Coming Home for Christmas

by Fern Michaels

  “You think?”

  “I do, Hank. It’s not easy being a single mom, and that’s what she is with Ben away. It all falls on her. She’s just one person, and there are just twenty-four hours in a day. She’s frazzled. What you’re planning on doing is a wonderful thing. I just wish there was a way to tell her to ease her misery.”

  Hank nodded. “So we’re friends again, right?”

  “Of course. If you help me get the sleigh over here, I can finish up while you go for the gas. Are we still going to the wake this evening?”

  “Absolutely, but we might have to walk.”

  “I have boots, so it won’t be a problem. Okay, let’s go get that sleigh.”

  Hank reached for her arm and linked his with hers as they trudged across the lawns to Amy’s garage. Minutes later, the sleigh was on Albert Carpenter’s front porch, and Hank was on his way to the gas station that was only a block and a half away. He started to sing “Jingle Bells” as he trudged along. He looked down when he felt something hit his knee. “Churchill!”

  “Woof.”

  “Hey, big guy, how’re you doing? Where’s Miss Sadie? Yeah, yeah, she’s no fool, I bet she’s sitting in that sleigh. It’s just me and you, Churchill. You know what, I’m not even mad at you because Mandy’s one in a million. You got good taste, I’ll say that for you.”

  “Woof.”

  “Jingle bells . . .”

  Chapter Seven

  The caravan of cars leaving the snow-filled cemetery was several miles long. Albert Carpenter had been laid to rest, and the whole town had turned out to show their regard and to honor the man who had done so much for the education system.

  It hadn’t been a sad affair at all. More like a celebration of Albert’s life. The wake that started at six the previous evening had gone on well past midnight to allow all the citizens of Apple Valley to pay their respects. They came in trucks, on sleds, on skis, and the sanitation workers had shown up on the town’s snowplow.

  During his teaching years, Albert had always conducted the Christmas Pageant, and when the actors took their final bow, the audience and cast alike had stayed to sing Christmas carols. And that’s what they did this year before the funeral director closed the doors for the night. Until her passing, Mrs. Carpenter had been in charge of the refreshments. This night, Apple Valley’s school principal did the honors.

  So many memories had been shared, but the most poignant of all had been the story of Albert’s financial problems that so few knew about. All his savings had gone to cover his wife’s long illness. He’d been forced to take out a reverse mortgage that allowed him to continue to live in the house until his death. Albert Carpenter had died with just a few dollars in the bank, but he didn’t owe anyone a dime. In fact, Charles Leroy from the bank said he’d made his final payment to the hospital just two months ago. Then he said something that brought tears to everyone’s eyes. “Albert didn’t want to join his wife until all his earthly debts were paid. It wouldn’t look right or feel right knowing he was leaving others to pick up his slack.”

  Hank drove carefully in the long procession, no more than five miles an hour. “I thought the Apple Valley Band did a good job,” he said. “You know what else, I’m glad you decided to decorate Albert’s porch. I bet the town awards the prize to him this year. Posthumously.”

  “I liked that we all sang carols, just as we used to in school. It was sad, and yet it wasn’t sad. He was so loved. Apple Valley and the people here are so special, Hank. There’s so much kindness and goodness here. People actually care about one another. They help out and don’t expect anything in return. It’s not that way in California. Well, maybe it is, but I’ve never witnessed it. It’s not just the season, is it, Hank?”

  “No, Mandy, it’s not just the season. This little place is just one of a kind. I used to think I should come back here and live, but then I told myself no, I needed to leave, to move on so someone else could move here and experience this life. For me to stay would have been selfish. Ben now. Ben was different. He said his roots were here, and he wasn’t digging them up. This was home to him, and while he and Alice have lived all over, this was the place he always came back to.

  “When we were growing up, the population was just a little under four thousand. Today it’s almost six thousand. That’s not a great increase, but it’s something to pay attention to. I do know one thing for certain: I’ll come back here to retire.”

  “Me, too,” Amy said happily. “So, are we going to go sledding this afternoon or not?”

  “I’m up for it, but first we have to go to the dinner at the church. I offered our services, but Father Mac said if he got any more volunteers, he’d have to move out. In other words, all we have to do is show up and eat. It’s all under control. That was a good thing you did, Mandy.”

  Amy’s face turned pink. She just nodded.

  Hank pretended he didn’t notice her discomfort. “I’m not sure, but I think I saw Alice at the cemetery. She was so bundled up, and the crowd was so dense, I can’t swear to it, but I think it was her. She really liked Albert. Ben told me when she cooked she would always take something over. He was partial to peach pie, and she’d make it special for him in the summer when peaches were in season. When in the hell is she going to come home? It’s almost Christmas.”

  Amy shrugged. “My guess would be when she can’t stand being away from her sons one minute longer. Which is probably any minute now. Did you finish everything on her lists?”

  “Almost. I have to get the tree and put it up. I guess I’m supposed to shop for the boys. I’m clueless in that department. Alice always decorates the house, so I guess I should do that, too, since she’ll want to take pictures to send to Ben.”

  “I have an idea, Hank. Instead of going sledding, let’s go get all our trees and set them up. I remember Mom saying you have to put it up in the stand, then let it sit for a day so the branches fall into place. I’d like to put one on Mr. Carpenter’s porch, too. I think for sure that will make him a shoo-in for the Christmas prize. After we take care of that, we can go shopping for the boys. What say you?”

  Hank reached over to take Amy’s hand in his own. “I think that’s a great idea.”

  Amy thought her hand was going to go up in flames. “Something’s happening to us, isn’t it?” Her voice was little more than a whisper.

  Hank’s response was husky, almost tortured. “Yeah. Yeah, something is happening. It’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

  Amy laughed. “From where I’m sitting, a very good thing.”

  Hank squeezed her hand. She squeezed back.

  The church parking lot was so full, Hank had to park two blocks away. Once they managed to get inside, they had to get in a line that wrapped all the way around the room and out the side door.

  Amy found herself standing next to Karen Powell from OK Florist. They chatted a few moments while Hank met up with a friend of Ben’s. “Do you have any extra poinsettias, Karen?”

  “A shipment was due this morning. It might have been delayed with the snow, but sometime today for certain. Why?”

  “Will you send two dozen plants to the Anders house? Hank and I are going to decorate it today. As a matter of fact, we’re going to get the trees this afternoon.”

  “You might not know this, but I’m selling trees myself. We have them staked up in the nursery. You might not have seen them. And, we deliver!” she added, laughing.

  Amy laughed. “Put us down for three trees. We’ll stop by when we leave here and tag them.”

  “Will do.”

  It was after one o’clock when Amy and Hank climbed back into Alice’s SUV to do some Christmas shopping. The crowds in the small village carried gaily colored shopping bags as they walked from store to store. Children bundled in snowsuits and mufflers pulled sleds filled with packages. Gaily dressed Santas stood in doorways handing out candy canes and hot chocolate. Holiday music wafted from loudspeakers mounted on the telephone poles that surrounded th
e square.

  Apple Valley was small-town America at its finest.

  “This is nothing like New York.” Hank laughed as he accepted a cup of hot chocolate from an elf standing in the doorway of Jones’s Pharmacy. Amy opted for a candy cane. They moved on, finally coming to stop at a small toy store. Inside, they turned into little kids, their selections outrageous until they stopped in their tracks, looked at one another, and reminded themselves the twins were just a year old. Sheepishly, they replaced the Barbie and Ken dolls and the catchers’ mitts.

  When they finally left the store, the stock boy tagged along behind them, their purchases piled high on a dolly. After they were loaded into the cargo hold and the door shut and locked, Hank turned to Amy, and said, “Do you think we’ll have this much fun when we buy toys for our own kids?”

  Whoa. She turned around hoping she could be cool. Cool? Amy’s heart was beating so fast she thought it was going to leap right out of her chest. She struggled for a flip answer of some sort. Nothing came to her. Besides, Hank was looking at her so intently, she needed to respond. “Don’t you have to ask me to marry you before the kids come? You haven’t even kissed me yet.”

  “Not true,” Hank said lightly. “I kissed you once, and I never forgot the feeling. That kiss lasted twenty-one seconds.”

  “You counted the seconds?” Amy asked in awe.

  “Yeah. I thought I was going to black out. I was in love with you. I realized I was still in love with you the minute I set eyes on you.”

  Amy was so light-headed with Hank’s declaration she reached for the side mirror to hold on to it. Hank had just said he loved her. That’s what he said. The words were still ringing in her ears. All her dreams were finally coming true. She was supposed to say something. What?

  Hank shuffled his feet in the snow. His voice sounded so anxious when he said, “Your turn.”

  The words were stuck in her throat. She wanted to say them. Instead, she leaned forward, grabbed his jacket in her mittened hands, and yanked him forward. She planted a lip-lock on him that made her head spin.

  “Twenty-seven seconds!” she shouted gleefully when she came up for air.

  The sound of handclapping brought both of them to their senses as a small laughing crowd moved off.

  “Wow!” was all Hank could think of to say.

  “That’s it, wow!” Amy said. “You up for an encore?”

  Hank groaned. He was no fool. He moved closer. All the years of pent-up longing melted away when he brought his lips down on hers. This moment he knew seared his future. When he finally released her he looked into her eyes and saw what he knew was mirrored in his own. In a low, husky voice, he asked, “How many seconds?”

  In a voice as shaky as Hank’s, Amy said, “Are you kidding, I wasn’t counting.”

  “Oh, who cares? You going to marry me?”

  “If that’s a proposal, the answer is yes.”

  Hank backed up a step. He looked to Amy like he was in a daze. She smiled.

  He smiled.

  “We should go to pick out the Christmas trees, Hank.”

  “Yep. That’s what we should do,” Hank said.

  “But are we going to do that?”

  Hank groaned as he opened the passenger-side door for her. “Yes, that’s what we’re going to do, but later, we are going to do other things.”

  “Promises, promises.” Amy giggled. My God, when was the last time I giggled? Never, that’s when. She leaned back and closed her eyes. She realized she had never been as happy as she was at this moment.

  Hank laughed, a joyous sound. “There’s something you need to know about me. I never make a promise I don’t intend to keep. I don’t know when I’ve been this happy,” he blurted.

  Amy laughed again. “Me, too. It’s such a wonderful feeling. More so because it’s the holiday season. Everything seems to be special during this time.” Her voice turned serious a moment later. “But there’s Mr. Carpenter and Alice. Are we being . . . ?”

  “No. It was Albert’s time. Alice . . . well, Alice made her own decisions. While we both understand that, we’re doing what we think is right. We’re doing what we can for Alice. Albert. . . is beyond our control. Somehow I think he would be very happy for the both of us. No, that’s wrong, Mandy. I know Albert would be very happy for us. Okay, enough of all this. Are you ready to pick out the biggest, the best, the most-wonderful-smelling tree in the lot?”

  “I’m ready, Mr. Anders,” Amy said, hopping out of the truck.

  An hour later they were covered in pine resin, but they had three trees that Hank said were the best of the best. The young guy working the tree lot shoved the trees through a barrel. They came out the other end covered in white netting. They watched as he loaded them into a pickup truck and hopped into the cab, where he waited for instructions.

  While Hank paid for the trees, Amy explained where the trees were to be delivered. The young man nodded and peeled out of the parking lot, snow spiraling backward in his wake.

  “Bet you five bucks those trees are home before we get there,” Amy said, walking hand in hand with Hank back to the SUV. “Wait! Wait! We have to buy tree stands.”

  Together they walked back to the tree lot, where Hank picked out three stands capable of holding the big trees. He whipped out his credit card, paid for the stands, then they were on the way home. A light snow started to fall again as they hit the main road.

  “Pay up,” Amy said when Hank swerved into the driveway. All three trees were exactly where Amy had told the youngster to put them. Hank kissed her instead.

  “That’ll work.” Amy giggled again. She felt like a teenager as she helped Hank cut away the netting to set up the tree in the stand on the Carpenter front porch. When they were finished, Hank stood back and said, “It’s a beauty, perfect in every way. Tomorrow we can decorate it.”

  “Oh, it smells so good. Growing up, you could smell the tree all over the house. I loved it then as much as I love it now. I guess it’s the kid in me. That won’t change, will it, Hank?”

  Hank for some reason knew this was a very important question, and he had to give just the right answer. “Memories are a wonderful thing, Mandy. Sometimes they fade in time, but if you work at remembering, then I think they’ll be with you forever. The special memories. Like this one. Christmas was always the best time of year when we were kids. All the wild anticipation, the frenzy of the shopping, the tree, the snow, the way the house smelled. Ben and I used to talk about it. For the most part I think he and Alice pretty much duplicated everything. For them it was easier because they’re in the house we grew up in. I know it was different for you after . . . but see, you still have those wonderful earlier memories.” He looked at her expectantly to see if she was in agreement. She smiled, and his world was right side up.

  “Okay, let’s set up the tree for the boys. Then we can go back to your house and set yours up and do . . . other things. What say you?”

  Amy giggled again. “Won’t work, Hank. We have to decorate the house for Alice. I don’t know why I say this because it’s just a feeling. I think Alice is waiting until that’s done before she returns home. Having said that, let’s get to it. But before we get started, I think I’d like a cup of coffee. Your house or mine?”

  “Well, since we have so much work ahead of us, I guess it should be the Anders house. I imagine the twins will be awake from their nap by now. I can’t wait for you to meet them, and Mason as well.”

  “I have to let the dogs out first. I’ll be over in a few minutes.” Amy kissed him lightly on the lips before she tripped her way to her own front door.

  Inside, she ran to the back door to let the dogs out, then leaned against it. She was shaking from head to toe. She was in love. Hank loved her. She loved him. How wonderful is that? Is this one of those Christmas miracles?

  Was this love going to come with a price on it? Amy closed her eyes and thought about her home in Hollywood, thought about her contract, the few friends she had, and
what her agent was going to say when she told him to buy out her contract. What would all those people on her payroll do if she turned her back on Hollywood? She could bonus them out and wish them luck in finding a new job. Was she getting ahead of herself? Probably, but she didn’t care.

  Hank had asked her to marry him, so that had to mean they would live where his business was. Maybe they could buy the Carpenter house from the mortgage company and have a home here in Apple Valley. She knew in her heart that Mr. Carpenter would approve. She rather thought Hank would approve, too. They could watch the twins grow up, and if they had kids of their own, they could play together. Win-win all around. She could hardly wait to tell Hank her idea.

  The dogs scratched at the door to come in. She opened the back door to let the dogs in, and they all left together by the front door.

  The twins squealed their pleasure when the dogs romped through the family room, Churchill leaping over the gate, Miss Sadie waiting patiently for Hank to lift her over it. Mason stood at the kitchen gate, his jaw dropping at the commotion. He put his fingers to his lips and whistled sharply. The twins stopped in midsqueal. Both dogs turned to look expectantly at the strange new person emitting the high-pitched whistle. “That will be enough of that. SIT!” Since both dogs were already sitting, they continued to stare at the person towering over them. “Very good. I am the Alpha. You need to understand that. Having said that, here is your treat for the afternoon.” Mason handed out two dog treats, and hard crackers to the boys. Mason turned and was back a second later with a basket of dog toys that had been in the laundry room.

  Hank nudged Amy. He hissed in her ear. “I don’t know how he does it. He’s unreal. Alice is going to be soooo happy. If she ever comes home.”

  “Mandy, this is Mason. Mason, this is Mandy, she’s from California, and she’s visiting. Next door.”

  Mason bowed low, then reached for her hand. “It is a pleasure to meet any friend of Mr. Anders.”

  “Mandy is a movie star. Her other name is Amy Lee.”