Caitlyn's Christmas Wish Read online

  Caitlyn’s Christmas Wish

  by

  Laura L. Walker

  Caitlyn’s Christmas Wish by Laura L. Walker

  © Laura L. Walker

  Cover Design: Victorine Lieske

  Cover image© via BIGSTOCK by Shutterstock

  Photo ID: 110097839 by pressmaster

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical without permission in writing from the author, except for the purpose of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and articles. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient or select from the Kindle lending program.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances of said entities are purely coincidental and are not to be construed as real.

  Scriptural quotation taken from the King James Bible.

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Author’s Note

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Well, this was awkward. Two years ago, the last time Caitlyn Drevier Reel celebrated Christmas, she’d anticipated a diamond ring under the tree from her boyfriend, Grant, who had just risen to the top of the charts in the country music industry with back to back hits. However, aside from a few stolen kisses under the mistletoe and a hint of more to come, the ring hadn’t materialized. That is, not until she and Grant married a month later. Four carats of diamond bliss all embedded so that it didn’t snag on her clothing decorated her finger for seven short months. Very lovely. Yet not at all practical when their marriage certificate virtually disintegrated, leaving her to wade through several torturous months alone.

  Now, as Caitlyn hastily unbuckled their eight-month-old son Brody from his car seat at the edge of the Christmas festival that seemed to engulf the entire town of Danzy, Wyoming, she couldn’t help feeling apprehensive about meeting up with her former in-laws. Brody whimpered, whether from the sudden cold that hit his scrunched up face or hunger, she didn’t know. Or maybe it was the thousands of Christmas lights that blazed from every direction, including the enormous tree in the center of the town proper.

  “Shh. It’s okay, Brody. They’re just lights. As soon as we find your grandparents, we’ll get the key to their house and skedaddle.” At that moment, Caitlyn’s stomach rumbled. The long drive from their gated community in Las Vegas had been hard on them. Not only had Caitlyn already been feeling on edge from the voice message Grant left on her cell phone just before leaving but poor weather had slowed them down considerably. Brody’s intermittent crying when she had to keep going frayed her nerves. A plane ride definitely would have been faster but her car provided much more privacy.

  Why had she come back to Danzy, anyway?

  Because Jacinda and Charles, her former in-laws, who embodied happiness and goodwill, had called the family together for Christmas. Of course they would want to spend Brody’s first Christmas with him, so they’d included her in their invitation. And although Caitlyn hadn’t been an official member of the Reel clan for long, Jacinda was the kind of mother-in-law she always wanted. The only thing that made her nervous about coming was the possibility of seeing Grant again. But he hadn’t been too involved in his parents’ lives lately. Besides, wasn’t he currently touring with his band?

  Using bottled water, Caitlyn quickly mixed a bottle of formula before taking her son out of his car seat. Even after adjusting Brody’s cap and blanket around his warm little body, his whimpering turned into a full-fledged wail. Doing her best to shield him against her coat, Caitlyn turned toward the festivities, her eyes searching the pavilion for Brody’s grandparents. Since they were the ringmasters in this three-ring circus, she figured they’d be easy to spot.

  No such luck. Too many people surrounded the area, most likely waiting in line for their little ones to sit on Santa’s lap.

  “Looking for my parents?”

  Caitlyn jumped at the deep voice behind her. “Ridge!” Raising a gloved hand to her pounding heart, she added unnecessarily, “You scared me.”

  She’d known she would have to face Grant’s older brother after making her decision to spend Christmas here. What she hadn’t been prepared for was the little pulse of attraction that climbed up her belly at seeing him again. The short but well-groomed beard he’d grown since the last time she’d seen him looked good on him. His topaz eyes, accentuating well-formed eyebrows and an inquisitive smile, were just a shade lighter than his hair, which held an auburn tint. His broad form filled out his leather jacket. But the way he reached for her baby, as if accustomed to doing so, nearly did her in.

  ***

  From the moment Ridge’s nephew settled his head on his shoulder, a sense of love and connection enveloped him—which was strange since he’d only seen the little tyke once before. Brody, with his mess of toffee-colored hair and deep brown eyes, looked completely different than the nearly bald baby he’d seen several months ago.

  Patting the baby’s back while shifting his weight more evenly in his arms, Ridge glanced back at his former sister-in-law, whose wary expression clouded her classic features. A lump formed in his throat as he stared into Caitlyn’s blue eyes, her long, golden brown hair peeking beneath her cap and framing her slender shoulders.

  “I hope you don’t mind.” He glanced down at Brody, who was now sucking his thumb. “You looked like you had your hands full.”

  With a tired sigh, she said, “Thanks. But I’m surprised he went to you so easily. He’s not used to being around men.”

  Meaning his worthless brother. The jibe hit hard. Ridge, too, had been considered worthless by his ex-wife. At times, he still struggled with feelings of inadequacy. Deliberately shutting off that train of thought, he led Caitlyn by the arm through the throng of people. “Did you just get into town?”

  “Yes. I went to the house first, but apparently, nobody’s home.”

  “Yeah. We’re all here to support Mom and Dad. They’ve been planning this festival for months.”

  “All?” Caitlyn stopped abruptly. “Grant, too?”

  She looked so alarmed that Ridge barely kept himself from reaching a comforting arm around her. “No. But Sierra and her family are here from Billings.”

  Caitlyn’s face lit up at the mention of his younger sister. “I hear she and Scott are expecting again. I can’t wait to see them.”

  “Sierra’s looking forward to spending time with you, too.”

  Just then, Brody dropped his thumb and cried even louder than before. Ridge bounced him a bit in his arms while pulling back to aim a wide smile down at the little boy. “Hey buddy, I’m not that scary, am I?”

  Caitlyn said, “I’m sure he’s hungry. Is there a warm, quiet place I can feed him? He got tired of the Cheerios I gave him during the last leg of our journey. I’ll be finding them stuck between the seat and floor for weeks.”

  Ridge halted. His face heated up, contrasting to the frosty air. “You’re not . . . um, still nursing him, are you?”

 
; She held up a baby bottle. “No, I just want a warm place to hold him while he eats.”

  “Oh.” He was an idiot. “Come with me into the community center.” Brody stuck his thumb back in his mouth and sucked loudly. Ridge wasted no time leading her into the new community center that had been completed and lavishly decorated in time for the season. A feeling of pride for what he and his team accomplished by designing this building surged through him. His architectural career was taking off.

  At least one thing in his life was going right.

  Ridge’s dad, the mayor, stood in the lobby conversing with several councilmen and a couple of newspaper reporters. Spotting Ridge and Caitlyn out of the corner of his eye, he gave them a slight nod but otherwise kept his attention on the group.

  Ridge led Caitlyn to the women’s restroom and stopped just outside the door. “There’s a lounge inside with plenty of space for you and Brody.”

  She pulled Brody from his arms and murmured, “Thank you.”

  “You’re wel-”

  The door banged shut before he could finish. Through the wall, he heard Brody wail once again, his crescendo setting Ridge on edge until blissful silence met his ears. He breathed a sigh of relief. He’d forgotten how stressful babies could be at times. Being around his sister’s young family for the past few days had taken a toll on him. And now it was about to get worse with Grant’s son in the mix.

  There was another regret. Three years ago, Ridge had been too immersed in his own problems to realize that Grant was struggling. If only things had been different. If only he hadn’t made the choices he’d made, things might be different now. But the past was what it was and he couldn’t get it back. All he could do was move forward.

  Feeling out of place, Ridge decided to leave Caitlyn for the time being and join his dad.

  Chapter Two

  Caitlyn emerged from the restroom feeling much calmer now that Brody was sated and wearing a new diaper. If she could fill her own belly with something nourishing, she’d feel like herself again.

  “Finished?” Ridge met them in the same spot Caitlyn had seen his dad earlier. To think he’d actually waited around for her! How many men would have done that? Certainly not her own father or husband. Where was Grant now? she wondered. On the road again with his band, no doubt sleeping in a sleazy motel with his arms wrapped around a nameless woman? There had been too many of them to count.

  In self-preservation, Caitlyn turned a blind eye because for the first time, somebody loved her and wanted to take care of her. Didn’t want to change her image like countless stylists did or force her to do things she didn’t want to do like her mother did. Such as standing in front of a camera for hours on end in freezing weather wearing hardly anything. Or skipping meals and swallowing diet pills to keep the fashionably gaunt look on her cheekbones. Ugh!

  “So now that Brody’s been taken care of, where do you want to go first? The line to see Santa is about a mile long but there are plenty of other things to do.”

  “Brody would probably be too scared to see Santa, anyway.”

  “Right. He’s still young. Come on. Let’s get some hot chocolate and chestnuts. My treat.”

  “Actually,” Caitlyn interrupted, tugging on Ridge’s bulky sleeve, “I’m kind of tired.” Her stomach grumbled again. With a rueful smile, she added, “And hungry for more than just nuts. I’d prefer to head over to your parents’ home and find something to eat there.”

  Ridge shot her a look that said, You’re kidding, right? “But what about the hot chocolate? Or the Santa village with the model trains, Nutcracker drummers, and gingerbread houses? Brody would like those, wouldn’t he? There’s even a new ice sculpture display this year.”

  “That’s a lot for any person to take in all in one night,” Caitlyn remarked.

  “True. The festival runs through Saturday, then culminates in a church event on Sunday that includes a live nativity and choir concerts at various times.” Hmm, Caitylyn thought. This was Wednesday. The following Monday would be Christmas Day. Ridge continued, “Of course, Mom was heavily involved in planning this event. She’s been running around like a madwoman for the past three months putting it all together.”

  “I can imagine.” In the brief time Caitlyn had known Jacinda Reel, she’d been astonished by the woman’s superpowers. Her former mother-in-law could organize a hodgepodge of items into something of value, something beautiful and loved by all.

  And that was why Caitlyn loved her. Before she’d met Jacinda, Caitlyn had been a mixed up mess. Aside from Grant’s temporary attentiveness and amid the pushy paparazzi, only Grant’s mother saw her true potential, which had nothing to do with her outward appearance. Caitlyn would always be grateful for that.

  “Maybe we could come back tomorrow evening,” she suggested.

  Looking into Ridge’s face, she saw compassion and—concern? “Now that you mention it, you do look tired. And I think my parents have hot chocolate at their place. Okay. Let’s go.”

  ***

  An hour later, a half-eaten cheese pizza sat between Caitlyn and Ridge on the countertop in his parents’ kitchen with Christmas music playing in the background. Ridge had seemed slightly uncomfortable until he turned on the radio and Caitlyn started humming along to the familiar carols. “This is one of my favorites,” she commented when “What Child Is This?” came on.

  “Mine, too,” he said quietly. Caitlyn studied him closely.

  He seemed different than before. Older, of course, and more open in some ways, yet reticent in others. Like he’d crossed a bridge of acceptance over his personal loss and was happy as an architect. While she’d been with Grant, Caitlyn learned that Ridge’s perpetual frown stemmed from his failed marriage to a woman named Amelia after the untimely death of their young daughter, Hannah. The last time she’d seen him six months ago, Ridge had appeared more at peace with himself.

  But if Ridge was finally content, why did he look like he’d lost his best friend, especially when he gazed down at Brody? And what was it that made him so uncomfortable that he kept glancing at the clock on the wall? The fact that she’d been married to his brother at one time? Maybe he blamed her for their breakup. Or that she, a former member of this family, was staying in his parents’ home? Was he afraid that she would take advantage of his parents? She would have to ease his mind somehow.

  “Ridge, please don’t feel like you need to entertain me. I’ll be okay until your family gets home. Brody’s happy now, crawling on the floor.”

  A whimsical smile flickered on Ridge’s face. “He was tired of being cooped up, huh?”

  “Yes. It would have been difficult to hold him the entire time at the festival. We made the right decision to come home.” She knew she was using the word liberally but it felt good to be here.

  Ridge nodded thoughtfully as if recalling his own parenting days. “You made the right decision. I would have goofed up—again.” His expression fell.

  Caitlyn smiled. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. Call it mother’s intuition.”

  “How about a board game?” Ridge asked suddenly. “Monopoly?”

  “Too long.”

  “Chess?”

  “That requires too much thinking right now.”

  “Fine. How about Uno?”

  Caitlyn agreed.

  “Great.” It only took a few seconds for Ridge to find the cards, shuffle them, and deal. They were in the middle of a rousing game in which she was punishing poor Ridge with her arsenal of “Draw Four” cards when the back door burst open.

  “Hey, Ridge. And Caitlyn, hello!” Sierra called from the doorway just as three-year-old Max ran in ahead of his parents. Sierra pulled the hood of her parka down, revealing a crown of medium-length golden hair. Her husband, Scott, who was carrying their eighteen-month-old daughter, Jacey, set her on the floor.

  “Uncle Ridge, I got to sit on Santa’s lap!”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “Yeah. He was sitting in a great big sleigh filled wit
h presents! And his beard was so long. It covered the big black buttons on his suit. And look! I got a toy train!” He held up the green model for Ridge’s inspection.

  “Whoa! Santa’s handing out presents already?” Ridge said with a wink. “Maybe I should stand in line.”

  “You can’t, Uncle Ridge. You’re too big. ‘Sides, my mom and dad got me the train. And they bought a teddy bear for Jacey.”

  “Oh.” Ridge smiled. “I get it. It’s a good thing you’re not a grownup yet. We just get boring things like watches and tools.”

  “And jewelry and gift cards,” Caitlyn put in, enjoying their interaction and feeling impressed by Ridge’s attentiveness.

  Max peered up at her through squinted eyes. “Who are you?”

  The adults laughed. “I’m Caitlyn,” she blurted, rubbing her hand over the top of Brody’s downy head. “And this is my little boy, Brody. He’s your cousin.”

  “Oh.”

  Caitlyn raised her brows at Ridge. That was it?

  Seeming to read her mind, he said, “Kids have a tendency to take most things at face value.”

  “Okay, Max,” Sierra interrupted, rubbing one hand over her pregnant belly and bracing the other against her back. “It’s time for a bath, then bed.”

  “Aw, Mom. Do I have to?”

  “I know you’re excited but yes. We’ll go back to the festival tomorrow night but only for a short time.”

  Scott scooped Jacey in his arms again and said, “Come on, Max. Race you up the stairs.”

  “Hey,” Sierra called after them, “no running in Grandma and Grandpa’s house.” She shook her head as the pair disappeared around the corner. “He’s as much a kid as Max sometimes.” Then, eying Brody peeking around the corner of the kitchen island, she exclaimed, “Oh, my goodness! Look how big he’s grown!” At the moment she bent to pick him up, he plopped down on his padded bottom and crawled back to his mother.

  Caitlyn and Ridge chuckled as Caitlyn lifted him onto her lap.