A Family for Christmas

by Mary Eason

  Chapter One

  Kate brought the beat-up Jeep to a halt in front of the last known address of Rachel Bowers. A weather-beaten cabin her grandmother rented outside of Silver Mountain, Colorado. Kate had spent the last twelve hundred miles fighting morning sickness almost every waking moment, and the throbbing pain left over from the accident had been her constant traveling companion.

  The cabin was dark even though it was barely mid-afternoon. There wasn’t any sign of the woman who’d filled Kate’s life with light for so many years.

  Something about the deserted appearance of the place brought all the uneasiness back that Kate had struggled with the beginning of this trip. Had he found out about her grandmother’s existence? Had he beat Kate here and…dear God, no.

  She’d almost given up hope on every single one of those miles. The promise of seeing her grandmother again was the only thing that kept her.

  She got out of the Jeep and walked the half dozen steps up to the cabin’s door. Not a single sign of life inside and no evidence that anyone had been for quite some time. She knocked several times but there was no answer.

  "Where are you, Grandma? I need you so much."

  Rachel had told her once that the owner of the cabin, a man by the name of Matt Stevens, lived just a few miles up the mountainside. Grandma Rachel talked about Matt as if he were a friend. If she drove up the mountain and asked the property owner where Rachel had gone what would he know?

  Suddenly, she was afraid of what might be. Not that she had any real choice in the matter. She had to find her grandmother. Because finding Rachel Bowers was the only thing that mattered anymore.

  ****

  This was Rachel Bowers’ granddaughter?

  Matt found it hard to believe the woman sitting before him now was in any way related to the woman he’d grown to love. Or that she had no idea her grandmother had passed away weeks earlier. How could he be the one responsible for telling her about Rachel's passing?

  Unexpectedly, his heart went out to her.

  Rachel was a rare breed of human. The type of woman who truly cared about those closest to her. And he'd grown close to Rachel. Even though his only connection to her was the tiny cabin sitting at the edge of his property she’d rented a few years earlier.

  “Miss Alexander—Kate, when was the last time you spoke to your grandmother?”

  She grew cautious. She knew. He could see it. See the tears gathering even as she struggled to hold them back.

  Kate clutched the arms of the chair, bracing for the worst. “Please, just tell me.”

  Please don’t let her cry. Matt steeled himself to say the words. “Kate, I’m sorry, there’s no easy way of telling you this, but your grandmother passed away three weeks ago.” He paused for a moment, needing to collect himself. Every time he thought about the woman who'd been like his own grandmother, it hurt to think he'd never seeing her again.

  “She’d been ill for a while. Her heart had gotten weak. Then she developed pneumonia and…” Matt swallowed the lump in his throat. He’d begged, pleaded with Rachel to let him take her to the hospital, at least contact Kate. Rachel had refused them both.

  Kate clasped her hand over her mouth. A muffled sob escaped. She appeared stunned, heartbroken. Devastated by the news. She hadn’t known how ill her grandmother was and now it was too late.

  Matt watched her struggle to keep from falling apart. He understood what she was going through. He remembered too well the gut wrenching pain he’d experienced at losing the woman who’d become his rock.

  He tried to recall what Rachel had told him about Kate. She certainly talked about her granddaughter enough.

  Kate would be at least twenty-four by now, yet the combination of her short blond curls and no makeup made her appear much younger. Maybe it was the freckles or those clear green eyes that held innocence in them that Matt had long ago stopped associating with women.

  She was dressed in faded jeans and a white short-sleeved T-shirt that was out of place in this cold gray Colorado afternoon.

  “You’re shivering. Come sit by the fire. The weather here takes some getting used to. Do you have a jacket?”

  Kate followed behind him like a robot while he stoked the dying fire back to life.

  “Thank you.” She cleared her throat, her voice stumbled over the words. “I had no idea she was so ill. I hadn’t spoken to her in a while. I tried…” She stopped, glanced at him as if trying to gauge his reaction to this obvious slip. “There were reasons. My grandmother understood why I couldn’t keep in touch.”

  Matt realized Kate was hiding something dark, yet he didn’t dare open that door. Couldn't go down that road again for anyone. Not even Rachel's granddaughter.

  “My grandmother spoke very highly of you, though. She considered you a friend,” she added. He wasn't really surprised by her revelation. Rachel considered everyone a friend.

  "Did she…suffer?”

  He shook his head. “No, she didn’t suffer. She simply drifted off to sleep one day. And, yes, she was…my friend. She came to visit, forced me to visit her as well,” he added lost in his memories. “Rachel used to bring over cookies and flowers and just talk about how she loved this mountain and her little cabin. How she missed you, wanted you to be happy.” Matt didn't tell her that because of his chats with Rachel he felt as if he knew Kate as well. Yet the reality before him now was nothing like the vibrant picture Rachel had painted.

  Kate got to her feet with difficulty and stood perfectly still for a moment, her eyes closed as if she’d moved too quickly and was close to losing her bearings. One hand clutched her stomach while the other covered her mouth.

  An uneasy feeling propelled him from his chair. “Are you all right?” he asked, quietly surveying her pale face. “You’re as white as a sheet. Do you need me to call a doctor for you?” Matt stopped when she turned and walked to the door. He couldn’t let her leave like this, surely. He owed it to Rachel to take care of her granddaughter.

  Kate rejected his offer immediately. “No. I don’t need a doctor, Mr. Stevens, I’m fine. It’s just the baby. I should be going. I’ve taken up enough of your time already. I’ll be staying in town for a bit. If I may, I’d like to pick up my grandmother’s things whenever it’s convenient for you.” She drew in a deep breath. “Thank you. For being there for my grandmother. For everything.”

  “Of course.” The words tumbled from his lips without thinking. The baby? Kate was pregnant.

  “Kate, wait.” He followed her to the door. Something winged the edges of his conscience. He shoved it back with difficulty. He’d point her in the right direction of a good hotel and that would be the end of it. He'd do his good deed, for Rachel's sake.

  She turned back to him expectantly. “Yes?”

  “There’s only the Landmark Hotel in town, but it’s decent.”

  She smiled for the first time. “Thank you. For everything.” She walked out the door closing it quietly, and it was almost as if Rachel were there, leaning into his ear whispering, Help her. Don’t let her go away alone. She needs you.

  Outside, Kate fired the battered Jeep’s engine and it sputtered into drive. Matt stepped out the door, staring at the plume of dust left from the SUV and wondering about the peculiar, rusty feeling in his heart…the one that whispered that this woman mattered. She seemed to be opening a door he’d slammed shut so long ago.