Undercover Christmas

Marni looked at the older man, sensing something far more complex than what Elise had told her about Chase and his father. “He said you were a hard, uncompromising man who cared more about money than people and that you use your money to extract a high price from your sons.” She could see that the words hurt him, but also that they must have rung true. “I’m sorry.”

Jabe Calloway looked away for a moment and when he turned his gaze back to Marni’s, his blue eyes glistened. “Do you love my son, Ms. McCumber?”

“Very much,” she said, remembering the look on El’s face when she’d talked about Chase. “And I believed he loved me.”

Jabe nodded slowly, and with a visible effort pushed himself to his feet. “You will join us for dinner.”

“Thank you, but I have to get back—”

“I insist,” he said, cutting her off. He must have seen the look in her eye. He quickly softened his tone. “If you would be my guest for dinner, I’ll arrange for you to have a chance to speak with my son again without any interruptions.”

“I can’t see that it would do any good,’ Marni said, sounding as discouraged as she felt.

“You might be surprised,’ Jabe said. “My son is a reasonable man. Right now he’s extremely frustrated by his immobility and his inability to remember everything. He hates being cooped up. Especially here.”

“All right.” What could one dinner hurt? She owed it to El to at least give Chase a chance.

Marni worked her body out of the couch’s soft cushion and let Jabe usher her to the family dining room.

“Set another place,” Jabe ordered as he swept Marni into the room. “Next to me. Elise McCumber will be our dinner guest.”

Marni figured the latter part was addressed to the family now seated around the huge slab of an oak table. While they might not have a choice, they didn’t pretend to be happy about it. Especially Chase. He met her gaze with an irate scowl. Marni got the impression he would have gotten up and left, but someone had moved his crutches out of his reach, which no doubt added to his irritation.

At the foot of the table, Vanessa’s expression was one of shocked disbelief. For a moment, Marni thought the woman would raise an objection.

Instead, she brushed back her perfect pageboy and said, “Cook says the roast is going to be overdone.”

“I like my roast overdone,” Jabe said, pulling out the chair the housekeeper procured for Marni before taking his place at the head of the table.

Vanessa snapped, “Hilda, you may serve dinner now.”

The moment Jabe sat down he began the introductions. Starting on Marni’s right, he went around the long rectangular table. “Lilly is my youngest son’s wife.”

Marni recognized the heart-shaped face and large dark eyes from earlier when she’d seen the woman peeking out the window under the third-story eave. A petite, pretty woman, Lilly wore a pale pink dress that hung from her frail frame. Her white-blond hair was pulled severely back into a knot at her slim neck and the only color in her face was her eyes.

She murmured, “Nice to meet you,” and drained her wineglass with a trembling hand.

“Lilly, you’re hitting the wine a little hard tonight, aren’t you, dear?” Vanessa asked too sweetly.

“I’m worried about Hayes,” Lilly said as she motioned the housekeeper to refill her glass.

Jabe frowned at the empty chair next to Lilly, then at Vanessa. “Where is Hayes?”

“He had to go to Bozeman,” Vanessa said.

“What is he doing in Bozeman?” Jabe demanded.

“I certainly wouldn’t know. He only told me he planned to be back before dinner. I can’t imagine what could have detained him.” She looked over at Lilly as if Lilly knew but just wasn’t telling out of meanness.

Jabe sighed and continued his introductions. “My wife, Vanessa.” He skipped over her quickly. “And this is my middle son, Dayton.”

Dayton Calloway had his father’s blue eyes and a head of dark hair that he’d had meticulously styled, unlike Chase’s more unruly soft locks. A dark mustache curled across Dayton’s upper lip like a thin mean caterpillar. While no way near as handsome as Chase, he was good-looking in a petulant, dark sort of way. Marni got the immediate impression that he didn’t like her for some reason.

He didn’t get to his feet as Marni was introduced. Instead, he just nodded. Out of the corner of her eye, Marni saw Jabe scowl and mutter something directed at his wife about bad manners. Vanessa frowned and glared at Marni as if it were Marni’s fault.

“Felicia is Dayton’s wife,” Jabe continued. A sharp-featured brunette with green eyes, a more than ample chest and a bad disposition sat between Dayton and Chase. Marni knew about Felicia’s bad disposition the same way she knew the price of the expensive ethnic-print maternity dress and matching jewelry the woman wore. Marni had sold it to her at her Bozeman boutique—last week.

“You look familiar,” Felicia said, eyeing her suspiciously.

The truth seemed the best approach. “I believe you trade at the boutique I’m part owner of in Bozeman.” She looked at Chase to see if he registered any shock to hear she owned a boutique. Chase didn’t look up; he sat turning the thin stem of his wineglass in his strong fingers, showing no sign that he was paying the least bit of attention to any of this.

Felicia’s gaze narrowed. “Yes, I remember now. But when I saw you last week you weren’t pregnant.”

Marni laughed. It sounded hollow even to her ears. “You probably have me confused with my sister. We look a lot alike.” Boy, was that putting it mildly.

Felicia didn’t appear convinced, but lost interest as Hilda served dinner a beef roast the size of Montana, followed by huge bowls of mashed potatoes, brown gravy, fresh green beans, another of hot homemade dinner rolls and butter.

Marni felt famished, having not taken time all day to eat. She ladled gravy over her beef and potatoes, buttered a hot roll and slathered butter on her green beans. Her love of food was one of the reasons she’d never had Elise’s slim model-like figure.

Hilda brought Vanessa broiled chicken, cottage cheese and crudit#233;s, and Felicia a plate of what looked like Chinese food. Lilly seemed to be the only Calloway woman who didn’t ask for a special-order meal. She took a spoonful of everything that was passed to her then hardly touched the food she’d put on her plate. But she polished off the remaining wine at her end of the table, ignoring Vanessa’s reprimanding looks. Marni declined wine when Hilda came around to fill her glass, needing all her wits about her. It wasn’t until later that she realized pregnant women weren’t supposed to drink alcohol and she was a pregnant woman, by all appearances.

Everyone ate in silence, not that Marni minded. She concentrated on the food, rather than the strange family dynamics. The roast was excellent, not in the least overcooked. Halfway through her meal, she glanced up to see Chase staring at her, his expression unreadable. But she noticed he hadn’t touched his food any more than Lilly had.

“I enjoy a woman who likes to eat,” Jabe said, smiling at Marni.

“This is delicious,” she said, a little embarrassed by her appetite.

“You’re eating for two,” he said. “It’s healthy to eat even if you’re not expecting.”

Vanessa mumbled something under her breath and pushed away her diet plate in what could only be described as disgust. The room grew painfully quiet.

Marni finished her roast beef, thinking about El and the baby. At least she knew her sister wasn’t going hungry or not following doctor’s orders. By now, Mary Margaret McCumber would have Elise at the family farm. If anyone could get El to do as she was told, it was Mother, Marni thought with a smile.

The door to the dining room swung open and a man in western attire rushed in, apologizing for being late as he took the chair next to Lilly.

“Hayes,” Lilly said, lifting her wineglass to him in a less than sober salute. “We were so worried about you.” She didn’t sound as if she meant it in the least.

Clean-shaven, Hayes Calloway also had his father’s blue eyes, a little lighter version of Chase’s hair color and a softer, gentler, more handsome face than his brother Dayton.

Hayes seemed to eye his wife warily before brushing a kiss across her pallid cheek. Then he spotted Marni and looked startled to see that they had a guest Marni got the impression the Calloways didn’t have many dinner guests.

“Hayes, this is Elise McCumber,” Jabe said. “She’s a…friend of Chase’s.”

Hayes stumbled to his feet, his eyes widening in surprise. “Hello.”

“Why are you so late?” Jabe demanded.

He looked past Marni to his father. “The roads are covered in ice and the visibility was so bad I hit a deer on the way home.”