The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby (13 page)

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and sashayed back to the table where her girls
were gathered.

“Well, now you’ve met Sonia,” Henry whispered.

“Yes, I have. Now what do I want to order?” Natalie looked at the menu.

The heat radiating from Natalie’s back to his arm was about to burn holes in his skin.
His brain flashed pictures of her long legs tangled up with his in soft sheets. “Blue
Christmas” was playing in the restaurant and suddenly the bedsheets in his mind were
the color of her eyes. He heard the words about her being gone and how that he’d have
a blue Christmas without her, but he didn’t want to think about that.

“Would Noah be mad if you danced with her?” Natalie whispered.

“I just don’t think it would be right. You will dance the midnight dance with me,
won’t you?”

“That’s a pretty important dance at any Texas party. You sure you want to fire up
that gossip vine?”

Lucas dropped his hand from the back of the chair and wrapped his fingers around Natalie’s
shoulder. He leaned toward her and whispered softly, “I’m very sure, and thank you.”

***

Lord, his breath was like pure fire on her skin and he smelled like heaven and hell
mixed up together. If there ever was a devil in blue jeans, he was sitting beside
her and his name was Lucas Allen. He wasn’t playing fair, touching her arm like that
and whispering seductively in her ear.

Well, as her mother said, “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

She reached under the table and laid a hand on his thigh. She felt his quick intake
of breath and knew that he was feeling every bit of the heat that she was. She squeezed
gently and ran her hand up another two inches.

“Now, before we were interrupted, I was askin’ about your county out there in the
Panhandle,” Jack said.

“It’s a small world. Momma remembers Henry and his wife coming to her ranch over by
Goodnight when she was just getting engaged to my dad,” she said.

Henry’s gray eyebrows drew down until they were a solid line. “What was her maiden
name?”

“Adams. My grandparents are Dollie and Walter Adams,” Natalie said.

Henry’s eyebrows returned to their proper place and he chuckled. “Knew them well.
Was in the same Angus Association with them for years until we split the state up
so we all didn’t have to travel so far. Haven’t seen them since that time, probably
because that was the year that Ella Jo died. That’d be out in Briscoe County, right?”

“Silverton is. We only have two towns in the whole county,” she said.

“That’s because your dad owns half the county,” Lucas said.

Natalie saw a quick movement at the table behind them and glanced over her shoulder.
It would be asking too much for Sonia to fall out of her chair and die, but surely
God could make her choke almost to death. Or even give her a bad stomachache so she’d
have to go home early. But the woman’s expression said that she’d like to use that
bottle of wine in the middle of the table as a weapon on her, instead of drinking
it. Natalie smiled and wiggled her fingers in a girlish wave toward her.

“Not quite half but a big chunk.” Natalie looked back at the guys. “With what Momma
owns, it might be more than half, though.”

“So what’s the other town?” Grady asked.

“Quitaque,” she said.

“I remember that place. It’s not spelled like it sounds. Thank goodness the way you
say it, kit-a-key, is out there on the welcome sign or me and Ella Jo would have never
figured it out.”

“How’s it spelled?” Lucas asked.

She said the letters slowly. “Most folks want to say quit-ick or quit-ache. Silverton
is the county capitol and the courthouse is on the square. Not much town but we get
by. We’ve got an implement company, a grain and gin company, and a place to buy gas
and milk. The rest we drive into town for kind of like y’all do.”

“What’s the population?” Grady asked.

“Somewhere close to eight hundred last time they took count. Not much different than
Savoy. Big enough to be a town and have a post office. Small enough that everyone
knows their neighbor’s business.” She smiled.

Lucas’s hand on her arm got hotter and hotter. She wanted to pick up the menu and
fan with it, but it was the middle of the winter and the restaurant wasn’t overly
warm. She’d be glad when their food arrived so he’d have to remove his arm to cut
up the steak he’d ordered.

“Y’all got coyotes out there? Look, the baby has gone to sleep.”

Natalie moved her hand on his thigh up another inch. Dammit! Touching his leg was
making her every bit as hot as him touching her arm.

“I can hold him,” Natalie said. That would give her a logical reason to stand up and
walk around the table to take the baby. That way she wouldn’t lose the fight.

Jack shook his head and made a cradle for Joshua by crossing one leg over the other.
“See there, I can eat and take care of him. It’s like riding a bicycle, darlin’. I
used to hold Lucas like this at meal times.”

“If he gets too heavy, I’ll hold him and yes, we do have trouble with coyotes. But
we fight the lobo wolves too. A pack of them will take down a calf in seconds,” she
answered.

“And that’s why you have a pink pistol?” Lucas squeezed her shoulder gently and then
settled his hand closer to her neck. Bare skin against bare skin. Her insides were
boiling hot. Another inch or two up his thigh and she’d know for sure if he was having
problems too.

“I have a pink pistol because I wanted it and I have a license to carry it concealed.
I have a twenty-two rifle that takes care of wolves and coyotes. Momma taught me two
things. Shoot straight and don’t waste ammunition.”

“Your momma is a good woman,” Jack said.

Their drinks and the bottle of champagne arrived and Henry asked the waitress to pour
the chilled champagne for them. He stood and raised his glass.

Lucas had to move his hand to hold the glass.

Natalie had to move hers for the same reason.

Tie
, she thought.
Neither
of
us
backed
down
a
bit, but thank God for champagne or who knows what might have happened.

“To Lucas for making it back home,” Henry said.

Five glasses clinked together and they all sipped the bubbly champagne.

Jack raised his glass and said, “To my son. Not a day went by that I didn’t worry
about you, and I’m glad you are home. And to Natalie for being here to help us through
this tough time without Hazel.”

“Thank you,” she said and held up her glass again when she saw Grady standing up.

Grady stood and held his glass out toward Lucas and Natalie. “Put them together, kids.
This is to you both for bringing a baby into our lives. We didn’t realize how much
we were missing. And I’m sure glad you’re home too, Lucas.”

From the look on Sonia’s face, not one single word was wasted. If Fannin County was
anything like Briscoe County, by tomorrow morning the whole place would think that
Joshua belonged to Lucas. Just how that could have happened when he was in Kuwait
and she was in Texas was a mystery. But hey, rumors could make miracles and perform
magic, and they had wings that carried them faster than the wind in a tornado.

Natalie checked everything one more time before she carried Joshua back to the bedroom
to get him ready for the evening. Tables for six were set up along the walls in the
living room, den, and dining room. Miniature Christmas trees decorated with flickering
lights and tiny ornaments were set in the middle of the tables covered with red and
green plaid tablecloths. Finger foods and festive desserts including pecan tarts and
miniature cherry cheesecakes were displayed on long tables against the far wall in
the dining room. The portable bar was right inside the den. A gray-haired bartender
wearing a white shirt, black pants, and red vest waited to pour, shake, or blend whatever
the guests wanted.

The catering staff would keep the tables refreshed and pass among the guests with
pretty silver trays with flutes of champagne and hors d’oeuvres. On a much smaller
scale, it reminded Natalie of the barn party that would be taking place on New Year’s
Eve at the Clark ranch and suddenly she was homesick.

“We’ll probably be home for that party, Joshua.” She talked to the baby lying in the
middle of her bed. “Your grandma might forgive us for Christmas, but never for the
New Year’s party.”

Her phone set up a ring tone that said Debra was calling. “Hello, Momma. I was just
telling Joshua about the New Year’s party. You must have ESP.”

“I’ve got more than ESP, Natalie. What’s wrong with that cowboy and all those men?”

“Momma, I’m getting ready for the Christmas open house party thing here at Cedar Hill.
What are you talking about?”

“We’ll start with Henry. What’s wrong with him?”

“Nothing. He’s a sweet grandpa who loves Joshua and is lonely for his wife. Christmas
was her favorite holiday, so he imagines that she’s here with him all month. He’s
not deranged. I hear Drew’s voice in my head too.”

“You and Drew were two peas in a pod. You were almost as connected as me and Leah,
so I’m not surprised. Now tell me about Jack,” Debra said.

“Jack reminds me of Daddy. Only without you. His wife left him to raise Lucas all
alone. Well, not alone but with the help of Grady and Henry and Hazel. Why are you
asking all these questions right now?”

Debra did one of her humphhhs. The one that lasted through a couple of breaths and
that irritated the hell out of Natalie. “You’ve always wanted to fix everything. If
we would have allowed it, you would have taken in every stray in the whole damn state.
It was like you had a sixth sense that beckoned to them. And we won’t even talk about
Drew and how you took him under your wings.”

“These are not strays, Momma. Not a one of them is broken. It’s me that’s broke this
time, and they are all putting me back together again,” she said.

Was that why animals kept showing up all the time? Was she unwittingly drawing them
to her side? Well, if she was, she needed to break the spell because goats on the
roof and chickens in the kitchen were not a good thing.

“I should be doing that,” Debra said.

“Sometimes God works in mysterious ways, Momma.”

“Go enjoy your party and promise me again you’ll be home for New Year’s.”

“I promise and I love you, Momma,” Natalie said.

She laid the phone down and looked at her reflection in the cheval mirror in the corner.
She’d dressed in her best jeans, boots, and a festive blue Christmas sweater that
dipped low in the front. She added a small sapphire pendant on a gold chain that Drew
had given her when he came home from Kuwait the first time.

“Oh, Drew, if only you hadn’t been so eager to go back over there. You didn’t have
to volunteer for a third tour,” she said.

The living room was buzzing with conversation and no one even noticed when she and
Joshua made their appearance. She stayed in the shadows beside the Nativity scene
and looked over the crowd. Henry was talking to an older fellow about the wooden angel
on the mantel. Jack and Grady were evidently talking bulls by their hand gestures.

Lucas was sitting all alone at the table shoved up in a corner. He caught her eye
and patted the chair next to him. She nodded and started that way. She’d only taken
two steps when the front door opened and Sonia swept into the room like a prom queen
in a bright red velvet dress that stopped at mid-thigh. It had a high neckline with
a tight-fitting collar encrusted with big stones of every color ornament on the tree.
The flowing chiffon sleeves were gathered up at her wrist with tight cuffs of the
same stones. Her blond hair was done up in a crown of curls so that not one sparkle
of her dangling diamond earrings would be wasted.

She sent a tight-lipped smile toward Natalie and headed straight for Lucas. Natalie
felt underdressed, tall, gangly, and downright plain in all the glitter and glam that
paraded into the room.

“Shit!” Natalie mumbled. “Lucas didn’t tell me we were having a prom.”

Sonia leaned down and dropped a quick kiss on Lucas’s forehead. “Lucas, everything
is absolutely beautiful. I ordered the snow just for you because I knew that you’d
need it after all those months over there in the sand.”

“Well, thank you for doing that. Where is Noah?” Lucas drawled.

“He’s on his way. I told him the girls and I would be arriving together.”

“Okay. Well, if you will excuse me, ladies. Natalie and Joshua have just arrived.”

“Can you believe snow in Savoy?” one of her friends said. “Remember our senior year.
It snowed that year for the party, but it hasn’t since then.”

Another giggled. “That was the year that y’all boys took us outside in our pretty
dresses and rolled us in the snow. My momma had a fit when I came home in a wet dress.”

“I’m sure we’ve grown up past that,” Lucas said.

The front door opened and half a dozen big cowboys pushed their way inside. They took
off their hats, hung them on a long, narrow rack right inside the door, and headed
straight for Lucas, circling him and all talking at once.

Sonia sighed. “I wish we didn’t have to. Girls, y’all come over here and let me introduce
you to Miss Clampett,” her thin voice singsonged across the room.

Natalie heard her and gritted her teeth, but she made a beeline for the bar instead
of even acknowledging the woman. Poor little thing; she didn’t even know how to catfight.

“Miss Clampett, I want you to meet my friends,” Sonia said a few feet to her left.

Natalie turned slightly and smiled. “Well, hello. I didn’t realize you were talking
to me. My name is Natalie Clark. Y’all can just call me Natalie since I’m probably
younger than any of you. Don’t y’all all look lovely tonight. It’s like prom, isn’t
it?”

“We like to dress up for the parties.” Sonia’s gaze dropped to Natalie’s boots and
traveled from there up to her hair. “God, you really are tall. You were sitting down
last night and I didn’t realize how tall you are.”

“Don’t know how tall God is, but if you are talking about me, I’m probably right at
six feet tall with these boots on.”

“Don’t be a smart-ass,” Sonia whispered so low that only Natalie heard it.

Natalie chose to ignore the remark. “What are you drinking? Marvin here can make you
whatever you want.”

Sonia snarled her nose at the beer in Natalie’s hand. “We are champagne, chocolate,
and roses girls, not beer, bait, and ammo women. We heard you shot a coyote.”

Natalie propped a hip on one of the dozen bar stools. “Got him with one bullet. I’ll
take a beer anytime over champagne, love to fish and I bait my own hook, and if I
get out my gun, you’d best be runnin’ or sayin’ your prayers.”

Sonia didn’t back down a bit. “Must be why you are so big. You’ve done man things
all your life and God just let you keep growing and growing.”

Natalie smiled sweetly. “Never thought of it like that. I just figured God made me
tall because both my parents are tall and that He gave me a momma who could teach
me to shoot the eyes out of a rattlesnake at fifty yards. You sure have big eyes,
Sonia.”

Sonia shivered. “Changing the subject now because I want to talk about Lucas. When
did you meet him?” Sonia popped a hip up on a bar stool and the rest of the girls
followed her lead.

“About eleven months ago. Did you all graduate with Lucas or go to college with him?”
Natalie asked.

As if on cue, Lucas appeared by her side. “I see that Sonia is introducing you to
the old cheerleading squad from Savoy High School. You want me to take Josh for a
little while, honey? I’d like to introduce him to the guys. Soon as they say hi to
Dad, Gramps, and Grady they’ll be heading for the bar.” He reached out and slipped
Joshua from her arm into his.

She wondered what he felt like when he carried the baby across the room to introduce
him to his friends. Rumor had it that Joshua belonged to him. Would the guys over
there think that he looked like Lucas?

“Where did you meet Lucas?” Sonia asked.

“That’s not important. Let’s get you girls something to drink and then you can tell
me your names while we find a table.” Natalie motioned for Marvin. “Drinks first and
then names. Again, I’m Natalie Clark, not Clampett. Sonia must think I look like Daisy
Mae. She’s tall like me, but she’s got blond hair and a helluva lot better build.
Lord, I’d kill for that waistline she’s got.”

Sonia flashed another dirty look her way. The woman was crazy if she thought she could
scare Natalie with evil looks. Evidently, the way her “girls” adored her, she had
one side for the people she liked and another for those that she didn’t.

Natalie smiled. “Sonia doesn’t need to introduce herself, but the rest of you I haven’t
met.”

Natalie used word association and put an animal with each woman. Lisa was a fox with
her sharp nose. Melody was a cardinal with all that red hair. Cassie reminded her
of a golden retriever puppy the way she clung to Sonia’s every word. Jolene was definitely
a coyote with that hungry look in her eyes. And Franny was a Persian cat with that
pug nose. When she got to the end of the line, Natalie realized that the only animal
she could think of to put Sonia with was a possum. It pretended to be asleep when
all along it was plotting its next move.

“I want an apple martini,” Sonia told the bartender after the introductions. “And
I want to know this story about you and Lucas.”

Natalie led them to a table, held up her beer when they were seated, and waved. “It’s
nice to meet you all. We’ll have to get together for lunch sometime and you can tell
me stories on Lucas. And Sonia, good luck on your wedding. Christmas weddings are
so lovely and sweet. I hear a fussy baby. That’s my cue to leave you ladies with your
drinks.”

She met Lucas halfway across the room, but he didn’t hold Joshua out to her. He motioned
with a nod of his head down the hallway. She followed him, wondering what in the hell
he was up to now. He opened the door to the bedroom where she’d been sleeping and
closed it when she was inside. He pulled Joshua’s pacifier from his shirt pocket and
stuck it in the baby’s mouth. He instantly stopped fretting and made angry sucking
noises.

Natalie sat down on the edge of the bed. “He just wanted that thing. Why’d you let
him fuss?”

He slumped into a rocking chair, laid the baby on his chest, and set the chair in
motion with his boot heel. “Because I had to get out of there for a few minutes. I
felt like the walls were closing in on me and all that noise rattled in my head. Even
the music grated on my nerves and I love Marty Stuart, but the drums sounded like
gunfire. Just a little more than a week ago I was in Kuwait, Natalie. The adjustment
is harder than I thought it would be. Drew said that coming back wasn’t as easy as
leaving. I wasn’t ready for a crowd, but I couldn’t disappoint Dad and Gramps.”

She sat down on the side of the bed. “Drew had trouble like that too. He didn’t want
to go to the movies or anywhere that might have loud noises or too much talking. He
said that even the debriefing didn’t get him ready for the home front that first time.
He thought it would be easier the second time around, but it wasn’t.”

Lucas nodded.

“Sonia is a piece of work,” she said.

He leaned his head back and shut his eyes. “Always has been.”

She kicked off her boots and stretched out on the bed. “Want to talk?”

“Nope, just want to enjoy the peace. Josh was a big hit with the guys. They all said
that he looks just like me. Amazing what a rumor can create and how fast it can travel,
isn’t it?” He yawned.

“Are you sure you should let that rumor keep spreading?” she asked.

He didn’t answer because he and Joshua were both asleep.

***

Drew’s job was driving the brass around the base. That morning Lucas was supposed
to accompany them and Drew was pushing him to hurry. “Come on, man! Get the lead out
of your ass. I’m the driver, so it’s my ass that gets chewed if we’re not on time.
And on time means five minutes before the set time,” Drew had said.

Then the lieutenant poked his head in the door and yelled that Allen was to report
to the commander’s tent on the double.

“I’m supposed to go out this morning,” Lucas said.

“Not anymore. There’s a big problem and the commander says that he needs you right
now,” the lieutenant said.

Drew squeezed his shoulder and jogged out of the tent. Lucas finished tying his boots
and had just stepped outside when he heard the explosion. He shaded his eyes with
the back of his hand and saw black smoke billowing from light brown sand to pale blue
sky.

In his dream, Lucas ran in slow motion in that direction. His feet were like lead,
but he had to get to Drew to pull him out of all that smoke. He screamed but nothing
came out of his mouth. He kept yelling, “No, no! I can’t tell Natalie!”

He awoke with tears in his eyes and holding a baby in his arms instead of Drew.

“Your dad was a hero,” Lucas whispered to the sleeping baby.

Natalie slept. Her dark hair created a halo around her head and black eyelashes fanned
out on her high cheekbones. He laid Joshua in the crib, removed his little boots,
and covered him with a light blanket then stared at Natalie.