Kat was shivering so Jason took her gently into his arms. “This is going to be a lot harder than I even thought.”
“Yeah,” she answered softly as she clung to him.
* * * * *
A few hours later, Jason was sitting in his bedroom staring at the stars through the dormer window when he heard a knock at his door.
After peeking in, Kat came walking through the doorway.
His first glance her way sent him off into explosive laughter. “What in the heck are you wearing? Tweety bird? With feet?”
Kat grinned holding up a leg that was covered in bright yellow flannel. “My feet get cold.”
She had on some big furry slippers with ears, but looked adorable with her hair caught up into a ponytail on top of her head.
Rolling his eyes upward and shaking his head, Jason was still laughing when he turned and peeked through the lens of his telescope. “Wanna see the stars?”
“Sure.”
He made room for Kat beside him on the cushioned dormer bench and spent the next few minutes pointing out the brightly lit arrays of stars spread out across the sky.
Minutes later, he turned and kissed her softly on the lips. “Your parents know you’re here with me?”
She grimaced. “Yep.”
Jason started to laugh. “And that’s not a problem?”
She stood up suddenly and put her hands on her hips. “They said that they trusted me. Now, I tell you what, Jason. How could I ever think about letting anything happen with you when I’m under the same roof as my parents, who keep saying how much they trust me?”
She dropped back down onto the bench.
When Jason began laughing harder, Kat grinned before laughing too.
* * * * *
They’d fallen asleep together in Jason’s room the night before. Kat had awoken tucked into the cushioned bench of the dormer window beside Jason.
Her parents hadn’t said a word, but probably because Jason had been sure to leave the bedroom door opened wide.
She’d made a special wish last night under the stars at Dragonfly Pointe. Just maybe her and Jason would be together again someday?
Watching Jason giving her a sad smile as they drove away from the Matthews cottage, Kat was asking herself—was there any chance at all that her wish might come true?
Finally, she turned forward when Jason was no longer in sight. At least he’d be keeping in touch with her for a little while longer.
Chapter Five
Fifteen Years Later
Chicago, Illinois
“I’m sorry, Katherine. I’m just not going to be able to get away from work so I can go along with you on your trip.”
Her trip?
Kat’s heart sunk listening to Mark’s voice on the phone.
She’d poured her time, as well as her money, into getting ready for their long holiday weekend in Wisconsin, and now she was at a loss for words.
Sounding hesitant, Mark continued, “Truthfully, I hadn’t expected you to make all these plans for us at Christmas.”
“I thought that spending our Christmas together away from Chicago would be kind of romantic for a change.” Besides, her mother and father were off on a Caribbean cruise for the holidays after her father had finally decided to retire.
“You know what I said about having something important to talk to you about?”
“Yes?” She answered uncertainly.
“There’s really isn’t any reason I can’t tell you right now.”
Kat blinked. Mark was going to propose to her on the phone?
She could hear Mark exhale deeply. “My company is promoting me, so I’ll be moving to California soon.”
Alright, she thought, I can deal with that. A freelance interior designer, Kat did much of her work from home in her studio and on her computer. She had a growing clientele here in Chicago but it’d be relatively easy to begin again in California. She was sure she’d be able to get excellent references.
When Kat realized there’d been a long pause from Mark on the other end of the line, she cleared her throat nervously. “And?”
“Uh…I just thought you should know that I’ve decided to take the job,” he said and immediately went silent.
Wait a minute—Mark wasn’t intending to pop the question? They’d been dating for over three years.
Kat’s eyes searched the room and she stared in dismay at the lovely shimmering evening gown hanging from a hook on the bedroom door. She’d bought it especially for their trip to wear on Christmas Eve, and it’d cost nearly the entire commission she’d earned from her last design job.
After a moment, she cringed, considering the cost of the inn reservations she’d also paid for. It wasn’t exactly cheap living in downtown Chicago and sometimes she barely scraped by.
What was she supposed to say now? By then the tears were falling down her face.
“Uh…okay.” Kat struggled to control her unsteady voice. “Since my family has other plans for the holidays, I guess I’ll still take a drive through Wisconsin tomorrow and spend Christmas at the Dragonfly Pointe Inn.”
Cat heard Mark’s sigh of relief. “Alright. I’ll talk to you when you get back.”
Her mouth gaped open. That was it? What about Christmas? He wasn’t even intending to drive up there for the holiday and meet her for the last couple of days?
She looked over at the shiny sterling wristwatch she’d had specially engraved. She’d been getting ready to wrap the gift for Mark right before his call.
Suddenly, she was furious. After three years of dating, she didn’t deserve this!
Kat answered brusquely, “Yeah, well—I’ll just talk to you when I get back Mark.” She continued with a touch of sarcasm, “You be sure to have a Merry Christmas!”
Afraid to say more, Kat frowned at her cell as she quickly switched it off. It sure would’ve been great to be able to slam it down hard.
* * * * *
There had always been something peaceful and settling for her about northwest Wisconsin, and Kat’s temper had settled down by the time she was on her way the next morning.
One thing she’d decided for sure was that she needed to rethink her plans for a long-term relationship with Mark. She considered the last few years and how many times he’d disappointed her in some way or another every time she’d made plans for something she wanted to do.
It had been his way or no way, she suddenly realized. He’d always backed out at the last minute. Why had it taken so long for her to see it? The christening of her niece, last year’s family Christmas, and even the baseball game she’d had tickets for last year when the Cubs began winning, because Mark of course was a Sox fan.
Kat had known her parents had never been too keen on Mark, but they’d always butted out of her relationships. There’d been a few other guys before, but now Kat was trying to figure out why she’d settled for Mark. They’d begun as friends and now she was thinking hard about the future because there had to be more than friendship holding them together as a couple
Mark was the most successful as well as the most stable of all the men she’d dated, and Kat got along well with his parents.
In fact, sometimes Kat got along better with Mark’s parents than she did with Mark.
Hmm. What’d made her think she might be happy with Mark if they got married, if she really wasn’t happy with him now?
Time away from Chicago along with some long-forgotten memories were suddenly making Kat reevaluate her life.
Heck, she didn’t even like living in Chicago anymore. Why not make a change and start over somewhere else? Her parents would be traveling a lot more now that her dad had sold off the business to a major sporting goods company.
Why had she thought getting married was what she needed to do to change her life?
Kat grimaced. Because she wanted a family. That biological clock was ticking for her at twenty-nine years old. But maybe everything would fall into place if she moved away from the city.
>
And yes, she was thinking about Jason Matthews again. He’d broken her heart fifteen years ago by not staying in contact with her. Each time Kat thought she’d delegated his memory to the past, she found herself remembering the magical time they’d spent together at Dragonfly Pointe. Was he even still alive after serving in the Air Force overseas?
She’d been surprised to learn that her parents hadn’t kept in touch with the Matthews family when she’d finally found the courage to ask about Jason.
Well, Kat would revisit Dragonfly Pointe and resurrect a few ghosts while she was at it. When she thought about the connection she’d shared with Jason at fourteen years old, and compared it to the relationship she had with Mark today, it scared her to realize that not once had any other man come close to meaning as much to her as Jason had.
Chapter Six
It was three days before Christmas, and Jason’s eyes searched the bare living room of the family cottage located at Stone Lake. It had been time for a new furnace, so Jason had decided to modernize the cottage while opting for a new state of the art heating system which even included heated floors. New insulation, windows and drywall along with a completely remodeled kitchen had enabled him to enlarge the space and turn it into open concept. It was looking rather stark and white since it had completed though, and Jason was considering hiring a designer to finish off the house and make it more inviting.
Since his grandparents were settled in Florida now in a retirement home located near his mom and dad’s home in Naples, they’d given Jason the title to their cottage. Knowing Jason would more than likely want to update, they’d sold off many of the extra furnishings after deciding what they wanted to take along with them to Florida.
He stared through the huge bay window he’d decided to have installed overlooking the lake. Lots of snow was in the forecast for tomorrow, and although it was cool right now at ten in the morning, the weather was calm and clear and was supposed to remain that way for the rest of the day.
He really should go get a Christmas tree today.
Jason jumped back from the window when a pair of jade green eyes peered in from outside through the glass.
“Kitty Kat,” he muttered, walking over to slide open the door leading in from the deck outside. “Where have you been? I’ve been worried.”
“Meooowww,” she answered, obviously taking his scold as an invitation to stroll inside. Of course he couldn’t blame her. He’d allowed her to consider the cottage her home for the past two months. Jason had even purchased a litter box and cat food just in case she decided to stay.
Let’s face it, he was feeling a little bit lonely these days.
“Who in the heck do you belong to?” he asked out loud again. What did it matter anyway? If someone was looking for her, they sure weren’t trying very hard. He would’ve been knocking on every neighboring door if this sweet little kitty belonged to him.
While Kitty strolled toward the kitchen to munch on some food, Jason settled into his leather chair near the fireplace laying his feet on top of a matching ottoman. He’d spent all day yesterday working on paperwork for the Crystal Rock Wounded Warrior Home, and now he was ready to take a break until after Christmas.
“That does it, Kitty,” Jason said, when she hopped onto the armrest. “You’re mine—I claim full ownership.”
She began to purr in full force and stared at him with those jade green eyes of hers, before jumping into his lap and curling up tightly falling asleep.
Jason had been back in the states for over a year now, but he hadn’t wasted a minute of time feeling sorry for himself. He was still an officer in the Air Force—in fact he’d actually been promoted. Although he spent the majority of the year in charge of the flight instruction program, he was also serving as an air force liaison for the wounded warrior facility that had recently been built here in Crystal Rock.
But as busy as he was in his professional life, he had to admit there really wasn’t much going on with him personally. He’d been burying himself in his work for the past year.
By the time he’d returned to the states, Jason had realized it was stupid to look up a girl he hadn’t seen in fourteen years.
Of course, that hadn’t stopped him from asking his mom if she’d kept in touch with the Conlins anyway.
Turns out, she had.
But Kat was a successful interior designer in Chicago, and she supposedly had a serious relationship going with a big-time account executive who worked at an advertising firm. They’d been dating for two years his mom had added as Jason had listened in dismay.
Well, it had probably been a dumb idea to think about looking her up.
But meanwhile, Jason had broken it off with the girl he’d been going out with off and on before he’d been sent overseas. Christi hadn’t been too keen about continuing their relationship anyway after seeing his hand.
And just because he’d never met anyone special didn’t mean there wasn’t someone out there, he figured.
But if that was the case, he really needed to quit dreaming about Kat.
He smiled ruefully looking down at the kitty in his lap. Kitty Kat was what he’d named her, with her sleek black hair and jade green eyes. When he ran his fingers over the top of her head, she lifted her chin with a sleepy gaze and her motor began running again.
When his cell phone began to vibrate, Jason reached over to the table to grab it and switch it on.
A frantic female voice shot out through the phone. “Jason?”
“Mom. How’s it going? Is something wrong?”
“You need to get over to the Dragonfly Pointe Inn. Stat,” she said, sounding rather breathless.
Jason scowled. His mom had recently begun treating insignificant issues as important. In fact, it had more or less happened after Jason returned home from Germany. Jason being injured in Iraq had definitely affected his mom’s peace of mind, although Jason realized it also had a lot to with the fact that she’d lost a brother years ago in a freakish air force training exercise. But something positive had resulted from his uncle’s death. Jason’s parents would never have met otherwise since his mom’s brother had been his dad’s best friend.
Jason sighed resignedly attempting to keep the conversation light.
“Whaaat?” he asked his mom.
And Kitty answered, “Meeeoooww.”
Jason grinned.
Looking up at him and cocking her head, Kitty promptly stood up in his lap and began sharpening her claws on his inner thigh.
“Ooowcch!” Jason howled.
Lifting Kitty up carefully, Jason disengaged her claws from his jeans and laid her on top of the ottoman.
“Jason? Are you alright?” His mom was asking with obvious concern.
He put the phone back up to his ear. “Yeah, Mom. I’m back. Kitty was in my lap and clawing on my thigh, and I think she might have come pretty close to causing me some other physical damage that might not have been repairable either.”
His mom snorted. “I wouldn’t get close to that observation with a ten-foot pole,” she said dryly. He heard her laugh. “But just as a reminder, I told you that if you took in that cat, you should get her declawed and fixed right away, so she doesn’t do any damage inside the house.”
“No worries. I did what you said and made an appointment. But the vet’s on vacation this week so I couldn’t get Kitty in until after Christmas.”
“Well, that’s good. Darn it. Where was I, Jason? You got me sidetracked. I was trying to tell you since I figured you’d want to know. It’s Kat. I know you made a point of asking me what she was doing these days, and she’s on her way to Crystal Rock.”
Jason’s mouth dropped open. He was stunned. Kat was coming here? He tried to focus on what his mom was saying.
Mom continued, “In fact, she might already be there. I just spoke to Anne Conlin, and her and Pete are heading off on a Christmas cruise. Kat has a suite of rooms booked at the inn for her and her boyfriend through Christmas. But guess what? He
r boyfriend backed out.”
Jason cleared his throat.
But all he could really think about was what should he do next? “Are you trying to set me up?”
His mom answered, “Damn right, I am.”
Jason laughed lightly attempting to sound casual. “You know that the odds are kind of slim for something like that ever happening?”
“Oh, really?” His mother laughed softly. “You forget that I was there. I’ve never seen you look at another girl like that before or after. And believe you, me, I sure was watching. There were definitely enough women through the years.”
Jason groaned before he began laughing harder.
Finally, he said, “Kat and I haven’t even seen each other for like fifteen years. I don’t think I should just pop in on her.”
“Of course not. You need to reserve a room over there. That way you’ll be sure to run into her.”
Jason chuckled before he answered, “You know, the inn is probably booked solid for the holidays, between the skiing and their annual Christmas celebration?”
“What about your buddy, Luke? Isn’t he a close friend of the owner? Can’t he arrange a room for you?”
“Luke Bryant?” Jason became thoughtful. Was he really going to do this? “Yeah. I guess I could give him a call.”
“Promise me you will?”
Jason became serious. “Mom. Don’t you think this is all pretty silly?”
She was quiet for a moment, but he heard her sigh before she finally answered. “Not at all. Because you know what, Jason? I wasn’t just looking at you back then—I was watching Kat, too.”
* * * * *
Jason walked into the lobby of the inn with his overnight bag in his hand. Luckily, he’d been able to hitch a ride with the shuttlebus that traveled back and forth through town. The weather in this part of the country was sometimes unpredictable, and snow was still in the forecast for tomorrow. He was getting better at driving with his prosthetic hand, but wasn’t comfortable enough at this point to take a chance in the rain or snow.
Approaching from the restaurant, Luke Bryant met Jason as he strolled inside through the entryway. “How’s the new hand?”
Two Hearts Christmas Wish Page 6