A Family for Christmas

by Mary Eason

  A Family For Christmas

  By

  Mary Eason

  PUBLISHED BY:

  Mary Eason

  Copyright © 2012 by Mary Eason

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to the author and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work. This book was previously published.

  A Note from the Author

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you will enjoy Rachel and Jack’s Inspirational love story as much as I’ve enjoyed creating it. Theirs is a story of young love reunited with a special challenge. Can Rachel and Jack put their anger and resentments aside to rebuild their love? Find out! I hope their romance will touch your heart.

  At the end of their story, I’ve included two bonus sample chapters. One is for an upcoming sweet romance entitled The Rebel Rancher - The Heart Of Texas Series, and the second is from the first book in this series, The Treasures Of The Rockies, entitled Standing On The Edge Of Goodbye. I hope you enjoy them. Also, look for a special thank you from me at the very end of the book.

  The Rebel Rancher – Book One of The Heart Of Texas Series is about Grace Richmond, who unexpectedly finds herself alone in the world. She reaches out to an old friend of her father’s, and soon finds herself at the heart of one of the oldest struggles known to man. Choosing between a man who by all outward appearances is perfect for her, and the rebel rancher, Alec Standing, who proves to be just what she needs. And as Grace soon discovers, things aren’t always as they appear.

  In Standing On The Edge Of Goodbye – Book One of Treasures Of The Rockies Series, Matt Stevens is finished with life. Grieving the death of his son, Matt withdraws from humanity, sequestering himself in a mountain cabin far from the reaches of anything human, anything that may remind him of the life he can no longer have. That is, until Kate Alexander arrives on his doorstep and begins to strip away the bitterness he carries in his heart.

  Prologue

  Jack’s gaze jerked to the caller ID and locked as the phone continued to ring. He recognized the number, yet he still didn’t answer it immediately. It was Ann Peters. The woman who’d once been his mother-in-law had become far more in recent years. She’d been the one to bring him to God when he’d been close to losing everything. Ann taught him the meaning of faith and forgiveness.

  He’d been expecting her call since he arrived. Dreading it. She was the only one who would be calling at a quarter of midnight. The only one who knew he’d returned to Austin. Jack hadn’t even told his best friend. He’d come back home for personal reasons.

  For Rachel.

  Five years wasn’t so long. Yet it felt like a lifetime since he’d lost her. Would forcing her to face him again be yet another sin added to his growing list of them?

  Please God, no.

  He wanted things to turn out differently between them this time. He was different. He wasn’t the selfish man he’d once been when he’d married her in secret and then left her crying and begging him not to go a few weeks later.

  Even now, with his bags still sitting next to the door, jet lag weighing heavily on his body, he continued to struggle with his conscience.

  Don’t answer it. Let it go. Let the past stay there.

  He wanted to do the right thing. He couldn’t. He still loved Rachel. He’d probably spend the rest of his life loving her, but he’d made so many mistakes.

  When their childhood friendship turned to love, it seemed only natural that they should marry. He’d rushed her into marriage, but he loved her and she loved him. Yet now he wondered if some part of him hadn’t known -- even back then -- what his father’s reaction would be.

  His old man had insisted they have their weeklong marriage annulled and Jack had felt powerless to stand up to him.

  Jack grabbed the receiver before it could ring again. “Hello.”

  “Jack?”

  “Yes, Ann, I’m here.”

  “I’m sorry to call so late, but I’ve just heard from Rachel. She’s back in Texas. She’ll be home soon.”

  He closed his eyes for a second. Dear God, don’t let me screw things up again. “She doesn’t know?”

  “No, of course not.” Ann’s answer didn’t surprise him, even though he’d wished for a different one.

  “Do you think I’m doing the right thing?” he couldn’t stop himself from asking. “Because I’m not so sure anymore. I know you’re convinced this is the only way I’ll get her to talk to me again, but Mike’s always been adamant about giving Rachel the time she needs to....” To what? Hate him more?

  The frustration in Ann’s sigh assured him she possessed her own doubts. “I know my son feels he’s helping Rachel, but the truth is, my daughter can be very stubborn at times. So can Michael. Rachel has been hurt. She will never come to you on her own. You’ll need to be the one to reach out to her.”

  “What if she refuses to hear me out? What if she doesn’t believe I’ve changed? It has been five years. Perhaps Rachel has moved on, found someone else.”

  Ann’s silence was more frightening than anything he could imagine.

  “What aren’t you telling me?” The uneasy feeling inside his gut threatened to crush what was left of his courage. Ann was never good at keeping things from him. Something was up. He could feel it.

  He’d always suspected there were things Ann hadn’t told him about the night Rachel left. It had stood between them for years, and yet no matter how many times he’d asked, Ann kept her secrets.

  “Rachel will tell you what she wants you to know in time. You have to be patient, Jack. Trust God. Ask for His strength. He won’t let you down. He never does. I’m praying for you.”

  Jack closed his eyes. “I’m trying to be patient. I am praying, but it’s not easy. I was such a fool for listening to my father. I should never have let her leave. Never annulled our marriage. At least then, I would have some tie to her. I should have gone after her, Ann. Should have told her what a mistake I’d made by letting her go.”

  “She wouldn’t have listened to you back then. Rachel has so much hurt inside of her. She’s lost her faith in a lot of things, including God. She’ll need your help in getting it back.”

  His help? How could he possibly hope to help anyone? He felt inadequate.

  “She loved you so much, Jack. I believe she still loves you, although she would never admit it to me. That’s why it wouldn’t have done you any good to go after her back then.”

  “What makes you think she’ll listen to me now? If she’s as hurt and angry toward me as you say, what’s to keep her from refusing outright?”

  He waited through the silence as Ann chose her next words carefully.

  “It’s different this time. Rachel needs you, even though she doesn’t know it yet. My daughter needs your love now more than ever. Don’t let her push you away. Rachel needs your strength.”

  “Strength? That’s a funny way of putting it. I haven’t been strong where Rachel is concerned. Just the opposite, I’d say. She’s my greatest weakness.”

  “And I’d say you don’t know your own strength, Jack Bryant.” Ann reassured him as she had some many times in the past.

  A handful of seconds ticked by as he swallowed back the resurfacing emotions he’d tried to bury deep inside. He remembered every single moment of that final night. Every look. Every tear. Every word. Right down to the last one. Goodbye.

  “Just promise me you’ll listen to what she has to say and b
e patient.” All the obvious questions ran through his head at Ann’s loaded request. He’d give anything to ask her what she was keeping from him. But if Rachel was stubborn, Ann was even more so.

  “Come to dinner tomorrow night,” Ann urged when he couldn’t voice his doubts. Not that he needed to. She knew. He and Ann had grown close through the years. Maybe even closer than he and Mike were anymore, simply because Mike was fiercely protective of his baby sister and Jack had hurt her deeply. Leaving Rachel had almost cost him Mike’s friendship. Even today, they still weren’t quite back, to where they’d been before that fateful night in June.

  “I don’t know....”

  “I do. It won’t be easy any way you do this. She’ll fight you in the beginning. Come to dinner,” she implored. “You’ll need your family around you when you two talk.”

  Ann always insisted he was still part of her family. He could have argued. Mike certainly didn’t consider him family. Still every single time he heard her refer to him in such a way, some of his hurt lifted.

  “I’ll think about it, okay? You’ll let me know how she’s doing tomorrow.”

  “Yes.” Ann released the word on another weighted sigh. She hadn’t liked his answer, but it was the best that he could give her. In his heart, he truly believed he knew what the outcome would be if he suddenly barged in on the Peters’ household and confronted Rachel . No doubt, that would be the final straw for his eighteen-year friendship with Mike Peters.

  “Ann, I promise I’ll think about it.”

  Her silence made her opinion clear. “I guess that’s all that I can ask of you, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. Thank you, Ann. I love you.”

  For a long time after he ended the call Jack continued to stare out his bedroom window at the lights of the city he’d grown up in. He was exhausted beyond belief. The six-hour flight from New York to Austin had been plagued with delays and bad weather. Even though physically drained, the thought of seeing Rachel again after so long made sleep impossible.

  On an impulse he couldn’t begin to explain, he grabbed his keys and headed downstairs.

  The rented SUV sat in the circular drive where he’d left it. It was only two weeks away from Christmas and yet the Texas night felt mild in comparison to the cold he’d left behind.

  He told himself he just needed to clear his head. Get some air. Yet, he knew exactly where he was heading even before the Range Rover turned onto Ann Peters’ quiet suburban street.

  Jack parked the SUV a few houses down. Ann’s lights were on. Of course, she’d be waiting up for her daughter to arrive, no doubt pacing the kitchen floor with coffee cup in hand. How many times had he watched her do that exact same thing while he pleaded with her to tell him where Rachel had gone.

  Against his will, Jack’s thoughts went back to that night long ago. It had been here, in front of Ann’s home that he’d tried again to make Rachel understand why he was ending their marriage. She hadn’t listened then any more than she had when he’d first told her over dinner. She’d simply run away. Into Ann’s house and out of his life. When he learned she left town, he thought he’d lost her for good. Thanks to Ann, he had a second chance. It was up to him to make it work.

  Chapter One

  Rachel Peters drove through the familiar streets of downtown Austin. The mid-afternoon traffic congestion made the commute seem twice as long. Or maybe it was simply the fact that everywhere she looked there were ghosts lingering from the past, ready to suck her back to a time she’d desperately tried to put behind her.

  She slid her brother’s Toyota into the last empty parking space available in front of Bryant International.

  She’d been back in Texas less than twenty-four hours yet coming home had proven to be the hardest thing she’d ever had to do. She’d done it for one reason. For her son.

  Sammy was sick. He needed his family close during this trying time. She needed to know what was wrong with her son. She’d come back to Texas for that reason alone.

  She got out of the car and glanced up at the building. A shiver ran down her spine in spite of the unseasonably warmth of the day. More spooks? Or something more. She dismissed the feeling. Jack wasn’t here. When had she become so skittish?

  Inside the building’s impressive foyer, Rachel was struck by the familiar reserved silence she’d always hated as a kid. It made her feel as if she had to whisper. She didn’t belong here.

  Her footsteps reverberated in a staccato beat against the muted gray and black marble floor. The receptionist’s booth was empty. There was no one in sight. Not that it mattered. She knew where Michael’s office was located as well as Jack’s.

  She took the elevator to the fourth floor. She just wanted to drop off Michael’s keys and get out of here as soon as possible.

  Her brother’s office was empty, but that wasn’t such a surprise. Michael had told her he’d be tied up in back-to-back meetings most of the afternoon. She found a promising spot on top of a stack of papers and left the keys, jotting Michael a brief note of thanks for the use of the car.

  She hurried out of the office and toward the elevator once more, her thoughts going back to her son. She’d left Sammy happily playing with her best friend’s son. She’d just grab a cab and be on her way back to him. Still, she could count on one hand the number of times he’d been away from her for any length of time and never in a strange place.

  Sammy’s absence right now wasn’t the only reason she couldn’t wait to get away from Bryant International. Like Austin, everything about this place reminded Rachel of the man who’d broken her heart.

  Jack Bryant was in New York. Had been for several years, yet still Rachel hesitated as she neared his office. Old memories of times past leapt out from the dark corners of her mind where she’d banished them.

  Though it surprised her that the office door stood ajar, Rachel didn’t think much of it. It was probably the cleaning crew making their daily rounds. She meant only to hurry past, no need to linger there, but her heart wouldn’t let her. Unable to help herself, she glanced inside. What she saw sent all of her good intentions scattering along with her next breath.

  Jack. Jack was here. It couldn’t be. She blinked then blinked again and yet it wasn’t her imagination playing tricks. Seated behind his father’s old cherry wood desk was the man Rachel couldn’t put in the past no matter how hard she tried.

  Jack. Her footsteps faltered for a second. She ducked her head hoping he hadn’t seen.

  Please God, don’t let him see me.

  “Rachel?” She wasn’t aware of making a sound, but she must have because Jack was now staring at her as if he, too, had seen a ghost.

  It all was there in his eyes, the startled awareness of the past intruding here in the present.

  Jack dropped the phone back into its cradle with only a muddled word for the person on the other end. He got to his feet and came towards her. She’d dreaded this moment. Had nightmares about its outcome.

  The second their eyes met, she knew she’d never be over him. She’d only been fooling herself by thinking she’d moved beyond Jack.

  In the space of those first few breathless moments, Rachel struggled to capture her composure. Then he was standing in front of her along with their troubled past.

  “Rachel, I-I can’t believe it’s really you.” He seemed at a loss for what to say. “It’s good to see you again.”

  She could almost believe he meant that. “Hello, Jack. How’ve you been?” She did her best to not be drawn in by the familiar smile that lifted the edges of Jack’s full lips and crinkled the corners of his eyes.

  “Good. Fine, I guess. How ‘bout you?” There was humbleness in him now that she would never have associated with Jack.

  Rachel focused on saying the right words clearly. “I’m good. Great, in fact.” With the pleasantries over, she couldn’t think of anything else to say to him. “Well, I’m sorry, I can’t stay. I have to meet someone. But it really is good to see you again, Jack” She turned
to leave. The awkwardness between them would have been impossible to imagine a few years back when she and Jack had been inseparable.

  He surprised her by reaching for her arm. “Rachel, wait.” The sincerity in his tone forced her to do as he asked. She turned to face him and saw her that big brother had materialized from his meeting.

  Michael stood in his doorway, waiting to come to her rescue as always. Her brother might tease her ruthlessly, but he was her brother and he wouldn’t let anyone, including his best friend, hurt her.

  Somehow, Rachel managed a smile for his sake. After a moment, Michael went into his office. Maybe her brother had been right all along. Maybe running into Jack like this was for the best.

  Rachel squared her shoulders and faced the man she’d once loved.

  “Can you come inside for a minute? We have a lot to catch up on.”

  A lot to catch up on?

  She shook her head, drawing in an unsteady breath. She needed air. More importantly, she needed to stay focused. “I’m sorry, maybe some other time. I’m in a bit of a rush. I just stopped by to drop Michel’s keys off. As I said, I need to get back.”

  He searched her expression and she wondered if he’d seen through the farce. Probably. Jack always was good at reading her.

  Slowly he nodded. “Then why don’t you let me give you a ride to wherever you’re going. I’ve finished up here for the day. I was on my way out anyway. It would be nice to catch up.”

  For the first time, she forced herself to really look at Jack. Something was different about him. Oh, not physically. Even after all these years, Jack’s appearance had changed very little. The smile lines around his eyes were slightly more pronounced, but he still looked the way she’d remembered him in all those times she couldn’t put him out of her mind.

  He’d been a star athlete in school. Tall and deceptively muscular, he still appeared quite fit. His dark brown hair streaked with gold was exactly like the way she remembered. Every hair in place, except for that lock that always fell across his forehead. Exactly like her son. Looking at Jack was like looking at the grown-up version of Sammy.