Winter Wonders

by Delia Latham

  “Say it again.” She squeezed the arm she held.

  Ethan laughed. “Your name? You’ve had me say it a thousand times.”

  “Make it a thousand and one. I love my new name.”

  “Kalani Miracle, a beautiful name for my beautiful wife.” He turned her hand over to kiss her palm. “It’s good that you love it. It’s not up for negotiation.”

  She laughed softly. Her heart was full. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  They dropped the ice off in Miss Angie’s kitchen, where they found Kai and Julia delivering a dozen bags of candy canes. Busy caterers accepted the offerings but seemed at a loss as to their purpose.

  The two couples made their way onto the south lawn, where all guests had been instructed to gather for a kick-off event. As they rounded the corner, a roar of happy voices yelled a unanimous greeting.

  “Happy Birthday, Kalani! Happy Birthday, Kai!”

  Kalani spared a brief glance at her brother’s flaming face and wide smile, then whirled to pin Ethan under an accusing gaze. “You knew!”

  He laughed and raised both hands, palms out. “I didn’t. I promise, I’m as shocked as you are. Miss Angie must not have trusted me to keep it to myself.”

  A team of pre-designated attendees escorted them to the gazebo, where two sizable piles of wrapped packages were stacked in Christmas-tree shapes. The fire pits provided a bright glow that turned shiny wrapping paper and foiled bows into prisms of shimmery light, creating the illusion that the gift trees were hung with lights and ornaments.

  A hired D.J. handed Miss Angie a microphone, and she spoke into it with typical, easy grace.

  “Kai and Kalani, I wish you both the happiest of birthdays! I’m so glad God made you a part of our Cambria family. That said…” She turned to face the rest of her guests. “I’m thrilled to welcome you all to the Paradise Pines Christmas Eve celebration. Perhaps, if tonight proves enjoyable, this will become an annual event.”

  A shout of wild approval arose from the guests.

  Kalani gazed out across the crowd of faces. Many had become dear friends in the weeks since she and her brother tumbled out of the sky into Miss Angie’s prayer room. Her life would never be the same…nor would she want it to be. She looked at Ethan, only to find his gaze fixed on her. Those sapphire eyes still took her breath away.

  “Happy?” he whispered.

  “Delirious.” She leaned in for a tiny kiss, caught in the magnetic pull of his gaze.

  “I’m insanely happy.” He wiggled dark eyebrows and grinned. “Does that make us deliriously insane?”

  She giggled. “Or insanely delirious. You choose.”

  They tuned back in to Miss Angie’s welcome speech in time to be shocked.

  “This event is also my chance to make an announcement to everyone at the same time. I’ve been asked to help out for a while at another location and will be leaving Cambria within a short time.”

  Kalani’s gaze snapped to Ethan’s. His wide eyes and dropped jaw indicated he was as shocked as everyone else.

  “I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone, but never fear…I’ve found someone who loves Paradise Pines as much as I do to take care of the lodge in my absence.” She waved her hands in a sharply dismissive gesture. “But enough of that. This is not the Angelina Love show.”

  Kalani smiled through a veil of tears. Oh, to be like Miss Angie…so free of self-consciousness and so utterly wise and wonderful!

  “Kai, dear, I was a little afraid my birthday gift to you might somehow slide between the cracks and get lost beneath this beautiful gazebo.” Miss Angie held up a satin-white envelope with a bright red ribbon tied around it. “Would you mind opening this one first?”

  Kalani smiled as her brother stood and joined their hostess on the first of the gazebo’s two steps. He’d never liked being the center of attention, but he smiled. And he kept his chin up, never once casting his gaze to the ground to avoid the stares of the crowd.

  “What is it, Miss Angie?”

  “Open it and see, dear boy.”

  Kalani longed to help her brother through what had to be an excruciating experience. She closed her eyes and focused on sending him her strength. Using the connection they’d always shared, she tuned in to his natural, quiet shyness. The new love in his heart for Julia Rafferty.

  How odd that she sensed no overwhelming discomfort. Instead she felt the echo of a deep, underlying peace, and a quiet but intense joy. There…the love her brother felt for Julia—which was his alone.

  And the love in her heart for the man at her side—it was hers. All hers, not an echo of Kai’s devotion to Julia.

  “Miss Angie, this is a quitclaim deed to Paradise Pines!”

  A collective gasp arose from the crowd, and Kalani’s eyes snapped open.

  “Well, it’s a quitclaim form, ready to be notarized and recorded, if you and Julia agree.” The sweet lady laughed into the microphone and addressed her guests again. “I will be away from the lodge for what might be considerable periods of time, and I’ve been a bit concerned about its care and upkeep. God assured me He’d send someone who loves Paradise Pines as much as I do. When Kai arrived—and he made quite the grand entrance, don’t you think?—I knew he was the one.”

  She stepped closer and laid a hand on his shoulder. “This young man has walked every foot of these grounds many times over. He explored the property because he loves it…and as he walked, the Father worked. On his heart. In his mind. Even Kai’s demeanor has changed. He’s learning to be confident as a child of the King—and, of course, because he’s found the love of his life in Julia Rafferty.”

  Miss Angie waited out the hoots and hollers from her guests. Always lovely, the smile she wore tonight made her achingly beautiful. When the crowd quieted, she continued.

  “I’ve loved watching him become what God intended all along.” She held out a hand to Kai and extended the other toward Julia. “Will you accept this gift and this responsibility, dear ones? Will you live here at Paradise Pines, love it, and use it to help others find God…and themselves?”

  “It’s like a wedding ceremony,” Kalani whispered.

  “That’s what it is.” Ethan’s gaze never left the tall, stately woman dressed in a floor-length white sheath that shimmered with sequins and pearls. “She’s marrying them to Paradise Pines.”

  Kai shook his head, slowly, as if in a daze. Nodded. And then shook his head again. Little titters of amusement skittered over the stunned crowd. “I don’t know what to say, Miss Angie.” His gaze fixed on Julia. She stood beside him now, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “Julia…?”

  “This is God’s doing, Kai-love. How can we say anything but yes?”

  “You’re right.” He nodded and lifted his chin in a gesture Kalani recognized as his most decisive. “Yes, Miss Angie. Julia and I would be honored to oversee Paradise Pines. We’ll take good care of your home.”

  “I know you will, dear—but it’s not my home, you know. It’s yours. Of course, we all understand that Julia won’t be living here until after another set of vows are made…”

  More laughter followed her little attempt at humor. She allowed excited conversation to buzz for a moment and then spoke into the mic again.

  Kalani shook her head, amazed as always by the way Miss Angie’s soft voice commanded such rapt attention.

  “And you, dear.” The lady’s gaze fixed on Kalani. “My gift to you, while perhaps not so brightly wrapped as Kai’s…” Again, laughter broke out in the crowd as everyone cast admiring glances around the glittering grounds of Paradise Pines. “It is, nevertheless, dear to my heart, as I hope it will be to yours.” She held out a box, small enough to hold with one hand, wrapped in pure white and tied with an elaborate gold bow.

  Kalani joined her hostess on the steps. “Miss Angie, you didn’t need to get me anything.”

  “Oh, I didn’t, dear. This is quite old, and you’ll find it’s well used. And yet it’s new every day.”

/>   Kalani raised an eyebrow and smiled into the crowd. “Now who could resist that description? Miss Angie, I hope you didn’t want to save this beautiful white paper.” She ripped the wrapping off the box amidst polite laughter. Soft, padded, white satin covered the lid. She lifted it, barely drawing breath.

  Miss Angie’s worn Bible rested inside, atop another layer of satin.

  “Oh!” Kalani cleared her throat of a sudden lump, even as Spirit-shivers danced along her spine and raised tiny bumps on her arms. “Miss Angie. I—I couldn’t possibly accept this. It’s…holy!”

  “Of course it is, child. It’s the Word of God. I want you to have it, Kalani. You’ve taken on a position as a pastor’s wife that will require a special understanding of the teachings within this Book. You’ll find that understanding by staying in close communication with the Father…and the more familiar you become with His Word, the more you will grasp its deepest meanings. I’ve asked God to use the notes and comments scribbled on those pages to increase your wisdom and build your knowledge of Him and His mysterious and wonderful ways.”

  Kalani laid aside the box and opened the Bible. Neatly scripted notes lined the margins. Some verses were underlined, others delicately highlighted in various colors. She couldn’t imagine any new Bible being more precious than the worn tome she held in her hand—well read, well loved, and drenched in the prayers and tears of the precious woman she’d come to love with her whole heart.

  She ran her fingers down one page, and something powerful zipped from her fingertip upward and into her heart. Her breath came short and fast, and her gaze flew to Miss Angie’s.

  The woman smiled and drew her—Bible and all—into a hug. She spoke over Kalani’s shoulder…without the mic. “God’s Word is quick, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword. Yet it is the joy and rejoicing of my heart, as I know it will be for yours, Kalani Miracle.”

  Kalani closed the Bible and hugged it to her breast. “I’m honored and thrilled to have something so dear to you, Miss Angie. But won’t you need your Bible?”

  “Oh, my dear, there are other Bibles. And God’s Word…well, it’s hidden in my heart. This Bible has been prepared, with the Father’s utmost love and care, just for you.”

  “Thank you.” She hugged the book to her heart. “Thank you, dear friend.”

  “You are most welcome.” Miss Angie turned to her guests and opened her arms wide. “Now, enough ceremony. Enjoy the evening. On your way out—much later, I hope—stop by the big tree in the circle. I’ve left a little something for each of you there. And don’t forget…oh, my. What is this?”

  From behind the gazebo, a young deer stepped out of the woods and into the clearing, his head high. He didn’t yet have antlers and still sported white spots on his coat, but he stood quite tall and proud, clearly not a newborn. Nevertheless, as the crowd parted, Kalani glimpsed another deer in the shadow of the woods. His mother, perhaps? Maybe he wasn’t quite as adult as he looked.

  The wondering guests parted, and the deer continued toward the gazebo…slow but steady, his gaze raking the crowd from side to side.

  “Freckle?” Summer Bullard stepped directly into the deer’s path.

  Kalani knew nothing about wildlife, and fear for Summer made her breath short.

  Ethan squeezed her hand. “She’ll be fine, honey. Relax.”

  The deer spotted Summer and trotted toward her, stopping just before he reached her side. She closed the distance and wrapped her arms around the animal’s neck.

  In a flash of vivid memory, Kalani remembered the painting she’d seen in the Village, shortly after her arrival. The beautiful woman, her arms wrapped around the neck of a young fawn. A painting by Logan Bullard, Summer’s husband. No wonder the painting seemed so lifelike…Logan had drawn from reality to create a painting so exquisite it took on tones of fantasy.

  When at last Summer stepped away from Freckle, a blue jay swooped close and landed on the deer’s back.

  “Mr. Blue?” Autumn Warren approached Freckle and the bird—who flew directly to her and perched on her shoulder.

  Kalani nudged her husband. “Ethan, you’d better know how to explain this…later.”

  He chuckled but kept his gaze fixed on the scene unfolding outside the gazebo.

  Raine ventured into the open space around Freckle and the two women, her wide-eyed gaze fixed on a large monarch butterfly flitting around the deer’s nose. “Butterflies…they don’t live this long. This can’t be my…” Her weak protest faded away, and she tentatively extended her hand. The monarch settled into her palm.

  Ethan grinned and spoke against Kalani’s ear. “The Bible says the Lord ‘prepared a fish’ to swallow Jonah. I guess it’s not such a stretch to believe He’d prepare a butterfly for Raine.”

  She shook her head, too awed by the unusual events taking place right before her eyes to voice a reply.

  “Your turn, Kalani,” Miss Angie whispered.

  “What? Me? I don’t think—” She broke off when, from somewhere above the gazebo, a familiar, trilling song filled the air. A moment later, a flash of red streaked past, and a cardinal landed on the deer’s back. He hopped back and forth, his little head cocking one way and then the other, clearly scanning the crowd of onlookers for something. Or someone.

  “Red?” Kalani stared at the unbelievable collection of creatures mere feet away. Slowly, she moved off the steps and approached them…still hesitant about getting too close to the deer.

  Autumn and Summer drew her closer.

  “Freckle won’t hurt you,” Summer assured her. “These are God’s creatures, and they’re here for us—the four guests at Paradise Pines this year.”

  Red swooped close and flew in a slow circle over Kalani’s head. She opened her hand, and he dropped onto her flat palm.

  “Looks like some serious girl time is in order around here.” Spunky Autumn raised a hand and drew a finger slowly along “her” blue jay’s feathers. “We have quite the menagerie going, and I want to hear all of your stories.”

  Raine laughed, even as the monarch fluttered past and lit onto her shoulder. “So do I. We Paradise Pines girls need to know each other a little better. It seems to me God has made us sisters, in a way.”

  “Sisters in spirit,” Summer said. She stroked the deer’s back, and then leaned her head, with its mane of silvery-blonde hair, against the creature’s. “We really do need to spend some time together. Just be aware…there’s got to be a book in this somewhere, and you’re likely to find yourselves right in the middle of it.”

  Kalani only smiled. She wanted to know the other women better…to hear about their stays at the lodge. But her heart was too full to speak.

  Miss Angie’s quiet voice broke into their conversation. “Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God!”

  As if they’d been dismissed, the creatures began to ease back into the trees. First Freckle, after one last nuzzle against Summer’s neck. The monarch flitted along, above the deer, only to return for one more delicate brush against Raine’s cheek. Then he soared away.

  The birds stayed a moment longer, lifting their voices together in a harmonious song that should have been impossible…except Kalani was learning that with God, that word doesn’t even exist.

  A moment of awed silence followed the simultaneous departure of the cardinal and the blue jay. Then Miss Angie, without further mention of the animals, clapped her hands and called out to her guests. “Carry on. Don’t forget why Christmas is so special, dear friends. Enjoy the evening, but remember what it’s all about. Celebrate Jesus!”

  

  

  By the time they bid their hostess a good night and took their leave, midnight had come and gone.

  Kalani leaned on Ethan as they walked to the car, still wrapped in the glow of friends, fellowship, and moments of pure wonder.

  “Let me grab a couple of Miss Angie’s gifts.” Ethan dashed onto the lawn and snatched up a couple of small, wrappe
d boxes from a decorative sleigh in front of the tree. He handed both gifts to her. “We’ll stash them under our tree for the night and have a look-see in the morning.”

  “Perfect.” She clutched her precious Bible to her heart. If she received nothing else for her birthday or Christmas, she was ultimately blessed with the treasure she held in her hands right now.

  A moment later, Ethan pointed the car toward home and reached for her hand. They rode in comfortable silence back to his cabin—their cabin now—where he drew her out of the vehicle and into his arms.

  “Tired, sweetheart?”

  “Just a little.” She raised her face for his kiss and then leaned against his chest, content to stay there forever. “My heart is so full. I didn’t know it was possible to be this happy.”

  “That’s because you never knew the Lord.”

  “True. And I never knew Ethan Miracle.”

  He pulled her close, and dipped his head to claim her lips with his. This time, he didn’t need to be concerned with propriety. Gentle at first, the kiss deepened quickly, and he gathered her closer, and closer still, as if he could make them one being by pulling her into himself. At last, he drew away with a groan, only to drop one more tiny peck on the tip of her nose.

  Kalani caught her breath and then took his face in her hands so she could look deep into the eyes she so adored. “You are my happiness, anela ke kanaka.”

  He would always be her angel man. Somehow, saying the words in Hawaiian made them even more special.

  “And you are mine, Kalani. My ‘Wonderous’ gift from the sky.”

  She laughed softly and then tiptoed to whisper close against his ear. “Let’s go inside, shall we? These woods are lovely, but dark and deep.” She pretended to shiver in the chilly night air. Truth was, held so close against his body, with his gaze leaving a trail of heat everywhere it touched, the cold didn’t stand a chance. “Maybe you’ll let me unwrap that gift for you…again.”

  Something in Ethan’s grin elicited a quick intake of air…something about the flicker of sapphire flame in his eyes…and oh, that disobedient hunk of black hair that fell over his forehead in the most perfectly imperfect way possible....