This Holiday Magic: A Gift from the Heart / Mine by Christmas / A Family for Christmas

“I called him for help and he came immediately. He brought his daughter.... They needed a place to live.”

“Dad, you know what he does for a living. He buys troubled businesses and then sells them off on a chopping block. He’ll do the same thing to your business. Why would you call him, of all people?”

“No, he won’t. His business had changed. He’s changed.”

“How could he change? That’s what he does for a living. He’s a shark and he’s very good at it. When we were together, he was here in town to buy and take over two different companies. He’s merciless.”

“Yes, I agree. I despised his tactics. But that’s not who he is—not anymore. He’s a troubleshooter now. Croft Enterprises is a consulting firm that handles businesses in financial and management crisis. He fixes businesses. He used to tear companies apart. Now he knows how to save them.”

“No, that doesn’t sound right.”

Ben nodded. “It’s true. For the past two and a half years, he’s been consulting with failing businesses and helping them turn things around. His services are well-known and very much in demand. I was lucky that he put me at the top of the list and came here so quickly. His success rate is excellent. His client list is a who’s who among the top Fortune 500 companies. And believe me when I say this—his waiting list is endless.”

“I find this hard to believe.”

“Believe it,” Ben said seriously. “I think his change had a lot to do with you.”

Janelle considered his words for a moment. She didn’t know what to think or to believe anymore. But right now Tyson wasn’t her main concern. “Okay, fine, so he’s turned from Sheriff of Nottingham to Robin Hood. What’s happening with your business now? What exactly is he doing to help you?”

“I had creditors and banks breathing down my neck. The IRS was ready to file charges. Tyson stepped in and, to tell you the truth, I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t. I think we’re close to finding the light at the end of the tunnel. There are no easy solutions. He’s given me some viable options, including taking on a business partner.”

“A business partner,” she repeated distastefully.

Ben nodded. “Yes, Tyson and I have narrowed down a few interesting prospects. One in particular is very impressive.”

“What about me? I could be your business partner.”

“No, this isn’t your life now, Janelle. You’re a doctor.”

“Dad, be careful. You always said business partners were trouble. You never wanted someone to take what you built.”

“Don’t worry. For the first time in a long time things are looking up. And speaking of time,” he said, looking at his watch, “I need to get to the office. I have meetings all day, starting in about thirty minutes.” He hung up his apron and left the kitchen, heading down the hall to his home office.

“With Tyson?” Janelle surmised, following him.

“No, it’s with a bank. Tyson set it up. So, tell me, what are your plans?” he asked.

“I’m having lunch with Nya at twelve and a quick coffee with my friend Meg at the hospital at three.”

“Meg Richardson?” he asked. She nodded and he smiled. “I always liked her. She was good for you. So, you’re really gonna stay?”

Janelle nodded again. “Yep, so far that’s the plan. I still have to look for a job and officially give my notice to Medics International, but looks like you’re stuck with me for a while.”

Ben reached over and squeezed her hand lovingly. “It’s my pleasure. It’s good to have you home again. When I returned your call last night and you didn’t answer, I was worried sick.”

“I didn’t get a call from you last night,” she said.

“I used Tyson’s cell phone.”

“I did get a phone call, but I didn’t recognize the number, so I didn’t answer.” She paused, watching her father gather his things to leave. “Dad, how did you know where to find Tyson after all this time?”

“We’ve kept in touch over the years,” Ben said, putting a few files into his briefcase.

“You kept in touch how? Why?” Janelle asked, surprised.

“I know, I know,” he began, nodding his head as he closed and locked his case. “Tyson and I weren’t exactly the best of buddies when the two of you were together, but I guess things changed.”

“That’s too much change. Talk about a Christmas miracle. If I remember correctly, you despised him when we were together.”

“Despised is a strong word,” Ben corrected as he slipped his suit jacket on and turned to her. “I felt Tyson was distracting you from your goal. I didn’t want that to happen. You always wanted to be a doctor. It was your dream. I didn’t want you to one day look back and have regrets. When you told me you were considering quitting your residency, I knew you were confused.”

“Dad, I don’t have any regrets and, for the record, back then I considered quitting my residency every other day. Medical school was hard.”

“I’m glad you didn’t. You know your mother quit her dreams for me. She wanted to be a doctor, too. This was way before you were born.”

Janelle frowned. “I never knew that. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Ben nodded. “I guess maybe I always felt guilty for standing in the way of her dream. She never said it, but I always felt she regretted giving it up to be my wife.”

“Dad, no. Mom would never even think something like that. She loved us fiercely. I’m sure she never regretted her life.”

Ben nodded solemnly. “No, you’re right. She didn’t. But when she died I promised myself I’d never stand in the way of your dreams. I’m very proud of you, Dr. Truman.” He hugged her, then grabbed his keys and started toward the front door. She followed. As he walked, he unfastened one key from the loop. “Here’s the key to the other car. It’s got a full tank. Go out. Enjoy your day.”

“Thanks, Dad,” she said, taking the key and kissing his cheek.

“Hey, how about I take my favorite girl out to dinner tonight?” Ben said as he opened the front door.

She nodded. “Yeah, that sounds perfect.” He turned to walk away. She called out to him. “Dad, wait. What aren’t you telling me? You’re hiding something. I can tell.”

He sighed, turned back to her and leaned down to kiss her cheek. “There’s nothing. I’ve told you absolutely everything about the business. Now, give my best to Nya and Meg. I have to go.”

She nodded slowly, knowing in her heart there was more to his story and his hasty retreat. She was to meet Nya at twelve, which gave her just enough time to catch up with Tyson to find out what was really going on.

She went back inside and quickly grabbed her phone and dialed Tyson’s number from her call log. He answered on the second ring, and his deep voice instantly sent a warm tremor through her body. “Tyson.”

“Good morning, Janelle. How are you feeling today?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Jet lag?” he asked.

“No.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Can we talk?”

“Of course. Where are you now?” he asked.

“I’m at my dad’s. I know you must have a busy work schedule, but do you think we can meet sometime today? This morning if possible?” she asked.

“How about right now?” he offered.

“Yes, perfect. I’m on my way out the door this minute. I can meet you wherever you’d like.”

She opened the front door and stopped and gasped.

Chapter 6

Tyson stood in the doorway with a smile that instantly sent her senses into emotional overdrive. As usual, gorgeous didn’t do him justice. He wore a charcoal-colored business suit with a white shirt and a dark tie. “Tyson,” she muttered breathlessly.

“Good morning again, Janelle,” he said, ending the call and smiling warmly. “I’m guessing this is soon enough.”

She stared at him with her cell phone still up to her ear. It was as if thinking about him all morning had, by magic, conjured him up. She didn’t know how, but ever since the very beginning of their relationship, he always had a way of knowing exactly when she needed him. “How did you...? What are you doing here?” she asked.

“You called me. I came. I thought that was obvious.”

“I’m sorry. You just took me by surprise again. I didn’t expect to see you immediately.”

“Actually, I wanted to catch up with Ben before he left for work this morning.”

“You just missed him, but I’m glad you’re here.”

“May I come in?” he asked, still standing on the top step.

“Yes, please, come in.” He stepped inside, paused and then turned to her. They stood there a moment until she spoke again. “Um, can I get you something to eat or drink?”

“No, thank you. I’m fine. Are you okay? You seem uneasy.”

“How is it you always know when I’m troubled?”

He smiled. “I don’t know. I guess I just do. What can I do to help?”

“It’s about my father. He’s...”

Tyson’s expression instantly changed. “What happened? Is he okay?” he interrupted, obviously concerned.

“Yes, he’s fine,” she said, noting his abrupt reaction and seeing his strained expression. “Apparently he’s better than fine. All of a sudden he’s eating right, exercising and taking care of himself. I couldn’t be happier.”

Tyson nodded with relief. “Good. I’m glad to hear it.”

“Come, we can talk in the living room,” she said, walking past him. He followed, looking around at all the decorations.

“Wow. I see you’re all ready for Christmas. This is incredible. I forgot how much your father loves the holiday season.”

“Yeah, he does,” she said. “He always tried to make it extra special for me because of my mother’s death. He never wanted me to feel sad.” She watched as he walked over to the Christmas tree and then to the fireplace mantel, where he fingered the stocking for his daughter. “He put up Christmas stockings for you and your daughter.”

“Yes, I know,” Tyson said, then turned to her. “He told me. He also invited us over for Christmas dinner, but that was before you came home. I’m sure he’ll want to spend the holiday with you.”

“There’s no reason for plans to change on my account. There’s always room for one or two more.”

“Thank you. So, tell me, what’s troubling you?”

“I need you to tell me the whole truth about what’s going on with my father. Is his business in real danger?”

“Yes, it is. Ben has made some questionable business decisions, and unfortunately, it’s put his company in serious jeopardy.”

“If it’s about money, I have a trust fund from my mother and her family. It’s worth quite a bit of money. I want to use that to help him.”

Tyson shook his head. “Ben has taken that off the table.”

“I’m putting it back on. I have a stake in the company, too.”

“We’ve talked about opening the company to public shares or taking on an investment partner.”

She shook her head. “I can’t see him doing that. He’s a very private man. I don’t think he’d be happy to have others involved in running it. But isn’t the real-estate climate improving?”

“Yes, it is, but at this point he’s in too deep and time has already run out on him. Maybe you can talk to him. He’s stubborn. And unfortunately, he may have no choice. Whether or not he is reluctant, private investors may be his only alternative.”

She nodded. “I’ll try.”

“Good. Thank you. I guess I’d better go.” He walked away.

“Earlier, when I asked about my father, you seemed worried.” Tyson stopped and turned to her. “You know something else about him, don’t you?” she prompted. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“What do you mean?” he asked innocently.

She shook her head, knowing his expressions too well. Just like her father, he was hiding something. “Please don’t play games with me, Tyson. This is too serious. I know you just as well as you think you know me. You’re hiding something, just like Dad. What is it? What’s going on?”

“You need to talk to your father about this.”

“He’ll give me the same double-talk I get from you. Tyson, please, if you know something about my father, tell me. I have to know.”

Tyson took a deep breath. “Why don’t we sit down?” he offered.

Her insides tensed. This didn’t sound good already. She quickly assumed that there was more bad news about her father’s business, which might be in worse shape than she’d originally thought.

He took her hand and led her to the sofa. They sat side by side. “Janelle, I came back about eight weeks ago to help your father.”

“Yes, I know that already.”

“What you don’t know is this isn’t the first time I’ve been back to Baltimore to help him. I was here shortly after you left for Tanzania six months ago. I stayed in your home for about two months.”

“I don’t understand,” she said. “Why?”

“Ben had a problem and he asked me to come.”

She shook her head. “Another business issue?” she asked.

“No, he had some medical trouble.”

Her heart jumped instantly. “What? Wait, I don’t understand. He had medical problems and he called you and not me? Why?”

“He didn’t tell you because he didn’t want to worry you. He knew that if he told you, you’d come back to the States and stay here for him, and he didn’t want that.”

Her mind was a-jumble with a million questions. “No, this makes no sense. What kind of medical problems?” she asked, trying to think rationally. But all her years of self-composed medical training had gone out the window.

“Ben suffered a minor heart attack and a TAI.”

“You mean a TIA? A transient ischemic attack—a ministroke?”

He nodded.

Janelle gasped. Suddenly she couldn’t breathe. The air in the room seemed to evaporate. She jumped up and ran to the front door. In an instant Tyson was right behind her. He stopped her before she could get to it.

“Janelle, stop,” he said, standing between her and the door.

“Get out of my way, Tyson. I need to go see my father.” She stepped to the side, but he blocked her way again.

“Janelle, stop and listen to me.”

“Move,” she demanded angrily, then pushed past him.

“Janelle,” he said, grabbing her arms and turning her around to face him. Tears began streaming down her face. “Listen to me.”

“No, I don’t want to listen.” She didn’t need a medical degree to know that her heartbeat was elevated, her breathing erratic and her pulse out of control. She tried to push away from him, but he held tight to her arms. “Tyson, you need to let go of me now.”

“Calm down,” he said.

She glared at him. “Are you kidding me? You want me to calm down after hearing that my father almost died and I didn’t know anything about it?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I want. You can’t just run off to him like this. Please, let me finish. Ben is fine. With medical treatment and preventive care, his cardiologist is very encouraged by his progress. He had a procedure and he’s changed his lifestyle. He’s doing fine. You wanted the truth? This is it. He’s fine. I would never lie to you. You know that.”

She did know it. She swallowed hard and looked at her hands on his chest. His heartbeat was just as elevated as hers. She tried to push by him again, but this time he quickly wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

At first she struggled. Then knowing it was futile, she held her breath and tensed. Everything inside her wanted to explode as the memory of her mother dying on Christmas Day and the image of her father collided in her mind.

Then she exhaled and crumpled against him, giving way to the feelings long buried in her heart. As always, he was here for her. She closed her eyes and breathed in the sweet, spicy scent of his cologne. Yes, this was what she remembered so well. Tyson—strong, commanding, powerful, yet tender, gentle and forever loving.

Being here in his arms, hearing his soothing voice, feeling him this close... The memories washed through and flooded her heart, bringing back feelings she had tried for so long to deny. This was where they had started and she knew in her heart that she had never stopped loving him. “I can’t...I can’t lose him.”

“I know,” he whispered softly in her ear as he stroked the length of her back. “You won’t lose him. I promise.”

He kissed her forehead, tenderly soothing the tears and sobs away.

She reveled in the strong protection he offered. Here, in his arms, nothing bad could ever happen. He had a way of always making everything all right.

She didn’t know how long they stood there, but after a while she took a deep breath and stepped back. He released her and gently tipped her chin up with his finger. She looked up into his dark, loving eyes. They were safe and assuring. Right then she knew she was lost once more. Falling in love with Tyson had been easy the first time. Loving him now was as natural as breathing.

“He’s all I have left, Tyson...” she began.

“Trust me. You have more than you can imagine. I’m here. I will always be here for you.”

His words washed through her like a warm wave of calm. Trusting him had never been an issue. He had never lied to her. Years ago, when he’d told her that he was here for a job and would be leaving as soon as it was over, it had been the truth. But she’d thought she could persuade him to stay. He hadn’t and she’d been crushed. That was when she’d left.

“I’m okay. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have...”

“No, please don’t apologize,” he said, smiling. He cradled her face in his hands as his thumbs wiped away the last of her tears. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. Why does he have to be so wonderful? “I’m fine.”

He released her and she stepped back and looked away. “My heart breaks every time I see you cry. Did you know that?” She turned back to him and shook her head. He smiled. “Remember the first night we met?”

She nodded. “I’m surprised you remember that night,” she said.

“Of course I remember. How could I forget? That was the night my life changed, the night I fell in love with you.”

The lump in her throat instantly dissolved and her nerves stilled. It felt as if, all of a sudden, the world had slowed, just for that moment. Without thought or hesitation, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. It was completely impulsive, but it felt so right. He kissed her back and then everything she had been feeling exploded. All she could think about was being with him just one more time. The kiss deepened and the passion escalated. Then, suddenly, everything stopped. He pulled back.

“Janelle. Janelle, wait,” Tyson said, breathing hard and holding her from him. “We can’t. Not like this. You’re upset and vulnerable. I can’t take advantage of you and I don’t want you to have any regrets when we make love.”

“Tyson, I’m fine,” she assured him, moving closer.

“I know, but I’m not.”

“You’re turning me down.”

He leaned in and kissed the sweet underside just behind her ear. “You have no idea how much I want you right now. Believe me, when I walk out of here in the next few minutes I’m gonna hate myself, but this isn’t enough for us, not anymore.”

She licked her lips, took a deep breath and nodded slowly. He was right. She was upset and vulnerable, but she also wanted to be with him. Still she nodded. “Yes, you’re right. This is too fast.”

“I think I’d better go,” he said, turning to the door.

“Wait...” she said. He turned around. “Thank you.”

“For what?” he asked.

“For telling me the truth, for being here for me,” she said, half smiling. “For always being here for me.”

“Janelle, I will always tell you the truth, and there’s no other place I want to be except here with you.” He leaned down and kissed her lips tenderly. “I’ll see you later.”

“Later,” she said softly. She watched as he got into his car and drove off, then closed the door, walked over to the stairs and sat.

This was information overload. Her father seemed fine medically, but she still intended to talk to both him and his doctor. She grabbed her cell phone and called her father’s office. His voice mail answered, but she decided not to leave a message: she didn’t want to upset him. She went back into the living room and walked over to the mantel. Four Christmas stockings—it looked as though they were one big happy family.

She still couldn’t believe her father had called Tyson and not her. But if her reaction to hearing the news was any indication, then maybe he had been right not to do so. She was out of control and completely irrational. Going to her father at that moment would have gotten him upset and that was the last thing she wanted to do. Tyson was right. She needed to calm down before talking to her father.

She walked over to the sofa and sat, taking a deep breath before dialing her father’s office phone number again. He answered. “Hi, Dad. Got a few minutes?” she began.

“Hey, sweetheart. Sure—just a few, though. Everything okay?”

“Yes...well, not really. I spoke with Tyson a few minutes ago. He told me about your heart attack and stroke.” She heard her father sigh. “Dad, why didn’t you tell me? I could have come home. I could have been with you.”

“And that’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want you rushing home upset, and had I told you, that’s exactly what you would have done. I had the best doctors and the best medical care available. Believe me, if any further problems arose, I would have called you, but they didn’t. And now I feel better than ever.”

She couldn’t deny that. Her father looked better than he had in years. He’d lost weight, he was eating right and he was taking care of himself.

“That’s not the point. You should have called me.”

“To do what?” he asked. “There was nothing you could have done at the time except sit and worry, and I didn’t want that. Now, I need to get to a meeting and get my business back in just as good shape.”

“Okay, but I still want to talk about this.”

He chuckled. “Of course you do. Now go enjoy your day and don’t worry about me. I’m just fine.”

“All right. See you later.” She hung up, feeling a little better. Tyson was right. She thought about their conversation in the foyer and her reaction. He had always been the calm in the middle of her emotional storms. She couldn’t believe she’d kissed him! It was totally out of character for her, surprising both of them, even as he kissed her back. Janelle reached up and touched her lips. She could still feel the pull of his mouth on hers.

He seemed different, that much was without doubt—certainly not the arrogant and aggressive man he had been before. There was a gentle calmness about him now. Maybe it was his young daughter’s influence. Children had a way of changing a person’s world for the better—what was important one minute suddenly wasn’t anymore. But was he really different?

She didn’t know what to think. Her father obviously trusted him.

Her cell phone beeped with a text message from Nya, who was on her way to the restaurant. Janelle grabbed her purse and hurried out. Time enough later to worry about Tyson, her father and her future.

Chapter 7

Janelle parked her car a block away and hurried to the restaurant. When she tried to open the door handle, it was locked, and the dark, smoky glass obscured her view. She looked at the decorative sign in the window. The Chesterfield was one of the most prestigious restaurants in the Baltimore area. Its chef was world renowned and reservations were almost impossible to get... So where was Nya?

She looked around and then started to leave. A few steps away, she heard the restaurant door being unlocked and opened. She turned, seeing a gorgeous man dressed in jeans and a T-shirt standing in the open doorway. With blond hair and sea-blue eyes, he looked as if he’d come right off a movie set.

“Excuse me. Are you Janelle?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yes.”

He smiled and deep dimples cut through his handsome face. “Hi, I’m Brad. Come on in. We’ve been waiting for you.” He held the door for her to enter. Once inside she looked around, amazed by the sheer splendor and ambience of the entranceway.