By the time they got into the parking lot, Bryan didn’t even bother saying good-night, just slunk into the passenger seat of his father’s Jeep and showed too many signs of teenage rebellion. “I hope he’s all right,” Ronni said.
“He will be,” Travis assured her. “It’s just going to take a while for him to change his mind-set.”
“Good luck.”
He kissed her lightly on the lips, then she walked to her van. Amy was yawning as Ronni helped strap her into the seat. “Is Travis gonna be my new daddy?” she asked, trying to keep her eyes open.
Startled, Ronni asked, “Would you like it if he was?”
“Mmm. Would you?”
Before Ronni could answer, the little angel with the cranberry-stained gown fell asleep.
*
“A puppy!” Amy squealed in pure delight. All the presents had been opened, and while Amy was playing with a new doll, Ronni had hurried out to the barn where she’d hidden the pup since five o’clock in the morning. Before that, she’d been up with the frightened little dog half the night as the animal had whined and howled and threatened to wake Amy. “You got me a puppy!” Amy fairly danced a special little jig and wiggled as much as the dog to get her fingers on the wriggling ball of fluff. “Oh, Mommy, he’s beautiful!” Amy cried, entranced.
“She. It’s a girl.”
“So she can have more puppies someday!”
Ronni laughed. “I don’t think so. One dog’s going to be more than enough, I think.”
After nearly squeezing the life from him, Amy let the pup down and the dog ran in circles, sped around the Christmas tree, under the table, into the kitchen and back again. Amy, in four-year-old heaven, raced after her and slid on the hardwood floors.
Ronni tried to drink a cup of coffee throughout the chaos. This—early Christmas morning—was their time together alone before Travis and Bryan and Shelly’s whole family descended for Christmas dinner later in the afternoon. She couldn’t believe how her life had changed in the past few weeks and she eyed the little Christmas tree under which the presents were spread. She’d even broken down and bought something for Travis and Bryan as they seemed already a part of her family.
“Let’s name her Snowball.”
“But she isn’t white.”
“Does it matter?”
“No, honey, I don’t suppose it does. You can name her anything you like.”
While Ronni picked up the litter and discarded wrapping paper from the Santa gifts, Amy busied herself by making a bed for the dog.
Once the house was cleaned and the pup was relegated during nonplay hours to a newspaper-strewn laundry room, Ronni turned on her favorite Christmas CDs and started stuffing the turkey. After plopping it into the oven, she even danced a little as she put together a molded salad, peeled white potatoes from her own garden and washed the yams. Yes, it was a time of new traditions, a new beginning. A new dog and a new extended family.
It was nearly four before she had time to dress Amy and get changed. Sitting at the vanity, slipping silver hoops through her earlobes, she heard the doorbell ring. “Coming,” she called, following Amy down the stairs.
Travis and his son stood on the porch, their arms laden with packages. Ronni’s heart kicked into double time at the sight of Travis in black slacks and a cream-colored sweater, his hair rumpled by the wind. Bryan, for the first time in ages, was without his baseball hat and wore clean jeans and a gray shirt tucked in at the waist. He managed a tight smile and Ronni was taken with how much he looked like his father. Once the soft flesh of youth gave way to harder planes and angles, he’d be as handsome as Travis.
“Come in, come in,” she invited. “We have someone we’d like you to meet.” From the laundry room, the pup gave an excited yip and Amy ran to get her.
“Lookie!” she cried, running with the little dog. “Her name is Snowball! Mommy got her for me.”
Snowball wriggled and tried desperately to wash everyone’s face. Travis and Bryan exchanged glances. “Uh-oh,” Bryan whispered.
“What?”
“Well—” Travis rolled his eyes. “What is it they say about great minds thinking alike?”
“Oh no,” Ronni whispered, fingers to her lips as she caught his meaning.
“What?” Amy asked, befuddled.
“May as well bring our surprise in now,” Travis said and handed the keys of his Jeep to Bryan.
Ronni’s gaze locked with Travis’s. “I don’t believe it.”
“Believe.”
A few minutes later, Bryan returned to the house carrying a half-grown pup.
“Wow!” Amy’s eyes rounded.
“We got him at the local animal shelter,” Travis explained. “His name is Rex.”
“Is he mine?”
“If it’s okay with your mother.”
Ronni skewered him with a knowing look. “Oh, great, make me the bad guy.”
“Can we keep him, Mommy?” Amy was dancing again, her eyes sparkling in anticipation, her cheeks rosy.
“I suppose.”
“Yippee!”
Rex, black and white and looking suspiciously as if he had a Border collie in his family tree somewhere, bounded through the door as if he knew he was home. The smaller pup let out a worried woof, then dashed away to cower under the table.
Travis grinned sheepishly. “He’s housebroken.”
“That’s the good news. One down, one to go,” Ronni said. Yesterday she owned no dogs, today she had two. Unbelievable.
Travis kissed her cheek. “You’ll survive,” he predicted.
When Shelly, Vic and the boys landed, Ronni pointed a wooden spoon in her sister’s direction. “Tell me you didn’t buy a dog.”
“I didn’t,” her sister swore, looking drawn.
“And you didn’t pick up one at the animal shelter, humane society or a stray walking down the street.”
“Scout’s honor,” Shelly said, hiding a smile as she held up two fingers.
“Good, then you can stay, but only if you promise to take it easy and put your feet up in Hank’s recliner.” Ronni wagged the spoon in front of her sister’s nose.
“Yes, ma’am,” Shelly replied with a mock salute. “But I thought you couldn’t bear the thought of his chair empty in the living room. Wasn’t it stored away?”
“I decided that was silly. Along with a lot of things,” Ronni explained. “Besides, I wasn’t really acting rationally, was I?”
Shelly didn’t answer and plucked a cracker from a small bowl, then dipped it into the cheese spread.
“I mean, some of his things I kept around to remind me of him and others I hid away because I didn’t want to think about what I’d lost.” She shook her head. “I didn’t realize how much of a basket case I was.”
Shelly cocked her head to one side and munched on the cracker. “And now?”
“Now is tough, but I’m better. My New Year’s resolution is to become whole again. To start over.”
Folding her arms over her chest, Shelly motioned with her chin toward Travis. “I don’t suppose this has anything to do with him.”
“A little, probably,” Ronni admitted, “but I’d decided it was time to rebuild just before I met him.”
“And your war with the mountain?”
“Oh, it goes on forever,” Ronni said. “As long as there are skiers trapped up there, I’m going to bring them down. Mount Echo will still win sometimes, but I’ll fight her all the way.”
“Her?”
“Her, it…does it matter?”
At that moment, both puppies galloped into the room, yipping and giving chase to each other. “My Lord.” Shelly laughed. “What happened?”
“I think we’re experiencing Amy’s vision of heaven.”
“And mine of hell,” Shelly whispered with a chuckle.
Ronni laughed, too. This Christmas—the one she’d dreaded—was turning out to be the best ever.
*
They all ate around the table, t
hough it had to be extended with a folding card table at one end and the tablecloth looked a little lumpy where the two tables butted up to each other. Candles graced the centerpiece and Christmas music filled the room. Ronni poured wine for the adults, though Shelly declined, then filled the children’s glasses with sparkling cider. Travis was given the honor of carving the turkey and after everyone had eaten until they couldn’t take another bite, they left the dishes and turned their attention to the Christmas tree and gift exchange between the families.
Kurt and Kent were thrilled with the new video-game system Ronni had bought for them. Even before the wrapping was totally off the package, they were fighting for the opportunity to play the first game. Shelly ended the argument by stating that if anyone was going to have the honor of using the new equipment first, it would be she.
Amy was so distracted by the puppies, she could barely concentrate on the intricate rag doll her aunt had sewn for her. “Just don’t let any of those mongrels near it,” Shelly teased. Bryan seemed, or at least pretended, to be interested in the instructional movies on skiing and snowboarding that Ronni had given him and Travis grinned over the books about the history and favorite recreational sports in Oregon. By the time everyone headed home, Ronni was exhausted and the house looked as if it had been hit by a hurricane.
After the first load of dishes was running in the dishwasher, she took the horses a Christmas treat of apples and carrots, then returned to clean up the rest of the house. Amy was so tired she could barely move, but she insisted on camping out on the sofa to be close to the puppies, who, now that they had each other, were curled in a ball of fur and fluff on a blanket in the laundry room.
Ronni had just hung up her apron when she noticed Travis on the front porch. His breath fogged in the air and his face was awash with color from the exterior lights. Catching her attention, he waved her outside and Ronni slipped through the door. After the warmth of the fire, the outside air ripped through her in a fierce gust of raw December wind. Nonetheless, her pulse raced at the sight of him. “Brrr,” she whispered, rubbing her arms against the cold. “What are you doing here? Where’s Bryan?”
“Back at our place watching the movies you bought him. I told him I’d be home in about an hour and he barely even said goodbye he was so engrossed.”
“That’s good, I guess, but it still doesn’t answer my first question.”
“I forgot to give you your present.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I distinctly remember you handing me a leash, flea powder and twenty-pound bag of dog food.”
His laugh was deep as it rumbled through the trees. “I know. That was your personal, intimate gift. Just for you.”
“Thanks so much,” she mocked.
“But I thought you needed something a little more practical.”
“Like a shovel for scooping the you-know-what?”
His teeth flashed white. “No, something a little less personal than that.”
“Oh, great.”
He fished into the inner lining of his jacket and withdrew a long white envelope. “Careful,” he said as she took it from his hands, her eyebrows knitting in concentration.
“What’s this?” she asked. “Airline tickets?” She looked at him before fanning out the tickets and squinting to make out the destination.
“Lake Tahoe,” he said. “For the four of us. You, me, Bryan and Amy. We take off tomorrow night.”
“But why?”
He reached into the front pocket of his jeans and withdrew a small black box.
A lump the size of a golf ball filled her throat and she found it almost impossible to breathe. “It’s not—”
“See for yourself.”
Heart thudding almost painfully, she opened the velvet-lined case and stared at a diamond ring that winked softly in the glow of the Christmas lights. “I—I don’t know what to say,” she whispered and Travis withdrew the ring from its softly lined container.
Taking her left hand in his, he said, “Tell me yes.”
Her eyes searched his face, and she bit her lip for a second. “I—I—Yes!”
“You’ll marry me?” he repeated, seeming astounded.
She flung her arms around his neck. “Of course I’ll marry you.”
Laughing, he twirled her off her feet and kissed her head. “I was worried you’d say ‘no.’”
She grinned and shook her head. “Oh ye of little faith,” she teased. Again he kissed her, his lips filled with a sweet, gentle pressure. When he finally lifted his head, he sighed. “We’ll elope tomorrow. Fly down to Tahoe and tie the knot, spend a few days there and come home just before New Year’s.”
“But—I can’t leave. Shelly, my business, the dogs—”
“I’ve already talked to Victor. Shelly’s doing as well as can be expected. It’s just a matter of time and rest now and you can call her every day if you want to. Vic will look after the dogs and the horses. You already told me that your business is slow this time of year. As for the ski patrol, I talked to Tim Sether who said he could find someone to fill in for you.”
“You were pretty sure I’d say yes,” she said, still spinning in a rush of emotion.
“No, but I knew what I wanted.” His voice deepened and his eyes were suddenly serious. “And what I want is you, Veronica Walsh. Now and forever.”
She almost cried tears of happiness. “You’ve got me, Travis Keegan, and if you ever try to get rid of me, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
“Never,” he vowed, and with his arms wrapped around her protecting her from the cold, she believed him. He slipped the ring onto her finger, kissed her until she no longer felt the cold night air. Then, once her bones had begun to melt, he lifted her off her feet, carried her over the threshold of her little house, locked the door, and while Amy slept soundly on the couch, mounted the stairs to Ronni’s bedroom where, for the next hour, they celebrated Christmas alone.
Chapter Eleven
“YOU MAY KISS the bride!”
The preacher, Reverend Randy, as he insisted upon being called, lifted his hands as if he were addressing an entire congregation instead of the two witnesses Ronni had never met before, his wife on the piano and Bryan and Amy. The tiny chapel was wedged between two casinos and decorated more like an arcade than a church, but it didn’t matter. Travis pulled her into the possessive circle of his arms and kissed her in that same breathtaking way that always caused her heart to skip a beat.
Amy, on cue, tossed confetti and rose petals into the air, and Bryan, trying hard not to glower, managed a grim, hard smile. Being his new stepmother wasn’t going to be easy, Ronni told herself as she stared into the eyes of her new husband. Marge, Reverend Randy’s wife, began to play and music filled the chapel. Ronni was ready for the challenge. Even if Travis didn’t love her, she was certain he cared about her and Amy. Love would come later. It had to. They walked down the tiny aisle together and stopped at the back of the chapel when Marge stopped playing. A top-heavy lady in a polka-dot dress, she scurried to the camera that was already poised upon a tripod and took some pictures of Ronni and Travis, the kids, even one with Reverend Randy.
Outside, the sun was just setting, and they walked the few blocks to their hotel. Sprawled along the shores of the lake, the hotel reminded Ronni of the old Johnson lodge—the place that would finally be her home with Travis. Living in and restoring the old lodge had been her dream for the past several years, except that in her dreams she’d never once thought she would share the premises or her heart with a husband and a stepson.
“Can I call you Daddy?” Amy, holding Travis’s hand as they walked into the hotel lobby, wanted to know.
Travis grinned down at his new stepdaughter. “Sure. Why not?”
“Because you’re not her daddy,” Bryan said, the edges of his lips white.
“We’re a family now—”
“No, Travis, we’re not a family and this isn’t the Brady Bunch. I’ve already got a mother.�
�� He glared at Ronni as if she were the devil incarnate.
“I wouldn’t presume to try and take her place—”
“You couldn’t, okay? No one can.” With a furious glance at his father, he stormed across the lobby and through French doors to the deck.
“I’d better handle this,” Travis said. “I’ll meet you upstairs.” Ronni, still holding her bridal bouquet and feeling like a wretched fool, watched as Travis followed his son. “Come on,” she said to Amy. “Let’s get changed.”
Once she and her daughter were in the suite, she peeled off her ivory-colored suit. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she remembered her first wedding, complete with a white silk and satin dress, long train, veil and Shelly as her matron of honor. The church in Cascadia had been filled with friends and good cheer, a long reception had followed wherein the timeless rituals of toasting each other, cutting the cake and taking the first dance together had been honored. This time, the wedding had been without all the trimmings—just the four of them, a pieced-together family who still weren’t sure how they each fit with each other.
“Bryan hates us,” Amy stated as Ronni hung up her clothes.
“No, honey, he’s just not sure what to think of all this. It’s happening too fast, I think. We should have waited until after the new year.”
“I don’t see why. I didn’t have a daddy for Christmas and now I have one for New Year’s and we’re going to have a big party.” Amy struggled to yank a barrette from her hair.
“Here, let me get that,” Ronni said, helping her daughter and laughing a little. “A party? Now, where’d you get that idea?”
“Travis—er, Daddy said we could.”
“Oh. Then we will.” Sitting on the edge of the king-size bed, Ronni kicked off her heels and massaged the aches from her feet. She thought about her friend, Linda, who was on her honeymoon at Timberline. Wouldn’t she be surprised that she wasn’t the only new bride working on Mount Echo? “You know what we should do,” she said to her daughter.
Memories: A Husband to RememberNew Year's Daddy (Hqn) Page 40