A Heartfelt Christmas Promise

by Nancy Naigle

  “It was a calculated risk, and it’s working out for the best. Can you just move past the past?”

  “Porter’s isn’t going anywhere.” She laid her hand on his arm. “I’m not going anywhere. Misty will be groomed to take over leadership of that company one day.”

  Mike blinked. “You knew about all this?”

  Buck shook his head. “No. It would have all worked out fine if AGC hadn’t pulled the plug on Vanessa’s plan. They wanted to take the loss. Which actually worked in our favor. It was a steal.”

  “I didn’t know Buck was your grandfather,” she said. “I didn’t put it all together until the other day. Misty didn’t fill in those pieces. She let me figure it out on my own. She loves you both. You two need to find a way to set these differences aside. For her.”

  Mike lifted his chin. “All I wanted was for the family businesses to stay connected. The way it had always been.”

  “You didn’t want to run Porter’s,” Buck said.

  “I know.” I was selfish too. “I assumed the business and farm would always be connected—the family legacy—but when you let that conglomerate buy you out with no discussion with me, it was like our whole family tree had toppled.”

  “But it didn’t. I made sure you and those horses were separate. You’d stand alone.”

  “I didn’t want to be alone. I wanted our family to continue to build on what we had.”

  “Times are changing, Mike.”

  “Tell him the rest, Buck. It’s time.” Vanessa stared at Buck.

  Buck shifted his weight. “I used the money from the sale of Porter’s to persuade the hospital to come to our town.”

  “You what?” Mike looked incredulous.

  “We couldn’t attract a good hospital no matter what we’d tried, so I made it a very attractive deal with good perks to get one here. Maybe, if we’d had a hospital right here, we wouldn’t have lost the people we loved. Maybe we would have, but I couldn’t sit back and take the chance on letting it happen again.”

  He stared at his grandfather, and then at Vanessa. “You did that?”

  Buck nodded. “It was the right thing to do. I’m getting a very nice return on it too, so don’t feel too bad for me.”

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t willing to listen.”

  “I could have handled it differently, but that’s the past. Now Porter’s has new breath bringing it back to life, and Vanessa is the new owner.”

  Vanessa straightened. “But the whole town is up in arms with me. The gossip has already swept through this town like a wildfire.”

  Mike turned to Vanessa. “What do you need me to do?”

  “Believe in me. Help me.” Her lashes lowered. “Please?”

  “Come here.”

  She went into his arms, and he pulled her in close. “Together, as a team, we can make this easy work.”

  “I like the sound of that,” Buck said.

  “I’m so sorry, Grandpa. I probably wouldn’t have understood at the time. It was just too close to Grandma dying. It was like losing Olivia all over again.”

  “I know, Mike.” He cuffed his hand on his grandson’s shoulder. “I know.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Vanessa stood in the concession building at the high school waiting as the town flooded into the seats on the evening before Christmas Eve.

  Snide comments peppered the conversations as people speculated what was to come next for Fraser Hills.

  Anna walked over to her and pulled Vanessa’s hands into her own. “You’re going to be fine. I’m so excited about the prospects of our future here in this town.”

  “I know,” Vanessa said. “Don’t make me cry.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m just so happy. For the town. For both of us. Your mother would be beside herself. You are such a remarkable young woman.” She dipped her hand in the quilted tote bag she had hung over her arm and pulled out a shiny red box. “I hope you like this. It’s not fancy, but it’s the most precious memory I have of you and your mother together. I want you to have it.”

  Vanessa’s brows pulled together as she took the box in her hand. “This can wait until Christmas.”

  “No. I don’t think it can. Please. For me,” she said.

  Vanessa turned and set the box on the counter, and lifted the lid. “Is this…?” She pulled out the old tin. The rattling sound was like a whisper from heaven. “Mom’s button tin?”

  “You would sit and sort through those buttons for hours with your mother.”

  “I remember when Grandpa died and we took the buttons from his favorite sport coat and put them in here. They were leather. I thought they were the most precious things in the world.”

  “I know. Those are the leather buttons I used on your scarf.”

  Vanessa placed her hand on the fine details, her finger tracing the overlap of the leather pieces on the buttons. “I loved them as soon as you gave me that scarf, but I didn’t for a second…”

  “I know. I should’ve given this to you a long time ago. It was just so hard for me to let go of. It was the only thing I asked your dad for. He thought I was an idiot. He had no idea how much the memories stuffed into that little tin meant.”

  “Thank you, Anna.” She clutched the tin, then gave it a little shake. “I love the strength of that sound. One by one they are nothing but buttons. Light. Worthless. Together they sound like a symphony. Strong. Creative. Continually shifting to fill the space.”

  “Like you. You’re doing a good thing here. You’ve changed so many ideas about your future in just a couple of weeks. The opportunities are endless.”

  “It’s not entirely unselfish, you know.” Vanessa reached for Anna’s hand. “I can’t wait for us to both make our lives in this town.”

  “And Mike and Misty?” Anna tilted her chin.

  “Mike’s great. He’s a good man, and a wonderful father.”

  Anna bobbed her head. “I always said there’s nothing sexier than a good father.”

  “I think I finally understand what that means. It scares me at the same time, though. Do you think he has enough love for me too?”

  “Loving a wife is different from loving a child, Vanessa. It’s not a contest. It’s not like he has to divide the love. There are adequate amounts for both. And Misty will refill your wells threefold over and over.”

  “It’s terrifying. It’s like I just put my whole life on red, and the roulette wheel is spinning.”

  Lilene came rushing over to Vanessa. “It’s time.”

  “I’m ready,” Vanessa said.

  “I’m sorry again for everything I said. I still feel horrible.”

  Vanessa hugged Lilene. “Please don’t. Let’s step forward. I can’t wait to put the new Porter’s cookie on the map together.”

  “I still can’t believe my cookies are going to be available across the country.”

  “They’ll be famous,” Anna added.

  * * *

  Vanessa had spoken for five minutes straight. Not a peep from that stadium of people had interrupted her. Not one smart-aleck comment or doubt had been flung at her.

  She looked to her left, where Mike and Misty, holding Scooter, stood at her side, and to the right, where Buck was flanked by Anna and Lilene.

  “In closing,” she said, “I look forward to taking Porter’s into the future. A long and prosperous one that is agile so we can guarantee Fraser Hills will continue to foster the kind of hometown everyone wants to live in. We’re going to bring that small-town family feeling into everything we do. Own it. Share it.”

  Bill Campbell was the first one to stand up and clap. It wasn’t even a second before others joined him.

  She turned to Buck, her guardian angel in all of this. Who would have thought the old gray-haired man of few words could have set all of this into motion with one single hope?

  In that Sam Elliott voice, Buck grabbed the microphone. “This town just got a Christmas miracle, with a new family at the helm.” He looked over toward
his great-granddaughter, and then his grandson. “This is the best Christmas gift I’ve ever known.”

  “Love you, Grandpa.”

  Vanessa took the mic back from Buck. “Porter’s will reopen on January second. Until then, merry Christmas and here’s to an amazing new year … together.” She handed the microphone off to Lilene, and Mike grabbed her hand and whisked her behind the building, out of the way of all of the townsfolk heading home to celebrate.

  “Thank you.”

  “Stop. You don’t need to thank me.”

  “No, thank you. For believing in Misty. For your belief in this town and its people. For opening this man’s heart again. You’ve given me back my family. It’s like a hundred pounds have lifted from my heart. It’s beating again. For you.”

  She placed her hand on his heart. “I’m so glad.”

  “Vanessa, I will always be there for you. I want to make you breakfast with fresh eggs from Henny, Penny, Jenny, Oprah Henfrey, Sophia Lor-Hen, and Eggatha Christie. Take you on carriage rides in the snow, and the rain, and on sunny days too.”

  “And always kiss me good night?”

  “And good morning too.”

  “That sounds amazing.”

  “You’re amazing. A combination of strength and beauty and kindness. You were the missing piece to this all along. I don’t want you to leave.”

  Her heart fluttered, and her mouth went dry. Scooter ran between them, pawing and clawing at Vanessa’s pant leg for attention. “And this guy.” She picked him up and held him close. “I think we need to change his name to Porter. What do you think? A new face for the company?”

  “It couldn’t hurt.”

  “Ahhh.” She could barely contain her surprise. “So, there is such a thing as good change.”

  “Apparently so.”

  EPILOGUE

  In the tiny church up on the hill, only family gathered together on the eighth of August.

  With the temperatures hovering in the high nineties, unusually hot for this part of North Carolina, the old air conditioner couldn’t cool the dressing room Vanessa and Anna stood in, much less the whole chapel.

  Vanessa had opened a hymnal and was fanning Anna with it. “You good?” Vanessa asked.

  “Yes, but I’m wishing now we’d gone to the marriage commissioner.” Anna placed her clammy hand on Vanessa’s arm. “My hands are sweating. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. I didn’t think I was nervous. Buck’s a good man.”

  “The best. Absolutely. I’m sure your hands are sweating because it’s like a hundred degrees in here. Thank goodness you chose to go with the simple sundress rather than that dressy skirt and jacket.”

  “You were so right about that.” Anna turned to her. “Is this crazy? It’s crazy, isn’t it?”

  “No, Anna. You and Buck love each other. Everything is right about this.”

  “But I’m so old. I never thought I’d ever marry after—”

  “That was the past. You need to live and believe in the here and now. Besides you had no way of knowing Buck was going to come into your life. What is it you always told me?” She tapped her finger on her lips as if she were trying to remember, but she knew the speech by heart. “Things happen for a reason. Sometimes you just have to open your heart, and let things happen the way they are supposed to rather than trying to manage every detail.”

  Anna laughed. “I did say that. About a hundred times.”

  “Enough that I can repeat it verbatim.”

  Anna blushed. “I meant it. For you, at least.”

  “It goes for everyone.”

  “Thank you. You’re right. Buck and I really love our time together. This is right. I have you to thank for it.”

  “No you don’t.”

  “None of this would have ever happened had we not come here last Christmas.”

  “If I remember correctly you were the one enforcing the get-together. And as I recall I had hopes we’d spend it in Paris. But that’s not what happened. Neither one of us had any control over this. And here we are.” Vanessa hugged her. “If you’d told me that the two of us would be living in a tiny town like this and finding our best lives, I’d have never believed it.”

  “We’re so lucky.”

  “Blessed,” Vanessa said.

  A double knock sounded at the door. “We’re ready when you are,” the minister said.

  “Thank you.” Vanessa took something out of her pocket as she lifted the simple bouquet of wildflowers. “Okay, the flowers are new.” She handed them to Anna, then tucked a pick with a flower made of blue buttons into the arrangement. “This button flower was made from buttons in Mom’s button tin.” Then she lifted her gold cross necklace over her head and placed it over Anna’s. “This was Mom’s. I know she’d want you to wear it today so she could be a part of this. That’s the borrowed.”

  “Sweet Vanessa. Thank you.” She fondled the cross. “This is perfect.”

  “You’re set.” She opened the door and reached for Anna’s hand. “We’re ready.”

  They walked out of the dressing room and joined Buck, Mike, Edna, and Misty in the church.

  The minister didn’t waste a moment.

  Buck and Anna stood before him.

  He rolled right into the ceremony, and it wasn’t long before all the “I do” and “I will,” and rings were placed upon the bride’s and groom’s fingers; then the couple turned toward the guests and the minister pronounced them to be husband and wife.

  Vanessa dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief.

  Mike walked over to her. “You always cry at weddings?”

  She nodded.

  “I guess I better get used to it. Right, Misty?”

  She nodded in a hurried response. “Yeah.”

  Vanessa smirked. “You better not be thinking of marriage anytime soon, young lady.”

  “Not me,” Misty said. “Not for a long, long time. I’ve got things to learn. A business to run.”

  “Yes, you do.” Vanessa was thankful Misty wasn’t the type to rush off and do something crazy like marry before she was even out of college. She had a bright future.

  Buck stood right behind Mike, holding Anna’s hand with a huge grin on his face.

  “Yeah,” Mike said. “But if you’re going to cry like that, you might have a real problem on December twenty-first.”

  “Why?” She sensed something was up, but she had no idea what it was she was supposed to be remembering. “Is that the tree lighting? Who’s getting…”

  Mike lowered to one knee and took a ring box from his jacket pocket. “Vanessa Larkin. Will you marry me?” He nodded toward Misty. “Help me make sure this girl has someone to always talk to when the going gets tough? Be a part of our family? For as long as we both shall live?”

  Her mouth dropped open. Her eyes flitted from person to person. “I didn’t. I—”

  “It’s a yes-or-no question. I’ve talked about it with everyone here in this room, including the minister. I want to marry you during the holidays.”

  “Oh my gosh. Really? That’s so fast. Are you joking?”

  “This is not a joking matter. If it’s one thing I learned the hard way, it’s that life is unpredictable. Don’t make me wait. I don’t want to miss a single day with you in my life. I love you.”

  “I love you too,” Misty said. “Both of you.”

  “I love you both too,” Vanessa said. “I already feel like part of the family. I can’t believe this.”

  “I might even teach you my secret chicken-stew recipe,” he said with a wink.

  “Can we serve it at the reception?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “We’d get married here?” Vanessa asked.

  “Well, I’m afraid we’re going to need a much larger place. We aren’t going to be able to get away with a private ceremony like my grandfather and your cousin. I was thinking in the barn. Or the big church over on Main Street if you prefer a church wedding.”

  “As long as we have a mi
nister perform the service, I don’t care where we get married.” She knelt down on the floor next to him. “I can’t believe this. Yes. I love you. I love this town. Misty, you’re okay with this?”

  “More than okay!”

  “You’ll be my maid of honor,” Vanessa said to her.

  “That’s so exciting. You have to order my dress. You know I’m a disaster at that, and Porter. He has to be the ring bearer. Wouldn’t that be so cute?”

  “Absolutely. We can buy him a little bow tie.” They all laughed. “Oh, Anna. This is your day, and I’m hogging all the excitement. I’m sorry.”

  “No way. I’m so delighted.” Anna giggled, squeezing Buck’s hand. “It was so hard to keep a secret from you. Mike’s been planning this for a while. That ring is gorgeous.”

  “You knew?”

  “I did, and I’ll save the blue button flower for your bouquet. You can borrow it from me to cover old, borrowed, and blue.”

  “That’ll be perfect,” she said to Anna. She turned and looked into Mike’s eyes. “Yes. I can’t wait to be Mrs. Mike Marshall.” Tears streamed down her face. “I can’t promise I won’t cry, but I do promise I’ll be the happiest bride in the world. I’d marry you anytime. Anywhere. I don’t have one hesitation.”

  Mike leaned in and kissed Vanessa as if no one else were in the room.

  She might have never seen fireworks from a kiss in her whole life until she met Mike, but this kiss … this kiss had her floating on air.

  Also by Nancy Naigle

  Christmas Joy

  Hope at Christmas

  Dear Santa

  Christmas Angels

  Visit www.NancyNaigle.com for a list of all Nancy’s novels.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  USA Today bestselling author NANCY NAIGLE whips up small-town love stories with a dash of suspense and a whole lot of heart. Now happily retired, she devotes her time to writing, antiquing, and the occasional spa day with friends. A native of Virginia Beach, she currently calls North Carolina home. You can sign up for email updates here.