Luce could act like a freak because she was so gorgeous her lascivious behavior came off looking cutesy. Everyone was too distracted by her slim figure, perky C-cup breasts, shining black hair, and blue eyes to think of her as desperate. Most of the time, guys chased her. All she had to do was crook a finger and they’d come running.
“For the record,” Luce said softly. “Gavin McKinloch has been ogling you for months.”
Two months to be exact, since that was how long Ash had been working at McKinloch’s. Gavin had been nothing but courteous to her. He was very quiet about his interest, but she could tell it was there. Ash hazarded a look over her shoulder. She could see Gavin working over the prep table through the window where the food orders came up.
Gavin was working over the grill. He wasn’t quite six feet tall with brown hair and brown eyes and a nice smile. Really there was nothing wrong with Gavin. He was just…a guy. Which was why Ash had been so careful to keep things completely platonic with him. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but she didn’t want to go out with him either.
“So did you say yes to spending Christmas with him and his family?” Luce reached over the bar and snagged Ash’s arm. “It’s better than your usual Christmas plans.”
Luce was referring to the fact that Ashton had a firmly established tradition of spending Christmas at the movies—alone. Since her dad had passed four years ago, she didn’t have any family, and she and her dad had always gone to the movies on Christmas Day. Tagging along with Luce to spend Christmas Day with her family in Kansas City didn’t suit Ashton. She’d rather be close to her father’s memory than feel like a pathetic charity case from a Dickens novel.
“Are you bothering my employees again, Lucinda?” Ossian McKinloch strode down the length of the bar, clipboard in hand.
Ash shot Luce a sweet smile. “I think you should throw her out, Oz. She’s just taking up space at the bar, nursing that drink without buying food.”
“Is that right?” Oz lounged against the counter. He was six feet three inches of muscle in a dangerous-looking package with the trademark McKinloch dark hair and eyes.
As handsome as Oz was, Ashton had never found herself attracted to him. He was ten years her senior and the older brother she’d never had. He managed the bar portion of the pub operation. In a pinch he also made an efficient bouncer.
Ashton had an odd thought. “It’s unusual for all five of you to be here at once. Your dad just went back to your mom’s office, Donal and Gavin are both in the kitchen, and you’re out here. All we’re missing from Clan McKinloch are Morrie and Stacey.”
Oz snorted. “Stacey is so uncomfortably pregnant with Donal’s second child I’m surprised he’s not sleeping in the kitchen to stay out of firing range. But I happen to know that she’s not here right now because Tyler has a cold.”
Ashton knew next to nothing about two-year-olds and sickness, but it sounded miserable for both mother and son. “And what about Morrie?”
“You summoned the demon spawn, and here she is,” Oz quipped as the front door swung open.
The sole girl in the McKinloch clan breezed in with a gust of icy wind. The wreath jingled merrily when the door slammed shut. “Were you guys talking about me?”
Luce hopped off her bar stool. “We were, actually. Although I have to scoot if I’m going to meet Winston in time to shop for his mom. He’s the world’s worst procrastinator. Honestly, he’s making such a big deal about it you’d think we were buying a Christmas present for the queen.”
“Ooo! That reminds me.” Morrie rubbed her hands together like a villain plotting evil. “While you’re at the mall, you should hit Macy’s. They’ve got their handbags on sale. There’s some really good stuff if you dig around in the right places.” Morrie and Luce shared a predilection for designer shoes and handbags.
Given that the two women had little in common, the friendship between Ash and Morrie was an unlikely one. Morrie had worked as a dental assistant for Dr. Fellers. Ash had been the one to give the girl a chance even though Morrie had never worked outside her family’s pub before. When the practice folded and Fellers went to jail, Morrie had returned the favor and helped Ash get an interim job at McKinloch’s.
“Macy’s for handbags,” Luce repeated. “Got it.” She gave Morrie a peck on the cheek before leaning over to do the same to Ash. “Maybe I’ll just buy Winston’s mother a purse. Who wouldn’t want a purse for Christmas? I mean, I would.” Luce looked hopefully at Ash. “Hint, hint?”
“Go, shop, and be well.” Ashton waved one of the cloth napkins she was using to wrap silverware. “I’ve already bought your present anyway.”
Luce was still muttering about handbags as she knotted her scarf and hunched up to prepare against the frigid air outside.
“All right.” Ash looked from Oz to Morrie. “What brings all of the McKinlochs out of the woodwork on such a cold evening? The big Christmas Eve parties are tomorrow night.”
Morrie took off her gloves and tucked them into her pocket. “It’s not a mystery or anything. Our brother Aiden is coming home on leave before he moves to Germany.” She ducked into the back to put her coat and purse away, leaving Ashton with Oz.
“Tell me again about this mysterious McKinloch brother who doesn’t want to run a pub.” Since there were no customers waiting for service, Ashton poured herself a Coke and took a long, refreshing gulp. “I thought it was some kind of rule that McKinlochs had to be in the pub business.”
“Has my brother Gavin figured out that’s what’s keeping you from encouraging him to ask you out?” In typical Oz fashion, he ignored her question in favor of something she’d been trying to avoid discussing.
“It isn’t just that.” She took another drink to give herself a moment. How could she explain that she’d been utterly spoiled by a complete stranger? The spark she’d felt with Trip was consuming. If she couldn’t find that kind of connection elsewhere, fine, but she didn’t want to settle. She could be alone. She had been for most of her life.
Oz let his eyes drift toward the kitchen. “I’ve watched you. You may act like an island, but you don’t want to stay that way.” He nodded toward Gavin, who was chatting with Donal while putting together holiday menus for tomorrow night’s parties. “Gavin’s my brother, but I don’t think he’s what you want in a man.”
She’d only known Oz for two months. It felt like longer. In fact it felt as if she’d known him her whole life. He reminded her of her dad, a listener. He was the kind of man who thought things through before he gave an answer or voiced an opinion. What did she have to lose by telling him? It wasn’t as if she even had Trip. How could she lose him?
She put her now empty glass on the counter and went back to rolling silverware. It was a wonderfully mundane activity. “I met someone a few months ago. He was only in town for one night. I just—he just really got to me.”
“Ashton Gregory, just when I think I know you, you go and surprise the hell out of me.” Oz set his clipboard down and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “So you met a guy, took a walk on the wild side, and realized you don’t want to settle for a regular Joe.”
He made it sound so normal. His version sounded so much better than the one where she met a stranger at Fair St. Louis, made out with him less than five minutes later, and then screwed him inside the Jefferson Expansion Memorial Museum. Yes, she liked Oz’s version much better. It sounded reasonable.
“Ashton?”
Still feeling giddy from her confession and Oz’s calm reaction, Ash didn’t immediately realize Gavin had stepped out of the kitchen. “How’ve you been, Gavin? You and Donal looked so busy when I walked in, I didn’t want to bother you to say hi or anything. I mean, I just came in and got right to work, you know?”
Damn. She’d managed to sound guilty, needy, and immature all in one breath. Oz’s grin said he was enjoying her discomfort just a little too much.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Gavin chose to ignore the verbal circ
les she was making.
Um, no? “Sure, I guess.”
Oz picked up his clipboard. “I’d better go finish this order. Nothing says holiday party like an empty keg and no top-shelf liquor.”
She wanted to beg him not to leave. Instead, she started stacking the neatly rolled silverware. Rows of five across and then down, each stack ten rows high. Maybe if she concentrated hard enough, Gavin wouldn’t press her for an answer about her Christmas plans.
He adjusted the ties on the apron he wore around his waist. A rainbow of stains decorated the coarse white fabric. “I wondered if you’d given any more thought to spending Christmas with me and my family.”
Ashton’s heart leaped to her throat. She thought about love and lust and all the things she wanted to experience in her life. Mostly she remembered the instant thrill of a stranger’s touch. The way it felt to kiss Trip, as if she could sink into the velvety sweetness of his mouth.
A damp ache flared to life in her core. It was the same thing she’d been feeling almost every night since the Fourth of July. It began with the ghost of a memory and ended in erotic dreams that had her waking, twisted in sweat-soaked sheets.
“Ashton?” Gavin’s husky voice was so gentle. He’d make someone a good husband. Someone who didn’t mind spending the rest of their days in the St. Louis metro area married to a man who helped run the family business, a man who never wanted any more than that.
“Listen, Gavin.” She met his warm gaze. “I usually just go to the movies on Christmas.”
“Nobody wants to be alone on Christmas, Ash. I know we can be a wild bunch, but we love you like our own. I’d like you to spend Christmas with us, with me.” He stroked her cheek with the side of his index finger. “We always eat in the afternoon, around two. You can sleep in, come for dinner, and then I’ll go to the movies with you. We can catch an evening show. That new romantic comedy starts tomorrow. It’ll be fun. This way you don’t have to break your tradition, and you won’t have to spend the day alone.”
She’d have to be a complete Grinch not to be touched by his obvious attempt to compromise with her. It was sweet, even if she’d rather streak naked down the icy street than watch two hours of canned Hollywood romance.
She’d always spent the holiday alone, but sometimes she wondered what it might be like to be with a family. Maybe this was her chance to try it. “I just don’t want to give you the wrong idea, Gavin. I’m not sure if I’m really ready to settle into a relationship. I’m not even sure I know how.”
That was true enough. It had been just her and her father when she was growing up. How was she supposed to know what healthy relationships looked like? Maybe that’s why she’d screwed a total stranger in a museum.
“I’m not asking you to leg shackle yourself to the family, Ash. Just come have Christmas dinner with us. What do you have to lose?” Gavin chucked her under the chin.
“Your offer is pretty fair. I don’t think I have any grounds to say no.”
“Perfect. Donal and I were trying to iron out the details. This is exactly what I’d hoped for.” Gavin looked inordinately pleased about her presence at Christmas dinner. Was it that big a deal?
There was no time to delve any deeper into it. Ella McKinloch dashed into the dining room from the hallway. Jack followed at a more sedate pace. The rest of the McKinlochs started appearing in the dining room. Ash wondered if she’d missed some kind of weird fire alarm.
“Oh my goodness, I see the taxi!” Ella’s dark ponytail bobbed behind her like a schoolgirl’s. “He’s home!”
Ella wasn’t given to drama, but Ash figured the woman deserved a break when her son came home after months spent overseas. Ash was reminded of another soldier she’d met one crazy night. Maybe the missing McKinloch would know Trip, or know of Trip. Hell, in St Louis it was possible that they’d gone to high school together, or at least knew the same people. Surely it was possible even though the number of local guys in the military had to number in the thousands.
Distracted, it took Ash a few seconds to realize Gavin had slung his arm around her shoulders in a rather possessive fashion. Was he actually staking a claim in front of his other brother? Men were so odd.
“Aiden!” Ella pounced on him as soon as he stepped in out of the cold. She was joined by Morrie with Jack standing in the background talking in low, eager tones.
Ashton had the impression of a man about six feet tall with the McKinloch dark hair shorn close to his scalp. He was wearing fatigues and combat boots. He appeared to be making an attempt to set his rucksack down before the weight of his mother’s and sister’s enthusiastic welcome knocked him over.
“Mom, I need to breathe. I came home alive. Don’t kill me now.” His joking tone belied the affectionate way he squeezed his mother and sister in a big bear hug.
The hair at the back of Ash’s neck stood on end. If she had put any faith in coincidences or fate, she might have been silly enough to think the missing McKinloch was actually Trip. There was something weirdly familiar about his voice, but she put it off as her addled brain. After this long working with the entire clan of McKinlochs, surely she would’ve known if they were somehow related to her summer fling. She fidgeted, wishing Gavin would remove his arm from her shoulders. It was heavy.
Had someone greeted Trip like this when he went home for Christmas? She didn’t have any right to wonder about that. He wasn’t hers. He could have been killed in action and she’d never know it. Ashton felt a sudden kinship with the millions of women throughout history who had said good-bye to men and sent them off to war never knowing what had happened to them. Afghanistan wasn’t the Crusades, it wasn’t the trenches of World War I or II, but people died all the time over there.
I’m just acting like a freak because I’d give anything to at least know Trip is okay.
Her belly clenched, and her eyes prickled with tears. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The sound was loud and ragged. She looked at the floor and tried to get control. How was it possible to be so deeply affected by a stranger’s imagined fate?
“Are you all right?” Gavin tightened his grip and leaned down. “You look like you’re about to cry.”
She scrambled for an excuse but was saved by the missing McKinloch’s approach. “Nobody told me you finally found a woman and settled down, little brother. I’m happy for you.” He flung his arm around Gavin.
In the jostle of male bonding, Ash glanced up to find herself staring into a startlingly familiar face.
Oh my God, no.
Trip—Aiden—she didn’t know what to call him, but his expression went totally blank for the space of five seconds.
He looked different in the full light of the pub’s dining room. He was better looking, though she didn’t know how that was possible. The planes of his face were more chiseled. His angular cheekbones and strong jaw were complimented by a broad nose, eyes the color of melted chocolate, and elegantly arched dark brows.
He recovered first and took the lead like a gentleman. “Ashton?”
“I have to say, this is the last place I ever expected to see you, Trip.” She put a slight emphasis on the nickname, wanting an explanation.
“First week of basic training.” He kept his dark gaze locked on her, ignoring everyone else in the room. “I could not get the hang of how to tie the laces on my combat boots. Getting a nickname in basic pretty well guarantees it’ll stick with you. Especially when you’re a pilot.”
Gavin looked about as miffed as Ash had ever seen him, which for him was a slight tensing of the shoulders. “How do the two of you know each other?”
Now Trip was waiting for her to make the first move. Heat bloomed in her chest and began creeping its way up her neck. “Fourth of July. I was trying to find Luce in the mob, and he was nice enough to keep some soldiers from trampling me to death.” Somewhere to her left she heard Oz say something that sounded a lot like the word damn.
How would he handle this awkward situation? She couldn’t ima
gine him belting out the news that they’d had sex that night. At least she hoped he wouldn’t. “And now you’re seeing my brother Gavin. That’s great.”
“Oh it’s not like that.” Ashton hoped she didn’t sound as frantic as she felt. “I work here.”
Now it was Trip’s turn to check his facts. “Last time I checked, we were not offering dental services in the bar.”
“My office closed.” She was uncomfortably aware of all the openmouthed stares around the room. “It’s kind of a long story, but Morrie helped me get a job here.”
He must’ve realized they were garnering some not so positive attention, because he flashed a quick grin and shrugged. “Well, I’m glad it worked out for you.”
Yeah, me too. I think.
Chapter Three
December 23—1900 hours
Her eyes were green. The most brilliant shade of emerald green he’d ever seen. Trip felt as if someone had kicked him in the balls. He’d imagined a lot of scenarios involving him and Ashton. Never had one of them included one of his brothers staking a claim just when Trip had managed to find her again.
It wasn’t as if Gavin was being subtle about it either. He’d kept his arm around Ashton from the time Trip had walked through the door until the poor girl had gone back to work behind the bar. Worse still, there was a precedent for the behavior. The year Gavin graduated high school and Trip had started attending Saint Louis University, he had played fast and loose with the girl his brother was dating. She was older than Gavin. Trip couldn’t even remember why he’d taken what she so willingly offered, but the slight against his younger brother had cut deep.
“Are you even listening to me, Aiden?” Morrie smacked his arm. “You just agreed to let me come and live with you in Germany for a year.”
That got his attention. “Doesn’t matter if I agree or not. There’s no way in hell Mom will allow it.” Trip shoved a spoonful of colcannon in his mouth. His dad’s magic spices made the potato and cabbage concoction melt on his tongue.
He, Morrie, and their parents were eating in the main dining room. His father had opted to close off the other two smaller dining areas to keep things manageable since Morrie wasn’t waiting tables. It had started snowing again after Trip arrived, but the dinner crowd continued to trickle in, and most of the tables around them were full.
Clan McKinloch: Stars, Stripes & Xmas Bells Page 3