Maggie's Christmas Miracle

by Elaine Manders

  Ever patient and sensitive to a child’s concerns, she answered in her soothing voice. Maggie was a good teacher. And she’d be a good mother.

  As he pulled into Maggie’s drive, Izzy blurted. “Papa, I have to go wee-wee.”

  Maggie chuckled, totally comfortable with both him and Izzy now. “I’ll take her to the outhouse while you take care of the horse.”

  Izzy had inadvertently given him the excuse he’d been hoping for. “Thank you. Just take her inside with you after her trip to the outhouse, and I’ll come get her in a bit.”

  He’d planned to give Maggie the gift he specially ordered for her tomorrow, but now he didn’t want to wait. The magic of the night still hung in the air.

  He quickly stripped the horse and backed her into her stall with a bucket of oats, then went through the back door, crossed the dining room to the parlor and retrieved the package he’d hidden behind the sofa. His and Izzy gift to Maggie.

  He’d not given it at the party because it was so much grander than what anyone else gave. Besides, he didn’t want to reveal too much of his intentions or embarrass Maggie. He saw how uncomfortable she was to receive the attention, even the little homemade gifts of her students.

  Closing the door to his house with the box under his arm, he knew she’d consider the gift he gave too much. Too expensive. More than a suitor would give his intended. It was the type a husband would give his beloved wife.

  He hoped she wouldn’t realize just how inappropriate this gift was for a man who was supposed to be nothing more to her than her little charge’s father. She’d been reluctant to accept the chocolates.

  She might not accept this, and more than anything, he wanted her to have it. He couldn’t recall another gift he’d be more blessed to give, and he would enjoy this private moment with just the three of them.

  Maggie opened the door while he still had his knuckles raised to knock. “I heard you coming up the steps. Can I get you a cup of coffee before you leave?”

  “No thank you.” He spotted Izzy, sitting on the sofa, going through Maggie’s presents from the schoolchildren. Maggie had removed her angel’s gown.

  When Izzy saw her father, she looked up. “Papa, why didn’t I give Miss Maggie something?”

  “But you did, remember.” He whipped the white box embossed in gold lettering from under his arm.

  Izzy scrambled from the sofa and dashed toward Maggie who took the box, her mouth hanging open. “What have you done now?” she accused.

  “Is that any way to accept Izzy’s and my gift? You promised not to rob us of the joy of giving.”

  She shook her head. “You just won’t do, Daniel Raleigh. You’re far too generous with your gifts. Honestly, I don’t know what I’m to do with you.”

  He could name a few things, but they might shock her even more.

  Izzy jumped up and down. “It’s our secret, isn’t it, Papa?” She grabbed ahold of Maggie’s skirt. “Papa told me we had a secret but wouldn’t tell me what it was because I might tell.”

  “But you were able to keep the surprise party a secret, and I’m proud of you.” Maggie laughed under her breath as she stroked Izzy’s upturned cheek.

  “Come over here.” Daniel took Maggie by the arm and glided her to the sofa. Izzy hopped up beside her, and he sat on the other side. “Open it.”

  Her hands shook, and when she finally got the cover off, she gasped. Izzy stuck her little hand over the shawl. “Oh, it’s so soft,” Izzy said. Maggie just sat there as if frozen.

  Daniel took the box from her lap and cupped her elbow, urging her to stand. He draped the shawl over her shoulders. “It’s mohair,” he said, not really sure she was pleased or not. “And very warm.”

  “Oh, Miss Maggie, you look like an angel like I did in my white gown.” Izzy’s young voice held a touch of awe.

  Maggie stroked the shawl almost reverently and cast a watery glance up at him. “Actually, I’ve never been given anything so fine.” A choked laugh escaped her lips. “I’ve never ever seen anything this fine.”

  “I’m glad you like it because it seemed made for you, and it will come in handy during our trip to Dakota. In fact, the weather here has turned raw. You should wear it to church.”

  She shook her head. “No, I’d be afraid of getting it dirty, but I’ll surely wear it at the Belter’s. I wouldn’t want to make you ashamed of me in my ugly, old handknitted shawl.”

  Surely she didn’t think he’d bought her a fine garment because he thought what she normally wore would shame him in front of his friends. “That’s not why I got it. I wanted you to have it because I thought it would look nice on you.” He kept his tone light, hoping she’d think he was teasing. Although he wasn’t.

  Her lips quivered into a smile, but her gaze couldn’t get any further than his chin. “I know you did and I truly thank you.”

  Deflated of his magic moment, Daniel sighed. “We’d better be going.” He scooped Izzy into his arms and headed to the door.

  Maggie reached around him and opened it. “I’ll have breakfast ready by eight.”

  His eyes probed hers for several long breaths. “We’ll be here. Good-night, Maggie.”

  “Good-night, Daniel. Good-night, Izzy.” She closed the door.

  “Miss Maggie looked pretty in her present, didn’t she, Papa?”

  “Yes, very pretty, sweetheart.”

  But it would take more than a shawl to make her see he cared for her.

  Chapter 11

  Scripture affirms that only God can forgive and forget. But people never could manage both. Maggie had tried, but while she could forgive the past and succeeded in burying the memories for longer stretches of time, they would strike like a bolt of lightning, draining her of all strength. She fell back against the door, clutching the downy softness of the shawl about her. Unable to fight those horrible images, she closed her eyes.

  The fall of her sixteenth year she’d begun work as a cleaning girl for the boardinghouse. Six weeks later brought a day like any other. She’d cleaned all the rooms, saving his room for last. That handsome, charming drummer who made her feel pretty for the first time in her life. It was forbidden to enter a room if a guest was present, but they had an arrangement.

  He loved her. Hadn’t he told her every day? And even if he didn’t, it felt good to think he did. At least, he spent time with her and flattered her with words and little gifts. A man didn’t do that unless he meant it. And she’d never had a man pay attention to her before.

  It felt good.

  That day he’d bought her a shawl—a red, gawdy shawl of rough wool—but oh, it looked so fine on her. Then he’d kissed her in a way she found both shocking and exciting.

  She’d let him do things no decent girl should allow, but it was intoxicating. and she returned every day for a week. When he had to leave, he promised to come back for her in the spring, and they would be married.

  She never saw him again.

  “Maggie.” A man’s voice came from far away. Was it a dream or a hallucination?

  A knock sounded loudly at her ear, jolting her out of the fog. “Maggie.”

  She pulled in a ragged breath and opened the door. Daniel’s shadowed features swam into view. “Maggie, are you all right?”

  “Daniel? Yes, I…I’m fine.”

  “Izzy left her doll, Daisy. Could I get it?”

  Maggie swung a gaze around the room and quickly spotted the soft, cloth doll Izzy couldn’t sleep without lying on the sofa. She retrieved it and handed it to Daniel.

  His face still held a worried look. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “Yes, just a little tired from all the activity today.”

  His smile chased away the dark edges of her nightmare. “Good. I won’t have to wake you early in the morning. My appointments are all local tomorrow.”

  “Then you’ll have time for breakfast with Izzy and me.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  Maggie closed the
door and slid the bolt into place, realizing today’s activities had exhausted her physically and mentally. The play. Her last day of school. Saying good-bye to children she loved. Surely that would bring on enough emotional fatigue to spark the strange spell of slipping into the dark past.

  A place and time she’d vowed never to think of.

  She feared sleep would be hard to come by. A needless concern as it turned out. She awoke refreshed from a dreamless sleep as the first streaks of light filtered through her calico curtains.

  She had a bountiful breakfast ready for Daniel and Izzy. After his second cup of coffee, he bid them a good-day and stooped to drop a kiss on Izzy’s temple. She shoved the doll over her head, hitting him under the chin. “Kiss Daisy too, Papa.”

  From her end of the table, Maggie sent him a teasing grin as he complied with the child’s request. Then Izzy stopped him in his tracks before he’d exited the kitchen. “You forgot to kiss Miss Maggie.”

  Maggie’s smile froze as heat rushed up her neck to the top of her head and she rose to clear the table. She heard rather than saw him close the distance between them.

  “You’re right, Izzy, and she is my fiancée.”

  She couldn’t meet his eyes as he pressed a brief kiss on her cheek. When she dared look up, he was disappearing through the doorway. She suddenly felt deflated, knowing he’d been teasing about her being his fiancée, but it reminded her she must get ready for the part she was to play in their charade.

  With only two days until they left for the Belter Dakota bonanza farm, Maggie let Izzy visit Susie and Darla while she frantically assembled a wardrobe suitable for the grand ball. If Carianne were here, she’d have lent her traveling costumes, day dresses, and evening gowns. But that wasn’t the real Maggie. She’d feel like a peacock with borrowed feathers.

  Tears welled in her eyes when she took out her wedding dress. The one she’d sewn with such hope for her and Clay’s wedding. That never took place.

  Strangely, it was more suitable for a Christmas ball than a wedding. She’d purchased the hunter green silk—all twelve yards of it—because it was the cheapest color available.

  She was a fair seamstress and had created a bustle dress of the green silk with an overlay skirt of appliqued netting that matched the veil. The sleek front panel hugged her form in a way Mama had said was indecent, but Carianne argued it was exactly right. Maggie had sided with Carianne.

  Neither the overskirt or the veil was needed. The sleeves and neckline were trimmed in white lace. If she removed a row of the lace, it would be fashionably low enough for a dance.

  The shirtwaists and skirts she wore teaching school just wouldn’t do for daywear. Fortunately, her three Sunday dresses were fairly new, not nearly as nice as the other ladies would wear, but they would do. She packed two of them in her old carpetbag.

  A woolen plaid with black piping she left out for her traveling dress. Then searching the drawers, she spotted the mohair shawl. She’d forgotten that’s where she’d put it, but she’d been in a daze last night.

  Daniel must have thought her reaction bazaar, and she regretted having hurt his feelings. She didn’t even know why she reacted as she did, but as soon as she’d spied the beautiful thing, suspicions flooded her mind. Why would this man, a near stranger, gift her with an expensive shawl? Probably he was so rich such an item meant little to him, and he had bought it to give on behalf of Izzy.

  But something didn’t seem right. She couldn’t shake the feeling he was keeping something from her. He wasn’t who he seemed. He’d sought her out for reasons other than to find someone to care for his daughter.

  The truth was, she didn’t trust him—or any man. Never had. Even as kind and loving as Clay had been. Even as long as she’d known him, she couldn’t accept that he loved her. That’s why she’d kept delaying their marriage. That was the reason she tried to deny her growing feelings for Daniel.

  She continued filling the bag with undergarments and stockings. Thicker stockings were needed, and she’d have to purchase them.

  Shaking off the brooding doubts came easy to her. She’d had lots of practice. No, she meant nothing special to Daniel, but he offered her a chance of a lifetime. A ball, a peek into the world of the upper class. She’d be waited on and catered to instead of being the one who had to do the serving. Counting every penny.

  A few days with nothing to do but enjoy herself.

  At that moment she spied the shoes she normally wore with her Sunday dresses and studied them with a critical eye. They were scuffed and worn on the soles. Her lace-up boots were adequate, but it had been ages since she’d purchased slippers.

  She stopped by Mrs. Samms to ask her to keep Izzy until she returned and trekked on foot to the mercantile.

  The store was void of customers when she entered. Myra and Juliette stood at the counter, and their heads popped up as the door’s bell jingled. “Come on back, Maggie,” Myra called. “Maybe you can help us. Juliette and I are trying to decide what games to play at the Sollano Christmas party. Would you believe week after Wednesday is Christmas Day?”

  Maggie had totally forgotten the tradition. The ranch held a huge party on Christmas Day for the townspeople and the ranch hands. The women cooked for days to feed the mob. How had she forgotten?

  The answer was clear. She’d been wrapped up in Izzy and Daniel. From the moment her feet hit the floor in the morning until sleep claimed her at night, her thoughts stayed on them. Going over what they’d done and said. Planning what they might do in the future.

  But there was no future with them beyond Christmas Day. She pushed that painful thought aside. She’d savor every moment between now and then.

  “Where is Izzy?” Juliette asked.

  “She’s playing with the Stratford girls at Mrs. Samms’s house,” Maggie said, then added, like she needed to defend her neglect, “It’s good for her to be around other children.”

  “And Mr. Raleigh?” Myra looked up from her writing pad. “Is he still on his business mission?”

  “Yes, but he’s going to the Belter’s bonanza farm in Dakota later this week to talk to Mr. Belter about a new job. He thinks it will benefit Izzy to grow up in a rural area.”

  Juliette looked up from the list she was perusing. “He mentioned that to Jake at church. Jake says he’ll be out at Sollano today to talk to Carlos and Deck.”

  Maggie never asked him where his business would take him day to day. It was no concern of hers, but apparently he’d taken her advice to discuss his options with the Sollano managers.

  “He will be back in town for the Christmas party?”

  Maggie gave Juliette a dumbfounded stare. For a moment, she thought Juliette was referring to the Belter party. Then it dawned on her she meant the Sollano party. “He’ll be back before then, but I don’t know that he’ll have time to attend the party. I’ll ask him.” She plowed on, “If he can’t go, I probably can’t either…I’ll have to watch Izzy while Mr. Raleigh prepares for their trip home. They’ll be leaving the day after Christmas.”

  Myra looked aghast, so she added, “I will bake a cake for the party, though. I’m almost certain Mr. Raleigh will want to spend the whole day with Izzy. And…and I do too.”

  Juliette saw through her. She laid a hand on Maggie’s arm. “That’s all right. You’ll be too busy yourself to do any baking.

  Myra wasn’t fooled either. “He’ll want to spend the day with you more like it. He’s sweet on you.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “I know when a man is smitten. Besides, he’s taken you to preaching and dined with you every day.”

  “Has Dorcas been gossiping?”

  Myra shook her head. “It wasn’t Dorcas. She’s been busy at the post office, and Rachel has her helping with the ranch party. No, Iris Samms told me. But don’t take offense. I think it’s wonderful.” She sent Maggie a piercing stare from under her lashes. “If you don’t let him slip through your fingers.”

  “Trust me,
Myra. The man isn’t smitten. Yes, I’ve invited him to meals, but it only makes sense. He comes home late, and it wouldn’t be neighborly not to invite him to join Izzy and me.” She could feel the heat rising. “And when else would I be able to discuss Izzy’s day?”

  “Uh huh,” Myra said. “When?”

  Maggie chose to ignore Myra’s sarcasm. “Could you show me the shoes? I can’t leave Izzy long.”

  Myra came from behind the counter. Preparing to leave, Juliette took the notepad. “I’ll stop by the post office to check with Dorcas. We’re going to miss you, Maggie. Try to get Mr. Raleigh and Izzy to come.”

  “I will,” Maggie said, knowing she likely wouldn’t. She followed Myra to the shoe section and quickly found a pair of slippers that looked comfortable enough to dance in and would do for both day dresses and the evening gown.

  As she tagged along behind Myra to the counter, she glanced back at the display window. And saw it. The shawl Daniel had given her. Except it was a light blue instead of snowy white.

  “Myra, wait. When did you get the blue shawl in?”

  Lifting the lovely garment from its hanger, Myra then draped it around Maggie’s shoulders. “Isn’t it beautiful? When Mr. Raleigh ordered one from our catalogue, I decided to get one to sell.”

  “How much is it?” Maggie fingered the soft mohair.

  “You don’t want to know. Actually, I got it with Carianne in mind since she’s probably the only one in town who could afford it, and she favors blue.” She took the shawl back to the hanger. “Do you want one? I could order another.”

  “No. It’s much too extravagant for me, but it is beautiful.”

  Though not as beautiful as the one Daniel had given her.

  That night she listened as eagerly as Izzy for Daniel’s footstep on the porch. But as soon as he came through the door, she noticed a change in him that made the hair on her neck stand on end. He didn’t toss Izzy into the air as he normally did when she met him. Rather, he hugged her to his chest so long the child wiggled to get down.