A Daughter for Christmas (16 page)

Downstairs, the children were waiting in the foyer, their faces full of excitement.

“What took ya so long?” Sam opened the front door and raced out on to the porch.

“Oh, look, it's snowing.” Taylor slung her backpack over her shoulder. “This is gonna be the best New Year's Eve.”

“I get the front seat.” Will shot ahead of his two siblings, running for Jordan's car.

“I'll bring them back tomorrow afternoon.” Jordan hugged Rachel, then hurried after the trio as the snow began to fall in earnest.

Rachel turned to go back into her house when she caught sight of Kevin pulling up to her mother's. Telling Mom and Granny about Max and Taylor hadn't been as hard as she'd thought. Her mother hadn't even been surprised. She'd said she'd known something was going on, and when she thought about it, Max and Taylor looked alike. Her mother never liked surprises or changes so for her to take it so calmly had to be because of Kevin. His influence had been good for her mother.

Before she closed the front door, her gaze fell on Max's place. Lights blazed from it. What was he doing for New Year's Eve? Taylor said he had plans for the evening but short of interrogating her daughter she didn't know what those plans were.

Back in the warm confines of her house, Rachel ambled toward the kitchen to grab something to eat. As she examined the contents of her refrigerator, the chimes echoed through her home. Maybe one of her kids forgot something. She hurried into the foyer. When she looked
out the peephole and saw Max, her heartbeat responded by accelerating.

When she reached for the door, her hand quaked so much her fingers slipped on the knob. She tried again and finally opened it. “Hi,” was all she could think of saying as she took in his casual attire of black jeans and turtleneck under his unzipped leather coat. Then her gaze settled on what he was carrying—a basket.

“In case you forgot, I owe you one catered dinner. I'm here to deliver it.”

“What if I have already eaten?”

“You haven't.”

“How do you know?”

“Taylor. She's my spy.” He winked and moved into her foyer, his bearing commanding, confident.

“Spy? Are we at war or something?” Her question came out breathless because her heart wouldn't keep from beating so fast.

“Or something. I'm here to negotiate a truce—a lifetime one.”

A lifetime? She shut the door, glancing at the blanket of snow now covering the ground. Its freshness lent a newness to the landscape, sparking a seed of hope deep within her. “What did you fix?”

“Your favorite or at least according to your family. Prime roast beef, scalloped potatoes and asparagus in a special lemon sauce. Then for dessert I have a chocolate torte with whipped cream. I had to go to several stores to get the best ingredients.”

“So, this is what you and Taylor were doing today. And my daughter kept it a secret. Not like her. She usually blurts it out the first chance she can get.”

“She wanted this to be a surprise.”

“It is. Where do you want to eat?”

“In front of the fireplace. I'll build a fire.”

“I could have one going now.”

“You don't.”

“Taylor again?”

“Yep.” Max headed back to the den as if it were his house.

She trailed after him, breathing in deep inhalations of air to calm her maddening heartbeat. “So, you and Taylor are getting along all right?”

“We are building a relationship that I hope will extend for years to come.”

“Knowing you it will.” Which meant she had to deal with him being in her life. Seeing him this evening, relaxed and carefree, made her realize that would be difficult.

He got the fire started then knelt by the basket on the circular rug in front of the hearth. The aromas of the roast beef and other dishes wafted to her. Her stomach growled its hunger. His economical movements as he laid out the feast mesmerized her—like an indoor picnic.

“You said my family told you my favorite food. Did you talk to everyone about what you were doing?”

“Yep. I wanted to make sure you were here alone tonight.”

“Why?”

He straightened, only a foot away from her. “Because I want to convince you that I love you—not just Taylor or even your boys. You. Rachel, I love you. I did the day you asked me.”

She wanted to believe his words. He'd probably convinced himself he did, but how could she know it was really true? “Have you forgiven Alicia?”

“A few days ago I talked with Pastor John. I left there and thought about what he'd said. I finally let go of my
anger at Alicia that day, but I wanted to be sure before I said anything to you. You deserve someone who is totally committed to you. Who isn't living in the past, hanging on to something that was eating at him.” He clasped her upper arms. “I can honestly say I have. When I think about Alicia, my stomach doesn't tighten.”

The feel of his fingers on her nearly robbed her of coherent thought. But this was too important not to think rationally. “You've moved on?”

His hands grazed a path to her shoulders, and he gently tugged her toward him, nestling her against him. “Not only have I moved on, I'm ready to begin the rest of my life with you.”

“How do I know you haven't just convinced yourself that you love me because of Taylor?”

“Maybe this will,” he murmured close to her mouth, his breath scented with peppermint.

His fingers delved into her hair, holding her head still while his lips settled on hers in a possession that rocked her to her core. Nothing else mattered in that moment. His arms locked about her, his hands stroking the length of her back. In that mating of mouths he poured his heart into it, reaching deep inside her to show her how he felt about her.

When they parted, she swayed toward him, and he steadied her. Dazed by his powerful persuasion, all she could do was stare into his green eyes, the color of a sun-kissed meadow, and think she never wanted to leave his embrace.

“Do you need any more convincing that I love you? Yes, I love Taylor, but what I feel for you is totally different.”

Still she hesitated, more from the stunned over-
whelming emotions of love flowing through her than anything else.

“Remember, Rachel, you haven't denied me seeing Taylor, and that's one of the many reasons I love you. I suppose us being married might make it a little easier for me to see my daughter, but if I still felt the same about getting married as before, do you really think I would do it just to be in the same house as Taylor?”

Finally rallying to her senses, she smiled. “You had me with that kiss. Actually, I think you had me when you held up the basket of food.”

His mouth curved upward, his eyes sparkling. “Does that mean you'll marry me?”

“If I said no, I have a feeling my daughter wouldn't be too happy.”

He chuckled. “Not to mention me. You don't know how much trouble I went to coordinating this evening. And Granny made me promise to call her if you said yes.”

“Then you'd better, or she'll be over here.”

Max strolled to the phone on the desk and called Granny, letting it ring over a minute. “She's not there?”

“She should be. Her and Doug were staying in for New Year's Eve.”

The doorbell rang. Max looked at Rachel and threw back his head, laughing. “Most impatient.”

“That's Granny.” Rachel headed to the front door and answered it.

Standing in the entrance were Granny and Doug, bundled up against the snow. “Well, what did you say, child?”

Barely containing her amusement, Rachel raised an eyebrow. “To what?”

Granny peered over Rachel's shoulder. “Don't tell me, young man, you didn't make your move.” She dug into her coat pocket, retrieved a sheet of paper and waved it in the air. “If you ever want to see the fudge recipe, you'd better hop to it.”

“Have you ever heard of leading up to the big moment?” Max asked, laughter still tingeing his voice.

“Not Helen. She didn't give me a chance to ask her to marry her. She asked me.” Doug snatched the paper from his wife's hand and held it out to Max, who took it. “I can see by Rachel's look you asked and she said yes.”

“Well, in that case, I expect to get the sweet potato casserole recipe in return.” Granny gave Max a stern look, but within the narrowed eyes was a twinkle.

“That's fair. I'll get it to you tomorrow.”

Rachel pushed the door open wide. “Come in and get warm.”

“No way, child. This is our first New Year's Eve together. We're going home to smooch. I got what I came for.” Granny grabbed Doug's hand and turned to leave.

Max slipped his arm around Rachel, leaned close to her ear and said, “I can picture us like that in forty years.”

Rachel rested her head on his shoulder. “Yeah.” She glanced up at him. “I guess we don't have to let the rest of the family know I've agreed to marry you. Granny will take care of that the second she gets home.”

Max moved back and closed the door. “Then all we have to do is celebrate the coming of a brand-new year. A year of great possibilities.” Taking her into his embrace, he sealed that declaration with a kiss.

T
he crack of the bat connecting with the softball echoed through the ballpark. Rachel lumbered to her feet and cheered as Taylor rounded the bases in a home run, the biggest grin on her face. Max came out of the dugout and scooped his daughter up into his arms, twirling her around.

“She did it. They won,” Jordan said next to Rachel in the bleachers.

“Yep, she did, but I suspect the best thing today is that Max is here to see it.”

“Of course he is. He's the coach. Well, the assistant.”

Rachel shifted toward her sister. “She's always loved playing softball, but this season has been special. When Max agreed to help the coach, she floated around the house for days.”

“And later today we get to celebrate her fifteenth birthday. Mom will be back from her elopement and can tell us why she went to Las Vegas to get married instead of here. I could throttle her.”

“I don't think she wanted any fuss over her marriage to Kevin, but we'll get her back next weekend with the surprise wedding reception. She can't think she'd get
married and we not celebrate it with her.” Rachel spied Taylor and Max heading toward her.

“It took her long enough. I thought she would never marry Kevin. A year and a half. And poor Granny. She tried everything to get them together faster.”

Rachel laughed. “Granny thought she'd lost her touch. I think Mom delayed her marriage just to needle Granny.”

“The team is going out for pizza to celebrate winning the championship. I'm riding with Ashley. Okay?” Taylor gave Rachel her softball mitt.

“Fine. Prairie Pizza Parlor?”

“Yeah.” Taylor started back toward the group of teenage girls surrounding the main coach of the Cowgirl team. She stopped after several feet and turned back. “Dad, aren't ya coming?”

“I'll be there in a sec. You go enjoy your victory.” When he faced Rachel, a look of happiness radiated from him. “How are you doing—” he glanced down at her protruding stomach “—and little Beth?”

“We're doing fine, but if she doesn't come soon, I'm going to have a talk with her about keeping us waiting.”

“It won't be the last time if our daughter is any indication.”

“Yeah, Taylor has never gotten the hang of being on time.”

“Dad,” Taylor shouted.

Max gave Rachel a quick kiss. “I'd better get over there. This is a big deal. Their first championship.” He jogged toward the team lining up on the field.

At that moment, a pain sliced through Rachel's stomach. Suddenly, she felt a warm rush of liquid and looked down. “My water broke.”

Jordan leaped up. “I'll go get Max. Do you have your bags packed? Are they in the car?”

“Let him and Taylor enjoy this moment.” Rachel fixed her gaze on her husband and daughter, standing arm in arm while the official presented the trophy to the team.

They were a family eager to welcome a new member into it.

Dear Reader,

I can't believe I've come to the end of my homeschooling series for Love Inspired. I really enjoyed exploring the different reasons and situations that might lead to a parent deciding to homeschool. Of course, there were others I didn't get to show. But it is an option for some children. When dealing with a child, we need to look at the individual and decide what is best for that child. Our children are our future.

I love hearing from readers. You can contact me a [email protected] or at P.O. Box 2074 Tulsa, OK 74101. You can also learn more about my books at http://www.margaretdaley.com. I have a quarterly newsletter that you can sign up for on my website or you can enter my monthly drawings by signing my guest book on the website.

Best wishes,