The Christmas Bargain Read online

  “Humph,” Melanie said, spinning on her heel and marching off in the direction of the restaurant.

  Continuing on toward their home, neither Luke nor Filly said a word. Once they were inside the front entry, Luke helped Filly remove her coat and hung it on the hall tree while she took off her hat and gloves. She started for the kitchen, but Luke caught her arms and turned her back around to face him before she’d taken more than a few steps down the hall.

  “Filly, I don’t want you to take a single thing that woman said to heart. She is a viscous, cruel gossip with a wide vengeful streak.”

  When Filly just looked at him with teary eyes, he felt compelled to provide more detail. “I courted Melanie on and off for a number of years. I never had any intention of marrying her, mind you, but she didn’t take the news of our wedding very well.”

  “I’m sorry,” Filly whispered, trying to turn back down the hallway, but Luke refused to let her go. Gently he held her to him.

  “You’ve got nothing to be sorry for. She’s mean-spirited and conniving. I just wish it hadn’t taken me so long to realize it,” Luke said, angry that he hadn’t wanted to see Melanie clearly all those years because she was an interesting diversion.

  “But by marrying me, you could be damaging your reputation. I never thought about what people would say. Oh, Luke, people must think the very worst of me,” Filly said, trying again to pull away before Luke noticed her struggle to keep her tears in check.

  Instead, Luke kept an arm around her shoulders and walked her down the hall to the kitchen.

  “Anyone who matters thinks I found a beautiful, wonderful bride and that I’m a pretty lucky fellow. The rest of them will think what they will and I don’t really care,” Luke said, seating his wife at the table and pouring her a cup of coffee.

  “But Luke, what if…” Filly said, staring into her coffee cup.

  “No buts, Filly. Don’t let it bother you,” Luke said, going to the cupboard and pulling out their dinner plates. “Just keep in mind, though, that we won’t ever be welcomed at the LaRoux’s restaurant.

  Luke smiled at her, hoping to elicit one in return. Filly managed a half-hearted smile, then got up and finished dinner preparations.

  Her mind kept mulling over the notion that Luke’s continued association with her was going to damage his reputation, cause him a loss of business, cut him off from friends and business associates alike. She just couldn’t do that to him. Filly cared too much to cause him any trouble.

  Making up her mind, she decided to return to the farm. She’d leave a note asking Chauncy to annul their marriage. She hated to think what her father would do to her, but she couldn’t chance ruining Luke’s reputation.

  Luke was a pillar of the community and, as such, his wife needed to be one as well. Nothing but an uneducated, country girl who had spent the last decade cut off from all society, Filly knew she had absolutely no right being the wife of a prominent citizen. Especially one as kind and caring as Luke.

  After dinner, she went to her room and gathered her few meager belongings together in the quilt her mother had made for her the last Christmas she was alive. Abby had burned her brown dress, so she’d have to take a few of the clothes Luke had purchased for her, but she’d find a way to pay him back someday.

  Changing into a plain dark brown skirt and white blouse, she unpinned her hair and braided it, tying the end with a brown ribbon.

  Sitting at the small desk in her room, she penned a note to Chauncy and Abby then wrote one to Luke. She thanked him for his kindness, for his willingness to take in a stranger, for being a caring friend. She finished by writing:

  I can’t risk your life being ruined because of me. Please don’t try to find me. Yours always, Filly.

  Waiting until she was sure Luke was asleep, she gathered her little quilt bundle and slipped down the hall to the kitchen. Leaving the note propped against the sugar bowl on the counter where he would be sure to see it in the morning, Filly pulled on her black wool coat and let herself out into the cold of the night.

  Walking through town, Filly was careful to not be seen. She didn’t want to add any more fuel to the fires she imagined the town gossips were already spreading about Luke marrying some unknown woman. It was impossible for her to believe anyone would think Luke had compromised her and that was why they had wed. The very thought made her cheeks flush with both shock and anger. Luke was the epitome of a gentleman.

  Clearing town, Filly put one foot in front of the other, dreading her return to the farm, but not knowing where else to go. She couldn’t stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks. It was nice to be away from her father, to feel safe and be well fed.

  It was wonderful to have friends, lovely clothes to wear, and a beautiful home to live in, even for a short while.

  Leaving all that behind would be difficult.

  What Filly couldn’t bear was the thought of leaving behind Luke. Although he still made her nervous and unsettled, he also stirred up feelings that were both foreign and exciting. Feelings she wanted the opportunity to explore.

  Instead, she would never see him again. Never hear his laughter. Never watch those icy blue eyes glow from an inner fire. Never smell his warm, spicy scent. Never feel the warmth of his nearness.

  Filly kept walking, blinded by her tears.

  Never was a very long time.

  <><><>

  Luke tossed and turned, trying to get to sleep and couldn’t. He was livid at the spiteful accusations Melanie had thrown out earlier. Her insinuations had devastated Filly and he didn’t know what to do to set things right.

  Disgusted with himself for letting Melanie’s attractive appearance blind him to her malicious spirit, Luke couldn’t think why he let things with her drag on as long as they did.

  If he hadn’t married Filly, he hoped he would have finally seen Melanie for what she really was. Through the years he’d experienced glimpses of her temper and snappish attitude. Being stuck with that for a lifetime was something he was glad he’d never have to contemplate.

  Getting up, Luke decided a midnight snack might help him sleep. Another piece of apple cake and a glass of milk couldn’t hurt.

  Walking quietly past Filly’s room to the kitchen, Luke turned on the gas lights, took a pitcher of milk from the ice box and found the cake on the counter. An envelope with his name on it sat against the sugar bowl by the cake plate and he looked at the handwriting. By the light feathery script, he knew it must be from Filly.

  Grinning, he wondered if she knew he would try to sneak another piece of cake after he already ate two following dinner.

  Although they’d been married only a few weeks, he was already accustomed to having Filly around. An amazing cook, she had taken control of his home and brought a new sense of order and warmth to it.

  With a bright intelligence, it didn’t take long to notice Filly loved to read and learn. Luke began bringing home newspapers, magazines, and tidbits of news to share with her.

  Their evenings generally included lively discussions. As she grew more comfortable around him, she engaged more in conversation. Luke enjoyed talking to her as much as he enjoyed visiting with anyone.

  Sometimes, when they were discussing a political standpoint or new idea, he took an opposing view just to watch her become animated as she defended her position. She was clever and witty and never ceased to make him smile. Marrying Filly had been about the best decision Chauncy had forced Luke to make.

  Ripping open the envelope, he quickly read through the message, then read it again. The envelope addressed to Chauncy and Abby fell to the counter.

  Luke stuck the milk back in the ice box then ran to Filly’s room. Pounding on the door, he flung it open and noticed her neatly made bed was empty. Nothing appeared to be missing from the room, but then he wouldn’t expect her to take anything she hadn’t brought with her. He hoped she at least had sense enough to put on a coat when she left.

  Racing to his room, he hurriedly pulled on je
ans, boots and a warm, woolen shirt. On his way out the door, he grabbed his wool-lined coat and a thick scarf as he slapped his hat on his head.

  In record time, he had Drake saddled and hustled out of town, heading toward the Booth farm. Luckily, the moon was full and provided ample light. He was about half-way to the farm when he spotted a lone figure walking down the road. He was chilled from the fast pace of his ride and could only imagine how cold Filly would be.

  Riding up beside her, she turned a tear-stained face his direction before gasping and taking off running down the road. He nudged Drake and quickly overtook her. Leaning from the saddle, he grasped her under her arms and pulled her up onto his lap, making her drop the bundle she carried in her arms. She struggled briefly, but he held on and she soon stilled.

  “What in blazes are you thinking, woman?” Luke yelled, relieved at finding her, angry she would sneak off in the night, and furious with Melanie for causing the problem in the first place. “Have you lost all your good sense? Are you trying to freeze to death? How could you sneak off like that?”

  Holding her tightly by her arms and looking into her face, Luke watched her shrink inside herself at his raised voice. She turned her face from him and cringed, like she expected him to slap her.

  Remembering her past, he sighed and loosened his hold on her. Pulling her to his chest, he cradled her against him and kissed her forehead.

  “Filly, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell,” Luke said softly, kissing the crown of her head.

  Her response was to bury her face more deeply against his coat while sobs racked through her.

  “Filly, darlin’, please don’t cry,” Luke said, rubbing her back gently and feeling miserable, knowing he’d scared her. He murmured soft words to her and finally the sobs stopped and she raised her face to his.

  “I can’t stay with you, Luke. I have to leave,” Filly said, looking at him with pain-filled eyes. “Just let me go back to Pa.”

  “Never. Not while there is a breath left in my body will I let you go back to your father,” Luke said, shaking his head. “I don’t want you to leave. I’ve already gotten used to you being in the house, to your delicious meals, to seeing you across the kitchen table. Don’t be upset by what Melanie said. She was being spiteful. No one thinks ill of you. No one will think anything except I was a very smart man for marrying you.”

  “But Luke, she said…” Filly tried to explain why she felt she must leave, but Luke cut her off.

  “I don’t want to hear another word about what she said or implied. Now, I’m taking you home before we both freeze,” Luke turned Drake around and started back toward the road, but Filly began struggling again.

  “Luke, please stop. Please!” she pleaded, trying to wriggle off the horse.

  “What? What is it?” he asked, pulling Drake to a stop and letting go of Filly.

  She slid down from the horse and ran over to her little quilted bundle. Picking it up, she came back and stood at Luke’s knee. “I can’t leave this behind.”

  Luke nodded. She held out a hand so he could help her mount behind him. Instead he leaned over and picked her up, tugging her back across his lap as if she weighed no more than a child.

  Unfastening his coat, he pulled her to his chest and wrapped his coat around them both. She soaked in his warmth and he breathed in her rose scent, mingled with the cold night air.

  “Let’s go home,” he rumbled and started Drake back toward town.

  Arriving back at the house, he left Filly at the door and returned Drake to the barn. It gave him the time he needed to calm down and get his thoughts back in order. Holding Filly to his chest, with her scent filling his senses, he wanted to kiss her until they both were so lost in each other they’d never be found.

  Filly’s fear of his striking her was a reminder why he needed to take things very slowly with his bride.

  Coming in from the barn, he could hear Filly in the kitchen. She made them both a cup of hot tea and was sitting at the table, looking repentant.

  “Filly, promise you won’t run away again,” Luke said, sitting down and taking a drink of the hot liquid. “I don’t want to have to make too many of these midnight rides.”

  “Luke, I…” Filly looked defeated and tired. “I promise.”

  “Good. Now how about another piece of that cake. I think I worked up an appetite,” Luke waggled his eyebrows at her and Filly smiled.

  “I suppose one more piece wouldn’t hurt,” she said, cutting him a large slice. Setting it down in front of him and returning to her seat, she cleared her throat twice before speaking in a whisper. “Luke, I, um… thank you for not hitting me. I know I deserved it.”

  Luke choked on his cake and swallowed the hot tea, burning his tongue as he tried to get the cake to go down.

  When he finally quit coughing, he reached out his hand to Filly and laid it gently on her cheek. “Filly, I promise I won’t ever hit you. No one ever deserves to be hit. Ever. You understand me? I’ll make you a vow right now that the only touch you’ll ever feel from me will be gentle.”

  Filly nodded her head, amazed again at what a kind, caring man she had been blessed to marry. Her father would have beaten her half senseless if it had been him. Luke wasn’t Alford Booth, though.

  Luke was an upright, good man. One she was coming to care for deeply. It was hard not to be drawn to him for his warm, friendly demeanor and kind heart. Who wouldn’t be attracted to his tall, powerful physique, his handsome face, those memorable blue eyes or that thick wavy hair?

  She sipped her tea while Luke finished his cake then he walked her to her bedroom door. She carried the little quilted bundle in her arms and Luke ran his hand over the quilt.

  “This must be pretty special to you for a reason,” he said, looking at the deep green, burgundy and cream pieces of the quilt.

  “Mama made it for me the Christmas before she died. I kept it stored under my bed. It was one of the few things of hers Pa didn’t destroy. All I’ve got to remember her by, besides my memories, is right here,” Filly said, growing misty-eyed again.

  “What else is in there?” Luke asked, pushing open her bedroom door as Filly walked inside. Turning up the light, he watched as she placed the bundle on the bed and began to unfold it. She pulled out a silver hand mirror decorated with ornate raised roses. The glass had long since been broken out, but Luke could tell it meant something to his wife. Next she showed him a little silver jewelry box. The lid was missing the hinge to keep it attached, but the box itself was in pretty good shape. Inside the box was a cameo on a pale pink background. Taking it out of the box, Luke held it in his long, calloused fingers.

  “You should wear this, Filly. It must have belonged to your mother,” Luke said, fingering the delicate piece of jewelry that somehow looked like his wife.

  “It did,” Filly said, taking the cameo from Luke’s hand and studying it. “I think I will wear it. It doesn’t do any good hidden away in a box, does it?”

  She took out a crystal candle stick, three worn books, a silk fan and soft hand-knit baby blanket.

  The last item she pulled from the quilt was a picture showing a woman who looked exactly like Filly wearing a wedding dress as she stood next to a handsome man who smiled at his bride in adoration.

  “That’s Mama and Papa on their wedding day. Pa used to be a good man, before Mama died. I sometimes just tell myself that they both died that day. It makes it easier to think of my papa being dead than thinking of him as the mean drunk he’s turned into. Mama would be so sad if she knew.”

  Luke rubbed his hand reassuringly across her shoulders. “I’m glad you have good memories of your mother and some things to remember her by. I was right by the way.”

  “About what?” Filly asked, wrapping her treasures in the quilt and placing the bundle on the rocking chair.

  “Your mother was a very beautiful woman and you look exactly like her.”

  Filly turned to her husband and caught a teasing smile as it passed
across his face.

  Feeling her cheeks heat, she grinned. “And you are still full of blarney.”

  Luke laughed and embraced her in a hug. The contact shot sparks between them and Filly wasn’t sure how long her legs would hold her.

  “Don’t ever leave me again, Filly. I don’t think my heart could take it,” he whispered in her ear then left the room.

  <><><>

  The next morning, Filly had a hard time making herself get up, but she had a Thanksgiving feast to prepare. Donning a simple calico dress and a big apron, she walked into the kitchen to find a beautiful little trunk sitting on the counter with a note that read:

  For your mama’s treasures. Love, Luke

  Swiping at the tears his thoughtfulness brought to her eyes, she carried the trunk to her room and put her keepsakes inside. After all the fuss she created last night, she was surprised at his kindness this morning.

  She was reminded once again what a wonderful man she was fortunate enough to have married.

  Chapter Seven

  “I don’t think I could eat one more bite, even if you held me down and stuffed it in,” Chauncy said with a satisfied grin as he leaned back in his chair.

  “I should say not,” Abby laughed. “You’ve indulged enough for three people. I’m surprised the buttons haven’t popped off your vest and taken out someone’s eye.”

  Luke chuckled and Filly smiled, thrilled to play host to Chauncy and Abby for the Thanksgiving holiday. Her meal had turned out well and if the amount of food the men consumed was any indication, they enjoyed it immensely.

  “How about another cup of cider, Filly?” Luke asked. Filly brewed apple cider with spices on the stove creating not only a wonderful scent that made the house smell delightful, but also a very delicious drink.