A Christmas Blessing

said. “It was the day before mybirthday.”
That nailed it down, Luke thought, rather proud of himself. He glanced athis watch, then slid from the booth. “Excuse me a second, Jessie. There’s aphone call I was supposed to make. I just now remembered it.”
She regarded him oddly, but said nothing. Feeling like a sneak, Lukepractically raced to the phone booth. He reached the detective on the third ring.
“I was able to come up with a little more information,” hesaid and gave him what he had. “Does that help at all?”
“Some,” Hill said. “I ran the name through the computerafter we talked, just to see if anything turned up based on what you had thismorning.”
Luke sucked in a breath. “And?”
“Nothing much beyond the usual, social security number, creditrating, that kind of thing. There was one thing I found a little odd, though.”
“What?”
“Looks to me as if she’s been investigated before. There aresome inquiries on the credit history.”
“Couldn’t that have been for a car loan or a job reference orsomething?”
“Possibly. It just didn’t seem to track that way.”
“How recently?”
“A few years back.”
Luke felt his heart begin to thud dully. “In the fall?”
“As a matter of fact, yes. Most of the inquiries seemed to be aroundSeptember or October.”
Erik and Jessie had been married on November first. Her name had startedcoming up at White Pines only a month or two before as someone about whom Erik wasserious.
“Do you know something about that?” Hill asked.
“Not for certain, but I’d put my money on Daddy,” Lukesaid, fighting his anger. He’d known that Harlan suspected Jessie’s motivesin marrying Erik, but he’d had no idea he’d gone so far as to check her out.“My guess is that Harlan was doing some checking before Erik and Jessie gotmarried. He probably wanted to be sure that the Adams name wasn’t about to besullied or that she wasn’t going to take Erik for a fortune.”
The detective didn’t react to Luke’s explanation except tosay, “Maybe you can get the information you’re after from your father, then.He was probably pretty thorough. Do you want me to wait until you check itout?”
“No, get started. Even Daddy probably couldn’t bust his wayinto sealed adoption records.”
“What makes you think you can?”
“Because you’re going to tell me exactly how to go about it,and then I’m going to tell Jessie. She’s probably the only one who can getthrough the legal red tape.”
“If she wants to,” Hill reminded him.
Luke thought of the sad expression he’d seen on her face earlier.“She’ll want to,” he said with certainty.
“She might not like what she finds.”
“I’ll be with her every step of the way,” he vowed.“It’ll be okay.”
“You’re the boss,” the detective said. “I’llbe in touch as soon as I have anything. Where will I find you?”
“At White Pines.”
“Home for the holidays?”
“Exactly,” Luke said dryly. “Just your typical familyget-together.”
It would be a lot less typical when he cornered his father about havingJessie investigated before the wedding. He was filled with indignation on her behalf. Infact, he might very well do something he’d been itching to do for years. He mightwring Harlan’s scrawny old neck.
* * *
Luke’s expression looked as if it had been carved in stone whenhe came back from making that phone call. Whatever it had been about, the call hadobviously upset him.
Jessie watched his profile warily on the ride home, wondering if sheshould try to probe for an explanation for his change in mood. She supposed she ought tobe used to his sullen silences, but having caught a few tantalizing glimpses of theother, gentler side of his nature, she wasn’t sure she could bear this return toan old demeanor, an old distance between them.
“Bad news?” she inquired eventually.
“You could say that,” he said tersely.
“Can I help?”
He glanced her way. “Nope. I’ll take care of it.”
Jessie’s gaze narrowed. “You jumped in this morning when yousaw I had a problem,” she reminded him. “Why won’t you let me returnthe favor?”
“Because I can solve this myself.”
“I could have solved my problem myself, but that didn’tprevent you from butting in, because you cared.”
Luke’s gaze settled on her and his mouth curved into the beginningsof a smile. “You saying you care, Jessie?”
“Well, of course I do,” she said hotly. “Luke, you knowhow I feel about you…” At the warning look in his eyes, her voice trailedoff. Then, irritated with him and herself, she added determinedly, “And about whatyou did for me and Angela.”
“Let’s not start that again.”
“Well, dammit, it’s not something I’m ever likely toforget.”
“Stop cursing. It’s out of character.”
She lost patience with all the verbal tap dancing. “Lucas, you arethe most exasperating, mule-headed man it has ever been my misfortune to know.It’s no wonder I’m cursing.”
He grinned at her outburst. “I care about you, too,” heconceded, his voice gentler. “If I really needed help with this, Jessie, I swearyou’d be the first person I’d turn to.”
Ridiculously pleased, she said, “Really?”
“Cross my heart.”
“So does it have something to do with the ranch?”
He laughed. “Give you an inch and you go for the whole damned mile,don’t you?”
“You know a better way to get what you want?”
An oddly defeated expression passed across his face. “No,darlin’, I can’t say that I do.”
“Luke?”
“Drop it, Jessica. There’s nothing for you to worryabout.” He glanced at her. “Except maybe how you’re going to bringMother and Daddy to heel.”
She heaved a sigh. “I’d rather tackle your problem.”
“No,” he said with a grim note in his voice. “I can justabout guarantee that you wouldn’t.”
Before Jessie could respond to that cryptic remark, he’d parked thefancy four-wheel-drive car in front of the garage and climbed out. Before she couldmove, he had her door open. He reached out, circled her waist with his hands and liftedher down from the high vehicle.
He was close enough that she could feel his warmth, close enough that hisbreath whispered against her cheek. She would have given anything to stay just that way,but the reality was they were at White Pines and there were far too many pryingeyes.
Besides, judging from the grim, determined set of Luke’s jaw, hewould not have allowed it.
“Come on,