A Child's Gift

by Linda Warren

  “Yes, now come help Momma make supper.” And just like that the sadness was gone.

  Rico and Ana had paid to have Darlene’s body brought to Horseshoe and to be buried in the Horseshoe Cemetery next to her mother. It had put a strain on their finances, but Ana had sold her house to Peggy and Stuart who were getting married in June, and that had helped. They would have done it for Dusty anyway. They hadn’t taken him to the cemetery yet, but they would when they thought he was ready.

  All these thoughts ran through his mind as he stood at the front of the church with Egan and Dusty. Ana couldn’t choose among her sisters, so they decided to have Egan and Rachel stand up for them. Ana had coordinated their clothes. He wore starched jeans, white shirt, a black Western bolo tie and a black tuxedo jacket, the same as Egan and Dusty. Today he wanted everything to be just as Ana wanted.

  They didn’t have to decorate the church. It was already decorated for Christmas in white and gold and as festive as the courthouse. His thoughts stopped as he noticed all the people in church. They were packed in the pews, stood at the back, along the sides and in the foyer. They hadn’t invited all these people. Rico and Ana had been in the spotlight lately and maybe the town just wanted to share this day.

  The “Wedding March” music started and Rico focused on the back of the church. Rachel came first and then his breath stalled as he saw Ana all in white on her father’s arm. She was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. “Here Comes the Bride” played and she walked down the aisle like an angel. She missed a step when she noticed him, but quickly recovered. Miss Doris met them halfway and they continued to the foot of the altar. Rico was so busy watching Ana that Dusty got away from him and ran to Ana.

  “Look, Momma.” He pointed to Rico. “Daddy cut his hair.”

  Laughter filled the church and Dusty scooted a little closer to him.

  The priest continued the ceremony. “Who giveth this woman in marriage?”

  “My wife and I do,” Willard answered.

  Rico walked to Ana and lifted her veil and saw her smiling blue eyes that he would remember for the rest of his life. He took her arm and led her to the altar and the waiting priest. Dusty danced around in front of them until Rachel snagged him.

  They said their vows, slipped on the gold bands they would wear for a lifetime, and sealed it with a kiss they would continue later.

  A flurry of rose petals greeted them as they walked from the church.

  After shaking hands and hearing congratulations for thirty minutes, they got in the truck and drove to Rebel Ranch for the reception.

  Ana reached out and ran her hand around his neck. “I married a stranger. A handsome stranger.”

  “I’ll introduce myself later.” He winked at her.

  “You didn’t have to cut your hair for me.”

  “I didn’t,” he told her. “I said I would cut it when I was free and I’m free. Finally free to live my life the way I want.”

  Her face split into a smile. “I can’t stop smiling. This is the happiest day of my life.”

  “Mine, too.”

  Ana had spent most of the week making the wedding cake. She insisted on doing it and it had turned out incredible. It had five layers with a bride and groom on top. A trellis of roses cascaded down one side and spilled out onto several small cakes around the bottom. On the other side was a waterfall that spilled from the top, down the cake to the bottom layer which was all water. Behind the waterfall was a photo of them. The whole cake was edible and everyone “oohed” and “ahhed” over it.

  Later they left to spend two nights and days in Austin at a posh hotel. It was all they could afford and it was all they needed. They especially needed this time together alone. Dusty stayed with Egan’s family and they worried he might miss them, but Dusty seemed fine, eager to play with Justin and Jordy. They had come a long way since May.

  They returned in time to celebrate Christmas with the family. Their house was as festive as the courthouse. Decorations were everywhere. Ana had insisted on a big tree and they had to move the toy box to get it in. Dusty was enthralled with all the bright decorations and he lay on the floor with Mickey staring at the shining tree.

  It made Rico realize that with very little money Dusty probably never had a very big Christmas and he had to wonder if they even had put up a tree. Dusty was mesmerized by everything, especially the presents under the tree. Rico and Ana planned to make it a Christmas Dusty would never forget.

  They would have Christmas dinner at the Wiznowskis’, but Christmas Eve was at Miss Kate’s and it was a loud, joyful occasion. Dusty giggled, laughed and smiled and it was good to see him so happy. When the kids opened gifts, he didn’t offer to pay for them. He tore into his gifts with glee. He was getting it, finally.

  Dusty fell asleep in a chair with Justin and Annie. Rico gathered him in his arms, and Egan and Paxton each picked up their child, and the family stood around the Christmas tree and sang “Silent Night.” Eden, Falcon’s daughter, led the singing.

  Afterward, they walked home. It was a clear cool night and they needed the exercise after sitting and eating most of the day. Dusty was asleep on Rico’s shoulder. His shirt was out of his jeans and he’d lost a sneaker somewhere. They’d find it tomorrow. Ana linked her arm through his as they made their way to the bunkhouse.

  A star shot across the bright sky.

  “Did you make a wish?” Ana asked.

  “I don’t need to. I have everything I ever wanted.”

  She leaned her head against his shoulder. “Me, too.”

  “I was thinking about something, though...”

  “What?”

  “Ms. Henshaw has called me about four times apologizing for what happened to Dusty and she always says if we need anything to just call her. I was thinking I might call her and tell her if a baby comes available that we might be interested in taking it.”

  “Oh, Rico.” Ana stopped in her tracks and stared at him. “Are you serious?”

  “We’ll be moving into a five-bedroom house and we’ll have plenty of room. There are a lot of kids in foster care who just need someone to care about them.”

  She stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “You know I’ve said this before, but you’re the most wonderful man alive.”

  He didn’t know about wonderful, but he sure was the luckiest. Even after his horrific past, he’d managed to survive and embrace life once again with a woman he loved. Tomorrow they would spend their first Christmas with their child and they hoped that Dusty would never forget the awe and wonder of Christmas and the love of his parents.

  Yep, he’d gotten lucky. He glanced toward the sky and said a silent, “Thank You.”

  * * *

  Watch for the next story in Linda Warren’s

  TEXAS REBELS miniseries,

  To Save a Child,

  coming in March 2020,

  only from Harlequin Heartwarming!

  Keep reading for an excerpt from In Love by Christmas by Cari Lynn Webb.

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  In Love by Christmas

  by Cari Lynn Webb

  CHAPTER ONE

  “WE’RE THIRTY MINUTES into the workday and no one is at their desks.” Theo Taylor w
ove through the open-concept offices of Coast to Coast Living’s San Francisco headquarters. He glanced at his sister, who was beside him. “Was there a meeting I wasn’t told about?”

  “Looks like Mother is holding another one of her impromptu employee-wellness sessions.” Adriana pointed at the crowd gathered outside a corner office and frowned. “Wonder what it is this week—parrot yoga, IV drips or detox teas?”

  Employee wellness was fine and, in fact, encouraged, but not during work hours. Theo had explained that to his mother last week after he’d interrupted her crystal-stone-therapy session, and the week prior after he’d unplugged the blender and dismantled her charcoal-and-celery-juice presentation. Theo shook his head and veered toward his mother’s office.

  His assistant VP of marketing and his human-resources manager noticed Theo’s approach and scurried away, avoiding his gaze. Several well-placed shoulder taps alerted their employees to his arrival and the crowd thinned.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps lunchtime would be more appropriate for this.” Adriana’s voice drifted from behind him.

  Theo reached the glass wall of his mother’s office and gaped. No time would ever be appropriate for this. Ever.

  His mother stood on the cherry-wood coffee table, her cell phone perched in her hand and angled high above her head. Not unusual—his mother always had a firm grip on her cell phone. And the jeweled crown pinned in her black hair—even that could be overlooked. But...

  Unease latched onto Theo like an extra shadow—the feeling was dense, cloying and unshakable. His mother wore a wedding gown. A very familiar, custom-made Linden Topher wedding dress that belonged to...

  His sister reached his side and gasped. “She’s wearing my gown.”

  Theo managed only an uncomfortable nod.

  “Tell me this isn’t happening.” The sudden silence amplified Adriana’s abrupt command.

  Theo’s words lodged in his throat.

  “I won’t wear the same wedding dress as Mother.” His sister’s voice lowered, as if they were standing in a crowded elevator. “Remember last Easter? She showed up at the charity egg hunt in the same dress I had on. I bet she already tried on my sample veil and shoes from Linden Topher, too.”

  That wasn’t a bet Theo would take.

  “She’s not even engaged and she’s already glowing like a new bride,” Adriana snapped. She moved toward the closed office door. “Look at her blushing.”

  Theo set his hand on his sister’s arm, stilling her and silencing the alarms clanging inside his head. “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Mother declared at dinner last night she had to find the perfect dress for her next wedding.” Adriana lifted her chin, the stiff movement not enough to hide the tremor in her mouth. “I didn’t think she meant now, before she’s even found her next groom.”

  Theo eased around Adriana, gripped the door handle and glanced back at his sister.

  “I can’t do it, Theo.” Anger creased Adriana’s forehead, making her eyebrows crinkle, but dismay wrinkled her voice. “I can’t have her make a mockery of me.”

  His sister’s waterlogged words undid him. Growing up, they’d ended many phone calls from their boarding schools exactly the same way: Adriana holding back tears and Theo promising to fix whatever needed fixing. He’d failed his sister back then. He refused to let down Adriana now. She deserved her own dream wedding—it was time for her to be the unique person she was, not a copycat. “You won’t have to. Mia is waiting for us in your office. Meet her while I deal with this.”

  Theo never waited for his sister’s agreement. He rushed inside his mother’s office, slid his arm around her waist and helped her off the coffee table. “Mother. What are you doing?”

  “Taking pictures of my partial wedding ensemble.” Lilian Rose Taylor pressed a button on her cell phone and stretched her smile to radiant. “I saved the veil for later.”

  His mother had retained her beauty like a priceless piece of artwork that now required protection and delicate handling to ensure its value. “You’re not engaged.” His tone lacked the softness of white gloves.

  “I’ve decided to change that.” She paused to check her reflection in the glass. “Your sister shouldn’t be the only one granted the magic of the season and a Christmas wedding.”

  Yes. Adriana should be granted all the magic she could grasp. This was his sister’s moment. No one should steal it away, especially not their mother. Their mother had stolen their childhood. Now she lived in the in-law suite attached to Theo’s house and expected to be obeyed like the parent she’d never wanted to be. “It’s too late to plan a second Christmas wedding. There isn’t enough time.”

  There also wasn’t time for his mother’s latest spectacle at the corporate headquarters for the lifestyle brand Theo had built. Too bad he couldn’t simply edit out the wedding madness dominating his life. He had a business to grow and his mother—the wild card—made that difficult.

  “Your sister is still planning her wedding.” She tapped her crown back into place as if Theo’s harsh words had knocked it askew. “Adriana has plenty of time to make her wedding happen.”

  Theo stared at the ceiling tiles, noted the tranquility posters his mother had tacked up there sometime that morning and tempered his voice. “Adriana also has a fiancé.”

  “I will, too.” His mother took one measured step at a time along the length of the glass wall. As if she was walking the aisle of the city’s oldest cathedral.

  The glass walls made a stunning architectural statement, but they also put the occupants on constant display to the staff and visitors. And Theo’s business associates—the ones from the TV network who were arriving any minute—would be very interested in his mother’s current performance. Had that been his mother’s agenda all along?

  He wanted to believe his mother was only having a momentary lapse into wedding euphoria. But he’d learned as a child to trust his gut. And every cell inside him knew his mother never suffered momentary lapses into anything. She always jumped in with both heels and little consideration for the impact on everyone else.

  He touched his mother’s elbow, guided her away from the wall and any possible spectators and led her into the far corner. Then he willed his admin assistant to take the TV producers straight to his office and bypass the coffee bar that had a clear view into his mom’s office.

  His mother tilted her head and aimed her welcoming smile at the empty leather chair behind her desk, as if she was greeting a wedding guest. “I hired a discreet matchmaker.”

  Discretion wasn’t part of Lilian Rose’s makeup. “Was one of your potential match requirements ‘must have wedding vows already memorized’?”

  “I’m lonely, Theo.” She cradled her cheek in her palm, her frown fragile. “Don’t be insensitive.”

  Theo flinched. As if claiming your own daughter’s wedding gown for yourself wasn’t insensitive enough. Still, she was his mother. And putting out fires wasn’t just what he did at the company. “What matchmaker did you hire?”

  “Daphne Holland.” His mother swiped a clear, shimmery lip gloss across her mouth, supporting her sudden smile. “Holland Matchmakers was featured in last year’s August edition. I thought I could be the featured cover story for next August’s edition.” His mother preened, her loneliness forgotten. “I’ve always wanted to be a cover story.”

  And apparently a Christmas bride, too. Theo ground his teeth together. “The August edition—”

  “Can be changed,” she interrupted. “For your own mother.”

  His own mother hadn’t changed for her own son or daughter. Boarding schools and distance had been Lilian Rose Taylor’s response to parenthood. Resentment smashed against his clenched teeth. Thanks to his parents, he’d grown up to be independent and self-reliant. More than comfortable standing on his own. Being on his own. Why, then, did he still want his mother’s appr
oval? “I want to meet with Daphne Holland.”

  “Wonderful.” His mother pressed her hands under her chin and sighed as if he’d agreed to escort her down the aisle. Her voice was delicate and dreamy. “You could sign up, too. Then we could have a double feature in the August edition.”

  There wasn’t going to be any Taylor featured in the August edition or any future magazine edition. There also wasn’t going to be any matchmaking for himself. One Taylor on a love hunt was more than enough. Although his mother never mentioned love. But she looked more than camera-ready. “Between Adriana’s wedding and running the company, I have enough on my plate.”

  “You’re right. There’s my wedding, too.” His mother set her lip gloss into her purse and snapped the clutch closed. “After the holidays, you can sign up with Daphne. Then you can have your own Christmas love story next year.”

  The only thing Theo wanted for Christmas was a flawless wedding for his sister and a profitable year-end.

  His admin, Fran, opened the office door. Her face never twitched at his mother’s bridal outfit. Fran was a consummate professional. “Your nine o’clock is waiting in your office. Should I tell them you’re running late?”

  “It’s Tuesday. Today is the meeting with the TV producers.” His mother’s unwavering gaze pinned Theo in place. “I’m just in time.”

  Theo blanched. He knew that nothing good would happen if his mother joined him for the meeting. “I’ll be right there.”

  His admin slipped out of the room and disappeared. Now Theo needed his mother to disappear. At the last production meeting with the network, Theo had insisted the Taylor family was nothing to showcase on the company’s new TV series. His mother in her wedding paraphernalia could prove just the opposite.

  Theo left his mother’s office and searched the hallway. Mia stepped from Adriana’s office, a camera clutched in her hand. He forced himself to lessen the panic in his tone. “Mia. I have a small situation and need your help.”