Christmas at Dove Creek

by Scarlett Dunn

  Lily pulled his face down to place a soft kiss on his lips. “I’ve never been so happy.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Lily and Thorpe were cooking breakfast together on Christmas morning, exhausted from their wedding night, but filled with excitement for the day ahead. Thorpe couldn’t keep his hands off his new bride, and he had her bent over the table kissing her when Stone came running into the kitchen.

  “It’s time!” Stone shouted.

  “Oh heavens,” Lily said when Thorpe released her. She looked at Thorpe. “Can we get the doctor out here?”

  “I don’t think there’s time,” Stone said.

  “The women are usually here right after breakfast,” Thorpe said, hoping their assistance would be enough to get Isabelle through childbirth.

  Ben stood in the doorway smiling at their worried faces. “This is a joyous time. Lily, I’ll finish up in here. You go help your friend.”

  Lily looked at her grandfather. “I’ve never delivered a baby. What if something happens?”

  “I was the one that helped your grandmother when your father was born. If you need help, I’m here.”

  Lily was comforted by his presence and she started giving instructions. “Boil some water, get me some twine and some extra bedding.”

  “As soon as the ladies arrive, I will send them up,” Thorpe told her.

  Stone followed Lily up the stairs. As soon as she entered the room, Isabelle said, “Lily, I don’t think it is going to be long.”

  Lily had always heard that the firstborn took a long time in coming. She hoped for Isabelle’s sake that this birth would be different. Lily grabbed her hand and asked, “Is there anything you want right now?”

  “Just talk to me. I think Stone is scared to death.”

  Glancing at Stone, Lily couldn’t believe this big strong man had fear in his eyes.

  Stone met her eyes. “It’s just that I feel so helpless. She’s in so much pain and I can’t do anything to help her.”

  Lily smiled at him. “Go on downstairs and have some breakfast and a large cup of strong coffee. I will be here with Isabelle. You can bring that water up after you’ve eaten.” Stone left the room and Lily sat beside Isabelle. “Are you in a lot of pain?”

  “It’s not too bad. Truthfully, I think riding in the wagon all those days was worse.”

  Lily laughed. “I don’t know how you did that.”

  “Lily, I really want this baby now. I hope God forgives me for the way I behaved after I found out about Ethan. When I think of all the terrible things I said and what I was thinking . . .”

  Lily squeezed her hand. “Hush now. I’m confident God understood your feelings and forgives you if you’ve asked. It’s not an easy thing to forget betrayal.” She thought of Thorpe and how his heart had been hardened after being deceived by Evelyn. “Isabelle, if you forgive Ethan, you will be blessed in ways you never imagined. Let Ethan’s wrongs go and think of them no more. If you can’t forgive Ethan, how can God forgive you?”

  “You are right, and I do forgive him.” Suddenly, she clasped Lily’s hand, hard enough that Lily thought she might break her fingers. “Lily, I think it’s time.”

  Forty minutes later, and before the women arrived to lend a hand, Riff Carson Justice came into the world screaming loudly.

  Lily wrapped him in a blanket and handed him to his mother.

  Stone came into the room to see his new son, and Isabelle said, “Meet your daddy.”

  Stone leaned down and kissed Isabelle tenderly and took his son from her arms. “Hello, Carson.”

  Tears welled in Lily’s eyes as she watched the new family. She glanced up when she heard the tap on the door.

  “Can I see the new baby?” Thorpe asked.

  Stone walked over to Thorpe and pulled the blanket aside so Thorpe could see his son. “He’s a fine-looking strong boy.”

  Thorpe was in awe seeing something so tiny. “Why, he’s not much bigger than the pups we found. What’s his name?”

  “Riff Carson Justice,” Stone replied. “We’re going to call him Carson.” He looked at his wife and added, “Isabelle liked that better than Riff.”

  “It’s a good name,” Thorpe said.

  Thorpe and Lily left the room to give the new parents some privacy. “Does that make you want one?” Thorpe asked Lily.

  “Yes.” As soon as she saw that sweet little’s baby’s face, she felt a longing to have Thorpe’s child.

  “Me, too. I guess we’d best work hard at having one.” Thorpe grabbed her and kissed her before they reached the staircase.

  “Behave yourself. Someone will see us.”

  “I’m sure they’ve kissed a time or two.”

  * * *

  The remainder of the morning was a flurry of activity. The men left the house to attend to the ranch while the women were cooking, and the puppies kept the children busy. The Christmas meal was planned for late afternoon to give the men time to complete their work for the day.

  Isabelle was too tired to come downstairs for dinner, so Stone ate dinner with her in their room. Everyone that lived on the ranch gathered around the table and Thorpe said the prayer. After dinner, the children opened their gifts from Thorpe before everyone left for their own homes.

  Stone left Isabelle’s side long enough to go to the stable with Jed to get Isabelle’s gift. When they returned, each man was carrying a wooden cradle. Stone carried the one for little Carson upstairs to give to Isabelle, and Jed placed the one he was carrying in front of the Christmas tree.

  “Jed, this is beautiful,” Lily said, admiring the craftsmanship. “But why did you make two?”

  “This one is for you and Mr. Thorpe,” Jed said proudly.

  Lily turned her wide blue eyes on him. “But how did you know we would even marry?”

  “Miss Isabelle was so certain, we just decided she was probably right.” Jed pointed to the carving on the head of the cradle. “Your grandfather carved this for us this morning.”

  Thorpe and Lily leaned down and saw the words Dove Creek perfectly carved into the wood.

  “Thank you, Jed. It’s a fine cradle.” Thorpe pulled Lily to his side and added, “And I intend to have a little one in it as soon as possible.”

  Everyone settled around the fire and opened their Christmas gifts. When Lily opened Thorpe’s gift, she was surprised he’d purchased the exact blue velvet she had admired in the mercantile. “This is the most beautiful material I have ever seen.”

  “I heard you say that in the store the day we went to town. Sadie said it would look beautiful on you.”

  Lily removed the paper on the second package and saw the white silk. “Oh, Thorpe, this is lovely. I love it, but it is so impractical.”

  Thorpe grinned at her. “A husband shouldn’t give his wife practical gifts. He should give her things he wants to see on her.”

  Lily gave him the shirt she’d made for him and she was thrilled with his response. “It’s too pretty to wear. It’s the color of your eyes,” he told her.

  Jed was moved to tears by the book Lily gave him. “Miss Lily, this is a wonderful present.”

  Thorpe asked Jed if he would accompany him to the barn. Jed was speechless when Thorpe gave him the tools he’d purchased from the banker. It was everything Jed would need to start his blacksmith business.

  They didn’t have a gift for Lily’s grandfather, but Thorpe resolved that problem by asking Ben to live with them for as long as he wanted. Ben was moved by Thorpe’s kindness, and said it was the best Christmas gift he’d ever received. He’d missed Lily, and now that he’d found his brother, he wanted to settle down and enjoy his family.

  Lily had mentioned to Thorpe she didn’t have a gift for Stone the day he went to town. He told her not to worry, he had a plan. Thorpe and Lily joined Stone and Isabelle in their room and Thorpe handed Stone an envelope. It was a bill of sale for two hundred head of cattle. “Lily and I wanted to help you start your ranch off right.”

&n
bsp; If Lily hadn’t already realized Thorpe’s generosity, she saw it that day in so many ways. Looking back on everything he’d done for all of them since they met him in Missouri brought a lump to her throat. She’d married a man without equal. She felt her heart would burst with pride each time she looked at him.

  Thorpe glanced her way and saw her staring at him. He winked at her. “Don’t get too tired, wife. I want you to go for a ride with me later tonight.”

  She couldn’t wait. She wanted to be alone with him, feel his arms around her, and tell him how much she loved him.

  * * *

  Thorpe and Lily were at the back door pulling on their coats for the late-night ride.

  “Where are we going?” Lily asked.

  “I’m going to show you a Christmas miracle,” Thorpe replied.

  She didn’t know what he had in mind, but it sounded exciting. He’d told her they would be taking the buckboard so she could sit next to him to stay warm.

  Before they walked out the back door, Ben handed Lily a small package wrapped in brown paper.

  “When you stop tonight you can open this present. It’s a gift for both of you.”

  Lily looked down at the package. It was wrapped just like the ones he’d given her each Christmas, the ones that always held one of his special carvings. “Thank you, but how do you know Thorpe plans on stopping?”

  Ben kissed her on the cheek. “He’s showing you his Christmas miracle.”

  * * *

  Blue jumped into the back of the buckboard and they rode slowly in the direction of the entryway to the ranch. It was a cold night with a full moon. The snow continued to fall, lighting up the landscape, making it easy to see where they were going. Lily wasn’t cold; she was snuggled close to Thorpe and he’d placed a blanket over her legs to keep her warm. When he reached the gate he rode through and turned the buckboard around to face the gate. He pulled the horses to a halt and pulled Lily in his arms.

  “I ride out here every Christmas night. I wanted you to see what I call my miracle.” He leaned over and kissed her.

  When their kiss ended, Lily said, “Thank you for a wonderful Christmas. You’ve made everyone’s dreams come true. It means so much to me that you asked Grandfather to stay on the ranch.”

  “You’ve made me the happiest man on earth. I think I’ve been waiting all my life to share this day with you. This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”

  Lily pulled her grandfather’s package from her pocket and handed it to Thorpe. “We’re supposed to open this.”

  He unfolded the brown paper and held up Ben’s carving. It was a replica of the entryway to the ranch. There were two doves carved atop the rail over the words Dove Creek Ranch with their wings spread wide, as though they had just descended from heaven. Beside the base of one log was a carved wolf. Blue. Thorpe looked at Lily and her expression reflected the same look of amazement. “This would have taken months to carve.”

  Lily nodded. “He’d work for months on all of his carvings. He rode in with Blue from the north, so he hasn’t even seen the entryway.”

  Just then, Thorpe heard a familiar sound, one he heard every Christmas. He pointed to the sky. “Look.” Blue stuck his head between them and they hooked their arms around his neck as they all looked up at the sky. With wings fluttering in the hallowed silence, two white doves descended from the midnight sky and landed on the gate in the same spot they did every year: above the iron forged letters of Dove Creek Ranch.

  “And I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove . . .”

  John 1:32