A Christmas Blessing

his heart that he’d gone to the Caribbean for the holidays. Or maybe taken a trip to Australia. Or even the South Pole.
Then he remembered that Jessie would have found the house empty when she’d gone into labor on the highway. Who knew what might have happened then. He couldn’t regret having been here for her. No matter how much pain his feelings for her caused him in the future, he couldn’t regret these few days they’d had.
He just had to figure out how to make them last a lifetime.
* * *
Jessie gently placed the telephone receiver back in its cradle and turned to the wide-awake baby on the bed beside her.
“That was your Uncle Luke,” she whispered, unable to keep a grin from spreading across her face. Just hearing his voice made her pulse do unexpected somersaults.
Angela understood. Jessie was absolutely certain of it. She waved her little fist in the air approvingly.
“How long do you figure it’s going to take him to show up here?” Jessie wondered aloud.
She was far more confident now that he would turn up than she had been when she’d ridden away from his ranch with Doc Winchell. Leaving her own car there had been her ace in the hole. If Luke didn’t make the trip to White Pines, after all, she knew she could always go back to get her car and have one last chance at making him see what they could have together.
She rolled onto her back, only to have her wedding picture catch her eye. It was still sitting on the dresser, just as it had while she and Erik had lived in this suite.
“You understand, don’t you?” she whispered with certainty. “You’ve forgiven Luke and me for falling in love and that’s all that really matters.”
A soft tap on her door quieted her. “Jessie?” Mary called softly. “We’ll be serving dinner in half an hour.”
“I’ll be right down,” she promised.
“Bring the baby. I’ve found a carrier for her. I’ll leave it outside the door.”
“Thanks, Mary.”
Jessie listened as her mother-in-law’s footsteps faded, then she glanced down at her daughter. “Showtime, angel. It’s time to go and dazzle your family.”
The baby waved her arms energetically, an indication that she was more than ready for anything the Adams clan had in mind for her—now or in the future. Jessie wished she could say the same.
She had no sooner reached the bottom step, when Jordan appeared to take the carrier from her. At thirty, he was a successful businessman, one of the few to weather the Texas oil crisis and come out ahead. He was considered one of the state’s most eligible catches, but he had remained amazingly immune to any of the women who chased after him.
“You look lovely, Jessie.” He glanced down into the carrier, his expression faintly nervous as if he weren’t too sure what to do with a baby. He seemed worried she might be breakable. “Everyone’s anxious to see the newest addition to the family.”
Jessie hesitated. “By everyone, I assume you mean that this isn’t just a family celebration tonight.”
Jordan’s mouth quirked in a grin that reminded her so much of Luke, she felt her heart stop.
“Nope. The usual cast of thousands,” he said. He leaned down and whispered, “Stick close to me and I’ll protect you from the multitudes.”
“And what about your own date?” she whispered right back. “I know perfectly well you must have one here. I’ve never seen you without a beautiful woman on your arm.”
A flicker of something that might have been sadness darkened his eyes for just an instant, before his ready smile settled firmly back in place.
“I decided even I deserved a night off,” he replied.
“Tired of small talk?” Jessie asked.
“Tired of all of it,” he admitted. When Jessie would have questioned him further about whether this indicated an end to his days as Houston’s most available playboy, he prevented it by taking her arm and propelling her into a room already crowded with guests.
“Behold the heir apparent,” he announced, holding the baby carrier aloft as everyone applauded. That said, he seemed only too anxious to turn the baby over to the first person who asked to hold her. He wandered off without a second glance, his duty done.
For the second time since her arrival at White Pines, Jessie was gently shunted aside by people anxious to get a glimpse of the newborn. She heard the story of her being stranded at Luke’s ranch told over and over. She heard her own bravery magnified time and again.
What she never heard, though, was any mention of Luke’s incredible role in any of it. Just when she was prepared to climb halfway up the stairs and demand that everyone listen to her version of the events, Harlan folded a strong arm around her shoulders and called for silence.
“A toast,” he announced. “Everybody have some champagne?”
Glasses were lifted into the air all around them.
“To Jessie and Angela,” he said. “Welcome home.”
The toast echoed around the room, as heartfelt from strangers as it was from the family. Even so, the welcome left Jessie feeling oddly empty. White Pines no longer felt like home. What saddened her more was that she wasn’t sure whether it was the loss of Erik or the absence of Luke that made her feel that way.
When the cheers had died down, Harlan announced that the buffet supper was ready. The guests moved swiftly into the huge dining room to claim their plates and a sampling of the food that Jessie knew Maritza and the rest of the staff had been preparing for weeks now. She recalled from past years how bountiful and diverse the spread would be, but her own appetite failed her.
She surveyed the room until she finally spotted Cody holding her daughter and went to join them.
“I’ll take her,” she offered. “Go on and have your dinner.”
Cody grinned. “I don’t mind. I’m practicing my technique. I figure if I can charm ’em when they’re this little, I’ll have no problems