by June Faver
“I happen to know that old Santy Claus got a little help from his sweet Leah.” He reached for an envelope on the coffee table and offered it to Angelique. “This is for you. I wanted you to know you were a part of the family and this family is a part of the land.”
“Yes, I know.” She shrugged. “And now you have me. City girl from New Orleans who spent most of her time working in a restaurant. I promise to try really hard to learn to ride a horse.”
“Aw, that would be nice.” Big Jim leaned over and gave her a hug. “Riding is something me an’ the boys do together, so I wanted to share it with you, too.”
“I’ll figure it out,” she said. “If you’re going to teach Gabrielle to ride, I better be able to keep up.”
He gave her a kiss on her forehead. “That’s my girl.”
Those words warmed her heart more than anything he could have said.
“I wanted to give you a little something before the others get here. I’m giving you a really sweet little mare. Her name is Cinder, and she is a beautiful little Arab with lots of champions in her bloodline. Her papers are in this envelope.”
The idea of owning a horse was sort of terrifying, but also thrilling. Angelique had seen her father’s black Arabian horses, and they were amazing. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll probably fall off her, but hopefully I’ll bounce.”
“You’ll do fine. And Misty made arrangements for us to look at a couple of locations that might be perfect for your restaurant, if you’re still interested.”
Angelique swallowed hard. “Oh, yes. I’m still interested.”
Big Jim gave her a wink. “Looks like it’s going to be a really busy new year.”
There was a commotion in the front of the house as Tyler and his whole family tromped inside along with Derrick Shelton.
“Hey, Dad,” Tyler called. “Breakfast ready?”
They all came to the living room, shedding outerwear. Coats and jackets were piled on the sofa along with scarves, caps, and gloves.
“Hey there,” Big Jim greeted them. “Let’s get this breakfast chaos party started before the rest of ’em get here.”
Angelique locked eyes with Derrick. She waggled her left hand, showing him the ring he had placed there the previous night, causing him to grin. As the others cleared the room, he waited until they were alone to wrap his arms around her and lay a sizzling kiss on her. “Hello, my fiancée.”
“Merry Christmas to my fiancé,” she sighed.
“Merry Christmas to you too, baby. How are you feeling after your exciting night?”
“Feeling relieved that Alphonse is in jail, but not trusting that he won’t be able to get to us. You don’t know how powerful he is.” She pressed her lips together.
He gazed at her intently. “You know that I will protect you. Benoit will go to prison. I’m sure he won’t be released after shooting up a church, trying to kidnap a little girl, and shooting a Garrett. He’s signed, sealed, and delivered.”
“You don’t know how he can get his goons to do his dirty work.” She shook her head. “I’ll always be looking over my shoulder.”
Derrick’s brows drew together. “I hope there will come a time when you can get over your fear.”
Big Jim yelled at them from the kitchen, “Hey, you lovebirds! Better come on in here and grab one of Fern’s hot biscuits, or I may eat ’em all up.”
Beau and his family came into the house and walked back to the kitchen with them. They sat around the big table and chatted. The only people missing were Colton and Misty.
Angelique hoped that he wasn’t feeling worse. It would be terrible if they missed this family celebration because of his injury. She was afraid to ask about him, in case she was the only one who was unaware of his state. But everyone seemed to be waiting, and in a short time, Misty and Colt arrived.
“’Bout time,” Big Jim said.
“Oh, you know Colt,” Misty said. “He likes to make an entrance.”
Colt grinned, but he was wearing a sling on his right arm. He made eye contact with Angelique and winked.
Angelique breathed a sigh of relief. All of her family was gathered in this room. Leah said grace and they began passing food items. Truly, Fern’s biscuits were light and layered. Angelique received many compliments on her bread pudding.
Just as they were finishing up, Derrick received a phone call and rose from the table to take it. When he returned, his expression was hard to read.
“What’s up, Derrick?” Big Jim asked. “You look like you ate something that didn’t agree with you.”
Derrick shook his head. “No, sir. I’m not sure it’s a good topic of conversation at the table.” He glanced around. “Especially with the children here.”
This caused those sitting around the table to exchange glances and raise eyebrows. But when the table was being cleared and the children had gone into the den, Big Jim cleared his throat and looked pointedly at Derrick.
“Don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but the man who tried to kidnap Gabrielle and who shot Colt has passed away. The call I got was to inform me that he had a massive heart attack in his cell last night. It was fatal.”
Angelique heaved a huge sigh. “Oh, that’s wonderful… I mean—”
“I know what you mean,” Derrick said. “It’s a relief that he won’t be around to threaten you and Gabrielle anymore. But I kind of wanted to see him serve a long sentence.”
Angelique felt as though her insides were soaring. “You have no idea what a relief this is. I have feared Alphonse all my life. He was evil incarnate.” She shuddered. “You have no idea how much power he wielded…and he wanted his son to work with him…to be as evil as he was.”
Big Jim’s kind eyes regarded her. “But his son wasn’t all that evil?”
Angelique had to smile at that. “He wasn’t evil at all. Remy was kind and funny and creative. He didn’t have an unkind molecule in his entire being.”
“So, that was a problem?” Big Jim asked.
Angelique shrugged. “It was a problem between Remy and his father. Alphonse blamed me for what he called Remy’s ‘weakness.’”
Big Jim shook his head. “I can’t imagine a father feeling that way about his son, but then, I can’t imagine a man as cruel as that man.” He walked into the den to be with his grandchildren.
Angelique gazed up at Derrick. “So it’s over. I don’t have to run anymore.”
Derrick wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “It’s time to stop running and build our life together.” He kissed the top of her head. “I hope you like my house, but you can make any changes you want. I’ll try to make sure you and Gabrielle will be comfortable there.”
“You have a lovely home, and I’m sure we’ll be comfy cozy…” A giggle bubbled up from her insides. “But where will my horse live?”
Derrick held her at arm’s length. “You have a horse?”
“I do now. Big Jim gave me Cinder, a beautiful black mare.”
“One of his champion black Arabs? That’s fantastic. Maybe he’ll let you breed her with one of his studs. We can raise some Arabians.” He appeared to be very excited.
“She was my Christmas present…and Dad is going to help me open a restaurant in Langston.”
“That should keep you out of trouble.” He picked her up and swung her around.
Angelique clung to him, releasing the fear she had carried inside her for most of her life. She embraced the joy blooming in her heart, happy to build a life for herself and her daughter with the man in her arms.
About the Author
June Faver loves Texas, from the Gulf Coast to the Panhandle, from the Mexican border to the Piney Woods. Her novels embrace the heart and soul of the state and the larger-than-life Texans who romp across her pages. A former teacher and healthcare professional, she lives and writes in t
he Texas Hill Country.
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