A Proposal for Christmas: State SecretsThe Five Days of Christmas

by Linda Lael Miller

  “Morgan, dear...”

  “Yes?” He smiled down at her and then lifted his chin and held up his hands. Everyone began to quiet except the little ones.

  “I think...” Laura said dramatically, “that there’s one gift still left under our Christmas tree. Did you not hand it out for a reason, dear? Hmm?”

  Grinning mischievously, Morgan gave his wife a teasing look. “You can really ham it up, can’t you?”

  Everyone tittered at their obvious dramatics.

  “I’m not the one who is gulping down Krispy Kreme doughnuts, darling. The only ham around here is standing next to me....”

  The crowd erupted with laughter and giggling.

  Morgan frowned good-naturedly and patted his waistline. “Well, it’s true I’ve got a little more ‘ham’ than I should....” He chuckled. Waving his hand toward his audience, he said, “We have a very special occasion for a very special person. Colt? Would you like to come up and tell us more?”

  Abbie looked up at him as his name was called. She saw trepidation in his expression as he looked down at her. Giving her a slight smile, he stood up. What was going on? Morgan and Laura were beaming at him like proud parents.

  The crowd quieted as Colt carefully wove his way through the scattered gift wrap, children and toys. Sitting up, Abbie saw Laura smiling widely at her from across the room. Something was going to happen, she sensed. Colt went to the back of the tree to carefully pick up the gold-wrapped gift with the huge red bow. As he brought it forward and held it in his hands, the Trayherns moved off to one side, arm in arm, waiting expectantly for him to speak.

  The room grew very quiet.

  Colt looked around. He nervously cleared his throat. “I want to thank Morgan and Laura for letting me do this,” he said, nodding in their direction. Colt’s heart hammered with anxiety. He saw the quizzical look on Abbie’s face. She didn’t have a clue; that was good. Managing a boyish, shy smile, Colt said, “I’m not much good at speeches. In fact, standing up here is like getting put in front of a firing squad.”

  Everyone tittered.

  Swaying from one foot to the other, Colt held Abbie’s gaze. Swallowing hard, he forced himself to speak. “Sometimes life has a funny, quirky way of handing out gifts that we never expect to receive. Five days ago, I met Abbie. I was just going to help her behind the scenes here, and that was all. But she has a way of making a person feel good about himself, making him feel that he’s a part of her world and life.” Colt saw Abbie’s expression grow soft.

  “And with the Trayherns’ approval—” he lifted the package “—I wanted to give Abbie something that comes from my heart to hers. I’ve seen her give so much to everyone else that I felt this special gift was deserved. Abbie? You want to come up and open it? Please?” He held his breath as she sat there with a stunned look on her face.

  And then she stood.

  Everyone cheered loudly, calling her name and urging her to go up there.

  Winding her way among the children, toys and scattered gift wrap that littered the room from one end to another, Abbie came forward amid the clapping.

  Her cheeks had high color as she approached. Colt handed her the gift and then pulled up a chair so that she could sit down and open it in front of everyone.

  “Colt?” she whispered. “What is this all about?”

  His mouth stretched in a smile. “It’s for you, Abbie. Go ahead and open it. Don’t tip it, though. It has to stay upright. Okay?”

  Abbie sat and smiled at the crowd. “I don’t know what this is all about,” she said with a laugh.

  “She will!” Laura called out gaily.

  Laughter circled the room.

  With trembling fingers, Abbie carefully removed the exquisite wrap and ribbon, keeping the box upright on her lap. Colt was at her side, his expression one of pride and, if she wasn’t mistaken, of love—for her. Heart pounding as she set the box on the floor next to the chair to open the top, she felt Colt’s large hand on her shoulder.

  As Abbie opened it, she gasped. She jerked her head up and twisted to look up at Colt, who was grinning unevenly. His eyes were alive with warmth and anxiety.

  “Colt!” she gasped. “You didn’t!”

  He became terribly bashful and avoided her widening eyes. “It’s for you, Abbie....”

  Disbelievingly, Abbie quickly pulled the huge, vibrant orchid out of the box. It had been swathed in bubble wrap to protect it. Colt knelt down on one knee next to her and held the clay pot while she removed the packing material from around the lush bloom.

  “Oh!” Abbie whispered as Colt held the exotic plant toward her. “It’s a Cattleya rex! Oh!” She reached out with trembling fingers to touch one of the six stunning blossoms.

  Everyone clapped and cheered.

  Abbie was speechless. Colt smiled up at her as he placed the pot in her hands. He saw the tears swimming in her eyes.

  “How...” she began brokenly as she looked down at the healthy green plant in her hands.

  Feeling good at her reaction, Colt leaned forward and kissed her on her flaming cheek. The crowd erupted with lusty cheers.

  “I called up an orchid warehouse in California. The guy had one plant and I had him ship it here overnight.” He gazed into her wide blue eyes, which sparkled with gold in their depths. He saw how happy the gift made Abbie, and his heart swelled with pride and joy. Colt knew now that he’d made the right decision to get the orchid.

  Tears slipped down Abbie’s cheeks as she stood and held up the gorgeous white blooms, with their yellow and fuschia lips, for all to see. After the applause and whistles subsided, she said, “What you don’t know is how rare and expensive this particular orchid is. It’s called the Christmas orchid.” She gave Colt, who was now standing self-consciously at her side, his hands clasped in front of him, a tender look. “And this guy...well, I’m stunned at his gift. It costs so much...and I’ve always dreamed of owning one someday.” She smiled brokenly. “Of course, on a teacher’s salary, that would never happen.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Colt placed his arm around her. “What Abbie doesn’t know is that, to me, she’s like this orchid—rare and special. I found out orchids can live to be over fifty years old.” Giving her a fond look, he rasped, “And this is my way of hoping that what we have will last as long...or even longer. But like an orchid, friendship takes a lot of care, feeding and watering. I’m willing to do that if she is....”

  * * *

  “Colt, this is such a surprise...the orchid is so beautiful,” Abbie sighed as she looked at it one more time. It sat in the center of her kitchen table as she and Colt enjoyed a cup of eggnog in the late afternoon. Her hands around the bright red ceramic cup, Abbie gave him a smile and shook her head. “I’m still in shock. This orchid cost you a lot of money.”

  Shrugging, he said, “What’s money, Abbie? Look at the Trayherns. They’re worth multimillions. They give a lot of it away.” He gazed at one of the huge blossoms, nearly the size of his fist, and then held her teary gaze. “I wanted in some way to tell you how much you’ve come to mean to me. When you told me that it was your favorite orchid, and that you’d never be able to have one...well, I wanted to make that dream come true for you. It was the least I could do for all you’ve done for me.”

  Abbie gave him a wry look. “All the care, watering and feeding?” she teased gently. Her heart opened as he flashed her that shy, boyish look again. How easily touched Colt was.

  “Yeah...you could say that, Abbie. I feel like you rescued my soul from a dark, dark place.” He pushed his empty cup aside and turned to her. “It’s you. Your heart. Your love...” And he grazed her hair with his hand. Her gaze turned lambent with desire—for him.

  “I’m so afraid, Colt,” Abbie whispered unsteadily, her scalp tingling deliciously at his touch.

  “I know you are. And I think I know why....”

  She could barely hold Colt’s gaze as he quickly wiped her tears away with his thumbs. When he pl
aced his hand on her shoulder, she sniffed. “I’m such a coward, Colt. I—I lost one man...and I’m afraid to lose you, too. You’re a merc....”

  “I understand,” he told her in a deep, quiet tone. Sliding his other hand over hers, which was clenched in her lap, he whispered, “Abbie, I’ve made some decisions. And you need to hear them.” He bowed his head for a moment, worked his mouth and then looked up at her shining blue eyes, which were soft with invitation. He felt her love, her need of him in every fiber of his being. How badly he wanted to return that love, but some things had to be said first. And depending upon how Abbie received the news, Colt knew they’d either move forward with their relationship or it would dissolve. Never in his whole life had he felt as frightened as he did now, because he realized that he loved her with a burning fierceness that would never die.

  Abbie sat very still as she watched Colt wrestle with unspoken emotions. His hand curling protectively around her shoulders made her feel a bit better. “W-what do you want to say?”

  “That I’m scared to death, Abbie. Scared of how you might take what I say...what I feel....” He shook his craggy head. “Well, here goes. Life’s a risk, anyway. Right now, I’m putting my heart in your hands....” He took a deep breath. “Five days ago, when you crashed into my life, I never thought it possible to fall in love with someone so quickly. You just kind of walked in with your sunshine smile and that wide-open heart of yours, Abbie, and took me by storm.”

  Colt grazed her hair and forced a lopsided smile. Her expression was tender and it gave him the courage to go on. “That’s what I feel for you—love. And respect. And I want to keep exploring what I’ve discovered about us. I know we need time to continue to get to know one another, and I’m more than willing to give us that if you are. This morning, I went over and talked to Morgan. I told him I wanted a desk job here, at the main headquarters of Perseus. I want off the merc mission list for good.”

  “I—I see....” Abbie gulped. She clung to Colt’s gaze, absorbed his hesitant, grazing touches. Hope warred with fear in his eyes. “You wouldn’t miss being on missions?” Abbie knew that Ted had lived for that kind of life and would never have left it even if she’d begged him to. Searching Colt’s serious expression, she waited.

  “Abbie, no matter what you say, what you decide, I’m not going back in the field. I’m done with that part of my life.” His mouth quirked. “My last missions over in Kosovo showed me that.” Shaking his head, Colt murmured, “No, I want to settle down. You’ve shown me what I’ve been longing for deep inside, but it was something I was afraid to even dream about.”

  “What was that?” Her voice was off-key.

  “A family.” He shrugged heavily. “Kids... Just being a part of the last five days, celebrating Christmas, has made me want to settle down and have a family. I think I can be a good father, or at least I’ll try to be.” Lifting his head, Colt smiled gently at Abbie. “And I know I’ve found the woman I want as my life partner, who will be the best mother to our children I could ever find.”

  Shaken, Abbie closed her eyes. She pressed her hand against her eyes, tears spilling down her face. “Oh, Colt...”

  “Come here,” he urged in a husky voice, and he pulled her chair out and took her in his arms. “I love you, Abbie. Will you give me a chance to prove to you my love is real?”

  Slipping into his embrace, Abbie whispered, “Yes...yes, I will, Colt...” After embracing him fervently, she eased away, took his hand in hers and said, “Follow me?”

  Wordlessly, he followed her though the living room, past the snapping, crackling fire that warmed the cabin, to her bedroom. Christmas music played softly in the background. The room featured old Victorian lace, a brass bed, a plum-colored velvet quilt that looked very old and well-loved, and dainty white curtains framing the window.

  Turning, Abbie looked up at him, her hands resting on his massive chest. “I don’t know how it happened either, darling. I love you....” There, the words were out. The truth hung suspended between them as she saw his green eyes flare with surprise, and then burn with joy. Abbie saw all the tension bleed out of Colt with her softly spoken vow. She began to unsnap each pearl button on his cowboy shirt, one by one. “Like you, I was scared at how powerfully I was drawn to you. And over the last five days I knew...I knew in my heart, Colt, that you were the man I wanted in my life....” Her hands stilled as she met and held his burning gaze. “I know we haven’t had the time to really be together...and I want that with you.”

  Abbie eased the shirt off his massive shoulders, revealing his darkly haired chest. He helped her by placing the shirt over a chair near the wall. As his fingers brushed the hem of her sweater, she whispered, “Now that you’re not going to be out in the field anymore, I know we’ll have that time....” She smiled tremulously up at him. “Love me? I want to lie with you, love you and be a part of you....”

  Her words cascaded like molten heat over Colt. Nodding wordlessly, he eased the sweater off Abbie. She wore an ivory silk camisole beneath it, but no bra. Colt removed the spray of orchids from her hair and unclipped her unruly hair. It fell in silky abandon around her shoulders like a living waterfall.

  “Come here....” he rasped as he pulled her onto the bed.

  Time slowed until each moment was a thing of beauty to Abbie. As they continued to undress one another, then lay naked and warm on the velvet coverlet, she saw a predatory look come to Colt’s eyes. Moving into his arms, her slender form pressed against his hard masculine body, she closed her eyes and lifted her head. Colt’s mouth closed over hers with such hunger that a bolt of jagged heat flashed through her. Abbie’s lower body exploded with need of him.

  She inhaled the sweet pine scent that clung to Colt, and tasted the strength and cajoling power of his mouth as he rocked her lips open. Sliding her hands up his muscled arms to his bunched shoulders, Abbie felt herself being eased onto her back. His fingers trailing fire, he cupped her breast with a gentle but possessive grip. A sigh, a moan of need, escaped her parted, well-kissed lips. As she arched upward, so that her hips met his, his lips settled on one hardened peak. Abbie gave a little cry as he began to suckle strongly.

  Her world exploded. Behind her closed eyes, fireworks shimmered in vivid color, sending sparks through her being. Never had Abbie felt so cherished as in this moment. Every touch of Colt’s hand as he slid it down her rib cage, across her hip to her thighs, told her how much he loved her. A fierce ache sprang to life as he stroked her moistness, a ragged sigh escaped her. She tried to please Colt in return, but he seemed bent on pleasuring her completely, instead. Abbie felt like a prisoner, captured within his arms, surrounded by his massive body. All she could do was surrender to the white-hot pleasure now throbbing up through her as he continued to stroke her in slow, delicious exploration. How badly she wanted him!

  As if sensing that, Colt moved carefully on top of her. Abbie opened her eyes as she felt his knee settle heavily between her thighs. The glint of a hunter who had captured his quarry burned in his eyes as he held her gaze. She smiled tremulously and eased her arms around his damp neck. Without speaking, she moved her hips upward and drew him deeply into herself, and the action freed her soul to fly on wings of joy.

  Colt’s world shattered. A groan ripped from him as her slender legs wrapped strongly around his and brought him fully into her hot, liquid depths. His mind exploded. No longer did he think; he could only feel. The spicy fragrance of Abbie reached his flared nostrils, her little cries of pleasure rippling through him like fiery caresses. He gripped her hard in his arms, never wanting to let her go. As she arched provocatively, her hips melding with his, he thrust into her. Somewhere in the haze and fire of his being, he knew they were making love without any protection. Yet his heart whispered that even if Abbie became pregnant from their coupling, it was something they both wanted. Above all, Colt wanted to give Abbie the child she’d always wanted, but had been denied.

  Time throbbed to a halt as he brought her into h
eated rhythm with himself. They fit together like two lost puzzle pieces. Each brush of her lips upon his, each movement of her hands, ranging teasingly across his damp, tense body, told him of her love for him. Their primal need for one another culminated rapidly, and within seconds, Colt felt her tense in his arms. He could feel the fiery liquid of her body surround him, and he surged forward, hoping to prolong her pleasure. And then he felt a massive explosion occur, and all he could do was cling to her, their heads resting against one another.

  Golden seconds spun between them in the aftermath. Abbie was breathing in gasps as Colt continued to hold her. Slowly, very slowly, she felt him ease out of her, then gather up the velvet quilt and pull it over them. Sighing happily, she lay her head in the crook of his shoulder, her arm around his rib cage. Her breasts were pressed against his heart, which was pounding in unison with hers. Smiling softly, she nuzzled against him and felt his lips caress her temple and then her hair.

  “I love you,” she whispered unsteadily.

  “I know you do,” Colt rasped. Leaning down, he watched her open lustrous blue eyes that glowed with gold in their depths. Abbie was happy.

  His heart soared. Colt had desperately wanted to please her, to give her joy to replace the tragedy and loss of the last two years of her life. “I love you, sweetheart. And I want to spend the rest of my life showing you how much you mean to me.”

  Abbie closed her eyes as Colt caressed her cheek, her neck and shoulder beneath the coverlet. “You’re such a gift to me, darling.”

  He chuckled indulgently. “I hope I’ll be like that orchid of yours out there on the table—around for a long, long time.”

  Laughing softly, Abbie opened her eyes and drowned in his forest-green ones. How young Colt looked now, with the stress of the days before erased. In some part of her fluttering, joyful heart, she sensed it was because he was no longer going out on missions that could rip him apart inwardly. Everyone had a limit to the amount of trauma they could endure. She knew Colt had reached his. And because he had, he was looking for a new life—a better one...with her.