Read Online Healing Beau (The Brothers of Beauford Bend Book 6) by Alicia Hunter Pace - Free Book Online

have the luxury of cleaning the kitchen and making festive drinks before Santa,” Neyland said. “Next year the kids will have different ideas.”
    You
won’t have the luxury. Next Christmas won’t include me.
I’ll be wherever my mother is.
    But she wouldn’t say that, of course. Instead, she went to the refrigerator to search for mint. “You and Gabe have been here the whole time. What about your family?”
    “They’re at Uncle Mac and Aunt Polly’s with Heath and Hope. We were going to divide our time, but Mama said we should spend the whole holiday here, what with Beau being home. Our immediate family will get together tomorrow for gifts and more food. Which, of course, pleases Gabe to no end. He said if he’d realized he’d get two Christmas dinners, he would have gotten married years ago.”
    “That’s Gabe. I could never tell him and Rafe apart unless they were eating.” She went through the crisper again. Asparagus, lemons, lettuce, carrots, oranges. “Neyland, I don’t see any mint.”
    “Why do you need mint?”
    “I don’t. Aren’t you making mint juleps?”
    “No. Gwen’s homemade eggnog. I thought it would look pretty to put it in these cups.” Neyland picked up a pitcher of the foamy, white liquid.
    “Stop!”
    Neyland jumped and almost dropped the pitcher. “What?”
    “You can’t serve eggnog in silver. The egg will turn it black. Never put eggs, mayonnaise, or onions in silver.” She went to the butler’s pantry and pulled down the Waterford Powerscourt 12 Days of Christmas punch cups. “Here. Use these.”
    “I didn’t even know these existed. I’m glad I’m not curator of this place.” Neyland poured the bourbon from the silver cups into the crystal ones.
    “Don’t be silly. Beauford Bend is a home.” And it was—to everyone except Beau. It hurt her heart to see him adrift in the house he’d grown up in. “Here, Neyland.” Christian held out her hand. “I’ll rinse the mint julep cups.”
    “Thanks. And no bourbon for Emory.”
    “Or Beau. He’s not drinking while he’s taking pain pills.”
    “Right.” Neyland handed Christian two cups. “Take these for Beau and Emory so they don’t get mixed up. I’ll bring the tray.”
    The lights twinkled on the tree, and a fire burned in the fireplace in the big family room. Gabe, Rafe, and Abby tumbled on the floor with the toddlers and puppies. Jackson sat on one of the big, leather sofas idly strumming “Here Comes Santa Claus” on his guitar, while Emory leaned against his shoulder.
    It was an idyllic Christmas scene—except for Beau. He sat a little apart from the others, alone on one of the other sofas. As he watched the tumble of dogs, toddlers, and adults on the floor, there was a smile on his face that didn’t make it all the way to his eyes. Could there be a more despairing, lost expression?
    “Eggnog!” Neyland cried happily as she entered the room.
    “That’s my girl!” Gabe leapt up with an athlete’s grace and took the tray from his wife. “Let me help you.” He stepped toward Beau and held out the tray.
    “I have his,” Christian said. “No bourbon.”
    And Beau swung his face toward her. His smile faded, but his eyes took on a look of relief. Was it her imagination or—for the barest second—did he look like he’d been found?
    “I’ve been saving you a seat.” He took the eggnog from her. She was already sitting beside him before she realized she was still holding Emory’s cup.

Chapter Seven
    Nothing like Christmas ghosts to make a man need an anchor—even a man who’d crawled through jungles, parachuted into enemy territory, and shot people who needing shooting.
    The ghosts had been there when they’d opened their stockings and had breakfast. He supposed Emory had resurrected the stocking tradition, but she’d filled them with the same kinds of candy and silly little gifts his mother had. At breakfast, the food had been different, but the frivolity and the laughter had been