A Heart of Stone Christmas

by K. M. Scott

  Happy I’d been able to buy Tristan the cufflinks I knew would surprise him, I set off in the snow to make it back to the house before he came home from work so I could wrap his gift and get it under the tree without him sneaking a peek at it. I had about an hour, so unless the weather suddenly became a blizzard, I’d be fine.

  Chapter Four

  Tristan

  The snowstorm seemed to intensify just in the time between leaving my office and hitting the Taconic. Worried we’d need to leave earlier than planned to reach Kennedy, I called Cara as I drove home.

  “Make sure the children are ready, and even if it means you have to tell my wife something that might ruin the surprise, make sure she knows we need to leave as soon as I get home.”

  “Are the roads that bad?” Cara asked in a worried voice.

  I slowed the Range Rover down to around thirty miles an hour as I passed another car pulled off the road. “It’s coming down pretty hard, but I think we’ll be fine in my truck. We’ll just have to leave earlier to take our time getting to the airport.”

  “Okay, Mr. Stone. I’ll get everyone ready.”

  While Cara made sure everything at the house was prepared for the trip, I made sure the pilot knew we might be a little late but we were coming. Still unfazed by what looked like a blizzard bearing down on New York State, he was ready to take off as soon as we arrived.

  At least one of us was calm. With the weather turning bad so quickly, I’d considered postponing the trip until the snow stopped, but if he was okay with it, I trusted him. Flying was horrible anytime I had to do it, but after years of him piloting my plane for me, I knew I was in good hands.

  The snow began to fall even heavier as I hit the last stretch of highway before reaching Dutchess County. My SUV may have been built to withstand any kind of terrain, but a few inches of snow an hour made driving difficult in any vehicle. As I concentrated on the road ahead of me, my phone rang and I quickly looked down at the console to see it was Cara.

  “Mr. Stone, have you heard from Mrs. Stone?”

  “No,” I said, instantly worried. “She isn’t home?”

  Cara hesitated and then said, “No. She didn’t say anything to me about leaving, and I asked Jensen and he said she cancelled her plans to go out today. But I can’t find her anywhere in the house. The babies are fed and changed so we’re all ready, but I don’t know where she is.”

  The nanny’s tone quickly moved from concerned to practically frantic, which didn’t help my fears about where Nina could be. Trying to calm her down, I said, “It’s okay, Cara. You take care of the children. I’ll make sure Mrs. Stone is okay.”

  I hung up with Cara and immediately dialed Nina’s cell phone, but it went directly to voicemail. I listened to her sweet voice say she wasn’t available but that she’d get back to me as soon as she could and at the beep said, “Nina, where are you? It’s snowing out and Cara said you aren’t at the house. Jensen doesn’t know where you are, which means you didn’t tell anyone. I love you, baby, but right now you’re scaring the hell out of me. Call me as soon as you hear this.”

  I got off the highway to find the roads to the house were even worse than the interstate was. It looked like the sky had dumped ten inches of snow since I’d left a few hours before, and it was still coming down hard enough that I could barely see five feet in front of me. Thankfully, no one seemed to be foolish enough to be on the road, except for me, so I didn’t have to worry about anything but getting myself home to find Nina.

  My phone rang just as I neared the house, and I saw Nina’s name come up on the screen. Hurriedly, I answered it only to hear static, but then her voice came through. “Tristan? Can you hear me? Tristan?”

  “I hear you. Where are you? I’ll come pick you up.”

  “I walked to town, but the snow started coming down so quickly I couldn’t get home. I don’t even have boots on, but I think I’m near the f—house. I can’t tell because everything’s so white.”

  Her phone became all static again, but I heard her say something about some kind of house before the line went dead. I called her back three times, but it was no use. Either her phone had run out of battery or the storm was doing something to the calls. I got home to find Cara and the babies all ready to leave, but first I had to get Nina.

  I found Jensen waiting for me in the garage with a look of guilt all over his face, as if he’d done something wrong. His grey brows were furrowed, and the serious expression he usually wore had morphed into a deep frown.

  “I didn’t know she left, sir. She told me she decided against going into the city, so I didn’t think she was leaving. The bodyguards didn’t know either.”

  “I know, Jensen. You know my wife. She doesn’t see any need for a driver or bodyguards because it’s just not her style. The problem is we’ve got a blizzard going on, and she’s out there, so I’m going to head back out again. I’ll have the guys search in town, but I want you to search the grounds for me. We’ll find her. She’ll probably be close by, so don’t worry.”

  Jensen seemed to relax, but inside I still feared that Nina could be stuck out in the snow somewhere, freezing cold because she wasn’t dressed for the weather or even hurt from falling. I didn’t know what she meant by house, but I had a feeling whatever she meant that’s where I’d find her.

  Now I just had to figure out what house.

  * * *

  All three children lay in their cribs for their afternoon naps, and I kissed each one before I left to go find their mother. Cara watched at the door with a frown that told me like Jensen, she too blamed herself for Nina’s going out. As I passed her, I patted her on the shoulder to comfort her.

  “Don’t worry, Cara. I’ll find her and then we’ll go on our trip. Just watch over the kids until I come back.”

  “I just feel so bad. She usually talks to me after you leave in the morning, but she didn’t today. Was I too busy or did I miss something? Why would she leave without telling anyone?”

  This was Cara’s first real experience with Nina’s impulsiveness, so I knew she probably didn’t understand any of what was going on. “My wife doesn’t like some of the things that come with being married to me. She especially doesn’t like the loss of her independence from having a driver and bodyguards. To Nina, they get in the way. To me, they’re important to ensure her safety. She thinks I worry too much.”

  “But look what happens when they aren’t around!” Cara said almost hysterically and then lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Stone. I’m just worried about her. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “I understand. No need to apologize. I’ll find her. Just watch over the children so when we get back we can go.”

  I truly did understand Cara’s opinion. In fact, I shared it. If Nina had only done as I had repeatedly asked her to, none of this would have happened. That was my fear talking, but it was how I felt.

  Changing into clothes and boots more appropriate for the weather, I headed out toward where I hoped I’d find her. She’d said something about a house, but was it a firehouse or farmhouse? I couldn’t be sure. There was a firehouse in town, so I’d check there first and if I didn’t find her, the only place I could think of looking that even resembled a farmhouse was an old, rundown place off the main road that had been up for sale since before the housing bubble burst a few years ago.

  The roads were so slick it took nearly twenty minutes to make the trip into town to the firehouse, but no one had seen her there. One man thought he’d seen her that morning on Main Street near Melner’s Jewelry store, but he didn’t know which way she’d gone when she left. The idea of Nina at a jewelry store made perfect sense when I thought about it since she probably went out to buy me another present to surprise me after I’d guessed about the watch.

  I didn’t know which one of us was worse—me for ruining her surprise or her for insisting on surprising me with another gift.

  The snow fell even faster now than on my way home from the office to the
point that I almost couldn’t see. Every so often a tiny dot of red or yellow from a car ahead of me would appear, but with all the blowing and drifting, the lights quickly dimmed and I was left to guess where other cars on the road were.

  Over and over as I drove, I called Nina’s cell phone, but each time all I got was voicemail. As I passed one of the last open fields before that old farmhouse I hoped she’d found shelter in, I tried one more time and finally heard her phone ring. Just as I accepted that I’d yet get another turn to leave a message for her, she answered and my heart jumped in my chest.

  “Tristan! Are you home? The snow is so bad. Did you get home from the city?”

  “Nina, I’m out looking for you. Where are you? I’m near that farmhouse that’s been for sale for years, right next to the big open field because I thought you said you were near there. Are you close by?”

  Her phone went to static again, but I faintly heard her say she’d made it to the farmhouse. I slowly drove along the road so I didn’t miss the turn onto the property. Focused on that, I didn’t see the truck flying toward me until it was nearly too late, and when I swerved to avoid it slamming into me, my truck skidded off the road into a snow pile nearly as high as the Range Rover.

  After cursing out the other driver, I tried to back up but even in four wheel drive I wasn’t getting anywhere. The snow was too deep. I had no choice but to set off on foot and hope that Nina had stayed put in the farmhouse.

  Chapter Five

  Nina

  I held my cell phone to my ear as tightly as I could, but I still couldn’t hear what Tristan was saying. This is what I got for living out in the sticks, as Jordan called it. At least in the city if I became stranded somewhere, I wouldn’t be alone with all those millions of people in Manhattan. I’d been able to break into the farmhouse and by some miracle someone had left the heat on, likely to make sure the pipes didn’t freeze while the house was on the market. It wasn’t exactly balmy, but fifty degrees was better than nothing.

  How long had it been since someone lived in this place I wondered. The cupboards were all bare and there were no appliances, but the fireplace looked like someone had used it recently. Crouching down, I lifted one half-burnt page of newspaper out of the grate and saw a date from August of that year. Probably some kids hanging out, or maybe a pair of lovers rendezvoused there. I liked that idea. It reminded me of Tristan and me back when we first got together.

  Back before kids and weight gain and skinny nannies.

  A loud banging noise startled me out of my daydream about sexier times, and I ran to the window to see what had made such a racket. There at the front door stood Tristan freezing and pounding on the front door as the wind gusted. I pressed my face to one of the windows next to it and yelled, “It’s got one of those realtor lock things on it. Go around the back. I found a way in there!”

  He trudged off around the side of the house to the back door, so I ran back to open it for him. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so happy to see him. A little saddened by that thought, I opened the door and saw him standing there in front of me covered head to toe in snow. Grabbing his arm, I yanked him onto the back porch and slammed the door to shut out the storm still raging on outside.

  “I thought you were driving in the truck? Why are you all snowy?” I asked as I helped him peel off his wet ski jacket.

  He slid the hood off his head, sending snow everywhere, and said, “Some jackass pushed me off the road. The truck is in a snowbank right out there.”

  “Are you hurt?”

  “No, but I couldn’t get the truck out so I had to walk here. Are you okay? What happened and why the hell were you out in a snowstorm without Jensen or the bodyguards? You have everyone worried, Nina. Jensen and Cara are blaming themselves.”

  Turning on my heels, I walked back to stand in the living room near the fireplace, angry he’d said those things. Tristan followed me and seeing the fireplace began searching for a way to light the paper. I wanted him to ask me what was wrong, but he seemed far more intent on looking for a lighter or matches, so finally I said what was on my mind.

  “I’m not a child, Tristan. I don’t need caretakers to watch over me and be your confidants and spies.”

  He stopped his searching and turned to look at me. Even in the dim room lit entirely by the white of the snow outside the windows, I saw his confusion all over his face.

  “What are you talking about? They don’t spy on you, Nina, and I don’t confide in anyone else in this world other than you.”

  “You know I don’t like them following me. They tell you where I go.”

  Facing me now, he walked forward to stand in front of me. “Is there any reason I shouldn’t know where my wife is at all times? Yes, I can think of one. Maybe things like today wouldn’t happen if someone knew where you were.”

  “Don’t talk to me like I’m a child. I gave you three children. I think I deserve the respect accorded to their mother.”

  “This has nothing to do with that. I worry about you, and you seem to have an issue with me caring where you go. No one treats you like a child. I treat you like the most important person in my life. I don’t understand why you don’t see that I’d be lost without you, so I want to keep you safe. What’s wrong with that?”

  I hated when he looked like I injured him. His brown eyes had a way of seeming like they were taking the brunt of my words and reflected how hurt he felt. Turning away, I mumbled, “I thought you were having an affair with Cara.”

  “What?” he asked, his voice full of amazement.

  Spinning around, I said in a loud voice, “I saw you whispering to her all this week, and I thought you were having an affair with our children’s nanny.”

  Tristan’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “You thought I was sleeping with Cara? Why would you think that? What have I done to make you think there’s any woman on earth I want other than you?”

  Looking down at the floor, I answered his question. “Nothing. I didn’t say it was logical. It’s just what I thought.”

  He walked toward me and pulled me into his arms, pressing his lips to the top of my head. “Nina, I’ve loved you since that first night. You’re the mother of my children, and I wake up every day happier than the next. That’s because of you. But if you really believe I would want another woman, maybe I need to figure out another way to show you how much I love you.”

  I took a deep breath and looked up at him to see those gorgeous brown eyes full of love for me. “It’s not you. It’s me. I thought I’d be okay after the post-partum depression was over, but then I just felt uncomfortable in my own skin. You’re still the stunning man the whole world adores, and I feel like I’m not good enough. That’s why I haven’t attended one of your events since the babies were born. I look at the pictures of you in your tux on Page Six and all those beautiful people around you and think I don’t belong there.”

  Tristan kissed me so sweetly I wanted to cry. In all the months I’d been dealing with these feelings, I’d never told him the whole truth. After all that time, it felt like an enormous weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

  “Nina, I knew you were feeling self-conscious about the baby weight, but I didn’t know it was like this for you. I’m sorry. But you don’t have to change for me or anyone else in the world. You are as beautiful right at this moment as you were when I met you.”

  “I just don’t feel beautiful. I wish I did.”

  “I thought you were tired from dealing with the kids all day and didn’t want to be bothered with my work. I was hoping to change that with a surprise for you, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen today because of the storm.”

  “I know about the trip to the new villas. That meant a lot to you, and I’m sorry this happened. If I hadn’t gone out to get you another gift to surprise you, we would have been on the plane already instead of stuck in this farmhouse in a blizzard. I’m so sorry, Tristan. This is all my fault.”

  He pulled me clos
e and whispered, “I knew you went to buy me another present. I may not know much about women, but I do know something about my wife.”

  With my head pressed to his chest, I listened to his heartbeat so sure and steady and said, “I just wish your surprise for me had worked out. I wanted to see the new villas.”

  “It’s okay. We’ll just fly out tomorrow. In fact, I’ll call the pilot and arrange that right after I call Jensen to tell him where we are.”

  He kissed me and walked away to make his calls while I looked for something to light the fire so we didn’t freeze as we waited for the cavalry to arrive. In the corner of the mantel under some old magazines someone had left a handful of long matches, so I scratched one against the stone on the fireplace front and lit the remaining paper in the grate. There was some wood still left underneath it, so hopefully it would light and give us some warmth.

  “Hey, you got the fireplace lit. Good because it’s going to take some time for Jensen to get here. He says the roads are impassable.”

  “Are the kids okay?” I asked, suddenly feeling like the worst mother in the world.

  “Yeah, Cara says they’re napping, so hopefully we’ll be back home by the time they get up.”

  The fire behind me began to crackle, and I couldn’t stop myself from asking him, “Am I a bad mother, Tristan?”

  He shook his head and frowned. “No. Why would you ask that?”

  “Because for the first months of our children’s lives I didn’t want to be around them, and now that we’re stranded in this farmhouse with nothing but a tiny fire, I’m not wanting to race home just yet. I know I should want to, but as bad as this sounds, it’s nice to be out of the house. What kind of mother wants that?”

  “I don’t think that makes you a bad mother, Nina. You’re in the house with them every day while I’m at work. It’s not surprising that you feel this way. I know you love our kids, and having three at once isn’t easy.”