CHAPTER 10
Once Julia had fed the children and Doctor Tanner a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs and buttered biscuits, she washed the dishes. The children played on the floor in the Great Room, and Doc Tanner sat at the table, finishing his coffee.
At the knock on the front door, the doctor rose to answer as Julia dried her hands.
“Doc.” Dell Tracy stood on the porch. “Just wonderin’ if Dev wanted us to ride on into town with these ya-hoos, or wait on him—” He stepped inside as he spoke, closing the door behind him to shut out the blast of cold air.
Just then, Dev came down the stairs. “Hold up, Dell. I’m comin’. Just gotta get a list from Miss Jackson before we ride out.”
Dell nodded. “Yeah, still too dangerous for a wagon.” As Dev gave him instructions, Julia hurried to get the list from upstairs, giving Jamie a kiss, then bending to hug Lauralee quickly. Dell was gone when she came back, but at least Doctor Tanner and Dev weren’t at each other’s throats.
She handed the list to Dev and he opened the folded paper, reading over it quickly. “Just want to be sure I know what you need,” he said. “A baby doll?” he whispered. “That’ll be a surprise, for sure,” he said conspiratorially. “Blocks?” he mouthed, then nodded his approval. “I don’t see any c-a-n-d-y on here—”
“Oh, yes! I meant to put that—silly me. Let me read over it again to be sure I didn’t leave anything else off.”
Doctor Tanner glanced at Dev with a meaningful look that all but screamed, “Don’t forget a gift for her.”
Dev gave him a sage wink, and Doc smiled, their earlier tension forgotten in the plans for Christmas.
“Oh, uh…some of the others will be comin’ up to the house in a while with ‘something’,” Dev told her vaguely as he turned to go. He opened the door and looked back at her.
She wanted to run to Dev, hug him close to her—just keep him there and spend the day with him. He looked tired, though the worry lines seemed to have eased.
“Bye, Debbil,” Lauralee called out cheerily, not leaving Jamie’s side in front of the warm fire.
“Bye, Deb—” Jamie mocked.
“No, that’s Dada, Jamie. Not Debbil. Only you say Dada. I say Debbil,” Lauralee corrected matter-of-factly.
Julia’s throat closed tight, imagining how Lauralee must wish for a father of her own. She’d been so young when Zion Redmond had passed, Julia was certain she must have no memories of him. She started to interject something—anything—to change the subject.
But Dev closed the door and walked back to where the children played together. He knelt beside Lauralee and hugged her.
“I’d like it if you called me Papa. That’s what most children out here call their—their fathers. And I’d like it very much, Lauralee, if you would agree to be my daughter.”
• ♥ •
Dev’s throat was dry as a hot summer sun-parched creek bed. It didn’t matter if he was ready for another try at parenting a daughter. This little girl needed a father. He was available. He had experience. And he wasn’t going to deny her that.
She looked up at him with beautiful cornflower-blue eyes. “Jamie would be my brother?”
Dev nodded. “Would you like that? I can see how Jamie loves you.”
She nodded, then shyly laid a small hand on Jamie’s head. “I watch over him,” she said seriously.
Dev swallowed hard. “I know. And…I’d like to watch over you, Lauralee.”
She nodded again, not saying anything. Then, “We can watch over each other, in our family.”
“Yeah,” Dev agreed hoarsely. “We’ll do that.”
Lauralee turned back to him, hugging him fiercely. “Bye, Papa.”
He kissed the top of her head, the golden curls tickling his nose as he bent over her. His eyes burned. He cupped the back of Jamie’s head as the toddler grinned up at him, then rose and walked to where Julie stood. Bending to her, as if he did it every time he left the house, Dev brushed her lips with a warm kiss. “I’ll be back quick as I can.”
She nodded, and by her shocked expression, Dev figured she probably wasn’t able to utter a sound.
“Take care of your brother,” he said to Lauralee as he headed for the door again.
This time, his heart felt full to bursting, and even as tired as he was, his step was light.
• ♥ •
Somewhere around mid-afternoon, Alex turned the corner. Doc Tanner had gone up to sit with him, grim-faced, and Julia had laid down with the children to get them off to sleep for an afternoon nap.
“Miss Jackson…Miss Jackson…” Doctor Tanner called quietly from the hallway.
Julia carefully extricated herself from between Lauralee and Jamie, hurrying to see what the doctor might need. She pulled the door halfway closed, looking up into Doc’s smiling face.
“He’s not completely out of the woods yet, but looks like Alex is on the mend. The fever’s broken and he mentioned food—that’s always a good sign with these Campbell men.” He chuckled. “Suppose we might round him up a scrambled egg or two?”
“Oh, yes! Of course! That’s wonderful news. Let me go fix it—”
Just then, a resounding knock echoed at the front door. Julia had already started down the stairs, and headed directly to the door to see who might be knocking so loudly.
Please don’t wake the children. She hurried, before the knock could sound again.
She threw the door open to find five men on the porch, holding an unwieldy Christmas tree aloft.
“Beg pardon, ma’am, comin’ through,” the first one said. Julia stepped back quickly to allow them inside with their burden. They carried it to the center of the room, and she saw they’d fixed boards to the bottom of it to steady it, and two of the men followed behind with a large tub of moist, sandy soil.
“Where—” the first man asked, out of breath.
“Oh, over here—” Julia moved to a spot beside the staircase to point out the perfect setting in a vacant corner, and in minutes, the tree had been placed in the bucket for freshness and stability.
“Are there—any decorations?” Julia managed to ask before they all traipsed out.
“A couple of boxes, up in the loft of the barn. We’ll bring ’em in. Dev can haul ’em back out if he don’t want to use ’em,” the leader of the group said.
“Yes, please. Thank you!”
They were all gone out the door in a rush of cold air, leaving a breathless Julia behind to admire the most perfect, largest Christmas tree she’d ever seen in her life.
Oh—the eggs for Alex!
She’d just put them in the pan when a knock again sounded and the boxes of ornaments were carried in.
“Thank you!” she called as the men filed out once more.
Nothing could ruin this day. Alex’s fever broken, the children safely home, the tree—and did she dare even dwell on the changes in Devlin Campbell?
She met the doctor at the bottom of the staircase, handing off a plate of eggs and toast and a cup of diluted coffee. When he shot her a look, she said quickly, “I added cream and sugar, if you think that will be all right.”
“Perfect. I know better than to keep these Campbells from their coffee. The way you fixed it will sit better on his stomach.”
He started back up the stairs.
“Doctor Tanner—”
“Yes?”
“Do you—well, where do you think Dev is?” She went on in a rush. “I mean, he’s been gone so long. Do you think—well, did I ask for too much? Maybe it’s taking so long at the store because of my list.”
His wrinkled face turned to one of concern. “I imagine he’s taking care of business—all business—before he returns, Miss Jackson. Dev is—thorough. You’ll see. Tomorrow will be a fresh start. In all ways, if I know him like I think I do.” He started away from her again.
“Oh—” A sigh escaped her. That could mean anything. Anything. What if he’d gone to settle the score with Aaron Miles! Dear Lord! Her heart pounded wildly at the very thought. He could be hurt, or— No. She wouldn’t think of that—or of the other dilemma that had become painfully clear.
She was falling in love with Devlin Campbell. In love—with a man she barely knew. And though she’d tried desperately to hold on to her sense of propriety—of decency—she couldn’t help herself. Her heart wanted him. Even though he was badly wounded in his soul…was he damaged beyond repair? She realized she didn’t even know all that had hurt his heart so badly; so badly that, despite having a darling son, a thriving ranch, and the fullest extent of respect of his men, he still couldn’t seem to recover from the bitterness of his pain.
But, hadn’t this morning been a sign to her? The kiss he’d given her before he left, his tender treatment of Lauralee…things were changing. She had to believe that.
She would believe it. Christmas was coming. If she couldn’t believe now, when could she?
• ♥ •
It was getting dark, but they’d be back at the Flying C before the winter twilight gave way to full darkness. Dev hadn’t meant to be gone so long, but…he’d taken care of what needed to be done.
Seeing the outlaws locked away had given him the first burst of peace of mind he’d had in a long time. The man he’d shot during the kidnapping confrontation had died. Though he knew he shouldn’t rejoice in the death of another—especially one whose life he had taken—he couldn’t forget the way his heart had stopped and turned over when he’d heard Lauralee’s call for help—her certainty that he would follow, and was there, somewhere. When he’d seen her captor raise his hand to her— Anger flooded through him again at the memory.
He’d spoken to the sheriff about a measure of leniency on young Curly’s behalf. Sometimes, youngsters needed a second chance. Dev had the feeling in his gut that Curly had been adrift and easily influenced.
And Aaron Miles had admitted everything. The sheriff told Dev that Miles’s daughter had agreed to testify. With a case so strong, the wind had gone out of Miles’s sails. He was resigned to his fate, it seemed.
Dev found himself anxious to get home. Was Alex improving? Was Julie waiting with her welcoming smile? And, would she agree to marry him without reservation, now that it was a real possibility—or had she had second thoughts?
“Almost there, Preacher. We’ll make it quick, and one of my men will see you safely back to town,” he reiterated to Reverend Sites, who rode beside him.
“No reason to worry, Dev. After your visit with Sheriff Briscoe, Aaron Miles and his crew are locked up safe and sound. Judge Farley will be here in a few days, and I don’t believe there’s a chance in hell—ah—Hades that Miles will go free—not with his own daughter turning on him like she did.”
“It’s no trouble, Reverend. Just want to see you home safe, since you’re being put out for us.”
“I’m glad to do it.”
Silence fell between them, then Reverend Sites said, “Ah—you did remember to purchase a ring, didn’t you?”
Dev laughed. “Among many other things, Reverend, I plan to make this the best Christmas ever.”
Sites raised a brow. “I’d wager, if I was a betting man, it will certainly be the most surprising Christmas, Devlin.”
Dev nodded. How would Julie react? They’d danced around the subject of marriage…now it would be a reality. If she really wanted it, he was ready.
If she really wanted…him.
• ♥ •
Darkness was nearly upon the men as they rode into the yard and up to the front porch. Dev and the preacher dismounted, and the men followed suit. They began untying the packs, barrels, and other goods that they’d brought from the mercantile from their horses.
Reverend Sites gave Dev a sharp look. “Do you want to go have a private word with your Julie before the rest of us come traipsing in?”
Dev swallowed hard, feeling like a doomed prisoner being led up the gallows stairs. What if she said no? Anything could happen…
He nodded. “Yeah. I suppose I should—”
Just then, the door opened, a beam of light arrowing across the front porch, then widening into a pool of warmth and gold.
“Come in,” Julia said. “Come get warmed up, everyone. I put on coffee—”
Dev couldn’t stand it any longer. The anticipation, the anxiety of not knowing, was eating him up.
He took the steps two at a time, pulling her into his arms. The memory of the scorching kiss they’d shared the day before burned through him, and as he put his mouth to hers now, he felt nothing but desire…want…and love.
He pulled back, shocked. It was too soon. But it couldn’t be denied. It flooded through him, made him almost ashamed to know he had never felt this way before—not even when he and Annella had been married. Julie gazed up at him from under long lashes, her blue eyes shining in a mirror of what was in his heart at this moment.
“Marry me,” he breathed, hearing the odd mixture of his own certainty that this was what he wanted, along with the hopefulness that she would want the same thing.
“Oh, Dev—”
He kissed her again, and the hands gave a rousing cheer from behind him.
He lifted his lips momentarily. “I’m gonna kiss you ’til you say yes.”
“Well…may—” she started to tease, but the look he gave her promised he meant what he’d said. She nodded. “Yes, Dev. Yes! Now, kiss me again, just for good measure!”