couldn’t help feeling sad about the past. It had been so lovely to have a family, to be part of that warmth. That was why she wanted to make it beautiful for Katy. A little girl should have some sweet memories to look back on when she grew up.
It was midnight when Bess went up to bed, and Jude hadn’t yet come home. She was still amazed that he’d agreed to her demands. But, then, he was full of surprises, and she wasn’t certain yet that he wouldn’t get even with her for forcing his hand. Maybe Katy’s expression on Christmas morning would be enough to stall him.
* * *
As it turned out, Jude didn’t make any snide remarks about the tree; in fact, he pretended it wasn’t there at all. But she saw him bring in a big, bulky package one night before Christmas and take it upstairs without saying a word about it to anyone. And suddenly her heart soared with happiness for Katy.
The only unpleasant note in the week before Christmas was a card from Crystal, saying that she’d only just gotten Bess’s note about the wedding and would come to spend the holidays with her and Jude. That was enough to spoil the spirit of anticipation that was building inside Bess. Crystal was all she needed right now, to shatter the delicate truce she was establishing with Jude.
She could have cried. Crystal had always taken things from her. Crystal, who was beautiful and fragile and spoiled. But Bess had never minded losing before. Now it was a different story. She had Katy and at least the hope of some kind of relationship with Jude if she was patient. What if Crystal decided she wanted Bess’s new husband? A black cloud settled over the holiday preparations, like the despair of the days before Bess’s mother had died. She felt old suddenly, and afraid.
Chapter Five
“W hat in the hell is this supposed to be?” Jude asked Bess as she was setting the table for supper on Christmas Eve.
She glanced at the gracefully folded napkin beside his plate. “It’s a napkin,” she told him.
He glowered at it, and abruptly lifted it in his lean hand and shook it out. “If it’s a napkin, suppose you let it look like one! This isn’t your plantation, little Georgia peach.”
She glared at him. “You’ll find napkins done that way in elegant restaurants all over the country,” she said with deliberate sarcasm. “If you’d rather wipe your mouth on your sleeve…”
His eyes flickered with a burst of emotion. “Like a savage?” he taunted. He threw the napkin down onto his plate. “That’s what you’ve always considered me, Bess. From the early days.”
“That’s not at all true,” she said quietly. She stopped lining up silverware and stood erect, her hair long and soft, floating around the shoulders of the white Victorian dress she was wearing.
“Isn’t it?” He laughed shortly. He bent to crush out his cigarette in the big ceramic ashtray she’d put out for him. “Then why do you throw pots at me, and try to slap my face, and…”
“Jude…” she said beseechingly. “Why can’t we let bygones be bygones?”
“Do you really think we can ignore the way we react to each other?” he said in surprise, and even smiled a little. “My God, I can’t remember the last time a woman fought me like you have.”
The remark brought embarrassing pictures to mind—Jude with a woman. She’d never thought about him in bed with a woman before, and it shocked her. Unfortunately, the shock was quite visible to his piercing eyes.
“That isn’t what I meant,” he murmured softly.
“Don’t read my mind,” she grumbled, turning back to her chore with fingers that trembled.
“Was I? What were you seeing in that suspicious little mind of yours? I didn’t think ladies ever dwelled on such sordid subjects as sex.”
She ignored the deliberate taunting. “Katy should be down any minute,” she said quietly. “Please don’t make fun of the dress I bought her to wear to the Christmas Eve service at church
It was midnight when Bess went up to bed, and Jude hadn’t yet come home. She was still amazed that he’d agreed to her demands. But, then, he was full of surprises, and she wasn’t certain yet that he wouldn’t get even with her for forcing his hand. Maybe Katy’s expression on Christmas morning would be enough to stall him.
* * *
As it turned out, Jude didn’t make any snide remarks about the tree; in fact, he pretended it wasn’t there at all. But she saw him bring in a big, bulky package one night before Christmas and take it upstairs without saying a word about it to anyone. And suddenly her heart soared with happiness for Katy.
The only unpleasant note in the week before Christmas was a card from Crystal, saying that she’d only just gotten Bess’s note about the wedding and would come to spend the holidays with her and Jude. That was enough to spoil the spirit of anticipation that was building inside Bess. Crystal was all she needed right now, to shatter the delicate truce she was establishing with Jude.
She could have cried. Crystal had always taken things from her. Crystal, who was beautiful and fragile and spoiled. But Bess had never minded losing before. Now it was a different story. She had Katy and at least the hope of some kind of relationship with Jude if she was patient. What if Crystal decided she wanted Bess’s new husband? A black cloud settled over the holiday preparations, like the despair of the days before Bess’s mother had died. She felt old suddenly, and afraid.
Chapter Five
“W hat in the hell is this supposed to be?” Jude asked Bess as she was setting the table for supper on Christmas Eve.
She glanced at the gracefully folded napkin beside his plate. “It’s a napkin,” she told him.
He glowered at it, and abruptly lifted it in his lean hand and shook it out. “If it’s a napkin, suppose you let it look like one! This isn’t your plantation, little Georgia peach.”
She glared at him. “You’ll find napkins done that way in elegant restaurants all over the country,” she said with deliberate sarcasm. “If you’d rather wipe your mouth on your sleeve…”
His eyes flickered with a burst of emotion. “Like a savage?” he taunted. He threw the napkin down onto his plate. “That’s what you’ve always considered me, Bess. From the early days.”
“That’s not at all true,” she said quietly. She stopped lining up silverware and stood erect, her hair long and soft, floating around the shoulders of the white Victorian dress she was wearing.
“Isn’t it?” He laughed shortly. He bent to crush out his cigarette in the big ceramic ashtray she’d put out for him. “Then why do you throw pots at me, and try to slap my face, and…”
“Jude…” she said beseechingly. “Why can’t we let bygones be bygones?”
“Do you really think we can ignore the way we react to each other?” he said in surprise, and even smiled a little. “My God, I can’t remember the last time a woman fought me like you have.”
The remark brought embarrassing pictures to mind—Jude with a woman. She’d never thought about him in bed with a woman before, and it shocked her. Unfortunately, the shock was quite visible to his piercing eyes.
“That isn’t what I meant,” he murmured softly.
“Don’t read my mind,” she grumbled, turning back to her chore with fingers that trembled.
“Was I? What were you seeing in that suspicious little mind of yours? I didn’t think ladies ever dwelled on such sordid subjects as sex.”
She ignored the deliberate taunting. “Katy should be down any minute,” she said quietly. “Please don’t make fun of the dress I bought her to wear to the Christmas Eve service at church
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