Christmas Spirit (Cutter's Creek Book 12)

by Annie Boone

  “I wonder what’s in that cider,” Lana said. “It seems to be making my dad do a double take.”

  “I’d like to know, too.”

  Mrs. Taylor took a sip from her mug, lowered it, and then quickly chugged down the rest.

  Something heavy settled into Felicity’s stomach, as Mrs. Taylor raised her mug. “I think I might need to have another sip to judge this one. Mary, dear, could you please pour me a bit more?”

  The mayor’s daughter filled the mug, and once again Mrs. Taylor drank it down. She actually smacked her lips.

  Felicity leaned over to Josh and whispered, “Whatever’s in that cider must be something really good.”

  He nodded with a frown. “Don’t worry, it’s not over yet.”

  Mrs. Pershing also raised her mug for another refill and the mayor's daughter promptly filled it.

  “Are you going to drink that, Sonny?” asked Gwendolyn Taylor a bit too loudly.

  Josh’s father shook his head and she promptly took his mug and finished what he had left. She burped loudly and then covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled.

  “I’d told ya, they’d love it,” Felicity heard Horace Willet say to his wife. “Those old biddies have always been fond of a certain ingredient, if you know what I mean.”

  Felicity turned to look at Sadie Willet who just looked at her husband with adoring eyes. What did he mean by a “certain ingredient”? What was going on?

  Mrs. Taylor swayed as she stood and reached over to take the jar of cider number ten. She poured herself another mug of cider and took a long sip. She set the empty mug down and looked out into the crowd. “Misheresh Perssshing and I have p-picked a w-winner!”

  The people in the crowd started looking around at each other with confusion. The buzz in the room got louder as people murmured to each other.

  Already? But don’t the judges usually discuss this in private before announcing the winner. They didn’t even consult with Mr. Garrett. Felicity was so confused about how this was all going.

  Mr. Garrett pushed back from the table and stood, shaking his head as he joined the two women at the edge of the table.

  “Nuuumberrr Ten!” Mrs. Taylor slurred. “Yessh. That’s the one.”

  Mrs. Willet jumped to her feet unable to contain her surprise and excitement. “That’s me! I’m number ten!” As she rushed to the front before the judges could change their minds, her husband sat in his seat chuckling loudly.

  Mrs. Taylor took another long sip of her cider and then dropped her mug. It broke on the floor and she looked down at it wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She didn’t appear to care about the mishap at all.

  When Sadie Willet made it to the front, Gwendolyn Taylor handed her a blue ribbon unceremoniously. “That was some good cider. Now maybe you should consider making your husband show up at church.”

  The light quickly dimmed from Mrs. Willett's eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but Gwendolyn Taylor had already moved on.

  “And maybe the mayor needs to pay more attention to what’s going on in this town,” she continued. “Too many men like Mr. Willet, there, spending time and money on drink and harlots down at the saloon. That wretched Ronny Joe Whitaker is down there every night with his laughable wife sitting at home waiting on him. Mayor! You do a terrible job!”

  Gasps sounded around the small church followed by more murmuring. Reverend Latsch rushed to the front of the room, frowning deeply with worry lines on his forehead. He took Mrs. Taylor by the hand, patting it gently. “I think something is troubling you?”

  She reached for the jar marked as number ten and took another long sip. “Yeah, mainly it’s your boring sermons.”

  Snickers filled the room. It was probably a good idea to get Mrs. Taylor out of the room before she shared all the secrets she knew. Caught up in all the drama, Felicity watched what was going on around Mrs. Taylor.

  She finally realized Josh was up talking to his father. He nodded and left to come back to his seat. He smiled as he walked toward her. A sympathetic smile that she really didn’t want from him, but she’d let it go.

  “Let’s get out of here.” Josh leaned in and held out his hand.

  She took it as tears rushed to her eyes. She had lost. The whole thing had been heartbreaking.

  Twenty-one

  Felicity bit her lip and followed Josh as he rushed out the door. Heat poured through her. She wanted to throw something, she felt so bad. She didn’t recall ever feeling this way before.

  “What could be so special about Mrs. Willet's drink, Josh? She must have gotten a new recipe because when I tasted it last year, it tasted like sugar water.”

  “It’s okay, Felicity.”

  “Is it?” She spun around, clenching her hands into fists. “My cider didn’t win. I wanted to win because it was my grandma’s recipe.”

  “Your cider was the best, Felicity. Even my pa said so, and he didn’t know which one was yours.”

  “Is that what you were talking to him about?”

  He nodded and looked away.

  She jabbed a finger at her chest. “Then why didn’t I win? If mine really was the best, then why did someone else win?”

  “Because it turns out Mrs. Taylor likes a certain special ingredient.”

  She planted her hands on her hips. “What’s that?”

  “Whiskey.”

  Felicity stilled, her hands falling to her side. What did he mean by that? Old Mr. Willet's words to his wife raced through her mind. That old fool cheated. She rushed past Josh, racing up the church steps. She flung the door open and rushed to old man Willet, shoving his shoulder. His eyes widened and he took a step back.

  “You cheated. You put whiskey in your wife’s cider.”

  The color drained from Mrs. Willet's tear-stained face, and she began shaking her head. “I didn’t know. I would never have entered if I had.”

  “Didn’t you?” Felicity shrieked.

  “Now, Miss, let’s not get all uppity here. That’s my wife you’re yellin’ at and I don’t rightly appreciate it.” Mr. Willet held up his hands.

  Felicity turned her head back to him. “Admit it. Your wife doesn’t deserve this. My grandmother’s special recipe does.”

  Two strong arms wrapped around her waist, backing up. She squirmed, pinching his arms.

  “Felicity, stop. This won’t help anything,” Josh said.

  “No! Tell him to admit that he cheated!”

  Tears rushed down Mrs. Willet's cheeks, as she buried her face into her plump hands.

  “Felicity, let’s just go,” Josh said.

  She wiggled, clutching at Josh’s hands as he dragged her backward. “Let me go, Josh. I mean it.”

  He spun her around and the floor slipped out from under her. He callously threw her over his shoulder and started walking. Her breath rushed from her as Josh raced her out of the church.

  “Let go of me!” She pounded his back. But he ignored her. The snow sped under him as his footprints blurred behind a veil of tears. The cold air bit at her stinging her cheeks. When he let her go, she’d make sure he never did this again.

  When they reached a small circle of trees. Josh dropped her to her feet and gripped her shoulders. “How could you do that to her?”

  “To her. What about me?”

  Josh dropped his hands, and took a step back, shaking his head. “You know Mrs. Willet faces so much shame because of her husband’s drinking problem. And you just threw it in her face, in front of everyone.”

  “Well, he cheated.” She flung her finger towards the church building.

  “Is that all you care about? Winning the cider contest?”

  “But how else was I to prove to you I can cook.”

  “Prove that you can cook? What?” He took a step back.

  “That’s what you want? Right? That’s what Nick told you to look for.”

  The tension slipped from his face, and he clamped his eyes closed. “Is that what you think of me? Just so
meone wanting a cook?”

  “Well, it seems it’s what most men want.”

  He opened his eyes. “Has anything about our time together made you believe I just want someone to serve me?”

  “It just—”

  “Has it ever crossed your mind, I just want you?”

  A tear slipped down her frosty cheek and she wiped it away. No one had ever wanted her. No one. The kids in the schoolyard never wanted to play with her. Her family never got invited over for supper with other families. It wasn’t until Lana had befriended her that she’d found someone. Didn’t he realize that? Didn’t he remember all the taunts from the children?

  “Felicity, I’m so surprised.” Josh looked away, shaking his head. He planted his hands on his hips and took a deep breath. “I just can’t believe you’d do that.”

  He walked away from her, each of his steps sending sharp jabs straight into her heart. Tears rushed down her cheeks, and she dropped to her knees, covering her face with her hands. An intense pain spread throughout every part of her.

  He was leaving her. Leaving her in more ways than just walking away. He was ending their short courtship. She had lost the only man she had loved right when she finally had him. And now what could she do?

  She wiped a tear from her face and resolved to stop crying. She resisted the urge to go after him. There was nothing left to say. He’d seen her at her worst and decided she wasn’t the one for him. She guessed she’d even lost Lana, too.

  She pushed to her feet, looking at Josh’s footprints in the snow. He went one way, so she’d go the other.

  Twenty-two

  Josh stopped in front of his wagon, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Mrs. Willet's pained-filled eyes was a sight he wouldn’t soon forget. That poor woman had suffered enough ridicule from the townsfolk of Cutter’s Creek.

  Didn’t Felicity understand what that felt like? Didn’t she care about the pain that she had inflicted on the poor woman? Mrs. Willet was a kind and charitable woman and most people probably didn’t even know about the good she did. He’d often seen her delivering food to a family that lived at the edge of town. A family no one in Cutter’s Creek wanted to know. A family that had fled to Cutter’s Creek after the war was over.

  Josh sat in the back of the wagon, the chilly air seeping through his coat and biting at his arms. He looked up at the sky, as light snowflakes danced around him.

  This incident with Felicity added to his burdens. He still had the worries about the ranch and their livelihood. He had moved his few remaining cows to a barn, giving them some oats that the horses usually ate. Hopefully, that would keep them from starving.

  If he couldn’t sell them, then at least his family could eat them. But they would lose the house by spring. He ought to just go ahead and sell the house and the land. He’d have to find Lana a husband, but maybe that wouldn’t be too difficult. He could take his parents with him to work with a more successful rancher.

  But what was he going to do about Felicity? Could he marry someone who would wound another person so willingly? Did her own pride cloud her view of others this much? She was young and quite immature sometimes, but her treatment of Mrs. Willet was still unacceptable.

  Footsteps sounded, and he turned at the approach of his friend Nick. Nick jumped in the wagon and sat next to him, staring out in front at the plain hidden by darkness. “Where’s Felicity?” he asked.

  “I reckon she’s back at the church.”

  Nick nodded. “Just thought she might be with you since she usually is.”

  Josh looked down at the floorboards. A thin layer of snow now covered the bottom of the wagon.

  “You missed the rest of the drama. Mr. Willet admitted he cheated. Mrs. Willet tore into him. Then she ran out in a fit of tears. The old fool just shrugged his shoulders and followed her out.”

  “Mrs. Willet better get a large crown in Heaven for what she has to put up with.”

  “That she should.” Nick leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “So, why aren’t you and Felicity together?”

  Josh clasped his hands together, squeezing tightly. Images of Felicity’s dark watery eyes filled his mind. She had looked so dejected and heartbroken when he walked away. He had glanced over his shoulder at her, seeing her crumpled on the snow, crying.

  Every part of him wanted to rush back to her, wrap his arms around her, and cradle her to his chest. But he thought that if he did that, she might get her hopes up that things would work out for them. She might think things were fine and they weren’t.

  In so many ways, he didn’t know if it could work out for them. Maybe this was God’s way of helping him to let her go. He could use this excuse to end things instead of telling her the whole truth. That would be cowardly.

  “We fought.”

  “Fought?” Nick’s brows rose.

  “I told her she had been downright cruel to Mrs. Willet.”

  “Well, she had. Sometimes, I think Felicity just acts on instinct. Her heart takes control.”

  This was true. A girl who was levelheaded wouldn’t fly across the plains or get so close to a mama bear and her cub.

  “Remember when Jemma and I argued over the kids?”

  “How could I forget that?”

  “I used to say I could never marry a woman who wouldn’t put me first.”

  “And I told you to look past that with understanding. See her heart.”

  Nick stood, brushing the snow from his hands. “Maybe you should think about Felicity’s heart.”

  He then turned and jumped from the wagon, leaving Josh with his thoughts.

  Think about Felicity’s heart. The sweet girl who made sure a spoiled robin and a lazy bunny always had food. A girl who tried to put some sense into his sister. And the girl who said she didn’t quite care what standard of living Josh could provide her, she just wanted to be with him.

  He clenched his hands in his lap. Yes, she had acted like a spoiled child, but in some ways, he could understand why. She had been made fun of as a child over something she couldn’t change or control. She probably thought the only way she could ever win him was to be a wife who served her husband.

  Not one part of entering this cider contest was about her. It was about him and honoring her grandmother’s legacy. Guilt smashed across his heart, making him squirm. No wonder she had acted the way she had to Mr. and Mrs. Willet. Though she went about it the wrong way, all she was doing was defending her past and her future.

  He jumped from the wagon, his feet thudding on the snow-covered ground. A coyote howled in the distance, followed by a few others. He bet if he followed its sound he might find Felicity cuddling with the whelps. Her way with animals still amazed him.

  He walked back to the church, to the spot he had left her. Her small footprints didn’t lead to the church, but away. She had not gone back to the church. She was probably too embarrassed to face anyone. He followed the prints towards the woods, reaching the edge of the woods.

  She had gone in here. Didn’t she realize how easy it would be to get lost in the woods at night? It was almost dark. She could freeze before anyone found her. Tension filled him. He started into the dark woods, looking around at the snow-covered branches. Dear God, where is she?

  Twenty-three

  Josh looked down, barely able to see the ground. The farther he went, the less he’d be able to see. He needed to go back for a lantern. He turned to leave but then stilled. Did he hear something? What sounded like a sob floated to him. She hadn’t gone too far in. He took light steps and followed the sound of her crying. He kept going until a small lump leaning against a tear took shape.

  He walked towards it and snapped a branch with his foot, but she didn’t look up. He walked to her and knelt. “Felicity.”

  She didn’t respond.

  His love had her arms wrapped around her waist, as her body shook. She was freezing. “Felicity.”

  He ripped off his coat and threw it around her small body. Instant
ly the chill bit at him, but he didn’t care. He had to protect her. He went to swoop her in his arms, but she batted at him and scooted away. “Leave me alone.”

  “You’re going to freeze out here.”

  “I’m fine. Please, go.”

  A sigh escaped him, and he looked at her bare hands. What happened to her mittens? “I’m sorry.”

  Her gaze snapped to him. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “I shouldn’t have left you. We should have worked this out.”

  She looked away batting at another tear. “I shouldn’t have treated Mrs. Willet the way I did. You were right.”

  “The good thing is, Mrs. Willet is a forgiving soul. Tomorrow we can ride out to her home and you can apologize.”

  Felicity’s bottom lip trembled. “We?”

  He took her freezing hands in her own. They felt like blocks of ice. He began rubbing them. “I’d like there to be a we. In fact, I’d like there to always be a we.”

  She turned to him, her watery eyes slightly widening.

  “But you must know that there’s a problem.”

  Tears rushed to the corners of her eyes and a few slipped down. “You can’t be with such a childish girl,” she bit. “I know I need to grow up.”

  “That’s not what I was going to say. The thing is… I didn’t think this would be this hard to say. Well, I’ve lost half my herd.”

  A gasp flew from her lips, as her jaw dropped.

  “We’re going to lose everything. The house. The ranch. Probably just about everything.”

  “Oh, Josh, I’m so sorry.”

  He looked away, slowly shaking his head, shame filling him. It was so hard for a man to admit he couldn’t provide for the ones he loved. “We’re probably going to sell up and head out West. I sound so selfish, but I want to make you mine. I’d like to take you with me.”

  “What about my family?”

  A weight slammed into his heart. He was going to lose her. He was asking too much. “I know. And I understand.”

  She pulled one of her hands from his and ran the back of it against his cheek. Sweet pleasure rippled across his face. How could he ever give her up? To leave her behind? He almost wanted to be an old fool and live in the alleyway of the town so he could stay near her. But he had to take care of his parents. His father’s health would never improve to the point where he could work again.