by Sara Luck
“That’s for our house, not for this one.”
“But, Sam, this is our house, too, and this is where we’re going to have Christmas, so we’re going to decorate.” Drew took the cloth from Sam and handed it to Jana. “Now, let’s put the rest of the ornaments on the tree.”
The box was filled with cloth ornaments, many in the shape of apples and pears, as well as balls that were quilted together with small pieces of fabric and then filled with batting.
At first Sam held back and would not help, but as all the others seemed to be enjoying themselves, he eventually joined in. He put on the string of popcorn and a few of the gingerbread cookies that the boys had helped Elfrieda make while Jana and Drew had been out getting the tree. Soon the tree was trimmed, except for one final ornament. That was an angel with oversize wings. She had blond hair and was wearing a dress made from the same red cloth that was now on the mantel. Drew picked Benji up, so he could place the angel on the top of the tree.
“Did your mama make the angel?” Jana asked Sam quietly as they were picking up some of the berries that had fallen off the juniper.
“She made all the ornaments. They’ve been on every Christmas tree I’ve ever had,” Sam said.
“Then I’m glad Mrs. Considine didn’t forget to bring them. I’ll bet you wouldn’t think it was Christmas if you didn’t have them.”
“I miss my mama.”
“I know you do.” Jana gave Sam a gentle hug.
He did not hug her back, but he didn’t seem to mind that she had put her arms around him.
After supper, during which all the cowboys along with Devlin and Toby and Peach shared some of Elfrieda’s oyster stew, everyone came back into the keeping room to admire the Christmas tree, which now glowed with lit candles. They sang carols and Peach read the story of how the baby Jesus was born in a manger. As the cowboys were leaving, Drew passed out envelopes containing money, and everyone left in high spirits. Elfrieda went to the kitchen, and then to a room that adjoined the kitchen that she had claimed as her bedroom.
Jana and the boys sat on the sofa, and Drew joined them.
“Is it Christmas yet?” Benji asked.
“No, silly. It’s the night before Christmas,” Sam said. “Tonight is when Santa Claus comes.”
“I don’t understand,” Benji said. “How does Santa get here?”
“He comes in his sleigh,” Drew said.
“He can’t come in his sleigh because we don’t have any snow.”
“He doesn’t need snow. His reindeer know how to fly,” Jana said.
“I don’t believe that,” Sam said.
“That’s what the poem says.”
“What poem?”
“ ‘’Twas the Night Before Christmas,’ ” Jana said. “Do you mean you’ve never heard that poem?”
“No.”
“Oh, it’s a wonderful poem!” Jana began to quote the famous lines.
’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.
“Do you know the whole poem?” Drew asked.
“Yes, I do. I used to have my class recite it every Christmas.”
“Are you a teacher?” Sam asked as he pulled up from his position.
“I used to be. Would you like to hear the whole poem?”
“Yes, but start over. I want to hear all of it,” Benji said as he snuggled under the crook of Jana’s arm.
As Jana recited the poem, both children seemed enraptured. Benji leaned closer to her, and Sam fell back upon Drew’s chest.
She continued with the poem, putting great emphasis on certain passages, eliciting laughter from Benji and even Sam when she spoke the lines He had a broad face and a little round belly, that shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.
Jana recited the poem to the very end, then Benji repeated the last line. “ ‘Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night,’ ” he said, laughing.
“And it is time for good night to all,” Drew said. “Santa won’t come if you aren’t in bed.”
“But I want to see Santa come down the chimney,” Benji said.
“He’ll just fly right by our house if you’re awake,” Drew said.
“Aww. Is that true, Jana?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“And you do want Santa Claus to come, don’t you?” Drew asked.
“Yes.”
“Then you’d better go to bed.”
“Can I sleep with Sam?”
“You’d better ask him,” Drew said, “but right now, let’s get you to your new room.”
“All right. Good night, Daddy, good night Jana,” Benji said as he got down from the sofa. He started for the bedroom, but then he turned around and came back to give Jana a hug. “I’m glad you told us about Santa Claus.”
“I’m glad, too. Good night.”
“Come on, Sam. I’ll tuck you in,” Drew said as he headed down the hall to the boys’ bedroom.
Sam smiled shyly at Jana, but he didn’t say good night.
While Jana waited for Drew to return, she moved around the big room, putting chairs back in place that the cowboys had moved, and picking up anything that needed to be put away.
“That was easier than I expected,” Drew said when he came back into the great room. “They’re two tuckered-out little boys, and I guess I’m a little tired myself. Come sit beside me, and let’s just look at the tree before we blow out the candles.”
Jana joined him on the sofa, and he placed his arm so as to invite her to put her head on his shoulder. When she did, he draped his arm around her casually and laid his cheek against her hair. Neither said anything as they sat for several minutes watching the flames flicker in the fireplace, as the candles burned down.
“I could stay like this forever,” Drew said as he turned his face to her hair. He placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. “I want you to know, I’ve not been this happy for a long time.”
Jana turned her face up to his and initiated a kiss—not on his cheek, but directly on the lips.
Drew pulled back and looked down at her with a seductive gaze, causing her pulse to pound. As he lowered his head to kiss her again, they heard the door opening in the entryway.
“Boss, are you ready for these?” Devlin called softly.
Drew jumped up from the sofa. “I almost forgot that Santa’s coming. Bring in the saddles and put them under the tree.”
“Tim Murchison did a heck of a nice job on these things. Look at this tooled leather. Why, he even put their names on them,” Devlin said as he and Charley brought in the small saddles.
“What about the ponies?” Drew asked. “Are you pleased with them?”
“They came from the Custer Trail Ranch, and Howard Eaton picked them out himself. He says they’re bred from the gentlest broodmare he’s got.”
“They are broken, aren’t they? Sam and Benji aren’t going to want to wait until we can gentle them.”
“They’re as gentle as lambs right now,” Devlin said.
Drew smiled. “Good, they’ll love that.”
Jana remembered the gifts she had brought, so she went back to the room that had been designated for guests, where her valise had been put. She had a slate board and colored chalk for Benji, and a cup-and-ball game for Sam, and a shawl for Elfrieda. Drew’s gift had been difficult to choose. She had seen many things that she wanted to get for him, but most were either too expensive or too personal for a woman to give to a man who wasn’t her husband, so she had finally decided on an English tweed neck scarf.
Greta’s present had been the easiest to pick out. She hoped Tom McGowan would not forget to give Greta the hat Jana had selected to go with the dresses the men had bought. Jana had considered giving it to Greta herself, but she thought it would be more fun if Greta actually got her present on Christma
s morning.
The packages Jana had brought with her were neatly wrapped with brown paper and bright red ribbon and tucked among her garments in her luggage, so she retrieved them and took them out to place under the tree. Drew and Devlin were still conversing near the door, so Jana made certain the candles were extinguished and made her way to her room.
She took off the easy-flowing, gray worsted skirt she had worn, thankful that she didn’t have to wear the bustle Mr. Watson had insisted she wear under many of the fashionable dresses she modeled. She folded the skirt and put it in a drawer of the wardrobe, then removed her cotton waist, folding it as well. She was glad she had worn her flannel vest under her blouse because with it she had not needed a jacket. Drew had not told her exactly how many days they would be staying at Rimfire, but she knew she would be wearing this outfit on numerous occasions.
Mrs. Watson had given her a new nightdress as payment for her translation of The Stranger, as Mrs. Watson called Kotzebue’s play, and Jana had brought it with her. Slipping out of her vest and drawers, she pulled out the foulard gown and reveled in the feel of the soft fabric against her body. She had never worn a nightdress that had the opening trimmed with a frill all the way down to the hem, and it made her feel a little bit special. While she was attempting to close the long opening, she heard a light knock on the door.
“Jana,” Drew said softly. “Are you awake?”
“Yes.” Jana crossed to the door.
“Can you help me for a minute? When Devlin put my bedstead together, he didn’t tighten the tie rods, and now one end of the footboard has come loose. I can’t hold it and put the tie rod through at the same time. Will you come hold it for me?”
“Of course.” Jana opened the door at once.
Drew’s gaze fell immediately to the open front of Jana’s nightdress, and she clutched frantically at the closure. When she looked down, she realized that the whole front of the gown was agape.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not,” Drew said with a devastating grin.
“I must get dressed.” Jana turned toward the wardrobe.
Drew caught her hand. “Don’t, Jana.” His voice was husky. “I’ll only need you for a minute, and besides . . .”
Jana took a deep breath as she looked down the hallway. “Is everyone asleep?”
“With visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads.”
She scurried across the hallway and into Drew’s bedroom much as a child would do if getting into some sort of mischief.
“Now what do you need?”
“If you only knew what I need.” Drew cupped her face gently.
A shiver rippled through her as she visualized the intimacy of this scene. She was with Drew, the most virile man she had ever known, in his bedroom, alone, in a nightdress that was not securely closed.
“I must go back.”
Drew dropped his hand. “All right. But while you’re here, will you hold up the footboard? Otherwise, I will get no sleep tonight.”
Jana stepped farther into the room and steadied the heavy footboard, all the while holding her gown closed as best she could.
Drew tried to slip the tie rod through the bed rail and the footboard, but he couldn’t line up the hole.
“I’m going to have to take the thing out and get everything lined up properly. Can you hold it?”
“I think so.”
When Drew removed the rod, the heavy footboard, made of intertwined cottonwood posts and branches, started to fall against Jana as the bed rails fell to the floor with a loud noise. Jana instinctively, grabbed the footboard, preventing it from falling, but in doing so, she had to use both hands. That caused the nightdress to fall open, and the front of her body was fully exposed.
Drew held the rod in his hand, not even attempting to put the bed together. She could hear his breathing quicken as he openly stared at her.
“Mr. Malone, have you forgotten why I am here?” Jana asked with more levity than she could have imagined possible in the circumstance.
“No, ma’am. I need to get this bed put together as quickly as possible because I think I’m going to need someone to test its strength. I certainly don’t want this to happen again.”
“Nor do I,” Jana said, realizing that it was now too late to even attempt to cover herself.
Drew had the tie rod in place and the bolt securely fastened within an instant.
Jana began arranging the feather bed that had slipped when the side rails had fallen, and she smoothed the sheets and counterpane, as though it were the most natural thing in the world to do. When she looked toward Drew, she saw that he was removing his shirt. He stood before her bare chested, a sheen of perspiration causing his chest to glisten in the light of the lamp that stood on the table near the head of the bed.
“Shall I go any further?”
Jana knew she should get out of this room, but she could not make her legs move. She stood mesmerized by the scene before her. The mystery of the coupling of a man and a woman was before her very eyes, and she knew that she wanted this man to be her first.
Drew moved toward her, his arms encircling her as he held her tightly against him, kissing her in a deep, tongue-tangling kiss. The offending nightdress fell away, and proudly Jana stood naked, the texture of his chest causing her nipples to harden against him. Suddenly she was lifted into his arms and he carried her to the bed and placed her on the downy comfort of the tick.
She watched as he dropped his pants, and for the first time in her life, she saw a male member, large and engorged, standing erect from his body. She could not avert her gaze as Drew climbed into the bed with her. “Jana,” he whispered, “do you know how much I have wanted this?” He kissed her again, this time trailing kisses down to her belly, flicking his tongue inside her navel. When she thought she could take no more, he moved his head farther down her body into the soft down that was at the juncture of her legs. He began to kiss her as he moved toward the most private part of her body, that which no man had ever touched, which no man had ever seen. Jana could hardly believe what was happening.
And then it all stopped.
The doorknob was turning as both Jana and Drew heard Benji’s voice.
“Daddy, I heard a loud noise. Do you think Santa Claus is on the roof?”
Drew quickly covered Jana, including her head, with the counterpane.
“Just a minute, Son. Let me get my pants on,” Drew said as he jumped out of bed, throwing on his drawers before he opened the door.
“Did you hear it?” Benji asked. “It was a while ago, and I tried to listen but I couldn’t hear the prancing hoofs of the reindeer.”
“Let me come to your room and I’ll listen with you,” Drew said as he led Benji down the hall.
Jana slipped out of the bed and found her nightdress. She put it on quickly, and without even trying to secure it, she hurried across the hall to the safety of her own room.
When Drew returned from Benji’s room, he knocked lightly on her door, but Jana didn’t answer him. More than anything, she wanted to be in his bed, feeling the exquisite sensations that Drew had awakened in her, but she couldn’t recapture what they had just shared. She lay in bed looking through the window. The moon was full and the cloudless sky was filled with stars. Sleep would not come no matter how hard she tried.
What had she done? What would Drew think of her? She had wantonly gone to him, and she would have allowed him to do anything he wanted to do to her body. She pictured him as he stood before her, his chest gleaming, his member erect. Never had she visualized what the male physique would look like, and Drew Malone was the perfect specimen. She thought of Michelangelo’s David and the desire to chisel a perfect man. She could draw Drew as a perfect man—a perfect man with an erect phallus.
I’ve got to get these prurient thoughts out of my mind! She turned into her pillow and hit it with her fist.
What would the morning bring? Could she face Drew after what she had done? Could she face his
sons? Thank heavens Benji had interrupted when he did.
Back in his bedroom, Drew was dealing with his own thoughts. He had not felt this way toward a woman since Addie. And if he was honest with himself, he hadn’t really felt about Addie the way he did about Jana. With Addie, their intimacy was comfortable and familiar. But when he was around Jana, his blood seemed to boil, his skin tingled, and with every ounce of his being, he wanted to possess her fully.
But was it just a sexual attraction?
He didn’t think so. He also appreciated her intelligence, her self-confidence, her sense of humor, and the way she interacted with his children. He was sure it was more than a physical attraction, but he needed to be certain. He couldn’t risk a relationship based just on physical attraction, not for himself, and not for his children. It needed to be more, and he needed to be sure.
“Jana, wake up. Daddy says come see what Santa brought us. I got a saddle with my name on it,” Benji yelled excitedly, waking Jana.
“I’m hurrying. I’ll be there as fast as I can.”
Jana was not aware that she had fallen asleep at all, but when she looked out the window, the first sliver of daylight was breaking, causing the ice that covered the Little Missouri River to reflect the pink light. She had planned to wear a festive dress this morning, but when she thought about the last evening with Drew, she pulled out her trusty rose wool, which she had worn to Dakota. The dress was a visible reminder to her of who she really was.
When she entered the great room, Drew was sitting on the sofa, his feet bare and his hair tousled.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Drew said, a boyish smile crossing his lips. “Did you forget? Santa came and he brought the boys saddles. I don’t know why he did that, do you?”
“If you have a saddle, you need a pony. Do you think he might have brought one for these boys?” Jana asked, getting into the spirit.
“We didn’t even think of that, now did we?” Drew said. “We should go see if there’s one in the barn. Come on.”
“Daddy, we can’t do that. We don’t have our clothes on,” Sam said.
“Jana’s dressed. She could go look.”
“All right,” Jana said, and grabbed her coat from the hook.