by Lisa Jackson
Travis grinned sheepishly. “He’s housebroken.”
“That’s the good news. One down, one to go,” Ronni said. Yesterday she owned no dogs, today she had two. Unbelievable.
Travis kissed her cheek. “You’ll survive,” he predicted.
When Shelly, Vic and the boys landed, Ronni pointed a wooden spoon in her sister’s direction. “Tell me you didn’t buy a dog.”
“I didn’t,” her sister swore, looking drawn.
“And you didn’t pick up one at the animal shelter, humane society or a stray walking down the street.”
“Scout’s honor,” Shelly said, hiding a smile as she held up two fingers.
“Good, then you can stay, but only if you promise to take it easy and put your feet up in Hank’s recliner.” Ronni wagged the spoon in front of her sister’s nose.
“Yes, ma’am,” Shelly replied with a mock salute. “But I thought you couldn’t bear the thought of his chair empty in the living room. Wasn’t it stored away?”
“I decided that was silly. Along with a lot of things,” Ronni explained. “Besides, I wasn’t really acting rationally, was I?”
Shelly didn’t answer and plucked a cracker from a small bowl, then dipped it into the cheese spread.
“I mean, some of his things I kept around to remind me of him and others I hid away because I didn’t want to think about what I’d lost.” She shook her head. “I didn’t realize how much of a basket case I was.”
Shelly cocked her head to one side and munched on the cracker. “And now?”
“Now is tough, but I’m better. My New Year’s resolution is to become whole again. To start over.”
Folding her arms over her chest, Shelly motioned with her chin toward Travis. “I don’t suppose this has anything to do with him.”
“A little, probably,” Ronni admitted, “but I’d decided it was time to rebuild just before I met him.”
“And your war with the mountain?”
“Oh, it goes on forever,” Ronni said. “As long as there are skiers trapped up there, I’m going to bring them down. Mount Echo will still win sometimes, but I’ll fight her all the way.”
“Her?”
“Her, it…does it matter?”
At that moment, both puppies galloped into the room, yipping and giving chase to each other. “My Lord.” Shelly laughed. “What happened?”
“I think we’re experiencing Amy’s vision of heaven.”
“And mine of hell,” Shelly whispered with a chuckle.
Ronni laughed, too. This Christmas—the one she’d dreaded—was turning out to be the best ever.
* * *
They all ate around the table, though it had to be extended with a folding card table at one end and the tablecloth looked a little lumpy where the two tables butted up to each other. Candles graced the centerpiece and Christmas music filled the room. Ronni poured wine for the adults, though Shelly declined, then filled the children’s glasses with sparkling cider. Travis was given the honor of carving the turkey and after everyone had eaten until they couldn’t take another bite, they left the dishes and turned their attention to the Christmas tree and gift exchange between the families.
Kurt and Kent were thrilled with the new video-game system Ronni had bought for them. Even before the wrapping was totally off the package, they were fighting for the opportunity to play the first game. Shelly ended the argument by stating that if anyone was going to have the honor of using the new equipment first, it would be she.
Amy was so distracted by the puppies, she could barely concentrate on the intricate rag doll her aunt had sewn for her. “Just don’t let any of those mongrels near it,” Shelly teased. Bryan seemed, or at least pretended, to be interested in the instructional movies on skiing and snowboarding that Ronni had given him and Travis grinned over the books about the history and favorite recreational sports in Oregon. By the time everyone headed home, Ronni was exhausted and the house looked as if it had been hit by a hurricane.
After the first load of dishes was running in the dishwasher, she took the horses a Christmas treat of apples and carrots, then returned to clean up the rest of the house. Amy was so tired she could barely move, but she insisted on camping out on the sofa to be close to the puppies, who, now that they had each other, were curled in a ball of fur and fluff on a blanket in the laundry room.
Ronni had just hung up her apron when she noticed Travis on the front porch. His breath fogged in the air and his face was awash with color from the exterior lights. Catching her attention, he waved her outside and Ronni slipped through the door. After the warmth of the fire, the outside air ripped through her in a fierce gust of raw December wind. Nonetheless, her pulse raced at the sight of him. “Brrr,” she whispered, rubbing her arms against the cold. “What are you doing here? Where’s Bryan?”
“Back at our place watching the movies you bought him. I told him I’d be home in about an hour and he barely even said goodbye he was so engrossed.”
“That’s good, I guess, but it still doesn’t answer my first question.”
“I forgot to give you your present.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I distinctly remember you handing me a leash, flea powder and twenty-pound bag of dog food.”
His laugh was deep as it rumbled through the trees. “I know. That was your personal, intimate gift. Just for you.”
“Thanks so much,” she mocked.
“But I thought you needed something a little more practical.”
“Like a shovel for scooping the you-know-what?”
His teeth flashed white. “No, something a little less personal than that.”
“Oh, great.”
He fished into the inner lining of his jacket and withdrew a long white envelope. “Careful,” he said as she took it from his hands, her eyebrows knitting in concentration.
“What’s this?” she asked. “Airline tickets?” She looked at him before fanning out the tickets and squinting to make out the destination.
“Lake Tahoe,” he said. “For the four of us. You, me, Bryan and Amy. We take off tomorrow night.”
“But why?”
He reached into the front pocket of his jeans and withdrew a small black box.
A lump the size of a golf ball filled her throat and she found it almost impossible to breathe. “It’s not—”
“See for yourself.”
Heart thudding almost painfully, she opened the velvet-lined case and stared at a diamond ring that winked softly in the glow of the Christmas lights. “I—I don’t know what to say,” she whispered and Travis withdrew the ring from its softly lined container.
Taking her left hand in his, he said, “Tell me yes.”
Her eyes searched his face, and she bit her lip for a second. “I—I—Yes!”
“You’ll marry me?” he repeated, seeming astounded.
She flung her arms around his neck. “Of course I’ll marry you.”
Laughing, he twirled her off her feet and kissed her head. “I was worried you’d say ‘no.’”
She grinned and shook her head. “Oh ye of little faith,” she teased. Again he kissed her, his lips filled with a sweet, gentle pressure. When he finally lifted his head, he sighed. “We’ll elope tomorrow. Fly down to Tahoe and tie the knot, spend a few days there and come home just before New Year’s.”
“But—I can’t leave. Shelly, my business, the dogs—”
“I’ve already talked to Victor. Shelly’s doing as well as can be expected. It’s just a matter of time and rest now and you can call her every day if you want to. Vic will look after the dogs and the horses. You already told me that your business is slow this time of year. As for the ski patrol, I talked to Tim Sether who said he could find someone to fill in for you.”
“You were pretty sure I’d say yes,” she said, still spinning in a rush of emotion.
“No, but I knew what I wanted.” His voice deepened and his eyes were suddenly serious. “And what I want is you, Veronica Walsh. Now and forever.”
She almost cried tears of happiness. “You’ve got me, Travis Keegan, and if you ever try to get rid of me, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
“Never,” he vowed, and with his arms wrapped around her protecting her from the cold, she believed him. He slipped the ring onto her finger, kissed her until she no longer felt the cold night air. Then, once her bones had begun to melt, he lifted her off her feet, carried her over the threshold of her little house, locked the door, and while Amy slept soundly on the couch, mounted the stairs to Ronni’s bedroom where, for the next hour, they celebrated Christmas alone.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“YOU MAY KISS the bride!”
The preacher, Reverend Randy, as he insisted upon being called, lifted his hands as if he were addressing an entire congregation instead of the two witnesses Ronni had never met before, his wife on the piano and Bryan and Amy. The tiny chapel was wedged between two casinos and decorated more like an arcade than a church, but it didn’t matter. Travis pulled her into the possessive circle of his arms and kissed her in that same breathtaking way that always caused her heart to skip a beat.
Amy, on cue, tossed confetti and rose petals into the air, and Bryan, trying hard not to glower, managed a grim, hard smile. Being his new stepmother wasn’t going to be easy, Ronni told herself as she stared into the eyes of her new husband. Marge, Reverend Randy’s wife, began to play and music filled the chapel. Ronni was ready for the challenge. Even if Travis didn’t love her, she was certain he cared about her and Amy. Love would come later. It had to. They walked down the tiny aisle together and stopped at the back of the chapel when Marge stopped playing. A top-heavy lady in a polka-dot dress, she scurried to the camera that was already poised upon a tripod and took some pictures of Ronni and Travis, the kids, even one with Reverend Randy.
Outside, the sun was just setting, and they walked the few blocks to their hotel. Sprawled along the shores of the lake, the hotel reminded Ronni of the old Johnson lodge—the place that would finally be her home with Travis. Living in and restoring the old lodge had been her dream for the past several years, except that in her dreams she’d never once thought she would share the premises or her heart with a husband and a stepson.
“Can I call you Daddy?” Amy, holding Travis’s hand as they walked into the hotel lobby, wanted to know.
Travis grinned down at his new stepdaughter. “Sure. Why not?”
“Because you’re not her daddy,” Bryan said, the edges of his lips white.
“We’re a family now—”
“No, Travis, we’re not a family and this isn’t the Brady Bunch. I’ve already got a mother.” He glared at Ronni as if she were the devil incarnate.
“I wouldn’t presume to try and take her place—”
“You couldn’t, okay? No one can.” With a furious glance at his father, he stormed across the lobby and through French doors to the deck.
“I’d better handle this,” Travis said. “I’ll meet you upstairs.” Ronni, still holding her bridal bouquet and feeling like a wretched fool, watched as Travis followed his son. “Come on,” she said to Amy. “Let’s get changed.”
Once she and her daughter were in the suite, she peeled off her ivory-colored suit. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she remembered her first wedding, complete with a white silk and satin dress, long train, veil and Shelly as her matron of honor. The church in Cascadia had been filled with friends and good cheer, a long reception had followed wherein the timeless rituals of toasting each other, cutting the cake and taking the first dance together had been honored. This time, the wedding had been without all the trimmings—just the four of them, a pieced-together family who still weren’t sure how they each fit with each other.
“Bryan hates us,” Amy stated as Ronni hung up her clothes.
“No, honey, he’s just not sure what to think of all this. It’s happening too fast, I think. We should have waited until after the new year.”
“I don’t see why. I didn’t have a daddy for Christmas and now I have one for New Year’s and we’re going to have a big party.” Amy struggled to yank a barrette from her hair.
“Here, let me get that,” Ronni said, helping her daughter and laughing a little. “A party? Now, where’d you get that idea?”
“Travis—er, Daddy said we could.”
“Oh. Then we will.” Sitting on the edge of the king-size bed, Ronni kicked off her heels and massaged the aches from her feet. She thought about her friend, Linda, who was on her honeymoon at Timberline. Wouldn’t she be surprised that she wasn’t the only new bride working on Mount Echo? “You know what we should do,” she said to her daughter.
“What?”
“Call Aunt Shelly.”
“And find out how Rex and Snowball are?”
“Well, that’s one reason.” Rolling to the side of the bed, she reached for the phone on the nightstand. She punched out her sister’s number and waited. The phone rang six times before an answering machine with Shelly’s voice responded. After waiting for the tone, she said, “Hi, Shell, it’s Ronni…I mean, Mrs. Travis Keegan. Can you believe it, I’m actually married again? It’s so…strange…but so right.” Stretching the phone cord to the window, she gazed past the snow-dusted branches of towering pine trees to the deep blue waters of the lake. “I just thought I’d share some of my happiness with you and I’ll call you later—” She was about to hang up when Amy ran up to her.
“Ask about the puppies!” she demanded.
“Oh, and Amy would like an update on her new pets,” Ronni said with a smile though she felt a vague sense of unease. Why wasn’t Shelly answering? “She’s going to want a full report.”
She hung up telling herself that she was borrowing trouble again. Shelly had probably needed to get out of the house and had gone with Vic to take care of the horses and dogs, or the entire family had gone out for pizza or hamburgers. Being the vivacious person she was, Shelly couldn’t very well lie on the couch day after day.
“Where was Aunt Shelly?” Amy asked as Ronni slipped into a pair of tan jeans.
“I wish I knew.” She donned a cream-colored blouse with billowy sleeves and a leather vest. “Come on, let’s get you into something a little less dressy.”
Within minutes, Amy had transformed from an angel in pink velvet to a tomboy in a red jumpsuit who was not about to let Ronni comb out her hair. “It’s okay this way,” she said and Ronni decided it wasn’t worth the trouble of chasing her daughter around with a brush.
“Fine, who cares?” Ronni said, tossing the brush onto the bed. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
A key clicked in the lock and Travis, still in his black suit, walked into the room. Ronni’s heart jolted. This man—this handsome man—was her husband. From now until forever. A flood of happiness swept over her until she spied Bryan, hands in his pockets, head slouched between his shoulders. “I—I’m sorry,” he said, glancing at his father as if for approval.
“You don’t have to apologize for stating your opinion,” Ronni said.
“No, but he can’t be rude. That’s the rule we’re going to have in this family. No one can be rude or cruel to anyone else.”
Bryan winced at the word family and Ronni’s heart went out to him. Obviously, his father’s new marriage was tough on him, tougher than any of them could imagine.
“All right,” she said. “But we all have to agree to listen to each others’ opinions because I think it would be impossible for us all to think the same way. And—” she looked pointedly at her new husband “—everyone’s opinion counts.”
“Equal?” Bryan wanted to know.
“As equal as it can be,” she replied. “For example, you might think you should be able to drive the car, and we don’t—you’d have to give in. There are laws to consider and sometimes wisdom does come with age.”
“I knew it.”
“On the other hand,” she said, wagging a finger at the two new men in her life, “your father and I promise to remember what it was like to be a teenager and will try to put ourselves in your place.”
“As if you could.”
“It won’t always work,” she admitted with a shrug. “But I’m willing to give it a shot. It’s the best I can offer.”
Bryan looked at her as if he wished she’d evaporate on the spot and Ronni gritted her teeth. Being a stepmother was going to take a lot of determination, but she decided right then and there she’d be the best secondary mother any kid could ever want.
Scratching the back of his neck, Bryan asked, “Is the deal still on with the horses? Will you let me ride them if I take care of them?”
Finally, common ground. “You bet. And if your father says it’s okay, you can have Sam—he’s the stallion. Lucy is Amy’s mare, but Sam, he was my husband’s. Now he’s yours.”
“Are you serious?” Bryan asked, all pretenses dropped, his expression one of stunned disbelief.
“’Course.”
“Wait a minute—” Travis tried to intervene, but Ronni wouldn’t hear of it.
“Consider him yours, Bryan, but remember to take care of him.”
“Wow.” He studied her for a moment, as if he was trying to determine if she was out of her mind, then shrugged and walked over to the window ledge where he’d left his CD player. Within seconds, he’d clipped on his earphones again.
From the corner of his mouth, Travis said, “You can’t reward that kind of behavior.”
“He just needs to know that he still belongs,” she said, winking at her new husband. “Besides, Sam needs more exercise than I give him. It’ll be all right.”
