Twelve Days of Christmas (16 page)

To her shock, he reached over and took her hand, holding it tightly between his own. The small act of comfort and reassurance nearly brought tears to her eyes. She swallowed against the building lump in her throat and she curved her fingers around his, holding on to him the way a kitten clings to the high tree branch.

They sat in silence for several more minutes. When Cain spoke, his voice was low and controlled. “I read your blog.”

Julia was stunned and froze, waiting for him to say something more. He didn't. When she felt like she could speak, she asked, “Do you hate me more now?”

Frowning, he turned to stare at her. “I could never hate you, Julia.”

He said that now, but just the day before he'd looked at her with contempt when he'd learned what she'd done.

“Thank you for that.”

His hand tightened on hers. “You were right. I did find you irritating in the beginning.”

“I was trying too hard,” she whispered, thinking her morning chatter those first few days had been over-the-top.

“Perhaps I wasn't trying hard enough.”

She couldn't believe that he was sitting with her and holding her hand and talking to her.

“That last post, you wrote that kindness changed you.”

“Yes.”

He sighed. “It changed me, too.”

“Cain Maddox.” A male nurse appeared and called out his name.

Both Cain and Julia bounded to their feet as if they'd been shot out of a rocket and approached the man.

“I can take you back to see your”—he hesitated and looked down at the clipboard—“your grandfather.”

“Thank you.”

The nurse looked to Julia. “Are you a relative?”

Before she could answer, Cain said, “She's with me.”

The nurse nodded and then led them both to the cubicle where Bernie lay on the bed. The first thing Julia noticed was that his color was better. The doctor appeared a few minutes later.

“We'd like to run a few tests, which will mean keeping him overnight.”

“No way,” Bernie protested. “Not on Christmas. Julia's cooking and—”

“No arguing,” Cain chastised him.

“Don't worry, Bernie, I'll save dinner for you.”

“I'm not letting you spend Christmas alone,” Bernie objected.

Cain bristled. “Would you stop worrying about Julia? She's fine. You're the one with the heart condition.”

“Don't fight it, Bernie,” Julia advised. “You've got two nurses, a doctor, and your grandson against you and I'm joining forces with them. Best to do what they advise.”

“But—”

“Bernie, please.”

The older man sighed and then reluctantly nodded at Julia. “Only because you asked.”

Cain's face tightened. “I see you've got him wrapped around your little finger, too.”

Too?
The implication being that she had control of him as well.

The doctor exited the cubicle, giving the nurse instructions, which left Bernie with only Cain and Julia. Cain's grandfather studied the two of them.

“You talking?” he asked.

Julia waited for Cain to answer, and when he didn't she did. “A little.” Then, lowering her voice, she added, “He read the blog.”

“I'm right here,” Cain returned stiffly. “There's no need to whisper.”

Bernie rolled his head against the pillow and focused his attention on Cain. “You read it?” he asked, as if he found it hard to believe.

Cain folded his arms over his chest and nodded. “Is there a problem with that? Were they password-protected?”

“Of course not,” Julia assured him. “The reason he's asking is because he assured me you wouldn't.” Because she was afraid he might misunderstand her, she added, “I'm grateful you did.”

“Well, well,” Bernie said, grinning from ear to ear. “Guess my grandson's still got it in him to surprise me.”

“Wipe that look off your face, old man. I still don't trust Julia; nor should I.”

Bernie snorted and likely would have said more if not for the fact that the nurse returned. “Time to take you to your room, Mr. Maddox.” He glanced toward Cain and Julia. “If you'll return to the waiting area, I'll get your grandfather settled. Once I do, I'll let you know his room number.”

“Thank you,” Julia whispered.

Doing as instructed, they returned to the waiting room and reclaimed the very chairs they had vacated only a few minutes earlier.

Once seated, Julia kept her gaze focused straight ahead. “I'm grateful you let me go with you to see him.”

Cain shrugged as if to say it wasn't a big deal. “If I'd gone back there alone, Bernie would probably have kicked me out and asked for you.”

Picturing Bernie doing exactly that, Julia smiled. “Too?” she asked.

“Too what?”

“You said I had Bernie wrapped around my little finger,
too
.”

“Slip of the tongue. You might have had me at one time, but not now.”

“Oh.” She did her best to hide her disappointment. All at once everything was too much for her. If Cain had read her posts and was still unwilling to forgive her, there was nothing left for her to say. Afraid she was about to do something that would embarrass them both, she left the waiting area. Not knowing where to go or what to do, she walked down the hallway and paused, wrapping her arms around her middle, and looked out of the window onto the landscape outside.

To her surprise, after a few minutes Cain followed and came to stand behind her, his hands on her shoulders. Their gazes met in the reflection in the window.

He rested his chin on the crown of her head and exhaled a deep sigh. “I want to be more than the means to an end to you.”

“You already are, Cain, so much more than you realize.”

His hands tightened on her shoulders.

“Don't you know how important you are to me, or how I feel about you?” Risking her heart and her pride, Julia turned and wrapped her arms around his middle, pressed the side of her face against his chest. “Didn't my blogs tell you how hard I was falling for you?”

“No,” he admitted. “All I saw or felt was how quickly you managed to worm your way around my heart. I told you once I didn't like the way you made me feel. You were becoming a necessity, and that shook me.”

“I remember.” She held that conversation vividly in her mind because his words could easily have been her own.

“I lied,” he whispered, kissing the side of her face. “I cherished every minute we shared. Everything felt fresh and new and alive when I was with you. I hadn't felt that way in years. It intoxicated me. You intoxicate me.”

Julia broke away enough to look up at him, hardly able to believe what she was hearing. Her heart swelled at his words and she bit into her lower lip, fighting back emotion.

“I had a hard time believing this was real,” he continued. “I was convinced that sooner or later I'd learn this was all a hoax, so when I heard that reporter talking to you, it was as if I'd known all along that something like this was bound to happen. It was what I'd expected, what I'd come to anticipate.”

“Oh, Cain, don't you know? Don't you see?” She placed her palm against his cheek, cupping the side of his face. As she looked into his eyes, she hoped he could read all that she was feeling.

He took hold of her wrist and moved her hand toward his mouth so he could kiss the inside of her palm. “I am so wrapped up in you that I doubt I'll ever be the same again.”

Julia smiled, her heart so full it felt as if it was about to burst. She would have said more, but the nurse came looking for them.

“Your grandfather is in his room now, if you'd like to see him.”

“Please,” Julia answered.

Once given the room number and the directions, Cain took her hand once more. Happy as she was, Julia felt like skipping.

Once inside the elevator, Cain worked his arm around her shoulders. “I should have held out longer, let you think the worst.”

“Cain.”

“I'm a stronger man than this.”

“Really?” She knew it was his pride talking and didn't take offense.

“You made me weak.”

“Is that a good thing or is it bad?”

“Depends. In this instance I'd say it's to be expected, seeing how you have completely won me over.”

“What you don't seem to understand, Cain Maddox, is that I'm equally under your spell. Everything you've said is happening to me, too. I've been an emotional mess ever since that reporter showed. I couldn't bear the thought of hurting you, because when you hurt I hurt.”

The elevator doors opened and they made their way down the corridor until they found Bernie's room number. He looked to be sleeping when they entered, but he must have heard them because he opened his eyes. For a long moment he stared at them as if he wasn't sure he recognized who they were. Then a huge grin spread across his face.

“I see you two have settled matters.”

“We did,” Julia said, her arms wrapped around Cain's waist and his around hers. Cain looked down on her, his eyes warm and loving.

“Good thing,” Bernie murmured.

“It's a very good thing,” Julia agreed.

“Then get busy, you two. I'd like to live long enough to hold a great grandchild or two.”

“Gramps, hold up, you're moving way too fast,” Cain warned.

“I'm not getting any younger, you know. Get a move on.”

Cain grinned and looked at Julia. “You gonna blog about this, too?”

“Absolutely.”

He chuckled, and turning her in his arms, he kissed her as if she was his last meal, and she returned his kiss as if he was hers.

CHRISTMAS

Bernie sat in the living room of Julia and Cain's small house, sniffing appreciatively toward the kitchen. Julia had just finished basting the turkey while Cain put the finishing touches on the table setting. Schroeder and the Irish setter puppy Cain got Julia for Christmas were snuggled up against Bernie's feet. A puppy Julia had christened Blossom.

She'd been working her dream job at Harvestware for almost a year now. She loved every minute and was able to telecommute three days a week, which made getting the puppy possible. She'd married Cain in June after a whirlwind courtship. Everything had fallen into place like easy-fitting puzzle pieces after she'd started the kindness experiment. She'd fallen in love with Cain, met Bernie, was hired for her dream job, and married Cain, and just a month ago they'd purchased their first home with a fenced yard for the puppy.

Cain stepped up behind her and wound his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Maddox.”

Julia turned and looped her arms around his neck. “Back at you, Mr. Maddox.” As long as she lived, she would never tire of the comfort of being in her husband's arms.

“You two getting all lovey-dovey on me again?” Bernie called out from the other room. He sat in front of the television, sorting through a stack of holiday movies, choosing the one they would watch while their dinner finished cooking. “I still don't have any news about that great-grandchild. In my day me and your grandmother got right down to business. What's the holdup with you two?”

“Gramps, we've barely been married six months. Give us time.”

“You get a puppy but want to wait on a baby?” Bernie shook his head. “You sure you know what you're doing, boy?”

Julia laughed. “He knows, Bernie, trust me, he knows. Give us at least a year, okay?”

Cain's grandfather relaxed against the sofa back. “I suppose I can wait that long. Now are we gonna watch a Christmas movie like we started to last year?”

“Which one did you choose?” Cain asked.

Bernie handed him the DVD.

“
The Bishop's Wife
?” Cain groaned. “Again?”

“You love that movie as much as I do,” Julia reminded him.

“What I love is having you cuddle up against me and seeing how happy it makes you.”

Julia smiled up at her husband, her eyes full of promise. “I know how to make you happy, too, you know.”

He grinned. “I do, and it doesn't have anything to do with movies.”

The doorbell rang in short, impatient bursts.

Cain cast a questioning glance at Julia, who shrugged. She had no idea who it could be.

Breaking away from her, Cain answered the front door. Julia recognized the woman who stood on the other side as their next-door neighbor. They'd met only once briefly, and she hadn't seemed overly friendly.

“Mrs. Quincy, is everything all right?” Cain asked. “Do you need anything?”

“I most certainly do,” she said with a huff. “A section of my fence is down and I want to know what you did.”

“I did?” Cain asked, clearly taken back by the question.

“Well, I didn't knock it over, so it must have been you.”

“I can assure you I didn't.”

“Don't care if you did or not, you need to fix it.” With that she gave a snort and stomped away.

“Well, that old biddy,” Bernie flared as Cain closed the door. “She's got her nerve.”

Frankly, Julia agreed, and then reconsidered her attitude. “I wonder if Mrs. Quincy has any family,” she said.

Cain turned to face her, his look stern. “Julia?”

“Yes, love,” she replied innocently.

“I know that look,” he muttered.

“What look?” Bernie demanded. “What are you two talking about?”

“Mrs. Quincy,” Cain explained.

“That woman who looks like she's been sucking lemons half her life?” Bernie asked. “The one who came to your front door just now?”

“The very one,” Julia said, catching Cain's eye. “Seems to me she could use a little kindness.”

A slow grin came over Cain. “You might be right about that.”

Bernie slapped the sofa, tilted back his head, and rolled his eyes. “Oh, for the love of heaven, not again.”

“Not to worry,” Julia said, wrapping her arms around her husband's waist. “I have no intention of blogging about it.”

“Don't be hasty,” Cain said, grinning.

“Why don't we invite Mrs. Quincy over for Christmas dinner?” Julia suggested. “That would be a good place to start, wouldn't it?”

“It would.”

Cain kissed the tip of her nose, grabbed his jacket, and hurried toward the front door after Mrs. Quincy.

Blossom started after Cain, and Julia captured her Christmas puppy just before she flew out the door. Standing in the doorway, she watched her husband approach the older woman and saw the look of surprise that came over the older woman's face.

Mrs. Quincy hesitated and then nodded.

Yes, this was going to be an extra-special Christmas with a puppy, a surly neighbor, and an extra dash of love.