Just In Time for Christmas
Page 11
“Look at you, the optimist,” Trent said, “hoping you’re gonna get laid.”
“I’m hoping I’m going to get forgiven,” he said, and kept shoveling.
*
Miranda drove across the connector and didn’t see a soul on the highway. Everyone in the Lowcountry was all snug in their beds, dreaming about Christmas morning with pralines and benne wafers in their stocking. She turned right on Highway 17. Still no cars. Kind of spooky, in a way, and it made her feel more alone and empty than she already did.
When she reached the Francis Marion Highway that led to Magnolia Bay, she slowed to a stop. A herd of deer, seven to be exact, had taken over the entrance to the highway. Some were grazing on either side like she wasn’t even there. A few were standing smack in the middle of the road, pretending to be invisible. A young buck, making a total of eight, sauntered across the road, leading the herd to the other side.
Miranda smiled. Eight deer. Not tiny. Not reindeer, but still. “Well, that’s as close to a Christmas Miracle as you’re gonna get,” she said to herself.
There was nothing but thick brush on either side of the Francis Marion for fifteen miles. She’d driven the road enough to know those weren’t the only deer around. She rolled down the window, went slow, and drank in the crisp Lowcountry night.
Soon, the city limits came into view. Almost home. She hung a right on Spencer Road. Some of the residents had forgotten and left their Christmas lights on. During the holidays, the place was always magical-looking until ten o’clock, with almost every house on the street tastefully decorated. Millions of Christmas lights.
Her house was in site and was lit up. Weird, since she had the lights on a timer set to go off at ten. When she turned into her driveway, her heart stopped and then stuttered ninety miles an hour. Snow. Her yard was covered in snow.
She shoved the car in park and got out, leaving it running, unable to believe what she was seeing. Snow and Logan Mauldin. Jeans, no shirt, looking gorgeous and exhausted. He thrust the shovel into the pile that was maybe six feet square and looked at her, arms corded from all that shoveling. Chest heaving.
“Logan, what are you doing?”
“Snow, Miranda. I’m giving you snow.”
“But why?”
“Because I love you. And I want to give you the perfect Christmas, because you deserve that.”
Tears filled her eyes. Her heart beat out of her chest. “It’s beautiful. So beautiful. But Logan—”
“Just hear me out. I have loved you my whole life; I just didn’t know it. And then, when I did figure it out, I hurt you, and I’m so sorry. So damn sorry.” He threw the shovel down and got in her space. “But I’m tired. Really tired. I just need for you to forgive me. I—”
“Logan, please.”
“I love you. Even though the snow melting all to hell, I made this miracle for you, and I’m not even sure if all of this is enough for you. If I’m enough for you.”
“Shut up. Shut up.”
He reached for her, and she didn’t pull away.
She looked into his gorgeous green eyes, touched his stubbled face. “I love you, Logan. I don’t care that the snow is melting, Logan. You. You are my Christmas miracle.”
*
Christmas morning, Miranda watched the sunbeams shining in her bedroom window. Logan was passed out beside her. He’d fallen asleep almost the second his head hit the pillow with a sexy smile. “I love you,” he’d whispered. “So damn much.”
He slept like the dead and was so exhausted, she could have tap danced on his broad beautiful chest, and he wouldn’t have known it. But she couldn’t sleep; she was too keyed up. Too excited about the most perfect Christmas present she could have ever received. Logan.
She’d watched Christmas movies all night either snuggled up beside him or lying on his chest, her girl parts giddy with anticipation for him to wake up. She’d caught the snow scene from White Christmas twice. One thing was for sure, Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye didn’t have anything on Logan Mauldin. Prancer was her all time favorite movie, followed by A Christmas Story. One of the cable channels was running It’s A Wonderful Life continuously.
It was the tail end of the movie. George Bailey was filled with the joy of knowing he already had everything he wanted, everything that was truly important to him. Miranda smiled, ran her finger across Logan’s stubbled chin and kissed his cheek. “I love you,” she whispered. It was a wonderful life.
A wonderful Magnolia Bay life.
The End
From Miranda’s kitchen
Red Velvet Pancakes
1 can cream cheese frosting
1 cup whole pecans toasted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons red food coloring
DIRECTIONS
Whisk the flour, white sugar, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt together in a bowl until evenly blended; set aside. Beat the eggs in a separate mixing bowl until smooth. Whisk in 1/4 cup milk with the buttermilk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, vinegar, and food coloring. Stir in the flour mixture until moistened. Drizzle in the melted butter, and stir until the butter has incorporated and small lumps of flour remain.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter. Top with syrup and pecans (and an optional dollop cream cheese icing) to serve.
From Mom’s kitchen
Easy Peasey Sausage Balls
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2 cups of Bisquick
1 pound of pork sausage
1 pound extra sharp cheddar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more if you like them spicy!)
Mix all ingredients until blended together and form into walnut size balls. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked through. Experiment with the doneness and do not over cook as they will be dry.
From my kitchen
Zucchini Breakfast Casserole
INGREDIENTS
6-8 eggs
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce or other hot chili sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced red sweet pepper
3 cups grated zucchini (from 2-3 fresh zucchinis)
1 1/2 cups chopped plum tomatoes (from 4-5 fresh tomatoes),
1/2 cup sliced fresh basil (from about 20 leaves)*
4 cups cubed day-old bread (from about 4 slices)
Olive oil
DIRECTIONS
1 Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl beat the eggs. Add the ricotta and beat until smooth. Mix in the grated Parmesan cheese, Tabasco, salt and pepper.
2 Prepare the vegetables and bread. Once you chop the tomatoes, squeeze excess moisture out of them by pressing them in a sieve, or wrapping in paper towels and squeezing. Add the tomatoes, basil, and zucchini to the egg mixture. Moisten the bread cubes with a little water then squeeze out any excess moisture using paper towels. Mix the bread cubes into the egg mixture.
3 Coat the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking dish generously with olive oil. Pour the egg vegetable mixture into the baking pan and even it out in the pan. Sprinkle the red peppers over the top and press lightly into the mixture to dampen. Place in the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes at 350°F. The casserole should puff up and brown lightly. If it hasn’t after 30 minutes at 350, increase the heat to 425° and cook for 5-10 minutes further. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for 10 minu
tes before cutting into squares to serve.
Southern Born Christmas Series
If you enjoyed Just in Time for Christmas, you’ll love some other Southern Born Christmas stories!
Holiday at Magnolia Bay by Tracy Solheim
A Very Married Christmas by Erika Marks
The Trouble with Christmas by Kaira Rouda
About the Author
Kim Boykin is a women’s fiction author with a sassy Southern streak. She is the author of The Wisdom of Hair, Steal Me, Cowboy, and Palmetto Moon (Summer 2014.) While her heart is always in South Carolina, she lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband, 3 dogs, and 126 rose bushes. For more on Kim’s books, visit her website at http://www.kimboykin.com
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