by Judy Baer
“You don’t even know him. I do. He’s not like that.”
His laugh was dry, without humor. “You might think you know him but you don’t. He’s had his henchman in the courthouse comparing deeds and titles, property tax payments, and who knows what else. What do you think is going to come of that, Merry? Something good? I doubt it. I know you want to think the best of people, but sometimes . . .”
“I don’t believe it,” she retorted bravely. “Jack wouldn’t. You’re just miffed because he’s still staying at my house. Well, I don’t care! He’s a paying customer, and so is Vince.”
“I never should have called you that night he was looking for a place to stay. . . .”
“Too late. You did. And I appreciate it. Now please don’t say any more to me about Jack.”
“Don’t say I didn’t try to warn you, Merry,” Zeke said glumly. “I care about you too much to see the pain this guy is going to put your town through.”
After she’d hung up the phone, she sat down and stared disconsolately at the street in front of her house. What if Zeke was right after all? She couldn’t see how, but he’d planted a niggling, unwelcome seed of doubt in her.
She entertained this bit of misery until she saw Abby come up the sidewalk to work. Merry gave herself a little talk. What was she doing allowing Zeke’s unfounded doubts to ruin her day? It was nonsense! Today was Christmas Eve, and she didn’t have the time or inclination to think about anything other than that.
“Hey, Merry, how’s it going?” Abby pulled off her coat and scarf and smoothed her hair.
“We’ll be busy today. All the last-minute shoppers will be out.”
“What time are we closing?” That was a subject Abby and Merry debated every year.
“Three o’clock. I’m having people here for dinner at six o’clock, and we’ll attend the candlelight service at midnight. Everyone needs to be home with their families by three. I’d get so excited about Christmas that my father would take a vacation day on Christmas Eve so my mother could cook our meal and wrap gifts without my . . . help.” Merry made air quotes. “Dad always baked my birthday cake.”
“Is Jack around? Maybe he could help wrap presents. Hildy said she had to do some Christmas shopping of her own today.”
It was funny, really, to think how far they’d all come. It wasn’t so long ago that Abby had tiptoed whenever Jack was around. Now she was asking for him.
“Abby, what kind of man do you think Jack is?”
“Me? Why does it matter what I think?”
“I’m curious, that’s all.”
“I didn’t like him very much at first. He was pretty grim. But now I think he’s a really nice guy. I’m not sure what changed him but I like it.” Abby’s eyes twinkled. “And he’s more handsome every day. The more he relaxes, the more he smiles.”
Merry couldn’t argue with that. “Zeke thinks he’s going to cause trouble in Frost.”
A shadow flickered across Abby’s features. “My husband says that too. He’s been hearing rumors, he says, but won’t tell me what they are because he doesn’t know for a fact they’re true.”
“I would have said the same not long ago, but I’ve had the opportunity to spend more time with Jack than anyone else. Even when he was ill, he was a perfect gentleman. And he’s shared things with me that have helped me understand him.” Jamie, his family, the guilt that plagued him, and the honor he was showing to his cousins by including them in his inheritance.
Merry knew who Jack was. She could trust him. The rumors were just that, rumors. Besides, what could Jack really do that would set Frost on its head?
* * * * *
By the time Jack and Vince returned from the courthouse, the house was filled with the fragrant aroma of baking turkey. All the dishes except the gravy were ready to put in the oven, and the table was set. The men stopped in their tracks to admire the festive table.
Merry, dressed in a simple navy sheath, sat at the table folding napkins. Her blonde hair spilled across her shoulders, and her eyes deepened to emerald when paired with the dress. She wore a fine silver web of a necklace. It was dainty, asymmetrical, and looked like a bit of frost gracing her neck.
Jack had never seen her in much makeup. Her skin was flawless and porcelain by nature and she really needed none, but tonight she’d added blush and a slash of holiday red lipstick. It was quite dramatic against her pale skin.
“Merry?” Vince finally blurted. “You look like a model!”
“How nice of you to say that.” She finished the last napkin and stood up. “It’s not true, of course, but I accept the lovely compliment anyway.”
Jack simply stared at her.
The doorbell rang and Hildy entered on a gust of snow. She was balancing pie holders in her hands and had a cloth bag full of gifts hanging from her arm. “Ho, ho, ho,” she said jovially, her disposition much improved for the festivities.
Jack reached for the plastic containers and headed for the kitchen, leaving Vince to help Hildy with her packages and coat.
Merry joined him there with a jar of cranberry relish Hildy had brought in her bag. “I’m so glad to see Hildy smiling tonight.”
“Are you okay with celebrating Christmas here?” Merry put a hand on her hip and studied Jack’s face. “I want you to enjoy it but I don’t want to bring up sad memories.”
“It’s okay. I’ve come to the conclusion while I’ve been here with so much time to think that I’ve mourned Jamie far too long. The accident wasn’t any more my fault than his. I could just as well have been on that sled. It’s time I let go.” He studied her intently. “I apologize in advance if I fail in that quest. I’m stepping out on baby legs here.”
She came to him and put her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest. “It’s okay. You’re trying.” When she looked up at him there were tears in her eyes. “I’m so happy for you. God doesn’t leave us. Just remember that. He’ll hold you up and He’ll hold you together.”
“I’m grateful for that and”—Jack hesitated briefly—“and for you.”
She sensed he was about to kiss her, but the sound of a car horn interrupted them.
Vince stuck his head into the kitchen. “I think your little family has arrived, Merry.” He observed how closely the two stood together and noticed Merry’s arms falling from around Jack’s waist. His eyebrow went up, and he glanced at the ceiling. “What? Are you pretending there’s mistletoe up there?”
Caught, the pair guiltily split apart and followed Vince into the living room.
Wayne entered the house first, a large package in his arms.
“You weren’t supposed to bring gifts!” Merry chided.
“The big one is for Greta. We found her a new bike at the secondhand store. It’s in good shape and we bought a new basket for it. The rest of the stuff came from the secondhand store too.” He blushed. “Maybe by next year we’ll graduate to a discount store for gifts.”
“I’m here! I’m here!” Greta bounded in. She was barely visible beneath her stocking cap, but her eyes shone. She was carrying a metal tin. “Mom made Christmas cookies. Pecan tassies—her specialty!”
Merry, from the corner of her eye, saw Hildy watching the scene. She’d flinched, Merry noted, at the mention of tassies. How odd.
But Hildy’s behavior grew even stranger when Stephanie entered and threw back the hood of her jacket. Hildy’s strangled scream filled the room.
Jack was at the older woman’s side when she began to crumple, knees buckling, hand clutching her heart. He caught her before she reached the floor and helped her into a nearby chair.
“Should I call 911?” Vince asked. “You do have 911 out here, don’t you?”
“Yes!” Merry said.
“No!” Hildy blurted.
Every person in the room appeared baffled except Stephanie, who gasped and ran straight for Hildy and fell into her arms.
“Mommy?” Greta said in a small voice as she watched her mother
cry.
“Steph, what’s going on?” Wayne hurried to his wife, but she refused to be pulled away from Hildy.
“Do you still want 911?” Vince asked, looking more confused than ever.
“Do you know what’s happening?” Jack asked Merry.
“I’m not sure, but if it’s what I think it is, then we’re witnessing a Christmas miracle.”
Stephanie broke away from Hildy then. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but her eyes shone with happiness. “Wayne, this is Bernice Olson, my former mother-in-law and Greta’s grandmother!”
“Grandma?” Greta echoed, understanding dawning on her small features. “My daddy’s mother?” She too shot toward Hildy. “Do you remember me, Grandma?”
“Remember you? You are impossible to forget.” Hildy started to cry again, and Greta wiped the tears away with a wrinkled tissue from her pocket. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Wayne, stunned, stood there with his hands helplessly flapping at his sides, not knowing what to do next.
It was Vince who finally spoke above the din. “Will someone please tell me what’s going on? Do we need an ambulance or a paddy wagon?”
At that, explanations began to tumble out. Hildy told Vince about her son being killed and how’d she’d returned to Frost and taken back her childhood nickname. Stephanie, in tears, explained the horrible two years after her husband’s death when she cut herself off from everyone she’d ever known. Then Greta, who hadn’t left Hildy’s lap, announced, “I’m the happiest kid in the whole world. I got my grandma back!”
Even Vince, whom Merry knew better for his quick tongue than shows of emotion, had tears in his eyes by the time they were done.
As the excitement began to wind down, Merry clapped her hands to her cheeks and gasped, “I almost forgot the turkey! Vince, Jack, you come with me. The rest of you sit down.”
Jack grinned at Hildy. “Talk amongst yourselves. I’m sure you can think of something to say.” They were babbling happily before he got to the kitchen door.
“That’s some story,” Vince remarked as he piled mashed potatoes into a serving dish. “It’s like a Hallmark Christmas Eve movie made for television.”
Merry moved the turkey, golden brown with crisp, succulent skin, to a platter and handed it to Jack. “Will you carve at the table?”
“Me? Wouldn’t you do a better job?”
“If it makes you uncomfortable . . .” Merry was disappointed. She’d wanted to see Jack at the head of her table carving the turkey for the people she’d gathered for the night. Maybe it was too much to hope for. They’d already witnessed a Hallmark special. To plan a Norman Rockwell table might be pushing it.
“I’ll do it if no one criticizes me if I do it wrong.” Jack sent Vince a warning glance.
After Merry had left the kitchen with the bird, Vince turned to him. “Where did the Grinch learn to carve a turkey?”
“I didn’t grow up with a pack of wolves,” Jack reminded him. “My father taught me. We still acknowledged Thanksgiving and Easter with a turkey even though we never had a festive Christmas.”
“You’ve changed,” Vince commented.
“Who has changed?” Merry poked her head through the door. “If you guys bring those casseroles to the table, we’re all set.”
“Jack has changed. I’ve never seen him smile so much in the month of December. I’m sure you have something to do with it, Merry.”
She studied the pair of handsome men for a moment. “I’ve been praying for Jack. Maybe that’s it.”
“Don’t stop now.” Vince slapped Jack on the back. “He’s got a long way to go.”
Everyone was laughing as they seated themselves at the table. An air of expectancy grew as they quieted.
“Jack, will you pray?” Merry asked.
He stared at her. “Me?”
“If you don’t want to . . .”
“No, it’s okay.” He drew a deep breath.
“Heavenly Father, there’s much to thank You for. First there is the gift of Your Son. There aren’t words enough to thank You for that. Thank You for this mouthwatering food, this place to gather, and for the miracle reunion we saw unfold. I personally thank You for my friendship with Vince, irritating as he can be sometimes, and for Merry, who has been a powerful force in so many lives, including mine.”
He lifted his eyes slightly, and Merry caught him looking at her.
“Thank You for giving me people who finally got me to see that Christmas is all about new birth, life, and joy. May all of us experience it tenfold over the coming year.”
When he’d said “amen,” Jack looked up again and was surprised to see tears on Merry’s cheeks and even more shocking, on Vince’s.
Fortunately neither had to explain because Greta, in her most polite yet impatient voice, inquired, “Is anyone ever going to pass me the turkey?”
Chapter Twenty-Three
• • • • • • • • • • • •
Merry barely touched her food, although the others seemed to inhale it. Instead, she filled herself with the sights and sounds of the festive table. This was what it was to have family, not blood family but family nonetheless, celebrating this wonderful evening together. The day she’d longed for as a child had finally come and filled the void that had left her incomplete for many years. What could be better than this?
Hildy was smiling. Ten years had fallen away and the light had returned to what Merry had come to think of as old, sad eyes. Stephanie and Wayne were giddy with happiness. They had found Hildy, made new friends, and put their feet on the path to a new life. Greta beamed as only a small child can. She wiggled and giggled, talked a blue streak, and her body practically shivered with happiness.
Vince, too, was part of her family now, Merry thought. She’d seen the warm, thoughtful side of his personality and his loyalty to Jack.
Jack . . .
Merry feasted her eyes on him. All the gravity and unease was gone from his demeanor. The tense, brooding man who’d entered her home only a couple brief weeks before was replaced by a man filled with laughter and goodwill. His cheerful mien made him look different as well. He was relaxed in both posture and dress. He’d traded suits for jeans and soft sweatshirts. He’d given up taming his dark hair and allowed the soft curl to reveal itself. It was longer, too—an especially good look for him.
And his smile! Merry had thought he was incredibly handsome when they’d first met, but now he was spectacular.
She blushed when she caught Jack staring back at her and hoped that he hadn’t somehow developed mind reading as a new skill.
“Aren’t you going to eat more than that, Merry?” Hildy asked in a motherly but disapproving tone. “You’ll fade away.”
“I’m saving myself for dessert. It’s going to be wonderful, wait and see.”
As she pushed away from the table, so did Jack.
“Everyone else relax. I’ll clear the table so Merry can prepare the next course.”
She put a hand on his arm gratefully. They made a good team in the kitchen. By the time the dishes were cleared and coffee poured, Merry was done whipping cream and serving slices of pie—pumpkin, mincemeat, apple crumble, cherry, lemon meringue, and pecan.
“There’s enough here for each of us to have our own pie!” Jack eyed the pie plates on the counter.
“Hildy brought four, and I whipped up the other two. I want this to be the most memorable Christmas you’ve ever had.” She paused before adding, “In a good way that is.”
“It’s already that.” His voice was low and husky. He moved toward her, and Merry knew he was going to kiss her and that she was going to welcome it.
Jack hesitated, however, at a tinkling sound coming from the dining room. The guests were tapping spoons against their glasses to signal they wanted dessert.
“We aren’t at a wedding party,” Merry muttered, “and the bride won’t be kissing the groom.” She felt a burn of embarrassment scorch its way across her cheeks. “I
mean . . .”
“You take that tray and I’ll take this,” Jack suggested, saving her from more awkwardness.
Mercifully, if anyone noticed Merry’s red face they didn’t comment.
“Shall we open gifts after dessert?” Merry suggested. “If we don’t start soon, we’ll be late for the candlelight service at church.”
Hildy cleared her throat. “If you don’t mind, Merry, we’ll take ours home this evening. Rather than go to church this evening, I think we need some family time. Stephanie and Wayne have agreed to stay with me tonight so the four of us can go to church together in the morning.” Her voice cracked with emotion. “Although I’ve already received my gift in Greta and Stephanie.” She looked at the young man sitting next to her daughter-in-law. “And Wayne. I think we need a little time to get to know each other.”
“Take all the time you need. I’ll pack up some turkey and stuffing for you so you don’t have to cook tomorrow.”
While Hildy and family put on their coats, Merry filled a basket with portions of everything she’d served tonight.
After kisses, hugs, and more tears, they left. Merry, Jack, and Vince stood in the doorway and watched them trudge across the snow to Hildy’s house.
“Extraordinary,” Vince finally said. “I can’t believe it went down like this—supposed strangers meeting on Christmas Eve—and turning out to be long-lost family members! Truth is crazier than fiction.”
They sat in front of the fire to open their gifts. Vince handed them each an envelope and looked a little sheepish. “I shopped online. Sorry it isn’t fancy but you both need it.”
Merry put her finger beneath the flap and tore it open, unable to imagine what it was Vince thought she needed. She opened the trifolded piece of paper inside. Her jaw dropped as she read it.
One airline ticket to the North Pole or destination of your choice.
It’s time you took a vacation.
Merry Christmas, Vince.
“You shouldn’t have! It’s too much. I didn’t get you anything like . . .”
