Mistletoe and mischief, p.25
Mistletoe and Mischief, page 25
Corrie hated that her younger daughter lived so far from the family. But she loved Linnette enough to realize she had to make her own decisions. Pete had fallen in love with her first and initially Corrie feared Linnette might have married on the rebound. Those concerns had been laid to rest. On Corrie’s recent trip to Buffalo Valley, after the birth of Linnette and Pete’s son, she had all the reassurance she’d ever need. It was abundantly clear that Linnette loved her husband and the life she’d created in this small North Dakota community.
“We had quite a Christmas last year,” Roy commented, chuckling. “Mack had just been hired by the fire department and he was at the Hardings’ to deliver Mary Jo’s baby.”
Bob grinned. “What I remember was Mary Jo’s three brothers racing around town looking for her.”
“And not a one of them had any sense of direction.”
“Hey, be fair. They’d never been on this side of the sound before.”
“And now Linc lives here, too.”
“And married to the Bellamy girl.”
“They are the sweetest couple,” Peggy said with the hint of a sigh. “I saw them in the grocery store the other day. It was positively romantic just seeing the two of them together. We spoke for a few minutes and apparently Linc and Lori are spending Christmas with her family.”
“Well,” Bob said, “that’s an improvement. Bellamy was trying to ruin Linc’s business. Until you and Troy intervened...”
Roy shrugged off Bob’s comment. “I’m glad they reconciled with Lori’s family, but I don’t know why Bellamy couldn’t just accept the fact that they’re married. End of story.”
“It wasn’t the only wedding this past year, either,” Bob said. “Faith and Troy tied the knot, and of course so did Mack and Mary Jo.”
“I do love a wedding,” Corrie said. To her way of thinking, there should be one more, and preferably soon. She’d feel so much better about Gloria’s situation if she was married to Chad.
“Well...” Bob lowered his empty glass. “I hate to cut this short, but we’ve got a few other stops to make.”
Corrie and Roy walked their friends to the front door and thanked them again.
“This is one small way of repaying you for all you’ve done for us,” Peggy said.
“How can you say that?” Corrie asked. Their friendship had been one of her biggest blessings since moving to Cedar Cove. “You’ve done so much for us.”
“You kept me out of prison,” Bob reminded them, referring to the death at the B and B. “Believe me, I’ll be forever grateful for that.”
“Ancient history,” Roy insisted, standing on the front porch. He wrapped his arm around Corrie’s shoulders.
“Ancient history to you, perhaps,” Bob said, “but it’s something I’ll never forget.”
They got into their vehicle, and Corrie and Roy returned to the warmth of the house.
“I really didn’t do that much,” Roy protested. “Bob was so obviously innocent....”
“Are you complaining about the cookies and candy they brought?” she asked, half-joking.
“No way!”
“Then enjoy and quit your muttering.”
He laughed. “You’re right. Have you tasted that English toffee yet? It’s good stuff.”
“Don’t tell me how good it is, I’m resisting.”
“Why?”
Corrie rolled her eyes. “Because it’s hard enough not to overindulge during the holidays without you telling me how good everything tastes.”
“Fine. Leaves more for me.”
Sighing, Corrie brought the tray into the kitchen and covered it with a towel. Out of sight, out of mind. She returned to the back bedroom and resumed wrapping gifts.
Fifteen minutes later, Roy poked his head in. “You about done?”
“Yup. I’m putting the final touches on the last package. Why?”
“Anything here for Gloria?”
“Of course.”
“Well, she just parked outside the house.”
“Oh.” Corrie felt a bit flustered.
“She isn’t alone.”
“Did Chad come with her?” Corrie couldn’t hide the excitement in her voice.
Roy nodded. “Only they don’t seem to be in any big hurry to come inside. They’ve been sitting in the car chatting for the past ten minutes.”
Corrie arched her eyebrows. “Can you tell if they’re arguing?” She certainly hoped not!
“I didn’t want it to be obvious that I saw them.”
“Good point.” Still, one might think that Roy, a private investigator, would know how to watch without being seen.
“Besides, this is their business.”
Another good point, although that hadn’t troubled him earlier when he’d gone to see Chad, which she restrained herself from mentioning.
The doorbell chimed.
“I’ll get it,” Roy said.
Corrie made her way into the kitchen and brewed a fresh pot of coffee. She heard Roy greet their daughter and Chad, and she quickly joined them.
“I know we’re early,” Gloria said. She held hands with Chad—a positive sign. “Chad thought we should all talk before everyone came for dinner tonight.”
“Sure,” Roy said, sitting down in his recliner.
Gloria and Chad took the sofa, huddled close to each other.
Corrie slid onto her favorite chair, her heart in her throat.
A tense silence pervaded the room as both she and Roy waited for whatever announcement was about to be made.
Gloria looked at Chad as if she wanted him to do the talking.
“Gloria and I wanted you to know we decided to get married,” he blurted out. “She agreed to marry me a couple of weeks ago but we wanted to keep it to ourselves until Christmas, and—”
Corrie was instantly on her feet. “That’s wonderful news!” she said, interrupting him and clasping her hands together. Her mind was whirling. While she hoped it would be soon, for the baby’s sake, she’d love a June wedding. That would give her enough time to plan. She’d get started first thing after Christmas. They’d need someplace special for the reception and, of course, there were the invitations, which they’d want to send out immediately. They’d have to find a dress; at this stage of her pregnancy, Gloria probably wouldn’t fit into Corrie’s wedding gown, which was a shame.
“When’s the happy date?” Roy asked.
“Actually...we’re already married,” Chad said.
Corrie blinked, assuming she’d misunderstood. “Already married?” she repeated. That wasn’t possible!
“When?” Roy asked, following the first question with a second. “Where?”
Again it was Chad who explained. “I’m afraid I’m responsible. Gloria said she’d marry me but we couldn’t agree on a date.”
“I wanted to wait until after the baby’s born and have a summer wedding,” she told them.
Corrie nodded, understanding.
“And I wanted us to be married before the baby’s born,” Chad said.
Ah, yes, Corrie thought, seeing the problem.
“So we decided to simply go ahead and get married right away and then, this summer, have another ceremony and a reception.”
“Makes sense to me,” Roy said, obviously pleased by this unexpected turn of events.
“Why didn’t you let us know?” Corrie asked, feeling a twinge of hurt despite her happiness. Even if it was a quick affair, she would’ve liked to be there.
“I agree we should have asked you to attend,” Gloria said. “But if you were there and Chad’s parents weren’t, they would’ve felt cheated. So we just did it. We applied for the license and were married a couple of days later.”
“By whom?”
“Judge Griffin,” Chad said. “At the courthouse. Mack and Mary Jo stood up with us.” He paused. “I don’t blame you for being upset.”
“We’re not upset,” Roy told him, and Corrie nodded.
“As Gloria mentioned, we plan to have another ceremony later, with friends and family from both sides.”
“This way we all get what we want,” Corrie said happily. A marriage and a baby—another grandchild for her and Roy—and a wedding.
Roy stood, extending his hand to Chad. “Welcome to the family.”
“Thank you.” The two men shook hands.
Corrie hugged her daughter and Chad. She’d spend the next few months getting ready for the wedding and reception, and the thought filled her with anticipation.
“Mom and Dad, there’s another reason we stopped by early.”
“Oh?” Corrie murmured.
“You’re not pregnant with twins, are you?” Roy asked, half-joking.
“No. We wanted to get your okay before we had one of your gifts delivered.”
“All right....” Roy glanced at Corrie, clearly wondering if she knew what this was about; she shook her head, as confused as he was.
“Did you hear someone left ten puppies on Beth Morehouse’s porch?”
“We did,” Corrie confirmed. “In fact, Bob was just telling us he got one of those pups for Peggy.”
“And we chose one for you,” Gloria said.
Their daughter had gotten them a puppy?
Corrie stared at her.
“Not long ago, Dad talked about a Labrador he had while he was growing up and he got a nostalgic look in his eyes. I heard about these puppies from Ted Reynolds, and Chad and I went to Beth’s house today to pick one up.”
“If you don’t want the dog,” Chad said, moving toward the edge of the sofa, “Gloria and I will take her. She’s cute as a bug and has personality to boot.”
“Where is she now?” Corrie asked.
“At my place,” Gloria replied. “We thought we’d bring her over tomorrow.”
“A puppy.” Roy wore a silly grin, as if the prospect delighted him. “What about a name?” he asked.
“I know—Asta. That’s the dog in the Thin Man movies, remember?” Corrie suggested.
“Perfect for a detective’s dog.” Roy smiled. “Even if the original Asta was a boy.”
“Asta it is,” Corrie said, adding, “We need a puppy in the house again.”
This was going to be the most wonderful Christmas in recent memory. Weddings, grandchildren—and now a puppy.
11
“Come in out of the cold,” Danielle said as Kent and Beth returned to the house after delivering the sleigh to the Nelsons’. It might have been Beth’s imagination, but she suspected Danielle had been standing by the door waiting for them. She had her cell phone in her hand again.
She immediately ran up to Kent and spoke urgently in his ear. Kent looked decidedly uncomfortable as she hugged him, but put his arms lightly around her. Beth saw Danielle’s hug as a claim of ownership. Unable to watch, she stepped around the embracing couple and hurried into the kitchen, grateful for the escape.
Bailey and Sophie were standing in a corner of the family room, whispering heatedly.
“Girls?” Beth said, wondering what they were up to. They didn’t seem to be arguing, but clearly had different opinions on something or other. “Is everything all right?” she asked.
Bailey turned around so quickly, she nearly stumbled. “Ah...sure. Why wouldn’t it be?”
Sophie narrowed her eyes as Danielle and Kent stepped into the room.
“It was a...lovely afternoon, but it’s time I...we left,” Danielle said, and then inclined her head as if to say the decision was final.
“You’re leaving?” Bailey cried in apparent shock.
“You’re not staying for dinner?” Sophie sounded equally shocked.
“I thought you came to Cedar Cove so you could spend Christmas with us,” Bailey reminded her father.
Frankly, Beth was just as glad to see them go. She didn’t understand exactly what had happened between her and Kent in the sleigh, but whatever it was had made her feel confused and a bit panicky. She’d actually wanted him to kiss her. Her ex-husband had brought another woman to spend Christmas with the family, and yet Beth could hardly stop herself from leaning into him....
“Kent will be back on Christmas Day,” Danielle said to the girls, as if they were small children in need of reassurance. “Christmas Eve is a time for family and—”
“Our father is family,” Bailey protested as she curled her hands into tight fists. She seemed to be on the verge of tears.
Sophie cast a pleading glance at her father. “Daddy?” she implored.
Kent hesitated.
Danielle tugged him over to the door. “I need to go. Don’t worry, your father will be back in the morning.” She turned to him, hissing, “The girls need to spend time with their mother, too.”
“I’ll stay,” Kent said decisively. “That is, if you’re sure it’s what you want.” The question was directed at Beth.
Holding her breath, she realized she didn’t have a choice. Which meant that her Christmas Eve dinner would be shared with Kent and... Danielle. What she wouldn’t give for a peaceful evening alone with her daughters. Instead, she was forced to watch her husband—er, ex-husband—with another woman.
“Mom?” Bailey whispered.
“Of course you should stay,” Beth said, just a little too brightly.
“Mom’s making lasagna,” Sophie said, and then added, apparently to enlighten Danielle, “It’s a family tradition. The recipe comes from Grandma Carlucci.”
Danielle pursed her lips in a pout, then squared her shoulders, coming to some decision. “In that case, I insist on helping.”
The last thing Beth wanted was this woman in her kitchen. “All I need to do is get the lasagna in the oven,” she said. “It’s already put together—just needs to bake.”
“Well, then, I’ll make a salad,” Danielle said.
“Mom always makes Caesar salad and garlic bread,” Bailey told her.
“I can make a Caesar salad.” Danielle pushed up the sleeves of her sweater and grabbed an apron off the countertop, staking out her territory.
Beth felt as though the other woman had declared war. Fine. In that case, she was prepared to surrender without a fight. This was Christmas, and if Danielle wanted to plant her flag in Beth’s kitchen, she was welcome to it. Only Beth wouldn’t be there.
“Are you sure you don’t mind making the salad?” she asked.
“I offered, didn’t I?” Danielle placed one hand on her hip.
“Okay, then, there’s no reason for me to stay. I’ll use the time to deliver one of the puppies.” She’d drive the Randalls’ puppy over to Grace Harding’s place.
Danielle cast her a triumphant look, as if to say she’d taken great satisfaction in maneuvering Beth out of her own kitchen.
Sophie smiled; Beth could tell this was precisely what she’d hoped would happen. “Dad, you should go with Mom.”
“Kent!” Danielle said sharply. “I might...you know, need you.”
“Dad,” Bailey challenged, “do you want Mom driving on treacherous roads alone? What if she had an accident?”
Beth tried to remember whether her daughter had ever taken drama. If so, she’d had a good teacher. The kid was ready for Broadway.
“It’s fine, Kent,” Beth assured him, trying to hide her laughter and not quite succeeding. “I’ve driven these roads alone any number of times.”
“But not when there’s snow on the ground,” Sophie wailed, as if she’d attended the same drama class.
“Your mother knows what she’s doing,” Danielle tossed in casually. “She’ll be perfectly fine by herself.” The last two words were given heavy emphasis.
Again Bailey and Sophie turned to their father with wide eyes even Scrooge couldn’t have ignored.
“Dad? Are you really going to let Mom go out all on her own?”
“Would you ever forgive yourself if anything happened to the mother of your children?” Sophie wailed.
Unwilling to be part of this ridiculous conversation any longer, Beth grabbed her coat, gloves and scarf and headed for the back door. She was outside and halfway to the car with the puppy in its carrier when Kent jogged up behind her.
“Hey, wait up,” he called.
“Kent, really, this isn’t necessary.”
“According to our daughters, it is.”
Beth rolled her eyes. “I don’t remember you being manipulated quite this easily when we were married.” She opened the rear passenger door and placed the puppy’s carrier inside.
Kent climbed into the front passenger seat and waited until Beth joined him before he responded. “Did you ever stop to think I might actually want to accompany you?”
She hadn’t. For the life of her, Beth couldn’t manage a single word. In fact, it was all she could do to breathe. All at once the interior of her SUV seemed to shrink until it felt as if the two of them were trapped inside a box the size of a milk crate. Her mouth went dry and she concentrated on driving rather than the man she’d loved and married and...left. Oh, how she wished she could turn back the clock.
Risking a look at Kent, she wondered if he was thinking the same thing.
The silence that stretched between them threatened to snap.
“I...” She started to say something—although what, she wasn’t sure.
“I was—”
They both spoke at the same time.
“You first,” she said.
