Once Upon a Christmas

by Kathryn Kelly

  “It must be,” Jonathan agreed. “I thought the snow would delay him.” He’d hoped Edward would have skipped stopping by. He’d been looking forward to spending the evening next to the fireplace with Vaughn nestled at his side. Edward was really more of a coworker than a friend. He was a little perplexed at this unexpected visit. Edward had never come here before.

  Jonathan went to open the front door. “Edward, come in.” He ushered the man inside. “How did you get here in this weather?”

  “I didn’t have a choice. I have to be on base by morning, so I’m just stopping by on a break.”

  “Why the rush?” Jonathan asked.

  Edward didn’t answer. He was staring at Vaughn, who was putting the last of the decorations on the tree.

  Jonathan squelched the urge to punch his friend for staring at his girl as Vaughn turned and smiled at them.

  Edward looked at him, his face full of questions.

  “Edward, this is my girlfriend, Vaughn.”

  “You’ve been holding out,” Edward said, moving toward Vaughn.

  “It’s nice to meet you, sir,” she said, holding out her hand, palm down.

  Edward took her hand, without a hitch at the unconventional greeting. “The pleasure is all mine,” he said as he kissed the back of her hand.

  “Why the rush to get back to base?” Jonathan asked again, wanting to boot his friend out now.

  Edward released Vaughn’s hand and turned back to Jonathan. He put a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s talk,” he said, leading Jonathan toward the parlor.

  Jonathan was relieved that they were walking away from Vaughn. When they were out of earshot, he answered. “Things are escalating,” he said.

  “Escalating? How?”

  “I’m not sure, but the rumor is we may be called back earlier than we thought.”

  “But we’re leaving in only three weeks.”

  “It’ll be sooner. Mark my words.”

  “How much sooner?”

  “Not sure. Probably at least a week.”

  “Damn,” Jonathan said, turning away and putting his palm against the back of the nearest chair. He rubbed his forehead with his other hand.

  It was bad enough knowing he had to leave her right after the new year, but now he would be leaving around Christmas – in less than two weeks. It was too much to ask. He barely had time to get her ready. And now he had that much less time with her before he had to leave.

  “Yeah, I wouldn’t be happy either if I had to leave a girl like that.”

  “You’ve got your wife,” Jonathan said. “And your baby.”

  “I hope this girl will wait for you, man,” Edward said.

  “What are you talking about?” Jonathan felt his face flush.

  “I’ve never known you to have a girlfriend. Now you bag a hot babe like that.” Edward shook his head. “I don’t know. A year’s a long time.”

  “She’s not your business,” Jonathan said.

  “You never know. I might come home before you.”

  Before he knew what he was doing, he had his hands on Edward’s neck and shoved him against the wall.

  “Don’t you ever disrespect her like that again,” he said between his teeth.

  Edward’s eyes were wide as grunted beneath the pressure on his neck.

  Stepping back, Jonathan shoved him to the floor. “Get out,” he said.

  Edward got to his feet and stood glaring at Jonathan. “I was just joshing, man.”

  “We may have to sit in a plane together, but I don’t want to ever see you around here again, and I never want to hear you speak of her again. Ever.”

  Edward moved toward the door. “Geez,” he said.

  “If I even suspect you came near her, I will kill you.”

  Edward scowled at him, but hurried went out the front door, slamming it behind him.

  Vaughn came to the doorway and looked at Jonathan. “Where did Edward go?”

  Chapter 23

  Vaughn had heard the scuffling coming from the parlor.

  “He had to leave before the roads get any worse.”

  It was already dark outside, and Vaughn knew that the roads were already treacherous. She also knew that Jonathan had kicked his friend out.

  Vaughn hadn’t liked the way Edward looked at her. His eyes had swept her from head to toe. His smile had been overly familiar, and he’d held her hand too long. She was glad he had left.

  She didn’t like seeing Jonathan riled up this way, even on her account. His hands were fisted at his sides, and his face had a hint of red as he stared out the window, watching the lights from Edward’s truck travel away from the house.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  He took a deep breath, blinked, and focused on her. “For what?” He asked.

  “For protecting my honor.”

  “Come here,” he said, holding out a hand toward her.

  She went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. As he put his arms around her, she leaned her cheek against his chest. This man set her heart aflutter and made her feel safe.

  The fire crackled behind them in the fireplace, and the clock chimed seven times. A blanket of snow covered the house.

  Vaughn sighed.

  Jonathan nudged her back and found her lips with his. This kiss was different from the last. This kiss was deeper. His lips claimed hers, and his tongue caressed her lips.

  Vaughn leaned into him, unable to get close enough.

  He moved his lips to the side of her mouth and sent fiery tingles all through her. His lips traveled along her cheek to her earlobe. Her eyes closed, she leaned back, and pushed toward him all at the same time. Then he kissed her eyelids.

  “I’m probably going to be leaving sooner than I thought,” he said. Her eyes fluttered open. Why had he stopped kissing her?

  “I have so much to teach you. We’ll have to start tomorrow. As soon as the roads clear, I have to teach you to drive.”

  “Uh huh,” she said, not sure what she was agreeing to. How could he even think? His kisses had her thoughts so befuddled that she could hardly focus at all.

  “Vaughn,” he said, pulling her to him again. “Please wait for me.”

  Wait for him. Vaughn would wait for him.

  There was one minor problem, however. She didn’t know how she came to here to begin with. Or how long she would be here.

  How could she make a promise when she didn’t know if she could keep it?

  Chapter 24

  The next morning came with sunshine. There was only a light dusting of snow on the ground. Jonathan moved his sawhorses to the back veranda out of the dampness. He felt pressure to get the repairs done as soon as possible so that the house would be in good shape while he was gone. He didn’t want Vaughn worrying about rotten floors or cabinet doors falling off the hinges.

  Jonathan took some measurements in the kitchen to replace a cabinet door that had fallen in disrepair. Disrepair. More like falling apart. He was going to have to make a new cabinet door from scratch.

  The measurements in his head, he went outside, put a board on the sawhorses, drew some lines across the boards with a pencil, and picked up the Skil-saw.

  He glanced up when Vaughn appeared in the doorway, looked at the lines on the board, then back up to her. He lowered the saw and straightened up.

  She’d pulled her hair up on top of her head, leaving ringlets to frame her face. And she was wearing the blue dress she’d found in the trunk.

  The skirt flowed around her in volumes of silk. She was a vision from the past. From the antebellum days when ladies wore hoop skirts and men courted them.

  She smiled, and his heart lodged in his throat. This dress had been made for this girl. Unlike the clothes he had bought her, this dress brought out her beauty like nothing else.

  “What do you think?” She asked, coming onto the veranda and twirling around him.

  He struggled to find words to describe the vision in front of him. “You’re beautiful,” h
e said. It was the only thought he could focus on.

  The other thought, he couldn’t say out loud. The other thought was that she would make a beautiful bride in that dress.

  She moved in the dress as though she dressed this way all the time.

  Jonathan had forgotten that he held the Skil-saw. It slipped from his hand and began falling. The cord, however, was wrapped around his ankle and as he went to grab it with his other hand, the switch turned on.

  The unexpected loud buzz of the saw caused him to jump back. When he did, he tripped on the tangled cords, and fell onto the porch floor.

  The blade of the saw sliced against his thigh on its way to the floor. He dropped it and it turned off, leaving only an echo of sound in the air.

  “Mon Dieu!” Vaughn cried, racing toward him to kneel next to him.

  The pain in Jonathan’s thigh was like nothing else he had ever experienced. Grasping his leg, he fell to his knees.

  “Jonathan!” Vaughn said, but he barely heard her. Instead he saw men falling to the ground in Vietnam as he did a flyby, bullets shooting from the plane.

  His hands slick with blood, he closed his eyes against the pain.

  Chapter 25

  Vaughn was covered in blood. She swallowed the sickness at the back of her throat. She needed to stop the bleeding.

  Reaching under her skirt, she found her petticoat and ripped off a strip. The material was old and ripped easily. She pushed his hands aside and began wrapping the wound.

  She couldn’t tell the extent of the wound, but it appeared to be flesh only. His bone appeared to be intact. That machine he’d been using could have easily cut his leg completely off.

  His eyes fluttered open. “You have to get me to the hospital,” he said.

  “Where?” She tied off the bandage, but it was already soaked with blood.

  The hospital. She glanced up, instinctively looking for a horse. She pressed her fingers against her forehead. No horses. Stay calm and think.

  She would have to get him to the truck. Fortunately, it was parked only a few feet away.

  “Come on,” she said, nudging him.

  He groaned.

  “Help me get you up,” she said, tugging at his arm. “Come on,” she insisted. “I won’t let you die.”

  They managed to get him to his feet and down the stairs. By the time they got to the truck, he had practically all his weight on her. She stared at the door to the truck. “How does it open?”

  He pointed to the handle. “Pull,” he said.

  She opened the door and somehow managed to push him inside. He leaned his head against the back of the seat, his eyes closed again.

  She dashed around to the driver’s side and climbed inside. Why had she put this dress on today of all days? Once she was inside, she stared at the dashboard. Now what?

  “Keys,” he said.

  She looked at him blankly.

  “Go inside and get the keys. Hanging by the back door.” His voice sounded weak.

  She climbed out of the truck and, gathering her skirts up, dashed up the stairs, inside the house, and found the keys hanging on a nail by the back door.

  She ran back to the truck and climbed back in.

  Should she put on a fresh bandage or start driving?

  It made sense to get him to the hospital as soon as possible.

  Fumbling with the keys, she found one that fit into the keyhole. She turned the key and the truck roared to life.

  She reached over, shook Jonathan, and said. “Help me!”

  He walked her through the basics to get them moving down the driveway. Vaughn sat forward, her hands clutching the wheel, her right foot pressing on the pedal. Her left foot rested against the brake, ready to stop at any moment.

  She reached the end of the driveway and stopped.

  “Which way?” She asked.

  Jonathan didn’t answer. She shook him again. “Where’s the hospital?”

  He looked up, his eyes glazed over now. “That way,” he said, pointing left.

  She turned the wheel to the left and then pressed on the pedal that made the truck move. Another truck, this one with no bed, flew past them and honked as they passed by.

  Jonathan sat up. “Stay on the right side of the road. When you get into town, you’ll see signs pointing you to the hospital.”

  She nodded and steered the truck out of the middle of the road.

  Jonathan ran his hands over the bandage, then leaned back again. He wiped the blood from his hands onto his pants.

  Vaughn pressed her foot down harder on the pedal, and the truck sped up. Her knuckles turned white against the wheel, and she focused all her concentration on driving.

  As they drew close to what must be the town, the traffic picked up. There were trucks of all shapes and sizes rushing around them. She didn’t know if Jonathan had passed out, but either way, it took all her focus to steer the truck.

  Chapter 26

  “Pull over,” Jonathan said.

  “What?” Vaughn said through clenched teeth.

  She had obviously never driven before, and she had no idea where to go. He sat up a little straighter and took a deep breath. Some of the initial shock had worn off. He could still feel his toes, so his leg hadn’t been severed.

  “Pull over here,” he said, pointing to a parking lot.

  After she pulled over, he scooted over to the middle and put the truck in park. “Climb over,” he said.

  She looked askance at him. “If you’re going to drive,” she said, “I’ll go around.”

  “Okay,” he agreed. While she climbed out of the truck, he managed to pull himself into the driver’s seat. He waited until she was safely back inside before he took off.

  He was driving much too fast, but he wanted to make sure he made it to the hospital before he passed out.

  He pulled up to the ER and turned off the motor. “Go inside and tell them you need help,” he said.

  Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a blur of blue before he passed out.

  Chapter 27

  Jonathan lay in a hospital bed, hooked up to a machine. Vaughn sat in a chair next to him.

  They hadn’t let her in at first, but that had been a few hours ago.

  They’d cleaned him up, but she still had blood all over her dress. Someone, a doctor or nurse, she didn’t know, had told her that he was going to be all right. They said he’d been in shock, but the wound would heal in a few days.

  She leaned across the bed and ran her fingers through his hair. Whatever they had given him had caused him to sleep for hours.

  She refused to leave him until he woke up.

  This man had become dear to her in such a short time.

  She linked her fingers though his hand and chastised herself… again. She never should have gone outside when he was working. He’d nearly lost a leg, or worse, because she’d been so irresponsible as to distract him while he worked.

  Exhausted, she crawled onto the bed and curled up next to him.

  “Vaughn,” she heard her name and jerked her head up. She must have fallen asleep.

  “Jonathan,” she said. “You’re awake.”

  “Is this Heaven?”

  “Hardly.”

  “You did it,” he said. “You saved my life.”

  “On the contrary,” she said. “I nearly cost you your life.”

  He shook his head. “No, my love, I was the idiot.”

  She smiled. “We were idiots together.”

  He smiled back, and her heart beat much too quickly.

  “Am I going to walk again?” He asked.

  “They said it was minor. That you went into shock.”

  “I thought I’d cut my damn leg off.”

  “You almost did. That thing – that Skil saw – is quite dangerous.”

  “I was hoping to have my tour delayed a bit. I guess it didn’t work.”

  “They said it won’t affect your ability to be a soldier.”

  He ran a hand alo
ng her cheek. “That’s unfortunate.”

  She closed her eyes and leaned toward him. “Unfortunate. Yes.”

  There was a quick knock on the door, and a man in a white coat was standing at the foot of the bed. “You seem to be feeling much better,” he said.

  Vaughn started to move, but Jonathan wrapped his arms around her and held her next to him.

  “I just woke up,” Jonathan said. “How does it look?”

  “You can go home,” the doctor said. “But stay off that leg for three days.” He looked at Jonathan over his glasses. “And don’t drive home.”

  Chapter 28

  Vaughn and Jonathan settled into a routine over the next couple of days. Vaughn had driven home – this time under Jonathan’s watchful tutelage.

  Jonathan had slept downstairs on the sofa in front of the fireplace in order to avoid going up and down the stairs.

  He had shown her how to wash the blue dress in the washing machine, but that hadn’t turned out so well. Not only had the stains not come out, but the material was so old that the dress had come out of the machine ripped into little more than shreds. She’d been close to tears.

  “I’ll never forget the way you looked in it,” Jonathan had said, pulling her close and kissing her on the top of her head.

  Jonathan’s letter came on Tuesday.

  Vaughn had gone to the mailbox and sat next to him as he opened his mail.

  “I have to leave December 24,” he said.

  “But that’s Christmas Eve,” Vaughn said.

  Jonathan nodded. He felt sick to his stomach. Not only was he having to leave her, but he was having to leave her on Christmas Eve. It was a cruel hand life had dealt him.

  “I promise I’ll spend every Christmas after this making it up to you,” he said, taking both her hands in his and kissing each fingertip one by one.

  “I plan to hold you to that, Jonathan Becquerel,” Vaughn said, her eyes fluttering closed as he pressed his lips against hers.

  Chapter 29