It Happened at Christmas

by Debbie Mason

  He called her name as he walked into the kitchen, glancing at the dishes in a sinkful of water. A piece of paper on the table caught his eye, and he picked it up. Scanning the long list of changes she wanted him to make to the guest house, he rubbed his jaw. He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised that a woman who called herself Envirochick wanted to make the house eco-friendly. Some of the changes were easy and cheap enough—inserting solar panels on the roof, not so much.

  He shoved the list in his jeans pocket and headed to the stables. “Hey, Raul, have you seen my wife?” he asked the older man, who was bent over cleaning a horse’s hoof with a pick.

  “She took the beast for a walk. I told her it’s a horse, not a dog. She didn’t listen.” Raul cast him a sidelong glance. “You should have married Claudia. Your mama likes her. I like her, too. This one…”

  So much for hoping the older man would warm up to Skye. Raul hadn’t appreciated her challenging his authority. He ruled the ranch with an iron fist. Taciturn and stubborn, Raul had been like a surrogate grandfather to Ethan. He and Rosa had been with the family before Ethan was born. He was about to tell Raul that Rosa didn’t like Claudia, but decided to ignore him and instead asked, “Any idea which direction Skye went?” They owned more than six hundred acres.

  “West. Toward the entrance to the national park.”

  Great. The park was only a mile up the road, and there were about a million acres of trails running through it. “Thanks.” On his way out of the barn, Ethan stopped and turned to Raul. “Wait a sec. Are you telling me she got a bridle on Bandit?”

  The older man muttered something in Spanish, then said, “Yeah.”

  Ethan fought the urge to rib him. It wouldn’t endear Skye to the old ranch hand if he pointed out that she’d accomplished in one day what his mother and Raul had been trying to do for more than a month.

  Twenty minutes later, Ethan caught sight of his wife in the meadow. She was lying on her back, propped on her elbows and chewing on a blade of grass, with her gaze fixed on the horse in the field. He took his time, enjoying the view. She had on a purple sweatshirt, a pair of Daisy Duke shorts, and tennis shoes. With the sunlight turning her long hair to a burnished gold, she looked like a woodland fairy, a sweet, natural beauty that had him cursing her damn rules. He cleared the frustration from his face as he approached.

  “Hey,” she said and sat up.

  “Hey yourself,” he said, joining her on the grass. “Is he going to attack me if I sit too close?”

  “Possibly. But don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

  “Good to know,” he said, reaching over to brush the grass from her hair. He didn’t miss her reaction to his touch, the slight hitch in her breath. He thought about continuing to play with her long, soft curls, but she wasn’t the only one having a reaction, and he lowered his hand. “You were up early. You should’ve waited for me. I would’ve joined you.”

  She averted her eyes, picking a piece of clover. “I heard you on the phone and didn’t want to bother you. It sounded like you had a full day ahead of you.”

  “I do, but you wouldn’t have been bothering me. I want to spend some time with you, show you around the ranch before I head out.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I like exploring on my own.” She drew her gaze from Bandit and smiled. “This is the most amazing place. It’s incredible. I passed a pond back there.” She pointed beyond the gravel path lined with yellow-and-orange-leafed bushes. “You must have had a great time growing up here.”

  “I did. There’s five ponds on the property. Two of them are stocked with rainbow trout. I’ll take you fishing… uh, guess not, huh?”

  She opened her mouth, then closed it and shook her head. He figured he was lucky she didn’t tear a strip off him for his suggestion. Bandit trotted toward them, and Skye stood up, brushing off the back of her shorts.

  “I’m impressed that you got him to wear the bridle. Bet Raul was surprised,” Ethan said as he forced his gaze from her heart-shaped behind.

  She shrugged, taking hold of the bridle. “He didn’t say much, other than muttering a couple Spanish curse words. I don’t think he likes me.”

  “Don’t let him bother you. He’s more bark than bite. He’ll come around.” Ethan walked along the narrow path beside Skye, with the horse trailing behind them. “When did you learn to speak Spanish?”

  “When I was ten. One of my nannies was Latina.”

  “You had more than one?”

  “I think I went through eight of them before my father finally gave up. Why do you look so surprised? He told you what I was like growing up, didn’t he?”

  “Well, yeah, I just didn’t realize… That must have been tough on you.” He felt sorry for the little girl she’d once been, but he knew better than to say that out loud. He got the impression from Richard that Skye’s parents had had a tumultuous marriage, and her mother hadn’t been in the picture much when she was growing up. At least he knew where her negative view of marriage came from. He wondered if it was the reason she was afraid to give theirs a chance.

  “Tougher on the nannies, I think. So, where are you off to today?” Ethan wanted to know more about her childhood. But she obviously didn’t want to talk about it, and for now he’d let her get away with changing the subject.

  “Luncheon with the Ladies Auxiliary and then I’m heading to Fort Carson.”

  “Will you be home in time for dinner?”

  “No, don’t worry about me. I’ll probably be late.”

  He’d liked that she’d cooked for him last night. It had felt like she was settling into the marriage, maybe even putting down roots, making the house her own. A few hours later, she’d ended the fantasy. But they had the baby to think about, and he wasn’t going to give up on them that easily. He glanced at Bandit docilely following Skye and had a flash of inspiration. He’d handle his wife like she handled the temperamental horse. He had to be patient and gain her trust. “Mom will be around if you need anything, and I’ll call to check in on you. You going to take it easy for the rest of the day?”

  “No, I’ve got things to do. I’m going to head into town…” She sighed. “Ethan, I’m fine.”

  “Yeah, well, I want you to stay that way. Do me a favor, just for the next couple of days, take it easy.”

  “Okay. Two days tops.”

  “Let’s play it by ear.”

  “Let’s not.” She glanced at him. “You’re not going to turn into an overprotective daddy-to-be, are you?”

  “Looks like it.” He smiled. “And speaking of baby, how’s Peanut doing today?”

  She patted her stomach. “Good. I was thinking of calling her Clover, what do you think?”

  “It’s… Are you serious?”

  “You don’t like it?”

  No. “Yeah, but we’re having a boy and a name like that would get him teased. How about Liam or John?”

  “You’re kidding, right? They’re so… pedestrian. Okay, here’s the deal. If we have a boy, you can name him. I get to name the girl.”

  “I got your number. The only reason you’re giving in is because you think we’re having a girl.”

  “I know we are.” She grinned, then touched her stomach and looked at him. “She really does like your voice. She kicked again.”

  “Yeah? Let me see,” he said, taking her arm to get her to stop walking. He crouched in front of her, placing his hands on her stomach, and talked to the baby. He felt the muscles in Skye’s stomach tighten, saw the heat in her eyes, and realized he’d found the perfect excuse to touch his wife. “I’ll have to do this every day.”

  “Um, that’ll be a little hard to do when you’re on the road.” It sounded like she was more relieved than disappointed.

  “Come with me,” he said as he stood up, his hand on her arm. “I’d feel better if you did.”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea, Ethan. You know how—”

  With a toss of his head, Bandit trotted over and inserted himself b
etween Ethan and Skye.

  “Hey, get your own girl,” Ethan said when the horse nuzzled Skye’s neck. Bandit responded by head-butting Ethan, causing him to slide on the loose gravel down the embankment. Ethan lost his footing and ended up standing ankle deep in the muddy creek that ran alongside the path.

  Skye looked around the horse, her lips pressed together, her eyes dancing with suppressed laughter. “Do you need a hand?”

  “No, I think I can manage, thanks,” he said, his running shoes making sucking sounds when he pulled them from the mud. He sloshed his way up the embankment.

  And if that wasn’t bad enough, much to his wife’s amusement, Bandit kept pushing Ethan around all the way back to the barn. “I have time for a coffee before I leave,” Ethan said in hopes his wife would join him.

  Bandit shoved his nose in Ethan’s chest and began eating the buttons off Ethan’s chambray shirt. “Knock it off.” He pushed at the horse.

  Skye grinned and tugged on the reins. “I need to rub down Bandit. I’ll see you tonight.”

  It looked like he’d have more luck getting his wife’s attention if he was a horse. As Ethan walked away, Bandit whinnied. It sounded like a snicker.

  * * *

  It had been three weeks since Ethan had asked Skye to join him on the campaign trail. Ten days since he’d been home. If she’d known how long he’d be gone, she might have reconsidered her response that day. She missed having him around. Sure they talked on the phone, Skyped almost every night, but it wasn’t the same. Maybe it was the early October weather. It’d been dreary, cold and gray, for the past week.

  Skye kept herself busy during the day. Filling her time with Bandit and her blog, heading into town to visit with Maddie and Grace. It was the nights that were the hardest, a little scary, too. She had yet to adjust to the noises the house made, the branches scraping across the roof and windows, how dark and isolated it was.

  Last night, the howling winds had knocked out the power, and she’d had a mini meltdown. Probably because before the lights went out, she’d been talking to Vivi about Jimmy the Knife. And despite her best friend telling her that everything was status quo, Skye spent the night with the covers around her ears, jumping out of her skin at every creak and groan, convinced Jimmy had found her.

  Tucking her legs beneath her, she curled up on the couch, her eyes glued to the open computer on the coffee table as she waited impatiently for a connection. A shiver of anticipation raced up her spine when Ethan appeared on the screen. He sat on the edge of the bed in his hotel room, adjusting a cuff link in the sleeve of his white dress shirt.

  “Hey, cupcake, how are you doing?” he asked, reaching for his black suit jacket.

  “Good… I’m good.” Ethan looked better than good. He looked delectable, lickable, kissable. She couldn’t believe she’d just thought that. Right, who was she trying to kid? Lately, all she thought about was the night they’d spent together. Darn pregnancy hormones were sending her libido into overdrive. She cleared the husky quality from her voice and asked, “Are you going out?”

  “Yeah, Jordan is hosting another fund-raiser for me.” He glanced at his watch. “Sorry, I won’t be able to talk for long.”

  She covered her disappointment with a forced smile. “That’s okay. I have to get some work done on my blog anyway. I guess Sam will be there tonight.”

  He raised a brow as he shrugged into his jacket. “We’ve had this conversation before, Skye. Sam and I are just friends. And speaking of your blog, I read it last night.”

  Given his cool, unemotional voice, he obviously wasn’t happy with what she’d written. She’d done a piece on cheating politicians. In her defense, so had most of the major news outlets. A married New York senator had gotten caught with his pants down… literally. Admittedly, some of her own worries may have crept into her post.

  Two days ago, pictures of Ethan surrounded by the Broncos cheerleaders had ended up on the front page of the Denver newspaper. Skye had never been jealous a day in her life, and it irked her to no end that she was. When the green-eyed monster reared its ugly head, she’d reminded herself that Ethan wasn’t the type of man to cheat. He didn’t have a sense of entitlement or an overinflated ego like some politicians. He was honorable and loyal. But he was also a married man whose wife wasn’t really his wife.

  “Yeah, it was very popular,” she said in a defensive tone of voice. “Resonated with a lot of women, I guess.”

  Now his face got that lawyerly look. “If you have something you want to say, say it. I don’t have time for passive-aggressive bull—”

  Skye blinked. Ethan never swore. It didn’t matter that he’d stopped himself before he did. She ignored the pinch of hurt in her chest. “There was nothing passive-aggressive about my post, and I resent you insinuating that there was. Nothing I wrote reflected on you. And if you felt like it did, that’s not my problem, it’s yours. No one knows I’m Envirochick, and even if they did, I’m entitled to my opinions.” And since they had gotten married, she’d been careful to temper her posts so that they didn’t negatively impact Ethan.

  He raked his fingers through his hair. “You’re right. I probably shouldn’t have called you tonight. It’s been a long couple of days. I’m tired.”

  “Don’t let me keep you. I’m sure you have more important things to do than waste your time talking to me.”

  His expression softened. Probably because he sensed how close to tears she was. She hated how emotional she was, but she’d been looking forward to his call all day. “Come on, cupcake. You know that’s not true. Talking to you is the best part of my day. So tell me what you’ve been up to.”

  “It’s okay. You don’t have to humor me.”

  “I’m not. How’s the baby?”

  Because she had news she’d been anxious to share, she relented. “I think she’s getting bigger. I popped.”

  “You popped?” he said in a confused tone of voice.

  “I’ll show you.” She stood up, angled the screen, and lifted her long-sleeved, powder-blue T-shirt, giving him a side view of her baby bump. It wasn’t that big, but at least she looked pregnant now. She rubbed her bare stomach, the waistband of her pajama bottoms riding low on her hips. “Can you see it?”

  “Yeah, I, uh, I can see it,” he said, his voice low and gruff.

  The way he was looking at her made Skye feel warm all over, and her groundless worries disappeared. Ethan still found her attractive. He still wanted her. And as hard as Skye had been fighting it, she wanted him, too. All this pent-up desire couldn’t be good for her or the baby, or for that matter, Ethan. He was probably as frustrated as Skye.

  And right then, looking at the stunning example of male perfection staring at her with a hot, hungry expression on his face, Skye’s desire won out over her fear that she’d fall in love with her husband. She hadn’t fallen in love with him back in April, so why would this time be any different? Now she had to figure out a way to let him know she’d changed her mind about her no-sex rule without coming out and saying it. She’d rather he did the asking; begging would be better.

  With that thought in mind, Skye said, “I don’t think you’re getting the full effect. Here, let me just…” She glanced at her powder-blue pajama bottoms with the cows on them. Not exactly the thing to put her husband into a lust-filled state, but there wasn’t much she could do about it now. Taking a deep breath, she hooked a finger in the waistband of her pajamas and shimmied, lowering the bottoms several inches. “How’s that? Can you see now?”

  “No, I think you’re gonna have to lower them a little more, cupcake,” he said, a slow smile curving his lips.

  “Really?” she croaked, trying to remember if she’d put on granny panties or a thong.

  “Oh, yeah, sweetheart. Really.”

  Somewhat awkwardly, she lowered them some more. Relieved when black lace came into view, she snuck a peek at Ethan. The appreciative look in his eyes gave her the confidence to continue. She added a sexy little bu
mp and grind, smiling when she heard his low laugh. Humming a stripper song, she gave another tug and wiggle. As her pajama bottoms puddled on the floor, she kicked them off in a move that would do the Rockettes proud.

  “Ethan, can you help me with my zipper? It’s…” Claudia, a hand pressed to the front of her black dress, her back completely bared, widened her eyes as she caught sight of Skye. “Kendall, what are… Oh.”

  “Skye,” Ethan began.

  She heard him swear as she slammed the computer closed.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Ethan pulled up to the guest house. He’d put in an hour at the fund-raiser, did the meet-and-greet, then headed for home. Claudia wasn’t happy about his decision, and neither was his mother, but his head wasn’t in the game. Skye wouldn’t take his calls. And all he could think about was the devastated expression on her face before the screen went black. During her sexy little striptease, he’d been imagining what it would be like to finally have her in his bed again. Now he had to explain what Claudia was doing in his room.

  After her latest blog post, he suspected his chances of convincing her that nothing was going on between him and Claudia were slim to none. But it was true. There was only one woman he wanted and that was his wife. It was probably why her post pissed him off. She’d basically said that all politicians of the male persuasion thought with one head, and it wasn’t the one on their shoulders. He smiled as he turned off the engine. While he didn’t appreciate or agree with her comments about a politician’s propensity for adultery, Sam was right. Skye was funny as hell and had an engaging voice.

  His smile faded as he locked the SUV. He’d taken a lot of heat because of her blog. She might have convinced everyone else that her friend Vivi was Envirochick, but his team knew it was his wife. Claudia, of course, had voiced her disapproval the loudest. If she had her way, Ethan would be divorced immediately after the election. And oddly enough, she might now get her wish. With that thought weighing on him, he bounded up the front steps. A pool of light illuminated the porch, the weather-beaten boards littered with autumn leaves. It was after midnight, and the house was dark and quiet. He locked the door behind him and headed for Skye’s bedroom.