by Brenda Novak
“I know, but eight seems like an eternity. I decided to break it in the middle.”
She grinned and hugged him. “I love you.”
“You’re going to love me even more after I talk to Burt.”
“I am?”
He nodded, looking smug.
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Burt’s had things easy for too long,” he told her. “I decided to give him a little scare, go on the offensive for a while and see if I can’t get him to drop this child custody issue before it ever goes to court.”
“How?” she asked, feeling a surge of excitement. Just talking about taking charge felt good after being on the defensive for so long.
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “I would have been able to threaten him with a libel suit, but someone I know tore the evidence up and threw it away.”
Her financé was wearing a suit today, a beautiful black one Jaclyn knew was hand-tailored, with a pair of Italian loafers. He looked suave and debonair, too sophisticated for the reflection she saw of herself in the mirror behind him: her hair was in a ponytail, she was barefoot and wearing sweats. But Cole didn’t seem to care. When he looked at her, he smiled as though she was the most beautiful woman in the world.
Jaclyn bit her lip. “That wasn’t too smart, I guess,” she said sheepishly.
“So I had to come up with something else,” he went on.
“Like?”
“First let’s see if it’s going to work.” He unsnapped his cell phone from his belt and dialed the number to the ranch.
“Is Burt there?” he asked. “No, I’ll wait. He’s been trying to reach me. Tell him this is Cole Perrini.”
He winked at her, and Jaclyn moved closer so she could put her ear next to the phone and hear what Burt had to say. As it turned out, she didn’t need to get quite that close.
“You rotten son of a bitch, how dare you!” Burt’s voice blasted through the phone, causing Jaclyn and Cole to yank their heads back in an effort to protect their eardrums.
“I think I got his attention,” Cole said wryly.
Jaclyn was mystified. What was going on? She bent her head next to Cole’s to find out.
“Is there a problem, Burt?” Cole asked. “You seem upset about something.”
“You know what the problem is,” he growled. “You tied up my land. You tied up the land I was going to use to build my car dealership.”
“I did? That’s odd. Billy Hagler there in Feld said you’d let your option lapse. He said the property was available.”
“Available? He knew I still wanted it. He knew I was going to buy it, dammit.”
“Then, I guess you should’ve had something in writing. I’m afraid intentions don’t mean much in real estate.”
“They will when I take you to court!” he cried.
“For what?” Cole asked. “I paid five thousand dollars to option that land, and I have a contract. I negotiated for some very appealing terms, by the way. If I don’t decide to buy it in the next year, I have the right to option it again. The way I look at it, I can tie it up indefinitely, unless I see good reason not to.”
Jaclyn was smiling now, too. Cole had hit Burt where it hurt most. Terry’s father had wanted a car dealership for years. It was all he’d talked about when she was living with him and Dolores.
“You don’t want that land,” Burt said. “You’d go bankrupt trying to build houses out here in the middle of nowhere. It’s not zoned for it, anyway.”
“That’s why I’d probably put a car dealership there.”
“You wouldn’t.” This time Burt’s voice was flat, the bluster gone.
“Actually I might. It’s a prime piece of real estate, perfectly situated. And you’ve already gone to the trouble of meeting with the city planners and having the zoning changed. Everyone’s expecting a car dealership, everyone’s looking forward to it. And dealerships can turn quite a profit, from what I hear. Why wouldn’t I want to do it, Burt?”
Silence. Panicked silence, if Jaclyn had her guess. Burt was probably busy imagining Cole moving to town, stealing his status as the richest, most successful man in Feld. The Perrini name would go up in lights at the corner of Third and Main, instead of the Wentworth one.
Heaven forbid, she thought mockingly, and slipped her arms around Cole’s waist to give him a squeeze, never happier to see someone get what they deserved.
“What do you want for it?” Burt finally choked out, sounding like a man with a gun to his head.
Cole didn’t answer right away. He kissed her forehead and then, as though intentionally prolonging his hesitation, said, “I’m not sure I want to sell the option, Burt. I mean, I just got it a few days ago. I haven’t had time to look into the full potential of the piece. And with Christmas only a week away, I won’t have a chance to do much until January. But if someone wanted it badly enough—” He covered the phone and asked Jaclyn how much she still owed in attorney bills from the divorce.
“About forty-six hundred dollars,” she whispered.
“Ten thousand would probably do it,” he told Burt. “If someone were to act quickly.”
It was Burt’s turn to pause. Jaclyn could easily picture him pacing in his home office, grinding his teeth in agitation.
“Fine,” he said at last. “I’ll do it. I’ll give you the damn ten thousand. You just keep your nose out of Feld and away from my son.”
“I didn’t know I was any threat to your son, but now that you bring him up, we should probably discuss one other small matter,” Cole replied. “If you want the land, you’re going to have to drop the child custody suit, too. I don’t think Jackie would feel very good about marrying me in a few weeks with that hanging over her head. It’s kind of negative, if you know what I mean.”
“I don’t give a damn how negative it is. It’s Jaclyn and her self-pity that’s been the problem from the start. She had it good here, and she threw it all away.”
“And you’ve done your best to punish her for it. Tell me, did it make you feel like a big man, Burt, to push around a woman with three little children to support?”
“You dirty—”
“I’m going to hang up,” Cole said as calmly as ever. “We have a lot of Christmas presents to wrap.”
“Wait!”
Jaclyn could hear Burt’s labored breathing, could envision him clenching his fists and trying to rein in his temper. She knew it wasn’t an easy thing for him. He wasn’t used to having to curb his tongue for anyone. “Ten thousand dollars is more than enough to put that land back in my control. This has nothing to do with the children. I think we should keep them out of it.”
“Sorry, that’s the deal. You’re going to lose the case, anyway. You can’t prove abuse, neglect or abandonment, and that’s the only way a judge would give you what you want. You may as well get your land back and save us both the attorney fees and hassle of fighting about the children—because we will fight, Burt, and this time my attorneys will be every bit as good as yours. If I’m lucky—and I’m usually pretty lucky—they’ll be better.”
Several seconds of silence passed, then Burt muttered a curse and said, “If I pay the money and drop the case, you’ll assign the option to me?”
“I will.”
“When? When will you meet me so we can put everything in writing?”
“Call Brandon Johnson at my office and set up a time. And don’t forget your checkbook.”
“I hope you rot in hell for this, Perrini.”
Cole’s laughter was genuine. “You can thank me later, after the wedding,” he said, and hung up.
With a scream of delight, Jaclyn threw herself into Cole’s arms. “You did it,” she cried. “We’ve won!”
“Merry Christmas, sweetheart,” he said.
TERRY WAS ON THE PHONE. Jaclyn grimaced at the sound of his voice, thinking his intrusion the only defect in an otherwise perfect Christmas morning. Cole had arrived early, before the kids were even up, and built a fire. The sme
ll of it mingled with that of the fir tree and the freshly backed cinnamon rolls to create a scent that brought back all the Christmases of Jaclyn’s youth.
She and Cole and the kids were sitting in a circle as if they were already a family, unwrapping presents. Alex’s favorite gift so far seemed to be his new Gameboy, which Cole had insisted on buying for him. Alyssa and Mackenzie were thrilled with their play kitchen, which had been Jaclyn’s idea. Cole had wanted to build them an entire playhouse, but Jaclyn had asked him to wait until next year, or at least until summer. With the upcoming move, they had enough going on already.
“It’s your father,” she told the children, holding the phone out for whoever grabbed it first.
Mackenzie was closest. She took the receiver and started to list everything Santa had brought and to tell Terry about what Mommy and Cole had given her, then Alyssa did the same.
Meanwhile, Jaclyn listened to Cole, who was sitting next to her in a pair of jeans, a flannel shirt and a Santa hat Mackenzie had brought home from school and insisted he wear. He was helping Alex figure out the new game for his Gameboy. She felt a profound sense of gratitude to him. She wouldn’t have been able to provide this kind of Christmas for the children on her own. It was Cole who had made the difference—not just because of his generosity, though the presents were wonderful, but because of the feelings of contentment and unity that his presence seemed to nurture in them all. Terry was coming to pick up the kids this evening, but Jaclyn didn’t mind. She knew they’d be happy to see their father.
And she wouldn’t be alone. She’d be with Cole.
She put her hand on his leg, and he took it immediately, glancing back to smile at her before finishing what he was saying to Alex.
“It’s Daddy, Alex,” Alyssa said, passing him the phone.
Jaclyn had just begun gathering up the jewelry, sweaters, perfume and shoes the kids and Cole had given her, when Alex said goodbye and handed the phone to her.
“Dad wants to talk to you,” he said, going right back to Cole and his Gameboy.
“Would you rather I handle it?” Cole asked, at her slight hesitation.
“No, it’s fine.” She put the receiver to her ear. “Hi Terry.”
“Hi, Jackie. Are you having a nice Christmas?”
“Yeah. You?”
“It would be better if I had my family here.”
“Terry, you’re picking the kids up today, so you’ll see them soon, right?”
“What time can I come?”
“Is six o’clock okay?”
“Six o’clock? The day will be over by then.”
“You had the kids for Thanksgiving. Anyway, I’m fixing dinner for Cole and his brothers, and I don’t want the kids to miss it.”
There was silence, then he said, “Oh, we wouldn’t want that.”
Jaclyn ignored the sarcasm. “Two of his brothers are only home from college for a few days,” she explained. “They have a ski trip planned, then they have to go back to school. This may be their only chance to get to know the kids before the wedding.”
“So you’re going through with it?”
“The wedding?”
“Yeah. I bet it doesn’t last a year.”
“I wouldn’t put a lot of money on that if I were you.”
He chuckled. “Why? The odds are with me. Eventually he’ll treat you just like he treated Rochelle. He’s a man, Jackie. A man doesn’t change that much.”
“Yes, that’s what I found out,” she said, turning his words back on him. He was still bitter and trying to undermine her happiness, but Jaclyn refused to let him. She’d already given Cole her heart. She was going to give him her complete faith and confidence, as well. Sometimes it still felt as if she was gambling everything on one big roll of the dice—Cole’s word against the rumors, against Burt’s claims—but her love for Cole made the risk worth taking.
“We’ll see,” he said. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” she replied and hung up.
“Everything okay?” Cole asked, watching her curiously.
She smiled, telling herself to shake off the pall Terry’s words had cast on her spirits. “Fine.”
“Then, it’s time.”
“Time for what?”
“To give you your big surprise,” Alex interjected.
Jaclyn surveyed the gifts already stacked around her. “There’s more?”
“This one’s special,” Mackenzie said. “It’s from all of us.”
“Where is it?” Jaclyn asked.
“You’ll see,” Cole said. “Everyone get dressed.”
THEY WERE HEADING to Oak Ranch. Evidently Cole’s big surprise had something to do with the new house. Maybe he’d put in a hot tub or upgraded the carpet or drapes or something, but Jaclyn couldn’t really believe he’d do that. She’d already picked out everything she wanted, and she was happy with her choices. So what was it?
“Did you have the landscaping done already?” she asked, trying to solve the mystery.
“Not yet,” he told her.
“Did you start digging out the pool?”
“Nope. Too much mud for that. We need to wait for the ground to dry out. We’ll do it closer to spring.”
In the back seat, the girls giggled at her failed attempts to discover the secret.
“Tell me what it is, Alex,” Jaclyn said, trying to put some authority in her voice.
Cole gave her son a quick “don’t you dare” look in the rearview mirror, but when Alex answered, Jaclyn could tell he wasn’t even tempted. “You have to wait and see, Mom. We’ll be there soon.”
“Will I like it?” Jaclyn asked.
“You’ll probably cry,” Alex told her.
Cry? Why would she cry?
They parked at the curb of their new home and picked their way through the melting snow and mud to reach the heavy oak doors that had been hung just a few days earlier. Now nearly finished, the house was beautiful. Jaclyn had walked through it two days ago, right after the carpeting and hardwood floors had gone in, feeling like a fairy princess. Never had she dreamed she’d own something quite so lovely or so large.
But what about the house had changed in the past two days?
“Close your eyes,” Alex said, as soon as they reached the entry.
The smell of fresh paint and cut lumber assaulted Jaclyn’s nostrils as soon as she stepped inside. Cole took one hand and Alex took the other, and they guided her slowly through the high-vaulted entryway and around to the sunken living room. Without any curtains or furnishings to absorb and soften the sound, their footsteps echoed loudly.
“Now you can open them,” Cole said, when they stopped.
Slowly Jaclyn lifted her eyelids. There, sitting on an expensive-looking Turkish rug, right in front of the bay window facing the street, was a shiny black grand piano.
“Oh! You bought me a piano!” she breathed, too awed to speak in more than a whisper.
Cole smiled, obviously enjoying the amazement on her face. “Do you like it?”
“I love it. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.”
“Then, you haven’t looked in the mirror lately,” he said, and gathered her in his arms.
“Yuck,” Alex complained when Cole kissed her. “Do we have to see this?”
“Shh,” Mackenzie replied, a dreamy smile on her face. “Mommy’s kissing Santa Claus.”
Laughing, Jaclyn pulled the kids close for a hug, knowing she could never be happier or feel more complete than she did at that moment.
And then she proved Alex right. She cried.
EPILOGUE
HER BACK HURT. Jaclyn relinquished her seat on the hard cement and stood up to stretch, but at seven months’ pregnant, she wasn’t exactly at her most mobile.
The cold didn’t help. It was almost Christmas again. A couple of inches of snow covered the ground outside, and a chill wind blew. It crept through the cracks of the garage, seeping through her sweater. Jaclyn knew Cole wasn’t going
to be happy when he got home and learned she’d been out moving boxes and shifting stuff around in her condition. He’d told her not to bother with what they had in storage, that he’d take care of it, but the kids were with Terry, Cole was at work, and Jaclyn didn’t want to wait. The garage was the last part of the house she had yet to organize, and she wanted to finish. Then she could decorate for the holidays and enjoy her leave of absence from Guthrie until after the baby arrived and she was ready to go back.
Problem was, most of the boxes belonged to Cole, and she didn’t know what to do with the stuff inside them. Did he really want to keep the old sweaters she found? They didn’t look nearly large enough for him, but maybe they’d belonged to his father or something.
Digging a little deeper, Jaclyn uncovered some old pictures. She smiled as she studied a black-and-white photograph of Cole and all four brothers. He was in the middle, with one arm around Rick and another around…who? It had to be Chad, judging by the size, but he looked so different. There were holes in the knees of their blue jeans, the toddler had his sneakers untied, and the oldest three were in various stages of getting their permanent teeth, but it had to be the cutest picture Jaclyn had ever seen. She set it aside to have it framed and added to the hallway, where pictures of their family already hung in vast array, and moved on to the next box.
This one contained odds and ends, a pocket screwdriver, a video, a small sewing kit, loose photographs of houses and land, keys, even some loose change. It looked as if Cole had emptied his junk drawer and carried it with him when he moved, instead of sorting through it.
Finding a piece of crumpled paper, Jaclyn ironed it out to see if it was something she could throw away, and was surprised to find a handwritten letter.
Dear Cole,
If you ever get this, I know it will come as quite a surprise. After everything we’ve been through, you may not even want to hear it. But I have to tell you I’m sorry, for me, if not for you. You were right. I did lie about the baby….
By the time Jaclyn finished Rochelle’s letter, she had tears in her eyes. Finally she understood Cole’s past. He’d married a woman he didn’t love and tried to stay with her even after he learned she’d trapped him. Then he’d protected Rochelle by not telling anyone what she’d done and had carried the brunt of the blame himself. What kind of a man did that?