Hannah, her eyes just as miserable, tried not to look at Zack. He cupped her chin in his hand. “I feel the same way Joel does, and I still want to marry you. You can wear a veil at the wedding.” Hannah smiled through her tears.
The candy cauldron was cast iron and twenty-six inches high. It took three people to carry it to the stove once all the ingredients were added to the pot.
“When we were kids, we had to stand on a chair to stir the taffy,” Sam said. “We all still have to stand on a stool so we can see down into the pot. We have to take turns stirring because the mixture gets thick and your arms get tired. We use this paddle. How old is it, Cisco?” he asked, pointing to a wooden paddle that was half as big as the paddle that belonged to his canoe.
“Decades old. It’s the one I started out with. My son…my son made it for me because I had such a hard time stirring the candy once it started to cook up. See, he carved his initials in the handle.”
Hattie stepped forward to cover the awkward moment. “I wish he was here,” Sara whispered in Hattie’s ear. Hattie nodded as she cleared the old table and rolled out sheets of waxed paper.
Hannah handed out cups of spiked eggnog just as the door opened to admit Ezra and Alice the nurse. Two small dogs raced into the kitchen behind Hugo. Freddie welcomed her guests and beelined into the living room to share her toys. “I found this lady stuck at the top of the hill. Sorry I’m late.”
“You’re just in time, Ezra. Would you like some eggnog?” Everyone greeted and hugged Alice.
“I really would, but the troopers called me to pick up a stranded motorist five miles up the road. Can you hold off till I get back? Shouldn’t take me more than an hour, maybe not even that since I have the plow on my truck.”
“All right, Ezra. Don’t dawdle now. When the candy’s done, it’s done. If the motorist can’t get to wherever he’s going, bring him here.”
The eggnog flowed, the kitchen rocked with laughter and good cheer as they all got in each other’s way. The dogs enjoyed the Christmas spirit as they romped through the house. The house smelled wonderful with the scent of fresh balsam from the giant tree that still waited to be decorated, and the sweet, tangy scent of the candy bubbling on the stove.
The Trips looked at one another, their silent message to each other: I wish Dad was here.
Jonathan Cisco wondered if he’d die in the swirling snow. He’d been walking for what seemed like hours. He suspected he’d been walking in circles, but it was hard to tell. In his entire life, he’d never been so cold or so tired. His grip on the shopping bag was so fierce he knew his hands were frozen to the handles. He also knew he would die before he would part with the bag.
Where the hell am I? How far from the cottage? It could be miles, or he could be around the corner. He slipped and fell facedown in the snow. He wondered again if he was going to die. If he did, would they find his body? The spring thaw? If that happened, his children and his mother would never know how hard he’d tried to get home for Christmas. Maybe his mother would know since mothers were supposed to know everything. Margie always knew what he was thinking before he knew it himself.
He heard the sound before he actually saw the truck. It looked like a monster coming at him. He shouted, waved his hands, then fell facedown in the snow again. He heard a car door slam. Maybe I’m already dead, and what I heard was the sound of the gates of heaven opening for me. He struggled to his feet, then felt strong arms holding him upright.
“I gotcha, big fellow. Can you make it to my truck?”
“Yes, sir, I can make it. Where are we? I lost my bearings.”
“Well, we’re a piece down the road from my place. I live over the rise there. Name’s Ezra. Down below is the Cisco cottage, maybe half a mile or so. I’d like to take you to wherever you’re going, but people are waiting for me. Mrs. Cisco said I should bring you to her house. Where are you going, young fella?”
Jonathan started to laugh as he climbed into the truck. “I’m going to the same place you’re going. I’m Jonathan Cisco. How did my mother know I was out here?”
“Oh, she didn’t know,” the man said, steering the truck around an icy bend. “The troopers called that someone was stuck and asked me to go fetch the motorist. Your mother said I should bring you, meaning the stranded motorist, to her house. It’s Christmas, and the weather conditions aren’t going to get any better. You feeling a little warmer now?”
“Yes, thank you. I’ll make it up to you somehow, Ezra.”
“No need to be saying that. When you do a good deed, it comes back tenfold. I’m going to park the truck. You go and skedaddle into the house and make your mama happy. Them triplets are going to be mighty happy to see you.”
Jonathan stood outside in the cold and the snow, staring at the people milling around inside the kitchen. They were making candy. I should be in there doing my share. Do I dare go in? Will they pitch me out? He craned his neck to see if he recognized anyone. Hattie, John, Henry, his mother. A young guy with a god-awful-looking scarf around his neck, a bunch of young people. A pretty lady with soft brown hair wearing a bright red, reindeer sweater, two little dogs circling her feet. His eyes lingered on her a moment longer. Margie had had a sweater like that once. He shifted the shopping bag under his arm. His presents.
What would they do when he knocked on the door?
Well, there was only one way to find out. He walked up the shoveled path to the kitchen door and then backed away three times before he could bring himself to knock. His heart was beating so fast he thought he was going to black out.
The door opened. Cisco smiled and held out her arms. “Merry Christmas, son.”
He could barely get the words out as he hugged her until she cried for mercy. “Merry Christmas, Mom. I’m not too late, am I?”
“No. No, Jonathan, you’re right on time. Let me introduce you to everyone. This is Alice. She’s the nurse who took care of me when I had my cataracts done. Of course you know Hattie, John, and Henry. The man behind you is Ezra, my new neighbor.”
The Trips stared at their father, their eyes filled with tears. They ran to him, almost knocking him over. “You came! You really made it! You’re really here! We weren’t going to put the star on the tree because you always do that.” They hugged him, squeezed him, kissed him, their tears mingling with his.
“Candy’s ready!” Henry shouted. “To your places! Jonathan, you’re out of line!”
Jonathan shed his overcoat and hat, pushing up the sleeves of his sweater as he took his place in the line.
“Here it comes!” Henry said, as he, Sam, and John poured the candy onto the waxed paper. Hannah and Sara quickly worked the paddle from both ends, rolling the sticky candy back and forth. When they stepped back, Jonathan and Sam took the paddle and worked the candy across and down the table.
“Nice working with you again, Dad,” Sam said in a choked voice.
His arms were so tired, Jonathan didn’t think he could make his muscles work. But he’d die before he admitted it. “It’s almost ready!” he shouted gleefully.
“Your turn,” Sam said, handing the paddle to Zack and Joel.
“It’s not budging.” The doctors huffed and puffed.
“That means it’s ready. Everyone butter your hands, get in a line, and start to pull. Up, down, twist, then pull; up, down, twist, and pull,” Cisco said.
“This is like the Keystone Cops,” Hattie hissed in Cisco’s ear.
“Yes, it is. Next year the newcomers will have a better feel for it. All things considered, we’re doing rather well.”
Forty minutes later, the candy was a solid three-foot-long braid of chewy taffy.
“When do we get a piece of this?” Zack asked.
The Trips stared at him in horror.
“What? What did I say?”
“We don’t eat this. See that hole in the top! We put a string through it and hang it on a tree for the birds. All that butter and sugar will keep the birds warm when they nibble and lick at it.”
“I usually do that,” Jonathan said quietly. “If you’d like to do it this year, I’ll grant you the privilege. I’ve had enough snow to last me a long time.”
“We hang it on the old sycamore, so Cisco can see the birds from the kitchen window. Come on, put your jacket on and we can do it together,” Hannah said.
“I’m glad you’re tall enough to reach the branch,” Hannah said, her teeth chattering with cold.
Zack tied the string of taffy securely on the branch. “When I was a kid, being tall was a bummer. I used to slump, and my mom would whack me good. She’d say, ‘Zachary, stand tall!’ It was a hard whack, too. This really is a wonderful thing, hanging this taffy for the birds. Everything is wonderful, your family, you. Especially you. My mother always told me when I met the right girl, I’d know it. Stupid me, I act to cover up my feelings. I liked you the minute I saw you looking up at me.”
“I think I’m going to like your mother. I hope to get to meet her someday.”
“Sooner than you think, Hannah. She’s coming for New Year’s. Your grandmother told Joel and me about your dad. Don’t be too hard on him. From what your grandmother said, it seems he lost his way there for a bit. My dad kind of went off the deep end when my brother and I left home. He summed it up later by saying he felt like we didn’t need him anymore. We did, just in a different way. Anyway, your father is here now, so be happy.”
Hannah nodded and smiled. Zach took it as an open invitation to kiss her. It was the sweetest kiss of her life. She said so. Zack laughed as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “I think there’s a waiting line for this taffy. Look!”
Hannah laughed out loud. “Merry Christmas, Zack.” She waved her arms to invite the birds closer. “Merry Christmas to you guys, too.” She reached for Zack’s hand to lead him back to the house.
In the whole of her life, she’d never been so happy.
The kitchen was once more a muddle of bodies scurrying about. Each one had a job to do. Cisco issued her orders like a general, “Henry, set the dining room table. John, replenish the fires. Hattie, baste the turkey. Sara, wash the candy pot. Sam, you can dry and put everything away. Alice, you and Jonathan take the dogs out. Joel, you can peel the potatoes. Sonia, you cut up the salad. Ezra and I are going to sit here and have a cup of eggnog. When all your chores are finished, we’re going to sing some carols, then we’re going to decorate the tree.”
“When can we open one of our presents?” Sam asked.
“When I say so and not one minute before,” Cisco responded smartly.
Cisco felt Jonathan’s hand on her shoulder. She reached up to cover it with her own. “Mom…”
“It’s all right, son. You’re here now. Our family is all together. That’s the only thing that matters. Now, show Alice where the path is to take the dogs. Sam shoveled it earlier.”
“This is a right nice family you have here, Loretta,” Ezra observed. “I’m thinking I’d like to be a part of it. Gets lonely up on that hill with just Hugo for company. I think I might be spending a lot of time coming down here to get him since he seems so sweet on Freddie. We’re of an age where it seems to me we shouldn’t waste a whole lot of time.”
Cisco chuckled, a rich sound of happiness. “I just might take you up on that offer. Did you bring me a present, Ezra?”
“I did. I made you a birdhouse that looks just like this house. Even painted it the same. When those grandchildren of yours hired me and told me what a special lady you were, I got right to work on it. I even wrapped it up. Did you get me a present?” he asked craftily.
“Of course. I knitted you a muffler and put your initials on the end. And I made you a cap to go with it.”
Ezra beamed his pleasure.
Cisco smiled and smiled.
When the kitchen door closed for the last time, Cisco announced that it was time to adjourn to the living room. “Fetch the ladder, Sam. We’re ready to decorate the tree.”
They all gathered around the magnificent spruce tree. It was Hannah who started to sing “Silent Night,” the others joining in. They were off-key, but no one cared. Sam swung into a lusty rendition of “Jingle Bells,” and the old cottage rocked. Everyone knew the words.
The eggnog continued to flow, the fire blazed, and smiles were the order of the day.
Authority ringing in her voice, Sara said, “We do the ornaments assembly line–style after we string the lights. I unwrap them because they’re precious, Hannah puts the hook on them, Cisco tells the story behind each one, then Dad and Sam hang them on the tree.”
Jonathan said, “String out the lights and let’s test them. I hope somebody brought extra bulbs in case some of them burned out. Oh, here’s a fresh box. We need the other ladder, Sam. One for the back of the tree and one for the front.”
Sara moved away to open a battered cardboard box of ornaments. Joel held the box while she ripped at the masking tape to reveal a nest of tissue-wrapped ornaments. She looked up when Joel nudged her arm and pointed to the mistletoe hanging in the center of the doorway.
In a way it was an awkward kiss because they were both on their knees leaning over the box. In another way it was absolutely perfect and natural.
It was a wonderful kiss that spoke of promises yet to come. When Sara opened her eyes she saw Joel smiling at her. “I liked that,” he said softly.
“I did, too. Can we do it again later? Sam hung mistletoe all over the house.”
“Ah. A brother-in-law to be proud of. Oh, God, did I just say that?” Joel’s face turned pink, to Sara’s amusement.
“Uh-huh. Okay, everyone, stop gawking. It’s time to put on the ornaments. The last thing to go on the tree is the star. Dad climbs to the top of the ladder and hooks it on. It’s not a big fancy ornament. It’s papier-mâché, and our mother made it. It has a lot of nicks and flaws in it, and it’s kind of tarnished, but it wouldn’t be Christmas without that star. Would it, Dad?”
“No, it wouldn’t,” Jonathan said. “Well, let’s get to it.”
Cisco sat down next to Alice, who was watching the ornaments being put on the tree. “He’s just like you said he was, Mrs. Cisco. My dogs like him, too.”
“That’s a lovely sweater you’re wearing,” Cisco said.
Alice smiled. “That’s exactly what Jonathan said. He told me to call him Jon. This is all so wonderful. You have such a nice family, Mrs. Cisco. You must be very proud of them. Are you really going to move your company to Larkspur?”
“I am indeed. Even the corporate offices. That means Jonathan has to move back here. I don’t foresee a problem. Merry Christmas, Alice.”
“The same to you, Mrs. Cisco.”
“Everyone get ready!” Jonathan called out. “I’m going to turn on the lights. Get ready to oooh and aaah.”
The tree was breathtakingly beautiful. The guests ooohed and aaahed on cue.
“Present time!” Sam shouted. “Please, Cisco, just one.”
“All right. Just one each.”
The young people were ten years old again as they dropped to their knees before a mountain of presents and shook, rattled, and poked at the gaily wrapped packages.
In the end, the Trips chose the three identically wrapped presents from their father as their choice. They cried and blubbered as they wrapped their arms around their father. Cisco smiled indulgently as she opened her birdhouse. Ezra was right, it was an exact replica of her cottage, right down to the three different chimneys. She turned to him and patted his hand. “We’ll hang it tomorrow and fill it with suet. How do you like your muffler and cap?”
Everyone clapped when Ezra pulled on the cap and tied the muffler around his neck. He looked at Zack, and said, “Now, young fella, we both have one.”
Zack undid the bright red bow on his package and pulled out the knitted cap that had a tail to it. He fingered the softness of the yarn, then tried to straighten it out. He pulled it on, the cap leaning dru
nkenly to the side. “I love it! It matches my scarf.”
“I’ll make you a sweater,” Hannah said generously.
“I can’t wait,” Zack said.
The timer on the stove rang. Hattie took charge. “You young people continue with your gifts while the rest of us get dinner on the table.”
Jonathan reached for Alice’s hand. “We don’t fall into that young people category. That means we have to help with dinner.”
The Trips smiled at one another as they watched their father and Alice walk out to the kitchen. “It’s perfect, just perfect.” Sara sighed happily. “This is the best Christmas ever!”
“How long are you going to be here?” Joel asked.
“Till January 20, then we head back to school. Cisco is going full steam ahead with the move, so we’ll be back for good in May.”
“How would you like to take in a movie next week?”
“I’d like that. I really would.”
“Do you believe in love at first sight, Sara?”
Sara looked over at the papier-mâché star in its nest of tissue paper. “My mother and father fell in love the minute they met each other. I guess my answer to your question is, yes.”
Joel looked around. “Do you realize everyone here is paired off? Even the dogs. Do you think this is a coincidence, or do you think…?”
“I think it’s whatever we want it to be.”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s how I feel. Thanks for that baby book. That was very thoughtful of you. I love kids.”
“I love kids, too. I love animals and I love my family and I love the whole world. Thanks for not saying anything about how I look. I really worried about what you would think. Hannah did, too.”
“Your grandmother explained everything to us.”
“Isn’t she the greatest?”
“Yes, she is.”
“Hey, whose turn is it to take the dogs out?” Sam bellowed.
“Yours!” Sara and Hannah bellowed in return.
Sonia was on her feet in the blink of an eye, searching for her coat and Sam’s.
“Don’t look at me, Sam, I’m not loaning my scarf and hat to you!” Zack fell over laughing at the look on Sam’s face. “If we get married in the wintertime, I can wear it to the wedding,” he said to Hannah.
No Place Like Home (Holiday Classics) Page 11