The Christmas Wishing Tree: An Eternity Springs Novel

by Emily March

  “Thanks, Bob,” Daniel said into the phone. “I appreciate that. You’ve been a tremendous help.” He listened a moment, then replied. “She’s doing well. We’re very excited. Yes. Eternity Springs has been very good to me.”

  Daniel pointed toward a single-serve coffee maker on a credenza, and Devin made two cups while Daniel completed his call. Once he’d disconnected, he offered them a welcoming smile. “Good morning. So how did the bus drop off go?”

  “As well as could be expected,” Jenna told him. “Reilly barely spared me a look back. I managed to hold off the tears until I made it to Devin’s truck.”

  “Never mind that he told her she was the best mother in the whole universe ten minutes before that when we picked up his new puppy. I’ve never seen a kid so happy.”

  Reilly had thrown himself and his arms full of puppy into Jenna’s. He’d said the whole universe line and added, “This is my number two biggest wish in the whole world.”

  Jenna and Devin had shared a silent look that acknowledged they both knew which wish was the boy’s number one.

  To Daniel, he added, “I don’t know whose tail wagged more, Reilly’s or Sinatra’s.”

  Daniel grinned. “I hope he’s ready for all the mewling that pup will do for the next few nights as he adjusts to being away from his mom. You’re lucky to be missing that, Jenna.”

  “True,” she replied. “I’m definitely counting my blessings today, and you are on my list. I can’t thank you enough for helping us, Daniel.”

  “I’m happy to be of service. Are you ready to get down to it?”

  “I am.”

  She spent the next hour and a half filling out online forms and hard copy paperwork for Daniel to file. She made a series of phone calls from a list he had created. If her hand trembled a time or two while affixing her signature to documents, well, Devin didn’t point it out. Before the job was done, she’d applied for a Colorado driver’s license, subscribed to three professional journals and four general magazines, signed up for a credit card, and submitted her credentials in order to become licensed to practice medicine in Colorado.

  The last one shifted the steadiness needle from “tremble” toward “shaking.” She murmured, “I guess it’s too late for second thoughts now. Anything else?”

  “I think that takes care of it,” Daniel replied. He checked his watch and added, “Right on time, too. I need to beg your indulgence, Dr. Stockton. My wife arranged a little reception in the wake of this morning’s events. I hope you won’t mind joining her and her friends.”

  “Of course I won’t mind,” Jenna replied.

  “Devin, if you’ll wait here, there’s a few things I’d like to go over with you. We can join the ladies in a bit. Jenna, if you’ll follow me?”

  While he waited for Daniel’s return, Devin checked his cell and was pleased to see the text from his brother-in-law. Camp Director Chase had sent a trio of photos of Reilly’s arrival at the Rocking L. So far, so good. The kid was all grins and giggles. He’d show Jenna the photos when they finished up here.

  When Daniel reentered the office, he asked, “Do we have a problem? Are these things you need to go over bodyguard-duty related?”

  “No. No problem. Actually, what I have to go over isn’t all that important. This was mainly an excuse to send Jenna into the lion’s den alone.”

  “Uh . . . lion’s den?”

  Daniel took his seat behind his desk. “Remember how your mom and her friends held what they called interventions when they thought one of their lives needed interference from people who cared?”

  “Oh, yeah. They were big on that.”

  “Shannon decided your Jenna needs one. At the picnic yesterday, she told the Callahan wives that she has no intention of staying in Eternity Springs and practicing medicine. Well, the wives want an OB/GYN in town and they have no intention of letting her get away. Shannon has gathered the prego parade to work on changing Dr. Stockton’s mind.”

  Devin let out a long, slow whistle. “Jenna doesn’t stand a chance.”

  And maybe Boone McBride will get a second one.

  Fifteen

  Jenna loved her profession. She loved working with women and being their sounding board and their source of information during one of the most important events of their lives—pregnancy and childbirth. Few experiences in life equaled that moment when a child slid from his mother’s body into her waiting hands.

  But as she left Daniel Garrett’s office building, she seriously needed a break from pregnant women. “Can we go do something physical?”

  Devin stumbled and she realized that she had too. “Not that kind of physical. I want to go running or hiking. I need to move!”

  “You have a sprained ankle. You’re in a brace.”

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. She could pretend otherwise, couldn’t she? “There has to be something I can do.”

  He opened his mouth.

  “Other than that. What about rowing? I could row, couldn’t I? Does somebody rent rowboats on Hummingbird Lake?”

  Devin suddenly understood her agitation. He rolled his tongue around his mouth and asked, “So which was more difficult? Spitting in your stalker’s face or telling my sister and her cohorts that you don’t want to be their doctor?”

  Jenna shook her head. “They’re an amazing group of women. Intimidating when they’re all together.”

  “Did they change your mind?”

  She sighed. “I promised to think about it. So, about that rowboat?”

  “I got a better idea. How about we go four wheeling? Daniel told me about a new trail that’s opened up since the last time I’ve been back. Dad has raved about it too. Riding an ATV isn’t as physical as rowing, but it’s not like sitting on sofa knitting an afghan, either. You should be able to manage it just fine with your ankle braced. I can promise it will clear the cobwebs from your head.”

  “I’ve never ridden an ATV.”

  “Well then, Sugar, you are in for a treat.”

  “We have time? Remember, we promised to have dinner with your parents.”

  “I haven’t forgotten that. Mom is making lasagna using Ali Timberlake’s recipe. Her lasagna is the best you can eat this side of Rome. No way I’ll be late for dinner tonight.”

  “In that case, let’s go.”

  The outing sounded like just what she needed. Her head was full of, if not cobwebs, then of arguments and ideas and decisions waiting to be made. On top of that, her heart had problems of its own. She didn’t know why sending Reilly off to camp had reawakened all the fears and insecurities she’d experienced when he was wounded, but it had. Add in the incessant pull of her attraction to Devin and the possibility—no, probability—that she was about to embark upon a short term affair with him, and she was definitely a basket case.

  Devin drove to his father’s shop and pulled around to the back lot where the Murphys stored their personal outdoor toys, which included ATVs, a fishing boat, and a popup camper. He sent Jenna to the sandwich shop across the street with instructions to “buy lunch and lots of it” while he hooked up the trailer and got directions from his dad.

  She placed an order, and then took a seat at a table to wait for it. She was scanning a copy of the Eternity Times when she heard her name and looked up with a smile. “Hello, Celeste.”

  “Hello, dear. I was so pleased when I spied you crossing the street a few minutes ago. I was looking for you at the school this morning, but I apparently just missed you. I have a little something for you—a gift I stumbled upon in Claire’s shop that made me think of you. Since you were sending Reilly off to camp this morning, I thought you might need a little pick-me-up.” She sat at the table and pulled a box sporting the Forever Christmas logo from a sparkling gold tote bag and handed it to Jenna.

  “Aww,” Jenna said. “How sweet. That’s so thoughtful of you, Celeste.” With the box in her hand, Jenna hesitated. “Before I open this, I want to say something. About your Welcome Wing visit to us at Stardance Ranch .
. . I feel terrible about misleading you . . .”

  Celeste interrupted her with a touch on her arm. “Now, honey. Don’t give that a second thought. I knew you had your reasons, and it wasn’t my place to interfere.”

  “So you recognized us?”

  Celeste chided her with a look. “Open your gift, dear.” Jenna opened the box and pulled back red tissue paper

  to reveal the thick round glass of a snow globe. She lifted it from the box and saw that the scene inside showed a Christmas tree in a forest. “It’s beautiful.”

  “It’s a Christmas wishing tree. One that’s portable.”

  “I love it.” She gave it a shake and watched the snowflakes float. “Thank you, Celeste.”

  “You are very welcome. I was so pleased to learn that Reilly wanted to adopt the tradition after I shared it with you. I hope you will continue it in years to come.”

  “We definitely will. It’s a lovely idea and it really struck a chord for us.” As she reached across the table to give Celeste a hug, the young woman behind the sandwich shop’s counter called her name.

  “That’s a large sack of sandwiches,” Celeste observed. “Devin told me to buy a lot. He’s taking me four wheeling. I’ve never ridden an ATV before.”

  “Oh, you’ll love it.” Celeste rose and kissed Jenna’s cheek. “Go have fun. I hope you’ll stop by Angel’s Rest one day soon for a cup of tea.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  Jenna tucked the snow globe into her purse, paid for her sandwiches, exited the shop, and crossed the street to find Devin tucking water bottles into the storage compartment of an ATV. “Hey, beautiful. Are you ready?”

  “Let’s do it.”

  During the drive up to the trailhead, they talked about music and movies and monotonous highway drives. Upon reaching their destination, Devin pulled his truck and trailer onto the shoulder of the road. A few moments later, he fired up the ATV and backed it off the trailer. Then he handed Jenna a helmet and told her to climb aboard and wrap her arms around his waist. “Or, you can use the handholds, but I’d really enjoy it a lot more if you held onto me.”

  For the next forty minutes she bounced, swayed, squealed, and giggled her way up a mountain trail with her arms wrapped tight around Devin’s waist.

  He stopped at what felt like the top of the world, the vista beyond a patchwork of color from craggy snowcapped peaks to forests in varying shades of green to wildflower-dotted meadows. “Now, isn’t this pretty,” Devin said as he took off his helmet. “I think we’ve found our picnic spot, don’t you?”

  “It’s fabulous.” Jenna set her helmet beside his atop a boulder.

  “Did you enjoy the ride?”

  “I did. Much more than I expected to, to be honest. Riding a four wheeler is a lot more fun than it looks.”

  “I know I enjoyed it. Feel free to hang onto me anytime, Sugar Cookie.” He opened the ATV’s storage compartment and removed their sack lunch and a thin tarp.

  She snorted a laugh “That’s the silliest nickname.”

  “Hey, I like it. And it’s totally appropriate.” He spread out the tarp and gestured for her to sit down.

  She passed out sandwiches and chips while he pulled bottled water from the storage space. They ate in silence, enjoying the peace of the place. When she finished her sandwich, she pulled the dessert she’d purchased from the bag—iced sugar cookies in the shape of a hammock. Devin laughed and polished off a third of the cookie in a single bite.

  She stretched out her legs and leaned back with her weight resting on her elbows. “This has to be one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.”

  “Have you not done much traveling?”

  “Until this road trip, no. I attended a symposium in London when I was in medical school, but since I adopted Reilly, trips have been limited.”

  “Wait until you see Bella Vita.”

  Jenna took a bite of her own cookie. She had not told him she’d make the trip. “Is it something in the water?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You’re not a lot different from those ladies who spent an hour pressuring me to become their doctor.”

  “Hey. Wait a minute. I’m not pregnant and I’m not asking you to be my doctor. I’m not opposed to playing doctor, mind you, but . . .”

  A grin on her face, Jenna dropped her head back and lifted her face toward the sun. “I’m not going to be pressured. I have enjoyed life on the road. It’s really nice to work the hours I want to work. I don’t make much money, but we don’t need much money. I don’t know that I’m ready to give this up.”

  “That’s understandable.” He took another bite of his cookie. “It’s nice to check out from the hassles from time to time. I’ve done it myself.”

  “We have reservations at a campground in Wyoming beginning the week after Labor Day. I’ve never planned to stay here permanently.”

  “You went to school a long time to become not just a doctor, but a specialist.”

  In a warning tone, she said, “Don’t try to education-shame me.”

  He made a zipping motion over his lips.

  “How can I say no when this town is doing so much for me? How selfish is that? What kind of person does that make me? Those women have every right to lobby for their interests. And, the salary they threw out—whoa. I’m shocked they don’t have obstetricians streaming over Sinner’s Prayer Pass in hope of securing the job.”

  “May I ask a question that has nothing to do with shaming of any sort?”

  “Okay.”

  “Why not stay? It’s a great little town. You’ve already made friends here. Reilly has already made friends here. You can’t remain on the road forever.”

  “I know.” Jenna shoved to her feet. “But I don’t make snap decisions. Even deciding to go on the road four months ago took me three days to decide. I think things through. I’m deliberate.” She paced back and forth. “Everything has happened so fast. I’ve been dealing with this stalker for a year and a half. A year and a half! I can’t make a life-altering decision over tea and crumpets with a room full of hormonal women.”

  “Okay. Okay, that’s fair enough,” Devin said.

  “I have time to think about it. Even if I loved the idea of establishing a practice in Eternity Springs, I couldn’t do anything about it yet. There’s the little detail about my license. Until I’m licensed to practice medicine in Colorado, I won’t so much as tell anyone to take a Tylenol.”

  “You’re right. You do have time to think about it. I just wonder . . .”

  When his voice trailed off, Jenna waited for him to finish his thought. He didn’t, so she prodded, “You wonder what?”

  “It’s nothing. How did you like your sandwich? Ham and cheese, wasn’t it? Are you a mustard and mayo girl, or mustard only?”

  She narrowed her eyes and repeated, “You wonder what?”

  He scooped up a rock from beyond the tarp, and threw it out into the nothingness. “I wonder why your reaction to the notion of staying in Eternity Springs is so intense. Could it be that it has more to do with what you don’t want to do than what you do want?”

  “I don’t follow you.”

  “All indications suggest that the obsessive loon we’re chasing intersected your life in some way through your work. I’m no psychologist, but it’s understandable that you’d be gun shy about hanging out your shingle once again.”

  “You think I’m afraid to return to medicine?”

  He shrugged. “In your shoes, that’s probably how I’d feel.”

  Jenna frowned. “That would be letting my enemy win.”

  “I don’t think it’s that black and white, but perhaps something to consider as you think about what you want to do when this over. Now, how about we change the subject to something more pleasant? Do you know how beautiful you look with that gorgeous hair of yours on fire with sunshine and roses in your cheeks from the ride? One thing’s missing, though. Your lips need a little puff and shine to them.”
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br />   He leaned over and took her mouth in a slow, sweet kiss that scrambled her pulse and heated her blood. Her arms lifted and wrapped around his neck, and he pulled her onto his lap. She was lost, drowning in him, when suddenly, he set her aside with curse. “This is insane. We have to stop doing this in public.

  Even as the protest formed on her lips, she heard the chug of approaching engines. A moment later, five ATVs, each carrying two people, rounded a curve in the trail. The lead vehicle pulled to a stop behind Devin’s four wheeler and as the riders disembarked, Devin asked Jenna, “Ready to go?”

  “Yes.”

  Devin helped her to her feet and they exchanged greetings with the newcomers—tourists from Texas riding ATVs rented from Refresh—while packing up their picnic supplies. Jenna pulled on her helmet, fixed the chinstrap, and then wrapped her arms around Devin’s waist for the trip down the mountain. The ride down was as exhilarating as the trip up. Nevertheless, Jenna was unable to lose herself in the activity like she had on the ascent.

  Had Devin hit the proverbial nail on the head? Was she afraid? Was that why she was so conflicted by the notion of making Eternity Springs her home?

  Perhaps. Something certainly had her hesitant to buy into the idea, despite the fact that the town had so much to offer. Really, in many ways it was a perfect solution. She and Reilly couldn’t be road rats forever. They liked it here. The outdoors lifestyle it offered suited them. They both already had friends here. Once the stalker threat was eliminated, why wouldn’t they settle down?

  Reilly could go to school. He could join a Scout troop. He could play baseball and basketball and soccer.

  And you? What will you do if you put down roots in Eternity Springs? Sit around and wait for Devin Murphy to pay a visit home from Australia?

  Ding Ding Ding Ding. The ATV hit a dip hard and her stomach followed suit.

  Jenna closed her eyes. That’s what this was all about. She was already halfway in love with him.