by Anne Chase
Even before the first knock, Becca pulled open the door. "Welcome, Hettie Mae! Come on in. I wasn't expecting you to come out here, too."
"Thank you." Hettie Mae stamped her boots on the steps and walked in. Bowzer dashed up, tail wagging, and greeted her with a friendly sniff.
"Almost ready. Let me get my coat and Bowzer's leash and the gingerbread house and we'll be ready to go."
"Making progress with the unpacking, I see," Hettie Mae said, surveying the living room as Becca shrugged into her coat.
"It sure doesn't feel like it," Becca said with a laugh. "I still have so much to do."
"Is that a homemade quilt?" Hettie Mae asked, gesturing to the sofa. She stepped closer and ran a discerning eye over the quilt while Becca bent down to fasten Bowzer's leash to his collar.
"My Grandma Ellie made it for me when I was little. It's one of my favorite Christmas keepsakes."
"It's a beautiful piece. The stitching is exceptional. It really captures the spirit of the season. Now, what's this about a gingerbread house?"
"I made one. Just finished it, in fact."
"Becca," Hettie Mae protested, "you didn't have to do that."
"I wanted to," Becca insisted.
"That's very thoughtful of you."
With the leash attached to the dog, Becca gestured for Hettie Mae to follow her into the kitchen, where the freshly decorated gingerbread house stood on a plate on the dining table.
"Oh, it's beautiful," Hettie Mae said. "Looks just like this cottage."
"I felt inspired by it," Becca said, then held up the leash and added, "Would you mind taking Bowzer? I can carry the gingerbread out to the car."
"A good plan," Hettie Mae said. She took the leash from Becca and led Bowzer out the front door. On the steps, Becca eased past her and headed straight down the freshly cleared path to the SUV, where a man — Hettie's Mae's husband Frank — hopped out.
"Here, young lady," he said. "I'll hold that until you two get settled in."
"Thank you." Carefully, she passed the gingerbread house into his waiting arms.
From the front porch, Hettie Mae said, "Becca, you and Bowzer hop into the back seat. You got everything you need?"
Becca checked her coat pocket for her phone and keys. "I'm good."
Hettie Mae firmly shut the front door and jiggled the handle to make sure if was locked, then followed Bowzer down the path. Bowzer eagerly sniffed Frank's leg and looked back and forth between the three humans, ready for whatever fun might come next.
"Come on, Bowzer," Becca said. "Let's get in back." She took the leash from Hettie Mae, opened the car door, and encouraged Bowzer to jump in. A bit awkwardly, the big guy clambered in, and Becca followed.
Hettie Mae made her way around to the passenger side, then got in and buckled up.
Frank gently placed the gingerbread house on his wife's lap, shut the door, then stepped around to his seat and got in.
Before turning on the engine, he swung around.
"I'm Frank, by the way," he said to Becca, a friendly, good-humored grin. "Hettie Mae's plus-one." Dressed in boots, jeans and red sweater, he looked like a solid, dependable kind of guy, his movements deliberate and careful. He had a reddened, weathered face, framed by a short-cropped silver-grey beard.
"Very nice to meet you, Frank. Thank you so much for the door-to-door service."
"Happy to. Nice to get out of the house every now and then and stretch my legs."
"Are you okay with the gingerbread, Hettie Mae?" Becca asked. "I can take it, if you'd like."
"Nonsense," Hettie Mae replied. "You and Bowzer just sit back and relax."
The SUV pulled away from the curb and headed down Pine Street toward the center of town. The freshly cleared streets were surrounded on all sides by the storm's hefty snowfall. Every roof, every tree, every inch of ground seemed to groan under the weight. The late-afternoon sun cast a pale light over the homes and holiday decorations — snowmen, reindeer, trees wrapped in lights — that seemed to be everywhere.
"By the way, a change in plans," Hettie Mae said. "I got a call from Dr. Gail, and she invited us to join her at the vet clinic for the potluck."
31
They were going to the potluck instead? Becca blinked with surprise, but immediately recovered when she realized, with a flush of pleasure, that she'd be able to see Dr. Gail and show her how well she and Bowzer were doing.
"It's so nice of her to include us," Becca said, pleased.
"We made way too much food for just three people, so why not share. Plus, you'll get a chance to meet more of your new neighbors."
"Sounds great."
A minute later, the Victorian spires of the vet clinic came into view. A number of cars were already parked in the driveway and along the street in front of the building.
"A nice crowd's already there," Frank said. He found a spot on the street about half a block from the clinic and got the SUV parked.
"Hettie Mae, you take the gingerbread house in, and Becca and I will grab the rest."
With a nod, Hettie Mae pushed open her door and stepped out. Carefully, with the gingerbread house balanced in her arms, she made her way toward the clinic.
"Okay, Bowzer," Becca said, firmly holding onto his leash, "let's go see your pals." She and Bowzer scooted out of the SUV and joined Frank at the back of the SUV.
Frank picked up a bag filled with covered dishes. "You okay with this one?"
"Sure, no problem," Becca said, taking hold of the bag, which was heavy but manageable. "Need me to carry anything else?"
"I got the rest. You go on inside."
Cautiously, Becca made her way down the sidewalk toward the clinic, leash in one hand, bag in the other. The air was sharp and crisp and fresh, with a hint of pine. The sidewalk was cleared and salted, but even so, she paid close attention to her steps, anxious about slipping.
Next to her, Bowzer had figured out where they were going and was starting to tug excitedly on his leash.
"Slow down, boy. We'll be there soon enough."
As she approached the steps leading up to the front door, she saw through the windows that folks were already gathered inside. Murmurs of conversation and laughter spilled from the house as the front door swung open to reveal —
Abby from the chocolate shop!
"Abby!" Becca said, delighted.
"Merry Christmas, Becca!" Abby said.
Becca made her way up the steps, set down the bag, and gave Abby a friendly hug, then stepped back to admire the Santa Claus clasp pinned to her friend's red sweater. "That pin is so perfect."
"Thank you."
Bowzer bumped her knee to greet her, causing Abby to laugh and reach down to give him a pat. "Hello, Bowzer, how are you today?"
Wagging his tail, Bowzer gazed up at Abby affectionately.
"I think he's happy to be here," Becca said.
"I'm sure he's excited about being able to see all his pals," Abby replied. She picked up the bag of food. "Let's get you inside."
They scooted in, and Abby helped Becca take off her heavy winter coat and hang it up it up on a coat rack near the front door.
A woman approached and said, "If you'd like, I can take Bowzer downstairs to see his pals."
"Are you sure?" Becca said.
"Happy to," the woman said. "I volunteer here, and I miss this guy!" She reached down and gave Bowzer a friendly pat. "And I know he'll be happy to see his friends."
"Thank you so much." She knelt down and gave Bowzer a hug. "You be a good boy, okay? I'll come down for you later."
Bowzer gave her an affectionate bark and nuzzled her cheek. He was such an adorable dog. In just two days, he'd brought such joy to her life.
As she stood back up and watched the volunteer lead Bowzer toward his friends downstairs in the kennel, Abby turned to Becca. "That dog is so special."
"He sure is," Becca said. "He's the best."
Abby peeked into the bag full of food. "Oh my, you brought a lot!"<
br />
"Not me. This is all Hettie Mae." She picked up the bag and stepped with Abby into the big spacious waiting room. Together, they navigated their way through the crowd to the long table laden with potluck dishes of all sorts.
Hettie Mae was already there, setting the gingerbread house between two plates of Christmas cookies. She turned around and said, "I'll take the bag and get everything out."
"Here you go," Becca said, setting it carefully on the table.
Abby's gaze fell on the gingerbread house. "Oh, Hettie Mae, will you look at that."
"No thanks to me," Hettie Mae said as she starting unpacking the bag and setting food containers on the table. "This delightful cookie cottage is Becca's."
Abby turned toward Becca. "You did this?"
Becca blushed. "Guilty as charged."
"It's beautiful," Abby said. A gleam came to her eye. "I'm envisioning a gingerbread house in my shop window. In a place of honor. Surrounded by chocolates, of course. A gingerbread house made by the town's new librarian."
Becca's eyes widened with surprise. "Really?"
Abby nodded. "You have a gift for capturing the spirit of Christmas."
For the second time that day, tears threatened. But tears would not do — not now! — so Becca blinked rapidly, willing them away. "I'd be honored to make a gingerbread house for your store window. In fact, once I have a bit more time, I'd like to make a gingerbread house based on this big old Victorian house."
"That would be wonderful," Abby said. "But based on this place? That's so ambitious. There are so many angles and spires, and turrets and —"
"I know," she said with a laugh. "I'm probably crazy. But the vet clinic has already made such an impact in my life. I'd like to give it a shot."
She felt an arm on her shoulder and turned around to find Dr. Gail smiling at her.
"What did I just overhear? Something about turrets and spires?"
Abby jumped in. "Becca's going to make a gingerbread replica of the vet clinic to display in my shop window."
"That sounds wonderful," Dr. Gail said. Her eyes fell on Becca's gingerbread cottage on the table. "Did you make that? It's lovely."
"Thank you," Becca said. "And thank you for hosting us this afternoon. What a nice crowd."
"It's so important to spend time with friends and loved ones at Christmas," Dr. Gail said. "I was just downstairs in the kennel and can report that Bowzer is happily playing with his pals."
At that moment, Hettie Mae stepped up between Abby and Dr. Gail and whispered something in their ears. The three women swung toward the front door.
Becca's gaze followed. A man had just arrived. He was taking off his mackinaw, his back toward them as he hung the coat on the rack near the door. He was wearing a button-down white collared shirt tucked into jeans. He took off a ski cap, revealing a head of shaggy brown hair that could use a bit of straightening up.
She'd known who the new arrival was the instant she saw him, but she still felt a rush of mounting anticipation as he turned around and she caught the handsome profile of his face and confirmed that it was —
Nick!
32
She watched him step into the main room, his eyes wandering over the crowd. When he found Dr. Gail, he made his way toward her, a smile on his face.
It was only after he’d given Dr. Gail a quick hug that he saw Becca. He blinked, his mouth dropping open.
At the exact same time, both he and Becca said:
"What are you doing here?"
"I —" they both said at the same time, then stopped as the same thought simultaneously occurred to them.
In unison, they turned toward the trio of women — Abby, Hettie Mae, and Dr. Gail — who were now standing together, arms linked, staring at them with big satisfied smiles on their faces.
Aha! Becca thought. So that's what's going on. Abby and Gail and Hettie Mae had joined forces and conspired together. They'd arranged for this surprise to occur! Part of her wanted to protest about this secret plan to get Nick and her into the same room. But the bigger part of her — the much bigger part of her, she knew — was touched and grateful.
Nick stared at the three women with narrowed eyes. Then he chuckled and shook his head. "We've been set up," he said to Becca, sounding half-annoyed and half-admiring. "By a trio of born meddlers."
"Total meddlers," Becca agreed, a big smile on her face.
Abby laughed, and Hettie Mae said, "You're looking quite nice today, Nick."
Nick smiled at the three women, then turned his attention back to Becca, a hint of playfulness in his dark brown eyes.
"Still happy you decided to move here?" he asked her. "These women are relentless, you know. Once they set their mind on something, watch out. They're ferocious. Unstoppable."
Becca laughed, and threw her new friends a grateful glance. "I'm beginning to figure that out." A warm feeling came at seeing how affectionately Nick was talking about the three women. She liked seeing him in an upbeat mood — liked seeing how happiness transformed his handsome face.
At that moment, Hettie Mae took Abby and Dr. Gail's by their arms and said, "Ladies, I need help with something on the other side of the room."
Dr. Gail smiled, and Abby said, "Merry Christmas, Dr. Nick."
"Merry Christmas, ladies," Nick said.
He and Becca watched the trio step to the other side of the room, where they busily pretended to not pay attention to them.
Nick couldn't help but grin. "What excuse did Hettie Mae give you to get you here?"
"She said she made too much food for three people," Becca said. "Which I'm sure is true."
"Very conveniently true," he agreed.
She was about to reply but found herself pausing, unsure how to ask what she wanted to ask.
Be strong, she told herself.
"And you? Why are you here? I thought you'd quit Christmas."
He went still as he absorbed her question, his expression growing serious. He'd shaved this morning, she saw — yesterday's stubble was long gone. Aside from his still-too-shaggy hair, he looked like he'd cleaned up and dressed for the occasion. He stepped closer, then reached out and took her hands in his. She nearly gasped as the same jolt as the day before raced through her.
"I realized something important last night, thanks to you."
"What's that?" she said, her tone much calmer than how she felt inside.
He cleared his throat, then said, his voice husky, "I'm ready to let Christmas back into my life."
"Oh," she said. Without warning, the room around them seemed to fade away. The sounds of crowd became indistinct. The air became very hot. She felt her cheeks flush pink.
He frowned, as if realizing something for the first time, and raised her left hand up to look at it.
"Your wedding ring," he said, the question lingering in his eyes.
She swallowed and, holding his gaze, willed her voice to remain steady. "It's in my dresser drawer, which is where it belongs, as a treasured memento of times past."
His deep brown eyes flashed with barely suppressed excitement. Without a word, her hand in his, he led her out of the room, away from the crowd, to the relative privacy of the front porch.
He shut the big front door, then reached around her and pulled her toward him. She leaned in as his strong arms circled her waist. It was cold out here, the early evening air sharp and frigid, the Christmas lights on the porch rail offering only the faintest glow of illumination — but she didn't care about any of that right now.
She found herself aware again of how tall he was, how strong, how reassuring and comforting and, yes, so much more.
With a shy grin she couldn't control, she gazed up at him, her heart leaping when she saw he was looking back at her with tenderness and joy.
"I'm ready for Christmas again," he said. "And ready for love."
A lump pushed its way into her throat, her eyes springing fresh tears, as his right hand caressed her cheek.
"I'm ready for love
, too," she said softly.
"I've wanted to do this since the moment we met," he said.
She inhaled his scent — hints of cologne and musk and soap, wonderfully mixed — as he leaned in, his lips brushing hers.
"Merry Christmas, Becca Jameson," he whispered.
"Merry Christmas, Nick Shepherd," she whispered back.
And then they kissed, their lips merging into one — two lost souls, through the miracle of the season, finding a new home.
The End
I hope you enjoyed this tale of Christmas romance with Becca, Nick, Bowzer and Divina!
Would you be willing to write a short review on Amazon? Reader reviews are so important for books and authors. If you are willing, I can only say: THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Sign up for the Heartsprings Valley Gazette
Anne Chase’s email newsletter covers all the latest news from Heartsprings Valley — upcoming books, free sneak peeks, and much more!
Sign up now at:
AnneChase.com
It’s always Christmas in Heartsprings Valley
About Anne Chase
Christmas to the Rescue! was a joy to write — I hope you enjoyed it. I was inspired by the small town I grew up in (population: 2,000) and by a wonderful dog who was such an important part of our family. I live in the bustling Bay Area now, far from my childhood home, but my memories of those early days live on. Expect more tales soon of Christmas romance from Heartsprings Valley!
I have a Christmas blog on my website and am also a bit of a Facebook addict (though I’m trying to cut back — ha ha). Please feel free to reach me at:
www.AnneChase.com
COMING SOON:
A Very Cookie Christmas by Anne Chase
The Great Christmas Tree Hunt by Anne Chase
Hot Cocoa Christmas by Anne Chase