Tapping her finger to her chin, she caught sight of her father and Betsy at the refreshment table. They would soon be handing out cups of hot cocoa. The older couple had enlisted Brody Driscoll’s help. Ellie figured it was a nice distraction for the boy.
She made a mental note to assign him special duties at play practice this week. She would also figure out a time to visit his mother. Maybe she and the girls would bring over a batch of Christmas cookies tomorrow.
Tonight, they had a tree-decorating contest to win.
“What time is it?” she asked Caleb, her gaze still on the tree, sliding over branches from tip to trunk.
“Five minutes to seven.”
Ellie circled the tree, assessing the unadorned branches. There were several bare spots that would require special attention, but overall, they’d been given a good, hearty blue spruce.
She and the girls had prepared for this moment all day, stuffing their finished decorations in the carpetbag now resting on the ground at their feet.
“I should warn you,” she said to Caleb as she returned to her original spot. “I’m feeling terribly competitive.”
A low rumble of appreciation sounded in his chest. “That makes two of us.”
The teasing note in his tone didn’t quite match the serious look in his eyes. Tonight was important to him, Ellie realized, perhaps more than he realized.
Determined to make the evening memorable for him and his daughters, she decided on a strategy. “All right, girls. I need you to organize our decorations in separate piles. You’ll want to sort them by color.”
While the twins worked, Ellie smiled up at Caleb.
His eyebrows lifted in inquiry. “I take it you have a plan of attack?”
“Absolutely.” She circled the blue spruce again, Caleb matching her step for step. The scent of pine filled her with happy memories of Christmases long, long ago. “Help me turn this around.”
Together, they repositioned the tree by reaching for its bucket, twisting it until the fullest section faced outward.
Ellie stepped back, nodded her head in satisfaction. “Much better.”
The moment the words left her mouth the bells on the church steeple began chiming the top of the hour. “That’s our cue to begin.”
As one, she and Caleb dropped to their knees beside the twins.
“All right, we only have thirty minutes,” Ellie informed them. “Caleb and Hannah, you’ll work as a team, while Grace and I will work together.”
Three heads bobbed in agreement.
Ellie continued her instructions. “Each team will hang ornaments on the tree according to color, remembering to space them out so no one color dominates any section. You two will focus on the red, blue and gold decorations.” She pointed to Hannah and Caleb. “Grace and I will focus on the others.”
“Efficient,” Caleb muttered in approval.
Ellie grinned. “We’ll work on opposite sides of the tree, moving from top to bottom, left to right. Any questions?”
None were voiced.
“Excellent. Let’s get started.”
Chapter Eight
Caleb gave Ellie a mock salute. Focused and intent, she was a little scary and utterly adorable. He liked this side of her, liked it a lot.
“Here’s a red one,” Hannah said, raising her little hand in the air.
He took the ornament. “Ready for this, pumpkin?”
“Ready!” Head down, she dug into the pile once again and pulled out another red decoration.
For the next few minutes Caleb worked with his daughter on their side of the tree, top to bottom as Ellie had instructed. When the branches were sufficiently adorned, they moved to their right.
Another few minutes passed and they shifted again. Soon, they were back where they’d begun. They started the whole process again, this time focusing on the blue and the gold ornaments.
After the second pass, Caleb stepped back to admire their handiwork.
“Five minutes,” yelled Mayor Pritchett from his perch on the church steps. “You only have five minutes to finish decorating your assigned tree.”
Ellie poked her head around the now full branches. “How you two doing on your side?”
“Nearly done.” Caleb handed the last decoration in their pile to Hannah, then picked her up and perched her on his shoulders. Giggling, she placed the handmade snowflake on a bare branch near the very top of the tree.
“All right, let’s have a look.” Ellie and Grace came around to their side of the tree. In silence, the four of them studied their creation.
Caleb tried to be objective. He really tried. But he just couldn’t pull it off. Their decorations might not be the best made. In fact, some were actually rather poorly done. Yet every paper ornament, snowflake and star, every lopsided cloth doll constructed out of cotton batting, had been fashioned by his daughters’ tiny hands.
“It’s perfect,” Caleb declared.
“Can we take it home?” Hannah asked.
Caleb started to respond, but Ellie beat him to it. “These trees remain in the center of town for everyone to enjoy all season long.”
Two identical scowls formed on the girls’ faces. “Oh.”
Ellie placed a hand on their tiny shoulders. “Not to worry. We’ll recreate everything again on our tree at home.”
Home, the word had rolled off Ellie’s tongue naturally, leaving Caleb wanting…something…more.
“One minute,” came the final warning from Mayor Pritchett.
“All that’s left is to put the angel on top.” Ellie reached into the bag and pulled out the last decoration.
He recognized the Wainwright family tree topper.
“Will you do the honors?” Ellie asked, the ornament stretched out in front of her.
An image flashed in his mind, a memory from another Christmas, when he’d lifted Ellie onto his shoulders so she could put the angel atop the tree. After he’d set her back on the ground she’d peered up at him as if he was her hero.
He’d felt strong that day, special, as if he mattered.
“Thirty seconds.”
He took the tree topper from Ellie. Their fingertips brushed lightly during the handoff. It was nothing more than a brief touch, but he suddenly yearned for something he could never have. Something he feared only she could provide.
“Hurry,” she whispered. “Time’s almost up.”
Time was almost up, at least for them. But not yet, not tonight. Tonight they were a family.
With swift movements, Caleb reached up and placed the angel on the very top of the blue spruce.
He was just pulling his hand away when the mayor yelled, “Time!”
“Now comes the hard part,” Ellie announced to the children. “Waiting for the results.”
Grace’s eyes widened. “Do you think we’ll win?”
“I think we have a wonderful chance.” Hands on hips, Ellie made a grand show of studying their collective effort. “Our tree has a little bit of all of us in it and that makes it—”
“The most special tree of all,” Caleb finished for her.
“Yes,” she whispered. “The most special tree of all.”
He recognized the longing in her blue eyes, primarily because it was the same sensation that washed through him. Unable to stop himself, he stepped in beside her and took her hand without overthinking the move.
They stood linked together for one beat, two, then the girls moved in between them and Caleb was forced to let Ellie go.
Betsy arrived with a tray of mugs filled with hot cocoa. Brody was barely a step behind her. Excited to show off their first effort at decorating a Christmas tree, the twins begged the two to take a look.
“Have you seen the other trees?” Brody asked the girls after giving theirs a good, long scrutiny.
They shook their heads.
Brody looked over at Caleb. “Is it okay if I take them around the square?”
He agreed, then added, “Keep hold of their hands.”
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The twins chattered without taking a breath as the three headed off.
While the judges moved from tree to tree, a flurry of children chased each other in circles or tossed balls. As Caleb looked over so many familiar faces, his thoughts drew loops from past to present. Gathered in the town square were generations of young and old alike, individuals bound by friendships and shared experiences. Some families were in the midst of triumphs, others—like Brody’s—were facing tragedy this Christmas season.
“He’s such a good boy and so very brave.” Wiping at her cheek, Betsy watched Brody as he guided the twins from tree to tree.
The boy reminded Caleb of himself at that age, desperate for a sense of normalcy, for days free of pain and sickness and fear. Brody was at a critical age, where his choices, good or bad, would stick with him. He could head down the wrong road just as easily as the right one.
Caleb had been poised on the edge of a similar threshold one long-ago Christmas. He’d been given the gift of Reverend Wainwright’s guidance. Would the older man step in with Brody as well?
You know what he’s going through, Caleb. You could guide him. The thought pushed him to ask the question on all their minds. “How’s Brody’s mother?”
Betsy’s eyes immediately filled with tears. “Not well. I fear she won’t make it to Christmas Day.”
How will the boy take the loss? Caleb wondered.
“I’m so sorry,” Ellie said, pulling her future stepmother into a fierce embrace. “What can I do? Whatever you need, say the word and it’s done.”
“Pray. Clara and Brody need your prayers most of all.”
Ellie stepped back and took Betsy’s hand. “Of course.”
Betsy looked out over the crowd. “It’s a shame Clara’s missing tonight’s festivities. Christmas is her favorite time of year and this contest has always been one of her most cherished events.”
A murmur of sympathy slipped out of Ellie. Caleb’s sentiments exactly.
The judging committee arrived and began circling their tree with grave, unreadable expressions. Betsy left to deliver hot cocoa to other families.
Eyes on the judges, Ellie moved in beside Caleb.
They stood shoulder-to-shoulder, both holding silent as the committee made notations in tiny notebooks they carried with them.
The moment they walked away, Ellie whispered, “How do you think we did?”
“No idea.”
“Oh, Caleb.” She turned wide blue eyes in his direction, the long, silky black lashes a stark contrast against her pale skin. “I know it may seem trivial in light of Clara Driscoll’s suffering, but I really want our tree to take the grand prize. The girls worked so hard on the decorations.”
Caleb nodded in agreement. He wanted to win for his daughters, as well. The twins had lost their mother only ten months ago. Lizzie’s death had come as a shock.
Finally, the judges made their decision. The mayor climbed the church steps and called for quiet.
Brody returned with the girls just as a collective hush fell over the crowd.
“Third place goes to the Johnson family.”
Cheers and applause erupted, then slowly died down when the mayor raised his hands in the air. “Second place goes to Miss Kate Riley. And the winner is…” He held the pause for effect. “Our very own Sheriff Caleb Voss and his family.”
The children squealed in delight. “We won! We won! We won!”
The backs of Caleb’s eyes stung at their reaction, his heart aching with love for them. Hannah and Grace hadn’t been this excited about anything in a very long time, maybe never.
Why had he held back from entering events such as these? Even without a wife, he and the girls could have—
“Caleb, didn’t you hear the announcement? We won.” Ellie leaped into his arms, cutting off all coherent thought, save one startling revelation.
Here, wrapped in his embrace, was exactly where Ellie Wainwright belonged.
*
Embarrassed by her impulsive act, Ellie quickly stepped out of Caleb’s arms. “Sorry, I let my excitement get away from me.”
“Perfectly understandable.” Caleb chuckled, his eyes warm and full of masculine satisfaction. “We won.”
“We did.” Ellie wanted to linger in the moment. She wanted to bask in Caleb’s smile, in simply being with him and the girls. But it seemed everyone in town rushed over to offer up their congratulations.
The girls beamed under all the attention.
“Thank you, Ellie,” Caleb said in a low, heartfelt tone. “Thank you for making tonight special for the girls.” He held silent a moment, before adding, “And for me.”
Beneath the glow of the torches, Caleb’s green eyes looked several shades darker, almost black. He was so attractive, so full of charm and sincerity. When he leaned his head slightly closer to hers, Ellie’s lungs forgot to work. She could feel the heat coming off him in waves, could smell his familiar scent, a mix of pine, spice and bergamot.
“Ellie,” he said on a long, masculine breath. “You’re beautiful.”
The declaration was so spontaneously tender Ellie struggled to think clearly. Would he kiss her next?
Surely not in front of all these people, and especially not in front of his daughters, who weren’t paying them any attention. Hannah and Grace were too busy showing off their tree and explaining—in great detail—how they made each and every one of the winning decorations.
Friends, Ellie told herself firmly, you and Caleb are only friends.
Oh, but friends didn’t stare at each other the way Caleb was looking at her now. Friends didn’t feel this strong connection that went beyond words.
Compelled by some unknown need to be near him, she leaned in close to Caleb. Closer, closer…
Her friend Kate ran over, forcing Ellie to step back or embarrass herself.
“I can’t believe you beat me. Me.” Kate parked tightly balled fists on her hips. “I haven’t lost this contest in years. Everyone knows I’m the most imaginative in town.”
Ellie laughed. “And the most humble, too.”
Kate made a face then spun around to stare at the winning tree. “I suppose I can see why you won,” she admitted, her tone holding a grudging note. “Your tree does have something special. Well done, Sheriff.”
“Thank you, Miss Riley, but Ellie was the mastermind behind our success.” He gave her a smile. “She’s a marvel.”
Kate laughed. “I couldn’t agree more.”
For the next few minutes the three spoke of nothing in particular. The moment Kate wandered off, a tall man with black hair, broad shoulders and a smile so white Ellie felt momentarily blinded arrived at their tree. The tin star pinned to his coat suggested he was a lawman like Caleb.
“Congratulations, Sheriff.”
Caleb responded with an odd glare and a muttered word of thanks, his tone bordering on slightly rude.
The other man seemed perfectly unaffected by his boss’s cold response. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”
Shoulders tense, expression tight, Caleb blew out a slow hiss. “Ellie, this is my deputy, Prescott Kramer. Pres, this is Miss Ellie Wainwright.”
“Miss Wainwright.” The deputy nudged Caleb aside and focused his pale blue eyes on Ellie. “It’s a pleasure to meet you at last. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Not quite understanding the tension between the two men, Ellie took the extended hand. “And you as well, Deputy Kramer.”
He started to say more, but they were interrupted by another group of well-wishers.
Each time someone complimented their effort, Caleb deflected the praise back to Ellie and the girls. “They did all the work.”
Blossoming under the attention, the twins regaled everyone who would listen with how they’d made each decoration with Miss Ellie’s help.
A half hour later, Caleb, in his role of town sheriff, declared the event over. He and his deputy skillfully herded people off to their homes.
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br /> While Caleb completed his duty, Ellie guided the girls to a bench out of the main stream of traffic. Winding down from the day’s excitement, they snuggled in on either side of her. It wasn’t long before they dozed off.
Happy to sit for a moment, Ellie watched Caleb. He moved with such competence, his love of the town inherent in every step he took, in every moment he paused to speak with individual townspeople. So caught up in watching him, she didn’t hear her father approach.
“Congratulations, my dear.” He sat on the edge of the bench, careful not to disturb the girls. “Your mother would have loved your tree.”
“She’s been on my mind all day.” Every activity she’d introduced to Hannah and Grace, her mother had first done with Ellie.
Momentary sadness washed over her, a feeling very similar to homesickness. Not only was she missing Mother, but also the other family member absent.
“I wish Everett was here.”
Her father let out a weighty sigh. “He loved this event as a boy, but he didn’t have much use for it once he grew into a man.”
They both knew why. Everett had fallen in with a rough crowd. He’d turned wild, but not so undisciplined that he’d completely lost his inherent sense of integrity, as evidenced by his actions the night that had landed him in prison.
He’d been protecting a woman from her own husband. His interference had saved her life. That piece of information had only partially swayed the judge in Everett’s favor, giving him a shortened sentence of seven years.
Ellie’s eyes burned with sorrow for her brother. “He did what was right, Pa. He acted on an innocent woman’s behalf.”
Her father nodded.
As if by silent agreement, the conversation turned back to the evening’s tree-decorating contest. They laughed about the way Kate howled in outrage over coming in second, and how Rufus Butterfield’s ancient hound dog, Dexter, kept jumping up on Mrs. Jenson’s tree, much to her vociferous dismay.
When they fell into a companionable silence, Ellie caught Caleb’s eye and waved. He waved back then went to work dragging Dexter off Mrs. Jenson’s tree yet again.
“I haven’t seen Caleb smile this much in years.” Her father nodded at the man in question. “It was kind of you to step in and help him out so Betsy can focus on her sister.”
Love Inspired Historical October 2015 Box Set Page 52