The Fifth Season (20 page)

“I think it’s time to go home.”

“Home? To a house full of construction workers?” He pulled her closer, nibbling the sensitive lobe of her ear. It caused shivers of desire to ripple down her neck and pool between her legs. It took a moment for his words to penetrate her lust filled brain.

“Construction? Oh dear God, you haven’t left the resort unattended?”

Stone shrugged, concentrating on kissing every inch of bare skin from her shoulder to the small hollow of her neck. “Rex is there.”

“Stone, stop that. We need to be there. It’s our…” She stopped, shaking her head. “It’s your investment.”

“Don’t care.” He grazed his mouth across hers, teasing her lips with his tongue, pouring fire on over sensitive nerves.

Emma sighed but pushed away. Her mind filled with visions of hot breath, steamy windows and a Jeep rocking madly on the powdered snow. “This,” she said, “isn’t going to happen.” Pulling her dress back up her shoulders and straightening her hair, she sat primly back in her seat. “I want to go home.”

“I was about to take you there.”

She tried not to grin at his euphemism but failed. Stone’s eyes twinkled as he turned the key and revved the engine. He drove down the rest of the drive, the softness in his face slowly fading. Emma watched him swallow hard when he swung onto the main road, refusing to look at the dented old mailbox with a hastily scrawled
Connor
on the side.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“Making you come here.”

He tossed her a look that tugged her heart. “Jose, my second in command, used to have a saying.
You create the environment you live in
. I never understood it until now.”

Emma bit her lip. He’d never spoken about his unit or any of the men that died on his last mission. She didn’t interrupt but nodded for him to continue.

“Every damn time,” he said, “I yelled at him for doing something wrong or not being where I expected him to be, he’d shake his head sadly and say those words to me. It used to make me crazy.” He laughed and shook his head. “Jose never took any of my anger seriously.” He frowned and barked out another round of laughter. “In fact, I think he was on some sort of mission to reform me.”

“Why? Were you as incorrigible then as you are now?”

He smiled and winked at her. “Nah, just an irascible old coot. Jose insisted there was life outside of our little unit, and I told him not for me there wasn’t. But,” Stone shifted gears, and the Jeep sped forward. “I guess he was right after all.”

“He’d be proud.” Emma reached over and squeezed his knee.

“Yeah,” he said softly. “He’d be damn proud.”

She turned her face to the heat of the morning sun. Neither one spoke again. Emma basked in the silence, it sang loudly of their comfort and their closeness.

***

Walking amidst the charred ruins of the basement level, she bit back the swell of sadness. After several days of clean up, the upstairs was habitable but this area would take months to put in order. Men dragged water-damaged antique furniture up the stairs and out of the house, hopefully to be saved by the restoration company she’d hired. The burnt feather beds stank like rotten eggs. Puddles pooled in little circles all over the uneven hardwood floor, shimmering with soot.

“It’s not too bad,” Stone said from behind her.

She turned and tried to hide her grief. “It could’ve been worse.”

He traced his finger gently down her cheek. “This will be back to normal before you know it.”

“I know. It’s just…” Emma shrugged.

“I’ve an idea,” he interrupted. “Why don’t we make a few changes, improve on the old?”

“Like what?”

“What about a larger weight room, an indoor Jacuzzi, or I know…” He stepped over a pile of burnt rubble and pointed to a partially damaged wall. “Let’s knock down this wall and make a media room. That way when kids are staying here they can use this space as their movie and entertainment area. It’ll save a lot on the wear and tear of the living room.”

Emma bit her lip. He had a point. “But we’ll lose a guest suite.”

“No we won’t. We’ll expand out, create another suite beneath the new deck.”

She smiled, her heart a bit lighter. “Yes, that would work. I’ll begin immediately on a mocked up floor print. When did you say the remodeling company was arriving?”

“Day after tomorrow.”

“Okay. I can have a rough draft done by then.” Emma’s mind suddenly whirled with ideas. A media room. What a wonderful addition. She turned and hugged Stone fiercely. Standing on her tiptoes, she pulled his head down and whispered in his ear. “I reward for sparks of brilliance.”

His chest rumbled, and she nipped his ear. She felt him tense and pull her tighter against his chest. “Let’s kick all these people out. I want to collect.”

“Tonight…” Emma kissed him quickly and escaped. She’d tons to do and very little time.

Passing Rex in the narrow staircase, she smiled brightly and greeted him. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“Merry Christmas.”

“What?”

“It’s Christmas today, right?” Rex frowned.

“Is it?”

“December 25th normally means Christmas.”

Emma stood with her mouth hanging open. She counted out the days since the party, and Rex was absolutely correct.

“Why are all these people working on Christmas?” Oh, this wasn’t right. Not at all.

“Maybe they’re Jewish?” Rex offered. She could tell he was trying not to laugh at her and glared at him.

“Make them go home.”

Turning back around, she led the way into the basement. Stone assisted several men in dismantling one of the four poster beds.

“Stone,” she said, tugging on his arm. “It’s Christmas.”

“I know, honey.”

“Am I the only clueless one here? Tell these men to go home and enjoy the holiday with their family.”

“They’re getting double-time. I think for some that means a lot more than Christmas.”

Emma shook her head. “No. I won’t have it. Pay them double-time for an entire day but send them home now.”

Stone frowned then shrugged. “Okay, you’re the boss.” He turned to the men and began explaining Emma’s instructions. She didn’t wait for their reaction but smiled as cheers reached her ears. Almost to the top of the stairs, another thought crossed her mind.

“Rex,” she called back down.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Why’re you here?”

“Waiting on a shipment.”

“Don’t you have family?”

He looked up at her and shook his head. “Stone’s about it.”

“Well then, make sure you’re properly attired this evening for a full blown Christmas celebration. Once these guys leave, I want you and Stone to hit the woods and bring me back the best Christmas tree you can find.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Rex shouted, saluting her.

Emma shook her head, swearing to herself. She couldn’t believe she’d not realized it was Christmas. Obviously, the fire had consumed more than the elaborate tree she’d decorated the day after Thanksgiving. It’d fried her brain as well.

Turning into the front foyer, Emma heard soft singing coming from the kitchen. Curious, she headed in that direction.

She stopped, stunned by the action taking place. Tilly pulled item after item out of about a zillion grocery bags covering the counters. Her normally perfectly coiffed blonde hair was pulled through a scrunchy and piled on top of her head. She had no makeup on, making her look very young and innocent.

“What’s going on?”

“Well,” Tilly said, wiping her hands on a paper towel after dumping a very large turkey in the sink. “I think I’m preparing Christmas dinner.”

“I didn’t ask.”

“You didn’t have to.” She held up her hand before Emma could interrupt. “I know I’m not a stellar employee, attitude and all that. But I do love this place, and I suppose that includes you.”

“I’m speechless.” Emma couldn’t connect this woman with the nail-sharpening, stiletto-heeled cat who normally appeared for work.

“Well Speechless, do you think you could manage a few menial tasks in the way of cooking?”

“I believe I could do that, but first how about some music to put us in the mood?”

“Oh no,” Tilly raced for the stereo. “You’re not putting on your childhood record of Rudolph.”

“Oh yes, I am. Get out of my way, I know Gene Autry’s in here somewhere.”

Tilly allowed herself to be pushed aside and went back to the kitchen, muttering beneath her breath. Emma giggled as she popped the album from its cover and placed it on the turn table. She played this every year, and the moment the deep crooning of Gene Autry’s voice hit her ears, she knew…

Christmas had arrived.

***

Placing the last pie in the oven, Emma surveyed the mess she and Tilly created. It’d been one hurried preparation of turkey and all the trimmings.

“Look at what we’ve done,” she said.

“Yeah, quite the cooks aren’t we?”

“Why don’t you go take a shower and I’ll clean?”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll clean this up.”

Emma frowned. This flipside to Tilly niggled at her trust cavity. “Really, go use my room and shower up for dinner. I’ll tidy up then find the boys. We should be eating by nine, right?”

“Yeah. I’ll change then lay out hors d’oeuvres and cool the champagne.”

“Sounds good.” Emma turned and made quick work of the dirty dishes and messy counters.

A pair of strong arms circled her waist and she leaned back against Stone’s chest.

“Smells yummy in here.” He kissed her head then nuzzled her neck sending shivers of delight down her spine.

She turned in his arms and linked her hands behind his neck. “Whatcha up to?”

“About to wrangle you a tree. Want to come?”

She grinned and nodded. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

They quickly donned heavy jackets and boots. Making their way outside, Stone snagged a saw and tugged at her hand.

“Where’re we going?”

“Over the back ridge. There’s a great stretch of pines and…” His voice trailed off when he bent his head, but Emma saw a twinkle in his eye and the grin tugging at his mouth made her wonder what was up.

The sky mimicked the ground. Heavy white clouds hung low and a light dusting of snow fell gracefully around them. Silence muffled Mother Nature. The snow crunching loudly beneath their footsteps sounded like an invasion. Stone held her hand, and she was content to follow his lead.

Crossing the ridge she spotted a trail of smoke rising lazily into the sky. Inhaling the thick pine scent, she broke free of Stone, stretching her arms to the sky and twirling in a circle.

“This is wonderful. Do you think those people would mind if we kicked them out of their cabin and stole a few hours of solitude?”

Stone raised a brow as she stared into his wind-burnt face. “I don’t think they’ll mind at all. Let’s go.” He grabbed her hand and began running toward the tiny log cabin.

“I was kidding,” she said, her breath coming out in thick white plumes.

“I’m not.”

She pulled back and dug her heels in. “Stone we can’t just barge into someone’s home.”

“Yes, we can.”

Emma laughed at his craziness. “You’re certifiable. No we can’t.”

He pulled her against his chest and bent his head. “Yes, we can,” he said softly against her ear, causing shivers of excitement to stream down her back. His cheeks were cold but she captured the heat of his mouth with her own. The instant fire that burst deep within her soul snatched her breath, leaving her gasping and wanting.

“I wish we could.”

The passion that sparkled within the deep blue depths of Stone’s gaze hinted at his thoughts. “It’s my cabin.” He swept her up, cradling her within his arms like a baby. “Let’s go christen it.”

“Yours?” Emma paused, taking in the surroundings briefly. “Oh right, I’d gotten turned around. This is the old tackle lodge.”

“That’s right.”

“But I thought we were hunting shrubbery.”

Stone shook his head and winked. “I lied.”

“Remember what happened the last time you did that?”

“Oh yeah,” he said and quickened his pace.

Emma laughed, holding on tightly. The lightness in her heart contradicted the weight of her emotions. Love surrounded her, absorbing every inch of her being. It felt wonderful.

Kicking the cabin door open, he let her slip from his arms. She stared in wonder. There was a thick blanket in front of the roaring fire laden with wine, fruit, cheese and chocolate. A small gold wrapped box with a red velvet ribbon lay in the center.

“Merry Christmas,” Stone said.

She turned, tears burning her eyes. “I have nothing…”

“Shush,” he reached over and placed a finger over her mouth. “You’re all I need.”

“I…” her voice cracked, unable to carry beyond the tightness in her throat.

“Love me,” he finished for her. “I know.”

All their differences, all their problems disappeared beneath the warmth of his gaze. A future together flared into reality. They’d stay here together forever, raise a family at River Run.

Emma smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. Kissing him tenderly, she allowed the promise of a life bright in love filter from her soul to his.

“This is the best Christmas present ever.”

“You haven’t even opened it yet.” Stone unhooked her arms and helped her out of her jacket. She shucked her boots and raced to the blanket.

Stone followed and sprawled next to her, gathering her around the waist and pulling her snug against his chest. She held the little box tightly, afraid to open it. He flashed her a grin and raised his brows.

“Want me to do the honors?”

“No,” she said, struggling to a sitting position. “I’ve got it under control.”

“I think I’ll have to change that.” He tugged at her shirt and ran warm hands along her skin. She sighed in delight, hastily unwrapping the present.

Discarding the bow and paper, she held a small velvet box in her hand. Stone stilled. Emma flipped the lid and gasped as brilliant flashes of green fire glistened in the firelight. A small eagle lay nestled against red satin. Its graceful curves of gold were skimmed with a dazzling line of emeralds. Stone reached around and pulled the pendent from the box, snaking the chain around her neck and fastening it at her nape.