Hot Christmas Nights

by Rachel Bailey

  CHAPTER NINE

  Christmas Day was quiet and uneventful. Elyse stayed close to the farm and spent time with Billy-Jean and Jack. Her sister still hadn’t given Rick and answer to his proposal, but thankfully Rick seemed to be taking it in his stride and giving her some space.

  Their father loved his ukulele and had been sitting on the porch strumming for the past hour. Once Jack was down for a nap and her sister was caught up testing some of her friends, Elyse made a few salads for lunch and placed them in the refrigerator, ignoring the numbness in her skin, her blood and her heart.

  She’s got too much of her mother in her to ever be happy with this life, with Denary, or with you…

  Maureen McCrane’s words banged around in her head. She’d heard them all. And she’d heard all she needed to hear in Brett’s silence. It was clear he believed it too. And maybe he was right? Maybe it was too late for them both. They had their chance ten years ago.

  Time to move on.

  Only, when Brett arrived with Rick after lunch and she was forced to spend time with him because his brother was hanging out with B.J. and Jack and her dad was having a nap, it took every ounce of her effort to not rush into his arms. He was clearly tense and she marveled that she could still pick his moods after so many years apart.

  They were on the porch, sitting side by side on the love seat. So close, but as far away from one another as two people could be.

  “What’s going to happen to this place, Brett?” she asked and waved a hand. “How can my dad keep it going?”

  He shrugged lightly. “He could lease some new machinery as a start.”

  “So, I could help…I mean, financially?”

  He angled his head sideways and let her gaze. “If you wanted to. This will all be yours and Billy-Jean’s one day, so you could invest now to make it more viable in the long term.”

  “Could you find out for me? Just tell me what I need to do, and I’ll do it.”

  “Okay,” he replied. “I’ll talk to the bank and see what they say.”

  Relief flooded her. “Thank you.”

  Silence suddenly stretched like brittle elastic. There was so much to say, and no time to say it. Elyse was already packed. Her suitcase was by her bed ready for tomorrow’s escape. Strange, but the idea of leaving didn’t exactly fill her with joy. In fact, it saddened her more than she’d believed possible.

  It’s because I’m going to miss Billy-Jean and the baby and my dad.

  Liar.

  It’s because leaving Brett again felt like she was ripping her heart out.

  “I’m leaving tomorrow.”

  More silence. Finally he spoke. “I know.”

  “I just wanted to say thank you…again. For everything you’ve done here. For keeping Rick in line. For Sonny.” She reached across and placed her hand on his thigh. Big mistake, because he almost jumped out of his skin. She snatched her hand away quickly. “Sorry.”

  He expelled and exasperated breath and grabbed her hand. “What is it you want from me, Elyse? My sanity? My soul?”

  Your love.

  She shook her head. “Nothing…I…I don’t know. I just know that everything has changed and I –”

  “Nothing has changed!” He dropped her hand and stood up, hands on hips, chest heaving. “We’re still the same people we were ten years ago. Oh, we’re older, and maybe a little wiser, but we’re still caught up in this thing together. We still want a different kind of life. We’re still oil and water. Nothing will change that.”

  “Because I’ve got too much of my mother in me, right?”

  He frowned. “What?”

  Elyse sighed heavily. “I heard you and your mother talking last night. I heard what she said about me.”

  “She’s concerned. She thinks I’m still in love with you.”

  “And are you?”

  He shook his head a fraction. “You have to ask?”

  No, she didn’t have to ask. She knew. She knew by his touch. By his tenderness. By the way he watched over her family. By the fact he’d saved her old horse from the slaughterhouse.

  “But…” She said the word like it was poison.

  He took his time to reply. “But it’s not enough, is it. I think we proved that ten years ago. Or at least, you did, when you turned me down and fled.”

  And then he kissed her. Long and hard and fueled with so many emotions. With rage and longing and pain and regret. She felt them all and matched them as she kissed him back. When he pulled away they were both breathing hard, both staring at one another because it felt like the last time they ever would.

  “Goodbye, Elyse,” he said, colder than she’d ever heard from him. “Have a nice life.”

  Then he turned and walked away. She watched as he took the steps and headed for his truck. Within seconds he was barreling down the driveway. Elyse saw the dust fly in his wake.

  It was over. Done. Now she needed to go home.

  Once she saw the truck disappear in the distance, Elyse dropped onto the love seat like a stone and sobbed.

  Brett spent the following three days walking around like a bear with a sore head.

  He snapped at everyone. He had no time for talking. He just wanted to be left alone. And everyone gave him his space.

  Except for Alistair.

  His best friend called him to the store to pick up the saddle he’d made for Rick after the younger man asked for some modifications. Alistair was happy to oblige and Brett didn’t mind. Rick was old enough to know what he wanted. His brother had grown up a lot in the past week. He was learning to be a good father to Jack and partner for Billy-Jean. Brett had no idea if they would make it in the long haul, but at least they were trying. And that said a lot about their characters. They had become quite the little family and he hoped they had the strength and fortitude to see it through.

  “Feel like grabbing a beer?” Alistair asked as he shut up shop on Wednesday afternoon.

  “No,” Brett replied and rattled his keys.

  “Good,” Alistair said and grinned. “We can have a game of pool at the same time.”

  Brett scowled. “I said I didn’t want to have –”

  “Let’s go,” his friend said and ushered him out the door.

  Ten minutes later they were seated in a booth at their usual tavern. Brett stared at the beer in front of him, still scowling.

  “Okay,” Alistair said as he took a long, almost weary breath. “I gonna say it. And you can either listen or punch me in the mouth.”

  Brett’s mood didn’t improve. “What?”

  “Exactly,” Alistair said and shook his head. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “I don’t know what –”

  “She was here,” his friend said. “Here…in town…and from all accounts you seemed to be getting along just fine.” When he saw Brett scowl again, he continued. “Rick called me…he said you’ve been an unbearable pain in the ass all week. Is that true?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t give a damn.”

  “Well, too bad…because there are people around you that do care. So, you’re gonna take this medicine whether you want it, or not.”

  Brett stayed silent, his irritation building. But he sat back and listened. “Better?”

  Alistair grinned and shook his head. “Like I said, she was here…and if you’re still so caught up with Elyse Prescott, why the hell did you let her leave?”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t have a choice. She left.”

  “Did you ask her to stay?”

  His back twitched. “That hasn’t worked so well for me in the past.”

  “Ah…” Alistair stretched out in his seat. “So this is about pride?”

  “What?”

  “She battered your pride ten years ago and now you’re too much of an egotistical hot-head, too much of a control freak who’s way too used to getting his own way, to try again.”

  “Pride has nothing to do with it,” he replied, ignoring his friend’s insults. “She left this
time for the same reason that she left for ten years ago. Her career.”

  “And you didn’t ask her to reconsider?”

  “I suggested we try the long distance thing,” he admitted and shrugged. “She didn’t think much of that idea either.”

  “Did you tell her that you loved her?”

  “Not in so many words,” he replied. “But she knows. She’s always known.”

  Alistair tapped the side of his glass. “Rumor has it that girls like to hear that stuff.”

  “Is that coming from your vast experience at successful relationships?”

  His friend laughed. “Not at all. I’m lousy at relationships. But here’s the thing…if I ever did fall in love…I’d want to tell her. I’d want her to know that she was the most important thing in the world to me and that nothing would keep us apart. I’d want to tell her that I’d do anything, go anywhere, be anything that she needed me to be, just so we could be together. Because that, my friend, is all that matters.”

  Brett sat paralyzed in his seat as a wave a clarity washed over him.

  Being together is all that matters.

  His friend was right.

  Careers. Legacies. None of that mattered. Being together…sharing the same space, walking the same path…that was the important stuff. It didn’t matter where. It didn’t matter how. All that mattered was that they took the journey together, side by side.

  And he hadn’t told her that. Not by a long shot.

  My way or the highway…

  An egotistical hot-head? Is that really who he was? Is that what Elyse saw? Is that why she’d left ten years ago? Because he was used to getting his own way and she thought she’d merely be another victory notch if she stayed? He’d grown up quickly when his father died and had been forced to act like an adult way before his time. And Elyse…she watched her mother’s unhappiness and been terrified she’d end up the same. Only, she wouldn’t have bailed like her mother had. She wouldn’t have taken children from their father. She had too much kindness in her soul for that. So, she would have stayed.

  “So,” Alistair said and grinned. “You gonna do something about this?”

  He nodded. “Yes. I’m going to tell her that she is the most important thing in the world to me and that nothing will keep us apart. I’m going to tell her that I’ll do anything, go anywhere, be anything that she needs me to be, just so we can be together. Because that, my friend, is all that matters.”

  Alistair laughed and Brett did the same.

  With a bucket load of humility and a little luck, things might just work out.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Elyse spent her first day back at work on autopilot. She had to. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have made it through the afternoon. She felt like she was only half-seeing, half-breathing, and half-alive. The following day wasn’t much better. And by day three she had a monster-sized headache that no amount of aspirin would cut through.

  At night, she walked around her inner city apartment like a robot. She forgot to eat and could barely sleep. But it was her dreams that plagued her. Dreams of strong arms and soft kisses. Dreams of tenderness and unspoken words. Dreams of passion and pleasure.

  Dreams of Brett…

  She spoke to her father and Billy-Jean every second day and longed to ask how he was. But she couldn’t. Brett wasn’t part of her real life. He was a moment. An afternoon. An evening. He was country. She was city. It was as clichéd as that.

  Even though being with him again had only reinforced what she always suspected. She was still in love with him. He was the reason why she’d never been able to commit to anyone else. He was the reason why she’d broken her engagement to Don. It wasn’t work. It wasn’t schedules. It wasn’t anything other than the fact that she was hopelessly in love with Brett McCrane. And she suspected she always would be.

  By Friday she was so weary from lack of sleep she almost pulled the pin and stayed home. But she had a meeting at two o’clock that she needed to attend and a client appointment at four. So, she pushed herself out of bed, showered and dressed in her favorite navy suit and headed for the office.

  Thankfully, her assistant Kate was on hand with recurring rounds of strong coffee that helped get her through the morning. She took three bites of a sandwich at lunch and switched from coffee to water early in the afternoon so she stayed hydrated.

  “I everything alright, Miss Prescott?”

  Kate was a sweet natured young woman and had been working with her for over two years. She was efficient and reliable and Elyse knew she’d be lost without her. Kate was also a hopeless romantic who believed in fairytales and sappy Meg Ryan movies.

  “Everything’s fine, Kate. I’m just tired.”

  The other woman didn’t look entirely convinced. “Did you have a good Christmas with your family?”

  Kate was one of the few people in the office who knew about Billy-Jean, the baby, and Elyse’s reasons for going home so impromptu.

  “It was fine,” she said, stretching the truth a little. “What about you? Did you enjoy your break?”

  “Oh, yes. I spent a few days with Eric’s parents,” she said of her latest boyfriend’s family. “I think they liked me.”

  “Of course they did,” she assured the younger woman. “You’re a gem. And Eric is a lucky young man.”

  Kate laughed. “I like to think so. Okay…well, if you need anything, just buzz me.”

  “I will,” Elyse said and smiled warmly. “And thank you for asking, Kate. I appreciate your concern.”

  Kate left the office and Elyse got back to work. Then at three o’clock, Kate called her. “Um, Miss Prescott, there’s someone here to see you.”

  Elyse tapped her nails on the desk. “Someone?”

  “Ah…yes.”

  She checked her watch. “My next appointment isn’t until four.”

  Kate’s voice dropped an octave. “He doesn’t have an appointment.”

  Elyse spine straightened. “He?”

  “Yes…he.” Her assistant’s voice lowered again until it was almost a whisper. “He’s really gorgeous. And he’s wearing a cowboy hat.”

  A cowboy hat?

  He’s here?

  Something must be wrong? Was it her father? Or Billy-Jean? Or little Jack. Please, let everyone be okay.

  Elyse jumped to her feet. “I’ll be right out.”

  She was out from behind her desk and opening the office door in five seconds flat.

  And then she saw him. In his regulation jeans and black chambray shirt, his hat in his hand, Brett McCune had never looked more handsome to her eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked quickly, aware that several pairs of eyes were watching them.

  The outer office was a busy place most days, and Friday afternoons were no exception.

  “I had to –”

  “Is it my dad,” she said, coming closer. “Or B.J.?”

  “You’re father and sister are fine,” he assured her, switching the hat to his other hand. He looked on edge. Almost nervous. Something was wrong. It had to be. Otherwise, why would he travel all the way to see her? Brett hated the city. He’d told her as much many times.

  “Then what?”

  She watched, fascinated as he swallowed hard and took a step closer. “I had to see you.”

  It was then that she noticed he had a bag at his feet. A case. A suitcase. Like he’d packed for a trip. “I don’t understand. If it’s not about my father or sister then what are –”

  “I had to see you.”

  There was frustration in his voice. And anguish in his expression. Elyse’s belly rolled over and she moved closer. “Why?”

  He stilled, drew in a breath, and spoke. “Because I didn’t want to make the biggest mistake of my life for the second time.”

  Her heart felt like it came to an abrupt halt. “What mistake?”

  “Not fighting for what I want.”

  Emotion clawed her throat and she noticed a few people had stopped moving around the
office and were now watching their interaction. But she didn’t care. She only wanted to hear what he said. She only wanted to listen to the sound of his hypnotic voice. “And what’s that?”

  He dropped the hat onto the bag at his feet and held out his hands. He met her gaze, held it steady, and made her feel as though they were the only two people on the planet. And then he spoke. “What I want…all I want…the only thing I’ve ever wanted…is you.”

  Elyse vaguely heard the sighs and gasps from several of the women in the room. But the sounds quickly faded. Because all she saw and heard was Brett.

  “Are you sure?”

  He nodded. “Never surer.”

  “But last week you said –”

  “I was an idiot last week.”

  He took a step closer, and then another and Elyse was quickly caught up the force field that was exclusively his. She moved forward, drawn toward him like no other.

  “Brett, I –”

  “I was also an idiot ten years ago.” He reached for her hands and took them within his own. And Elyse felt every ounce of uncertainty disappear. His touch was tonic. His hands were a lifeline. And his heart, she suspected, was hers to take. “But no more. I know what I want, and I’m going to fight for it. I’m going to fight for us.”

  They were the sweetest words she’d ever heard.

  “Me too,” she whispered.

  “Marry me?”

  Elyse’s heart melted. “Yes.”

  And then he kissed her.

  Every ounce of love she possessed rose up and she kissed him back. There was no chance of allowing anyone to intrude. Until sanity prevailed and she realized they were being observed by the entire office staff, two waiting clients and one of partners.

  She pulled back and searched the room for Kate. “Cancel my four o’clock. I’m outta here for the rest of the afternoon.”

  Kate was grinning madly. “Sure thing, Miss Prescott.”

  She grabbed her things, waited for Brett to collect his bag and they headed out. By four they were in her apartment, lying together on the couch, kissing, touching, and making every caress count. Elyse was dizzy with happiness, but she knew they both needed a little reality check.

  “Brett,” she said, moaning as he anchored her head and traced his mouth down her throat.