A Family for Christmas (Willow Park #3)

by Noelle Adams

  “Definitely not.” He smiled at her as he started to uncork the bottle. “How was your bath?”

  “Nice. It’s a fantastic tub. This is all so nice.”

  “Good. I’m glad you like it.” His eyes were resting on her face, and she had no idea what the expression meant.

  She felt strangely shy as she accepted a glass of champagne and sipped it. Gabe somehow looked even more attractive than he had earlier in his wedding suit. Now, he looked relaxed, slightly rumbled, domestic.

  Like there was nothing more than a thin layer of fabric keeping her from his body.

  She suddenly wanted to touch his body.

  She had no idea what was going on with her, since she hadn’t been inordinately troubled in that way in the past. But now she was actually having to stop herself from reaching out to stroke her hands over his chest.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked, sipping his own glass. They were both still standing near the cart.

  There was no way in hell she was going to tell him what she was thinking. “Nothing. Just that it’s a little strange. To be married, I mean.”

  “I know.” He gave her that small, whimsical smile she liked. “But I think we’ll get used to it.”

  “Yeah. I’m sure we will. Did you call to check on Ellie?”

  “She’s doing fine. They took her out for pizza for dinner, so that made her happy.”

  “Good.” She couldn’t help but notice the dark stubble on his jaw. She couldn’t help but wonder how it would feel against her palm. Her eyes drifted down to his lean hips and strong thighs.

  She wondered if it ever crossed his mind to be aroused by her. She wasn’t any sort of beauty queen, but she wasn’t bad looking. Surely she was capable of turning a man on.

  Not that she’d ever tried.

  They were married. This was their wedding night. There was really no reason why they shouldn’t have sex.

  He’d said it was a standing offer.

  She could just ask for it.

  She opened her mouth but no sound came out. The words got stuck in her throat.

  She was used to saying exactly what she thought, but there was absolutely no way she could bring herself to ask Gabe for sex.

  “Well, I think I’m going to try to get some work done,” he said, topping off his glass.

  “Work? Seriously?”

  “Yeah. I can’t call or email anyone, since they would think it was strange on my wedding night, but I’ve got other work I can do. Just let me know if you need anything.”

  She stared at him as he walked across the living area and into his bedroom. He closed the door behind him.

  She sighed, slumping down slightly.

  What had she expected? They’d agreed they wouldn’t have sex. She could hardly expect him to make a move on her anyway.

  Well, some men might have, but not Gabe. He really was a gentleman.

  Plus, he hadn’t seemed all that attracted to her.

  Plus, he’d gotten really burned before and wasn’t going to open himself up with another women.

  Plus, none of it really mattered because, in a few months, she’d be in India.

  She filled her glass of champagne and went to watch TV in her bedroom.

  Happy wedding night to her.

  Five

  Lydia pushed around eggs in a pan and tried to stay awake.

  It was just six-thirty in the morning, but Gabe and Ellie always seemed to get up early, and she thought it would be nice to fix breakfast on their first day back from their “honeymoon” weekend.

  The weekend hadn’t been miserable. It hadn’t been particularly good, but she shouldn’t have expected it to be. Gabe worked most of the time, although they did spend one afternoon hiking and one afternoon at the Biltmore Estate.

  He was still wrapping up stuff with his company, but there was very little she could do herself. She’d made some notes on the possible business project for the rescued girls—maybe jewelry or some sort of craft—and otherwise she read or watched TV or worked out.

  It was relaxing, but she was happy when the weekend was over and they returned to Willow Park.

  Gabe was perfectly polite, and being in such close quarters with him kept building her attraction for him—but he still sometimes felt like an intimate stranger.

  She occasionally tried to bring up more personal topics—like their conversation on the veranda—but he didn’t open up like that to her again.

  She told herself not to be annoyed or impatient. While it might be nice if they could be friends, it wasn’t necessary for their arrangement. And maybe it would just take more time.

  Her eggs were starting to scramble when a voice behind her said, “What are you doing?”

  She turned around to see Ellie, who was fully dressed in jeans, a snowflake sweater, and two long braids.

  No lounging around in her pajamas for Ellie. Lydia felt a little sloppy in her flannel pants, sweatshirt, and unbrushed hair.

  “I’m making breakfast,” she said, smiling at the girl as brightly as she could. “You like eggs and bacon, don’t you?”

  Ellie didn’t answer. Just peered at the stovetop suspiciously.

  “Do you want some orange juice?”

  “I’ll get it.” Ellie stepped in front of Lydia on her way to the refrigerator, so Lydia let the girl grab the container and pour for herself.

  The girl then went to sit down at the table with her juice.

  Trying to think of a topic of conversation, Lydia asked, “So how was your weekend with your grandparents? Did you do anything fun?”

  Again, Ellie ignored the question. “Where’s Daddy?”

  “He was in his room earlier, but I’m sure he’ll be down soon.”

  She’d heard the shower running as she’d been on her way out and had to force from her mind the vision of Gabe naked in the shower.

  “Oh.”

  “So did you do anything fun with your Grandma and Grandpa this weekend?” Lydia tried again, blotting the bacon with a paper towel.

  Hopefully, Gabe would be down soon, or her valiant attempt to be nice would go to waste because the food would be cold.

  When Ellie didn’t answer, Lydia glanced over her shoulder. The girl was frowning down at her glass of juice.

  This was hopeless. The girl was never going to like her, and she was absolutely clueless about what to do to change it.

  “Ellie, you were asked a question,” Gabe said, as he walked into the kitchen. There was the slightest sternness in his voice.

  Ellie gave a little jerk of surprise at the sight of her father. “Sorry.” She took a deep breath and said, not looking at Lydia. “We went to the park and to church and to a big toy store in Dalton.”

  “Oh, that sounds like fun.” Lydia made sure to smile, but she felt uncomfortable because now Ellie would think she’d gotten her in trouble with her dad.

  She plated up eggs, toast, and bacon and brought two plates to the table.

  “Thanks for cooking,” Gabe said, filling a mug with coffee. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “I’m happy to.” She smiled at him and smiled at Ellie, even though she was already exhausted for the day.

  This marriage-of-convenience thing wasn’t as easy as she would have expected. They’d worked all kinds of stuff out beforehand, but there were so many little things she never would have thought to plan for.

  Gabe prayed before they started eating, and then she and Gabe talked about what they were going to do today.

  Lydia had some more boxes to unpack, and Gabe had some things come up with his company that needed addressing.

  “What did you want to do today?” Lydia asked, since Ellie was just frowning down at her plate, pushing her food around.

  Ellie gave a half-hearted shrug.

  “Answer with words,” Gabe murmured, that same edge of sternness in his tone.

  “I don’t know.” The girl shot Lydia a look that proved she wasn’t happy with her. “Read, I guess.” />
  Lydia started to ask what she was reading, but then she just gave up. No use in torturing the poor girl with a conversation she clearly didn’t want to have.

  She was spreading jelly on her toast when she noticed Gabe giving Ellie a focused, intentional look.

  She wasn’t sure what it meant until Ellie turned her fork the right way and started to eat her food instead of pushing it around.

  Suddenly, Lydia felt so uncomfortable that she had to fight the urge to just leave the room.

  She’d never wanted this—this kind of domestic scene, breakfast with a man and child.

  It wasn’t her, and it wasn’t like she was any good at it anyway.

  No one looked particularly happy this morning.

  Instead of brooding, she let out a breath and told herself it was just temporary.

  She could deal with anything, as long as there was light at the end of the tunnel.

  ***

  Later that day, Lydia was organizing books on a big bookcase in the family room.

  Gabe had already put some of his books there, but there were plenty of shelves left for hers. She had a fairly large collection, and there was no way she could take them all to India with her, so she might as well get them organized here.

  Gabe had taken Ellie out to lunch earlier, and Lydia had used the excuse of being on a roll with unpacking and not wanting to stop, so at least she’d been saved from that uncomfortableness.

  Now both Gabe and Ellie were in his office, so Lydia was able to work in peace.

  She was, at least, until she heard a knock on the door.

  She went to answer it and discovered Jessica—Daniel’s wife—on the doorstep with a casserole dish.

  “Hey,” Lydia said, returning Jessica’s smile. “Come on in.”

  “Sorry to just barge in,” Jessica explained, carrying the dish into the kitchen and putting it on a counter as she talked. “But I was so focused on making this without messing it up that I didn’t even think about calling first until I pulled into the driveway.”

  Lydia laughed. “It’s no problem at all. Did you manage it without messing up?”

  “I think so.” Jessica pulled away the cover and peered down at what looked like a poppyseed chicken casserole. “It looks okay, doesn’t it?”

  “It looks great. You didn’t have to make it.”

  “I wanted to. I’m sure you have enough to do, trying to settle in and then all the preparations for going to India.” Jessica had dark blond hair, blue eyes, and a tall, slim figure. Right now, however, she was visibly pregnant. She had been in Lydia’s grade all through school, but they’d never been really close—since Jessica was quiet and bookish and Lydia had always been involved in sports and student council.

  But Lydia liked her. And she knew her. It was nice to be with someone comfortable.

  “There’s actually not that much for me to be doing yet,” Lydia said. She gestured toward the family room, which connected with the kitchen. “I’m finishing up some books, but then the house will be in order. I might do some yard work—there’s a bunch of branches and stuff that needs clearing out—but otherwise I’ll have to make up things to do.”

  “This house is gorgeous,” Jessica said, looking around at the beautiful kitchen and family room.

  “Micah did it a couple of years ago. He always does a good job.”

  “Yeah. So what are you going to do to fill your time until you leave for India then?”

  “I don’t know. I might look around for volunteer work. I was actually wondering if I should get some sort of job, but who’s going to want to hire me for four months?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe Gabe has something for you to do. Daniel said he’s scrambling to tie up loose ends with his company before the summer.”

  Lydia hadn’t thought about that. She wondered if there might be something she could help him with. She was pretty smart, and she’d been through law school. She wasn’t used to having no purpose at all.

  “Where is he, by the way?” Jessica added.

  “He’s in his office with Ellie. You should say hello while you’re here.”

  They walked down the hall toward the office, which was at the back of the house. The door was shut, so Lydia automatically raised her hand to knock on it.

  Then she wondered if Jessica would think it was strange that she knocked on a door in her own home.

  “Just in case he’s on the phone,” Lydia murmured, using the only explanation she could think of for the knock.

  “Come,” Gabe called from inside.

  He sounded brusque, business-like.

  Not like an adoring newlywed husband.

  Jessica appeared to be hiding a smile when Lydia swung the door open.

  Gabe was at his desk, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, staring down at papers that were spread out all over his desk, gripping a pen in his hand.

  Ellie was sitting at a chair that was pulled up in front of the credenza, staring down at a spiral-bound notebook opened in front of her, gripping a pen in her hand.

  Lydia almost chuckled at how exactly alike they looked. Then she said, “Gabe, Jessica stopped by with a casserole.”

  Gabe blinked over at them, his eyes appearing more heavy-lidded than normal, as if he could barely pull his focus away from his work. “Oh. Thank you. Hi, Jessica.” He put his pen down and started to get up.

  “Hi. Please don’t get up. I can’t stay long. Just thought I’d save you all from the trouble of fixing dinner.”

  “We appreciate it,” Lydia said.

  “Yes, thank you.” Gabe glanced over at his daughter, who was still focused on writing in her notebook. “Ellie, say hello to Mrs. Duncan and thank her for the dinner she made for us.”

  Ellie looked up, and then smiled. “Thank you!” She sounded almost genuine. Much more genuine than she ever sounded with Lydia.

  “You’re welcome. What are you working on so hard in here?”

  “I’m writing a story.”

  “Is that for school?” Jessica asked.

  “No. My school is over until after Christmas. I’m writing a story for fun.”

  “Oh, wow. That sounds great. Maybe you’ll let me read it when you’re done.”

  “Maybe.”

  Ridiculously, Lydia was almost jealous over this pleasant conversation. Why couldn’t Ellie respond to her that way? She was the one who had to live with her, after all.

  She smothered a sigh and showed Jessica to the door.

  “That looks familiar,” Jessica said, nodding back toward the office and idly rubbing her rounded belly.

  “What does?”

  “Him. In the office that way with the door closed. Not that Daniel had a daughter with him, but still…” Jessica sighed. “Don’t let him stay in there all the time.”

  Lydia felt a strange little jump in her chest. “What do you mean?”

  “Maybe I’m wrong, but if he’s anything like Daniel, he’ll want to hide in there. Don’t let him hide from you.”

  Lydia suddenly felt uncomfortable again. Jessica didn’t have a weird marriage-of-convenience. She had a wonderful marriage with a man who adored her—whose adoration was obvious for all to see. Lydia wasn’t in the same situation. And, the truth was, she didn’t mind if Gabe hid in his office, since it meant she didn’t have to try to make pleasant conversation and pretend that their situation was normal.

  ***

  The following week, Lydia was doing some research on jewelry-making in India when Gabe knocked on her bedroom door.

  Her bedroom was large, with a sunny nook where she’d put a comfortable chair and her laptop. It was a very nice place to work.

  She’d been spending a lot of time there, since it felt private, like she could relax and just be herself.

  The rest of the time, she was trying to cook meals, take Ellie on errands, and clean up around the house. Gabe wasn’t a slob or anything, but he was obviously really busy with his work. Lydia wasn’t. She thought it was reasonable to mak
e an extra effort right now, just to prove that she was doing her part in the marriage. And Gabe seemed to accept it without question.

  Lydia put down her laptop when Gabe came in, though. He was carrying his phone.

  “I’ve got to go to Raleigh this evening,” he said, without preamble. “We’ve run into a bit of a snag with work.”

  “Okay,” she said, straightening up. “When will you be back?”

  “Tomorrow. It will just be a short trip. I’d rather not take Ellie, since I’ll be working the whole time. Do you mind her staying here?”

  “Oh.” Lydia blinked, her stomach dropping at the thought of being with the girl on her own for a day and a half. “Okay. Yeah, I guess that would be okay.”

  “Good. Thanks. I’m going to pack and take off right away.”

  “Where is Ellie now?”

  “She’s up in her room reading. I’ll go up and tell her before I leave.”

  “Okay.”

  Lydia didn’t like this idea. At all. She didn’t like to be solely responsible for a child’s welfare. And she definitely didn’t like trying to take care of a girl like Ellie, who obviously wanted nothing to do with her.

  But Gabe seemed to think it was important that he leave. He seemed to think that it was natural that she’d watch his daughter while he went off on business.

  And Lydia had no good reason not to do it, since she had nothing else pressing to do.

  In their preparations for marriage, they’d agreed that Gabe had primary responsibility for Ellie, but Lydia would help when she could.

  She could now.

  So, before she knew it, she and Ellie were standing on the porch together, watching Gabe drive away in his fancy car.

  Lydia took a deep breath and looked down at the girl.

  She was wearing the braids again, and she was frowning as her dad disappeared down the street.

  “Well,” Lydia said, trying to sound cheerful. “Looks like it’s just you and me. Do you want to do something fun this afternoon? We can go to the library or shopping or something.”

  Ellie stared up at her with those dark blue eyes. “I’m going to read.”

  Lydia sighed. “Okay.”

  ***

  At seven the following evening, Lydia was just about at the end of her rope.