Seeing his reaction defused some of her anger, but did nothing to squash her pride. "It is to me. I should be able to give my child what she needs without any help from you or anyone else."
Damn, but she's stubborn, Kyle fumed inwardly. If it wasn't for the fact that he knew her pride would be destroyed, he'd run right back into the store and buy the dollhouse despite her protest. But he knew she'd hate him for it. And he couldn't bear that.
His mind raced. If she won't take the money from him, maybe he could convince her to take a store credit. "Wait a minute. Let's go back in and see if we can work something out with the manager."
"What good with that do? I still can't afford it." She sighed and his heart broke in two. It was such a simple thing, buying this damned dollhouse, yet she acted like she'd be giving up her first born child by accepting his gift. It was so ironic, he thought. Lauren was so unlike any of the women he’d known who were always too eager for him to pull out his checkbook for them.
"Maybe not in one lump sum, but spread out over time, you-"
"I can't, Kyle." He sensed her embarrassment as her gaze dipped to the ground and she shoved her hands deep into her coat pocket. "The store is not going to give me credit on my salary. It's no use even trying. Even if they did, I doubt I'd be able to make the payments."
Kyle looked back at the dollhouse in the window. There had to be a way without Lauren feeling that she was compromising her ideals.
Suddenly, this dollhouse held all the magic of Christmas. It wasn't just a toy, it was a symbol, a home. He envisioned his house and the fantasy he'd created earlier of Lauren and Kristen living there with him. As he peered back at her, he saw a sheen of moisture in her eyes. "Then I'll give you credit," he said, determination spurring him on.
She sucked in a deep breath, her jaw set, and started to protest, but he put up his hand and cut her off at the pass. There was no way he was going to lose this battle.
"Hear me out, lady, this is not charity. This is a loan." He sucked in a frosty breath and waited for her next move.
She tilted an eyebrow and he thought he saw a spark of hope settling in her eyes. Good. It was just what he needed to bring the deal home.
"It will be strictly business. A little like some of the wheeling and dealing I use to buy property. It's called creative financing."
"Oh, I see." She rolled her eyes. "And what kind of creative financing are you going to give me? Non-existent payment plan? No thank you."
The skepticism in her tone did nothing to deplete his resolve. He found the energy and spunk that made him what he was today come back to him tenfold with her stubbornness. She was a challenge, indeed, but no tougher than any of the other challenges he'd faced in his life.
"We can figure out a workable payment plan. Whatever you decide you can afford comfortably." He could almost hear the wheels in her head spinning, contemplating, and then deciding.
"With interest, right? I won't take-"
"I know, I know, you won't take charity." He puffed his cheeks. "No interest."
She raised her eyebrows and stuck out her chin.
"Instead of interest," he bargained, placing his index finger to his cheek, "you spend the holidays with me and my family." There. He'd just used his trump card. How could she pass up a family Christmas?
Her face softened, the wildcat fire in her ebbed away and was replaced by pain. "Christmas is a time for family."
"And friends. There'll be lots of people at my parents' Christmas Eve. You and Kristen can stay in the spare room at their house."
"You can't just invite me into your parents' home, you know," Lauren argued.
Does this woman back down to anything?
"They already invited you for Christmas Eve. I told them you'd be coming for Christmas, too." It was a lie; he hadn't told them any such thing. But he had her on the run and he wasn't about to let her slip through his fingers now by telling her so. Besides, he knew his parents wouldn't mind her staying the night. The more the merrier as the saying goes.
The tension in her face eased and she gazed up at him, searching his expression. "Why do you keep doing this?"
Because I can't think of anything I want more than being with you on Christmas morning, Lauren Alexander. He thought about saying the words, but in doing so, he knew she'd just make up some excuse for not spending the holidays with him. The thought of her and Kristen being alone was something he couldn't bear. The thought of him being without them suddenly seemed just as bad.
Her wide eyes glistened and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "What if I'd said no?"
"Does that mean you're saying yes?"
She poked him in the ribs and chuckled. "You first."
He hesitated for a second, weighing his words. He leaned into her and said softly, "I would have been incredibly disappointed."
Her eyes flew open with surprise. After the kiss they just shared, how could she not know how he'd feel? "Really?" she whispered.
He shrugged. "Yes." Why did he suddenly feel like he was standing buck naked on the street corner bearing his soul? Maybe because, in a way, he just did. He was surprised at how good it felt.
She glanced back at the dollhouse in the window, a twinkle of glee sparkling in her eyes. "It's a deal." Lauren extended her hand to his and, with a nod of her head, gave it one hard shake to cement their deal.
With their hands still clasped together, they pushed through the toy store doors to buy the antique dollhouse. This simple toy was much more than just a child's plaything. It was a symbol, the beginning of an upward climb toward trust. And he had every intention of reaching the top.
* * *
During the ride back to his house, Kyle couldn't help but revel in the triumph that lingered in him. The sun was still bright in the sky, glistening on the snow with a blinding sheen. He made the turn onto Tower Hill Road and stole a glance at Lauren as she looked out the window. He couldn't believe the transformation that had come over her this afternoon.
Despite what she'd said about not wanting to get involved, she did have feelings for him. What transpired between them when they'd kissed was not something that could be imagined. It was raw volcanic emotion. Damn, but this woman could spark a fire below his belly that would blow a mountain top sky high. And he was sure it was something they both had experienced.
She looked out the window at the scenery as they drove, a hint of a smile still dancing in her eyes. Several times he'd caught her turning to look at the box they'd carefully covered with a blanket and tucked in the back of the Jeep so Kristen wouldn't suspect anything. He couldn't keep from smiling himself. Not because it was the perfect gift for Kristen, but because of the milestone they'd achieved between the two of them in purchasing it.
Lauren was beginning to trust him, if only in a small way. This one baby step they'd taken felt like a giant leap. If he had his way-and he was determined he would-this was just the first of many leaps forward.
The street was lined with hundred-year-old maple trees displaying sturdy branches, now bare of the leaves that colored them each autumn. Just beyond a large farm was his property. He'd always loved this road. He hoped Lauren would, too. Blood raced through his veins in anticipation. He'd work the last two years designing, and then constructing the home he planned to live in alone. Why should he care if she liked the house?
But he did care. He wanted her to like what he'd done because he hoped that someday she and Kristen would be living there with him.
"This is it." Kyle pointed to the custom two story home set back from the road.
Lauren leaned forward in her seat and sighed. Kyle's home was exactly how she'd imagined it. Completely breathtaking. She recalled her first reaction when looking at the blueprints in his apartment and how he'd described the yard. The driveway started at the far end of the property and meandered back a few hundred feet to a three car garage. Clusters of white birch trees were scattered in the front yard as if they'd been purposely landscaped that way. Lauren clos
ed her eyes and could just imagine the vivid colors of tiger lilies and garden phlox glowing against the white tree bark in summertime. It was an awesome effect. Opening her eyes again, she saw the blanket of white covering the ground, no doubt hiding any blemishes to the earth caused by the ongoing construction.
From the outside, the house looked completed, but Kyle had mentioned it needing the finishing touches.
"It's beautiful, Kyle." She felt breathless and was sure she sounded that way as well.
Kyle smiled his pleasure as he parked his Jeep behind the van. "What's first, the grand tour or a ride down the hill on a Flexible Flyer?"
"Call me a wimp, but I'll take the tour."
* * *
After an impressive review of the house, Kyle joined his father in the back yard to help the children apply the finishing touches to a snowman they'd been working on. Lauren and Judy stayed in the kitchen sipping the last of the hot chocolate from the thermos.
"I don't know how you do it," Lauren said. "I'm always exhausted by the end of the day and I only have one child, you have four!"
Judy laughed. "Some days it might as well be ten."
"How do you do it?"
"I really felt the work when Julie and Scotty were born. I'm sure Kyle has told you all my children are adopted."
Lauren nodded.
"The little ones were the only two that Will and I have raised since birth. The list for adopting a newborn in Massachusetts is long, so we had quite a wait. Zoey was four when she came to live with us. We adopted her a year later." Judy patted Lauren on the shoulder. "Brace yourself for the teenage years. You'll need all your strength and patience then, my dear."
Lauren groaned inwardly. No one had to tell her how trying a teenager could be. All she had to do was remember her own adolescence.
"I'm glad you came into my son's life." Judy propped herself against the island counter in the center of the kitchen and eyed Lauren. She'd seen the same look before, at dinner last weekend, but dismissed it as simple kindness. Now she recognized it as a warm affection towards her.
She couldn't help but chuckle. "Kyle's a pretty tenacious guy."
"That's my son for you. I admire that in him. It's helped him along in life. Although Zoey may not see that as the most admirable trait in her big brother." Judy began tossing the leftover paper plates from their afternoon picnic into a trash bag. "But where you're concerned, I'd have to say I approve."
Heat crept from her toes to her cheeks as she remembered how Kyle had kissed her earlier. "We're, ah, just friends."
Judy stopped in mid-motion and stared at Lauren. "Hmm. Well, whatever it is, I think you're good for him."
She turned away from Judy's scrutiny and stared out the window, fixing her gaze on the snowman project. "He likes to help people. I don't think I had anything to do with that."
Judy chuckled. "Ask Zoey and she'll tell you he likes to help a little too much, to the point of being downright meddlesome."
Lauren felt a grin tug at her lips. She'd actually thought the same thing herself over the past week.
“Unfortunately, people can easily take advantage of a generous heart.”
Lauren snapped her gaze at Judy.
“No, no. I don’t mean you, Lauren,” Judy said quickly.
“You mean the woman he built this house for?”
It was Judy’s turn to be surprised. “Debra was a nice girl. A little needy, though. She wanted much more than even Kyle could give.”
Curiosity won over Lauren’s pride. “Look at this house. How much more could she possibly have wanted?”
Judy leaned her hip against the counter. “All of him.” She sighed. “Debra came from a large family. She was one of eight and they didn’t have much. Attention was at a premium, I suspect. She liked Kyle’s generosity as long as it was focused on her. With her family being so large, Kyle had assumed family was important to her.”
“But it wasn’t?”
Judy shook her head. “She didn’t want family around—his family—and Kyle can’t live without it. Family is very important to him. He likes being in the middle of everything, doing things for people.”
That much was evident to Lauren. Since the moment she met Kyle Preston, he was doing things for her.
When she said nothing, Judy went on. "Kyle's heart is in the right place. I make no bones about the fact that I'm proud of what he's accomplished given his troubled childhood."
"He mentioned he came to live with you when he was twelve," Lauren offered. Part of her hoped to gain some insight into Kyle's past. Although he'd always spoken fondly of his adoptive parents, he had yet to speak of his life before he came to live with them. She was disappointed when Judy did not elaborate any further.
"Trusting didn't come easy for Kyle. At first, he did everything in his power to push us away. I know he was afraid of getting hurt again." Judy sighed as she bent down to pick up the blanket on the floor. Lauren followed and helped with the folding. "Then he did everything he could to win our approval, as if that would make us love him. He could never quite believe he already had our love."
Lauren knew those feelings well. Except she knew she didn't have her parents' approval. Their brand of tough love sent her out on the streets when she needed them the most. Despite the pain it caused, she'd give anything to get past the tension dividing them and have them back in her life again.
After dropping the blanket into the picnic basket and adding the empty thermos, Judy continued. "This is a beautiful house, but I don’t think he was ready to make such a move. He did it to please Debra.” Judy shrugged. “That’s just the way he is.”
Lauren felt a prick at her heart with Judy's words. After the afternoon they'd spent together, she let herself believe that maybe, just maybe she'd be able to allow herself to get close to Kyle. The kiss they'd shared just about rocked her world with its intensity. And she'd be lying to herself if she said she didn't want more. Earlier, as she walked through the house that he built, she foolishly let her mind daydream about what it would be like if she and Kristen lived here as Kyle's family.
Well, now is the time for the old kick-in-the-butt reality check, girl. If what Judy said was true, and there was no reason for Lauren to believe otherwise, then Kyle was just being himself, doing what he always did. He was just trying to please her.
Judy hooked the picnic basket in her arm and walked into the dining area, inspecting the open design. The pungent fumes of Polyurethane and stain hung heavy in the air. "So this is what he's been working on so diligently this week." She waved her arm around the room.
Lauren had noticed the rooms were open, void of the walls that she'd seen in the original design. She didn't say anything about her suggestion to make the change. Like he’d done for Debra, had Kyle made this change just to please her? "I like how it makes the rooms feel," she said instead.
Judy gazed at her and smiled warmly. "I like it, too."
# # #
Chapter Seven
"I want the most beautiful one you have," Kyle said to the man mummified in a cold weather parka. He could barely see his face beneath the furry hood. "Just point me in the direction and I'll cut it down myself."
"I've still got a couple of thirteen foot Douglas firs in the back of the farm, right near the one you cut down last week." The salesman, who Kyle had known for years, was the owner of the tree farm.
"No, not that big. A seven foot tree, nice and full all around would be great." He rubbed his gloved hands together in an attempt to ward off the cold. It had been snowing off and on for the past two days. The trek up to the back of the farm would be too difficult with all the snow.
"We've got a whole farm of seven footers. Pretty ones, too. Just take your pick."
With saw in hand, Kyle plowed a fresh path through the snow in search of the perfect Christmas tree. Forty-five minutes later, he'd cut and purchased what he thought was just that.
He just hoped Lauren would be home, he thought as he drove over to her p
lace to deliver it. He had attempted to call Lauren several times, but hadn't been able to reach her. Earlier in the week, he hadn't thought much about it when the answering machine picked up and he heard her pre-recorded voice suggesting he leave a message. By Thursday evening, he began to get the distinct feeling that maybe she was avoiding him.
Okay, so maybe he'd laid things on a little thick by commandeering her into dinner, hijacking her to go shopping, kissing her... He'd lay it on as thick as he could if he could kiss her sweet lips again.
Most men would bring flowers to court a lady, he thought as he removed the rope securing the freshly cut Christmas tree to the top of his Jeep. He'd save the roses for another time. Hell, he'd build her a whole rose bed out back so she could have fresh roses every day.
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