Holiday in the Heart Read online

  ~*~

  Dusk settled over Charleston, painting the sky in soft purples and grays. Samuel gazed into the blazing hearth, his bad leg outstretched on a footstool. It throbbed from the day’s exertions, but seeing the smiles on his children’s faces and hearing their laughter made the throbbing worth it. Watching the discomfort leave Rachel’s eyes, seeing her begin to trust him, made everything worth it.

  She’d taken the children upstairs for bed and promised to meet him in their rooms for a glass of sherry. He wanted to talk to her about the possibility of them having a real future together. Of being man and wife, of having a child of their own one day.

  The thought of making love to her, of planting a child in her womb, filled him with a contentment he never dared dream. He would make it happen. Somehow, Rachel would love him as much as he loved her.

  ~*~

  A soft knock on the door startled her. Before it opened, she knew her husband would walk through the doorway. She’d decided the time had come to truly be man and wife. She loved Samuel and tonight she would show him. This joining between husband and wife was meant to be wondrous–especially if it brought forth a child. Her hand went to her belly and she wondered if she would be blessed with a child this night.

  He walked over to where she sat before her mirror and stood behind her, hands on her shoulders.

  “Aren’t you feeling well?” Strong hands kneaded her shoulders.

  “What?”

  He looked over her head to their reflections in the mirror and motioned with his chin to the hand on her belly.

  She saw concern in his beautiful violet eyes. “Oh, I’m fine. You needn’t have knocked. This is your room, after all.”

  “Our room,” he corrected.

  “Our room,” she repeated, liking how it felt to say it.

  He raised her from her seat and turned her to face him, drawing her close in his arms. His arms wound tightly around her and he rested his head atop hers. From the top of her head to the bottom of her toes she felt peace, belonging, safe. In some way, she’d gotten through to him, had convinced him he could give her his heart and she would care for it always.

  Pulling back, he traced a finger under her eyes. “Darling. You’re crying. Now what have I done to put tears in those lovely eyes? I wanted today to be only perfect.”

  Seeing the distress in his eyes, she quickly quelled it. “These are tears of happiness. Oh Samuel, I am so full of love for you. It’s time you knew.” Lifting his hand, she kissed the tip of his finger that held her tears.

  It became too much. Samuel lifted his wife in his arms and carried her to the bed. He placed her gently in the middle and followed her down.

  “I love you, beautiful Rachel.” He placed his hands on either side of her face, kissed her eyes, her nose, her mouth. “I think I always have. I will never forgive myself for how I’ve treated—”

  She reached and placed two fingers on his mouth to silence him. “It’s in the past, my love. We have tonight, tomorrow, and forever to share our love.” Her arms wound around his neck. “Love me, Samuel. Make me your wife in every sense.”

  And he did. He loved her throughout the night, tenderly, passionately, completely. Rachel’s light completed him, made him whole. He decided then and there if all he did the rest of his life was show her how much he worshipped her, he would die fulfilled.

  Afterward, he held her in his arms and quoted from Song of Songs, “‘I am my Beloved and my Beloved is mine.’”

  “Forever, my love,” Rachel sighed, sated with lovemaking. “Forever.”

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  The Greatest Gift of All

  Candace Gold

  Brittany Sykes waltzed into her older sister Claudia’s room. “How do I look?” She whirled around in her red dress, acting like a contestant auditioning for some debutante reality show.

  “Beautiful.”

  “I detect a hint of prejudice.”

  “Not one bit,” Claudia replied, crossing her heart.

  “Why don’t you come to the dance with us?”

  Claudia had been waiting for Brittany to bring the dance up again. Neither her mother nor sister understood her desire to remain at home.

  “I’m sure Matthew is just dying to have your sister tag along.”

  “Don’t be silly. You don’t have to hang with us. There’ll be other singles there.”

  “Yeah, Mom’s age. It’s a Valentine’s Day dance at the church, for goodness sake.”

  Had Mom not paid for your ticket in advance, you wouldn’t be going, either. “Besides, I have a ton of things to do.”

  “Such as?”

  “Laundry.”

  Brittany rolled her eyes. “Claudia, it’s time to put Andrew behind you. You need to get a life again.”

  “I am living.”

  “Like a nun. When was the last time you actually went out on a date and had some fun?”

  “Who’s having fun?” their mother said, walking into the room.

  “Certainly not Claudia, Mom.”

  A frown formed across their mother’s brow. “Aren’t you going to the dance tonight?”

  Claudia shook her head. Please don’t start.

  “For heaven’s sake, why not?”

  “She has too much laundry.”

  A look of disbelief crossed their mother’s face. “The laundry can wait. All work—”

  “I know the saying.”

  “Then follow it and go.”

  Between them both, they verbally tortured Claudia into going. Attending a Valentine’s Day dance at the church was just about the last thing on her to-do list—somewhere between gouging her eyes out and walking barefoot on hot coals.

  She hadn’t desired to go out since Andrew broke their engagement a month before the wedding and ran off to marry some woman he’d met at a cousin’s club get-together. Although almost a year ago, it still hurt. She guessed she didn’t go out because she feared getting hurt again. Granted, not all men would act like Andrew, but if you don’t start anything, you won’t end up getting hurt—plain and simple. Of course running into Andrew and his new bride at the Swap Mart a few months ago hadn’t helped her forget, either.

  Anyway, Brittany, the social butterfly, was forever going out and easily picked up the slack for her.

  Reluctantly she put on her favorite black silk dress and swept her long hair up to achieve a look of some sophistication. As she looked in the mirror, time rolled backward to the last time she’d worn this same dress . . .

  She saw herself brushing her honey-colored hair into the same knot. Andrew was taking her to a Christmas party at his supervisor’s home.

  “You look gorgeous!” He’d popped out of his chair when he’d seen her on the steps.

  As they’d walked towards his car, he’d stopped and taken her into his arms. She remembered seeing a look of pride in his eyes just before he’d covered her lips with his.

  Subconsciously she touched her lips. She still felt that gentle pressure. It had been a magical night and ended with their engagement. She’d thought herself the luckiest girl in the world. Too bad those smiling lips turned out to be lying ones. She never wore the dress again—until tonight.

  Claudia pushed all those hurtful memories aside. Surely there’d be no one at the dance worth worrying over. Most of the single men would probably be fifty or older with pot bellies and receding or no hairlines. Their store-bought teeth might chatter and their hands would surely be clammy. She nearly giggled at the conjured image. She’d probably find herself alone hugging some corner to avoid them.

  As she applied the finishing touches to her makeup, her mother walked over. “You look beautiful, Claudia. You should wear makeup more often.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m already going, Mom.”

  Her mother pursed her lips and hugged her. “I only want you to be happy. That’s all.”

  A loud horn blast interrupted the conv
ersation. Brittany shouted up to her from the bottom of the stairs. “Are you ready, Claudia? Matthew’s here.”

  ~*~

  They drove to the Holy Trinity Church on Smith Street, where the dance was already in full swing. The band could be heard from the door and actually sounded good, which surprised Claudia. She figured the church would hire some half-baked band from nowhere to keep the cost down. It often held dances and bazaars to raise money to help the homeless.

  Walking into the crowded room gaily decorated with hundreds of hearts and cupids, Claudia already regretted coming. The band began to play a slow song and Matthew and Brittany proceeded to the dance floor, but stopped when they saw a man heading in Claudia’s direction. Before Claudia could find a spot to sit, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around slowly to face a guy wearing black-framed glasses with round shot-glass thick lenses. What little hair he had left on his head was thin, lifeless and combed to the side. Prince Charming, he wasn’t. And she very much doubted he’d even make it to the frog category.

  “Would you care to dance?” he asked.

  Brittany nearly pushed the man into her sister, clearly making sure Claudia didn’t hide in the corner. Claudia opened her mouth to protest, but Brittany quickly said, “She’d be delighted to.”

  As the stranger led Claudia onto the dance floor, she tried to console herself with the thought he was probably a very nice person. Not everyone could look like an Adonis. Besides, she only had to dance with him once—not forever.

  The man did have clammy hands and when he placed one on her bare back, she cringed. And that was only the beginning. From that moment on, everything went downhill. He was a terrible dancer, constantly stepping all over her feet. Though he apologized profusely, her poor feet didn’t feel any better.

  “You live around here?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said, careful not to tell him where.

  “Me, too. My name is Howard Dolan.”

  She felt tempted to give him a fictitious name. “Claudia Sykes.”

  “Oof, sorry,” he said, coming down hard on her left foot.

  “Ugh...that’s...okay,” she managed to say through the lingering pain, praying for the dance to end.

  “I think you’re the prettiest girl here.”

  “Thank you.” She tried to concentrate at keeping her feet out of harm’s way.

  “Maybe we can get together some time…”

  At that exact moment the music mercifully stopped. She took it as her cue to escape.

  “I must run to the Ladies’ Room.” She fled as fast as her two wounded feet would take her.

  Feeling like a coward, Claudia ducked into the bathroom. Realizing she couldn’t remain in there until the end of the evening, she decided to sneak out and look for a nice, dark corner to hide in. Hopefully Howard had found someone else to stomp on while she hid.

  She opened the door a crack to see if the coast was clear. Howard was nowhere in sight. Opening the door the rest of the way, she slowly walked out. She half expected him to dart over and grab her, but he didn’t. She exhaled and began to breathe normally again as she spied the nearest corner behind a pole. Just as she reached the safety of her chosen haven, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Thinking Howard had found her after all, she whirled around and said defiantly, “Go away!”

  Only, it wasn’t Howard.

  A tall, good-looking man wearing a tailored blue, pin-striped suit stood there with a surprised look on his face. Talk about feeling like a total moron, she wished she was anyplace, but there. All she heard was a tiny voice in the back of her head screaming, ‘Idiot!’ over and over again. Come to think of it, the voice wasn’t tiny at all.

  She put her hand to her forehead and groaned. “Oh, I’m so very sorry...I didn’t mean ...I never...I thought...but you’re not...” She finally stopped and took a deep breath before pleading, “Can I start over?”

  By now his shocked expression had been replaced by an amused look as she continued to feel and behave like a total fool. The only thing she’d accomplished was to open her mouth to switch feet. Time to flee. However, the tall, handsome stranger stopped her.

  “Please don’t run off just yet. My name is Adam Devine.”

  Yes, you certainly are, she thought, but said, “When I’m not totally embarrassing myself, I’m Claudia Sykes.”

  “Well, Ms. Sykes, I’d be delighted if you’d dance with me.”

  “All you have to do is ask.” She smiled.

  He returned the smile. “Would you care to dance?”

  Claudia placed her hand in his and he led her to the dance floor. When they reached it she glided into his arms. They swayed to the music, and to her relief he danced exquisitely. Not once did he step on her feet. Truly enjoying dancing with him, she wished for the music to never end.

  Something about this man intrigued her. Merely having his strong arms around her, sent shivers of delight throughout her body. She hadn’t felt such feelings since Andrew, which made her truly regret her earlier actions. She feared he was merely being a gentleman and after the song ended he would leave in order to find a more stable woman.

  The moment of truth came. The music stopped. Claudia steeled herself for his goodbye.

  Instead of thanking her and walking away, he asked, “Would you like to continue dancing?”

  Joy coursed through her entire body. For the first time that night she actually felt glad her family talked her into coming to the dance.

  Then when everything seemed to be going right, her world nearly stopped spinning.

  Howard appeared out of nowhere and tapped Adam on the shoulder, wanting to cut in. She shifted her gaze to him, pleading with her eyes for Adam not to step aside. Being a gentleman, she was afraid he’d let Howard have the rest of the dance. Once again that night, she found herself holding her breath.

  Then she heard Adam say, “Sorry, guy, but Claudia’s my date.”

  “But—”

  “Listen, man, that’s the way it is,” he said, hammering the point home.

  Howard stomped away fuming.

  “Thank you,” Claudia whispered into his ear as they resumed dancing.

  “By any chance was he the reason for your earlier outbreak?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “You’re definitely forgiven. The man has awful taste in clothing.”

  Laughter overwhelmed her. Adam’s chuckle quickly joined hers. Not only was he easy on the eyes, he had a wonderful sense of humor, as well. They danced until the band took a break.

  Adam’s eyes searched the room.

  “There,” he said, cocking his head in the direction of an empty table. “We can sit for a while and talk.” He placed his hand on her lower back and urged her toward the table. “You stay here while I go get us some drinks.”

  He must have been gone barely five seconds when Howard materialized out of nowhere and sat down in the chair opposite her. This was beginning to get out of hand. She no longer cared to spare his feelings.

  “Why are you back?”

  “I like you.”

  “Howard, this may come as a shock, but I really don’t want to be with you—now or later.”

  “But, you hardly know me. Once you get to know me, I know you’ll change your mind.”

  “I hate to be blunt, but I won’t. And when Adam comes back he’s going to be angry that you’re sitting in his seat.”

  “Are you going to give me your number or not?”

  She shook her head. “Goodbye, Howard.”

  “You have no idea how sorry you’re going to be!” he snapped, before he walked off.

  “Did I see our obnoxious friend back again?” Adam asked, returning to the table a short while later.

  “Unfortunately, yes. For some reason, he doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of the word no.”

  “Hopefully he won’t return.” He handed her a glass of white wine.

  “Thank you for braving the crowd and getting me this. Suddenly, I’m quite parched.�
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  “We make a great team, you and I.”

  “How so?”

  “You guarded the seats.”

  Facing her as he sat, Adam gazed into her eyes with his beautiful, warm brown ones.

  “Now Claudia Sykes, tell me everything there is to know about you.”

  “Where shall I begin?”

  “Anywhere, as long as you leave nothing out.”

  “Okay. Can we narrow the field down just a tad?”

  “All right. What do you do when you’re not dancing the night away?”

  “I’m a loan manager at First National Bank.”

  “That’s good to know.”

  “Why? What do you do?”

  “I’m a history professor at Carlyle.”

  “I got my associate degree in business there.”

  They talked about their jobs and Claudia told him a little about her family before he interrupted. “You know something?”

  “What?”

  “I’m glad I came tonight.”

  “Me, too,” she replied.

  “I almost didn’t,” he admitted.

  She chuckled.

  “What’s so funny about that?”

  “My mother and sister ganged up on me to get me to come.”

  “So maybe there is something to that saying ‘there’s a reason for everything.’”

  “I’ll drink to that,” she said, clinking her glass against his.

  A few minutes later, the band returned and began to play. As the music wafted through the room, Adam took her hand in his and led her back onto the dance floor. Claudia glided into his strong arms and laid her head on his shoulder. They swayed as one to the music.

  She felt so at ease in the web of this man’s arms—as if she belonged there.

  Brittany noticed them and gave her the victory sign. She seemed to be having a good time, as well.

  When the last dance of the evening was announced, Adam said, “We’ve danced the night away.”