A Merry Miracle In Romance (Christmas In Romance Book 2)

by Melanie D. Snitker

  “Exactly.”

  “I think it’s a nice thing to do. I’m sure they’ll be surprised and pleased when they get home again.”

  Baxter liked getting her approval. However, finding time during the day to make the repairs would be tricky. He’d intended to come by in the evenings after he got off work and handle the repairs then. If Savannah went to bed early, that would cut his time by a good deal. “When do you get home from work?”

  “Between two and three in the afternoon. I’m usually in bed around nine.”

  Baxter worked until five, but he would have to swing by the house and change out of his work clothes before he could get here. That meant he’d have maybe three hours each evening to work and about four weeks to do it in. Plus maybe most of the day on Saturdays. He could get it done assuming he had at least decent weather part of the time. “Any objections to my coming by in the evenings from about five-thirty to eight? Then I may try to work on Saturdays, too. I know it’s not overly convenient…”

  Savannah shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

  He couldn’t tell whether she was being honest, or if she was just being polite. He’d do his best to finish up by seven instead to give her a little peace. “Do you work on Saturdays?”

  “I usually go in first thing, but I only work a few hours at most.”

  Maybe he could do most of the work in the house on a Saturday when she was at the bakery. He wouldn’t mind the extra time spent with her, but he wasn’t sure she welcomed that idea. “I’ll try my best to stay out of your hair as much as possible. I don’t want to interfere with your schedule too much.” He gave her a teasing smile. “I definitely don’t want to be the one responsible for your lack of sleep resulting in questionable baked goods.”

  She tossed him a look of warning.

  “Too soon?”

  A ghost of a smile appeared on her face. “Maybe just a little.” She had to holler at one dog again and got to her feet before looking at him again. “If you’ll give me ten minutes to change and put the dogs in the bedroom, you can come check out the inside.”

  With that, she disappeared and left Baxter sitting on the deck, smiling in her wake.

  ~*~

  Savannah closed the door behind her and listened to the sound of the hanging blinds clacking against each other. It really was too early to mention the stupid cupcakes. She’d baked and taken them to one of the Christmas parties at the Potters’ house when she was ten. She’d only had enough batter to make a dozen and wanted to save every last cupcake for the party. That meant she hadn’t had a chance to taste them ahead of time.

  Baxter made a big show of being the first to eat one of her cupcakes. He’d also been the first one to spit it back out again.

  Savannah had been sure he was just teasing her as always until she took a nibble herself. She could still feel the humiliation when she’d realized he was right. Somehow, she’d managed to confuse salt for sugar, and now all the neighbors knew her lack of baking ability. Something she’d spent a great deal of time and effort to rectify ever since.

  The sound of Baxter spitting his cupcake out and then laughing at her was one that stuck with her for years. The shame of it all still warmed her cheeks every time she thought about it.

  He was present and accounted for when it came to most of the humiliating memories she had from childhood. It’d been nice not worrying about it while he was gone. Now he’d returned, and she’d have to wrap her mind about the possibility of running into him around town again. Normally, just thinking about that would’ve made her feel tired.

  But Baxter had apologized, and this time, remembering the whole cupcake incident didn’t sting nearly as much as it usually did. She thought about that a moment and realized maybe they were making a little progress.

  Knowing the ten minutes she’d asked him for would go by way too fast, she hurried to dress, run a brush through her hair, and put the dogs in the Potters’ bedroom. Once ready, she opened the hanging blinds so Baxter knew it was clear to come inside. She then busied herself cleaning up the kitchen and adding to her grocery list until she heard the sliding door open and shut again.

  The sound of his footsteps echoed off the hardwood floor in the living room. She could just see him go through the dining room before he disappeared from view again. Savannah focused on the dishes in the sink.

  It was because of the faucet running that she didn’t realize he’d come into the kitchen until he cleared his throat right behind her.

  Savannah jumped, flinging bubbles from the dishwater into the air only to watch them land right in the middle of Baxter’s shirt. She groaned. “I’m sorry.” After snatching a towel off the counter, she pressed it into his hands. And she was sorry. Mostly. Although it would’ve been funny if the bubbles had hit him in the face.

  The thought had her coughing into her hand to cover the chuckle she barely kept at bay. She turned her back to him so she could rinse her hands and found another towel for herself.

  “It’s okay.” There was humor in his voice. “But you could’ve just told me I needed to take a bath.”

  She allowed herself to chuckle a little as they dried off. “So what’s the damage?” When he looked confused, she elaborated. “To the house. What kinds of repairs do you think you’re going to focus on?” Hopefully he’d stick to tasks outside the house. It’d be easier to avoid him that way.

  “I need to repair the fence, but after that, I think both the front and back porches could use some work. A few of those steps are iffy.” He looked thoughtful. “I was worried the inside might look as bad as the outside, but thankfully that isn’t the case.”

  Oh, good. Savannah almost felt bad she was so relieved he wouldn’t need to work inside the house. “Now hopefully the weather will hold out enough for you to get everything done.”

  “Hopefully so.” He set the wet towel on the counter and then tipped his head toward her parents’ house. “How’s your family doing?”

  “They’re well, thanks.” Savannah shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “And yours?”

  “They are good. Still living in Salem for the most part.”

  “How’d they feel about you moving back here?”

  He smiled. “I think my parents were a little jealous. They mentioned everyone coming here for Christmas next year like we used to.”

  “I’m sure your grandparents would love that.” Savannah glanced at the clock. She’d need to get ready for the late service at church before long. It also surprised her that Mom hadn’t come over with a cup of tea by now.

  Baxter must have noticed her checking the clock because he cleared his throat. “I’d better get out of your hair. I’m planning on coming by tomorrow or Tuesday evening to begin. Would that be all right?”

  It wasn’t like Savannah could tell him not to make repairs on his grandparents’ house. As much as she hadn’t cared for him, she respected his grandparents. Keeping these dogs in the backyard had been a challenge, and poor Mr. and Mrs. Potter had to deal with that every single day. It’d be nice if the fence were repaired so their lives would be a little easier. For their sakes, she’d try to get used to the idea of seeing him regularly. It’d just be for a few weeks anyway, right? “Sure, that’ll be fine. Like I said, I go to bed early. So as long as I can do that, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

  He flashed her a winning smile that had his eyes sparkling. “Great. Well, have a wonderful Sunday.”

  “Yep. You, too.” She walked him out. He got into his vehicle, ran a hand through his close-cropped hair, and then waved at her before driving away.

  Savannah shook her head and sighed. This whole truce thing was going to make things interesting.

  Chapter Four

  Savannah walked into the house as soon as Katrina opened the door. She was there to pick up Kyle for hockey practice, and it was one of the few days where the sisters got to visit for a few minutes.

  Katrina motioned to the stai
rcase. “Kyle is upstairs taking a shower before he changes into his uniform.”

  Savannah’s brows rose, and she fought for a neutral expression. “He does know he’s going to hockey practice where he’ll get horribly sweaty and need another shower when he gets home, right?”

  While Katrina was not a single mother, her husband, Don, traveled all week and was only home during the weekend. Savannah knew how hard that was on her older sister sometimes. Years ago, she’d volunteered to take Kyle to an activity once a week just to give Katrina a well-deserved break. Once he started roller hockey, that became Savannah’s time with her nephew. Katrina always made it to his games, though.

  “Yes, he’s fully aware of that.” Katrina led the way to the couch in the living room where they both sat. “It turns out a teammate has a younger sister who said she was coming to practice today.”

  “Oh, really?” Savannah chuckled and made a mental note to watch for the girl tonight. When had her little nephew gotten old enough to notice girls? “I’ll be sure to report back if there’s anything worth mentioning.”

  “Sounds good.” Katrina shifted on the couch. “Speaking of reporting, I thought I saw Baxter at the Christmas tree lighting ceremony.” She said it casually, but there was nothing casual about the way she watched Savannah and waited for more information.

  “Yeah, he moved back to Romance again.” Katrina was one of the few people that knew about the torturous interactions between her and Baxter.

  “Ooh, you guys have been talking?” Her eyes glittered with interest.

  Savannah flashed her a look of warning. “It’s not like that. Trust me. He wants to make some repairs on the Potters’ house to surprise them when they get back. He came by on Sunday and didn’t realize I was house-sitting.”

  “Wow. How do you feel about that?”

  “I think it’s nice of him to do that for his grandparents. Trust me, that backyard fence is in serious need of repairs. How their dogs haven’t escaped before now is beyond me.” Savannah kicked her shoes off and brought her feet up to sit cross-legged on the couch.

  “That’s not what I mean.” Katrina chuckled.

  “Yeah, I know.” Savannah sighed. “I had every intention of ignoring him. Avoiding him.”

  Katrina looked even more interested. “I take it that’s not going according to plan?”

  “It’s pretty hard to give someone the cold shoulder when he’s apologized for everything. He’s called a truce.”

  She glanced at Katrina and found her trying not to laugh.

  “Seriously?” Savannah gave her a playful shove. “What’s so funny?”

  “You realize that you two are now officially frenemies.” When Savannah rolled her eyes, she continued, “Baxter lacked a lot of tact, but I don’t think he was ever as bad as he seemed. In fact, I think he might have liked you back then. It’s nice that you two have a chance to start over.”

  Savannah shook her head. “There’s no way he liked me. Hated is more like it.” She knew boys could tease a girl they liked. But even considering the misunderstanding surrounding the Miss Piggy incident, they’d never had moments where they connected. It was always like going into battle with him. Frankly, the endless sparring got old.

  She’d just focus on the truce and hopefully a peaceful coexistence when needed. Baxter would finish the repairs, Savannah would go back to her apartment, and their run-ins would be few and far between after that.

  ~*~

  Baxter held another picket and nailed it into place. Originally, he hadn’t intended to construct a nearly new fence. But once he marked the rotten boards and those broken at the bottom, more were going to need to be replaced than not. He wasn’t a perfectionist, but even he would’ve been annoyed by the strange combination of weathered gray pickets mixed in with the bright new ones.

  He ended up having to order enough pickets to go all the way around the yard and have them delivered. Apparently December wasn’t a popular time to build a wooden fence. Who knew? Baxter was finally starting on the work today. Thankfully, they had a nice break in the rain so he could focus on the fence without getting soaked.

  So far, he’d yet to see Savannah. Granted, he hadn’t spent as much time in the backyard as he thought he would. But still, the disappointment surprised him.

  He was just about to give up on seeing her today, too, when the sliding glass door opened and she stepped onto the porch. “Nessie is whining at the door. Is it okay if I let them out?”

  “Sure.” He moved to position a couple of pickets in place so there was no exit for the dogs to escape.

  She nodded once, disappeared for a moment, and then reappeared wearing a coat. Both dogs flew past her to race toward him. Several barks and tail wags later, they were off to sniff around the yard.

  Savannah seemed to hesitate on the porch before slipping her hands into her coat pockets and walking down the steps to the grass.

  “Wow, the fence is going to look great.” She motioned to the stacks of pickets. “I take it you decided to replace the whole thing?”

  “I think it needs it. It’ll look a lot nicer, don’t you agree?”

  “I do.” She studied the pickets he was working on now. “Would it be easier to just remove a whole section of the fence first?”

  “It would, but then you’d have to walk the dogs on a leash. This way, when I’m done, there won’t be any gaps for them to escape through. Well, no new ones, anyway.” He smiled at her.

  She looked surprised. “I appreciate that. Your grandparents will be thrilled when they see this.”

  The pair of dogs explored the pile of wood with great interest. Nellie tried to climb it as though she were a goat. Baxter and Savannah laughed. Savannah took out her cell phone and snapped a picture.

  “To show them after they get back,” she explained. “Mrs. Potter will get a kick out of that.”

  “Grandma always has loved her dogs.” Baxter couldn’t remember a time when they didn’t have at least one.

  “Your grandfather loves them, too. He just likes to pretend otherwise.”

  Baxter laughed again. She was right. “Grandpa would complain about the dogs all the time, but then he was the one who slipped bits of food to them under the table. Or he would go to the pet store to buy a box of dog treats, put a bow on them, and place them under the tree. Anyone who knows him also knows just how soft-hearted he really is.”

  “Most definitely.” Savannah smiled. “Your grandparents really are kind people.”

  “Yeah, they are.” He nodded toward the fence. “That’s why I want to do this for them. Goodness knows they put up with a lot from me growing up.”

  “Isn’t that the truth.” She shot him a teasing look, one he wasn’t used to seeing. “I think it’s a nice thought.”

  Just for a moment, Savannah’s expression was open. Baxter wished he’d spoken to her and called a truce years ago, especially if it meant she looked at him this way more often. “Well, it was nice of you to house sit for them. I know they are much more at ease knowing the dogs are here at the home they are familiar with instead of sitting in a kennel for a month.”

  Savannah shrugged. “I don’t mind. The house is nice and quiet, unlike my apartment. The neighbor above me works weird hours and isn’t quiet about clomping across the floor when he gets home. Then the neighbor on one side likes to yell at her kids. A lot. Oh, and they yell back. So yeah, I’ve enjoyed the peace here.” She hesitated. “The Potters are paying me to stay here, in case you thought I was just doing it out of the kindness of my heart.”

  She wasn’t fooling anyone. Baxter didn’t doubt she would’ve agreed even if they hadn’t paid her. In fact, he knew it was Grandma who’d insisted on paying her no matter what. Besides, her apartment sounded terrible.

  “I hate to hear where you’re living is so annoying. Any plans on moving somewhere else?”

  “It’s just three blocks from Sweet Hearts, and the rent is pretty hard to beat.”

  Most likely becaus
e of the neighbors, but he said nothing. He was enjoying this easy conversation with her.

  One dog stuck her head through a hole in a fence slat that he hadn’t been able to repair yet. Savannah snapped her fingers to get the dog’s attention before turning back to him. “Any idea how long it’ll take to fix the entire fence? I imagine it’ll take a lot more work than you’d originally planned on.”

  He couldn’t tell whether she was asking out of curiosity, or disappointed that he might be coming by in the evenings more. He decided to go with the first. “I’m not sure. A lot of it will depend on the weather. If I can get some clear, rain-free days, it’ll go faster.”

  She nodded. “I guess I should let you get back to it. It really does look nice.” She offered him a small smile before calling the dogs to her and leading them back inside the house.

  Baxter tried to focus on replacing the fence. It wasn’t easy when his mind kept going back over one of the first normal conversations he’d had with Savannah in a long time. Hopefully the first of many.

  Chapter Five

  Poor Baxter. When Savannah got home from the bakery Tuesday evening, she found the guy outside working on the fence in the rain. Granted, it was more of a mist than anything. But still, it was a cold mist, and it couldn’t be fun.

  She changed into warm sweatpants and a baggy sweatshirt before letting the dogs outside to do their business. Baxter looked up from the picket he was nailing and gave her a friendly wave.

  With the hood of his green rain jacket pulled up over his head, it was hard to see his face. Savannah imagined that grin of his and nearly smiled in return. She pushed the thought away. The dogs, who weren’t too keen on staying out in the rain, ran past her and back inside the house, their wet paws slipping on the hardwood floor.

  Savannah tried to watch one of her favorite TV shows for a while. When that didn’t work, she got on her laptop to check her e-mail. The whole time, she kept thinking about poor Baxter out there in the rain.