The Mistletoe Affair

by Judith Gilbert

  Matt crossed his arms.

  Jared rounded the corner. His boots crunched as he walked on the pea gravel covering the ground. “I've loaded mine into the truck. I thought I'd come and see if you need any help.” He slowed his steps, stopped in front of them and glanced quizzically from Matt to Katherine. “What's going on?"

  “We need help,” Matt said.

  “We don't need help,” she corrected.

  Jared directed his attention to Matt. He hunkered down next to him. “What's the problem, pal?"

  Matt reached to touch his tree and attempted to hug the branches. “I want this one. But Mom wants that one.” He pointed to the mate to his tree, decked in its natural greenery.

  Jared stood up and scratched his head. He stared at Katherine. “I don't get it. It's the same tree only one's green and the other has been flocked with a dab of white. Both are beautiful, full and healthy."

  Of all the nerve, she could swear he smirked at her. She decided to tell him to mind his own business when he turned to look at Matt.

  “Tell you what.” He put his hand on Matt's shoulder. “Why don't we let your mom explain why you can't have the tree you have your heart set on?"

  They both turned to face her and suddenly she felt like the Grinch who stole Christmas.

  “My dad always-.” She gulped and stared at their blank-faced responses, fighting tears of loss and frustration. “I think we should uphold-."

  How did she explain sentiment, wanting-no needing everything to stay the same? How did she explain that she refused to admit her father had died? If she could keep everything the same, he would still be there. A part of him… Her eyes burned with tears, but she kept them at bay.

  A man like Jared wouldn't understand her feelings of loneliness, and she didn't want Matt aware of her grief. She looked at Matt's hopeful expression and came to a mother's decision. It would make her feel better to keep everything the same. But she wouldn't risk spoiling Matt's Christmas.

  What would her father have done if she'd wanted that Arizona Cypress? She looked at the sky, feeling his approval. Damn right-he'd have moved heaven and earth to give it to her.

  Katherine knelt beside her son. She tickled his belly. “Would I ever let you down?"

  Matt's laughter said she'd made the right decision.

  She giggled at the sound of his happiness. “I changed my mind. Load the silvery-blue tree for me and Matt, please."

  As they walked back to the truck, she rationalized her decision over again. After all, one small change isn't much of a concession. Everything else is the same. And she intended to keep it that way this Christmas.

  Jared offered her a devastating smile as he shoved the tree into the bed of the truck.

  He bent, lowered his mouth to her ear and whispered, “You made Matt happy. I suspect you sacrificed something back there to make that happen."

  Her stomach fluttered as his warm breath caressed her neck. She stepped away from him and shrugged. “That's what moms do."

  Jared hooked his hands in his coat pockets and frowned. His eyes clouded with sadness. “Not all moms."

  His jaw clenched, and Katherine saw something vulnerable behind the sardonic strength she'd seen so far. Caught up in what she saw, but could not understand, she lifted her hand to touch him. What am I doing? She snatched it back to her side, making a fist.

  She didn't need another man messing up her life or Matt's-especially a man like Jared Randall.

  * * * *

  At seven-thirty, Jared turned into her mother's driveway, parked and killed the lights. Katherine and Matt walked to the back of the truck and waited for Jared to finish a conversation he'd received on his cell phone during their ride home.

  Katherine didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she found it impossible not to from where she stood. He flirted outrageously, and from the tone of his voice, he seemed very familiar with whoever spoke on the other end. Ever so often, he chuckled deep in his throat. The intimate sounds made gooseflesh ripple up Katherine's arms. He finally asked, “Can't you sleep?” and laughed wickedly at the caller's response. “Yeah, I'll deliver that sleeping pill quick as I'm through here. Don't you start without me.” He hung up and tossed the phone onto the seat. Katherine recognized the unwanted pangs of longing that jabbed at her. Since the divorce, she missed having this kind of interaction with a man.

  He sauntered around to the rear bumper and bent at the waist. Metal clanged while he lowered the tailgate. The move defined his well-developed shoulders and broad back.

  When he tugged on the trunk of the tree, she stepped forward. “Let me help."

  Jared turned to face her, rubbed his nose with his hand and grimaced. “With your track record?” He crooked his little finger and motioned Matt forward. “I think I'm safer with my ‘official helper'."

  For some reason she didn't understand, his remark hurt, and she flinched as if he'd hit her.

  He put his hand under her chin, tilted her head up, looked deep into her eyes and whispered, “Hey, I was joking. Matt's proud of his tree. He wants to help me carry it.” He winked. “Why don't you find the stand for this monster?"

  She opened the wrought-iron gate that lead to the house, continuing up the walkway. The toe of her boot accidentally kicked the old, battered rocker on the porch. She muttered at the semi-darkness and dim porch light. The cluttered little porch grew deadly in the dark, and she felt grateful her mother left the light on for them. But she wondered why she hadn't turned on the Christmas lights.

  Her fingers brushed the prickly leaves of the holly wreath hanging over the oak door. These little touches made her feel warm and happy. She hoped things would never change. The temperature had dropped since this afternoon. She hugged her jacket against the brisk night air. It felt like Christmas. Shivering, she jammed the key into the lock and wrestled with the heavy door, opening it wide enough for the tree.

  Propping the door open, she walked through the entryway and shrugged out of her jacket. Inside the darkened living room, she found her mother slumped in a chair. “I thought you were going to exercise."

  She flipped the lamp switch on. Her mother raised her hand to cover her eyes. Moving closer, she noticed her mother's eyes were bloodshot and swollen from crying.

  Katherine rushed to her side and knelt. “Is your bionic part hurting you?” she whispered, touching her mother's thick, baby-soft hair.

  Her mother struggled to smile. “No. In two weeks, I'll be back on the golf course, good as new."

  “Okay, what's wrong, Mom?"

  “I'm moody, like an old lady right now, and I can't blame it on hormones anymore."

  Katherine didn't buy that for one minute. She wanted to cheer her mother up. When they were alone, they could talk about the problem really bothering her. She leaned forward with a smile. “Matt found his tree. But, I wanted to warn you, it's not the traditional green Dad always bought, so I don't know if you'll like it."

  Sitting up, her mother wiped her eyes. “Nonsense, if my grandson picked it, I'll love it."

  Katherine nodded-that's exactly what Dad would have said-and rose from her knees.

  “Are they right behind you?” her mother asked.

  “Oh, my God!” Katherine said. She turned on her heels toward the nearby hallway.

  “Where are you running to?"

  She glanced back over her shoulder. “To get the stand and Christmas boxes from the attic. If we're going to finish planning that tree-trimming party, we better take an inventory of what works and doesn't work. I only want to make one trip to the mall tomorrow for decorations."

  Racing to the hall, she grabbed the rope hanging down from the trap door and yanked hard. The extension ladder groaned to life. It fell with a thud from the attic onto the carpet. She took two steps up the incline and in her hurry, stumbled. Her knee banged into the side, jamming the sharp wooden edge into her shin. With a shrill cry, she crumpled onto the step, holding her knee to her chest and rubbing it.

  Jared's voic
e called from the arched doorway, “Are you all right?"

  She tried to place her full weight on her knee and winced. “I'm fine."

  He crossed the hall in three steps and joined her on the ladder. “You aren't fine. You have no business climbing."

  Wiggling her leg around, she winced again. “It's just sore."

  His arms went over hers. He propelled her back to the carpet, speaking in her ear the whole way, whispering the most infuriating things in the most sensual rumble. She trembled from the jolt of heat his touch generated.

  “Your mother's had enough grief. She doesn't need you hurting yourself."

  She thought of her father's three years of illness, the trips home to nurse him and help her mother cope with his impending death, the merciful end that released him from his pain, and finally, the scare from her mother's accident and emergency surgery. A twinge of guilt, along with a rush of resentment hit her. The man didn't know the first thing about love and loss. “Where do you get off talking to me like that? I'm trying to help my mother."

  “I know you are, but stop taking chances that might get you hurt."

  Marching up the ladder, he disappeared in the attic and returned with two large boxes marked ‘Christmas Decorations'. He deposited them on the carpet, went back and retrieved three more. “That's all,” he said, laying the last one down.

  Katherine stared at the pile glumly. So much for her traditional Christmas. It was not tradition to have a stranger get her son's Christmas tree, or have him climb into the attic and retrieve Dad's Christmas boxes, and it was definitely not tradition for her body to hum with desire like this. She kept her distance from him as they carried the dusty boxes into the living room.

  Her mother stood at the window ooh'ing and aah'ing over the unusual tree. Matt sat beside her on the floor lapping up the praise his grandma lavished on him.

  They rummaged through the boxes until they located the stand. She placed it in front of the picture window and turned. Her gaze lowered to Jared's tight rear end and thick, muscular thighs as they bent and carefully lifted the huge tree. Straightening, he turned and his gaze locked with Katherine's. Self-conscious at having him catch her staring, she took a quick uneven breath.

  His eyes shone with unmistakable male interest, moving his gaze over her body sensually. He lowered the tree effortlessly into the slot. She quickly bent to tighten the bolts, but she could still feel his hot gaze on her.

  They stood in silence, admiring the majesty of the most beautiful tree she'd ever seen grace their living room. The white of the tree, against the backdrop of the royal blue draperies framing the window took on a life of its own.

  Looking at Matt, Katherine grinned. “Why don't we turn on the Christmas lights and go outside to watch them?"

  Matt made a beeline for the front door, while Katherine flipped the switch. They stepped outside to a white wonderland that blinked and sparkled like warm tidings of cheer in the night, illuminating the walks and outlining the house.

  “Wow! Santa's flashing runway."

  Katherine felt everything would be fine this Christmas. A sweet smile and serenity filled her mother's eyes and face when the lights twinkled. She hugged her mother, bent and ruffled Matt's dark hair.

  “Jared, how about some dinner after that hard work?” her mother asked.

  Katherine's head popped up. Dinner?

  Her face heated.

  Hell. What is he-a permanent houseguest?

  Chapter Three

  “I'd love to have dinner with you,” Jared grinned, he'd seen a twinge on Katherine's face when her mother had issued the invitation, so he thought he'd just tweak the lion's tail. “How's that leaky pipe I replaced under your bathroom sink? Is it giving you trouble, Grace?"

  “It's been bone dry under there. You did a good job. Course I have a small roof leak I meant to call you about. We might have to wait until it rains to find it."

  He shook his head. “We better stop it before it rains and does damage. I'll check it in the next couple of days."

  Jared and her mother discussing house repairs like an everyday occurrence baffled Katherine. She picked up another piece of the puzzle of who Jared really was and found it didn't fit the image she'd already formed, especially in light of that cell phone conversation.

  They made their way back to the living room, and Katherine toed the carpet with her boot. “All we're having is leftover roast beef. It's nothing fancy.” He probably ate all his meals at posh restaurants. “We can throw in a kosher pickle for style."

  “And homemade peach cobbler. My daughter can really cook, Jared."

  She scowled at her mom, trying to get her to stop shooting compliments like Cupid's arrows, particularly when they were misdirected. Why doesn't Mom put a neon sign on my forehead that flashes ‘She's Available’ twenty-four hours a day? “I wouldn't brag too much, Mom. The recipe's pretty simple, mix the ingredients in a bowl, dump them in a pan and bake.” With her busy schedule, every meal she served required no fuss and a bare minimum of preparation time spent in the kitchen-preferably twenty-minutes.

  Her mom beamed at Katherine's scowl as they all walked into the kitchen.

  After heating and dishing out the dinner, Katherine squirmed in her chair again. She wanted to scream, listening to her mother carry on a polite but pointed conversation, prying personal information out of Jared.

  “You look awfully young to have a law practice in downtown Houston and a branch office in New York."

  Jared's gaze speared Katherine's. Amusement lit up his face as he turned his attention back to her mother. “I guess I am, but I've worked hard to make it happen."

  “How old did you say you were, Jared?"

  Katherine grimaced. I'm going to kill her.

  “Old enough to avoid the obvious, Grace.” He chuckled and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Thirty-four."

  “And how'd you end up with Harriet's place, God rest her soul?"

  “Harriet was my aunt. When she died about a year ago, she willed me the property."

  Her mother smiled at Jared. “Why didn't you sell it?"

  He grinned back. “I didn't want to."

  “Why would a big, strapping young man like yourself want to live in a quiet neighborhood like ours?"

  “Harriet talked about this neighborhood all the time. I came here and enjoyed the people so much that I decided to keep the house-at least for awhile. I divide my time between Harriet's, a penthouse in New York and a ranch I own in Katy, Texas."

  “You own a ranch, too?"

  He nodded and glanced at Katherine, who wanted to crawl under the table-and stay. The rapid staccato questions fired by her mom continued for twenty more minutes, interwoven with equally embarrassing personal facts about Katherine.

  “So, Jared, you missed your high school prom and always regretted it. That's too bad."

  That's it. I can't stand this Barbara Walter's routine one second more. Katherine glared at her mother. “His favorite color is green. He went to college on a football scholarship. Oh, and he gets hives when he eats strawberries. Anything else you want to know?"

  “Dear, we must show interest in our guest, or he'll think we're rude."

  Jared wiped his mouth with the napkin again, but she saw his grin, all directed at Katherine.

  “Mom, I want another sandwich and a pickle,” Matt said.

  Katherine passed the platter, glad for the diversion.

  Her mother turned her head toward Jared. “Are your parents still living?"

  Katherine stared at Jared when he didn't answer right away. His eyes blinked, his mouth tightened and his usually sardonic, lazy eyes grew angry and hard. What was that all about?

  “No, they're both dead,” he said coldly.

  “I'm sorry,” Katherine whispered. He looked up and their gaze held. For a brief moment, they shared some painful emotion that tugged at her heart. An emotion she could not understand.

  Wrenching her gaze away, she assaulted Matt's food with a kn
ife and fork. She shredded it into an unrecognizable heap.

  Matt stared at his plate, his mouth wide open. “I don't like it tiny."

  Jared placed his hands over the top of his own plate, guarding its contents against any invasion into his territory with her pulverizing knife. She felt her face grow hot. “I'll get you another sandwich and pickle, Matt."

  Katherine appreciated a man with a good appetite. Jared put away a large salad, two sandwiches, three pickles and two helpings of hot cobbler. She hated to admit it, but he even looked sexy when he chewed. The way his jaw tightened and his muscles flexed made his profile stronger.

  “You know what?” Matt said in between bites.

  Gasping, Katherine dropped her fork, and it clanged against her plate.

  Her mother and Jared stared. Katherine lifted her fork, speared a bite of pickle and shoved it into her mouth.

  Please let it be something I can do. Let it be something I can do on the ground, something I can lift by myself without Hercules over there-she glanced at Jared-having to assist. I do not want to depend on him every time Matt says, “You know what?"

  “What, pal?” Jared asked.

  Matt glanced at her and placed his finger on his chin. “We gotta find Santa and tell him we're at Grandma's again. He might deliver our presents wrong."

  She breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. Finally, something she could do by herself.

  * * * *

  Jared watched Katherine throughout the meal.

  He couldn't figure out exactly why she fascinated him, but she definitely did. And her anything-but-subtle mother made sure he learned even more fascinating tidbits about her daughter during their conversation.

  Katherine, he decided, was an enigma. And he loved a mysterious woman.

  She certainly didn't fear tackling this two-story house, even though she had no business climbing, according to Grace. Katherine loved outdoor sports, which indicated her adventurous nature. But she'd planned her accounting career path carefully, passed exams and obtained her license as a Financial Planner. She owned her own investment firm, an overachiever, like himself.