Page 26 of Enduring Christmas

She sighed. "Probably not. These dates represent my past."

And he'd like to think their relationship was her future.

"The guy who keeps calling, is he your past?" Luke needed to know who he invited into his life. Xenobia had a past, so did he. Because he and Cheyenne shared a child, they would always a shared level of involvement in their lives. Would he have to afford Xenobia the same?

"I met my former husband during one of the Lady Guardians’ ride-along fundraisers. The phone calls are from my brother-in-law. Ramsey Tadeo."

During the night, Xenobia's phone had rung twice, the last call just before dawn.

"What's up with the daily autodial?"

"He lost his brother. I lost a husband. After Rook's death, I was pretty messed up."

Luke sat up, resting his back against the solid pine headboard. When Xenobia settled her head on the pillow next to him, he quickly wrapped her back up in his arms, keeping them close. It had to be difficult to talk about a former love with a new one, but he wanted to know about her past. It had taken him years to say Cheyenne's name without it triggering a barrage of anger.

"Keep talking."

"There you go bossing me around... again."

He laughed. "You like it."

"At first, I was numb, you know? It was Christmas morning. We both had gotten up early, me to pack gifts in the car for later and him...well he needed an hour to pick up my gift."

She began to tremble. Ramsey twisted her shoulders, bringing them face-to-face. "X, what happened?"

"He was gone for hours. I tried his cell, nothing." Her voice sounded far away. "The police came to my door about six hours later. Rook had been robbed outside of his apartment," she said in a rush. "An apartment I didn't know he had. Seems his girlfriend had witnessed the attack from their bedroom window. When I received his personal effects, he had her undies and my gift in his pocket."

Luke swallowed not sure what to say. "That's awful."

"I placed them both in his casket, wrapped of course."

She'd buried his secrets and kept the pain.

Luke captured her cheek. "You deserved better, Xenobia. Dead or alive, Rook was a fool." Xenobia's former husband had been a lying, cheating dirtbag. How had she coped with the fallout? It had to be hell, the gossip, and the humiliation. Luke remembered the weight of both after Cheyenne hightailed it to Sacramento with Todd.

"Ramsey rode into town to be at my side. He has always been protective of me, even during the marriage. He worries."

Weird that an older brother wouldn't trust a husband to care for his wife. Yes, his family had frequently checked on Cheyenne, but not because they thought he was a neglectful spouse.

"That's kind of understandable. You were once family."

"Not really. Ramsey is kind of a wanderer. He's an artist, paint, charcoal, wood, so he can work anywhere. He used to say the open road was his canvas. He has a bike that he rides wherever he wants to go. When it gets too cold, he puts it in a trailer, and he keeps on moving.”

"Not a bad life for a bachelor."

"Yeah," her voice trailed off, "but I don't think it's what he really wants."

"How old is he?"

"Thirty-eight, same as me. I just don't think he's found a reason to slow down."

"Does he need one?"

"He does. Ramsey is the type of guy who can fit in anywhere, and I think that's his problem. It doesn't really feel like he's really needed. He's fluid just looking for a woman to make him solid, whole."

"I can relate to that."

"You have Shiloh."