The Ultimate Treasure

by Anne, Melody

  “Here is your first Christmas gift,” he told her, holding it out.

  She took a step back. “No,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

  He stepped forward until the two of them were against a wall. “You can’t say no,” he said, that easy smile on his face.

  Even if she wanted to take the case from him, her fingers were trembling too badly to do so. She shook her head. Lance’s grin never left his face as he held the case and opened it.

  Lexie couldn’t help but look and then she couldn’t tear her gaze away. It was a diamond necklace, a matching pair of dangling earrings, and a bracelet. They weren’t small diamonds, and the chandelier light caught them, making an instant rainbow. The sparks that fired off them were enough to ground a plane. It was certainly in the same caliber of jewelry as the other women in the room were wearing, if not better.

  She wrenched her gaze away from the stunning pieces and looked into his equally sparkling eyes. She shook her head again and opened her mouth. No sound came out, so she cleared her throat and tried again.

  “I can’t accept this, Lance. It’s far too much,” she said with tears in her voice.

  He used his free hand and cupped her face in that way that made her feel loved and protected. She wanted to be alone with him, with no one around, so she could throw her arms around him and tell him it truly was the thought that counted. His generous gesture had made her feel so treasured.

  “You can’t not accept my gift. It would hurt my feelings,” he told her. He set the case on the table beside them, cupped her other cheek, and leaned in to give her a gentle kiss. That small touch broke her, and a single tear slipped down her cheek.

  He wiped it away with his thumb and turned her around. Lexie was too shocked to stop him when he wrapped the cold metal around her neck and clasped it in place. He turned her back around, raised her arm up, and attached the matching bracelet to her wrist.

  He smiled at her. “I’m no good at earrings, so go to the bathroom and put these in. I will hold on to the beautiful pair you’re already wearing,” he told her as he opened her fist and placed the diamond earrings in her hand.

  “I . . . I can’t,” she said again.

  He continued to smile. “For me, please.” Those words were her undoing.

  “I’ll just borrow them,” she finally conceded.

  He didn’t argue with her, but there was a light in his eyes that seemed to say he was humoring her. He couldn’t force her to take the jewelry. Walking like a zombie, she moved to the closest bathroom and shut the door. She was almost afraid to look in the mirror.

  When she did, more tears shone in her eyes. Reaching up, her fingers danced over the sparkling diamonds around her neck. The jewelry was stunning. It took a couple tries to get her earrings out and insert the new ones he’d given her. As she scrutinized herself, she thought if she didn’t know it was her, she might think she belonged with this wealthy family.

  Her plan to pop her fantasy bubble a little at a time was completely thrown out the window. Lance had made that impossible for this night. She stayed in the bathroom until she pulled herself together, then opened the door and stepped out. She was determined to act like the confident woman in the mirror.

  Stepping into the main hall, she didn’t see Lance, but his brother Ashton spotted her and walked over.

  “Would you like a drink?” he asked. He didn’t look at the jewelry around her neck. She wondered if, at this level of wealth, the family was so used to fine things they didn’t even notice them anymore. It was taking all she had not to reach up and assure herself it was still there. She felt the weight of it, but still . . .

  “I would love one,” she replied with a bit of a shaky voice. “Where’s my sister?”

  “She’s nursing the baby. She’ll be right back,” he assured her. “Aunt Katherine had her favorite eggnog made tonight.”

  “Haven’t we been drinking that all week?” she asked with a smile.

  Ashton shook his head. “Oh no. Aunt Katherine only brings out her special recipe one night of the year, and you’re in luck to be here,” he said as he held out his arm. “Let me escort you to the table.”

  Lexie couldn’t resist his easy charm. Her sister truly had married a gentleman. She laced her arm through his and walked to a beautifully set bar with eggnog and hors d’oeuvres. Ashton released her to accept a cup from one of the bartenders and Lexie perused the tidbits, choosing a piece of bread with melted cheese and herbs on it. At her first bite she was drooling. She hadn’t had a single bad item since arriving at this lodge.

  “Here you are,” Ashton said.

  Almost as if he had radar, his head turned, and Lexie followed his gaze, watching as her sister came into the room. Savvy looked stunning, her dark green dress flowed about her as she walked forward. She approached them and immediately kissed her husband.

  “I’m yours for the rest of the night. The nanny has threatened to quit if I check on the baby one more time,” Savvy said with a smile.

  Lexie loved that many of the Anderson women had nannies to help them out, but they never left their children to be raised by them. They put their kids to bed, fixed their meals, and played with them. The nannies were there for moments like these when the adults were having a formal meal. But even then, the older kids were in the room with them, dressed just as nicely as the adults, growing to be as refined as their parents. It was amazing to see the multiple generations coming together.

  “I will have to give her a bonus,” Ashton said as he wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her less chastely than Savvy had kissed him. She sighed against his touch, and Lexie cleared her throat.

  Savvy pulled away and giggled. “Sorry, it’s been rough with the baby to get a few minutes alone,” she said, then her eyes zeroed in on Lexie’s jewelry. As her sister smiled in delight, Lexie couldn’t help but reach up and run her fingers over the necklace.

  “Oh, Lance did very well indeed,” Savvy said with no judgment.

  “It’s a bit much. I’m not keeping them,” Lexie insisted.

  “Of course you are. It’s rude to return a gift,” Savvy scolded her.

  “But . . .”

  “No buts. You thank the man for being thoughtful, and you graciously accept what he’s given you,” Savvy told her. “You would offend him if you didn’t keep them. He would think he hadn’t picked out a good enough present.”

  Lexie hadn’t thought about that. But keeping them seemed wrong. And she would be paranoid having them in her apartment. What if someone broke in? She would have to get a safety deposit box just for the jewelry. Oh, that was all too complicated, and she didn’t want to think about it.

  “Thank you, Savvy. I was trying to tell her the same thing.”

  Lance joined them, and his arm immediately wrapped around Lexie. The nervousness she’d been feeling disappeared as she looked into his happy expression. He was much more relaxed than usual, and Lance was a pretty easy-going man on any normal day.

  “You’re having fun tonight,” she said.

  “It’s a perfect evening. I’m with my family on Christmas Eve, and more importantly I’m with you,” he said.

  “I could get used to you saying things like that,” she said.

  “Good, because I plan on saying them a lot,” he promised her, making her heart flutter.

  “It’s time for Christmas carols,” Joseph announced. Lance leaned down and kissed her; Crew grabbed Lance’s arm and dragged him to the piano where Katherine was sitting in her elegant gold gown, her white hair gleaming. Joseph stood beside her, looking every bit the proud husband.

  The group all joined in for some fun versions of “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” and “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.” Then Katherine began playing a sweet tune that had tears sparkling in Lexie’s eyes when she recognized the song.

  Jo
seph, George, and Richard began singing the lyrics to “The Friendly Beasts,” their baritones blending perfectly as everyone hummed along.

  Then Lucas sang the next verse, and another took over for each verse. Lance looked over to her as he sang the camel verse, and she was shocked at how beautiful he sounded. Katherine played for a few more moments and then Joseph and his brothers concluded the song;

  Thus every beast remembering it well

  In the stable dark was so proud to tell

  Of the gifts that they gave Emmanuel

  The gifts that they gave Emmanuel.

  Lexie didn’t even realize tears were streaming down her face until she sniffled and was handed a napkin. The group started another song, and she slipped to the corner as she pulled herself together.

  “There’s nothing quite like the Christmas spirit, is there?”

  Lexie smiled up at Joseph, who moved surprisingly quietly for such a large man.

  “No, nothing like it,” she told him. “That was absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much for having me in your home this Christmas.”

  “You’re a part of our family now, Lexie. I wouldn’t have it any other way but to have you here,” he told her as he patted her shoulder. He directed his eyes across the room to where Lance was laughing at something his sister Brielle said to him.

  “My sister is pretty incredible, but this is her family,” Lexie told him. She had to accept that her sister had found a new life, and she could continue to tag along with her, or she could make her own way. It was hard to break free when she didn’t want to though.

  “Lance is a good boy,” Joseph pointed out.

  “He truly is,” she admitted.

  “A woman could do a heck of a lot worse than him.”

  Lexie laughed. “Yes, a woman most certainly could. It seems the Andersons know how to produce incredible offspring,” she told him.

  “That’s because we come from good stock,” he assured her.

  “How you’ve managed to build such a great family is a wonder. A lot of people in your position don’t think about love above all. I’ve been humbled to be around all of you,” Lexie told him.

  “It’s our pleasure to have you here as well,” Joseph told her.

  She knew he was simply being kind but his words warmed her heart in a way she didn’t want to analyze too deeply. She was going to miss this rowdy bunch more than she cared to think about.

  “Thank you, Joseph,” she said. Lexie surprised herself when she reached out and hugged the giant of a man. Her arms weren’t able to wrap all the way around him. He had to be in his seventies, and he was still as solid as his sons, but there was something so gentle and soft about him that she wished she would have had a father as wonderful as he was.

  “Now you’re going to make me cry right before dinner,” Joseph said with a suspiciously tight voice as he squeezed her. Katherine called his name, and his eyes lit up as he released Lexie and went back to join his wife in singing “Silent Night.”

  Lexie wasn’t alone long before Lance joined her. There was such softness in his expression that she wanted to grab a camera and capture the moment. This was what life was all about.

  “May I escort you to dinner?” he asked her formally as he grinned.

  “That would be most pleasurable,” she said in her best impression of Scarlett O’Hara.

  Lance linked their arms and took her to the dining room where the delicious aromas made her stomach rumble. It was loud enough for Lance to hear, but she wasn’t offended when he laughed.

  All the family came through the doors and Lexie again wished for her camera when everyone was seated, the setting too perfect to describe. Voices rang out until Joseph stood at the head of the table and looked around the group.

  “We are so blessed to once again come together as a family,” he said as he looked at each and every person at the table, including Lexie. Raising his glass, he smiled at his wife. “I’d like to begin dinner with a toast.”

  Lexie picked up her glass with the rest of the group, and her eyes met Lance’s. Her glance told him everything she wasn’t able to say out loud, and his smile faded as he seemed to understand. A look of what she thought was love replaced the easy-going nature he’d been displaying all night, and she wanted to climb into his lap and hold him tight.

  Joseph began speaking again and the moment was lost — maybe forever. If that were true, it would certainly be for the best, she assured herself. She, along with the entire table, faced Joseph.

  “I am thankful for each one of you, my brothers, my sons, my nephews and nieces, and my grandchildren, who continue to grow healthy and more beautiful, inside and out, each day,” he said before pausing. “And as always, I am grateful for this beautiful woman who took a chance on me, who looked past my gruff exterior and saw a man who would love her more than life itself. I have only wanted the same for each of you,” he said. His eyes stopped on Lance and then Lexie long enough that she squirmed in her seat and a few of the other family members chuckled.

  “Merry Christmas,” he finished.

  “Merry Christmas,” the group chorused.

  Joseph sat down and the staff brought out their food. And Lexie fell the rest of the way in love with not only Lance, but with his entire family as well.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Dinner was over and conversation floated all around them. Lance couldn’t look away from Lexie for more than a minute at a time before his eyes were drawn back to her. She was different this night. Something about her made him think the two of them might have that future he’d been worrying about.

  Maybe she had let go of the preconceived notion that all marriages were doomed to end in failure, or maybe his family had entered her heart like they did with so many. He wasn’t sure what the change was, but the ring in his pocket was killing him as he felt it repeatedly through the night, wondering if he could do it, if he could risk rejection, asking her to be his forever.

  His heart thudded at the thought of proposing. What would she say, or do? Would she walk away from him forever out of fear? Should he just ask her to make what they had official so there were no more question? That didn’t sit well with him. He wanted her forever, not just for now.

  Her sister said something to Lexie from across the table, and her lips turned up as beautiful laughter spilled out. Gorgeous. She was so damn beautiful his heart stalled in his chest just looking at her, hearing her voice, being next to her and able to touch her.

  Unable to resist, he reached below the table and slid his hand from her knee, resting it on her thigh where her stocking ended. He played with the lace and she turned to look at him, hunger in her expression, before she leaned against him.

  “Behave,” she said, but then she reached over and ran her fingers up his thigh, and he nearly jumped out of his seat.

  Maybe he shouldn’t play a game of who could hold out longer while secretly touching. He had a feeling he would show his family a lot more than she would if he wasn’t careful.

  Lance glanced down the table and saw Uncle Joseph watching the two of them, and though Lance wasn’t a man to be easily embarrassed, he suddenly had the urge to fidget in his seat. There was no way his uncle knew where his hand was, but with unbelievably youthful eyes, Lance was sure Joseph didn’t miss anything. Lance picked up his wine glass and took a long swallow, breaking the connection of their look. But then Joseph spoke.

  “Lance,” the old man bellowed, and the other conversations halted as everyone turned to look at Joseph. Lance could practically feel heat coming off Lexie’s cheeks as she looked at the empty plate in front of her. He had learned enough to know she hated being the center of attention.

  “Yes, Uncle Joseph,” Lance said casually, giving Lexie a reassuring squeeze on her thigh. Her fingers had stilled thankfully where they rested on his leg. He wasn’t sure he could carry on a conver
sation with her rubbing him so close to his hardening body.

  “I thought by now you’d be giving your family some special news,” Joseph said. Lexie’s cheeks heated more. There was no doubt what his uncle was talking about, but Lance decided it might be best to play stupid.

  “I give you great news all the time,” he said with a laugh, then turned toward his brother and gave him a pleading look to try to help him out. Crew only winked at him, and Lance decided he would pay the traitor back when the timing was perfect. He was definitely keeping score of how many times his siblings had betrayed him lately.

  “You know what I’m talking about,” Joseph said pointedly as he looked at Lexie. She didn’t meet his uncle’s eyes as she found sudden interest in her wine glass.

  “Isn’t it time for dessert?” Lance asked with a forced chuckle.

  “I’ve noticed the beautiful jewelry you gave Lexie, but it seems to me the diamonds are in the wrong place,” Joseph said as he grinned.

  Lexie groaned as she tried to sink lower in her chair and disappear. Lance gave his uncle a warning look, which only made the man laugh as he continued giving Lance a look that demanded action.

  “Joseph, don’t you have more important things to worry about?” Lance pointed out.

  “The wellbeing of my family is all that matters,” Joseph said as he looked at his two brothers, and they nodded their heads, giving Lance the same look as his uncle. They were all traitors. And none of his siblings or cousins was helping him out.

  “What is Grandpa talking about, Mom?” Jasmine asked. Lance wanted to warn the teenager to run and hide because her grandpa would be trying to get her married off before too long.

  “You’ll understand in a few years,” Amy told her daughter.

  Lance nearly laughed when Lucas gave his wife an incredulous look. “She won’t understand for at least ten years,” the protective father growled. That caused several chuckles around the table.

  “Grandpa is talking about marriage and babies,” Joseph said as he grinned at Jasmine.