Undercover Christmas

“Are you all right?” Vanessa cried, although he obviously was fine.

“What about the damage to the truck?” Jabe asked.

“The truck?” Hayes asked, anger flickering in his gaze as he sat down and began to dish up his plate. “The truck is repairable.”

“The truck is the least of our worries,” Vanessa cut in, sending a look at Jabe.

He grumbled but returned his attention to his meal.

Marni watched Chase pick at the food he’d put on his plate. He looked as uncomfortable as she felt. She caught both Hayes and Dayton stealing curious glances at her. But then, why wouldn’t they be? They had to wonder who she was, what she was doing at their dinner table, seven months pregnant, and why she was sitting next to Jabe as if part of the family.

What was she doing here? More and more she felt she was on a fool’s errand. What possible good would it do to talk to Chase after he’d already denied even knowing her. And now it sounded as if the roads were probably getting worse by the minute. But she had to give it one last try with Chase. For El’s sake.

“I hate to eat and run,” Marni said pointedly to Jabe.

He nodded, letting her know he remembered his promise, but then said, “We couldn’t possibly let you leave with the storm as bad as Hayes says it is. Not in your fragile state.”

Fragile state indeed. “You don’t understand. I have to work tomorrow.”

Jabe shook his head. “By now the road out of here will be impassable.”

“He’s right,” Hayes said. “It’s much too dangerous. Especially in your…condition.”

Marni started to argue that she’d driven icy roads all her life, having been born and raised a Montanan, but to her astonishment it was Chase instead of Jabe who cut her off.

“It’s settled,” Chase said, slamming down his wineglass. “You’ll stay the night and leave first thing in the morning after the roads are plowed and sanded.”

Marni groaned inwardly, but knew there was no point in arguing. She’d leave in the morning. After she’d finished her business with Chase. What was one night in a haunted house with people who hated her, anyway?

In the deathly silence that followed, Vanessa signaled for Hilda, who hurriedly cleared the dinner dishes and brought in a bottle of champagne on ice and a huge cake with one large pink candle and Congratulations! scripted across the white icing in bright pink.

Marni stared at the cake. She had a strong feeling it wasn’t for her and Chase. In fact, she suspected she’d put a damper on a family celebration by showing up when she did.

Vanessa irritably motioned Hilda away the moment the housekeeper had poured the champagne and lit the candle. “We have something to celebrate tonight,” Vanessa announced. Her smile looked strained as she glanced almost warily at Jabe.

Jabe appeared surprised. And maybe a little worried.

“Felicia and Dayton have an announcement,” she said and took her seat again.

Dayton got to his feet. “Felicia saw her doctor today and it’s a girl,” he announced without preamble.

If Marni thought the news would be met with cheers, applause or even halfhearted congratulations from the rest of the family, she was mistaken.

Lilly let out a startled cry, spilling her wine, then rushed from the room. Hayes looked to Marni as if he felt he should say something on behalf of his wife, then hurried out after her. Following their departure, a hush fell over the room. It was Chase who broke it.

“Let me be the first to congratulate you.” He raised his glass in a toast. “Dayton. Felicia. To the firstborn grandchild of Jabe T. Calloway. A girl.” His gaze shifted to his father. “Jabe finally has what he wanted, a grandchild.” A tension Marni couldn’t comprehend danced in the air like Saint Elmo’s fire.

Jabe got slowly to his feet. He picked up his glass and raised it. Marni started to raise hers, then realized the rest of the family hadn’t touched their champagne.

“To my first grandchild,” Jabe said, his voice cracking with emotion. Or anger. Marni couldn’t tell which.

He looked over at Marni. Her glass seemed filled with lead as she lifted it and he touched the rim of his glass to hers with a tinkling sound that echoed through the room. “To my first grandchild,” he repeated.

Marni lifted the glass to her lips. No one else in the room had moved. She took a sip of the champagne, realizing that everyone was staring at her. She quickly put the glass down.

“What’s going on here?” Dayton demanded sourly.

Jabe looked at Chase.

Marni thought she could have heard a snowflake drop in the room.

“We may have double reason to celebrate,” Jabe said to Dayton. “I may have been blessed with not one grandchild, but two. It seems Elise is also carrying my grandchild. It appears it will be my first grandchild.” He shifted his gaze to Chase. “Chase’s child.”

Felicia gasped. Dayton let out an oath. Vanessa looked across the great expanse of table at Marni, hatred in her eyes.

But it was Chase’s reaction that worried Marni the most. He got up, hopped over to his crutches and left the room without a word.

Chapter Three (#ulink_faa9206d-209e-5dce-b6cd-cf0b571bf67b)

Jabe excused himself and went after his son, leaving Marni alone in the dining room with what was left of the family and their dagger-throwing glares. The silence in the room was stirling. But it didn’t last long. An argument between Chase and his father ensued outside the dining-room door.

“How dare you make such an announcement without even discussing it with me first,” Chase bellowed.

“Keep your voice down,” Jabe warned him. “You can’t just pretend you don’t know her.”

“I don’t know her!”

“That’s ridiculous,” Jabe said. “She told me in no uncertain terms how you feel about me. You must have made her…acquaintance. No one outside the family could paint such an unattractive—or accurate—picture.”

“This is all your fault, you and your damned ego,” Chase said. “I told you not to change your will. I warned you not to do this. Now look what you’ve done.”

“I offered you a chance to run my business, you turned it down.”

“You aren’t going to lay this on me! I wouldn’t be surprised if you were behind this.”

“What are you talking about?” Jabe demanded.

“That woman. I wouldn’t be surprised if you put her up to this. You just don’t give up, do you?”

“That’s ridiculous,” Jabe snapped. “You owe it to yourself to find out if she really is carrying your child.”

“And I’m telling you I’ve never seen her before in my life.”

“If you talk to her, you’ll find she’s very convincing,” Jabe said.

“Well, she’s going to have a damned hard time convincing me. I happen to remember the women I sleep with.”

“How can you be so sure?” Jabe asked, sounding almost reasonable. “Think of all the other things you haven’t been able to remember since the accident”