His voice took on a note of nostalgia when he spoke. “This star was given to me by Maxwell Hamilton. Not only was Maxwell a mentor to me when I first started my businesses, but he was also a friend.” Tears glittered in Charles’s eyes. “Max taught me the importance of looking outside myself and caring for others. His example inspired our family to do our annual Ding Dong Ditch.”
Haven gave Wyatt a questioning look. “I’ll explain it to you,” he assured her quietly.
Charles cleared his throat, his jaw working. “The star and accompanying poem have come to mean even more since Max died in a plane crash, leaving a young widow and two kids.”
Haven’s heart clutched in surprise. Interest stirred inside her as she waited for Charles to continue.
Beverly placed a hand on Charles’s arm, her eyes radiating tender encouragement for him to continue.
“This Christmas, I hope we’ll take time to ponder over the many ways we’ve been blessed.” His eyes moved over the room. “All of you,” his voice caught, “are the greatest gifts I have. I’m so thankful for the birth of our Savior and His ultimate sacrifice, which makes it possible for us to live with Him again. May we all be fixed like the Christmas Star and remember who we are.”
Ellie got out of her seat and stood beside her parents. In a smooth, reverent tone she began reading the poem:
On that most important of all nights in an event never to be forgotten
The star was placed to point the way to the greatest gift the world was ever given.
A babe lying in a manger,
A mother kneeling by his side,
Some call it the North Star, but there are those who know its real name—The Christmas Star—given on that special night to light the way for all to see.
If you ever lose your way, look up to The Christmas Star—your friend in the night—the one that will give you sight.
You’ll never stray too far to catch sight of the star. If you look to it long enough, it will lend you strength to be that flicker in the night—guiding those around you.
So be fixed like the star and remember who you are.
No matter where you roam, it will always guide you home.
All you have to do is believe … and its peace from you will never leave.
Haven was overcome with emotion as tears filled her eyes. She looked at Wyatt, feeling a rush of embarrassment over the tears. Then she laughed quietly when she realized he too was crying.
“That poem gets me every time,” he said, mopping his eyes.
“I can see why. It’s beautiful.”
Ralph placed a ladder next to the tree.
All eyes turned to Wyatt. “My turn,” he said, patting Haven’s leg as he stood and walked over to Charles and took the star.
For a second, Haven was so caught up in the events taking place that she didn’t realize Beverly was motioning to her.
She rose to her feet and quickly walked over to Beverly. “We’ll just sing the first verse,” Beverly whispered, then looked at Aubrey, who’d taken her place behind the piano. A second later, the familiar notes of Silent Night filled the air. At the same time, Wyatt climbed up the ladder, holding the star.
Beverly started singing right on cue, but Haven stumbled a little over the first note. Thankfully, she found her stride soon thereafter, blending her voice with Beverly’s. Joy bubbled in Haven’s chest as their combined voices filled the air. When the song ended, a round of applause sounded throughout the room. Haven looked up. The star was now in its rightful place. Wyatt climbed down and stood beside her.
“Everyone join in on the next one,” Beverly encouraged as they began singing Joy to the World and We Wish You a Merry Christmas.
When the singing was over, Charles held up his hands. “All right, folks. That concludes the Davenport Christmas Star Ceremony. Tomorrow, at ten a.m. sharp, we’ll do Ding Dong Ditch.” The corners of his lips turned down. “Unfortunately, the Schneiders won’t be able to join us tomorrow as they have another engagement.”
Haven hoped that included Kat. Even though her conversation with Kat had been limited to a brief, Hello, and Nice to Meet You. Kat’s animosity towards her was a dark thundercloud, waiting to spill.
“We’ll miss you,” Charles said.
“We’ll make it up to you next year,” Neal said heartily
Charles gave him a pointed look. “I’ll hold you to that.” He turned his attention to the group. “We’ll divide up as follows: Ralph and Marguerite will go with Beverly and Me. Aubrey, Christopher, and their boys will go together.”
Haven was impressed how much a part of the family Ralph and Marguerite were, much more than employees. It spoke well of Wyatt’s parents that they would be so inclusive. So far, from what Haven could tell, any reservations that the Davenports had concerning her were owed to Brynn’s party girl reputation. She certainly couldn’t blame them for that. Interesting that she previously feared she wouldn’t measure up to Brynn’s glamorous lifestyle. The Davenports were wealthy and influential, just as she suspected, but they were also down-to-earth and caring. No wonder Wyatt was so kind and concerned about others.
“I don’t wanna go with Mom and Dad,” Conner whined. “I wanna go with Wyatt.”
“Me too,” Noah piped in.
“Sorry, boys,” Charles said. “This year, you’re going with your parents.” The tone of his voice was final.
They went puppy-dog eyed, giving Charles such pitiful expressions that Haven felt sorry for them. Evidently, Wyatt did too. “Hey boys, whatcha say we pass the football around a little tomorrow morning? We can get up early and do it before we do Ding Dong Ditch.”
“Yeah!” Conner pumped his fist in the air.
“Um, that won’t work,” Aubrey said. “At least not for Noah.”
“Mo-m! Why not?” Noah whined, his shoulders slumping.
“Yeah, why not?” Wyatt frowned.
Aubrey rolled her eyes, zeroing in on Noah. “Because, you’ve got to practice your letters.”
“I hate letters!” Noah huffed, kicking the couch.
“Hey,” Christopher warned, “don’t.” He gave Beverly an apologetic look.
“You will work on your letters, and you’ll clean up your act,” Aubrey warned. “He’s really far behind on his schoolwork,” she whispered to the adults in the room.
“Behind? In kindergarten?” Wyatt scoffed. “That’s ridiculous! It’s Christmas. Let him be a kid.”
Haven was inclined to agree, but it wasn’t her place to say so.
“Wyatt has a point,” Beverly said gently. “Maybe you should let Noah enjoy his Christmas. There’ll be plenty of time for him to learn his letters.”
Aubrey’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Noah’s my son, and I didn’t ask for any advice!” Her wrath was aimed at Wyatt and Beverly.
Beverly touched her hair and laughed hesitantly as she glanced at the Schneiders. “Let’s not do this right now.”
Aubrey clamped her hands over her chest. “Fine,” she barked. She leveled a glare at Noah. “But you will practice your letters tomorrow.”
“Mom!” he protested, his face caving in on itself.
She held up a finger. “That’s final.”
Charles held up a hand, the controlled smile of a mediator on his lips. “All right. That’s enough. As I was saying, we’ll divide into teams. Wyatt, Brynn, and Ellie will go together.”
Ellie flashed Haven a bright smile. “Awesome.”
“I can go tomorrow,” Kat said, giving Wyatt a chipper smile.
Haven’s heart dropped. Great! Just what she needed, Kat tagging along.
Lois patted Kat on the knee, giving her a funny look. “No, honey, you can’t. I’m hosting Christmas with my side of the family tomorrow, remember? I need your help.”
“Oh, yeah,” Kat said with a pinched expression.
Charles brought his hands together. “All right. It’s settled. Tomorrow at ten.”
“What’s Ding Dong Ditch?” Haven asked Wyatt.
Before he got a chance to explain, Kat approached the couch where they were sitting. She zeroed in on Wyatt, flashing him a large, confident smile. “Hey, you,” she said cheerfully.
Wyatt and Haven rose to their feet. Kat flung her arms around Wyatt, giving him a tight octopus hug, including as much body contact as possible. Haven felt the swift arrow of jealousy stab through her.
To Wyatt’s credit, he extricated himself from Kat’s hug as soon as possible. “I’m doing well,” he said pleasantly, but Haven could tell from the slight quiver of his jaw muscle that he was uncomfortable.
Kat turned her attention to Haven. “Brynn and I met earlier,” she cooed. Even though she was smiling, her eyes were balls of ice. Brynn was the quintessential Southern belle who could stab you in the back while simultaneously charming your socks off. “I’ve been seeing your picture everywhere.” Her voice was conspiratorial, like she and Haven were the best of friends. “You have quite the reputation.”
Haven tensed.
“Your clothing lines are getting lots of attention,” Kat continued smoothly with an innocent expression, but the intent of her words was crystal clear. She was taking great delight in alluding to Brynn’s personal reputation.
Wyatt pulled at his collar. “Brynn’s doing some great things.”
“Yes,” Kat drawled in amusement.
Wyatt stepped closer and slid an arm around Haven’s waist.
For an instant, Haven caught the streaks of fury that ran through Kat’s eyes, but Kat managed to mask it with another smile. She gave Wyatt a wistful look, her lips forming a petulant pout. “I was hoping you and I would be able to spend some time together.”
Wyatt chuckled. “Unfortunately, my schedule is booked. Brynn and I have so many things on our list, we can’t possibly get to them all.”
“Too bad.” A saccharine sweet smile formed over Kat’s lips. “Think of the fun the two of us could’ve had together.” She trailed a finger over his arm.
“Those days are over,” Wyatt said firmly.
Haven was floored by Kat’s forwardness. Normally, Haven wasn’t a confrontational person. Right this moment, however, her fingers itched to rip every styled strand of hair out of Kat’s head, then box her in the jaw a few times for good measure.
“Your loss,” Kat snipped as she turned on her heel and sauntered away like Jessica Rabbit.
Haven turned to Wyatt. “Wow, there aren’t words.”
He chuckled, stroking his jaw. “No there aren’t.”
Her eyebrow shot up. “How could you have ever fallen for someone like her?”
“The foibles of youth … and years of familiarity between our families.” He winced. “Stupidity.”
She shook her head, thinking how much better she was for Wyatt than Kat. Then a renegade thought occurred to her, hitting her with enough force to nearly take her breath away. Wyatt had initially fallen for Brynn. Brynn and Kat were similar. Were they more Wyatt’s type? He was only with Haven by default. Her throat constricted as she swallowed. “Do you still have feelings for Kat?” She held her breath, dreading Wyatt’s answer.
He huffed out a surprised laugh. “No, not in the slightest.”
“Really?” Haven’s shoulders relaxed, and she couldn’t stop the limp grin from spilling over her lips.
“Really.” Wyatt turned to face her. The tender look of adoration shining in his mesmerizing eyes caused every thought to fly out of Haven’s brain. All she could do was stand there like a nincompoop, staring back with googly eyes.
“The only woman I have feelings for is standing right in front of me.”
Her heart melted to a puddle of mush when she processed the meaning of his words.
“I have feelings for you too,” she admitted. Was this really happening? So many times she’d wished for love, fearing it might never happen to her. It was happening though! Like a rushing river, threatening to sweep her away with passion and fire.
Her heart did a mad dance against her chest as he leaned closer. She looked at his rugged features, the firm set of his jaw, and the all-consuming confidence in his eyes. She marveled at how Wyatt made her forget all that she’d been before they met. It was as if her life had started anew the moment she met him. The second before their lips touched, Ellie stepped up.
“No funny business, you two,” she laughed.
Wyatt’s lips turned down, his brows bunching. “You ruined everything, sis.”
Ellie winked. “Just keeping you honest.”
He pulled a face. “I don’t know about honest, but you’re certainly keeping me at arm’s length from my woman.”
A burst of pleasure ran through Haven. His woman. Oh, how she loved the sound of that.
14
The next morning, Haven awoke to a blissful haze, her mind replaying the events from the night before. She and Wyatt had sat out on the back patio and snuggled together in a furry blanket as they roasted marshmallows for s’mores and drank hot chocolate. They’d laughed and talked until after midnight sharing slow, shivery kisses that carried into Haven’s dreams.
Her phone rang. She yawned and reached for it, surprised to see that her friend and co-teacher Trinity Keating was calling. “Hello,” she began in a singsong tone.
Trinity launched into conversation without preamble. “Why didn’t you tell me that you have a twin sister?”
Haven’s heart lurched as she sat up, all residual sleep vanishing in an instant. Her tongue felt like lead in her mouth as she forced herself to speak. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t play innocent with me,” Trinity laughed. “The whole town’s talking about the couple who found the Lillian Yates Treasure. The girl who won—she looks just like you. She has to be your sister.” She trilled out a devilish giggle. “Unless, that is, it’s really you pretending to be someone else.”
Sweat beads popped over Haven’s nose. The invisible noose tightened around her neck as she pulled at her t-shirt. “No, it’s not me.” She forced a laugh.
“Then it has to be your sister. I was eating breakfast and spit out my cereal when I saw her.”
“Yes, she’s my sister,” Haven said dully.
“I knew it!” Trinity belted out a round of high-pitched giggles. “I can’t believe you have a famous sister, and that she found the Lillian Yates Treasure. Here I thought you were just a quiet, keep-to-yourself girl, and all the while you’re famous … or at least, famous by association.”
Haven took in a breath and let it out slowly, hoping it would calm her nerves. She knew the story would break, had told herself she was prepared. Nothing, however, could prepare her for this. She wondered if Brynn and Demi had gotten wind of the treasure. She’d be hearing from them soon. How had things gotten so out of control?
“What’s your sister like?”
It was disgusting how star-struck Trinity sounded. Arrogant, self-centered, short-tempered. “Oh, you know. About the same as most people, I guess.”
“No, she’s not,” Trinity countered with a reproving chuckle. “She’s a famous clothing designer.” The dreamy quality in her voice turned Haven’s stomach. “It must be so romantic. Ooh, and Charles Davenport is gorgeous. He’s from one of the wealthiest families in America, maybe even the world. To think, he, of all people, found the treasure. Some people have all the luck,” she huffed.
“Yes.” Haven paused, wondering how she would handle the fallout with Brynn and her mom. “I’ve gotta let you go.”
“So soon?”
“Yeah, sorry.”
“All right,” she sighed. A second later, Trinity’s voice picked up its perky beat. “Be sure and tell Brynn hello and that I’m dying to meet her.” She laughed. “All this time, I thought you were a regular school teacher and here you are with a famous sister. Who would’ve thought.”
“You said that already,” Haven said dryly.
Trinity laughed sheepishly. “Oh, yeah.”
“Sorry, but I need to run.”
“Okay, ta
ke care. Merry Christmas.”
“Thanks. Merry Christmas to you too,” Haven said, ending the call.
With a heavy sigh, she pushed back the covers and got out of bed. She’d been so looking forward to doing Ding Dong Ditch and spending more time with Wyatt’s family. Hopefully, news of the stupid treasure wouldn’t wreck everything!
Haven found Wyatt in the kitchen, downing a piece of toast loaded with enough blackberry jam for three slices.
“Good morning,” she said, sitting down beside him.
“Hello, beautiful,” he beamed.
Her insides warmed. “Thank you,” she murmured. She pointed to his toast, a teasing grin tugging at her lips. “So, I take it you like a little toast with your jam?”
Marguerite, standing by the cooktop, turned to face them. “That’s what I say—go easy on the jam.” She shook her head. “Trust me. You need to watch your sugar intake. Otherwise, you’ll turn into a Type 2 Diabetic like me.”
“Well, if I do, at least I’ll be in good company,” Wyatt drawled.
“Don’t joke about that,” Marguerite warned, frowning.
“Sorry.” Wyatt flashed a contrite grin, which immediately appeased Marguerite. She looked at Haven. “What can I get you to eat this morning? Blueberry pancakes?”
Haven’s stomach growled. She touched it, laughing in embarrassment.
Wyatt flashed a wide grin. “I guess that answers your question, Margie. Feed this woman before she dissolves into a bag of bones.”
“Hey,” Haven protested.
He put an arm around her and pulled her close. “Just teasing. You look perfect the way you are. You taste good too,” he murmured in her ear, sending clusters of tingles through her.
Marguerite cleared her throat, giving them both censuring looks. Heat flamed Haven’s face as she pulled back. Wyatt wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest. On the contrary, he seemed to find it funny.
A minute later, Marguerite handed Haven a plate loaded with a stack of blueberry pancakes. “Eat up,” Marguerite encouraged, placing a fork, knife, and napkin beside Haven’s plate. Next, she placed a glass of orange juice, syrup, and whipped butter in front of Haven. The pancakes looked delicious. Haven tilted her head at Wyatt. “You didn’t want pancakes?”
The Christmas Bliss Romance Collection Page 13
