An Old-Fashioned Christmas Romance Collection

by DiAnn Mills

  They came just before dusk, honking the horn and hollering like banshees. Shana peered from her window when the car came to a halt in front of the double cabin. The last rays of daylight shone on Emmeline’s laughing face, on bulky Dr. Aldrich, on a tall stranger. Shana’s fingers curled into tight buds. Emmeline and Wyatt must have brought a minister. She turned from his pleasant countenance and gazed at the man she loved. Why must he look so handsome, so happy, so unattainable? Hot tears she had dammed threatened to spill. She turned from the window and whispered, “God, I can’t do this alone.”

  The door burst open. Wyatt bounded inside and across the small space between them. “Shana?” His strong arms circled her. “I know I promised to wait until you said I might, but hang it all, it’s Christmas!” His lips, cold from the clean outdoors, found hers.

  For the space of a heartbeat, she returned his kiss, forgetting everything except her love for the man who held her. Then she tore free, eyes blazing. “How dare you?” A sob of pure fury escaped her.

  “Sorry.” He didn’t look at all repentant. “As I said, it’s Christmas.”

  “What would Emmeline think if she knew you were in here making love to another woman?” Shana raged.

  A twinkle appeared in his eyes. “She’d tell me faint heart never won fair lady. That’s what she’s been telling me ever since we went to Charlotte. So has John.”

  Shana’s head reeled. “John? What on earth are you talking about, Wyatt Baldwin?”

  “Dr. John Wilson. He fell in love with Emmeline the first time he saw her. It didn’t take her much longer, a day or two, perhaps.” Wyatt’s teasing gave way to startled recognition. “Shoshana Noelle, you didn’t think—you couldn’t have thought—” He caught her by the shoulders and his mouth set in a grim line. “Thanks for trusting me,” he said sarcastically.

  The dam broke. “How could I know? Emmeline’s letter never mentioned John’s name, just yours.”

  “And you cared this much?” Wyatt put a finger beneath her chin and tilted it up. “Why, Shana!” Wonder and gladness rang in his voice.

  The final barrier between them crashed. “Ever since we came here. I was going to tell you, but you were always with Emmeline, and she’s a wonderful person, and—”

  Wyatt stopped her pitiful explanation the only way he knew how. With a kiss. This time Shana responded with all the love she had secretly hoarded, the way mountain squirrels stored up nuts for winter. At last she broke free, flushed and happier than she had been since leaving Tarnigan. “Wyatt, please don’t ever frighten me so again.”

  “Only if you promise not to get foolish notions. Haven’t I proved you’re the only girl in the world for me?”

  Made daring by her newly declared love, Shana couldn’t help saying, “You have to admit. Emmeline is lovely.”

  “Of course. So is a columbine, or a wildflower. I just happen to like black-haired, black-eyed girls with lots of sass.” Wyatt cocked an eyebrow in the endearing mannerism she had missed so much. “Going to be a good girl and marry me tomorrow? A preacher’s coming, and I can’t wait any longer for you to be my wife.” He looked at her with eyes she felt examined her very soul. “People in the Hollow will have to be our family, Shana. It’s too far for our folks to come, even if it weren’t the dead of winter.”

  Shana thought of Nika Illahee, her dear homeland. Those she loved more than life itself would be getting ready to celebrate Christmas. Dad, Mother, Arthur, Inga. Strongheart and his Naleenah. A pang of homesickness went through her. If only she could be married in Tarnigan, in the church where Benjamin Clifton had proclaimed the Word of God until his death. Yet as Wyatt said, it was just too far.

  But wait! Didn’t the best of Tarnigan stand before her, strong and tall? The same dear boy, now a man, who had stood beside her all the years of her life? The love in Wyatt’s eyes came from a heart that beat true and always would. It shone brighter than the aurora borealis in all its splendor. She nodded, and rested in the circle of his arms. As long as Wyatt Baldwin loved her, she was home.

  The next morning, Shoshana Noelle Clifton donned the simple white gown and veil she had found in her Christmas package from Tarnigan. Emmeline’s delight over a matching gown and veil completed Shana’s happiness. Through a sheen of tears, she wondered, How did Mother know?

  “I’ve been keeping the mail service between North Carolina and Alaska busy.” Wyatt grinned. “We decided your twenty-second birthday would be about right for a wedding. After all, Shoshana Noelle, when else could a Christmas rose be wed?”

  Epilogue

  Tattered banners of crimson, green, and violet fluttered in the sky over the tiny village of Tarnigan. Fantastic patterns painted the white hills and valleys in the shadows of the Endicott Range. The yellow glow from Nika Illahee’s lighted windows paled by comparison.

  High atop a snow-covered slope, a parka-clad girl and man stood gazing at the beauty. Months and years had fled since Wyatt Baldwin and Shana Clifton left Alaska to answer the call of God. After Dr. John Wilson had arrived to help Dr. Aldrich and Emmeline in the Hollow, Wyatt had been accepted in medical school. Shana continued nursing. The same day Wyatt received his license to practice, he and Shana left for home. Alaska was growing. She needed her sons and daughters.

  The Baldwins raced to Tarnigan a few steps ahead of a winter storm. How good it felt to be clad in the clothing they wore when they left so long ago! To paddle a canoe, tramp for miles without seeing anyone, then be welcomed in isolated places as though they had left only days before. Although they knew they should have waited until spring, their goal was to reach Tarnigan by Christmas. Tonight, Christmas Eve, they had at last reached their goal.

  “Look, Wyatt,” she said. “Someone opened the front door of Nika Illahee.” She laughed. “The wilderness grapevine must still be working.” Her grip tightened. “Someone’s coming out.”

  He laughed, the same joyous laugh she’d loved since childhood. “Not someone, darling. Something.” Wyatt cupped gloved hands around his mouth and called, “Hallooo.” “Hallooo” came back from the hills.

  A frenzy of barking echoed and reechoed. Shana felt her heart leap. “Is it…do you think he—?” Heedless of the steep slope, she began to run. Down, down, down. Halfway there, a furry avalanche hit her head-on. Girl and dog fell together and rolled in the snow. “Kobuk. Oh Kobuk, you remembered!” Shana buried her face in his fur and wept.

  The malamute gave a single howl, then quieted beneath her touch. Wise in the ways of the north, Shana heard in his cry the story of waiting, watching, hoping: the eternal hope that never dies in the hearts of those who love deeply. It rang in her heart like a paean of praise. God willing, she and Wyatt would never leave Alaska again. From now on their Christmases would bloom here, in their one true home.

  Bittersweet

  Rebecca Germany

  Dedication

  To my mother, Wanda Royer, for sharing ideas and memories; also to the community of Tappan for historical inspiration.

  Prologue

  September 23, 1936

  Cleveland, Ohio

  Gracie, I’m so glad I caught you in.”

  The phone against her ear, Grace Rudman relaxed against the entryway wall of the boardinghouse and set her handbag down in the telephone nook. Her brother’s voice was a soothing balm as she prepared to start another stressful day of job hunting. If anyone could sympathize with her situation, it would be Guy. No matter what, she could always count on her older brother to understand.

  Six months ago, when Grace had left Tappan, she had been desperate to escape the small hometown and get to the busy city. After graduation, she had worked hard in the little store on Tappan’s sleepy Main Street, saving all her money, until at last she had enough to leave. She’d needed to get away from the people who loved her, especially her father, who couldn’t understand that she was no longer a little girl. Everyone had seemed to think that she would simply settle down and be a farmer’s wife, something safe and boring.r />
  After her high school graduation, David Matthews, Guy’s best friend, had acted so surprised when she’d said she wouldn’t marry him, as though she could have lived the rest of her life on a farm outside Tappan with someone who had always been like another older brother to her. Marrying David would have been like never leaving home at all. She had desperately needed to get away and find a life of her own, something new and exciting and independent.

  Finding that life, though, was proving to be harder than she had anticipated, and she was tired today, tired and a little scared. Hearing Guy’s voice made her realize how much she missed him. She loved her brother John, too, of course, but Guy was the one she had always been the closest to in the family, and until these last few months he had been the one in whom she had always confided. Tears sprang to her eyes, and she wished he were standing beside her so she could lean her head against his shoulder.

  “I know you city gals can be very busy with work and high society,” he was saying, “but you haven’t called home lately. When will you get home for a visit? We haven’t seen you since you left in March.” His voice was soft and playfully pleading, one of his endearing qualities.

  Grace blinked away her tears and resisted the appeal in her brother’s voice. Long-distance calls and train trips are out of the question when you’re down to your last dime, she justified. Instead, she said into the heavy black receiver, “I may plan a trip home soon. I miss you, big brother.”

  “The job keeping you busy…?”

  What job? The last three were only temporary positions. She had relied on her substantial savings to get her by until…

  “…or maybe some sweet talker has stolen my little sister’s heart?”

  Oh, if you only knew the half of it. I’m such a fool. Grace couldn’t bring herself to tell Guy about Gerald. She glanced around the narrow hallway and frowned. Two boarders entered the ornate front door and were greeted by Mrs. Schumacher. Speaking with the other boarders didn’t stop the landlady from continuing to time Grace’s phone call. A limit of ten minutes was strictly enforced. Grace sighed. This was not the place or time to go into her troubles.

  She spoke in a quiet tone, holding the receiver close to her mouth. “To say the least, I do find myself very busy, but the men of this city have lost their appeal.” She sighed again, wishing she could go into more detail. The face of Gerald Renner floated through her mind.

  “Well, what I really called to say was that Dad wanted me to let you know—” Guy’s voice crackled through the phone wires.

  “Wait! I know what he wants to ask me,” Grace stubbornly interrupted. Her father was strong and loving, but his overprotective nature balked at giving his daughter the freedom she craved. Grace had fought to prove her independence, yet with every fiber of her being, she longed to go home. But to admit defeat when she had had such large dreams…

  Grace continued, “I’m sure he wants to know if I have had enough of city life, if I’ve blown my savings, if I still go to church, if I’m in any trouble, if I…” She ran out of breath.

  “Sure he’s concerned for you. We all are!” Guy assured her. “He didn’t ask anything, but he just wanted me to tell you that Mrs. Miller’s dress shop in Dennison is expanding and she is hiring new help with room and board included. I guess he’s thinking that you could live closer to home and still have your independence.”

  Grace hesitated. The job sounded very tempting, but she wanted to make her own choices. Still, the thought of home brought a lump to her throat, especially when she realized that her familiar home and the entire town of Tappan would soon be underwater.

  As though he’d read her thoughts, Guy said, “With the water conservancy damming up the valley, things are pretty interesting around here.” Guy had his usual positive outlook, but Grace was sure her parents were distraught over the threatened loss of their home. “It would be nice to have you close so you could come home on weekends,” Guy added. “Mom and Dad still won’t sign the papers that will deed their land to the water conservancy, but more and more of our neighbors have given in. Whatever happens in the end, things here are going to be…well, challenging. It might be easier if the family could face it all together.”

  “Uh…” Grace saw Mrs. Schumacher tap the little watch pinned to her lapel. “I’ll think about it. Things are busy around here right now. I’ll…I’ll try to call home soon.”

  Grace hurried her good-byes. She hadn’t had a chance to share her own worries with Guy, but she promised herself she would splurge and call him again soon, in another week or two. The next time she and her brother talked, Grace told herself, she would confide in him. She knew Guy would understand. Guy would never say “I told you so.”

  She smiled to herself, cheered by the thought that her big brother would always be there for her, and then she collected her handbag and marched determinedly for the front door. She still had one hope left if she wanted to be a success in this city—find Gerald Renner and make him give her back her hard-earned money.

  Two hours later, she found him in a crowded diner, sitting at the counter in a stylish pin-striped suit and polished leather shoes. She took a deep breath and came up behind him. “I need my money back, Gerald,” she ground out, trying to keep her voice low in the crowded diner.

  Gerald spun around on his stool. His initial surprise was replaced by a cocky grin on his dazzling handsome face. He stood, towering over her petite frame, and removed his bowler from the next stool.

  “Please sit, doll,” he droned. “May I order you a coffee or soda?”

  Grace stood rigid, holding tight to her resolve. “I have been trying to reach you for over a week. The job at the courthouse turned out to be only a temporary typing position, and I need my savings to pay my rent at the boardinghouse.”

  “I told you I would get you a car with the money.” He sighed. “Please, take a seat, dear. You’re drawing attention.”

  She ignored him. “I don’t know how I let you talk me into an automobile. I can’t even drive,” she spat out and crossed her arms tightly in front of her. Of course, she had driven the horse-drawn carts across her father’s fields, but that hardly counted.

  The bell on the door jangled as people streamed in and out on this first day of fall. The waitress jarred Grace on her way past, but Grace remained rooted to her spot by the pie case.

  “Even if I owned a car, I would have to sell it.” Her voice started to rise. “I couldn’t afford the gasoline.”

  Gerald gave a pacifying chuckle and took her elbow in an attempt to draw her back to the stool. She resisted.

  “Grace, you want to make it in this town, don’t you?” He turned his piercing gaze on her, and her strength began to waver. He had hit her weakest point. “A young woman like you needs a car and a stylish wardrobe to move up in this town. You’ll see. Once you have your own automobile, things will turn around for you.”

  Grace sighed as she finally slumped to the stool. “Then where’s my auto? I know I had more than enough money to get at least a used one.”

  “Well…” Gerald’s laugh shook. “It will be another week or so before I can get things worked out…. Business has ben keeping me running….”

  Grace’s anger returned. “Where’s my money, Gerald?”

  “What do you say we go out and paint the town red tomorrow night?” he suggested, ignoring her outburst.

  “My money?”

  “Sure—I’ll bring it along. If you’re really certain you don’t want that car.” Gerald ducked his head over his cooling pie of meat loaf.

  Two weeks later, Grace tossed her hat into the corner of her room and lowered herself to the lumpy armchair. She released her thick brown hair from the clasp at the back of her neck. The room was stuffy with the heat of Indian summer. Her feet ached from a long day of job searching, and she longed for a leisurely soak in a tub. If only the one boardinghouse bathroom didn’t have a time limit.

  After Gerald had stood her up for their date and couldn’t be
found, she had given up her private room and moved in with another girl, who, like Grace, was only a little over a year out of high school. The arrangement was helping Grace afford to stay in the city, but she was desperate for more than temporary work. Her goal to rise to the top of society was going nowhere but downhill—fast.

  She felt herself drifting toward sleep when a knock sounded on the thin door.

  “I have a wire for you,” Mrs. Schumacher started in her thick clip before Grace had the door opened.

  “Thank you.”

  Mrs. Schumacher held the door open and continued briskly, “Have you seen today’s paper? That man you have been seeing since you got here last spring is a wanted criminal.”

  “Gerald Renner?” A lump formed in her throat.

  “Jah, that’s the one. He’s been robbing good people blind and is now on the run from the law. I could tell he was no saint. I even—” The robust woman broke off her report. “Why, are you ill, child? You look positively sick.”

  Grace’s loose hair curtained her ashen face as her head hung forward.

  Mrs. Schumacher grasped the young woman’s shoulders. “Do you need to sit?” she asked before a new thought overtook her. “Did that scoundrel take advantage of you? Did he leave you…in a compromising state?”

  Grace shook her head and murmured, “Only…my money.” She forced herself to face the realization that she would probably never see her hard-earned money again. It wasn’t fair. Even though she hadn’t seen Gerald for two weeks, she had held on to the hope that he would eventually bring her the money or a car. She couldn’t keep the tears from streaming down her face.

  “Oh…I should have paid more attention to your money troubles,” the large woman moaned as she hugged Grace’s slender, petite frame to her ample bosom. “You poor girl.