Ill be home for christma.., p.18
I'll Be Home For Christmas, page 18
Gasps filled the room at Marian’s request. Joe just shook his head.
“Are you sure you want that?” Sylvia asked.
“Positive.” Marian turned her eyes back toward Joe. “If you don’t go to the judge, I will. He was an old friend of Roger’s, and I think he’ll listen to me. I’d prefer to go through the proper channels, though. If you won’t do it, however, I’ll have to go over your head to make sure it happens.”
Satisfied with her announcement, Marian resumed eating. She shoveled a bite of mashed potatoes into her mouth and smiled.
As the chatter began again, another clinking sound got the attention of the group. Mayor Becky Roswell, not really a friend but a respected member of the community, stood from her seat at the table. “The town has had a few hard days leading up to today,” she said, then looked toward Marian with a sad smile. “The first thing I want to do is apologize for inviting Carol Ling to our town. I thought it would be good publicity, but as we all know, it turned out to be a huge mistake.”
“You had no way of knowing the kind of person she really was,” Marian said, then cast a glance toward Kris, whose head was bowed in pain and embarrassment. “None of us saw it coming. It’s all okay now.”
The mayor nodded slightly then cleared her throat. “While there were some truly terrible things going on in Saddle Hill, there were a few people who stood out and rose to the task of making our town even more remarkable. I’d like to recognize those people now.” Becky stooped over and pulled a few plaques from the oversized bag sitting next to her chair. “But first, I’d like to announce the winner of our contest to name the Christmas caroling event.”
Silence fell over the group gathered around the table as they all exchanged curious glances.
“The winner has been a member of our community their entire life and has brought joy to countless members of this community. In fact, I sat on his lap and told him what I wanted for Christmas when I was a child.” A smile broke out on Becky’s face. “Without further ado, I’d like to announce that from now on, our Christmas caroling event will be called ‘A Hometown Christmas,’ named by our very own resident Santa, James Jingle.”
Cheers erupted from the table, and several people slapped James on the back with congratulations.
“As promised, you will be receiving a platter of baked goods from the Rose Petal Café, baked by our very own Nadine Adler,” the mayor reminded.
James beamed at the news that he’d been chosen as the winner of the contest, while the mayor clinked her glass again to regain the group’s attention.
“I have two awards to hand out for citizens that have gone above and beyond this Christmas to ensure that Saddle Hill remains the kind of place we all love.” Becky looked around the table and smiled at each person present. “The first award is our ‘Service Award.’ For going to great lengths in order to bring Marian home, and even crashing his vehicle, Joe Adler has been a wonderful sheriff this year, and his bravery in the face of this crisis has shown that the townspeople made the right decision in electing you.”
Nadine beamed at her husband, pride written on her face, as everyone else offered their congratulations.
Gaining control of the crowd again, Mayor Becky Roswell continued. “The second award is our ‘Outstanding Citizen’ award. This person surprised me by going out of their way to make sure the less fortunate had what they needed for Christmas. Kris Jingle, you went above and beyond the call of your duty as Santa by personally fulfilling a little boy’s Christmas wish list. Because of you—with some help from Nadine—a family is eating heartily tonight, and the homeless of Saddle Hill have the personal care items they need.”
Marian could see that Kris’s eyes were red with unshed tears, and he was struggling to keep his emotions in check. It had been a rollercoaster for him. Her heart swelled at the good people that surrounded her. An unlikely hero and one that did heroic things in the name of the job were recognized by everyone for the good things they’d done to help others.
Marian smiled. This was a good night, made even better by her Christmas wish having come true.
She was home for Christmas.
Epilogue
January 1st
New Year’s Day held promises for a bright future. Accompanied by a newly engaged Eli Nolan, Marian and Vito stepped out of Eli’s truck and walked up the steps onto the porch of the old farmhouse.
“What are we doing here? If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to leave this part of my life behind and never think about this place again,” Vito remarked as Marian stuck the key that Vito had once worn around his neck into the lock.
“What if I told you it was going to be a while before you could get this place out of your mind?” Marian said, a twinkle in her eye and a mischievous grin on her face.
Vito looked between Marian and Eli. “What’s going on? Did you bring me here to torture me? Maybe lock me up in a closet or stick me out in the barn?”
“Don’t be nervous,” Eli said. “Marian has this all figured out.”
She twisted the key in the lock and pushed the front door open. “So, I’m thinking we need to restore the floors throughout, maybe take that wall down so the entryway opens more into the living room, and paint the walls a nice, calming color.” Marian continued walking forward into the main living area. “I’d also like to resurface the fireplace, possibly hang a very special clock made of a tiller blade over there, and get all new furnishings.”
Vito cast a confused look toward Marian. “What are you talking about?”
Ignoring his question, Marian continued on to the kitchen. “This will need a complete gut job to make it functional for our purposes, but I’d like to retain the character if possible.”
“What are ‘our purposes’?” Vito asked to no response.
They continued throughout the house, Marian making comments about improvements she’d like to make to each of the rooms.
“Will somebody please tell me what this is all about?” Vito demanded impatiently when they came back to the living room.
Eli and Marian exchanged a conspiratorial glance. “Well,” Marian began, “I haven’t been able to get this old house out of my head. And not just because I was held here against my will. Though I should be thoroughly traumatized, I fell in love with it sometime during the three days I was here, so I bought it.”
Vito’s mouth gaped open. “You bought it? Why?”
Marian smiled at his surprise. “When I was rummaging through the junk in here, I found that this place used to be a bed-and-breakfast. It was called the Farmhouse Inn. I found out who owned it and made an offer. I plan to restore it and reopen it as a bed-and-breakfast.” She looked at Eli who gave her an encouraging nod. “You’re on probation,” she said to Vito, “and part of the terms of your probation are to get a job. For the foreseeable future, your job is to help me restore this house.” She waved her hands around the room.
“You can’t be serious,” he challenged. “I mean, I’m grateful that you went to bat for me to get me out of jail and onto probation, but this place doesn’t have great memories. I don’t like the person I was when I was here.”
Marian shrugged. “So then I guess it’s time to rewrite those memories. You get to change this place from the dilapidated house that was once used to keep a kidnapping victim, to a place where others will come for rest, relaxation, and to reconnect with each other. That’s quite a noble calling, I’d say. Plus, won’t that be quite an entertaining story for the guests?”
“I don’t know…” Vito protested.
She reached for his arm and gave it a squeeze. “Remember Roger’s words. ‘Grow where you’re planted.’ Right now, you’re planted here. With us working together, we’re going to make this place spectacular. The guests will flock to it.”
Vito nodded slightly and turned around, taking in the spaces in view. “You know, while we were here, I kept thinking about how I’d redo this place if given the chance. I guess this is my chance.”
Marian smiled at him and sighed. “It’s our chance. Our chance to turn painful memories into something beautiful.”
Acknowledgements
Once again, many thanks are in order for the creation of this book.
To my editor, Dierdre Stoelzle, who provided a keen eye for detail and encouraging comments while suggesting ways to make the story better.
Robynne, at Damonza, for creating a beautiful book, inside and out.
To my husband, Billy, and daughters, Zoe and Nora, as well as many friends and family who have encouraged me through this process. You have no idea how much your support means to me!
Finally, to you, the reader. Thank you for taking a chance on me and picking up this book. I hope you have enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Until next time!
Erin
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty-One
Chapter Sixty-Two
Chapter Sixty-Three
Chapter Sixty-Four
Chapter Sixty-Five
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Erin Lanter, I'll Be Home For Christmas
