by Terri Marie
“I imagine you two are simply starving.” Rosie always had to make sure that bellies were full.
“Three…” Francesco laughed.
“Four,” laughed Rosie as she headed off toward the kitchen. Rosie had grown on the chef and he treated her like an equal, even asking for her advice.
Francesco had made good on his promise, and all of Andy’s bills were covered. The bar was paid for and no one bothered Andy anymore. Francesco had arranged for a limo to take him back to Prairie, and the bar had thrown a big welcome back party. Andy was deeply touched by his friends. Francesco wanted to allow Andy to inform his friends of all the new plans. They were well received, especially over prospects of new jobs.
Now that Daniel had taken over the company, Francesco had more free time to devote to both Rosie and Tennessee. He had formed a committee for the projects in Prairie and held monthly meetings so the townspeople could be directly involved. Francesco convinced every official in the state to help out and was even successful at getting other wealthy businessmen to pitch in.
Andy had already started his list of people to hire for positions. Francesco gave him full rein of that. The excitement in the small town was starting to bloom, and hope was returning to Prairie.
Daniel phoned Katherine the day after he took over Giordano Seas and said he’d be late and was tied up at the office. She hoped he wouldn’t have to be late every night, but understood if he did.
Daniel left his office on the twenty-eighth floor and stopped at his secretary’s desk.
“Are you on your way home, Mr. Giordano?”
“No, I have to be someplace. If Katherine should call, could you tell her I’m in a meeting? I need to pick her out a Christmas gift.”
“What a lucky gal.” Sylvia was fifty-nine and a romantic at heart. She smiled as Daniel headed for the elevator.
With a face full of excitement, he walked into the office of the top jeweler in New York.
“Here it is, Daniel, I finished the design last night. Is this what you wanted?”
“Marcus, you outdid yourself. This is exquisite. Katherine is going to love it. Is the engraving done?”
“Yes, and it’s ready to go. Do you need me to wrap it?”
“No, I’ll take care of it. You did great work, Marcus. Thank you so much.”
Daniel climbed into his new pickup truck and drove home. He was hoping he’d be able to contain his smile until Christmas arrived.
Katherine sat on the side of the bed, staring down at her forty dollars she had left. What am I supposed to buy for forty dollars? This is horrible! She didn’t have enough money to get anything for these sweet people, let alone her uncle. I have nothing to give to them. She cried a long time. When she heard Francesco’s booming voice greeting Daniel, she fled for their huge adjoining bathroom and climbed in the shower. She didn’t want him to see her tear-stained face. Even though she knew she wasn't under any obligation to give gifts, she wanted to do so, especially with all that she'd already received.
She always sang in the shower, so she knew she had to act normal. She lifted her voice and sang, trying not to let her voice crack with sorrow.
Daniel walked in the room and heard the sounds that he loved so much. He didn’t want to interrupt her, and he was sure she’d stop if she knew he was listening. He sat in a chair and let the beautiful sounds flow through him. When he heard the shower turn off, he rose to his feet and walked to the bathroom.
“You should sing your words and never worry about talking. Honestly, it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. Your voice is such a treasure to me.” Daniel wrapped her up in his arms and kissed her passionately.
Then it hit her. She’d have to get busy and be very sneaky, but she had the perfect plan.
Daniel got up at five the following morning, had breakfast with Rosie, and then left for work. Katherine was wide awake and waited until she saw him drive off the estate before throwing on her clothes. She fired up her laptop and searched for recording studios. Hopefully she’d find the one that Daniel had rented. Katherine was so excited when she recognized the name Blue Nights. She anxiously dialed the number.
“We’re not officially open yet,” said Warren.
“I have to have the CD for Christmas. Please! My boyfriend rented the studio but didn’t book a date. His name’s Daniel Giordano.”
“Is your name Katherine O’Brian?”
“Yes. Daniel rented the studio for me.”
“Well, why didn’t you say so? Come on down if you can. I have a group coming in at three-thirty so I’ll call and see if they want to reschedule. It’s pretty slow this close to Christmas.”
“Yes, I’ll be there shortly. Thank you!”
Katherine pushed the button that would alert Carl that he was needed.
“Miss Katherine, good morning. Did you need my assistance?”
“Carl, can you keep a secret and help me?”
“Oh my…Is it dangerous?” Carl grinned.
“Only the traffic, I think.”
“Do you need a driver?” Carl was feeling humored with the poor girl’s desperate facial expressions.
“I need a driver to take me into Manhattan. It’s for a Christmas gift, so everyone needs to keep quiet.”
“I’ll make sure the driver doesn’t ever disclose his whereabouts. When do you wish to depart and then return?”
“I need to leave now, and I’m not sure when I can come back.”
“Very well, gather your things and I’ll have the driver pick you up at the side entrance. This way you won’t have to go past Francesco’s study.”
“Carl, thank you so much!” She tip-toed and planted a kiss on Carl’s cheek. The red glow and smile on his face spoke volumes.
Katherine knocked on the studio door. Warren unlocked it and let her inside.
“It’s freezing out there, Katherine. I should have had the door unlocked. But this way we shouldn’t get interrupted. Do you have a song list? I have plenty of music here.”
“Yes, but I need to make four CD’s. Is that okay? I don’t need anything special, I just want my voice recorded.”
“That’s a lot of songs, but let me see your list and we can get started.” Warren smiled and hoped that she sang as beautifully as Daniel Giordano claimed. If not, it was going to be one hell of a long day.
After getting Katherine in the booth and explaining some things to her, he asked about the order of songs and which CD she wanted to do first.
“I want to do Daniel’s first. I didn't have much money of my own, so I thought if I sang him some love songs it would make a good gift.”
“Wow, that’s super sweet. There aren’t many women like you these days. This’ll be fun, Katherine, and I know it’ll be quite a nice Christmas surprise.” Warren walked outside of the recording room and found the first song.
When the music began, Katherine closed her eyes and pictured Daniel’s beautiful face. She sang like she’d been recording for years. Warren was absolutely stunned. He made a quick phone call and told his producer friend Luis Thompson about the amazing singer.
“I have a goldmine in the studio. Her voice is like no other.” Warren hung up and did his magic as he listened to this amazing woman. He’d never heard anyone sing with such passion. Every single word she sang was felt by him as the goose bumps rose on his flesh.
Katherine finished the recordings. She sang fourteen for Daniel, three for her uncle, Rosie, and Francesco, and three for Carl, because he was always so kind. She took plenty of breaks to let her voice recover and drank lots of water. At five in the evening she walked to the door.
“Thank you so much for your help, Warren. It was a pleasure to meet you.”
“No, Katherine, listening to you sing was totally my pleasure. I have someone who really wants to meet you.” Luis walked into the room and offered Katherine his hand.
“My name’s Luis Thompson, Katherine. I was in the back listening to you singing. I’d like for you to consid
er something for me over the holidays.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know anyone else was in here.” Her cheeks flushed.
“Don’t be sorry, Katherine. Your voice is one that the whole world should hear. I would like to speak to you about a recording contract. I’ve been looking for a unique voice to sign and, thanks to you, I found it. I don’t need an answer today, but here’s my card. You can call me at your leisure and we’ll set up an appointment. You are utterly amazing.” Luis Thompson left the studio with a smile on his face.
“Katherine, this is the deal of a lifetime. You go home and research this man. You’ll see what I mean.”
“Thank you, Warren. My ride is here, and I have to get to the house before Daniel does.”
She doesn’t even know how good she is. Warren smiled as he watched her walk out the door.
Katherine didn’t know what to think. Her hands were shaking as she held the four CD’s. I hope these are good enough gifts. But she would continue to worry.
Katherine ran as fast as she could in the side door of the mansion. She had to find a hiding spot. She rang for Carl and asked him to bring up some tape. If she taped them to the back of the nightstand, Daniel would never find them. Before she did, she looked at the plain CD cases. Now what am I going to do? Katherine tossed and turned most of the night. Her mind was spinning. But after many hours, an idea struck. Satisfied with her new plan, she fell fast asleep.
Chapter 17
The next morning, Katherine waited until Daniel was gone, then summoned Carl.
“Carl, I need you to take a picture of me. I want to wear my beautiful blue coat and go down by the horses. Can you do that and not tell anyone?”
“Of course, but I’m not very good at taking pictures. I’m sure there’s a camera around here someplace.”
“Okay, you go look for the camera, and I’ll try and make myself look pretty!”
“Katherine, you don’t have to try.” Carl smiled and closed the door.
An hour later, Carl knocked on Katherine’s door. She opened it and stood in front of him.
“How do I look? Is this okay?”
Katherine’s strawberry blonde hair was loose and flowed down her pretty baby blue coat. She was wearing just a hint of soft makeup, and her eyes looked so incredibly green.
“Katherine, if you were my daughter I’d never let you out of your room. You are simply the most beautiful young woman that I’ve ever seen. We should hurry up though; Rosie is in the shower and will tend to the horses soon.”
“Okay let's go. Carl, thank you.” Her slight blush made her even more breathtaking.
Katherine had the photos sent to a computer that Carl had taken her to. She was able to create a beautiful border and write on the covers. She trimmed them up with scissors, slipped them in the cases, and then carefully wrapped them up. This would be a Christmas she would either be very happy with her gift idea, or scared to death that maybe her voice wasn’t good enough to be recorded. She didn’t know which. But it was all she could give. She couldn’t believe that she’d gone as far as to title Daniel's CD the way that she did.
What was I thinking? Maybe it’s too soon. Maybe Daniel will be offended with my words. I can't believe I asked him to marry me on a CD case! If he doesn’t say yes, I’m going to feel like a fool. I shouldn’t have written titles on the cases.
On Christmas morning, Daniel thought he woke Katherine up, but she’d been lying there awake for hours. Her stomach was a wreck. Katherine’s mind was swarming with second thoughts.
“Merry Christmas, my love.” Daniel kissed her face. Today’s the day! God, I hope she says yes…Maybe it’s too soon for her though.
“Merry Christmas, sweetheart. You look so cute when you wake up on Christmas morning.” Katherine kissed the tip of his nose, then climbed out of bed. She walked over to the dresser to pull some clothes out.
“No, no, no. On Christmas morning we all go downstairs to the tree in our pj’s. None of us get dressed until after breakfast. It’s tradition!”
“I love it!” Katherine put her clothes back up and grabbed a pair of pj's out of the drawer. They certainly couldn't go down there as they were.
“Come on, hot stuff, let’s go on downstairs. My father is always the first one awake. He still gets up to turn on all the lights, and you’ll soon see that he acts like a little kid on Christmas.” Daniel laughed and thought of his father with love.
“Okay I’m all set to go. I just want to brush my hair real quick.” Katherine went inside the bathroom and shut the door. She had hidden the wrapped CD’s in the cabinet, underneath some towels. She slid them in her pocket.
Daniel was waiting by the door for her. He took her hand, discretely felt for the box in his robe pocket, and then led Katherine down the steps.
Rosie had made the coffee, and she greeted them with just as much excitement as Francesco did when they came down the stairs. The tree was so elegantly decorated and huge. Francesco had soft carols playing, and a toy train was circling underneath the tree. There were lots of lights everywhere.
"Merry Christmas, my family!" Francesco's voice boomed loudly. "Sit down, my sweet Rosie. I have something for you."
Rosie sat down on the sofa and patted the cushion for Daniel and Katherine to come sit beside her. Francesco handed her a beautifully wrapped present.
"Francesco, this is so elegantly wrapped." She slowly took off the paper, trying not to tear it. She opened the hinged case and saw a breathtaking sapphire and diamond necklace with matching earrings. Rosie sucked in her breath. "Francesco..."
"Rosie, I have something else for you too!" Francesco reached under the tree and picked up an envelope with a bow on it. He handed it to Rosie.
She opened the envelope carefully and pulled out its contents. "Francesco, I don't understand."
"Rosie, that's our itinerary for Paris. I thought you'd enjoy going to France with me. I want to show you the world and this is the best place to start!"
"Francesco! This will be so exciting! But you spent way too much money on me..."
"You are the light of my life, my sweetness. I'm allowed to spoil you as much as I want."
Rosie threw her arms around Francesco and held him a moment before bending down and picking up two boxes for him.
Daniel had to smile, as Francesco had the biggest grin. He did indeed resemble a little boy. He wasn't as slow and careful at unwrapping his presents. Rosie had knitted him a navy blue pullover sweater that looked professionally made. She had also given him two pairs of blue jeans. In the second box was a pair of sneakers.
"Rosie! I don't have things like this! I'm going to put this sweater on right now!" Francesco did just that. He also took off his slippers and put the sneakers on. Everything fit perfectly. Daniel smiled at his father as he stood there in bright white sneakers, the new knitted sweater, and black silk pajama bottoms.
Daniel stood up and walked to the tree. He pulled out a couple of boxes for his father and handed them to him. Inside were two flannel shirts and a nice camera.
"Oh, Daniel, thank you!"
"You're welcome, Father. I can show you how to work the camera this afternoon. He stood up and took Rosie by the hand. “There's something I want to show you.” Daniel held her hand and led her to a room down on the main floor that had been kept locked. He slowly opened the door to reveal a beautiful sewing machine, a nice work table, and everything she’d need to do craft projects.
“Daniel! Oh my God…”
“I did it for selfish reasons too. Now you can make many quilts and be comfortable doing so.”
Rosie walked around the room and touched her new machine and the beautiful oak work station. The walls had rows of thread, yarn, and everything else she’d need. Tears slid down her face. Daniel hugged her again and wiped the tears off her cheeks.
"Daniel, thank you."
"You're more than welcome. You're going to be my mother soon so you better get used to being spoiled." Daniel winked and kissed
her cheek.
"Being a mother to you will be my honor."
Rosie walked around in the room for a bit longer as Daniel, Francesco, and Katherine watched her. After softly wiping her eyes, she went next to Francesco and held his hand.
"Francesco and I have something special for the both of you."
"Yes, children, come outside." Francesco was grinning and could barely contain his excitement.
He let Rosie lead him and Katherine out the door. She looked back over her shoulder and nodded at Carl. He smiled, then turned to leave.
