Abbie whispered, “Yes…but I’m afraid, Colt. I don’t know of what, I just am.”
“Maybe because things have been happening so fast. Maybe because of your loss of Ted…”
She sat up and eased away just enough to look deeply into his hooded eyes, which still regarded her with desire. “Do we have the time? Are you going back on the merc schedule soon?” Inwardly, Abbie was fearful. Would she lose Colt, too? Oh, she knew Ted had died in a stupid automobile accident, not on a mission. But every time he’d gone on a mission, there was a chance he’d never return. Abbie knew she couldn’t put herself through that emotional gauntlet again and survive. Did she have the right to tell Colt that? Anguished, Abbie searched his vulnerable face. Her heart, her body, responded wildly to his look. How badly she wanted to make love to Colt. But to do that, there had to be something of substance, something lasting, between them. She waited painfully for his answer.
Searching her eyes, Colt sensed her trepidation about the possibility of his returning to mission status. “Right now, the way I’m stoved up from the last one, I’m not going back on the roster, Abbie. I have to leave after Christmas to go visit my dad in Florida, to make sure he’s okay and see if he needs anything. Then—” he shrugged, “—I was going to come back here in hopes that we could pick up where we left off.”
Relief flooded through her. Wetting her lips, Abbie whispered, “Yes…I’d like that, Colt. I really would….”
His grin was boyish. “Yeah?”
She giggled a little. “Oh, yes.”
He touched an errant curl near her cheek and twisted it gently around his index finger. “I gotta get going now…got some stuff that needs taking care of….”
Abbie tried to hide her disappointment. She wanted Colt to stay, but lacked the courage to ask him. Okay…”
“Tomorrow we have brunch over at the Trayherns, and then the kids get to open up their Christmas presents. May I escort you?”
Sometimes he was so achingly formal. Abbie gave him a tender smile and grazed his stubbled cheek, which felt like sandpaper beneath her sensitive fingers. “Of course you can. It’s my favorite day, Colt. The kids—” she laughed excitedly “—oh, the kids love it! Morgan and Laura buy everyone a gift, including the adults. They’re such generous people—almost to a fault. But the children just go crazy. I love to watch them digging for their own gift in the pile under the Christmas tree.”
Colt absorbed the shining quality in Abbie’s eyes. “You were made to be a mother,” he told her quietly. And she was. The unexpected thought that he could give her the greatest gift of love—a baby—filled him with a sense of power that set his heart pounding. There was no question that he was falling helplessly in love with this sunny woman with red hair and an incredibly giving heart.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” he promised with a growl. There was something very, very special he had to do first….
Chapter 6
December 25, Christmas Day
Abbie sat on one end of the couch with Colt’s arm around her shoulders as they waited for Morgan and Laura to begin passing out the gifts from beneath the huge, sparkling Christmas tree. Sighing happily, Abbie felt a contentment that she’d never thought she’d feel again. With snowflakes twirling lazily outside the huge picture windows of the Trayherns’ massive living room, Christmas was as beautiful as a picture postcard.
It had snowed all night, so the evergreens surrounding the cedar home, the rounded hills embracing it and the massive Rocky Mountains in the distance all had a new layer of glistening powdered sugar. The sky was a leaden gray and hung low, promising more snow throughout the day. That was all right with Abbie.
Her heart, her thoughts, were centered on Colt, and she was enjoying his nearness. She hadn’t slept much last night because her feelings churned from giddy joy to abject terror. Colt’s ability to shed his hard warrior mask and be incredibly human with her had forced her to look at what she really wanted out of life.
Giving Colt a tender look, she watched one corner of his mouth crook in a grin as he met and held her gaze. Abbie felt him squeeze her shoulders gently. All around them, the volume of noise was rising as the children sat in a semicircle around the tree, squirming eagerly as they waited for the gifts to be handed out. The adults had cameras or videocams ready to record the exciting event.
“You think these kids are going to make it?” Colt asked her, his lips near her ear.
Abbie giggled. “They look like they’re going to burst with excitement, don’t they?” The littlest children, beaming with barely contained anticipation, had scooted up to within inches of where Morgan and Laura stood in front of the tree. The older children sat back with more decorum and patience. It was the littlest tykes, the ones who believed fervently in the spirit of Santa Claus, who kept crowding right up to the gift givers’ feet.
“Yeah, they do. It’s nice to see that kind of innocence,” Colt replied, gazing down at Abbie. She looked beautiful this morning. He had learned that she loved velvet, and today she wore a violet-colored velvet turtleneck along with some very sensual looking black satin jeans that were driving him crazy. A spray of white Dendrobium orchids with red lips, which hailed from Australia, was fastened expertly into her gleaming, curly hair, which she’d tamed and clipped up at the back of her head. The resulting cascade of curls shone gold and copper in the light of the chandeliers above them.
Abbie absorbed his words and saw the happiness in his eyes. Colt looked so handsome this morning. He wore a white cowboy shirt with pearl snaps, a tan-colored corduroy sport coat, dark brown slacks and his black cowboy boots. She had the maddening urge to tame that slight, rebellious curl that dipped over his brow back into place, but she stopped herself. When she was around Colt, Abbie found herself wanting to touch him all the time. From the moment they’d arrived this morning for brunch, Colt had kept his arm either around her waist or around her shoulders, and it had raised some eyebrows. Abbie had seen many of Colt’s friends nod and smile at them, as if approving of their newfound closeness. Especially Laura, who practically beamed like the rising sun.
“May I have your attention for just a second?” Morgan called out in his deep baritone voice. He held up his hands, a grin on his face. Dressed in a bright red sweater, comfortable Levi’s and cowboy boots, he looked down at his wife.
Laura laughed. Gazing down fondly at the eager three-, four- and five-year-olds gathered anxiously around their feet, she said, “You’d better hurry, darling, or these kids are going to overwhelm your position, tactically speaking.” Today Laura had chosen a gold lamé long-sleeved top with a glittering red-green-and-white scarf around her neck. Since satin jeans were the rage, she wore a pair of wine-colored ones with her sensible black loafers. Smiling down at the excited, squirming children, she said, “Better hurry, Morgan, they’re going to overrun us any moment now!”
Everyone laughed.
Morgan chuckled and gave the children at his feet a warm look. Off to his right was his son, once again in his dark blue uniform with shining brass buttons down the front.
“Well, I guess if I don’t want to get swarmed, I’ll make my thirty-minute speech very, very short.”
There was a collective groan from the crowd. No one wanted a long speech at this point, particularly the antsy, eager children.
“How about a two-minute speech?” he asked, grinning.
Everyone clapped and cheered.
Laughing, Morgan slid his arm around his wife and drew her near. “Everyone, we’re glad you were here to celebrate Christmas with us.” He gave Laura a look of love and pride. “This was her idea, not mine, but over the years I’ve come to see that it’s a great one.”
Again there were claps and cheers.
Laura laughed. “We want to thank all the hard workers behind the scenes who helped bring this off. You know who you are. And we hope that you have a wonderful Christmas Day. Morgan? Should we start handing out the presents?”
The children
leaped to their feet, screeching and clapping loudly. The adults broke into laughter.
Morgan raised his thick, black eyebrows. “I think we’d better, Laura, or they’re going to charge us.”
Abbie watched as Laura and Morgan went to the massive tree and began pulling out the bright, colorfully wrapped presents. She knew that Laura had gone to great lengths to contact the mothers to find out what each child would like to have for Christmas. Because Perseus was top-heavy with money, the Trayherns spared no expense on the many charities they funded around the globe, nor did they stint on holiday gifts for the kids.
Colt sat there, Abbie beneath his arm, her warm body leaning against him while he watched the children’s faces light up with anticipation as the gifts were quickly distributed. Giving her a glance, Colt saw that her cheeks were suffused with pink. Her hands clasped on her knees, she was raptly watching the children, a soft smile playing across her lips.
How badly he wanted her. All of her. Colt had done a lot of thinking last night, and he’d had a long talk with Morgan earlier this morning before everyone had come to brunch. Would Abbie approve of his new plan?
He noticed that when they’d strolled into the living room earlier, before everyone settled around the U-shaped table for brunch, she’d spotted the three-foot-tall, gold-foil-wrapped gift with a huge, bright red ribbon on top, at the rear of the Christmas tree. She’d commented that some lucky little kid was going to get a really big gift. Colt had smiled and said nothing. Little did she know that gift was for her!
Although the Trayherns gave everyone a present, parents included, no one else was exchanging gifts at this party. However, Laura had enthusiastically endorsed Colt’s idea that he give his gift to Abbie after all the others had been distributed. His heart hammered briefly with anxiety. Would Abbie like it? Would she see the symbolism behind it? Realize what he hoped for them? Or would she be horribly embarrassed? Angry at him? Colt wasn’t sure. However, when he’d talked to Laura about it, she’d been over-the-moon enthusiastic. Her blatant approval had convinced Colt to go ahead with his wild plan. Now, if only Abbie would approve of what he’d done….
Morgan stood amid the torn Christmas paper, bows and ribbon. Laura stood with him, a satisfied expression on her face. The children were already raptly playing with their new toys, lost in their own happy world.
“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.
Romancing the Holidays Bundle 2009 Page 25