Clan McKinloch: Stars, Stripes & Xmas Bells

by Kaitlin Maitland

  Her focus on his clothing made him wonder if she intended to let the topic of his shopping expedition drop.

  Morrie reached for the bag the sales clerk had just handed him. “Who is this for?”

  “Mom.” Trip didn’t bother to snatch back his purchases. They were wrapped. “And maybe a few other things too.”

  “What did you get her?” Morrie poked carefully at each tiny package.

  Trip rolled his eyes. “Well, Captain Obvious, we’re standing in a chocolate store. What do you think I got her?”

  “This isn’t my first gift investigation, Captain McKinloch. The candy is just a cover. What’s inside the box of chocolates?”

  He felt safe confessing the truth since he’d picked up Morrie’s present a few months ago on a stop in France. Fashionable handbags weren’t all that hard to come by in Paris. “I bought Mom a new watch; then I had it hidden inside the box of chocolates.”

  “There are two boxes in here.”

  He froze, but not for the reason she suspected. Her expression said she was certain she’d ferreted out a lead on her present, but the other box was for Ashton. Trip fumbled for a recovery. “It’s for Ossian.”

  “You’re giving Oz a box of candy?” Morrie snorted. “Not buying it. Fess up. Is it mine?”

  “No.” He smiled his thanks at the sales clerk and then left the store, hoping to somehow divert his sister’s attention.

  She wasn’t going to let him off that easy. “Come on, Trip. You’re acting like you have something to hide. Do you have a girlfriend you haven’t told us about?”

  He headed for the food court. “I’ll buy you a Cinnabon if you shut up.”

  “Yum, that sounds good.” She nudged him with her shoulder. “But I have my own money these days, big brother. You’re dating someone, aren’t you? Is she military? Why haven’t we heard about this?”

  Trip dodged left and right around a steady stream of strollers. Each was loaded down with more shopping bags than babies. He wondered briefly if that was why strollers had recently taken on the dimensions of miniature SUVs.

  “Aiden…”

  She wasn’t going to let up. Trip found a place in line at Cinnabon and tried to block out her constant battery of probing questions. The paparazzi had nothing on his little sister.

  “Aiden—Trip—tell me!”

  “Ashton and I know each other a little better than we let on yesterday.”

  He wished his brothers could have been there to see Morrie’s mouth snap shut. He’d never seen her speechless before. In fact, he wasn’t certain it had ever happened.

  “Oh my God, Fourth of July.” Morrie’s words ran together. “You’re the reason she’s been acting so weird. All this time, and she hasn’t said a word. Have the two of you been e-mailing or something? No wait. Are you sexting? That’s so weird.”

  He almost shook his head while trying to sift away the fluff from her monologue. He hadn’t considered the possibility of Morrie having information about Ashton. “You said she’d been weird since the Fourth. What do you mean?”

  “Just that she’s seemed kind of depressed.” Morrie gave him an appraising look. “Luce and I thought she’d either met someone who gave her the brush-off, or she was just depressed because she’s been single for so long.”

  “The brush-off?” Trip hated how desperate he sounded for information, but he didn’t know much about Ashton’s past relationships. “Has she been seeing someone?”

  “Not in ages.” Morrie shot a potential line hopper her warning look and hastily closed the space between herself and Trip and the guy ahead of them. “Guys are jerks, you know. They’ll ask her out, but if she doesn’t give it up in three dates or less, they stop calling.”

  “What?” He couldn’t hide his outrage. Imagining some horny prick treating Ashton like that made him mad enough to bash a few heads in.

  Morrie rolled her eyes. “It isn’t like she’s the only woman who goes through that. I swear there must be some kind of manual guys use. You know, if woman has body A, wait X number of dates before attempting to screw.”

  “I really don’t want to hear about my little sister’s dating life.” No, he was too busy trying not to be angry at a bunch of nameless, faceless guys for treating Ashton like that.

  “No problem. I still live with our parents and Gavin. Let’s just say that leaves me no privacy for any kind of love life anyway.” Her expression settled into a look of determination he’d seen before, usually right before she said something that got her into trouble. “But pretty soon, I’m going to be on my own anyway. So maybe things will pick up.”

  “Wait. What?” He didn’t get an answer. She’d already bellied up to the counter and was ordering her favorite sticky concoction of caramel, pecans, and frosting.

  Once they’d been served, Morrie managed to find them a tiny bistro table out of the major mall traffic. He took a moment to savor the taste of cinnamon roll while he considered his sister’s bombshell confession.

  “You aren’t even going to tell me I shouldn’t move out?” Morrie asked.

  He swallowed and began arranging the next bite of sticky bun on his fork. “No. I’m not.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you should move out.” Trip took a drink of water to buy a moment to think. “You’re a grown woman. I think you’re perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. Gavin shouldn’t be living there either. But that’s his decision.”

  “Gavin’s only living there to save money.”

  Trip almost choked on his next bite. Gavin was saving money? For what?

  “So, you and Ashton are sleeping together.” Morrie didn’t bother asking for confirmation. “You know that’s going to make Gavin really pissed.”

  His sister was right, but it didn’t matter. After spending the night in Ashton’s bed, he was well past the point of no return. She was everything he could ever possibly want in a woman. Beautiful, sexy, witty, smart, and so utterly unaware of her appeal, Ashton was the whole spectrum of feminine perfection rolled into one sassy package.

  Morrie was staring at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Do you love her?”

  “More than I ever thought it was possible to love another person.”

  Chapter Eight

  December 24—17:00 hours

  “Good morning, Mom.” Trip dropped a kiss on his mother’s cheek and slouched into one of the leather chairs in her office.

  She didn’t look up from her paperwork. “It’s evening.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Where have you been all day?” When she finally lifted her gaze from her desktop, she gave him the same stare that had made him tremble during his growing-up years.

  “I was sleeping off my jet lag.” This was true for the most part. He had spent a good portion of the day dozing in Ashton’s bed.

  His mother folded her hands on the desktop and gave him the unblinking stare that had utterly crushed any attempts to keep anything from her throughout the years. “I went upstairs to check on you several hours ago, Aiden. You weren’t there.”

  His heart hammered as if he were trying to cover up one of the horrendous pranks he and his brothers had pulled when they were young. He shouldn’t have been so nervous. He was a grown man, not a kid. “I didn’t sleep all day. I didn’t have much of a chance to get my Christmas shopping done before I came home. I was trying to pick up a few last-minute items.”

  “Why didn’t you just say that?” His mother was wearing the expression that told him she only believed about half of what he was saying.

  “Do you tell the people you’re shopping for when and where you’re picking up their gifts?” Trip wondered why he was skirting the truth. Why not just tell her? He swallowed the ridiculous lump that had taken up residence in his throat. “Mom?”

  She’d gone back to her paperwork. “Yes?”

  “That new waitress—Ashton?”

  “What about her?” Suddenly she had totally forgotten the paperwork in lieu of
staring suspiciously at him.

  “I just wondered if she’s really the girl for Gavin. You kept saying yesterday how much he liked her, but does he really know her?”

  “You recognized her awfully quickly last night.”

  Trip immediately realized his mistake. He’d forgotten Ella McKinloch’s talent for wheedling until she got the complete truth. “We explained how we knew each other. We met on the Arch grounds at Fair St. Louis.”

  “Then why do I get the feeling you’re hiding something from me?”

  Trip knew he should just tell her the truth. It would have been such a relief to come clean and be honest. Not only did he know Ashton, he was damn sure positive he was head over heels in love with the woman. It was not just a fling. Trip was ready to admit that Ashton was the love of his life. He took a deep breath to tell his mother everything.

  Gavin poked his head into the office. “Mom, did you pick up the gold foil cups for the bull’s-eyes?”

  Trip felt as he’d been transported back to middle school. His mother jumped up from her desk and plucked a small box off the floor. “Here you go. I hope these are the right size.”

  “They look great. Thanks.” Gavin leaned against the doorjamb and turned his attention to Trip. “You were talking about Ashton. Why?”

  Damn, damn, damn. Trip reminded himself he was not some errant teenager. He was a grown man. “I was just wondering if you knew her as well as you seem to think. I wouldn’t have thought she was your type, that’s all.”

  “My type? First off, I can’t imagine what you think you know about my type.” Gavin’s expression turned into a glower. “And second, who gives you the right to make any assumptions about Ashton? You don’t even know her.”

  “I know she wants to travel the world. I know she’s been dying to go to Europe for years. I know she had it pretty hard growing up. Our crazy family is an anomaly to her.” Trip struggled with the desire to let it all out. He didn’t want to hurt his brother, but Trip was sick and tired of tiptoeing around what he knew he wanted. He thought of that first night, of her wit and willingness to do something completely nuts. The thought was enough to rip away what was left of his control. “I know she’s got a wild streak she tries to hide. She’s self-conscious about her looks, and her sense of humor is just a little bit on the eccentric side.” Gavin’s glower had sunk into a menacing frown. Trip figured he might as well go for broke. “She’s also generous to a fault and tenderhearted. Which is probably why she’s been trying to be nice to you while not encouraging your interest, Gavin.”

  “You screwed her.” Gavin shook his head in disgust. “I don’t believe it, but I know it’s true.”

  Trip could handle Gavin’s self-righteous anger. What he couldn’t handle was the look of shock and horror on his mother’s face. Her dark eyes huge, she covered her mouth with her hand.

  “Don’t look at me like that, Mom.” Trip tried to remind himself that he hadn’t really done anything wrong.

  Her gaze narrowed. “So that’s where you were last night? That’s what you did?”

  “No!” Trip realized he had to amend that. “Well, yes, but that wasn’t the first time. I told you, Ashton and I met this past summer.”

  “If you weren’t my brother, I’d beat the shit out of you.” Gavin’s face was pinched with anger. “As it is I’ll have to settle for calling you a bastard. No brother of mine would treat a woman like that.”

  Gavin turned his back before Trip could even formulate a response. Did Gavin think he’d forced himself on her or something? How could his family think that of him?

  He turned to his mother, but she’d crossed her arms over her chest. Her face looked as pinched and angry as her youngest son’s had been. “Get out of my sight. I’ll talk to you later when I can be calm enough to be rational.”

  Trying to defend himself when he wasn’t 100% certain what they thought his crime had been was impossible. The best option seemed to be walking away. He hated leaving things so raw and angry between him and his mother, but experience had taught him arguing was pointless.

  A bitter taste filled his mouth as he walked past the kitchen. Silent and foreboding, Gavin was working diligently at the make tables. He was playing the part of the good son. It was something he’d always excelled at.

  Ossian had always been the standard to which everyone was measured, Donal was the one who always did what was expected, and Gavin was the precious baby. Trip was the rebel. The one who’d refused to do what every other McKinloch for the last four generations had done—settle down and make more McKinlochs. Preferably while working like a well-oiled cog in the pub.

  Trip took a right and escaped out the back door and onto the snowy patio. Once outside he could breathe. The sky had cleared, and the night was icy cold. His boots squeaked in the powdery snow dusting the bricks. Everything smelled clean, his nose burning with each intake of sharp air.

  He moved toward the central fountain. It had been winterized, but he liked to look at the tiny cherubic figures covered in macabre coats of ice. Somewhere inside the pub he could hear a raucous round of “Deck the Halls.” There were three parties going on in there, all carefully planned by his mother for some of the oldest businesses in the city.

  Sometimes he wondered if there was really a place for him in the McKinloch family anymore. He’d never felt as if he fit. The air force had been his solace. It was a place where he shined, where his talents were understood and valued. He took his duty to his men and his country seriously. Most soldiers did, but he was a pilot. They inhabited a special place in the military hierarchy, and Trip would have been lying had he not acknowledged how much he liked that feeling of belonging.

  Ashton makes me feel like that. As if I belong to her. As if I’m enough.

  Chapter Nine

  December 24—9:30 p.m.

  “Ashton, can I talk with you for just a moment?”

  Ash looked up from the tray of drinks she was pouring for one of the waitresses. She hadn’t even heard Ella approach—that’s how busy she and Oz were. What could possibly be so important that Ella wanted Ash to dump everything on Oz? There hadn’t even been time for a potty break in hours.

  “Um, could it wait until the group in the Griffin Room starts their white-elephant gift exchange? I think things will slow down then.” Ashton offered a bright smile to temper her response.

  “Actually, I think Ossian can handle things here for just a moment.” Ella glanced meaningfully at her eldest son. “I really need to speak with you.”

  A chill crawled uncomfortably across Ashton’s skin. “Okay, if you’re sure.”

  She followed the older woman back into the narrow hallway connecting the bar to the patio. She was uncomfortably aware of Gavin’s presence in the kitchen to her right. “What is it, Ella?”

  Ella McKinloch pursed her lips. “You haven’t been with us for that long, but you were so good to Morrie. And since that whole awful thing with the dentist happened, you’ve become one of the family.”

  Warmth filled Ashton from her head to her toes. She’d never had much of a family, but the McKinlochs had become a little bit like a surrogate family to her. It was nice to know they felt the same. “Thanks, Ella. That means a lot.”

  “Let me finish, sweetie. Gavin and I were talking with Aiden—Trip—earlier.”

  The warmth receded, and a lump formed in Ash’s belly.

  The corners of Ella’s mouth plunged downward. “It was brought to our attention that Aiden might have acted…inappropriately toward you this past summer.”

  A strange thought took root in Ashton’s mind. Ella was obviously horribly uncomfortable with this discussion. So was Ash. But what Ella was suggesting was something she should have known Trip to be incapable of doing.

  “Stop,” Ashton said. “Are you trying to suggest that Trip somehow coerced or forced himself on me?”

  “Not exactly. I just know he can be quite persuasive, especially when he’s found something he wants.” Ella fiddle
d with the thick wedding band on her left ring finger. “I just don’t want you to think that you have to accept his attentions. One mistake on a hot summer night doesn’t lock you into anything. Gavin and I know you’re just not that kind of girl.”

  Ella’s jumbled words began to take shape. Ashton didn’t care for the insinuations. “For starters, Trip has never had to convince or coerce me. I was absolutely taken with him the first time we met. Since that night I haven’t been able to get him out of my mind.” Ash felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment, but there was nothing for it. Discussing your one-night stand with his mother would definitely go on her short list of weird situations.

  Ella looked outraged. “Then why, if you were interested in Trip, would you play Gavin like you did?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Gavin is so quiet and unassuming. He’s been letting you know for months how he felt. Why didn’t you say anything?” Ella demanded.

  Ashton looked helplessly at the ceiling, hoping the right words would somehow come to her. “I’m sorry, but I never encouraged Gavin. If being nice is encouraging him, I’ll make certain to be mean to every other member of your family lest I give someone the wrong idea.” She felt an overwhelming urge to go home, curl into a corner, and try to get her bearings. Unfortunately, she couldn’t leave Ossian in the lurch like that. It wasn’t his fault his mother liked to meddle in other people’s love lives. “You know what? I think we need to be done with this conversation.”

  Turning on her heel, she stalked back out to the bar. One of the waitresses had just finished keying in an order for sixteen Santa shots. Ash began loading tall shot glasses onto a tray, glad for something to keep her mind busy.

  Oz frowned. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “Ask your mother.” Ashton slammed the bottle of grenadine on the countertop and reached for the crème de menthe and peppermint schnapps.

  “What did she say?”