by Beth Bennett
Big fat cinnamon rolls sat on the table dripping in white icing. These were no canned biscuits either. They were definitely homemade. Pulling out a chair she slowly sat.
"I… I… I don't know what to say."
"Don't say anything, little bits. Eat." Beau scooped a big helping of casserole on her plate along with a cinnamon roll. He grinned as he poured her coffee. "Merry Christmas."
Jenna licked her lips. She was starving. She picked up her knife and fork and placed the lovely linen napkin with the embroidered Santa face on it in her lap. "Merry Christmas, wow."
Beau pulled a chair out and helped himself. "Annie and I used to make a big deal out of Christmas morning. We didn't have any kids so we were the kids, I guess. It's nice to have someone to share things with again." He took a big slurp of coffee.
"I can't believe you went to all this trouble. Heck, I can't believe I slept for a day and a half. I wasn't even thinking about Christmas. I hadn't planned to celebrate this year. It's a little hard to keep the holiday all alone. I just wanted to take a vacation." Jenna tasted the food. Everything was scrumptious. "I guess I was taking a vacation from life."
"Huh, I know how that is. I lost Annie five years ago and I've had my share of trouble moving on. I decided that since it seemed you were plopped down in my lap this year, maybe you could use a little Christmas cheer. I know I could. You've been a real blessing."
Jenna was surprised at the conversation. She thought she'd been an awful bother. How could it get any worse, a stranger invading your space at the holidays?
"I was snowed in, I wouldn't have had an excuse to do much of anything except enjoy the snow and tromp around outside a bit. With you here, it's been a real Christmas."
A smile broke out across Jenna's face. "You're a very amazing man, Beau."
He winked at her over his coffee cup as he took a sip. "I'd say the same thing about you, little bits."
A giggled escaped. "Why do you call me that? It's a weird name."
"Well, you're not very big. You're only a little bitty thing. Hence, little bits. Is it okay if I call you that?"
Jenna shrugged. "I guess so. I'm not very used to pet names I guess."
"Hey, after you finish eating, I've got some presents for you."
"What! No way. You've done enough already. Besides, where in the world or rather when in the world did you have time to do presents?" She shook her head. "No, absolutely not. I don't have anything for you." Jenna looked down at her plate. "This is awkward."
"Don't be a twit. Your company is my present. If you'll agree to take a walk with me after breakfast and presents then I'll count that as a present too. What do you say?"
Jenna looked longingly out of the bay window in the front of the house. The snow had stopped and the sun shone brightly on the field of white diamonds that lay all around. The trees were weighted down with white and the contrast of the evergreen against the snow gave a lovely shape to the forest. Occasionally, a puff of snow would fall as a squirrel or bird flitted from tree to tree.
"Gosh, I'd love to go out in the snow."
"It's settled then." They finished up breakfast and nothing would do, but Jenna perched herself on the sofa while Beau went to retrieve the presents from under the tree. She felt like a greedy moron, but the twinkle in Beau's eyes and the laughter on his lips made her give in. She couldn't bear to take his joy away by refusing his gifts. It was obvious he had gone around the house and basically wrapped up anything he could find. There were some nice colored pencils complete with stationary. A paper weight and a refrigerator magnet. Her stocking was filled with oranges and candy.
"Just like the pioneer days, Jenna. Every year I had to hear about how my parents only got an orange, an apple and some peppermint candy for Christmas. They were glad to get it. I used to get so sick of hearing it when I was a kid. Now I'd give anything if they were around to tell that tale again."
"What is the deal with the fruit and candy? I had to hear the same story." They laughed together as both peeled an orange. "I'm so full I can only eat half of this." Beau opened his mouth and Jenna shoved an orange slice in. His lips gently sucked her fingers when she tried to pull away. She smiled into his eyes.
"Thank you for a wonderful Christmas, Beau."
"Oh, the day has just begun. First, we'll take that walk and then, when we get back, we're going to make taffy."
"What? Isn't that the candy you buy at the beach?"
"No, it's the candy the Donovan family makes together every year. Come on, put on your coat, hat and boots. You can use my extra gloves. You didn't have any on when I pulled you out of the car."
"Speaking of the car, what am I going to do about getting all that straight?"
"Oh, don't worry, as soon as the snow clears in a day or two, I'll call Ed from the wrecker service in Fairplay. He'll pull it right out. The rental company has insurance for things like this. It was a natural disaster, I don't think they'll come after you." Beau was busy putting on all his cold weather gear. He looked like a big, burly, bear. "You should call the real estate company tomorrow. They won't be open today. If they give you a hard time about getting your money back, I'll speak to em. They won't give me any guff."
"Ha, I bet not."
Jenna followed Beau out on the front porch. A winter wonderland awaited them. The sun shone brightly and the sparkle of the snow was nearly blinding. A big crash sounded as a heavy limb lost its white covering and the snow went crashing down below. Beau turned to her, "Don't stand underneath a tree after it's snowed when the sun is out. You'll get hit."
"Yeah, I see that." Jenna had on nice tall fur-filled boots. They kept her fairly warm, but they weren't really made for trekking. She wouldn't be able to stay out too long. "Do you think we could make it to my car? I'd like to get my bag. A change of clothes that fit would be nice."
Beau smiled at her. "I think you look pretty cute in my clothes. But, I can see where you might want your own. It's a little too far to walk down there. I'll saddle up my horse, Blaze and get your things later this afternoon. That is, if it's okay with you?"
"That's plenty of time. I'm going to try and not get in a hurry the rest of this vacation."
"Now that, little bits, is the smartest thing you've said."
Beau knew his way around and he gave her the grand tour. He showed her the valley and the way the road wound up the mountain pass. He even brought his binoculars and Jenna could see her car, far away in the distance. Seeing her Jeep turned on its side crushed up against a tree in the light of day was frightening. She was lucky she wasn't hurt more. He told her the names of the trees and the types they were, what the wood was good for. He knew just about every plant that grew. She half expected a squirrel to come and perch on his shoulders or a bird to come sit on his finger. The animals all seemed rather friendly towards their presence and watched at an obvious but safe distance. They'd been out about an hour when Beau grew quiet. His normal chatter about the woods quieted and he looked pensively out over the mountain. Jenna wondered what he was thinking about.
"It must have been hard to lose your wife so young. Do you want to talk about it?"
"How did you know what I was thinking?"
"Well, you got quiet all of a sudden. You don't seem to have a girlfriend that I can see. You spoke a little earlier about how hard it had been. I just thought you might want to talk a little."
"This was a special spot to me. I built the cabin after Annie passed. It was my retreat. I'd often come up here to this old rock and sit and think." Jenna and Beau sat on the huge slab of granite. It made a perfect seat to look out over the valley below.
"Annie was young, only twenty-six. She got breast cancer. It was unusual, but it runs in her family. We had no idea she could get it at her age. By the time they found it, it was really too late. It was hard on me."
"In the years since she died have you had any relationships?"
Beau took a stick and drew in the snow. "Naw, I tried, but my heart just wasn't in
it. I've always been a bit of a loner. I guess I became even more of one after she died. I don't mean to be such a downer."
"Don't be silly. Losing your wife is a big deal. I guess, if you get quiet long enough and listen, everyone has a story to tell."
"You know, that is really true." Jenna took her hand out of her borrowed glove and patted Beau on the back. She had never felt such a connection with a human being before. This is so strange. I've talked more about deep things with this guy than I ever did with Tommy. It's only been a few days. Strange.
"Are you getting hungry for lunch?"
"Are you kidding? No way. I ate so much at your wonderful Christmas breakfast, I don't think I'll eat for a week."
"Well, after we get that taffy made, you'll swear you've never had anything any better."
Jenna hopped down from the rock. She scooped up some snow and threw it, hitting Beau square in the chest. "Race ya," she called.
She took off toward the cabin, but his big strides easily overtook her. He was waiting on the front porch as she came huffing and puffing around the side.
He yelled, "It's taffy time!" His echo flew across the mountain.
Chapter Five
Several hours later, after the candy finished cooking in the big pot on the stove, Jenna held her hands out as Beau rubbed oil on them. It was a very pleasurable sensation. She noticed he took his time and even gave her a bit of a massage. "That feels good."
Beau winked at her. "I know it does, feels good to me too. You have to make sure this oil is all over your hands so the taffy doesn't stick to it."
"Oh, Beau, I think you missed a spot."
He chuckled as he rubbed her hands all over again. "Okay, little bits, here's your taffy." He used a spatula and picked up a glob of the cooling mess from a marble candy cutting board. It felt like sticky mud to Jenna. Beau was busy instructing her what to do. "I'm going to take a glob of this and pull it back. The trick is to bring it back together before we stretch it so far, it falls to the floor. You just stand still until you get the knack of it."
Beau stood directly in front of her, his eyes sparkling with mischief. He put his hands in the glob she was holding and pulled it away from her. The taffy stretched out and then began to sag in the middle. Beau quickly wound it up and moved back to stand in front of her. He stepped so close she could smell his sweet scent mixed with that of the candy.
He made the same motion and when he stepped back to her for the second time, Jenna piped up. "I get this, let me do it."
"All right, but if it goes on the floor you have to throw that part away."
Jenna stepped back. The taffy stretched out. It immediately began to sag toward the floor. She let out a yelp and quickly stepped back toward Beau. The forward motion caused her to bump into him. He let out a loud belly laugh.
"Try again, little bits."
She bit her bottom lip and slowly stepped away. This time the taffy just stayed in a blob. She pulled harder and a big blob fell immediately to the floor. Jenna screamed as she tried to catch it, but to no avail. It lay accusingly on the floor.
Beau was laughing so hard, he could hardly catch his breath. Jenna looked forlornly at the lost taffy blob.
"It's harder than it looks, Jenna. Don't worry, there's plenty more to practice on."
In another hour, Jenna thought her arms were going to fall off. Beau finally declared the taffy was now a nice shiny waxy color and that it could be rolled out into long ropes like playdough snakes and cut into bite sized chunks for wrapping and eating.
Jenna rolled out the snakes with enthusiasm. "This is fun! I don't like the pulling part, though." Beau pinched her on the behind as he passed her in the kitchen and she let out a little squeak.
"Anything worth doing always has some unpleasant parts."
"Nah, nah, nah," Jenna mimicked.
Beau gave her a playful pat on the behind.
"Ouch!"
The taffy was done and the pieces wrapped in white wax paper. Jenna had eaten her full. "This is way better than the kind you buy at the beach. I guess it's because it's fresh. That was so fun, Beau. Thanks for doing that with me." They sat at the table together boxing up the last of the taffy.
"You were sweet to play along. I like to give these away for Christmas presents to friends in town. They always expect it every year."
"Was this something you and Annie used to do?"
Beau looked serious as he thought about his answer. "You know, Annie never liked this sort of thing. We had other traditions. I started making the taffy after she died. It was something I did growing up. I think it's time I started establishing new traditions. I'm glad you did this with me, Jenna. It's nice to have a new happy memory for Christmas."
Jenna felt a wave of warmth wash over her. She had never felt such joy before. "I feel the same way. My family never made much of a big deal over Christmas. I'm beginning to see it isn't really about presents. It's about doing things together, being together." Jenna looked up at Beau. Her heart actually felt bigger. She giggled as she thought of the Grinch. "The Grinch's heart grew in the story didn't it? That's how I feel. My heart has grown because of you."
"I've got one more Christmas surprise for you, little bits. Once it gets dark, we're going to drive down to Fairplay. The snow has stopped and the sun was out all day, melting a little of the mess. I've got chains on my four wheel drive. We'll be able to make it down just fine. We leave in an hour."
"Good heavens, I've got to take a shower then." Jenna rushed out of the room as Beau chuckled at her.
He had retrieved her suitcase earlier and it was waiting for her in the bedroom.
They wrapped up nice and warm for the drive down. They passed her car on the way and again, Jenna breathed a sigh of gratitude that she was safe. It didn't take them long to get to the town. There were lots of people out and they were all making their way to the town square on Main Street. Beau parked a block or so away and he and Jenna joined the crowd making their way down the street.
"What's going on, Beau?"
"Shhh, just be quiet, little bits. You'll see."
They walked hand in hand together. Finally arriving at the center of town, they joined the crowd that had gathered. Someone with a big pasteboard box was passing out small white candles. Beau and Jenna each took one. The square was filled with people. Families and children, old people, black people, white people, brown people, every kind of person Jenna could think of. They all stood together.
A lovely little girl, her hair in long braids stood on the podium in the center of the street. There was no talking and only the occasional cough could be heard. Suddenly, the little girl began to sing. Her high soprano rang out sweetly as the familiar words were sung.
"Silent night, Holy night."
She held a large white candle and someone from the crowd came up and lit their small candle from hers. The flame began to be passed from person to person until the entire area glowed with the light from hundreds of candles. The crowd joined in with the song. Jenna could hear Beau's beautiful bass voice sing the parts as they all became one in that solemn moment.
Her eyes welled up with tears. She couldn't help it. How could she have lived through so many Christmases and missed this? She had been blowing through life and was so focused on getting to the next thing that she had missed all the best things.
The song came to an end and everyone blew out their candles and placed them back in the pasteboard box. Jenna and Beau walked back to the truck in silence. They drove all the way home without speaking a word. When they took off their coats in the hallway Beau went to the kitchen. Jenna sat on the couch basking in the warm glow that seemed to have followed her from the special experience in town. Beau handed her a cup of hot chocolate filled with mini-marshmallows. She smiled up at him as he took a seat beside her. They quietly sipped their chocolate and watch the burning embers in the fire.
Jenna finished her treat and lay her head on Beau's shoulder. "That was the most wonderful surprise I ha
ve ever had, Beau. I've never had a Christmas like this one." She cuddled close against him and he squeezed her with his arm.
"I feel alive again, Jenna. This has been a wonderful Christmas for me, too." A few moments of silence went by before he continued. "I want to ask you something, but I don't want you to think I'm weird or anything."
Jenna sat up. He sounded serious. "You can ask me anything, Beau."
"Well, I know we've just met and I know that the wonder of Christmas has maybe clouded over my judgement, but I was wondering, would you consider maybe moving to Fairplay? You said you didn't really like your life back in South Carolina. I'd love a chance to get to know you better. I'm sure you could find a job here. What do you think?"
His words were music to her ears. Jenna had been thinking the very exact thing. She leaned back against him and squeezed him as hard as she could – Beau let out an oof! And then laughed. "Yes, I will."
He looked down at her. "You will?"
"Oh, Beau, I was thinking the very same thing. I need a new start as much as you do. Let's put all those old sorrows behind us and keep the spirit of Christmas deep in our hearts all the way into the new year. Maybe we can even do that together. What do you think?"
"I think, little bits, you took the words right out of my mouth."
Merry Christmas!
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