MacKenzie's Lady (20 page)

"I'll tell you what, just so it won't make you feel bad, I'll let you change all the diapers after he's here."

Mac winced, edging the car through a flooded intersection. "I was afraid you'd say something like that."

"Always trying to be fair."

"Have you heard from James?" The question was so far away from what they had been discussing that it took Holly a minute to sort the words out.

"I told you that I'd let you know if I heard from him." Her voice was tight, revealing her hurt.

Mac grimaced. "I didn't mean it to sound like that. James has disappeared. I don't mean disappeared in an ominous way," he reassured her quickly. "He's just dropped out of sight. We've had people watching him, and two days ago he ditched his tail and hasn't been seen since. And it was pretty clear that he knew exactly what he was doing," he finished grimly.

"Do you think he's in trouble? He's not helping anybody steal art treasures, Mac. I know he isn't."

"You've almost managed to convince me. Whatever he was up to, he obviously didn't want to be tailed. It could be something as simple as a rendezvous with a woman. Maybe he wanted some privacy. I figured you would want to know what was happening."

"Thank you." She twisted her fingers restlessly. Oh, Jamey, what are you up to? What have you gotten involved with? she thought, shaking her head. James knew how to take care of himself. She'd have to trust in that. There was nothing else she could do.

❧

The few weeks left before Christmas seemed to whirl by so quickly that Holly had the feeling she should grab hold of them and try to slow them down. That wasn't possible, so she threw herself into the festive spirit with enthusiasm. Her parents weren't going to be able to make it for the holidays. They were saving their next visit until after the baby was born. That left just Mac and Holly and Maryann and Ken, which suited Holly just fine. The four of them were beginning to seem like a family.

She was baking cookies one afternoon when Ken appeared in the kitchen. He clumped in on his crutches and leaned against the breakfast bar, watching her as she lifted a tray of buttery pressed cookies from the oven and slid another tray in.

"You realize, of course, that there's no way you're ever going to find enough people to eat all these cookies you've been baking." Holly was putting the oven-fresh cookies out on racks and he reached over to snitch one, juggling it back and forth between his palms until it cooled enough to pop in his mouth.

"At the rate you've been eating them, I don't have any worries at all."

"I do my best to help out in any way I can," he acknowledged humbly.

"Ha! You've got an appetite like an underfed anaconda. I don't know where you put it all. All I have to do is look at cookies and I gain weight."

"So I noticed." He eyed her bulging belly and Holly lifted the spatula threateningly. "You've got to remember that I'm an invalid. I need lots of nourishing food."

"Butter cookies are not nourishing food. If you're an invalid, you should be eating spinach and chicken broth."

He snitched another cookie. "The doctor says I should eat lots to keep up my strength."

"Funny, I don't remember Maryann mentioning that you were supposed to be eating like a pig."

He threw her a hurt look and withdrew to the other side of the breakfast bar, but not before he'd picked up two more cookies to sustain himself. Holly shook her head and went back to carefully pressing wreaths and Christmas trees onto a clean cookie sheet.

"Speaking of Maryann..." Ken's voice was casual, and Holly bit her lip to hide a smile. She wondered if they really thought they were keeping their feelings a secret.

"What about her?" She pressed out a row of plump angels.

"When we met you in Tijuana, you had gone down there after something of hers, hadn't you?"

"Her grandfather's watch. She had been dating a guy named Jason Nevin and he told her he knew someone who was a pro when it came to repairing old watches. She gave him the watch just a couple of days before they broke up. He went back East and she couldn't get the watch back. Then he called and said he'd meet her in Tijuana. He was pretty upset that she'd been the dumper instead of the dumpee, and I guess he figured he'd teach her a lesson by sending her into that bar." She sprinkled colored sugar crystals over the cookies.

"Did she ever get the watch back?"

"Nope. I heard through a mutual acquaintance that Jason moved back to L.A. He's living somewhere in West Hollywood. I told Maryann that she ought to go beat the watch out of him but she didn't want to see him again, even to get the watch back. I figure he either sold it or he kept it out of spite. That's the kind of weasel he was."

She opened the oven door and pulled out a sheet of delicately browned cookies and slid in the one she had just readied before looking at Ken. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged and then winced as the movement pulled at his healing ribs. "No reason in particular. I just got to thinking about that first meeting with you, and I wasn't sure I remembered the details exactly right."

❧

Christmas Eve dawned bright and clear, but the weather i: recast promised rain by nightfall. Holly hoped the weather bureau was right. Snow wasn't possible, but rain would make a worthy substitute. Even without rain, the temperature was wonderfully chill. Mac was out of bed before she as awake, and when she came into the living room, she was greeted by the warm crackle of a small fire.

She inhaled deeply, taking in the rich scent of burning oak and the tangy smell of evergreen. She wandered over to the Christmas tree, lifting one delicate crocheted snowflake on her fingertip. The snowflakes had been Maryann's contribution to their first tree. Ken had provided some charming hand-carved reindeer. Mac and Holly had shopped for the rest of the traditional trimmings and she was very pleased with the results.

She rested her hands on her belly and smiled mistily. Their first Christmas together. Next year there would be a baby. Just a few more weeks and she would be able to hold her child in her arms. Would it be a boy or a girl?

"No fair shaking the packages." Mac's teasing words made her turn, her face still soft with anticipation. She had crown accustomed to his silent approach and she wasn't surprised to find him right behind her.

"I was just thinking about the baby. You know, it's funny, I've never even asked you whether you want a boy or a girl?"

"I think it's a little late to change the order. I'll take whatever comes. Just as long as you and the baby are healthy."

"Just a few more weeks and we'll know, one way or the other." Her voice shook slightly, and Mac slipped his arms around her, drawing her close and resting his chin on the top of her head.

"Are you worried?"

"I don't know. It's kind of scary sometimes. What if I scream and make a fool of myself?"

"You could never make a fool of yourself. You're going to be too busy having the baby to think about it. I'm the one you should worry about. What if I faint on the delivery room floor? Think of how humiliating that would be."

Her soft giggle told him that she wasn't worried about that, and he smiled. "You're going to do just fine. I'll be right beside you all the time, and between the two of us and the doctor, we're going to deliver our baby."

She laid her palm against his chest and leaned back until she could look up into his eyes. Her teasing words died. His strong features were gentled by tenderness, the blue of his eyes a soft promise. "Mac, are you really, truly happy about the baby?" They weren't the words she had intended to say at all, and they tumbled out in a rush.

He bent to brush his lips gently over hers. "I'm really, truly happy about the baby."

"I never meant to hurt you." Her eyes were dark with sincerity.

"I know. That's over and done with, Holly. It's past."

"Is it? Sometimes I'm afraid it won't ever go away," she admitted wistfully.

"Holly, I—" But whatever he had been going to say was lost.

"Aha! I might have known I'd catch you two by the Christmas tree. You've probably been shaking the packages and trying to guess what's in them."

Mac's eyes seemed to express some of Holly's own frustration at the interruption, but the expression was gone so quickly, she thought she might have imagined it. When he turned to Ken, his smile was easy.

"Actually, I caught this wench in the act and I was just trying to decide on a proper punishment."

Ken limped heavily across the room, the sound of his new walking cast accenting every step. He raised one sandy brow. "I can see that you're holding on to her in case she tries to escape."

"Oh, please, officers, have mercy on me. It's my first offense and I'll never do it again." Holly fluttered her eyelashes innocently and Mac frowned heavily.

"That's what they all say. Today it's shaking packages but tomorrow it could be armed robbery. There's just no stopping the criminal mind."

She walked her fingers up the sleeve of his pale-blue shirt. "I was planning to make waffles for breakfast and I can't do that if you throw me in jail."

"Bribing an officer is a criminal offense, young lady," Mac reminded her sternly.

"Waffles? Don't you think we could let her off with a warning this time, Mac?" Ken pleaded, rubbing his stomach to indicate imminent starvation.

"With vanilla ice cream and ripe peaches," Holly added invitingly.

Mac wavered. "Well, I suppose if you truly promise not to do it again, we could go easy on you this time."

As it turned out, Mac ended up making the waffles, while Holly sliced out-of-season peaches and stirred the ice cream to soften it. Ken sat at the breakfast bar and kibitzed, offering worthless bits of advice until Mac threatened to put his head in the waffle iron or drown him in the ice cream.

The day was wonderfully lazy. Holly spent her time embroidering tiny flowers on a smock that her mother had made for the baby. In the late afternoon, Holly carefully stuffed a fat capon with a sage-and-pecan dressing, following an old family recipe, and slipped the bird into the oven to roast.

Maryann arrived about the same time as the rain, and Mac built the fire higher. Dinner was perfect. The food was exactly right and the conversation was warm and lively, bouncing easily back and forth across the table. While Mac and Ken loaded the dishwasher, the two women went into the living room, relaxing with cups of subtly spiced cocoa.

"You've been looking very happy the last month or two," Maryann observed. "Do I take it that the gamble of marrying Mac has paid off?"

Holly smiled, snuggling deeper into her chair. "Definitely. We've still got some things to work out, but I made the right choice."

"You're so sure of that. Doesn't it worry you that things might change, that it might not last forever?"

Holly studied her friend in the flickering light cast by the fire and the winking bulbs of the Christmas tree. "Nobody can guarantee forever, Maryann. I love Mac so much that I couldn't just let him go without taking a chance."

"But what if it doesn't work out? What if ten years from now, you decide it isn't working anymore?"

"Then we'll have had ten good years together. How could I regret having that? Maybe in some ways the fact that we started off on such bad footing will work to our advantage. We've proved that things don't have to be perfect from the start."

"I don't know. It seems so risky." Maryann stirred restlessly, her auburn hair taking on fiery lights from the dancing flames.

"It is risky. But it's worth it. Ken's worth it." Maryann's head jerked toward her and then away, as if she was afraid of what her expression would reveal. "Who said this had anything to do with Ken?" "Just a guess. Am I wrong?"

The other woman lifted her shoulders in an elaborate shrug that put Holly in mind of Ken whenever Maryann's name came up. "He's not so bad when you get to know him." Holly said nothing and Maryann's casual pose changed. "I'm scared to death, Holly. What do I do if he wants some kind of commitment from me?" "You mean like marriage?"

Maryann gestured wildly with one hand. "I'm not even ready for going steady. I'm frightened. What if we're not really suited?"

"How will you know if you don't give it a chance?" Before Maryann could answer that, the two men came into the room and the conversation was dropped.

"I don't know about anybody else but I'm ready to open some of these boxes." Ken rubbed his hands together, and Holly laughed at the avid expression on his face.

An hour later the room was strewn with wrapping paper and discarded boxes. The area under the tree, so full at the start of the evening, was beginning to look empty and rather forlorn. Holly's present to Mac lay beside him and she noticed that he had a tendency to touch the beautiful pair of antique dueling pistols as if he couldn't quite believe in their presence.

She smiled, satisfied that the effort of finding them had been worthwhile. She had searched every antique shop in the city, looking for just the right addition to his small collection of historic pistols. When she finally found them, she had almost emptied her bank account to buy them, but seeing the expression on his face made it worth being broke.

Ken reached beneath the tree and lifted the last box, handing it to Maryann with an uncertain smile that seemed odd on his usually confident face. "This isn't exactly something I picked out for you, but I think it's something you'll enjoy."

Maryann took the box hesitantly, her eyes searching his. Holly felt Mac stiffen beside her and she looked at him, arching a brow in inquiry. Whatever was in that box, Mac knew about it. He shook his head and nodded toward the couple who sat across from them.

"Oh, Ken." The soft exclamation broke from Maryann as the wrappings fell away to reveal a worn velvet case. Her fingers were shaking as she opened the lid and looked down at the etched gold case of the watch.

"Actually, you should probably thank Mac more than me." Maryann was silent so long that Ken broke into nervous speech. "He's the one who did the intimidating. I'm afraid that I'm not very frightening-looking right now. Oh, hey, don't cry."

Holly's eyes were wet as Mac nudged her to her feet. Ken was dabbing futilely at Maryann's cheeks with the edge of his shirt sleeve as they left the room; Holly didn't think that the other couple even noticed their leaving.

Mac switched on a soft lamp in their bedroom and silently handed her a tissue. "That was the most beautiful gift." Her voice shook with emotion as she wiped her watery eyes. "How did he get it back?"

"It wasn't hard once we found Nevin. I'm afraid I'm once again guilty of using the agency computers for something personal. You seem to have corrupted me totally in that respect. I took Ken over to see the guy last week and we... persuaded him that it was in his best interests to return the watch. Luckily, he hadn't sold it. You were right; he was just hanging on to it for spite. I think he's seen the error of his ways, though."

"Maryann's face was so beautiful. I can't imagine a more wonderful gift."

Mac cleared his throat. "Well, actually, I hope you'll change your mind about that." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jeweler's case of royal-blue velvet. "We got married in kind of a hurry and we didn't have time for an engagement ring."

Holly's heart began to thud as he opened the case and lifted out a ring. He took her left hand and slipped off her wedding band, sliding it onto the end of his little finger. His eyes met hers and her chest began to swell as she saw all her dreams coming true in those brilliant blue depths.

"We started off on the wrong foot, but maybe that's made our marriage stronger." She smiled shakily at hearing him echo her words. "I'm not always good at letting go of the past, and it's taken me a lot longer than it should have to see how much more important the future is."

He slid the wedding ring onto her finger. "With this ring I thee wed." He slipped the engagement ring into place and Holly saw it through a haze of tears, a simple cluster of diamonds on a plain gold band.

"I love you, Holly."

"I love you, too." The words came out on a sob of happiness as she threw her arms around his neck.