December 23
“How are you doing, darling?” Judith asked, late the following afternoon, when Mitzy returned from the grocery store.
Mitzy turned to her mother, grateful Judith and Walter were there a day earlier than planned to celebrate with her and the quads.
Also glad her mother had agreed it would be an intimate family Christmas with just the seven of them, Mitzy set the last of the bags on the counter. “I’m fine.”
She walked over to check on the boys. As when she left, all were sleeping soundly in their bassinets.
Judith stepped in to help unload the ingredients for their holiday dinner. “But angry, too.”
Mitzy set the onion, sage and celery on the counter. “Can you blame me? After what Chase did at the party yesterday?”
Walter joined them in the kitchen. He stole a bite of the salad her mother was making for that evening’s dinner. “I thought the MCS employees were all happy with the buyout announcement and bonus checks.”
“They were.” Mitzy unloaded the cranberries, oranges and pecans, too. She shook her head. “The worst part is none of them even acted surprised.” She picked up the turkey breast and set it in the fridge. “In fact—” much to her chagrin “—they all admitted that they thought Chase would eventually come to the rescue.”
“And he did.” Judith got up to give the coq au vin a stir.
Mitzy harrumphed, her Christmas spirit entirely gone. Would this day—this season—never end? “While firing me and pushing me out of the business entirely in the process!”
Judith put the lid on the skillet. “Surely, you can see it’s for the best.”
Exhausted down to the marrow, Mitzy sat on a stool at the island. Moaning, she buried her head in her hands. “I promised Dad that I would always take care of the company for him.”
Her mother set a mug of mulled cider in front of her. “And you have, by keeping it intact and putting it in the hands of professionals who are cut out to do just that.”
Mitzy paused, midsip. “Why is everyone acting as if I was treating it as my little vanity project!”
“Maybe because, if truth be told, you didn’t have a clue how to run the venture.”
And she hadn’t tried to learn, either, until the very end, Mitzy reflected guiltily.
Her mother patted her arm sympathetically. “Your dad tried to talk to you about that before he died, and you wouldn’t hear of it for a lot of very understandable reasons.”
Grief and fear over the prospect of losing him, being the major ones, Mitzy thought, beginning to tear up a little again. Darn, if this first Christmas without her dad wasn’t every bit as miserable and heartrending as she had expected it would be.
Walter came up on the other side of her. He draped a paternal arm about her shoulders.
“So Gus talked to Chase and together, they put together a fail-safe plan to rescue MCS when the time was right.”
Before the end of the fiscal year.
Silence fell.
Mitzy studied her mother. “You don’t look as happy about all this as I would have expected.”
Judith laid a hand over her heart. “Given how all this broke you and Chase up when the two of you had finally come to your senses and reconciled again? Of course I’m not!”
Glumly, Mitzy stirred her mulled cider with a cinnamon stick. “I know how it looked, Mother, but we weren’t really ever together.” Not as anything but friends and lovers.
“I beg to differ,” Walter put in.
Mitzy blinked.
Judith affirmed, “I saw the way you and Chase looked at each other, darling. How wonderful and loving he was with your four babies.” She sighed. “I hate to see you lose all that by repeating some of the mistakes I made.”
When had her ultraconfident mother become the least bit humble? “What are you talking about?”
Judith poured two more ciders. She and Walter sat opposite Mitzy. “All along, I thought it was the company that was the problem in my marriage to Gus,” she admitted gently. “But really it was our attitudes.” She paused, regret coming into her eyes. “The fact I resented MCS above all else, and your father revered it above all else. Had either your dad or I been willing to compromise, we would have both been much happier. And in turn, you would have felt more secure, instead of always feeling torn between the two of us.”
Mitzy couldn’t argue. Much of her childhood had been miserable in that sense, with her never knowing to whom to give her loyalty. Still... “Our situations aren’t the same,” she argued stubbornly.
Judith put her hand in Walter’s. “How do you figure that?”
“You and Dad weren’t meant to be. You didn’t want the same things. And were never going to. It was the same with your other three husbands, Mother. But with you and Walter...you finally have the wonderful life you always wanted.” She paused, close to breaking down in sobs, aware in that moment she had never respected—or needed—her mother more. “Don’t you get it? That’s what I want. The kind of enduring marriage that the two of you have.”
All these years, she’d told herself their marriage was all about money. Now she saw it was so much more.
Her stepfather said, “Don’t fool yourself, honey. The life your mother and I have isn’t perfect. We still have our differences. But our union is built on a deep enduring love, and we cherish and honor that, and do everything we can to protect our relationship.”
Her mother smiled wryly. “We also compromise whenever we do find ourselves at odds.” Something else her mother had never been inclined to do—before Walter, anyway. But now here she was, giving Mitzy the down-home holiday Mitzy wanted.
That wouldn’t have happened before Walter, Mitzy knew.
Mitzy sighed. She looked at Walter. Thought about the way he had turned down her request for a loan in order to preserve his marriage to her mother. He definitely had his priorities in order. “You’re saying I should forgive Chase,” she guessed slowly.
Walter and Judith exchanged glances. Then Judith said, “We’re saying you should think long and hard about what is really important to you, darling. And then act on that.”
* * *
Chase was outside chopping wood when a familiar pickup truck drove up to the Knotty Pine ranch house. Rachel and Frank emerged, looking ready to school him in a way they hadn’t in years. Frank spoke first. “We thought we’d find you here.”
Chase centered another log on the stump. Grimly, he split it in two. “You heard?”
His mom folded her arms in front of her. “We were hoping it wasn’t true. That Mitzy hadn’t broken it off with you.”
Chase picked up the pieces and added them to the pile of firewood. “Well, she did. She cast me as the bad guy and blamed me for everything.”
Frank moved to better see Chase’s face. “Because she didn’t like the way the acquisition deal was structured?”
Grimacing, Chase split another log in two. “Because she refuses to understand the way the business world works.”
Rachel shivered in the brisk air and motioned to him that she wanted to go inside to finish their conversation.
Reluctantly, he set the blade into the cover.
“That feelings never ever enter into it,” Frank guessed.
Chase grabbed a couple of logs. “Right.” He escorted them to the ranch house.
“Which is of course why you bent over backward to fulfill a secret promise to Gus,” Rachel surmised, as they crossed the threshold.
“Not to mention work the miracles required to save a company on the verge of bankruptcy, just in time for Christmas,” his dad added, taking off his hat and shearling coat.
His mother slipped out of her coat, too. “And threw in a hasty proposal, too.”
The way his mom said it made it sound like something he should regret.
“In the vain hope, of course, that Mitzy wouldn’t cast you out on your rear,” Frank added.
Chase added the logs to the fire he’d been building before deciding he needed to work off a little steam. He tried to tell himself his parents meant well. He lit the match, watched the kindling and rolled-up paper take flame. Then, jaw taut with mounting aggravation, stood. Figuring he was old enough to school them a little, too. “Nice way of putting it, Dad,” he drawled.
His sarcasm fell on deaf ears. Frank aimed a thumb at his chest. “Hey, like you, son, I call ’em like I see ’em. And what I see now is a little bit of hypocrisy going on.”
“Hypocrisy!” Chase echoed. Him? He strode over to the kitchen sink to wash up. Asked, over his shoulder, “How the heck do you get that?”
His mother followed him, adding with equal disapproval, “Any other deal could have, probably would have, waited, Chase. Until the owners were in such deep distress they had no choice but to sell. Isn’t that the way you usually work?” She tilted her head. “Only by the bottom line? So you can maximize your own profit?”
Chase didn’t like being made to sound like some kind of Scrooge, with only money on his mind. “Hey! I’ve ended up saving a lot of companies that way, and making them very successful as part of my conglomerate.”
Frank squinted. “That’s true,” he conceded thoughtfully.
“Then...?” Chase dried his hands.
His father looked him in the eye. “There is a lot more on the line here than a future of a custom saddle making company.”
Rachel touched his arm gently. “We’re talking about your future. And Mitzy’s. The boys’.”
“Mitzy and the quads mean the world to me.” Chase’s throat grew taut. “But she doesn’t want me, Mom.” It was as simple and complicated as that.
“Since when have you walked away from something you wanted with all your heart?” his father challenged.
Never—if you didn’t consider his broken engagement and broken reconciliation to Mitzy, that was.
Had he given up too soon?
Let his pride stand in the way?
His parents definitely seemed to think so.
“It’s not too late to fix things,” Rachel advised gently.
His dad nodded. “If anyone can come up with a Christmas miracle, son, it’s you...”
* * *
Chase thought about his parents’ advice the rest of the day and into the night. By morning, he knew what he had to do. A few phone calls later, and the solution was set in motion. Now all he had to do was convince Mitzy to give him another chance.
Deciding to admit he’d screwed up in fashioning a solution without her input, and get down on his knees and beg if he had to, Chase went off to shave and shower. He was dressed in his best sport coat and tie and on his way to the front door, when the bell rang.
Frowning, and hoping it wasn’t his family there to give him more unsolicited advice, he went to get it.
Mitzy stood on the other side of the portal. Looking incredibly sexy in heels and a cranberry-red cashmere dress, white wool coat, gloves, and scarf. Was it his imagination? Or was she as nervous as she was determined, just like him? His mouth went dry as he surveyed her. “I was just headed into town to see you.”
Her face lit up with a hopeful smile. “Then I’m glad I caught up,” she said softly, lifting the “hostess” gift for him to see. She took another quick, tremulous breath. “May I come in?”
Heart pounding, he held the door.
Their fingers brushed as she handed him a holiday basket filled with a bottle of wine and gourmet food. “Courtesy of Judith and Walter. They wanted to thank you for playing Santa at the quadruplets’ Dallas debut.”
His skin tingling from the brief touch, he thanked her and carried it to the kitchen. “Although, I don’t think I did a particularly good job that day.”
She peered at him admiringly as she set down her oversize handbag and stripped off her gloves, scarf and coat. “Oh, I think you managed to accomplish quite a lot.”
Glad to be focusing on happier memories, he slanted his head, said, “I remember kissing you.”
“And I kissed you back.”
He felt a catch in his throat. “Mitzy...”
Leaning forward, she pressed a finger to his lips. “I need to talk first, Chase.” Her lower lip trembled. “I need to apologize to you. For losing sight of what was really important and thinking the worst of you.” Sudden tears glittered. Huskily, she said, “It wasn’t your ambition that got in the way this time, it was mine.”
Wordlessly, she took him by the hand. When they were settled comfortably on the sofa, she tightened her grasp.
“I thought I could run the company without really doing anything, just because I was Gus’s daughter,” she said, while he savored the warmth of her slender body snuggled next to his. “When the truth is,” she continued, holding on to him like she never wanted to let him go, “like my father, I don’t really have a head for the accounting side of business. My dad was an expert craftsman and a people person who excelled in sales, and that carried him and the equally talented people he hired for a long time. But the truth is, MCS was always on the verge of bankruptcy.”
“How did you...?”
She drew a breath and continued in a low, tremulous voice, “I had a long talk with Buck Phillips and some of the other employees after the party wrapped up. It turns out they’ve been worried for years that one day the company would just flame out.”
He let out his breath slowly, glad she finally recognized the hard truth. And didn’t fault him for seeing it, too.
Mitzy’s soft lips twisted into a rueful smile. “Or as Walter says, it’s not enough to just have talent. You have to know how to harness it. I don’t. You do. And because of you, Chase, and all the hard work you’ve done, everyone who worked for my dad over the years will continue to have jobs.”
He looked deep into her eyes, determined to do whatever he needed to, to make this right. “I’m glad you understand that,” he said quietly, aware he needed a lot more out of their relationship than they’d had. He sensed she did, too. “But you’re not the only one who made a huge mistake, Mitzy.”
He shook his head in regret. “I was equally blind to think that emotion never has any part in business. In any successful organization, loyalty, a passion for excellence and a love of what everyone is doing plays a huge part. MCS has that in spades,” he told her hoarsely, shifting her onto his lap. Knowing that even though the company her father had founded had torn them apart—twice—it was also bringing them back together again.
He stroked a hand through her hair. “And your familial connection to the company is as much an integral part of the MCS legacy as Gus’s memory.”
She swallowed but her gaze didn’t waver. “So what are you saying?” she asked, confused. “You regret buying MCS? Firing me?” She shifted toward him, a pulse throbbing in her throat. “Because I have to tell you, in retrospect I think you were completely right to do both. It’s a relief not to have the weight of the company on my shoulders. To know it’s in good hands. That everyone who works there is going to be just fine.”
He nodded, understanding. “I still regret structuring the deal the way I did. I knew how much Gus’s legacy meant to you, that MCS was a connection to him, and I didn’t take that into consideration as much as I should have. Which is why I’ve taken steps to make amends, too.”
She settled more intimately against him, curving one hand over his shoulder, placing the other over his heart. “How?”
He grinned, happy to admit, “I bought out all the other shares of MCS. I’m putting it in trust, so it’ll always carry Gus’s name and be there for you and your kids.”
Mitzy blinked. “All of it?”
“The entire company.”
Her soft breasts lifted as she jerked in a surprised breath. “That’s one hell of a gift, cowboy.”
He slanted her a comically provoking look. “Well, I guess it doesn’t hurt to admit,” he confessed wryly, teasing, “there are a few strings...”
“Now this sounds like the wheeling and dealing Chase McCabe I know.”
He sobered. “You have to give me another chance to make things right between us, too.”
“I already have. It’s why I came out here today. Because...” She went over to her oversize handbag and pulled out two gaily wrapped presents.
The first contained an old-fashioned scrapbook bearing the title “Mitzy and Chase, The Beginning,” and was jammed with all the mementos of their past.
Hope swelled in his heart. Thinking this could only mean one thing, that she was ready to give them a second chance to remedy the foolishness of their original breakup, he said, “You’re giving this to me?”
She hitched in a breath. “I thought we’d share it.” Her smile meshed with his. “Along with...” She handed him the smaller gift. Beneath the paper was a familiar velvet jewelry box that brought up a new wealth of emotion.
She swallowed, determined, it seemed, to own up to and fix every mistake the two of them had made.
“I’m calling off the end of our engagement. And asking...” Lower lip trembling, she slid off his lap and dropped to her knees. “No, begging...you to let us go back to the point where everything began to go wrong...and let us pick up...and go from there.”
Aware it was all about to work out the way they’d both always wished, he got down on his knees beside her, prepared to completely humble himself, too.
“You want to get married?” he rasped.
She gripped his biceps, then hugged him fiercely, ready to be vulnerable in a way she never had been before. “As soon as possible.”
They kissed, sweetly and tenderly.
Gallantly, he stood and helped her to her feet.
“So, if you say yes—” she opened up the ring box to reveal the diamond solitaire he had given her years before “—I’ll put this back on my finger.”
“Nothing would make me happier, darlin’.” Chase took it from her and proudly did the honors. It was as it had been before, a perfect fit. And a portent of their future.
“And we can start sending out the invitations...” Mitzy said giddily, holding out her hand to admire the glittering stone.
He caught her by the waist and tugged her close. “This is quite a Christmas gift!”
Mitzy wreathed her arms about his neck and tilted her face up to his, all the love he had ever wanted to see reflected in her pretty eyes. She whispered affectionately, “I love you, Chase. I’ve always loved you...”
Talk about every Christmas wish he’d ever had coming true! “I’ve always loved you, too, sweetheart,” he murmured hoarsely. “And I always will.” He lowered his head and they kissed again.
“So it’s official? We’re on again?” Mitzy asked, at long last.
Feeling like he’d finally come home, Chase brushed his lips across her temple, her cheek, her ear. “You bet we’re on.” He found his way to her lips once again. “It’s time we started living our lives the way they were meant to be lived—together—as husband and wife!” He tunneled his hands through her hair and captured her lips in another ardent kiss.
She kissed him back deeply, holding fast, finally prepared to let down her guard and take that final leap of faith with him. “And speaking of holiday miracles...!” she teased softly.
Chase wrapped his arms about her. “Looks like we found ours, after all.”
She flashed the enticing smile he adored. “You’re right about that, cowboy,” she murmured contentedly. “This is shaping up to be the Best. Christmas. Ever.”