“Have you been talking to Emily in labor and delivery?” Serena’s friend had been really obvious when she’d dropped the hint that Serena and Pepé were going to be at the tree farm.
“Who?” Doc was either playing stupid or thought Jonas was.
“Never mind.”
“You won’t know until you give it a try, Jonas.”
* * *
DOC FRANKLIN’S WORDS rang in his mind all through his shift that day. Was Jonas falling for a woman he’d only met in person less than a month ago?
As he set a six-year-old’s broken arm, he thought of Pepé and knew how upset the parents were that their child was injured. When a sullen teenage girl came in with her frazzled mother, he wondered what kind of teenager Pepé would be, and how it would affect Serena. He couldn’t imagine her beauty marred by the trials of adolescence, but in his observation and experience no parents went unscathed when puberty hit their child.
His last case of the day was the child of a man whose active-duty spouse had been killed in a helicopter crash in Kandahar Province only weeks earlier. Jonas had been on his way home when the accident happened; otherwise, he’d have been in the trauma unit when the casualties arrived. As he looked into the young father’s haunted, grief-stricken face he knew that the antibiotics he prescribed for the strep throat both he and his daughter had could only cure their sore throats and body aches.
Jonas couldn’t bring back the widower’s wife or the girl’s mother.
He felt his gut clench at the hell Serena and Pepé had lived through.
As he sat at his desk doing paperwork after his clinicals, his fingers stopped midstroke.
Doc Franklin might be right.
Jonas didn’t consider himself obtuse, and as much as he avoided dealing with his emotions, just like the next man, he found it impossible to ignore the fact that he might be falling.
For the first time in his life, Jonas faced the fact that his heart was taking precedence over his methodical, logical brain.
Whidbey Island
Ten days before Christmas
JONAS STILL COULDN’T believe he’d managed to get Serena to agree that she and Pepé would come to his brother’s house for their pre-Christmas cookie baking and house-decorating party. Every year Paul and Mary had the whole clan over the second or third weekend in December. This year they were having it on a Sunday, since their twin girls had ice hockey practice and a game on Saturday.
“Are you sure it’s okay that we’re bringing Ronald with us?” Serena sat in the passenger seat of his Jeep Wrangler as if this was the hundredth time they’d gone anywhere together and not the first. The sense of familiarity between them was undeniable.
She might think it’s a date.
After the conversation with Doc, he admitted to himself that he was in over his head with Serena. But he wasn’t going to start a serious relationship with her, or use their attraction to each other to get the house. He had to play fairer than that.
He’d get her to love his family. Once she grew to know them as Dottie had, she’d see why the house needed to stay with the only family Dottie had raised.
“It’s no problem having Ronald along. Their dog, Sadie, loves other dogs, and they’ll tire each other out.”
God, she didn’t think he was trying to date her, did she? She was the one who’d made it clear that she wasn’t interested in a relationship at the moment. Even if she was, he’d be the last person she’d trust.
And she’d be right. His entire reason for getting to know her and Pepé better was really for her to get to know him and his family. To make giving him back the house irresistible.
And if he was going to date a woman with a child, he wouldn’t take her out on a date with her son. He’d take her to a great restaurant, order a nice bottle of wine, drive to one of the many lookout vistas on West Beach and watch the surf with her. He’d kiss her senseless....
He risked a glance at Serena. He didn’t want her to misinterpret his interest as anything more than friendly. His goal was to have her accept him as a good neighbor first, then she’d warm up to him as a friend and see her mistake in taking the house from his family.
He had it all figured out.
“Pepé’s quiet.” Interesting how quickly he’d gotten used to the little guy’s constant chatter. The silence bothered him—and that raised the hairs on the back of his neck.
Getting in deeper than he’d anticipated was worth the risk, to a point. The house belonged to him—he felt it every time he walked inside. Serena had made all those changes and, contrary to what he’d expected, it didn’t feel alien, only updated.
“He’s out cold.” Her voice could melt Mount Baker’s glacier. “If we drive more than ten minutes he falls sound asleep. When he was tiny he used to get carsick. I think this is how he keeps himself from feeling icky.”
“I envy being able to fall asleep like that.” He slowed down on the main highway as a family of deer were crossing.
“They’re so small compared to real deer.” Serena smiled as she referred to the Whidbey Island deer. “Have you ever seen mule deer? They make these look like miniature poodles.”
“I’ve only been to Texas when I was sent to San Antonio for training at the air force hospital there. They have the best burn unit in the world, as I’m sure you’re probably aware.”
“Yes, a few of the men from Phil’s unit were transferred there.”
Just like that, silence swooped in over the front seat, too. Phil hadn’t had a chance to make it to San Antonio. Damn it. He hadn’t meant to bring up her husband.
He reached over to her before he had time to consider the consequences.
“I’m sorry, Serena. This is supposed to be a fun day for you and Pepé. I didn’t mean to bring up anything uncomfortable.”
She didn’t pull her hand out from under his and he ignored the relief he felt. He couldn’t ignore her soft skin or the warmth that grew where their hands joined.
“It’s okay, really. I honestly prefer to talk about it, to be more open about it. I don’t ever want it to be the ‘we don’t talk about it’ taboo so many people make the loss of a loved one. Pepé’s not going to remember Phil very well and that’s a tough thing to accept, but then again he’s not suffering the pain of loss like an older kid would.”
“From what you told me and what I read in his medical chart, Pepé had a hell of a time at first.”
Serena nodded.
“He did. Those months when he stopped talking—they were horrible.” Her voice wavered and he squeezed her hand. The deer had cleared the road and he released her hand as he put the car back into Drive.
“You’ve been such a good mother to him, Serena. It’s obvious that he’s well-adjusted and enjoying the life you’ve made for yourselves.”
Guilt gnawed at his stomach. He shouldn’t be praising her move into Dottie’s house, not if he wanted to convince her to leave it. He wasn’t really, he told himself; he was referring to her demeanor and the emotional support she gave Pepé.
“I didn’t have a choice.” She wiped the condensation off her window and looked out at the bare fields as they drove south on the island before turning back to him.
“It’s not a matter of doing what’s right or wrong when tragedy hits. At least, for me it wasn’t.”
“Why do you think your mother didn’t tell you about your biological father before Phil died?” If she had, he might have met Serena when they were both younger.
Pepé could’ve been his kid.
He swerved the Jeep as the shock of that thought made him jerk. “Sorry about that. Too much coffee.”
Serena wasn’t paying attention to his anxiety.
“You’d have to understand my mother and her family. My mother is the child of a Mexican cook for a huge ranch, and her father was the son of
the ranch owner. When my grandparents married it was at a different time—their marriage was considered “mixed” and my grandfather was disowned by his family. They came around when my mother was born, however. So when my mother found herself pregnant by a man who’d said he’d loved her, but then admitted he wouldn’t stop drinking, she wouldn’t marry him, and they closed ranks. They protected her and helped her with raising me until she met my stepfather, who, by the way, is a wonderful man. Like Dottie was a mother to you, Red is a father to me.”
Her profile was regal as she stared out the windshield and relayed her thoughts to him.
“When I married Phil after law school and we moved away to his first duty station in North Carolina, my family had a hard time with it, especially my mother. Then we got orders back to Texas. We weren’t that close in El Paso, but at least we were in the same state. Pepé came along, and it was great to have my family nearby. Phil’s family is from the same area. He and I met in Austin when we were in college—me in law and him in international relations. He was there on an Army scholarship. He never got his commission, though. They ran out of spots and he enlisted. He was that dedicated.”
She stopped so suddenly he shot a glance at her.
Her profile was beautiful. Raven hair flowed around her large brown eyes and high cheekbones, flaring out where her lips curved. Full, moist lips. She’d taken the time to put lipstick on; he’d never noticed the bright red stain before. Had she wanted to impress his family or taunt him with her seductive mouth?
Jonas wasn’t the effusive type when it came to describing women; he categorized them as attractive or not when they evolved into dating prospects. Dottie had taught him and his brothers that every woman has her own beauty, and he knew that was true. None had drawn him the way she did.
He wanted to believe that it was only a physical attraction. That would make all of this so much easier. Instead, Serena outshone the previous women in his life. The women he’d cared for the most had all been intelligent and they’d all possessed a keen sense of humor.
Serena had those qualities as well as a compassionate heart and remarkable level-headedness, especially considering everything she’d been through.
He’d bet she gave her clients superlative legal counsel.
“We don’t need to talk about Texas, or your previous life.” He took the turnoff to Paul’s.
“I don’t want to talk about it, Jonas. It’s not as painful as it was twelve or even six months before. I simply don’t want to bore or burden you. That’s my past, Pepé’s past. We’ve started a new life out here, a life we’ve grown into. I’ve learned that taking this journey one day at a time works best for me.”
“You sound like you’re in a twelve-step program or something.”
She laughed. “No, I’m not, but it’s a good philosophy, isn’t it?”
He didn’t answer as they drew closer to Paul’s house. It lay in the midst of a sprawling meadow, bordered by tall fir trees on one side and more sturdy maples and oaks on the other. Puget Sound and the mainland were to the east of the property.
“This is huge. Was it always here, or did Paul put it in?” Her gaze took in the meandering gardens and thickets of evergreen trees.
“My brother John did it for him.”
“He does landscaping, right?”
“Landscape design. His company is Eagle Scapes.”
“That’s who I paid to come out and level the land for the alpaca barn. They put in some rhododendrons for me, too.”
“You didn’t know it was my family’s business?”
“No, not right away, but then I put it together. Dottie had told me about everyone, and of course she managed to get us together once before she died. After the funeral your family invited Pepé and me to a few things but I felt they were being polite. I didn’t want to put any of us through more grief than we were already experiencing.” She shook her head as if clearing out sad memories. “It seems like your family’s all over the island. What else do they own?”
Jonas laughed. “It’s not that bad. You’ll only run into me at the base hospital, and John if you have more landscaping done. And of course you’re going to be working with Paul. You haven’t needed a therapist or social worker, have you? My sisters-in-law can help you there.”
* * *
SERENA DIDN’T SET Jonas straight on the position with Paul’s firm. She hadn’t decided yet whether she’d take the job, and if she did, how she was going to limit her work hours. She’d never been good at that; once a case piqued her interest she allowed it to consume her until she had it settled.
That was before she’d become a widow, before she became a single mother and had to worry about being away from Pepé for too long.
“Wake up, Pepé.” She twisted in her seat to gently shake his leg as it dangled from his booster seat. Ronald barked and Serena hopped out of the Wrangler as soon as it came to a stop.
“’Kay, Mom.”
She turned back to Jonas. “Ronald needs to go potty. He never barks unless he does.”
“You can let him run here.”
“I’m afraid I’d never get him back. If he spots a deer or rabbit I’m out of luck.” She clipped his leash onto his collar before she undid his doggy seat-belt harness.
“I still can’t believe you have a seat belt for your dog.”
“Anything that isn’t buckled down is a flying missile in a crash.” She ignored the way her hands shook. Her awareness of Jonas as more than Dottie’s stepson or her future neighbor was getting ridiculous. They’d shared that one stupid kiss on the Fords’ back deck and she’d been unable to erase it from her memory.
“Come on, Pepé, I’ll show you around while your Mom takes Ronald to do his business.”
Serena watched them walk away. Jonas was a full-dimensional guy. One minute he appeared as the modern bachelor, complete with all the sexy moves to prove it. The next, he was using a quaint turn of phrase she hadn’t heard since she’d been a girl in Texas and her mother reminded her to take their dog out to do its “business.”
Pepé bounced next to Jonas as they walked up the paved path that wound around several flower beds and up to the front door of a huge cedar-shingled home.
Paul’s firm must be doing very, very well. Not that she cared other than for employment purposes. Observing the house also provided a good distraction from how sweet Pepé looked as he walked with Jonas.
She blinked back all-too-familiar tears. Pepé had unfairly lost his father to war. There was nothing she could do about it, and fantasies of Jonas becoming a father figure to Pepé were poison. They’d destroy both her and Pepé.
Ronald made quick work of his “business” and Serena steeled herself to go into the world of Jonas’s family. She breathed in the Whidbey air and allowed the early-winter pastel hues that streaked across the western sky to calm her heart. Jonas was being nice, and Paul had always been accepting of her.
Serena had met Jonas’s sisters-in-law when she and Pepé had stayed at BTS. Both women volunteered at the nonprofit. She’d met them only briefly, but the setting and purpose of the resort for Gold Star families was so intimate that most of the people there felt more like family. They’d known she was Dottie’s biological niece and had been welcoming.
But Jonas’s brother John and Jackie’s husband, Jim, were unknowns.
A vision of Dottie, laughing at something funny Pepé had done, overwhelmed her. Dottie. That was why she was here. To reinforce the tie of love Dottie had woven around all of them.
If Serena ever lived as long as her aunt had, she hoped she’d have a fraction of Dottie’s grace and sense of purpose.
“Let’s go, Ronald.”
She let herself into a magnificent foyer that was decorated with portraits of Paul’s family. Front and center was one of Paul, Mary and their twins on the b
each, all dressed in white tops and blue jeans. Shiny red Christmas garland draped around each frame.
Serena felt a tug of envy. She’d planned to have a family photo done when Phil got back from the war, the three of them in blue denim shirts, jeans and cowboy boots. Against the backdrop of the Texas hills.
With a start she realized her envy was more a regret. Not the overpowering grief it would’ve been a couple of years ago.
Had she reached another level of healing?
She heard laughter and followed the sound into an expansive great room complete with a fancy center island. Black granite flecked with gold specks covered the area around which Paul’s wife, Mary, John’s wife, Jackie, and the twin teenage girls stood. Mounds of dough, bags of flour and sugar and dozens of cookie cutters were scattered across the worktop.
“Mary and Jackie, nice to see you again. I’m not sure if you remember Pepé and me?”
“I’d never forget you two. These are our girls, Megan and Morgan.”
“Hi.” The lanky teens spoke in unison, then giggled.
“Nice to meet you. What grade are you in?”
“We’re freshmen in high school.”
“Fifteen?”
“Not yet—but they think they’re sixteen already.” Mary gave her girls a stern look.
“Mom, we were on our property!”
“Dad taught us how to start the pickup!”
Jackie grinned. “They took Paul’s truck for a bit of a jaunt last night.”
“Aunt Jackie!”
“Jackie!”
Both the twins and Mary expressed their horror.
Serena laughed. “I don’t need to know the details. I grew up on a ranch—I was driving when I was thirteen.”
“Really?” Both girls’ eyes grew wide.
“Well, maybe it was fourteen.” Serena shrugged.
Mary shifted into cookie-baking mode. “Girls, get Pepé started with the cutouts. Pepé, there’s a huge gingerbread boy that you can be in charge of, okay?”
She turned to Serena. “Here’s an apron. We’ll work on making the dough for the peanut-butter cup cookies. Did you go to BTS for Thanksgiving?”
Harlequin Superromance November 2014 - Box Set 2 of 2: Christmas at the CoveNavy ChristmasUntil She Met Daniel Page 43