Christmas In Virginia

  CHRISTMAS IN VIRGINIA

  BY

  MYLN HURN

  CHRISTMAS IN VIRGINIA

  An Ellora's Cave Publication, December 2004

  Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

  1337 Commerce Drive, #13

  Stow, OH 44224

  ISBN MS Reader (LIT) ISBN # 1-4199-0068-4

  Other available formats (no ISBNs are assigned): Adobe (PDF), Rocketbook (RB), Mobipocket (PRC) & HTML

  CHRISTMAS IN VIRGINIA (c) 2004 MLYN HURN

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. They are productions of the authors' imagination and used fictitiously.

  Edited by Linda Carroll-Bradd.

  Cover art by Syneca.

  Warning:

  The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. Christmas In Virginia has been rated S-ensuous by a minimum of three independent reviewers.

  Ellora's Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica(tm) reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (E-rotic), and X (X-treme).

  S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination.

  E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. In addition, some E-rated titles might contain fantasy material that some readers find objectionable, such as bondage, submission, same sex encounters, forced seductions, and so forth. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry; it is common, for instance, for an author to use words such as "fucking", "cock", "pussy", and such within their work of literature.

  X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Unlike E-rated titles, stories designated with the letter X tend to contain controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

  Chapter 1

  Jack Spencer parked his car at the lower end of his sister Cindy's drive. He knew he was the last to arrive, but at the last minute, he hadn't been able to leave the office as originally planned. The rest of the family had probably arrived several hours earlier, as he had wanted to do. He'd known his mother was arriving a day earlier than everyone else, and he'd hoped to spend some time with her privately.

  Jack climbed out of his luxury sedan and started up the drive, carrying his overnight bag. Immediately he noticed the Christmas decorations along both sides of the long path. They seemed at odds with the unusually warm weather. Across the lawn were several wired shapes, which he recognized as lighted animal shapes. Frowning, he remembered the last time he'd seen those had been in his mother's lawn. What were they doing here?

  With a shrug and a small smile, he recognized the cars as he passed them. The one he parked directly behind was a dirty full-sized truck, and he knew it belonged to his next younger brother, Patrick. He farmed the land of their father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He noticed it was a newer version of truck than last time he'd seen him. This one had the longer cab. Pat had probably gotten it because his two sons were now teens, and probably had legs as long as Pat's. He considered it a miracle that Jean, Pat's wife of almost twenty years, was still with him. She had the patience of Job to put up with Pat and two sons.

  Parked on the far side of the truck was a jaunty secondhand sports car. He had purchased the car for his twin sons, David and Daniel, two years ago when they headed off to college. He was glad the boys were here already because it would be nice to spend some extra time with them if he could. The last eight years had been hard on them all. His wife, Celia, had died two years before the first election, when the boys were just nine. Both his and Celia's mothers had been godsends. He never would have made it without them.

  Sometimes he wondered if he shouldn't have quit after the successful campaign for re-election. Since his whole family was used to the shift in their lives, and with his sons' approval, he'd chosen to continue serving. The honest truth was that he'd enjoyed every tense, important and often frustrating moment of the Harding Administration.

  Jack stopped abruptly as a flash of bright red nearer the house caught his eye. He expected the closest car to the house to be his mother's, but he didn't recognize it. No way could a car like this belong to his mother. Ruth drove a very sensible, four-door brown sedan. This was a cherry red convertible. Even though the weather was unseasonably warm, he was surprised to see the top down. He noticed the white leather interior and shook his head. He couldn't imagine who in hell would drive a car like that!

  Just then, a ball flew out from behind the house. A little girl, about eight years old or so followed it. As she neared, he recognized Kristi, his sister Janet's youngest. He wondered where her twin, Karen, was since they were seldom parted.

  She saw him and stopped chasing the ball. Her voice was extremely loud as she practically screamed to get everyone's attention, "Uncle Jack is here."

  In just a few seconds, he was besieged by a fair number of teenagers, and little Kristi who demanded to be picked up.

  David picked up the petite little girl, and then put her on his shoulders. She squealed her delight, her fingers clutching his hair.

  Daniel reached out and took his father's bag. Both boys greeted their dad with a smile.

  Jack felt a momentary pang, remembering the days when they would run up to hug him. But they were both tall, at least six feet, and well-built young men. They had their mother's dark hair and eyes. Before he could say anything, he heard his mother calling out for everyone to come to the backyard because the food was ready. Today doesn't seem like Christmas, Jack thought sadly. The temperature was unseasonably warm enough for everyone to be running around outdoors in shorts, and they were cooking on the grill.

  Jack laughed when he saw his mother dressed in a white apron, sporting a huge red lobster on it and a tall, white chef's hat. She had a long fork in her hand and was obviously in charge of the grill. He saw his two sisters, Janet and Cindy, seated at one of the long picnic tables. His three sisters-in-law joined them-Jean, Felicia and Sally. They all waved, but didn't stop their engrossing conversation.

  He walked over to his mother and kissed her cheek lightly. "It's good to see you, Mother," he told her softly.

  Ruth paused and saw the tinge of sadness in his eyes. He was a hard man to the world, but he would always be her firstborn, her baby. He was the image of his father John. He had his father's blond hair, now graying a bit. His eyes were just as clear and blue as her husband's had been. He was about six foot tall, and while his suits always concealed his body, she knew he had a hard, muscular physique from long workouts to relieve the stress of his job.

  He had been the youngest man ever to hold his position in the government. And his good friend Thomas Harding had been a young president. They had learned together, making mistakes along the way. She was glad he would be out of the rat race soon. He had received quite a few offers to join different prestigious law firms, but he had not yet committed himself. No doubt, he would be spending the next days and weeks deciding where his future lay. She tried not to show how much she wished he would settle here, in the area. He had missed out on so much of his family, and the changes they had gone through. His sons would definitely benefit from having their father closer at hand.

  "You look tired, John," she told him softly, smiling at him.

  Jack grimaced. His mother was the only one to ever call him by his given name. Since grade school, all of his friends had called him "Spence" or like family, they called him "Jack". Even in the White House, he had been known as Spence. He nodded as he replied. "Not much longer, Mom, since the new guy takes over January twentieth. I'll com
e home and sleep in my old bed. Then it will be just you and me to rattle around in that big, old house together."

  He kissed her cheek, turning away as his brothers called out his name. As he turned, he thought a brief look of confusion appeared on his mother's face as a flush stained her barely wrinkled cheeks. But pushing away the concern, he figured it was just his own tiredness making him see things.

  Jack walked to where his brothers were trying to put up a net of some kind. He assumed they were running out of ideas to occupy all the kids. His brothers greeted him jokingly, calling him the "old man" and how it took him long enough to get there. Jack just stood for a few moments, taking in the wonderful feeling of being amongst family once again.

  At one of the nets stood his oldest brother Patrick and Phil, who squatted down, retying the ropes to the stakes. Phillip was fourth oldest at forty-three years, and a very successful lawyer with a large and prestigious firm just outside of Washington, near Arlington. Their daughter Melissa, at only fifteen years of age, was just as beautiful as her mother, Felicia. As a senior partner of the firm, Felicia's father had approached him to join as a full senior partner without any buy-in. Jack was having misgivings since his brother Phillip was a partner, and had been with the firm since he graduated from law school. He didn't want to cause problems by joining.

  The far end of the net had his youngest brother Michael occupied. Hard to believe Michael had turned forty. Jack looked around for Michael's wife, Sally. Their three children-Mandy, sixteen, and twin boys, Tracy and Terry, just turned fourteen in November-kept her running sometimes. Before he found Sally, he heard his baby sister, Janet, younger than him by ten years, yelling at her husband, Tom Tiner.

  "Tom! The girls are trying to steal your ball again!"

  Jack looked to where Tom stood beside Michael, and Chris and John, who were Patrick's two teenaged sons.

  Tom pointed towards his twin girls, who were giggling as they struggled over the same ball. "Chris, John! Retrieve the ball, please."

  Jack laughed as the teen boys loped good-naturedly after the girls. God! It felt good to be home.

  "Jack! Have mercy, man! I thought you'd come dressed to play!"

  He grinned at Cindy's husband Hank, who worked as vice president of the local bank. "I'll change later. It was cooler in DC."

  "You can be the judge then. We should be eating pretty soon anyway." He walked away to add his opinion to Michael's efforts with the ropes.

  Jack slowly let his gaze wander across the large, open yard, taking in the family gathered there. He grimaced as he realized how many teenagers were going to be in the house at one time. Slowly, thinking how quickly the last ten years had passed, he smiled. Caught up first with his wife Celia's illness, and then her death, followed by the frenetic pace of the campaign, and then by serving as Chief of Staff for two terms had been arduous on the easiest of days. And now, only twenty-eight more days remained before they all left the White House, after nearly eight years, for the last time.

  He shook his head sadly, amazed at how quickly time had gone by. He didn't regret the last eight years, but he knew the time away had taken a toll on his family, especially his boys, and Ruth. His mother was sixty-nine now, and while she was still pretty active, he worried about her. She was alone in the huge house where she'd raised her six children, and even though Patrick's house on the farmland was only about a mile away, they all still worried.

  He turned to ask Pat about the farm, when he heard someone calling for some help. Jack noticed that all of his brothers and brothers-in-law had looked towards the woman asking for assistance. Without giving it much thought, he glanced around to see what was garnering such rapt attention.

  Chapter 2

  A woman stood on the back steps, just outside the kitchen door. She carried a heavily laden tray and tried to hold onto several sacks of buns. Jack noticed several things all at once. First, she barely got the words out of her mouth before she was deluged with offers of help from his sons and Pat's two boys. Laughing, she let the four young men take different things from her.

  Jack then noticed how beautiful she was. She had long, sun-streaked blonde hair and was obviously tan. She was probably about five and a half feet tall. What was quite remarkable was her stunning figure, and it was shown off to advantage in jean shorts and white cotton shirt, which was tied high on her midriff, just below her full and obviously unbound breasts.

  Jack turned to ask one of his brothers who the woman was, but the words died on his lips as he saw the stunned looks on their faces. Jack shifted around and looked at the table where the women were seated. He noticed that they were all hunched forward and whispering furiously. Jack didn't know the stranger, but it was obvious she was a disruptive force in the house. Deciding to discover her identity, he started to call out to his nearest brother. Abruptly he stopped when he heard his mother talking.

  "Laena, dear, come over here. I want you to meet my oldest boy, John."

  Jack took a step forward, to go back over to his mother. He thought he heard one of his brothers mutter something that sounded like "good luck" before he was too far away. He'd barely come to his mother's side when she reached out to him with her hand. He took it and let her pull him close. Half-listening to his mother, he looked the woman over in detail. He scoffed at himself as he realized that he had already spent a fair amount of time assessing the woman's attractions.

  Her eyes were a dark blue, almost like the bluish-purple of pansies. He could see she wore no makeup, but her lashes were a dark blondish-brown and matched her brows. She was smiling at his mother, and he could see her lips were full and curved, revealing her white, straight teeth. He looked down quickly and took in the firm, full breasts that were pressed against the white cotton shirt. The shorts were a little loose, and fell to just below her waist, revealing a perfect belly button. He started to look back up when he noticed the small gold ring that pierced her skin.

  When he returned to her face, Jack was chagrined to discover the woman was watching him stare at her body. He couldn't help the bright flush that stained his cheeks. He felt like a gauche schoolboy who had just gotten caught staring at a stolen centerfold picture. The analogy was apt, he told himself silently. She had the kind of body one always saw in a flashy magazine, the kind that came with a foldout.

  Laena Hunt held out her hand towards the man she had seen countless times on the news, and in many pictures around Ruth's house. From infant, to toddler, first-grader, teenager and finally college graduate. She felt she knew him from all the stories Ruth had shared with her over the last few months. It took a moment before Jack took her hand. His grip was firm, what you would expect from a politician, she told herself with a small smile. She looked into his face, but could read nothing. Then she heard him repeat her name. She wanted to deny the shiver that chased up her arm and through her spine at the touch of his hand to hers. She turned as she realized Ruth was speaking to her.

  "Laena, dear, you get something to eat first and go sit down. You have done all the work this afternoon. John, dear, you sit with Laena and make her feel at home. I'll join you both in a few minutes."

  Laena accepted a hot dog and went over to get a bun. She put a few other things on her plate, aware that Jack Spencer was following right behind her. She went to the farthest picnic table, which she had been getting used to sharing with the children. They all seemed to like her. She was intensely aware of the negative looks she always received from Ruth's daughters and daughters-in-law. A moment later, Jack took the seat opposite her. She told him quickly, "You should change your clothes, Mr. Spencer. The wood on these benches is a little rough and might ruin that nice suit."

  Jack looked up and met Laena's gaze, seeing the sincerity on her face. "It will be fine for the short time I'll be out here. I'll change after we all eat."

  He watched her take a bite of her hot dog, almost staring as her white teeth bit through the hot dog and bun. He was jolted to his core as he felt a searing bolt of arousal s
hoot through him. Immediately he wondered how those pretty white teeth might feel nipping at his flesh. Damn! He hadn't felt this kind of attraction to a woman since his wife had died. Basically, he'd been too damned busy the last eight years. Perhaps, feeling a moment of humor come over him, he should be grateful she wasn't watching her carb-intake and eating the hot dog without the bun. He opened his mouth to question just who exactly she was, but suddenly he was distracted as both his sons joined the table, sitting on either side of Laena.

  Both boys started talking at the same time, and Jack watched how she juggled the two young men. She talked to them both equally, and was very careful he noticed, not to be too friendly with either one. He realized with a start of surprise that his sons were young men. And obviously, they were now attracted to women, not just young girls their own age. Jack took a deep breath, preparing to try and speak to Laena again. Before he could say a word, Pat's two sons were jostling him, sitting on either side. Chris and John were obviously just as smitten with the beauty seated opposite him as his own two sons were.

  Over the next few minutes, the four younger men competed actively for Laena's attention, barely giving her a chance to eat. Jack got the distinct impression this was not the first time this scenario had been enacted, either. Before he could think of a way to interrupt the youthful conversation, his mother arrived.

  Ruth told all four boys to move on without the slightest bit of compunction, she needed to talk with Laena, and it was ages since she'd had lunch with her oldest son.

  The four boys obeyed their grandmother, even if reluctantly.

  Ruth sat next to Laena, which surprised Jack. He thought she would sit next to him. He was going to have to get to the bottom of this mystery. Just who was this young woman, and what part was she playing, if any, in his mother's life?

  Ruth took a bite of the potato salad and complimented Laena on it. She looked at Jack and commented casually on what a good cook Laena was.