Christmas Kisses: An Echo Ridge Anthology (Echo Ridge Romance Book 1)

by Lucy McConnell

  Anika flipped open each of the cards and read them. Her heart stuttered when she read:

  Girl’s dress, Age 4, Size 4T

  Girl’s pants, Age 4, Size 4T

  She looked up, studying Mrs. Claus. It was a strange coincidence that she was purchasing items from the Hope Tree that were exactly what Anika would have wanted for Christmas if she could choose.

  “What is it dear? Did I get the wrong size?”

  “Uh— no, these are great,” Anika stammered. “I just was thinking these jeans would be perfect for my little girl.” She didn’t add that the price tag of twenty-one dollars meant Megan would never have a pair like those. They shopped at thrift stores and thankfully there were many good pieces to find— Ice Money castoffs. Anika smoothed a hand over her black slacks. She’d picked them up on a special sale at the thrift store for five dollars.

  “I bet she’s a little doll,” the woman said. “With a darling mother working so hard to make her Christmas special. She’s lucky.”

  Anika paused, holding the dress in midair, and murmured, “Thank you.” Maybe she really was Mrs. Claus. With one interchange, she’d pegged Anika’s situation exactly.

  Anika wrapped up the gifts and rang up the rest of the items Mrs. Claus had stacked on the counter. Normally, she’d be thinking all kinds of nasty thoughts about the woman purchasing items for the Hope Tree recipients, but her sparkling eyes and cheerful laugh stole the meanness right out of Anika.

  “Merry Christmas from Kenworth’s,” Anika said automatically.

  The woman tilted her head. “Merry Christmas to you.”

  Anika found herself reliving the conversation with the Mrs. Claus look-alike for the rest of the evening. Something about the coincidence made her wonder, but she worked through her thoughts until closing time. She missed working with Carlos and couldn’t wait to see him tomorrow. She put a finger to her lips, wishing he was here now to kiss away the nagging worries about Christmas.

  FRIDAY MORNING, MEGAN WAS BUSY coloring a picture for Santa— the fridge was covered in her artwork— and singing to herself while Anika wrote a check for another medical payment.

  Right now she could really use that quarter. As much as she despised Christmas, she was trying to come up with some way to make it special for Megan. If her idea didn’t work then all the hard work to prove to herself that they weren’t trash would go unnoticed when Santa passed by their house on Christmas Eve. The only thing worse than getting a lump of coal for Christmas is getting nothing— nothing at all.

  The numbers on the bills blurred, and Anika sucked in a breath reminding herself to stay strong. The heating bill was ten dollars more than she’d planned on and the city utilities had an extra fee for updating the garbage dumpsters. She had scrounged up the last of her change and even borrowed two dollars from Megan’s piggy bank to pay the bills. Her eyes strayed to the cupboard where she knew there was one box of Tuna Helper ready to bake with the last can of tuna fish. She pulled out another bill and wondered if there was anything she could pawn to get some extra money. Anika sighed. There was nothing. Maybe they were trash— she didn’t even own anything worth more than a trip to the junk yard.

  When the doorbell rang Anika looked up from the pile of bills, insurance statements, and small wad of money she was trying to make sense of. Maybe it was Carlos stopping by to say hello and rescue her from the drudgery of trying to make a dollar stretch farther than pulled taffy. The thought made her pause because whenever she heard a knock, her first thoughts used to be of Jimmy. Even though she’d moved to Echo Ridge, not leaving a trace of her past to follow her, she still worried that he would find them someday. But Carlos was slowly erasing her fears.

  “Keep coloring, Meggie. Mommy will answer the door.” Anika walked toward the door and peered through the peephole. She didn’t recognize the two women standing outside, but they looked harmless so she opened the door.

  “Anika Fletcher?” the woman with short brown hair asked.

  “Yes, that’s me.”

  “Oh, good. Merry Christmas, Anika!” The other woman with a bright red dress coat and dangly silver bell earrings smiled broadly. She stepped aside and that’s when Anika noticed the box full of wrapped gifts on her doorstep.

  “What?” Anika glanced behind her. Too late, Megan was already at her heels bouncing over the Christmas greetings.

  “Who is it Mommy? Hi, I’m Megan,” she announced.

  Before Anika could speak, a man and two young girls rounded the corner carrying more Christmas gifts.

  “I have a present for the little girl!” A girl about Megan’s age jumped up and down with a golden bell tinkling in her hand.

  “Mine first,” a little voice called out belonging to another little girl pushing her way around her father’s leg.

  The father grinned, lifting a huge box filled with wrapped Christmas presents. “May I put this inside?”

  Anika didn’t know what to say. She nodded in confusion as he hauled the box in and set it in the living room. “I’ll be right back,” he said and winked.

  “Look, look we have more.” One of the little girls squealed as the woman with the dangly earrings lifted another box and carried it into the apartment.

  “But how—” She started to ask and her lip trembled.

  “It’s Christmas, that’s how. Miracles happen every day and twice a day around Christmas.” The woman reached her arms toward Anika in a hug. “I hope that you and your daughter have a wonderful Christmas. This is for you to open after we leave.” She handed Anika a beautiful gold envelope.

  She heard more squeals of delight as someone called out, “Ho, ho ho!” The little girls danced around their father carrying in a beautiful Christmas tree and Megan laughed with joy. It was small, but the perfect size for their little apartment. He handed Anika a sack full of ornaments and quickly fastened the tree into the stand.

  “I can’t believe it,” Anika mumbled. “How did you know?”

  “Daddy says we’re Christmas angels,” one of the little girls said.

  “You must be,” she said. “Thank you so much.”

  “Merry Christmas,” the man said and held out his hand. Anika shook it and gave him a watery smile.

  The group was all smiles as they left the apartment. Anika stared at the beautiful Christmas tree with boxes of presents underneath.

  “Mommy, can we open this one?” Megan danced around with a present in her hands.

  “No, honey, we have to wait until—” Anika stopped, staring at the box with gold and green wrapping paper and a red bow. The box that she had wrapped last night at Kenworth’s. It couldn’t be the same one. “Here, let me look at that.” She took the box from Megan who protested for a moment before running back to the tree to pull out another present.

  Anika’s hand shook as she lifted the cream-colored card that read,

  Merry Christmas from the Hope Tree at Kenworth’s!

  Celebrate Echo Ridge

  The woman who looked just like Mrs. Claus came to mind. How did the Hope Tree get her and Megan’s information? Anika shook her head and lifted the edge of the wrapping paper, careful not to tear it. She slid her finger along the tape and uncovered the Kenworth’s box. She held her breath as she opened the lid. Under the layer of tissue paper was the red dress.

  “No,” Anika whispered because everything suddenly made sense. She was pretty sure how her name had ended up on that tree. She clenched her fists, crinkling the tissue paper. Her face burned and hot tears coursed down her cheeks. All this time, Carlos was getting to know her so that he could give the information to the Christmas Council. The kiss, had that been part of his ruse? Come to think of it, the family looked familiar, were they part of the congregation at the church? She was a charity case. Anika wiped her face on her sleeve and watched Megan flitting around the Christmas tree, touching the presents and giggling. Anika knew she should be happy, but her heart beat askew in her chest, every beat flaring the pain coursing through her body. Ca
rlos was a good man, but she was his Christmas project, nothing more.

  CARLOS WALKED UP THE STEPS to Anika’s apartment balancing the giant wrapped box. He couldn’t wipe the grin off his face. He’d passed the group of people in the parking lot, smiling and talking about delivering their gifts. Someone else had just received a wonderful expression of love from the community. When he’d talked with the Christmas council, they shared that the plan was to get most of the gifts to recipients a week before Christmas to relieve any stress and worry about making the holiday bright.

  He’d sped on the way over, slowing down around the icy patches on the roads because he was so excited to deliver his gift. He also wanted Anika to relax and enjoy the rest of the holiday season, knowing that everything was taken care of— that Megan’s wish for Santa would come true.

  The doll house had taken more time than he’d anticipated but it had been so energizing to work on it, imagining the smile on Megan’s face when she saw it. He only wished he could be there with her and Anika Christmas morning. The thought made his heart speed up. He wanted to be with Anika and Megan— he loved them both. Carlos set the box down carefully and knocked on the door, hoping his own Christmas miracle could come to pass.

  Anika opened the door, her eyes red and her face splotchy from crying. “What do you want?”

  Carlos’s smile fell at the venom in her voice. He scrambled to assess the situation because something must have gone wrong. “I— uh, brought a special Christmas gift for Megan. I don’t have yours finished yet, but I wanted you to know that I made this so that you wouldn’t have to stress anymore.” He picked up the box and moved to walk inside but Anika didn’t open the door wider. “Anika?”

  “Well, I guess you can check us off your list early then, right?” she spat.

  Carlos looked over her shoulder and saw Megan dancing around a little Christmas tree. There was a pile of ornaments on the kitchen table. “Megan looks happy. And you got a tree.” He tried a smile again. “Is there something wrong?”

  “Oh, everything is just peachy,” Anika said. “Especially since you don’t seem surprised at all to see a Christmas tree in my living room with lots of presents underneath it.”

  He lifted his eyebrows. “Why would anyone be surprised to see a Christmas tree in someone’s house in December?”

  “With presents,” she said.

  Carlos nodded slowly. “Yes, with presents. Still not a surprise for anyone.”

  “Don’t play dumb with me,” Anika said. “I know it was you. The Hope Tree? Really, Carlos? Don’t you think it’s just a tiny bit humiliating even for someone like me who doesn’t have any pride left— to wrap her own Christmas present?”

  Carlos stepped back. Something had definitely gone terribly wrong. Anika wasn’t happy at all. She was angry, and something else. He looked at her closer, listening to her words. She was ashamed. “Wait, what do you mean The Hope Tree?”

  “Some people just stopped by here with gifts that were purchased from Kenworth’s.” Anika turned and pointed to an unwrapped gift on the table. “I wrapped that gift last night and heard the woman talking about what a neat program The Hope Tree was for those less fortunate.” She turned to Carlos and folded her arms. “Nice move, Carlos, having someone buy me a dress so that I could go to the dance with you. I guess if I look around, I’ll probably find the Christmas dress I wrapped for a four-year-old girl last night too, right?”

  Carlos opened his mouth. “I— Anika, I came to give you a gift that I made for Megan. It’s a dollhouse,” he whispered. “I’ve been working on it for weeks. I wanted to surprise you but I don’t know what’s going on.”

  Anika stopped talking, folded her arms over her chest, and glared. Her eyes flitted to the large box he was holding.

  “Please. Can I just put this under the tree?” Carlos didn’t want to force his way into the apartment, but there was no way he would leave before delivering his gift. Megan deserved it, even if Anika was freaking out over something he couldn’t piece together. Anika sniffed and pulled the door open. He set the box down carefully against the wall behind the tree.

  “Hi, Megan. Are you excited for Christmas?”

  Megan bounced up and down and clapped her hands. “Santa’s helpers brought our presents early so that I could look at them!”

  The sheer joy on her face warmed Carlos down to his toes. He touched one of the gift tags on the present and it opened revealing a Merry Christmas message from Kenworth’s. He pulled his fingers back as if he’d been burned. Anika’s words fell into place in his head. All of the gifts under the tree had been purchased at Kenworth’s from the very Hope Tree she had set up and decorated. He blinked, realizing that somehow it was his fault. But then Megan caressed the shiny gold wrapping paper on one of the gifts and giggled. Maybe there was a way to fix the situation. If he could explain that it was a misunderstanding.

  Carlos turned and smiled at Anika, but her frown wouldn’t budge. “You can leave now.” Her voice was flat.

  He stood and walked to Anika. Explaining that he turned their names into the Christmas council would probably make things worse instead of better. “I’m trying to understand why you’re so angry, I really am. But all I can see is Megan glowing with happiness and it doesn’t seem like a bad thing to me that someone helped you out for Christmas.”

  “I didn’t ask for help. We’re doing just fine on our own.”

  “No, you’re not doing just fine,” Carlos said, struggling to keep his voice even. “You’re struggling. You’re working too hard and someone decided to give you a hand up. It’s okay to accept help, especially when it’s given with love.”

  Anika turned and walked to the door. “Goodbye Carlos. I don’t want to see you again.”

  Carlos’s chest constricted. How could she be so angry? Carlos wasn’t even sure if these gifts were because of him. What if someone else had turned in her name too? “Anika, please don’t do this.”

  “I don’t want to be your charity case. I’m tired of being treated like trash.” She opened the door and stepped to the side.

  “I never treated you like trash,” Carlos said. His shoulders slumped. “Can’t you see that the people in Echo Ridge are reaching out to each other? I’m sorry that you had to wrap your own present. I’m sure that wasn’t planned, but this isn’t just about you.” He tilted his head toward Megan who had stopped dancing and watched them now with worry wrinkling her forehead.

  “Exactly. That’s why I have to protect my daughter. Good-bye.” She pulled the door open wider and a draft of cold air whooshed inside.

  Carlos hung his head and walked through the door. Anika was too angry to reason with, the door slamming shut behind him accentuated that thought. He tromped down the stairs, careful to miss the chunks of ice and snow leftover from the storm.

  When he turned in the information on Anika and Megan he’d told the sub for Santa program it needed to find donors separate from the Hope Tree at Kenworth’s because she worked there. Someone obviously had lost that message. He groaned and rubbed his forehead. Anika was so angry, he couldn’t think of a way to undo this mess. He wished she would let go of her anger at Christmas— that somehow she could find joy in the season. Carlos had grown up in a different environment. There had never been much to spare, but Christmas had always been a wonderful celebration anyway.

  He had noticed the beautiful red dress sitting in the box on the table. It would be humiliating to wrap your own present, but if there were no other options for Christmas why not just accept the gifts? For some reason Anika had decided that he didn’t love her, that it was all a charity case. He had to convince her otherwise, but he wasn’t sure how to do that. It would definitely take a Christmas miracle.

  ANIKA CALLED IN SICK FOR WORK on Saturday. She texted Carlos that she wouldn’t be going to the dance or church with him over the weekend. Then she ignored his texts and calls. She holed up in her apartment glaring at the presents every time she walked by.

  O
n Monday she returned to work, swallowing back the tears she wanted to cry when she approached the Hope Tree. She had almost walked past before she noticed that every branch was bare. No tags with sizes and ages hung from the branches. “Jessica, what happened to the Hope Tree?”

  “Some woman came in and took every tag that was left and bought stuff from our store to give to them.” Jessica polished off the mahogany counter. “You know, she didn’t look like she even had that kind of money. Like someone who’d never shopped at our store before.”

  “Oh.” Anika’s heart tingled and her throat felt tight. A piece of her cynic’s armor figuratively fell to the ground.

  “Hey, we missed you at the dance,” Jessica said. “That is such a bummer you were sick. I noticed that red dress was gone and it just hurt right here to not see you dancing in it with Carlos.” Jessica covered her chest.

  Anika sighed. “I’ve been working too hard.”

  “You look more than tired. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  Anika nodded. “I’ll check on the displays.” She turned before Jessica could see the tears threatening to fall from her lashes.

  Carlos tightened the screws in the new cabinets he’d just installed in his bathroom. With the extra money from the soda fountain job, he’d finally be able to finish the master bath— a huge selling point. Winter hung heavy in the air outside and his thoughts turned to sunny Florida where the rest of his family lived. It would be running away, but he was thinking about selling his house and starting over. If he couldn’t have Anika, he didn’t want Echo Ridge.

  He’d tried calling her but she wouldn’t answer. It was almost Christmas, and just a few days ago he thought it was going to be one of the best Christmases ever, spending time with Anika and Megan, dreaming about the future. He’d worked hard on his house so when they came over for Christmas dinner, Anika would be comfortable and maybe see the possibility of a future with him. The home was small but it had three bedrooms— enough for a family. Carlos worked past the despair emanating from his fingertips. There was only one thing he wanted for Christmas, but he was old enough to know that Santa couldn’t help him.