Texas Rebels: Quincy

by Linda Warren

  “Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve, and we always have a big Christmas party at the ranch. I want you to come as my guest and join the family.”

  “Are we going to tell everyone we’re getting married?” She kissed his neck, his chin and her mouth lingered at the corner of his.

  “We’ll take it slow, like I said, but I don’t see any reason to keep it a secret.”

  Her tongue stroked his lower lip. “I love you, Quincy Rebel.”

  “I will always love you,” he whispered as he pulled her down into the hay.

  * * *

  JENNY WAS NERVOUS about Christmas Eve. She wanted everything to be perfect, but in life, hardly anything was, except Quincy. He was beyond perfect and she was floating on a cloud knowing he loved her and she would spend the rest of her life with him.

  They had a tradition at their house on Christmas Eve. Lindsay played the piano and Jenny sang Christmas carols. When they were kids, they’d put on skits every year for their parents on Christmas Eve. It sounded idyllic, but Jenny tended to sing like a cat with her tail caught in the screen door. Her parents had loved it, though.

  As she sang “Jingle Bells” and acted a little crazy for her dad, she glanced out the window just to say thank-you to whatever phenomena was out there that created the lights for Quincy to see. There was no doubt in her mind it was her mother. A ghost? Something mystical? Whatever, Jenny had her own ideas.

  She was late getting to the ranch, but as soon as she rang the bell Quincy opened the door and gathered her into his arms. As his lips found hers, she knew that was where she belonged. In his embrace—forever.

  “I like that.” She smiled at his Santa Claus hat.

  He fitted one onto her head. “It’s a tradition around here on Christmas Eve. It started when Eden was small. She insisted, and we would never do anything to disappoint her.”

  She touched his handsome face, loving his strong features that seemed to have been created with the greatest of care. “It’s hard to think of the Rebels as softies.”

  “We are with the people we love.”

  “Aw.” She leaned against him just to soak up some of his strength. “I guess we better go inside.”

  “Don’t be nervous,” he said and took her hand, leading her into the den. A huge tree bedecked in the brightest colors of Christmas stood in the corner. Everyone was milling around with Santa Claus hats on their heads and a drink in their hands. Christmas music blasted from the stereo and Eden, Phoenix and Zane were dancing around and being silly. Everyone welcomed her warmly and she relaxed a little bit.

  “Get her some eggnog,” Miss Kate told Quincy. He hesitated for a moment and then went toward the big punch bowl on a table.

  She was talking to Rachel and Leah when Paxton came over. Baby John was in a baby walker bouncing up and down toward Leah. Falcon was behind him.

  “It’s like radar,” Falcon said. “He can find his mother anywhere.”

  “Just like his dad.” Leah laughed and went to her son. Rachel soon followed and that left her and Paxton alone.

  “You look great.”

  “Thank you.”

  “And different.”

  “How so?”

  “Mature.”

  She frowned. “Are you saying I’m old?”

  He smiled that smile that used to turn her stomach upside down. But not anymore. That was the young, naive Jenny. Only one man had the key to her heart now.

  All of a sudden the smile faded and he became serious like she rarely saw. “I want to apologize for my behavior, for dumping all my problems on you. I treated you badly over the years, and there’s no way to erase that from my mind.”

  “Paxton...” She placed her hand on his arm. “That’s in the past. My wish for you is that you will find someone who will love you the way you deserve.”

  He gave a mock smile. “I don’t deserve too much. I’ve been a real jackass.”

  “But there’re a lot of people here who love you and support you.”

  “Yeah.” He patted her hand on his arm and too late she realized about the ring. She didn’t want him to see it this early.

  His eyes opened wide, not in anger, but in joy. “Does this mean...?”

  “Yes. Quincy asked me to marry him and I said yes.”

  He took her in his arms and hugged her. “Quincy will be good to you, because he’s the best.”

  She hugged him back. “Thank you, and I hope we can remain friends.”

  He drew back. “Always. And I reserve the right to call you every now and then.”

  “Deal. Just stop calling me babe.” She laughed and Paxton joined her. All the tension dissipated from her body. Paxton was okay, and now she could enjoy the man walking toward her with a worried expression on his face.

  He handed her a glass of eggnog. “Everything okay?”

  “Everything’s perfect.”

  “I want everybody’s attention,” Egan called from the middle of the room with Rachel by his side. The room suddenly became quiet. “I just wanted to tell everyone that Rachel and I are expecting our first child in August.”

  “Told you,” Grandpa Abe said from the couch as everyone gathered round to hug and congratulate them.

  “I already knew,” Jericho said proudly, smiling at his friend.

  After the excitement died down, Paxton said, “I’d like to apologize to Mom, and the family, especially Quincy and Jenny, for being a jackass the past few months. And I say this with all my heart and deep sincerity, congratulations to Quincy and Jenny.”

  Phoenix turned off the Christmas music playing in the background and everyone stared at them, waiting for an announcement or something.

  Jenny whispered to Quincy, “He saw the ring.”

  “I wasn’t planning to do this tonight.” Quincy put his arm around her. “But I asked Jenny to marry me and—”

  Everyone began to shout with joy and suddenly they were surrounded by eager bodies waiting to hug and congratulate them.

  Finally, Miss Kate gathered everyone around the Christmas tree. “I’m so proud of my boys tonight, especially Paxton. He has proved that he’s a true Rebel, his father’s son. More babies in the family, and my Quincy has found true happiness. I’m so happy.”

  As the fire crackled in the fireplace, they sat around, some on the sofas and some on the area rug, and sang “Silent Night.” Jenny sat on the rug between Quincy’s legs and he had his arms around her. She’d never been happier. She rested against him, loving that there was no more tension in the family.

  “I love you,” he whispered into her neck.

  With those three words, she felt as if she’d won the lottery, and she didn’t even need numbers. All she needed was Quincy. Forever.

  Epilogue

  Three months later...

  It had been a whirlwind since Christmas, and Quincy couldn’t believe that time had passed so quickly. Since Paxton didn’t have a problem with their relationship, they’d gotten married in January in the little Catholic church in Horseshoe with family and friends present. His mother had thrown them a reception at the ranch and then they had taken a ten-day honeymoon to Italy.

  Jenny’s grandmother, who was Italian, had talked about Italy and Jenny had wanted to see it and maybe look up some distant relatives. They hadn’t looked up a soul. They’d been too busy enjoying each other and the beautiful country. He’d promised her they would go back again one day and he intended to keep that promise.

  Their living arrangements were a big problem, but they were working it out. He’d offered to buy the trailer that Egan and Rachel lived in while their home was being built. Egan had told him to take it and use it as long as he needed. Quincy had put it by his barn and hooked it up to water and electricity. They had a private place all their own.

 
Jenny didn’t want to be too far away from her dad, and Quincy couldn’t be too far away from Grandpa because Grandpa depended on him. Every night at eight they met at the trailer where they spent the night. In the morning Jenny would rush to check on her dad before going to work and he would head for Grandpa’s. But they were getting help from Lindsay and Elias. Quincy was proud of the way Elias had stepped up to help so they could have time alone. They were taking it one day at a time, and they both knew they couldn’t continue to go from house to house. So Quincy had started building their own home. They’d already poured the slab and Quincy and his brothers would start framing it soon.

  They had picked a spot in front of the barn where huge live oak trees, over a hundred years old, grew. Quincy walked around the slab to make sure there were no cracks, and Falcon rode up.

  “Looks good,” his brother said.

  “Yeah, there’s a lot of work ahead.”

  “We’ll all be there to help.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I just wanted to tell you not to worry about Grandpa tonight. I invited him to eat with us. He loves playing with the baby. We’ll do that more often to give you a break.”

  “That’s really nice of you and Leah.”

  “We’re Rebels and we stand together. Just like you were there for me when Leah was sick. Talk to you later, and don’t forget John’s first birthday party.”

  “As if we could forget.”

  His brother nodded and rode off. Before Quincy could move, Elias came charging in on his horse and dismounted. “This is going to be a big house.”

  “We’re making room for Grandpa and Clyde.”

  “You don’t have to worry about Grandpa. I got your back there. Of course, I don’t do anything like you, but he won’t starve to death and when I go out, I’ll let you know.”

  Quincy slapped his brother on the back. “I’m real proud of you.”

  “Now, don’t get mushy. When a man gets married, he should be able to live with his wife.”

  “And you’re a philosopher, too.”

  Elias went back into the saddle. “Don’t worry about tonight. I got it covered.”

  “Falcon said Grandpa was eating with them.”

  “Hot damn, then I’m going to Rowdy’s.”

  And just like that the old Elias was back. But there was maturity lurking just below the surface.

  Quincy pulled out his phone to look at the time. Jenny should be there any minute. She got off work at six and then she would check on her dad and come over. He didn’t know how he’d existed before she was in his life. Every day he waited for this moment when she would be all his for the night.

  Two arms slipped around his waist from behind and he swung around to gather her closer. After a long kiss, he murmured, “You’re early today.”

  “I sneaked out. Don’t tell Lindsay.” She laughed that infectious laugh. “Dad’s wearing his medical alert bracelet. Can you believe that? He said for me to go be with my husband and that he can take care of himself. He’s getting bossy like Lindsay. And speaking of my dear sister, she’s at home, so we have the whole night to ourselves. Can you imagine? What will we do?”

  He ran his hands through her long hair. “We’ll think of something.”

  She laughed again and he just held her, hardly believing all his dreams had come true.

  Someone cleared her throat and they drew apart to see his mother standing there. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but I came to see what’s been done on the house.”

  “Just the slab, Mom.”

  “Your brothers will help you finish it.”

  “Yeah. We’ll probably start next week or when we can work it in.”

  “I just wanted to tell you I’ll fix a plate for Abe and Jude will take it to him, so don’t worry about your grandpa.”

  “Thanks, Mom, but Grandpa is eating at Falcon’s tonight.” Quincy smiled at his family’s efforts to help him, but as Falcon had said, they always stood together.

  “Then, I’ll do it tomorrow.”

  “Okay.” He wanted to say that he could handle taking care of Grandpa, but his time with Jenny was too valuable. Grandpa needed to get used to other people helping him. But Quincy would never bail on his grandfather.

  “This is a perfect spot for a house,” his mother was saying.

  “Isn’t it?” Jenny replied. “We’re going to have a long back porch with two rockers so we can sit out here and watch the horses and—” she reached up to kiss Quincy’s cheek “—grow old together.”

  “Oh, dear, you have a long time before that happens.” His mother hugged them. “I’m so happy for both of you, and if you need any help with Abe or anything you just let me know.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  After his mom left, he took Jenny in his arms. “What’s the plan?”

  “First, we check on White Dove.” The horse was due at the end of April and they were watching her closely.

  “Then us, that’s the plan. Together. Naked. All night long.”

  He wrapped an arm around her waist and they strolled toward the barn. Dusk was sneaking in and the March wind blew with a noticeable chill, but Quincy was warm and happy. As they walked, he glanced through the darkness, searching for the light that had brought them together. It wasn’t there, but he knew when things got rough it would be. He’d never been one to believe in the supernatural, but he believed in love, and he’d found it with a little help from the unknown.

  That worked for him.

  * * * * *

  Watch for the next story in Linda Warren’s

  TEXAS REBELS miniseries,

  TEXAS REBELS: JUDE,

  coming April 2016,

  only from Harlequin American Romance!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from HER MISTLETOE COWBOY by Marie Ferrarella.

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  Her Mistletoe Cowboy

  by Marie Ferrarella

  Prologue

  “No.”

  Stunned, Garrett White Eagle stared at his older brother, Jackson. He’d just checked his email and when he read the notification from the editor in chief of a well-known magazine, asking to do an in-depth article on the work he and his brother were doing at the Healing Ranch, he thought that Jackson would be as excited about it as he was.

  Obviously not.

  This was going to take some work on his part, Garrett decided.

  “No?” he repeated incredulously. “What do you mean, no?”

  Jackson rose from behind the scarred, second-hand desk he’d rescued from being turned into kindling half a dozen years ago. He had a full day ahead of him at the ranch and he’d already wasted enough time with the stack of unpaid bills that seemed to be breeding on his desk. Apparently, moving them from one pile to another didn’t diminish their number or get them paid off any sooner.

  He couldn’t think about them right now. The boys were waiting for him at the corral. The bunkhouse was almost filled to capacity and every teen currently staying at the ranch required individual care. He’d sworn when he took all this on that nothing short of that would suffice and he had meant it. But it d
id get hard to live up to at times.

  “No,” Jackson repeated. “It’s a simple enough word to grasp.” The corners of his mouth curved just the slightest bit as he glanced toward his younger brother. “Even you, with your limited education, should be able to figure out its meaning.”

  “Look, I get it. You’re not into social media. But I’m not asking you to get on Twitter, or Facebook, or any of the other modern innovations you keep insisting on staying clear of. I’m not even asking you to use smoke signals, like our ancestors. But to turn your back on a magazine interview is positively criminal,” Garrett accused. “Western Times is a big-time magazine,” he emphasized, as if the increased volume would somehow get his brother to agree. This was an opportunity and he wasn’t about to give up until he made Jackson see the light. He had his work cut out for him, seeing as Jackson could bring new meaning to the word stubborn when he wanted to.

  Jackson turned around for a split second, looking his brother in the eye and enunciating every word slowly. “I can’t make time for it.”

  “Do you have time to make money?” Garrett asked. “How about that? Do you have time to do that?”

  Jackson stifled an impatient sigh. “What are you talking about? They’re not paying us for the interview.”

  “No, but doing the interview could really pay off in the long run.” Garrett picked up his pace to keep up with Jackson.

  Just like when we were younger, he couldn’t help remembering. Back then, he’d worshipped Jackson, who was five years his senior. Technically, Jackson was his half brother. They shared a father who wasn’t interested in either of them. Ben White Eagle walked out on them just the way Jackson’s mother had walked out on him several years before that. It was his own mother who was left with the task of raising both of them.

  Sylvia White Eagle was a warm, loving woman who more than had her hands filled with a very hostile, rebellious Jackson. Jackson was always rushing off to be with his friends, friends who were interested in grabbing what life hadn’t given them. Friends who kept getting him into more and more trouble.