

  by Helen Lacey

  Chapter One

  Jake Culhane reined in the tall paint gelding he’d been riding for the past two hours and headed for the corral. It had been years since he’d spent so long in the saddle, and his muscles, he was sure, would pay the price later.

  It was a chilly afternoon, typical of Cedar River in winter. After living in Sacramento for the last few years, he’d forgotten how cold a South Dakota winter could be. He dismounted by the stables and hitched the horse to the rail, signaling for one of the young ranch hands to take the gelding in the stall.

  A few minutes later, Jake headed for the house.

  It still felt strange being back. The house, the ranch—all of it held few good memories for him. It was why he’d left at eighteen and joined the army. The truth was, he’d never been much of a cowboy, and the Triple C, one of the largest ranches in the county, needed someone at the helm who had a way with horses and loved the earth and the ranching life. Which wasn’t him. The ranch was usually in the safe hands of his elder brother, Mitch. But since Mitch had been seriously injured in an accident several weeks earlier, Jake had stepped up and taken over some of the work around the ranch while his brother recuperated.

  Jake circled the house and strode through the back door, wiping his boots on the mat in the mudroom before he made his way into the kitchen. Mrs. Bailey, the housekeeper who’d been on the ranch for close to fifteen years, was working behind the countertop and smiled when he entered the room.

  He was just about to snatch a muffin from the plate on the counter when his sister-in-law, Tess, walked into the kitchen from the other door. Despite some initial misgivings about Tess being back at the ranch and his instinctive need to protect his brother, Jake liked her, and was happy that she and Mitch had worked through their relationship troubles and were now back together. Particularly since they had a baby on the way, due to arrive in a couple of months’ time.

  “Where’s the patient?” he asked and half grinned.

  Tess smiled. “Living room. And he’s grumpy.”

  “Situation normal then,” Jake replied and grabbed the plate Mrs. Bailey held out toward him, piled with a few muffins. “I’ll see if this will help.”

  Jake left the room and walked down the hall, taking a left turn into the front living room.

  He spotted his brother by the window, settled in a wheelchair, his broken leg in plaster.

  Mitch was two years older, but they had always been good friends as well as brothers. Jake knew the whole family felt grateful Mitch was now recovering from his injuries. It had been a fraught week right after the accident. His younger brother Hank, who was the chief of police in Cedar River, had called him and told him to come home, clearly concerned that Mitch might not make it. Thankfully, his brother had pulled through and was going to make a complete recovery. But it would take some time for him to get back onto his feet. A broken leg, two cracked ribs, countless abrasions and a concussion had almost ended his brother’s life. But things were better now. Mitch was back home. He and Tess had reconciled. They were having a baby together. It was a nice happily-ever-after that Jake knew his older brother deserved.

  Their own mother had died years ago and their father, Billie-Jack, had bailed. At just eighteen, Mitch had taken custody of sixteen-year-old Jake and the younger kids—fourteen-year-old twins Joss and Hank, twelve-year-old Grant and eight-year-old Ellie. He’d kept them all together and out of family services, something Jake was eternally grateful for. He also knew the sacrifices Mitch had made to keep them together as a family.

  “Hey,” he said, and placed the plate on the coffee table. “I hear you’re in a bad mood.”

  Mitch turned his head and scowled. “My wife has been telling tales, I see.”

  Although Tess wasn’t technically Mitch’s wife yet, their wedding was set to take place in the next couple of weeks, and he figured that since his brother and sister-in-law had played loop-de-loop to get their relationship back on track, they could call each other whatever they wanted.

  Jake grinned. “Anything I can do?”

  Mitch harrumphed. “Get me out of this damned chair and fix my leg so I can get back to work.”

  “I would if I could,” Jake replied and sat down opposite his brother. “But doctor’s orders and all that. You need to rest up and heal...no quick fix for that, I’m afraid.”

  Mitch grumbled under his breath, “Doctors don’t know everything.”

  “Sure they do,” Jake said and grabbed a muffin. “You nearly died, remember?”

  “I don’t need reminding.”

  “I think you do,” Jake said easily. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be such a lousy patient.”

  His brother grumbled some more, then turned his attention to business. “How’s the ranch?”

  “Running like clockwork. You’ve got good people here looking after things. Wes knows what he’s doing.” Wes Collins had been the foreman at the Triple C for a few years and ran a hardworking crew of ranch hands. “And Tess and Ellie are keeping on top of things. All you need to do is rest and recover.”

  Mitch sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. “I know...but it’s not easy. And thanks, you know, for staying on and watching over things.”

  Jake shrugged. “Family first.”

  “You still moving out today?” Mitch asked and grabbed a muffin.

  Jake had been staying at the ranch for the past couple of weeks, but since Mitch was now home and thankfully on the mend, he knew he needed to move and give the soon-to-be-newlyweds some space. Not too far—just into the hotel in town. “That’s the plan.”

  “You don’t have to stay at O’Sullivan’s,” Mitch said quietly. “This is still your home.”

/>   “I know,” he replied. “But you and Tess need time alone, and I’m not used to being a third wheel.”

  Mitch laughed. “You’re hardly that. And Tess likes having you here as much as I do. Plus, you’ve always been Mrs. Bailey’s favorite.”

  “That’s true,” he said and laughed. “Just don’t tell Joss.”

  “He thinks he’s everyone’s favorite,” Mitch said of their younger sibling. Joss owned an auto repair shop in town and was raising his two young daughters alone, as his wife had died many years earlier. “But then, every family has that one standout charmer.”

  Jake laughed, because Joss was actually considered charming—and quite the town flirt. Whereas Mitch was the patriarchal pillar of strength, Chief of Police Hank was the pillar of the community, twenty-eight-year old Grant was the computer geek and twenty-four-year old Ellie was the baby of the family. And Jake was...what? The bad boy. The war hero. The one who’d left. While the rest of his family had stayed in Cedar River and remained together, stayed close, Jake had served two tours in the middle east, moved to California when he retired from the army and begun a business partnership with Trent, a fellow sergeant, working with some of the top tech companies in the state and quickly creating a highly successful security firm.

  He been back to Cedar River twice in the last decade. Once for Mitch’s first wedding to Tess, and the second time to attend Tom Perkins’s funeral. Jake had avoided the town for over six years. Since Tom’s death. Since he’d slept with his best friend’s widow.

  Abby...

  His high school girlfriend. Then his ex-girlfriend. Who became his friend’s wife.

  Shame and guilt pressed down between his shoulders with razor-sharp precision.

  “Why O’Sullivan’s?” Mitch persisted.

  Jake shrugged. “It’s the best. And I’ve become used to creature comforts these past few years.”

  He knew his brother didn’t believe him. “I told you that Abby’s working at the restaurant there, didn’t I?”

  Jake stilled, wondering if Mitch could read his thoughts. Yes, his brother had told him she worked there. He also knew he couldn’t avoid her forever. And really, he didn’t want to. Which was why he figured he might as well move into the hotel for a while and let fate play its hand. Once, long ago, they’d been friends, and they had both cared about Tom...it was enough of a connection for Jake to want things between them to at least be civil.

  “So you said.”

  “She’s an amazing chef,” Mitch remarked and bit into a muffin. “I thought she might have left town when Tom’s parents moved to Oregon, but she stayed. I guess she wanted to be close to her grandmother.”

  “I guess,” Jake said vaguely. Jake had always liked Mr. and Mrs. Perkins. They were good people and clearly great parents. Jake had spent many nights under their roof after one of his many confrontations with his own father. It was difficult now to think about Tom’s grieving parents, about how hard it must have been for them to cope with remaining in the town after they’d lost their only son. He wasn’t really surprised they’d moved to Oregon, since their daughter had been living there for many years.

  “Abby’s got a kid,” Mitch said casually. “He’s a couple of grades behind Joss’s youngest.”

  Jake had heard Abby had a child. He also knew that she’d remained in Cedar River.

  “I’m glad she’s happy,” Jake said quietly.

  Mitch’s brows shot up. “I didn’t actually say that. Are you still pissed at her for marrying your best friend?”

  Jake sucked in a breath. “Abby and I were over long before she married Tom. Whatever we were to one another is well in the past. It’s just...history.”

  “History has a way of repeating itself,” Mitch reminded him. “Take it from me... I never would have imagined that Tess and I would be back together. Let alone be about to have a baby.”

  “You still loved Tess. And she loved you. That’s why you’re back together. I’m happy for you both...if anyone deserves it, it’s you.”

  “And you?”

  Jake shrugged. “Who knows.”

  “No girlfriend back in Sacramento?”

  He shook his head. “No one serious.”

  The truth was, Jake had spent the last decade without forming one committed relationship. While he was in the military, it had been too hard to maintain something long-distance. And afterward, he hadn’t found the time to settle into a relationship. He’d dated several women in the last couple of years, but none seriously. At least, he’d usually broken things off before they became serious. He didn’t lie. He didn’t cheat. He didn’t ever set out to hurt a woman’s feelings. He wasn’t that guy. He’d simply never felt a connection deep enough with anyone to make it anything significant. The only woman he’d ever loved was Abby...and those feelings had faded long ago.

  Maybe he just wasn’t a settle-down kind of guy.

  “You plan on staying in town a while longer?” Mitch asked.

  Jake nodded. “Sure. Maybe another couple of weeks or so.”

  “I hoped you might hang around until after Christmas,” his brother said and shrugged lightly. “I mean, I know you’ve got a business to get back to, but it’s been so good to have you back here. I’ve missed you.”

  A familiar guilt wound its way through his blood. Jake knew that Mitch knew he’d never felt at home in Cedar River. And he knew why. His memories were tainted by the last few years he’d spent living on the ranch—by their mother’s death, by Billie-Jack’s drunken rages, by the car accident that had nearly killed Hank when his brother was fourteen—an accident that had been caused by their father. And by his typically angsty teenage relationship with Abby. By the time he was eighteen, Jake had been desperate to get away from Cedar River and everything it stood for.

  Until now.

  * * *

  Abby Perkins ditched the apron she’d been wearing all afternoon, tossed her chef’s hat in the laundry tub and made her way out of the kitchen. Her cell beeped in her pocket, and she quickly extracted the phone to check the screen. Her grandmother’s text was brief, and she nodded to herself as she headed through to the staff room and opened her locker.

  The picture tacked onto the back of the door made her smile. T.J.’s cheeky and infectious grin always put her in a good mood. Even when he was being bad-tempered and defiant, she adored her son and could not imagine a world without him in it. At not yet six years old, he could be a handful, but she was determined not to dampen his spirit and creativity.

  Abby pulled on her jacket and tugged the band from her brown hair, hurled it into her locker and grabbed her bag before she shut the door. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror by the door and grimaced when she noticed how tired she appeared. It had been a long week. The sous chef had quit...again. And two of the waitresses had called in sick. Which meant everyone else was working longer or extra shifts. But Abby loved her job. Being head chef at O’Sullivan’s meant she could live with her son in the town she had been born and raised in.

  Cedar River, South Dakota, population three thousand and something, sat in the shadow of the Black Hills. Once, it had been a vibrant copper-and silver-mining community. The mines were all closed now, except for a couple that were part of the growing tourist industry. Tourists came through Cedar River on the way to Nebraska and to stay at one of the many dude ranches popping up, or at the luxurious O’Sullivan Hotel. The place was considered one of the best around, and Abby was proud to be a part of that success.

  She’d worked at the hotel for a few years. After graduation, she’d scored a position as an apprentice chef at a small restaurant in Rapid City and a year later headed to Paris to study French cuisine for eighteen months. By then, she was already engaged to Tom Perkins, and he had happily accompanied her to Paris. They had spent an idyllic year and a half together in the city—studying, dreaming, seeing the sights. A
bby flourished under the guidance of one of the most talented chefs in the city, and Tom had the opportunity to pursue his love of art and music.

  When they returned to Cedar River, Abby began working part-time at one of the best restaurants in Rapid City, commuting back to town on the weekends while Tom took a position at the local hardware store. They made wedding plans and bought a house and settled into their life together, marrying two days after her twenty-first birthday.

  Four years later, Tom passed away.

  Seven months after that, T.J. was born.

  And Abby had to make a life for herself and her son.

  She’d considered leaving Cedar River many times...to start fresh, to avoid questions and pity and maybe speculation. But her grandmother loved the small town, and other than T.J., she was the only family Abby had to rely on. She supposed she could have moved to Florida to be close to her mother. But her mom had remarried and had her own life, and although she loved her mom and her stepfather was a nice man, Abby had very little in common with her only surviving parent.

  So, she stayed in Cedar River.

  And waited.

  Always on edge. Never truly relaxed. Always wondering, always thinking, always knowing that someday, she would have to face the consequences of that one reckless and unforgettable afternoon.

  And it was going to happen soon. She was sure of it.

  Because Jake Culhane was back.

  Just thinking about him made her insides quake.

  She hadn’t seen him since two days after Tom’s funeral. Which suited her just fine. She didn’t want to see Jake. But she knew it was inevitable. Cedar River was a small town. At some point, their paths would cross. He’d been back a few weeks, since his brother’s accident, and Abby had deliberately kept a low profile, avoiding her usual routine, coming and going from work as discreetly as she could. She’d tried to stay away from the supermarket, the bank, the bakery—anywhere she thought he might show up. But of course, she still had to live her life, still had erands to run and things she had to do. She couldn’t hide forever.