A Wedding in December

by Sarah Morgan

  “I fell in love with this place the first time Dan brought me here. The leaves were starting to change color and it was spectacular. I thought it was my favorite season, but now it’s winter.” Rosie stooped to pick up a fir cone. She handed it to her sister. “Snow on the ground. Fir trees. This is how Christmas is supposed to be, don’t you think?”

  “Maybe.” Katie turned the fir cone in her hands. “Where are you and Dan going to live when you’re married? Have you talked about it?”

  Rosie pushed her hands into the pockets of her coat. They hadn’t talked about it. They hadn’t talked about anything, but to admit that would simply feed her sister’s anxiety. “We’ll stay at his apartment, as we do now.” She hesitated. “I’ll still be coming home to visit. And you can come and stay with me.”

  “Sounds good.” Katie pocketed the fir cone. “We’d better see what Mum and Dad are up to.”

  They walked through the foyer of Snowfall Lodge, past the enormous Christmas tree and the fire and up the stairs to the top floor.

  The dining room seemed to be full of people, and the table groaned under the weight of food.

  There was no sign of their parents.

  “Here she is! The beautiful bride.” Catherine crossed the room in three strides and hugged her tightly. “We were about to send out a search party, honey. And this must be your sister, Katie. Or do I call you Dr. White?” She embraced Katie warmly.

  “Definitely Katie.” Katie returned the hug awkwardly. “I’m off duty. At least I hope I am.”

  “Rosie has told us so much about you. And Maggie and I had a good chat yesterday, too. I already feel like I know you. She told me all about that spelling contest at school where you made one mistake and you were so mad with yourself you locked yourself in your room for twenty-four hours. How if you made one mistake in your writing you’d throw out the whole page. I’m the same. I want everything perfect. It used to drive Dan’s father crazy, but I’m a detail person, and every detail has to be exactly right. Now come and meet everyone. On my side it’s my mother—Dan’s grandmother—Granny Sophie. And her sister, Great-Aunt Eunice. On Dan’s father’s side—” she pulled Katie around the room, introducing her to everyone.

  Katie looked a little shell-shocked. Rosie didn’t blame her for that. Catherine was the kindest person she’d ever met, but sometimes being with her was like standing in front of a snow plow. If you didn’t move out of the way fast, you were flattened.

  Still, at least so far Katie wasn’t bombarding Catherine with questions about Dan.

  She was charming to everyone, and after a few minutes she glanced around the room.

  “Catherine, have you seen my parents?”

  “Maggie called and said they were running late. It was probably that exquisite French lingerie I persuaded her to buy yesterday.” Catherine gave a saucy wink. “Jordan is on his way, so he’s going to give them a ride over, to save them walking.”

  Rosie was trying to delete the image of her mother parading around the tree house wearing sexy lingerie.

  “Jordan?” Katie’s friendly smile froze in place.

  “Believe me, your parents will be safe with him. Everyone is safe with Jordan. He’s like a son to me. And what that boy doesn’t know about trees isn’t worth knowing. I told your mama, with her love of the garden she should be grilling him for information. Katie, help yourself to food, honey. Don’t hold back. The pancakes are excellent, the bacon is cured right here in the kitchens and the maple syrup comes from Great-Aunt Eunice’s trees so you don’t want to miss that.”

  “Sounds good. So tell me, Catherine, what was Dan like as a child?”

  Oh for—“This is not the time to get out the baby photos.” Rosie grabbed her sister before Catherine could answer, and headed toward the food. “Eat. Fill your mouth. Anything to stop you talking.”

  She’d piled their plates with pancakes when her parents appeared in the doorway, hand in hand.

  They were both rosy-cheeked and out of breath, as if they’d been rushing. Her mother was tugging at her clothing with her free hand, as if she’d dressed in a hurry.

  “Sorry we’re late. We lost track of the time.”

  Rosie felt a rush of embarrassment. Enough already! But hopefully this display of marital harmony would be enough to silence her sister. She added syrup to her pancakes and leaned closer to Katie. “You see? Lovebirds, after thirty-five years.”

  Katie swallowed a mouthful of pancake. “They’re not usually so demonstrative. Especially not in public.”

  Rosie added blueberries to Katie’s plate. “Have some vitamin C. You’re looking pale. Mum told Catherine they’re treating this like a second honeymoon. I can’t decide if it’s romantic or embarrassing. Why are you frowning?”

  “Because it’s out of character for them to be romantic. Last year Dad gave Mum a dishwasher for Christmas.”

  “That’s romantic if you hate washing dishes.”

  “I’d kill a man who bought me a dishwasher. Hold this for a moment.” She handed Rosie her plate, and crossed the room to greet their parents.

  Rosie put both plates down and followed her.

  She saw their father put his arm around Katie’s shoulder and squeeze. Her sister winced and eased away.

  Rosie frowned. Had she hurt her shoulder?

  She realized that Katie had said next to nothing about herself since she’d arrived, only that work had been stressful and busy.

  “My girls! I’ve missed you so much.” Their mother wrapped them both in a hug before turning to kiss Katie. “It’s been so long since we saw you both.”

  And it was playing on Rosie’s mind. She’d been in the US of course, but what was Katie’s excuse? Why hadn’t she seen their parents since the summer?

  “Hey.” Dan appeared, fresh from the shower, his hair still damp. He headed straight for Rosie and kissed her on the mouth. “Have you eaten all the pancakes?”

  She felt the tension leave her, as it so often did when she was with Dan.

  “I’m sure we left a few.” She grabbed his hand, walked back to the table and loaded up a plate. “While we have a moment alone, I wanted to say that I’m so sorry about last night. I know Katie went over the top, but she only did it because she loves me.”

  “I know that.” He added blueberries to the plate she was holding. “You don’t have anything to apologize for.”

  “You’re not mad with her? Tell me you don’t hate my sister.”

  He took the plate from her and set it down on the table. Then he pulled her into his arms. “I definitely don’t hate your sister. I love that she cares about you. You’re lucky to have her.”

  And she was lucky to have him. Why couldn’t Katie see that?

  They didn’t have a chance to talk further because his mother joined them to talk wedding details.

  Dan ate while they talked, and after breakfast they made their way to the back of the hotel where the snowmobile tours were arranged.

  Catherine had arranged down suits and helmets for everyone. “You may think these are unflattering, but you’ll be thanking me when you’re out in the cold and wind.”

  Katie pulled hers on. “Where are we going?”

  “To the Maroon Bells.” Dan helped her with her helmet. “Mountains. You’ll want to bring your camera.”

  “Am I driving my own snowmobile? Don’t I need a license or something?”

  “No license. We thought you might prefer to be a passenger this time around.” Dan tightened the strap. “That way you can have all the fun of the ride and the views, without any of the responsibility.”

  “Sounds good. Who is the best driver?”

  Catherine laughed. “My Dan. Jordan is good, of course, but he drives too fast for me. Leaves my stomach somewhere behind on the mountain every time I partner up with him.”

  “I’ll go
with Dan,” Katie said and Rosie opened her mouth to say that she was going with Dan, but her sister was already sliding her leg over the back of the snowmobile and resting her hands on Dan’s waist.

  Was Katie choosing him because she thought he was the safest driver, or was this another of her “getting to know you” activities?

  On the other hand, maybe it would be good for them to spend time together. At least then Katie would see what a great person Dan was and ease up on the questioning. They were going to be related. She loved them both. She wanted them to get along.

  She saw her parents climb awkwardly onto a snowmobile, her mother driving, and turned away, intending to ride by herself.

  Jordan gestured to her. “Come with me. You look tired. Bad night?”

  “Didn’t sleep well.” She strolled across to him, her feet crunching on the snow. “This should wake me up.”

  “Maybe you should stay with Dan tonight. We can’t have the bride showing up with dark circles under her eyes.”

  “I can’t. I haven’t seen my sister since the summer. I really want to catch up, but last night she was—”

  “—like a dog with a bone?”

  “I was going to say protective. She wants to know I’m doing the right thing. We need to talk, that’s all.”

  “This is your relationship, Rosie, not hers.” He spoke gently. “Your opinion is the only one that matters here. As long as you’re sure you’re doing the right thing, that’s the important thing.”

  She was sure. Wasn’t she? Was she sure? She wished people would stop asking her that. The more she thought about it, the less sure she became.

  “I’m sure.” Had he sensed her hesitation? What if he said something to Dan? She should be discussing this whole thing with Dan, but she had no idea how to broach it. Plans for the wedding were almost done. In a few days the florists would arrive to transform the dining room of Snowfall Lodge into a magical winter wonderland, fit for a fairy-tale wedding.

  Nowhere in that scenario was there room for the bride to have a panic attack.

  “Why is your sister riding with Dan?”

  “I expect she wants to spend time with him.”

  He swung his leg over the snowmobile. “I’ll bring your sister home with me. That way you and Dan can have some time together.”

  “Thank you. Did you and she get along okay on the ride from the airport?”

  Jordan’s expression didn’t change. “We got along fine, don’t you worry. Now let’s get going before we’re too far behind to catch up.”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist as they sped along the snow, following the groomed trail that led through the valley into the mountains, through aspen groves and vast glittering snowfields that in the summer would be meadows splashed with the color of wildflowers.

  Today the landscape was a million different shades of white.

  The mountains rose up out of forests of spruce and fir, the reflection of the craggy, snow-covered peaks shimmering on the surface of the partially frozen lake.

  The cold stung her cheeks and bit through her thick layers of clothing.

  They arrived at the lake to find Katie and Dan already sipping mugs of hot chocolate.

  “That was incredible.” Katie’s cheeks were flushed, her hands curved around the mug. She looked happy and relaxed for the first time since she’d arrived. “What a perfect place. Dan was telling me he used to come up here before dawn so he could take photos of the sunrise.”

  “In summer this place is so crowded it’s hard to find a place to stand on the lakeshore,” Jordan said. “Even at sunrise.”

  Catherine was taking photographs, tall and slim in a white winter jacket and black ski pants.

  “She already has a thousand,” Dan said. “But still she takes more.”

  “I’m doing a wedding here in the spring,” his mother called over her shoulder, bracing her legs as she took a succession of shots.

  Rosie glanced around and saw her parents standing a little distance away, facing each other. “What are they doing?”

  Katie grinned. “Having a fight. Apparently Mum is a scary driver. Dad told her he’d ridden camels in the desert that were smoother. That didn’t go down well.”

  Rosie didn’t want to hear that they were fighting.

  She wanted evidence that they were still blissfully happy.

  As if on cue, her mother stood on tiptoe to kiss her father. And then pushed a snowball down his neck.

  There was a brief moment when her father stood frozen in shock and then he retaliated, scooping up snow where he stood and chasing after Maggie.

  She ran, arms windmilling as she struggled through the ankle-deep snow, shrieking like a teenager, trying to protect her head and neck.

  “I never knew she could run that fast,” Katie said mildly.

  “Me neither. Ouch.” Rosie winced as she saw her father catch up. He swung her mother around and held a huge ball of snow aloft.

  Their voices carried across the snow.

  “Remember, Mags, you started this.” He pushed it down her neck and she gasped with the cold and scooped up more snow, pummeling him as he ducked and laughed. They continued to spar, ducking and diving as they grabbed soft scoops of snow and hurled it until they were both covered.

  Rosie couldn’t remember ever seeing her parents as relaxed as this. Normally her mother fussed over her, checking she was feeling okay, that she’d used her inhalers, that she didn’t feel a cold or flu coming on. Since arriving in Aspen, Maggie seemed different. Rosie couldn’t quite identify what had changed, but something had. If anything her parents seemed closer than they had when Rosie had been living at home. Presumably relationships changed as people did.

  Rosie snuggled inside her coat and smiled. It was good to see them so happy, and not only because it made her feel better personally.

  Katie walked over to say something to Dan and Rosie turned to Jordan.

  “Do your parents behave like this?”

  “Did they fight? Yeah, all the time. Only they threw plates and other heavy objects instead of snow. Eventually they divorced, so I guess they grew tired of throwing things.”

  It was the first time he’d revealed anything personal about himself. All she really knew about him was that he loved the outdoors, was a skilled carpenter, and had been a loyal friend to Dan for most of his life.

  Her parents’ shrieks faded into the background.

  She touched his arm. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” He thrust his hands deep into his pockets. “It was a relief for everyone who knew them. You didn’t need to be an expert on relationships to know they should never have been together.”

  “Why?”

  “Because they didn’t like each other. Everything she did annoyed him, and everything he did annoyed her. Not a good basis for a marriage. If you wanted me to find one word that encapsulated my parents’ relationship, it would be contempt.”

  “Ouch. Is that why you never married?”

  There was a pause. “I’ve been married. Once. A long time ago.”

  “What? But—Jordan! I had no idea.” She turned to look at him but couldn’t read anything from his profile. “Dan never mentioned it.” And why hadn’t he? How many other important facts had he failed to mention?

  “He knows it’s something I prefer to forget. And our relationship was nothing like yours and Dan’s, in case you’re worrying.”

  “Am I that obvious?”

  “I happen to think that being easy to read is a quality, not a flaw. Generally I’m not big on advice, but I’m going to give you some anyway because Dan’s like a brother to me and I don’t want to see him hurt. I don’t want to see either of you hurt.” Jordan stared straight ahead of him. “Don’t compare your relationship to anyone else’s. The only people who know what goes on
inside a marriage are the two people involved.”

  Her heart was pumping against her ribs. “You think I’d hurt Dan?”

  “Not intentionally. But I think, perhaps, you listen to too many voices that aren’t your own.”

  He was right of course. “I—I’ll remember that.”

  “And here’s another piece of advice—if you’re worrying about something, your wedding for example, talk to Dan, not your sister.”

  That was good advice. It was what she needed to do.

  “You don’t like my sister?”

  There was a pause.

  “She’s the first woman I’ve wanted to kill within five minutes of meeting her.”

  “Oh!” Rosie didn’t know what to say to that. “It was so generous of you to meet her at the airport. I’m sorry if she was—if she seemed—prickly?”

  “Don’t be. She loves you. But she is so busy protecting you, she doesn’t think about whether you actually want, or need, her protection.”

  “She’s actually the warmest, kindest person I know.”

  “I believe you, but don’t let her wreck what you have, Rosie.” He turned to look at her then, his eyes filled with warmth. “Not that you should be at all interested in my opinion, because the only opinion that matters is your own, but I happen to know you’re the best thing that ever happened to Dan.”

  Rosie felt her chest ache. “What makes you say that?”

  The corner of his mouth flickered. “I met his other girlfriends.”

  Maggie

  “I am soaked through and freezing and it’s all your fault. Did you have to push that last snowball right down my front?” Maggie shivered as she stripped off her outer layers. She was cold but buzzing. She felt more alive than she had in years. For a moment back there by the lake with the sun beaming down on them, she’d thought about nothing but the fun of the moment. The impulse. The delicious rush of semifear as Nick had chased her across the snow, and the laughter. Her ribs still ached from the laughter. “I can’t believe we did that.” She was too old to have snow melting down the inside of her jacket.