Christmas In Delaney Mountain

by Alford, Mary;

  Getting him out of her thoughts kept her sleepless, considering possibilities she had no business thinking about for hours to come.

  

  He waited until he heard the sound of locks sliding into place before climbing behind the wheel of the Jeep. Even after he’d started the vehicle, something kept him there. Maybe it was the fear in her eyes, the unwelcome vulnerability about her that made him wonder again why she’d come to such a remote area in the first place.

  Inside the small, log-sided house, more lights went on. First one, then another. Kara wouldn’t be sleeping for quite some time. Neither would he.

  She’s hurting, Lord. Help her.

  He rolled the driver’s side window down. By most people’s standards, the night would be considered cold. At this time of the year, the temperature averaged in the upper thirties. Still, he needed the fresh air to clear his head. He couldn’t afford to get personally involved in her affairs. He’d helped her out because it was the right thing to do. He’d seen the panic in her eyes when he’d mentioned she needed a new battery. Obviously, she couldn’t afford one. His relationship with Kara was business. Anything more between them was out of the question. He needed Kara at work and on time. That was why he’d helped her out.

  Besides, he told his traitorous heart, he’d tried love before and it had ended in disaster. After his divorce from Rachel, he’d vowed never to go down that path again. Some people weren’t marriage material. His father had been one of them, and David was cut from the same cloth as his old man.

  He’d asked God a dozen times for understanding. But he knew why he’d hired Kara. Even though she had limited secretarial experience, and she was as closed off as anyone he’d ever seen, something about her made him want to help. Maybe it was because he saw a lot of himself in her. He’d once been that lost.

  There’d been desperation in her eyes when he’d interviewed her. So far, she hadn’t let him down. She’d been dependable and good at her work. What she didn’t know she spent time learning, with a quiet efficiency that was amazing, at times. He hoped his faith in her continued to prove accurate. He couldn’t afford to be wrong about her or his hunches.

  David parked in front of the ranch house and went inside.

  Betsy, his orange and black tabby cat, came to greet him. Betsy had given birth to four kittens about ten weeks ago in the barn. With the cold weather and the snow, David had brought Betsy and her babies inside and tucked them into the great room. He enjoyed playing with the kittens.

  “Betsy, how are the babies?” he asked and patted the cat’s head.

  She meowed her answer and followed him into the kitchen.

  He poured some food in Betsy’s bowl and made coffee, despite the lateness of the hour. After the coffee brewed, he took a cup into the great room. He settled on the sofa and Betsy hopped up and curled into his lap.

  All four kittens slept peacefully in their bed in the corner of room.

  His thoughts went back to the woman who had been keeping him awake for too many days. He thought about how to go about winning her trust enough to tell him what was troubling her. He’d read her resume, and she’d moved around a lot. What was she running from?

  His natural cautious nature kicked in, and his mind shut off the notion of getting to know her better. David shook his head and took a sip of coffee. “Whatever it is, it’s none of my business, Betsy. I have enough problems of my own. I don’t need to be taking on extra.”

  Keeping a clear head was essential. Which meant steering clear of any distractions. Kara Edwards was a distraction he couldn’t afford. Whatever problems she was running away from were hers. He couldn’t afford to get personally involved.

  His heart didn’t agree.

  3

  Kara parked in front of David’s house and went to the door. She couldn’t quite disguise the sleepless night. Part was due to her boss’s visit. Part was the past. It hadn’t helped that when she got ready to leave her house this morning, she’d noticed footprints leading out from the wooded area behind her house. Someone had walked around her place. Please, don’t let it be him…

  Kara stifled a scream when the door opened freely in her hand.

  David stood on the other side, a question in his expression.

  Nerves frazzled, she froze for a second. Normally, she’d go straight to the office where he was usually already busy with work.

  Today, he looked as if he’d spent a restless night as well. “Kara,” he said and then glanced at his watch. “Sorry, I didn’t realize it was so late. I overslept.”

  Once her heartbeat slowed, her gaze slid to his still damp hair. He must have just gotten out of the shower.

  “No problem. I’ll just get started,” she mumbled.

  “Hang on a second.”

  She turned back to him.

  “There’s no hurry. Take off your jacket. Coffee’s fresh. Why don’t you join me in a cup?” He smiled and it wiped some of the strain of the last few weeks away as his expression lightened.

  Her cheeks grew warm. Why did he have to look so handsome? A little more of her resistance crumbled away. He was a good man, and he’d bought a battery for her vehicle. She’d pushed him away enough to feel guilty. Perhaps having a friend would be OK. She let go of her worries and gave in. What did it hurt to have coffee with him? He was her boss, after all. “Thank you that would be nice,” she managed.

  Their gazes tangled. He let out a breath, and she followed the lines of his mouth. He had a nice mouth.

  “Well, good,” he said and then headed for the kitchen.

  She hesitated a second longer and then followed him.

  David took out a second cup and poured it for her. “Cream and sugar?” he asked. He seemed nervous. Was it her or something else?

  “Both, please.” When he handed her the cup, Kara took a sip. Not the brand of coffee she bought at McDougal’s Grocery store. “This is delicious.”

  “Thanks. I have a friend in Denver who owns his own coffee house. He’s constantly grinding up different blends.”

  “Well, this one is very nice.” It had been years since she’d talked to a man in anything other than a business relationship. In fact, all her relationships had been almost nonexistent until Amy. And now, here she was, breaking her own rule about personal involvement, sitting in her boss’s kitchen having coffee.

  Something rubbed against her legs. An orange cat was purring and glancing up at her.

  David chuckled. “That’s Betsy. I’m guessing she’s ready for her breakfast and her kittens will be right behind her.”

  On cue, four kittens of various colors bounded into the kitchen.

  Kara couldn’t help but laugh. They were adorable. She patted their little heads and glanced up at David in wonder. “They’re precious.”

  He poured food in their bowls and knelt near her. “Yeah, I’ve never been much of a cat person, but Betsy and her brood have won me over.”

  Maya would love to be here right now. “You are very blessed to have them. What will you do with them all?” Perhaps it was possible in the future to put down some serious roots. Get a pet for Maya.

  “Probably keep them. This is their home. I’m thinking they’ll keep mice out of the barns. Why, do you want one?”

  She froze. “No, I’m just glad they’ve got a good home.”

  They were inches apart. She looked into his eyes and saw something shift there. Kara sucked in a breath as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. She hadn’t been touched by anyone except Maya and Amy since…him. It was hard to accept a simple act of human kindness from this man whom she couldn’t afford to get close to. Kara got to her feet.

  David did as well. “Are you OK?” he asked in concern.

  “I’m fine,” she managed without looking at him. “I should probably get to work.” She took her coffee and headed away without waiting for his answer.

  

  He’d been sitting in his office, staring out at the snow
y day. Since he’d touched her that morning, he’d kept his distance. It was just an impulse, but she clearly wasn’t expecting it, and he could have kicked himself. There for a little while, he’d thought they were making progress. He was getting to know her a little better. And then the wall had gone up again. David glanced at his watch. It was going on noon.

  Kara normally buzzed him when she was taking her lunch break. Had something happened?

  He went out to her work area.

  She was still working on her computer.

  “Hey, isn’t it your lunchtime?”

  She glanced up. “Actually, I left the house in a hurry. I forgot to pack my lunch,” she admitted reluctantly.

  He smiled sympathetically. Had she forgotten his foolish mistake from earlier?

  “We’ll you’re in luck, because I made a pot of stew yesterday. It was my mother’s recipe, but I think I did her justice. Want to share it with me?”

  She stared for long seconds, as if debating with herself, and then nodded. “That sounds nice.”

  The weight of his mistake this morning lifted from his shoulders. “Well, good then. It won’t take a moment to heat up.” David went to the kitchen, took out the container of stew and dumped it into a large pot.

  “Let me set the table.”

  He pointed to the cabinet. “Bowls in there. Spoons are in that drawer by the stove.” He returned to stirring the stew, aware of Kara moving around the room, sometimes close to him. She smelled good. The scent of her perfume tantalized his senses. She was a beautiful woman, and he was becoming more enamored and more curious about her with every day they were together.

  David filled two bowls with stew, and she carried them over to the table.

  As they sat together, he realized he’d never shared a meal with her. Normally, she ate at her desk, and he usually threw a sandwich together. This was nice.

  He said a quick prayer to himself, and then tucked into the stew. It had been good yesterday, but today it hit the spot.

  “This is delicious. Do you like to cook?” Kara asked him curiously.

  He pulled a face. “Sometimes. It depends on what it is. Being on your own, you learn to fend for yourself.”

  “I understand that. I’m not much of a cook myself,” she admitted.

  “I wasn’t until after my divorce. Then, well, I got tired of take out and started experimenting with some of my mom’s old recipes. She was a tremendous cook.”

  “You were married?” She looked surprised, and then dismayed at her personal question. “Oh, sorry, that’s none of my business.”

  “No, it’s OK. I was married for a few years. It…didn’t work out, so we went our separate ways.” He could now admit he wasn’t the type of man he needed to be back then. He was trying hard to change that. “What about you? Have you ever been married?” Had he overstepped his boundaries? But he really wanted to know.

  “Yes…once,” she slowly told him. “He was a Marine and was killed in action in Afghanistan.”

  David touched her hand. She didn’t pull away. Thank you, God. “Your husband was a Marine?” At her nod, he continued. “So was I.”

  “Really? I’m not surprised. You guys are cut from a different cloth from the rest of the world.” She smiled. “Is that what happened to your leg?”

  He nodded. He was proud of his service to his country. “Yes. I was wounded when we invaded a deserted house looking for enemy combatants. I got this as a reminder. But some didn’t get to come home.” He immediately regretted his words when tears filled her eyes. “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been, losing your husband like that.”

  She stared off in the distance as if remembering. “It was crippling for a while. Bryce was my whole world. The love of my life. I still miss him terribly.”

  As he struggled to come up with something to change the subject, she got to her feet and took her bowl over to the kitchen sink. Reluctantly, he did the same. The camaraderie was gone.

  They cleaned their lunch dishes in silence.

  “Well, I’ll just get back to work then unless you need me for anything else.”

  “No, but thank you for having lunch with me. Maybe we should make it part of our routine?”

  “I’d like that.” She turned and walked away.

  David it felt as if he’d overcome a major hurdle. He’d finally gotten her to talk to him about something other than business.

  4

  The gun’s barrel was cold against her temple. “You’ve been a very bad girl, Kara,” he said and his grip tightened in her hair. Several clumps pulled free from the roots. She tried to scramble away, but gaining any leverage on the cold marble floor was next to impossible. It dug into her knees, bruising. He laughed, the ugly sound followed by the click of the gun.

  She woke, shivering and scared. Kara would never forget either of those sounds for as long as she lived. Cold sweat beaded her forehead. She glanced around her tiny bedroom. “I’m safe. It was only a dream. I’m safe.”

  If only it were that simple. But she’d once trusted the man responsible for her nightmares. Until she’d seen the true monster lurking beneath and learned the truth. Bryce had barely been dead two months when Eli Redford came into her life and made the pain hurt a little less. He’d claimed to be Bryce’s comrade in arms in Afghanistan. All the touching, sometimes heroic stories he’d shared about her husband’s days there had been lies. The conditions of Eli’s discharge, months before Bryce’ death, came to light early on. By then, the monster had emerged and the nightmare began.

  When she’d tried to get away, he’d told her she belonged to him, threatened her life, and her unborn child’s. And so, she’d walked into the local police department.

  Soon all the frightening details of Eli’s past emerged. He’d been obsessed with other women, dishonorably discharged from the Marines, and committed to a psychiatric hospital. Bryce had visited his old friend on his last leave and the obsession with Bryce’s wife had begun.

  The final straw came when Eli showed up at her new apartment and kidnapped her. She’d almost lost her baby. He’d been arrested and sentenced to a prison term, and she had thought the nightmare was over. She’d given birth to Maya a short time later.

  And she’d been informed that Eli had escaped. He was still at large, and following his usual pattern, probably out there somewhere searching for her…and Maya.

  Kara got out of bed and checked on Maya. Her little girl slept peacefully, but for Kara sleep was over. She went downstairs to the kitchen. The microwave clock said it was almost five in the morning.

  All day yesterday, she’d been on edge. She couldn’t get those footprints out of her head, and so she and Maya had stayed home. She’d checked the doors and locks several times during the day, occasionally peeking out the window to the woods behind the house. There had been nothing.

  She and Maya would be attending church with Amy in a few more hours.

  Joining the small community church that Amy had attended most of her life had been a tremendous blessing. As a child, she’d attended church with her grandmother, but had lost her way through the years. Yet God had never given up on her. Through all the bad decisions she’d made in her life, God had always been there, patiently waiting for her to return.

  Kara put on a pot of coffee and then got dressed. No need to wake Maya until necessary. The extra time spent doing mundane things like making the bed and straightening up the house helped to calm her nerves. She couldn’t let her daughter see her fear.

  It was only a matter of time before Maya began asking questions. Three moves over the last year of her life had seemed normal for Maya, who looked on each one as an adventure, not realizing most people put down roots and stayed in one place. When Maya started school, Kara expected a lot of questions, but she refused to think about that right now.

  She poured coffee into a cup, made oatmeal for herself and her daughter, and then went back to her daughter’s room. Kara sat down next to her sleep
ing baby.

  Sometimes, when Maya was sleeping like this, she looked so peaceful. Life almost felt normal. These were Kara’s favorite times. Watching her daughter grow up happy and healthy served as a reminder of the importance of her sacrifices. She’d do anything for Maya. Gently, Kara kissed her daughter’s cheek and stroked back a strand of her silky brown hair, so much like her own.

  Maya stirred, flicked a hand across her face and woke. Her startling brown eyes, an inheritance from Bryce, met her mother’s glance.

  Just looking at her daughter took Kara’s breath away and sent her back to those blissfully precious years with her husband. At times it felt like an eternity ago. They’d been high school sweethearts. They’d married young, struggled to keep afloat financially. When Bryce joined the Marines, right after high school, she hadn’t thought anything about it. He’d come from a family of service men. It seemed only natural.

  Bryce had come home on a two week leave while she was finishing college and within a few weeks of his return to Afghanistan, she’d discovered she was pregnant. Bryce was overjoyed and they’d made plans for their life and their baby when he returned from overseas for good. Only he’d died, and she’d had to go on alone. She’d finished college and then …Eli had destroyed what little life she’d been able to build for her daughter. And now they ran. And they would keep running and hiding. She couldn’t subject Maya to someone like Eli.

  “Mommy.” Her daughter’s sweet innocent smile sent her troubles scattering in the wind.

  Kara smiled down at her. “Yes, baby.”

  Maya sat up in bed and threw her tiny arms around her mother. “I love you.”

  “Oh, I love you too, baby. Ready for breakfast?” Maya’s tiny nod was all that was needed. Kara lifted her daughter into her arms, Maya’s legs circling her mother’s body as they made their way carefully down the stairs.

  Kara poured juice and sat a steaming bowl of oatmeal in front of her daughter.

  Maya dug her spoon deep into the bowl and slowly leveraged the heaping bite into her open mouth.

  “Smaller bites, baby.” Kara smiled and reminded Maya.