Dreamweaver (Hell Yeah!)

by Sable Hunter

  “No, it’s okay. Let her be.”

  The man obeyed, leaving Pepper and Judah alone in the hall outside his door. There were other people milling around, some whispered but none approached. All this time, her eyes were on him, but his were focused on some point over her head or over her shoulder. “What do you want, Pepper?”

  Pepper swallowed, her mouth was so dry. “I needed to see you.”

  “Why? There’s nothing more to be said, is there?”

  “Just tell me why, tell me what happened. I didn’t dream this, Judah.”

  Judah shut his eyes as if looking at her caused him pain. “What we had was a fantasy, Pepper. It didn’t mean anything. Please go.”

  Pepper placed her hand on his chest and gasped when he flinched. “Judah, please listen to me. I love…”

  Before she could say more, the dressing room next door opened and Ivana Paul stepped out. Pepper recoiled at the furious expression on her face. “Judah, you need to get rid of this overzealous fan. I’m ready to start my honeymoon, aren’t you, baby?” She grabbed Judah by the collar and pulled him close for a kiss.

  Agony unlike anything Pepper had ever known swamped her. She grasped onto the wall for support. “Judah?” she asked, her heart in her eyes. “Why?”

  Judah tore himself from Ivana’s arms and turned to face Pepper. He couldn’t stand this. She’d never know what it cost him, she’d never understand the price he was paying. Hurting her was unavoidable, but sometimes you have to be cruel, to be kind. Steeling his resolve, Judah lied through his teeth. “You need to go back where you came from, little girl. Be it my dreams or be it my nightmare, I don’t know. There is no place for you here. No reason for you to stay. You and I will never be. All of this is just in your head! Can I be any clearer? Let me try.”

  “I. DO. NOT. WANT. YOU!”

  Pepper swayed from the verbal blow. She watched in agony as the man she loved embraced another woman and led her away. Closing her eyes, she sank against the wall, unable to trust her legs to hold her up.

  From out of nowhere, a strong arm came around her shoulders. At first, she thought it was Judah, but then she realized it was Samson Duke. His brother Gideon was with him. They’d come to see Ryder, as Pepper requested. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” she murmured, embarrassed.

  “To hell with them. Let’s get you out of here.”

  Pepper sank against him, resting for just a minute, her whole body shaking with emotion. “He doesn’t want me. God, he’s already married.” She clutched Gideon’s jacket. “I need to leave. Molly and Cato are in the lounge with Ryder. Could you ask them to meet me at the car?”

  “Of course.” Samson walked away to follow her instructions. “Gideon will take you outside, we’ll join you shortly.” If he ever met Judah James in a dark alley, he was going to rearrange that pretty boy’s face.

  * * *

  About three months later…

  Tebow Ranch – Christmas – McCoy Reunion

  “I hope they’re not still in bed.” Pepper worried as she tapped on the wide double doors of the main house, bright and early on Christmas morning.

  “Are you kidding? I’m sure someone’s around,” her brother Philip remarked, his arms weighed down with gaily wrapped packages. “All of those kids will wake up soon and want to know what’s under the tree.”

  “Damn, it’s cold.” Jaxson shivered, his hands full of a huge pan of chicken and dressing. When no one answered Pepper’s knock, Jaxson pushed on the door with his boot. “Look, this dang thing isn’t even shut.”

  As the crack widened, the Highland McCoys could see someone dressed as Santa standing near the Christmas tree, arranging gifts. He was singing his own version of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, very off-key. “You better watch out. You better watch out. You better watch out. You better watch out.”

  “I think there are more words to that song, St. Aron,” Heath drawled, one arm wrapped around Cato, the other hugging a sack of assorted bottles of good cheer. When the merry old elf didn’t respond, Heath shouted, “Merry Christmas, Cousin!”

  Startled, Aron jerked and whirled around. When he did, the whole tree followed – shifting tinsel, bouncing balls, waving lights. The more Aron struggled, the worse the situation became.

  “Oh, no!” Ryder and her two men rushed forward. “His beard is tangled in the tinsel!” Samson managed to catch the big spruce before it hit the floor. A few balls crashed and shattered in the confusion, but Gideon managed to right the tree before it lost all the decorations.

  “Criminelly! You all scared the living daylights out of me!” Aron, in his excitement, stumbled back against the fireplace.

  “Watch it!” Philip yanked on Aron, pulling him forward. “You’re catching your rear on fire!”

  “Gol-darned it!” Aron yelled, bending over as his first cousins beat the flames out of his backside.

  Rip! Tear!

  “Oh, no! You split your Santa suit, Aron.” Pepper consoled him, her hand over her mouth. She’d never seen such a comedy of errors. “We need to hold the noise down, we’re going to wake the kids and they can’t see this.” She giggled helplessly.

  The eldest Tebow McCoy looked over his shoulder, trying to see how big of a rip there was in his red suit. “Dammit all! This suit is rented.”

  “I always knew you were too big for your britches, Aron.” Heath smirked, unable to hold back his mirth.

  “Help him, Heath,” Cato urged her husband, taking the bag from his arms. “Let’s get this mess straightened up before the children come down.”

  “What else needs to be done, Aron?” Philip asked, righting an overturned chair.

  “If you all could put out the rest of the presents and get the milk and cookies set up, I’d appreciate it. I still need to get on the roof and make some reindeer pawing noise over the kid’s rooms.” He stopped long enough to kiss his female cousins on the cheek. “Merry Christmas to you all. Where’s Tennessee and Molly?” he asked as he shook Samson’s and Gideon’s hand.

  “They’ll be here in a bit, they didn’t want to get the new babies up so early. They’re picking up Dad and his fiancé on the way.” Ryder stood between her new husbands, so proud to have them at the family celebration. “I think this is going to be the best Christmas ever.”

  “I just hope everything goes smoothly.” Aron winced. “This morning hasn’t been the best start.”

  “Merry Christmas everyone!” Libby called from the kitchen doorway. “I thought I heard voices out here.” She ran to give everyone a hug. “Are we almost ready, Aron?”

  “Almost,” he assured his wife.

  “Where are the rest of the gifts, Aron?” Pepper asked as she placed the ones their family had brought to add to the mix under the slightly disheveled tree.

  “In the hall closet.” Aron pointed. He came close to whisper. “Leave the small gold box on the top shelf, that’s for Libby. I’ll give it to her in private later.”

  “Sure thing,” Pepper agreed, stunned by the look of intense love on Aron’s face when he mentioned his wife’s name. A wave of pure jealousy swamped her. What she would give for Judah to look at her that way couldn’t be measured.

  “Hey!” Skye greeted them as she came down the stairs. “Noah said he’d be down in a minute. How is everyone?” She came to assist Pepper, getting a hug from Samson and Gideon on the way. “I hope you all came hungry, we cooked up a storm yesterday. We’ve got enough food to feed half the county.”

  “We’re always hungry,” Samson informed her. “I can’t wait to try your pumpkin pie, Ryder says it’s the best she’s ever eaten.”

  Skye beamed at the praise. “I made three, so I’ll make sure you each get a piece to take home.”

  The sun was just rising as the ever-growing family began their day of festivities. Sounds of the holidays filled the air – the crackle of the flames in the fireplace, Christmas carols from a local radio station humming through the Bose speakers, dishes clinking as the women began to m
ake waffles for their breakfast – and the ever-present blessing of laughter.

  When Pepper finished arranging the brightly wrapped boxes beneath the boughs of the tree, she sat back against the wall and surveyed her big family. She knew she was lucky, not everyone had such a loving, supportive group of people in their life. A smile came to her face as she followed Jaxson’s movements as he swayed to the tune of an old-fashioned carol. He’d improved so much since getting fit with the new prosthesis.

  Her happy thoughts skittered to a halt when one song ended and another began. The hauntingly familiar, sexy voice of the man she loved filled the room. Her heart almost stopped as the words registered in her mind – My blonde haired, blue-eyed angel haunts me. Are you real? Are you mine? Tears immediately filled her eyes and Jaxson almost broke his good leg getting to the player to change the channel. “No, it’s okay,” she told him. “I’m fine. Let it play.” She had so little of him, Pepper wanted to cherish every note. Even though Judah denied it, she knew in her heart the song was written for her.

  “Pepper, don’t torture yourself.” Ryder came to sit near her. “He’s moved on, you’ve got to make an effort to move on also.”

  Not willing to put a damper on the spirit of the day, Pepper didn’t argue. She was saved from further discussion when Isaac came bounding down the stairs. “Can’t anyone else hear the commotion?”

  “What do you hear?” Philip asked, rising from his spot in front of the fire where he’d been roasting a pan of chestnuts over the open flame.

  “I think a cow is on the roof. I hear the oddest bellowing noise out my window.” Isaac grabbed his leather jacket from a hook by the door. “Hey, everybody!” He gave a hurried wave.

  “Aron went on the roof earlier. Did he ever come down?” Heath joined the other two at the door.

  “I never saw him come back, unless he came in through the kitchen.” Pepper rose to go check. She’d intended to get back here and help with breakfast anyway, even though her appetite had disappeared with the fading melody of Judah’s ballad. Peeking in at the happy bustle around the heavily laden counters, she saw only Libby, Skye, Avery, and Cato. A big stack of crispy brown waffles, mounds of scrambled eggs, and a huge heap of bacon all waited on the warmer. “Anyone seen Aron?”

  Libby looked at Pepper with surprise. “He must have left. I’m frying bacon, if he was anywhere on the ranch, he’d be in here eating it as fast as I take it out of the skillet.”

  “Okay, I’ll tell the guys. They’re looking for him.” She snatched a piece of bacon with a grin. “I’ll be back to help in a second.” Hurrying to the front, she saw her brothers and Isaac heading outside. “He’s not in the kitchen.”

  As soon as they stepped on the porch, everyone could hear a plaintive growl. “Help! It’s freezing up here! The ladder fell down!”

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake.” Philip laughed as he and Heath followed Isaac as he ran around the house. Sure enough, by the time Pepper and the others gathered around, they could see a chilled Aron making his way down the ladder in his charred, ripped Santa suit.

  “Are you okay?” Pepper called out.

  Aron gave them a wave as flakes of snow began to fall. “I’ll live, but somebody wake those kids up before Christmas kills me.”

  * * *

  By the time noon rolled around, the holiday was well on its way. The house was brimming with McCoys and friends. Pepper helped Jessie McCoy pass out drinks as she took time to speak to everyone who joined them. Tennessee and Molly arrived with their twins, accompanied by the Highland McCoy patriarch and his girlfriend. They also brought along Heath’s best friend, Jimmy Dushku.

  “Hey, Jimmy, what’s the latest?” Jacob asked as he ate one of Libby’s famous brownies. “I know you’ve been hobnobbing with the rich and famous. Any gossip?”

  Taking a seat on the massive hearth, Jimmy sipped on an eggnog. “Well, I played a round of golf the other day with Matthew.”

  “How is Mr. ‘all right, all right, all right’?” Joseph asked with a grin. “I haven’t seen him since Willie’s birthday party last year.”

  “He’s good, bulking up for a movie.” Jimmy pointed to where Pepper and Ryder was sitting on the floor building a Lego fort with Aron and Libby’s twins. “Hey, Pepper, I just decided yesterday to throw a party after Judah James’s concert on New Year’s Eve. I know you enjoy his music, so you’re invited.” He raised his drink in the air. “Heck, you’re all invited, whether you go to the concert or not. I’m holding it at my villa on Lake Travis. Should be a fun evening.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Isaac rubbed Avery’s back as she sat next to him on a leather love seat. “Do we have any plans, sugar?”

  She patted her ever-growing baby bump. “Not any I could admit to in mixed company,” she teased her handsome husband.

  There was a chorus of “We’re ins” and “wouldn’t miss its” from the Tebow McCoys and the male members of the Highland McCoys, but it didn’t take long for the awkward silence from Pepper and Ryder to make itself known. “What did I say?” Jimmy asked, confused. He was much closer to Heath’s side of the family than Aron’s, so he didn’t understand why his announcement was met with such a pregnant pause.

  Ryder started to say something, but Pepper stopped her. Giving her brothers and Jimmy a big smile, she said graciously, “We would love to come, Jimmy, thank you.” She gave her sister and Philip a pleading look not to say anything. Heath, Tennessee, and Jaxson weren’t as aware of her situation with Judah and she didn’t think this was the time and the place to go into the details.

  “Great!” Jimmy set his drink down beside him and caught Angel, Cady and Joseph’s daughter, as she ran past him at full speed. “Come prepared to spend the night if you’d like, the party probably won’t get rolling until almost midnight.”

  As plans for the party were discussed, Pepper slipped away to the kitchen. Lunch was being served buffet style, while dinner would be a sit-down affair. “Did anybody get a head-count?” Cady McCoy asked as she sat at the bar penning calligraphy place-cards. “I don’t want to miss anyone.”

  Pepper returned to the connecting door and proceeded to tally the family. “Twenty-eight, counting the babies.” She scanned the crowd again. “Where’s Nathan?”

  “He’ll be here any minute, he spent the night with a friend,” Jessie explained as she put the finishing touches on a chocolate Yule log. “I’m glad we have the new enclosed pavilion to entertain in this year.”

  “Yea, me too,” Cady agreed, smiling serenely as Jessie left the room to deposit the cake on the buffet in the dining room. “I’m getting some pretty weird vibes about Christian’s announcement. I feel like I should set some extra places at the table.”

  “Really? He hasn’t given us an inkling of what the big announcement will be. All we know is what he said at Thanksgiving, that we all had to be here together, and that he had a big surprise.” Pepper pulled a chair close to her cousin-in-law. “You fascinate me with your psychic abilities.”

  “Don’t be fascinated, they’ve been on the fritz lately.” She patted her slightly rounded abdomen. “This pregnancy and my raging hormones seem to be throwing up a bit of cosmic interference.”

  Pepper hugged her. “They’ll return, I’m sure. Another baby will be worth it all.”

  “You’re right, she’s going to be a handful.” Cady stood and gathered the cards. “Would you like to ride over to the pavilion with me?”

  “Oh, sure,” Pepper rose and grabbed her sweater from a hook by the back door. “Is there anything else we should take over while we’re going?”

  “There’s a big canister of pralines on top of the refrigerator. I made them earlier in the week, I want to put one by each place setting as a little party favor. If you’ll carry those, I’d appreciate it.”

  While Pepper followed Cady’s directions, she slipped into the living room to tell Joseph and Ryder where they were off to. “Do you need any help?” Ryder asked, sitting perfectly content between
Samson and Gideon.

  “No, we’ve got it,” she assured the newlywed as she stopped to give Christian a kiss on his cheek. “Hey, Daddy. Merry Christmas.”

  “Don’t be gone long, you know I’m announcing my big surprise tonight,” the stately old gentleman reminded his younger daughter of the news he’d promised.

  “You sprung your engagement to Olivia on us at Thanksgiving. Could it be bigger than that?”

  “No.” Olivia mouthed with a laugh, before relenting. “Actually, this is huge.”

  “Now, you’ve got me even more curious.” Frankly, Pepper was glad of the anticipation. Wondering what her father had up his sleeve kept her mind off Judah James and the prospect of seeing him again so soon. The last time she’d spoken to him, his words had cut her to the quick.

  Pepper, I beg of you. Stop haunting me!

  He turned to walk away from her and she followed, almost reaching him, her hand outstretched.

  Be it my dreams or be it my nightmare, I don’t know, but you need to go back where you came from, little girl. There is no place for you here. No reason for you to stay. You and I will never be. All of this is just in your head! Can I be any clearer?

  I DO NOT WANT YOU!

  “Ready?” Cady tugged on Pepper’s sleeve, bringing her back to the present.

  “Oh, yea, I am.”

  She shook her head as her eyes refocused on Joseph kissing his wife’s hand. “Be careful, Cady-did, don’t keep me waiting long.”

  “I won’t.” She promised. “We’re just going to finish setting the table and check to make sure the building is warm enough. I think the temperature dropped lower than we expected.”

  By the time the two women made their escape, the noise of a recorded football game in the den was vying with the sounds of a Christmas movie being played on the big screen in the living room.

  “Whew! I love family get-togethers, but sometimes I just need a breath of fresh air.” Cady led Pepper over to Joseph’s pick-up. “Let’s take old blue.” They climbed into the faded denim colored Ford truck.