“And you with a freezer brimming with cookies and rolls.” Gwen laughed, a full throated chuckle which had the same effect on the men of the Fit and Fifty as the scent of apple blossoms on honey bees. “Did you whip up a batch of your chocolate chip and pecan specials?”
Wanda found herself grinning back. “Three dozen.”
Gwen scooped up two date bars and waved them under her nose with a blissful smile. “You bake like an angel kissed your fingertips, Wanda. Don’t surrender a crumb of those cookies to that greedy little witch or I’ll bounce you from the club!”
Wanda’s smile faded. “How do you wrap money?” She shuffled through the photographs without seeing any of the colorfully costumed subjects. “I want my family to know that I love them.”
“Give each of the kids a small savings bond and stiff Allyson and David,” Gwen advised. “On second thought, give your son that bowling shirt you showed me. I’ll bet the idea of David hobnobbing with the peasants down at the bowling alley drives your dear daughter-in-law up the wall!”
“But I want Jenny to have the skirt.” A tear escaped from the hidden spring of hurt welling inside Wanda’s soul and trickled down her cheek.
Gwen sobered. “That skirt is stunning. My granddaughter gets her clothes at an exclusive boutique and I’d stack up your designs against any of the ragamuffin stuff Laura wears. Fancy labels ae just for folks too blind to recognize quality.”
Wanda sighed and swished the tea around in her cup.
“Allyson’s not worth the misery, dearie.” Gwen wrapped another date bar in a napkin and tucked it into her purse. “I’ve got to dash. Now, don’t forget the Christmas committee meeting has been changed to Thursday. We’re thinking of driving down and holding our party at that orphanage in Mexico.”
She rose. “If I were any younger, I’d put one of those little charmers on my list for Santa. You won’t worry about this gift thing anymore, will you?”
Wanda shook her head and pretended to sip cold tea.
That night, Wanda dreamed she was seven years old again, her feet stumbling up the steps of a sprawling, paint peeling farmhouse. Scalding tears blurred her vision; she wiped away the stinging salt with the end of a pigtail. Once again, she was dumb at spelling, too slow at recess games, and the cruel final taunts of a classmate rang in her ears.
Her grandmother was mixing biscuit dough on the maple harvester table in the kitchen. Wanda tried to slip past the doorway to seek refuge in her own room, but her grandmother’s ears were keen enough to hear a mouse sneeze in the walls.
“Is that you, child? I need another scoop from the flour barrel—” She broke off and peered at her granddaughter. “Tears, Wanda? Are you ailing?”
Wanda sniffled without replying. Then, without warning the log jam of injured pride, anger, and grief broke free and the pent-up misery spilled forth. Between gulping sobs, she confessed to fleeing her tormentors. “Why did Mommy and Daddy have to die? I hate being an orphan!”
From experience, she knew that although her grandmother was generous with food and the assignment of chores, she dished out neither compliments nor sympathy with a lavish hand. Wanda was stunned into silence when the older woman led her into the parlor to the rocking chair and lifted her onto her lap, just as if she weighed no more than a babe.
For a few minutes, the only sounds were the creak of the rocker against the hardwood floor and the whistle of a mocking bird in the elm tree outside the window.
“You’re my flesh and blood, Wanda,” her grandmother began. “Didn’t I make you this dress?”
Ducking her head, Wanda whispered assent and pleated the striped fabric of the skirt with her fingers.
The matter-of-fact voice continued. “As I sewed, I dwelt continually on how blessed we are to have you here. Whenever the other youngsters cut you with words, slip your hand into your pocket and grab a handful of the feeling put inside with each stitch. You might be the only one in your class with a pocketful of love.”
Wanda opened her eyes. The sun drenched parlor, the smooth arm of the rocking chair against her back, and the yeasty scent of biscuit dough had vanished into the past, along with the gruff voice of her grandmother. She was in the present, trapped in a tiny apartment where the drip of the bathroom faucet competed with blaring music from a passing car.
Her knees throbbed. Wanda twisted the blanket and thought of Jenny. Too tall, afflicted with braces and flyaway hair Jenny. Jenny, whose mother believed that the proper application of eye shadow and the name of a ‘hot’ designer on the fanny of a pair of jeans guaranteed popularity.
Wanda sat up, switched on the lamp, and swung her painfully stiff leg over the side of the bed. The skirt was a warm puddle of color against the dark wood of the work table. Glancing down, she saw that one of her fists was stuffed into the pocket of her nightdress. By next year, her fingers might be too stiff for fancy sewing—and Jenny needed her now.
Knotting the cord of her dressing gown, Wanda limped into the kitchen to make her third pot of tea.
* * * *
Three weeks later, the sounds of a fiesta filled the air; shrieks of ecstatic children vied with the strumming of a guitar and strident horns.
Gwen plopped down on the bench beside Wanda and brushed strands of glittering tinsel off her shoulders. “Best party ever! Did you see those little rascals pelt me with this stuff?”
“Maybe it’s that hint of green in your new hair dye that confused them. They thought you were a tree.”
Gwen snorted and nudged her friend. “You sound pretty chipper for a woman who’s giving savings bonds and a bowling shirt this year. Anyway, I’ve got a warm, tingly feeling from watching the little tykes have so much fun.”
My doctor calls that sensation poor circulation,” Wanda retorted with a grin.
They watched the merriment in companionable silence, moving only to pull their feet out of danger as kids hurtled past, grimy fingers clutching gift flashlights, which served as laser guns and chocolate-smeared mouths supplying graphic sound effects.
A woman whose face was worn from years of struggling to nurture the children in her care stepped forward to caution the boys to behave, but her smile as she stroked the evening cape woven with silver threads cradling her shoulders outshone the star at the top of the tree in the center of the room.
Wanda beamed back, her thoughts drifting to a skirt wrapped in gaily patterned Christmas paper, a skirt containing a designer label snipped from a dress belonging to Gwen’s granddaughter. The outside of the skirt pocket was embroidered with daisies and inside was the special Braille message of the thread bumps that Wanda would interpret for Jenny when they were alone together.
At her side, Gwen stiffened. “Is that Tom Turner doing the Mexican hat dance? He’s too old for such foolishness.” Springing to her feet, she stalked away, intent on rebuking such folly.
Carlos, seated on Wanda’s lap, giggled. Wanda laughed with him, hugging the dark-eyed two-year-old close before brushing the crumbs of a chocolate chip and pecan cookie off the yellow duckling embroidered on his undershirt.
THE END
About the Author
Lori Ness wrote her first novel when she ran out of books that she liked to read. Rosemary for Remembrance, published by Harper Paperbacks under the pseudonym Christine Arness, was nominated for a Romantic Times Award for Best Contemporary Romantic Novel. Her second book, Wedding Chimes, Assorted Crimes, was a hardcover published by Five Star. Lori has also published numerous articles, short stories, newspaper articles and essays.
www.christinearness.com
Available Soon from Melange Books
Fairy Christmas, Darling
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from Melange Books
Available Soon
From Melange Books
Fairy Christmas, Darling
by Christine Arness
Delaney has failed to provide for her family. Fighting to make ends meet, she struggles with her daughter
Lilly’s worsening eyesight and her grandfather’s habit of giving away their income.
But Delaney’s gotten a new neighbor, a handsome veteran recently returned from Afghanistan. Charlie’s fighting his own battle with injuries and post-traumatic stress syndrome but the “never give up” attitude of both Lilly and Delaney convinces him to help save their farm. Just as Delaney begins to put her trust in this caring man, a frightening incident convinces him to take steps to protect his new family. To Delaney, however, it appears he doesn’t care enough. Can Lilly and her fascination with fairies bring them back together?
Also Available
From Melange Books
A Holiday To Remember
by Nancy Pirri & Charmaine Pauls
A Son For Christmas by Nancy Pirri
Cattle driver, Cane Smith arrives in Bozeman, Montana, released after serving seven years in a Texas prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Living behind bars has changed him, especially when he discovers he’s a father. Now, Cane has been exonerated of the crime and intends to claim his son, born of a prostitute with whom he’d loved, before being incarcerated. As an infant, the boy had been adopted by rancher, Tom Callahan.
Tom can’t fault Cane for wanting to claim his son, but has his own daughter, Annie, to deal with. She’s helped her father raise the boy she named Mark. After all this time, she can’t give him up. He’s a Callahan.
Cane, who’s been longing for a love and home of his own, has a solution: Miss Annie will have to marry him if she wants to keep Mark in her life. Annie will do anything to keep the boy with her—but can she live with the hard, rough Cane Smith?
The Grayton Family Christmas Supper Contest by Charmaine Pauls
Nobody truly knows what happened the Christmas of 1910 in the small town of Grayton, South Africa. What is for sure, is that people until today still talk about the scandalous event that grew into one of the country's biggest annual food festivals.
Also Available
From Satin Romance, an imprint of Melange Books
FROZEN
A Winter Romance Anthology
The Ice Hotel Wedding Test by Charmaine Pauls
Jess and Derrick have been together for twelve years. When Jess finally gives Derrick an ultimatum, tie the knot or set her free, he proposes a bizarre test to decide their destiny.
Love Thaws a Frozen Heart by Valerie J. Clarizio
Casey is hell bent on getting Noah to sign divorce papers. Hiding out at his camp, Noah is hell bent on not signing. Procuring a snowmobile, Casey sets out in a blinding snowstorm to find him. After crashing, she is near death when Noah finds her. Will a few cabin-bound days cause either of them to change their mind?
Lord of Ice by April Marcom
Jack Frost gave his heart to Lilly the day she was born, making her the perfect leverage for a fire spirit whose heart is set on becoming Lord of Ice.
Frozen Moments by Nancy Pennick
Drew keeps proposing. Kate keeps saying no. It’s their little game. Can the holiday season change that? Kate has lost her best friend, and Drew does his best to cheer her up in this delightful story of love and memories.
Frozen In Time by Christina Kirby
Lizbeth travels the world as a freelance photographer and answers to no one. After her last relationship, that’s exactly how she wants her life to be, easy and all her own. Jonas is staying at his family’s cabin while he deals with the loss of a fellow fallen solider. He wants nothing more than to be left alone and to avoid Christmas. Neither plan on spending Christmas with a stranger or finding the person who’s exactly what each other needs.
Frozen With Possibilities by Rhonda Brutt
A resort on the shores of Lake Superior in the middle of December was not exactly what Tiffany had in mind for a mid-winter vacation. But when she agreed to accompany her progressive grandmother on this frozen trip, she discovered that life is filled with possibilities, if you only go after them.
Frozen Heart Thawing by Nicole Angeleen
In the depths of winter, Thomas Everett grudgingly meets his betrothed, Nila Sarvani, the daughter of a powerful sheikh. The passion they share takes them both by surprise, but the ruthlessness of American business threatens to tear them apart. Nila must decide if her dreams can be realized if she allows herself to fall in love.
Frozen Dreams by Elena Kane
In a world surrounded by snow and magic, Cara finds herself grossly out of place. Ridiculed by all, she lives her life in terror from perpetual bullies until she runs into a stranger in town. Ben is everything she always wanted, but never expected. Better yet, he sees past her differences. Could Ben be her dream come true?
Her Frozen Heart by Tara Fox Hall
Alaric has always loved the winter season, second only to his love of spells and sorcery. When his beautiful neighbor Cassandra reveals she’s a natural witch, he’s instantly smitten, even as he despairs of attracting her interest. Is there hope for a magical couple who thrive in different seasons?
The Thawing of Holly’s Heart by Marilyn Gardiner
What happens when a single mother meets an old friend and, despite the conviction that she will never again open her heart to another man, finds herself falling in love?
Falling On Ice by Bess Kingsley
After the horrible year ice sculptor Sam McLeod has had, falling off a ladder at Nationals into the arms of her nemesis is the absolute last thing she needs. Or is it?
A Cozy Country Christmas Anthology Page 9