by Norah Wilson
“I’m a little rusty, but would you like to dance?”
Her smile was dazzling. “I would love to.”
He led her onto the dance floor and took her in his arms. As they drifted around the floor, he knew he held the most beautiful woman in the world.
Chapter 31
APRIL WAS having such a great time.
The DJ was on break and people were milling around, talking. So many friendly faces.
She stood by the dessert table, having just tidied things up. She’d managed to remove four plates by consolidating the remaining sweets. She was pleased to see that her Christmas coconut macaroons had gone over very well. So well, there wasn’t a single one left.
Unable to keep the smile off her face, she surveyed the crowd. There were a few faces she’d never seen before, but she was surprised by how many she recognized. Mostly from the market, of course, but also from other places around town. She gave a little wave across the way to Stephen from I’m a Little Tea Shop. Harkness, New Brunswick had to be the homiest place on earth.
Her gaze caught Scott’s. He was over at one of the tables, talking to a pair of hand-holding old timers. He smiled at her over their heads and she felt a tingle of awareness. Earlier on the dance floor, it had been all she could do not to mold herself to him. His hands on her back had been light and not a bit inappropriate, but they’d nevertheless started a sweet hum of desire that vibrated through her still.
Then police sirens cut through the air and the barn doors burst open. April started. Her hand flew to her chest, but when she looked to Scott, he winked.
The sirens cut out.
With a jolly “Ho, ho, ho,” a very well-padded Santa strode through the doors, a uniformed police officer flanking him on each side. If there was one person in the whole place that didn’t know it was Chief Adams, they were either very young or very new in town.
Fortunately for the children on hand, Santa’s security detail was carrying bags of goodies. Ember had explained the gifts were just items from the local dollar store, but the kids loved it. With the help of two teachers from Harkness elementary, the littlest ones started lining up at the front of the stage. April watched as Sidney queued up with the other giggling older kids at the end of the line to get a gift. Noticing April watching her, Sidney smiled.
What a great night.
The food, the company, her happy little girl.
Stone Thibault’s offer...
The next forty minutes passed quickly. Every kid got a treat of some kind, and the little ones who weren’t too afraid to sit on Santa’s knee had the chance to whisper their fondest wishes in his ear while their parents snapped pictures. Eventually, Santa departed. And of course, Chief Adams turned up shortly thereafter, saying he’d heard reports of a disturbance. The delighted kids rushed him to tell him he’d missed Santa again.
Scott came to join her as the music started up again. The dance floor filled up quickly. April caught Sidney’s eye and pointed at her watch. She tapped it three times—Mom speak for it’s almost time for bed. She then held up her left hand, splayed all five fingers three times—fifteen minutes.
Sid nodded. Most of the kids were gone by now and even as Sidney sat down on a bench beside Danika and Roy, their respective parents were heading toward the dance floor. The music had turned softer, proving once again that Tara Lee knew her stuff.
Scott took her hand. “Let’s go get some air.”
“I’d love to.”
They stopped to grab their coats. Scott helped her into hers, making her feel special. Outside, he pulled her into the shadows around the side of the barn. With the strains of the music in their ears, he drew her to him and kissed her. God, she was going to miss him. Miss this. But the opportunity was too good to pass up. Wasn’t it? Lord, she hadn’t even told Sidney yet. Thank God she hadn’t mentioned the prospect of staying until June.
Scott pulled back. “What’s on your mind?”
She blinked. “What do you mean?”
He cocked his head. “Either my kissing skills have suffered seriously overnight, or there’s another reason you’re a million miles away right now.”
She ducked her head, drew a deep breath. “I’ve got something to tell you.”
“I’m listening.” His voice was normal, but she felt the tension in his muscles.
“Stone Thibault came in to see me today.” Her words came out in a rush.
“The guy with the business card? Mr. Evasive. What did he want?”
“He’s offered me a job. In Boston. Working for K.Z. McCoy.”
He didn’t react at all.
“Say something, Scott.”
“Are you going to take it?”
Ask me not to. The thought came unbidden, yet right from the tips of her toes.
“I don’t know.”
“K.Z. McCoy,” he murmured. “That’s a big deal.”
“She sampled some of my cooking at the Boisverts’, although I can’t see Dr. Boisvert giving me any credit. Mrs. Boisvert must have done it. She was the one who told Stone where to find me.”
“Well, I can see why she’d track you down, once she’d tasted your cooking.”
“So what do you think?”
“Could be the chance you’ve been waiting for.”
“It could. In so many respects—career-wise, and in regards to Sidney. To be able to give her a steady, real permanent home. That’s been a dream of mine for a long time too.”
“Salary’s that good?”
The conversation had been brief, but Stone Thibault had made her a great offer. More than she could have ever hoped for. Certainly more than she would have thought to ask for. And the benefits? Again, more than she could have hoped for.
Then why had she dreaded answering Stone’s last question—“When can you start?”
“The salary package is very good,” she said.
“What about the other job you had lined up?” Scott asked. “Northern Ontario, wasn’t it?”
She bit her lip; he had to know there was no job. “They’ll have to understand.”
“What’s the time frame?”
“They want me to start as soon as I can.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “What’s Sid think of it?”
April’s happiness dimmed. Her little girl wasn’t going to like being wrenched from this place. “I haven’t told her yet.” She looked up at Scott. “What do you think?”
“I think it sounds like a hell of an opportunity.”
The barn doors opened and Sidney, Danika, and Roy spilled out, followed by their parents.
“That’s my cue.” She gave Scott a quick kiss, then started off toward the group.
Spying her mother, Sidney said goodbye to her friends and ran to meet April.
With a wave and a “Merry Christmas!” the others headed for their respective cars, carefully parked on the side lawn. As the two cars departed, April and Sidney started walking up to the house. Before they’d gone far, Sidney grabbed April’s hand, something she hadn’t done in ages.
“I can’t imagine it!”
“What can’t you imagine, Ladybug?”
“Being any happier than I am at this very moment. Christmas isn’t even here yet, but Mom, I’ve never been as happy as I am right now.”
Oh, Sidney. April’s stomach sank. So much for telling her about K.Z.’s offer tonight. She just didn’t have the heart to bring her daughter down when she was flying so high.
“And look!”
“At what?” April said.
Sidney held out her hand to catch a tiny flake of snow spiraling down from the dark sky. “It’s starting to snow!”
Chapter 32
IT WAS almost midnight and that had to have some kind of magic. And according to Danika, there was always an extra bit of magic in Christmas snow.
Sidney was sitting in the window seat of her bedroom looking out over the pristine grounds.
Two hours ago, she’d come over to the house and her
mom tucked her in. Then Faye and Arden had shooed her mother out to the barn to dance the night away.
Dance the night away?
Oh, she hoped! She hoped Scott swooped her up into his arms and told her he loved her. Not just because of how much Sidney liked Scott and not just because she liked it here. Arden. Faye. Danika. The Farm. Her school. Axl.
But because her mom deserved it.
She pressed her cheek against the cold window pane. First snow of the season. According to Principal Makepeace, if you made a wish on the first snow of winter, it had a pretty good shot of coming true.
In all the excitement tonight, she’d missed her after-supper trip to the front yard to see that first star come out. She’d been wishing on that first star pretty much every night since she’d come to Harkness. Same star, same wish. But tonight, the sky-watching hour had slipped by her. That was okay, though, ’cause it was almost Christmas, so surely every star in the sky was a little more magic.
She would wish on a bunch of them now. Every single one she could.
Chapter 33
IT WAS just after seven on Christmas morning and Scott had been up since the butt crack of dawn making breakfast for everyone, trying to be quiet. Trying? Contrary to what his uncle may think, he was the epitome of stealth.
The hashbrown casserole was in the oven, the bacon was draining on paper towel, and he was about to tackle the quiche.
He cracked the eggs into the mixing bowl, added some heavy cream and grabbed the whisk from the drawer. The goat cheese, onion and olives would be next. This was one of his mom’s own recipes, pulled from the recipe box Titus had made for her in an eighth-grade woodworking class. It was so rich, Margaret Standish only made it on special occasions. For special people, she’d said.
He’d actually improved his kitchen skills over the last while, from those times when April had let him help her out. Under her close supervision, of course. She was all business in the kitchen.
No, that wasn’t quite true. She was all passion.
But this morning, the kitchen was his, and he would defend it to the bitter end—or at least until the coffee was ready.
April walked into the kitchen. She was still in her pajamas, with a robe wrapped tightly around her.
“Merry Christmas.” She came over and put her arms around his waist. Squeezed him.
“Merry Christmas, April.” He hugged her back and kissed her lingeringly.
When he released her, she pulled back to look around his kitchen.
“Hey, don’t go getting any ideas,” he said. “You have today off.”
“This morning,” she corrected. “I’m making Christmas dinner later, remember? That’s my gift to the family. No interference on that one.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” He’d seen the size of the turkey that had been defrosting in the refrigerator for the past few days, as well as the vegetables that were chopped and ready for cooking. No way would he get in the way of that.
She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll go jump in the shower and be right back down. But first…” She pulled a CD from the pocket of her robe.
“What’s that? One of your baking mixes?” He’d noticed April and Sidney always had music playing when they cooked. Not the radio—either a burned CD of their own making or a playlist cued up on the iPod.
“Baking mix? A la cake in a box?” She rolled her eyes at the pun. “This is a special Christmas edition. Sid made it for you.” She popped it into the CD player on the island counter and hit a button. Snoopy’s Christmas began to play.
He grinned. “That’s one of my favorites.”
She looked around the room, as though measuring his progress. “Okay, give me fifteen minutes and I’ll be down to help.”
He slanted her a look.
“Um, I mean, would you like a little help?”
“No, I would not. I’ve got this.”
She looked at him a scrutinizing moment. “You just want all the glory.”
He laughed. “You know it. Even though I’m sure it will be short-lived glory, once everyone tastes your Christmas dinner.”
She smiled. “Fine, it’s all yours. But…would you like a bit of advice?”
“Sure.”
“Plug in the coffee maker. It works faster that way.”
“Smart ass.”
She giggled and headed off for her shower.
He found the cord to the coffee maker and plugged it in. The scent of brewing coffee filled the kitchen as he turned his attention back to breakfast. As he worked, the songs kept coming, making him smile. He didn’t recall his mother ever playing music while she worked, but he had to admit it made the work go faster. He’d actually caught Uncle Arden playing April’s tunes the few times he’d rustled up lunch for them while she was off to Saturday market. Maybe April had created a new tradition.
Fifteen minutes later, the quiche was in the oven and The Chipmunks were serenading him as he worked on the biscuits. He’d just turned the dough onto the floured counter when Sidney burst into the room, followed more sedately by April.
“Merry Christmas, Scott!” Sidney greeted him with a hug. “You’re playing the tape I made.”
He hugged her back, careful not to get his floury hands on her. “I am indeed.”
“Awesome.” She looked around the kitchen. “How can I help?” She was already tying on an apron.
April slid him a smile. She raised her eyebrows. It was one thing to fend her off, but sweet little Sid the Kid was another story.
“Do you know how to make butter curls?” he said.
“Puh-lease.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ve been making those since I was five.” She started toward the counter; then her face dropped. “Wait! I um…forgot something. Back in a sec!”
She shot out of the room and thumped back up the stairs.
He gave April an inquiring look.
She raised a shushing finger to her lips. “Listen,” she whispered.
A moment later, he heard it—the ever-so-slight groan of that squeaking stair step as Sid crept back down, followed by the almost complete silence coming from the living room. Almost. They both heard the soft rustle of a plastic shopping bag.
Ah! The stockings. The stocking stuffing tradition was alive and well in Casa Standish. Everyone put something in each other’s stocking. Sidney must be adding her contributions.
Seconds later, Sid popped back into the room, a mile-wide smile on her face. “So, where’s that butter?”
“Right there on the table.” He gestured toward it. “I’ve been letting it soften.”
Both Morgan women gave him a look of mock horror. Or maybe real horror, he wasn’t quite sure.
♥ ♥ ♥
Scott was just pulling the biscuits out of the oven as Ember and Jace came through the kitchen door.
“You’re just in time!” Sid said.
Jace snorted. “No risk of us being late. Ember had me up at five, I think.”
“Quarter to six,” Ember cut in. “And stop belly-aching. You love Christmas just as much and I do. And my family—soon to be our family—starts Christmas early.”
She kissed him and he wrapped his arms around her.
“Did I hear soon to be?” Arden slipped into the kitchen, a wide smile on his face. “Have you two set a date?”
Faye and Ocean had arrived ten minutes earlier, just as Titus was clearing the last of the snow left by the snowplow from the mouth of the driveway. The clan was all assembled now, and they all looked to Ember and Jace for an answer.
Ember and Jace looked at each other. “We have,” Ember said. “Next Christmas, right here on the homestead, in the Far South Barn.”
Chapter 34
APRIL SAT with Scott’s arm around her. And nothing could feel more natural, right. Oh God, nothing could feel more Christmassy than this exact moment in time. It was the best Christmas of her life. She’d never seen Sidney happier. Never seen her so patient as she waited to open her gifts. Even though
she did dive right into her stocking.
April absolutely loved the Standish Christmas stocking tradition. Thank God Titus had thought to tell her and Sid about it a good month before Christmas so they could start thinking early. Everyone put something in everyone else’s stocking. But the trick was to sneak the gifts in when no one was looking, without getting caught. The penalty? Relentless, good-natured razzing. Everyone had succeeded this year in slipping those small gifts in unnoticed, except for Scott. Captain Stealth he was not. He’d banged a knee against the fire screen, clattering it against the stone. Sidney had run in and caught him.
And April herself? She didn’t care if there was nothing but lumps of coal in her stocking, she loved seeing Sidney so happy. It was going to be so hard to leave here, for both of them. She’d have to tell Sidney soon.
But not just yet. This morning, she was going to savor the happiness. Hers, Sid’s.
Scott squeezed her shoulder and she looked up into his eyes. “I forgot to say Merry Christmas.”
“No, you didn’t.”
He smiled. “I just wanted to say it again.”
“Omigod! Finally! Someone who appreciates my sense of style!”
Ember had just pulled from her stocking a bright beaded red poinsettia barrette. It was…big. Loud. And only took one try for her to guess who it was from.
“Sidney, this is beautiful,” Ember said.
“I made it myself.” She glanced at Faye. “Well, almost all myself.”
Faye held up her hands. “I just supplied the craft books. A few small tools. You and Danika did all the work.”
“You gave us most of the supplies.”
She shrugged. “Leftovers from when Ocean and River were young.”
April blinked rapidly. Life in Harkness was so wonderful.
What would it be like in Boston? Without this family? Without Scott.
“Well, I absolutely love it!” Ember’s red hair had been up in a gorgeous mother-of-pearl barrette. She made short work of pulling that out and tossing it aside. A few seconds later, Sid’s gift took its place.