Dahlia quickly bundled up and slipped out into the cold night. She followed the same path she and Ike had walked together just last night. Her heart pounded harder when she saw his cabin all lit up. Without thinking about what she would tell him, she hurried up the steps and knocked.
Within a few seconds the door opened. “Hey.” He stepped aside as though he’d been expecting her. “Do you want to come in?”
“Yes.” She wanted to come in. She wanted to sit with him and make out on the couch again. But there would be more time for that later. “So, pretty crazy that Jeff showed up, huh?”
“Yeah.” Ike seemed to study her face. “Sorry I left. I figured you all could use some time alone.” He gestured for her to sit down on his comfy leather couch, and then he sat next to her, his body angled toward hers. “Everything turn out okay?”
“I think it will be. Eventually.” Her daughter was so resilient. She would do whatever Maya needed to walk her through this. “Jeff asked me to marry him again.”
Ike nodded. “I had a feeling that was going to happen when he showed up like that.”
Dahlia inched closer to him. “I told him no.”
The man’s shoulders seemed to relax. He eased his hand into hers. “That must’ve been hard on the kids.”
Dahlia closed her eyes. She would never forget the look of utter desolation on Maya’s face when they told her. “It was awful. But I don’t want to teach them to pretend.” They had to learn to be honest with themselves, honest with others. “Jeff has to move to France for a year.” In some ways she couldn’t believe he’d accepted a position like that without consulting her first, but that was Jeff. He’d likely gotten caught up in the excitement of a new adventure.
That guarded expression took over Ike’s eyes again. “What does that mean for you?”
Dahlia scooted closer to him. “That means I’m not tied to Minnesota. I told him I’m considering moving here. It’ll take time. And I need to talk it through with Maya and Ollie, but I think they would love it here.”
“I would love having you here.” Ike gazed into her eyes. “And I can’t wait to get to know Maya and Ollie.”
“They’ll love you.” The kids would be drawn to that friendliness the same way she had been. “I think I could love you, too.” The confession was shaky, but honest. “I’m not sure I’ve ever embraced my true feelings. Not until now. Not until you.” It wasn’t until her security had been taken away that her heart had been completely open and exposed. And maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. With Ike there was no plan and no control and no guarantees for a white picket fence, but there was passion. And for the first time in her life, Dahlia decided she’d rather bank on the passion.
“I could love you too,” Ike told her with a glimmer in his eyes. “Maybe when the dust settles, I can show you how much I feel for you.” He reached for a Santa hat that sat on the coffee table and put it on.
Santa… “Oh no.” She covered her face with her hands.
“What is it?” Ike’s arm came around her. “You okay?”
“Santa.” She popped off the couch. “I have to go shopping! I have all the kids’ presents at home. I wasn’t planning to celebrate with them until after the trip, and now they’re going to think Santa forgot all about them.” It would break their hearts!
Ike stood, too. “No, they won’t. Santa never forgets.”
It was amazing how the man could reach in and snatch her out of panic mode just like that. “What do you mean?”
“My brother and sister-in-law are vising with my niece and nephew next week.” He pointed to a huge stack of wrapped presents under the small Christmas tree in the corner. “They’re about Maya and Ollies ages. We can give them those and I’ll go shopping again after Christmas.”
“Really?” Tears heated her eyes.
“Really. Like I said, Santa never forgets anyone.”
“I like Santa.” Dahlia reached up to straighten the hat for him. “He made me believe in the magic again,” she whispered. Then she leaned in for a long Christmas kiss.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Rose
Who wants more whipped cream?” Rose made her way past the dinette, squirting generous piles of whipped cream into the kids’ mugs. If anyone was worried about the little ones getting a sugar rush the night before Christmas, they shouldn’t have put her in charge of the sugar. “Oh, you need more sprinkles.” She found the chocolate shavings and heaped a generous pile onto the whipped cream mountain she’d just sprayed on a little boy’s hot chocolate.
“This is the best Christmas extravaganza ever!” he declared, taking a huge bite out of the whipped cream.
“I think so too,” Rose agreed. Throughout the course of the evening, she’d managed to circulate through the different areas—the barn, down by the pond for ice-skating, but this camper warming hut had to be her favorite. It had been very popular with the kids. The copious amounts of whipped cream might have something to do with that.
“What do you think, Marigold?” She wandered to the back where the dog sat on the tiny built-in couch. “Would you like some whipped cream?”
The dog tilted her head up and opened her mouth.
“Just a little squirt.” Rose gave her a taste.
“Ew!” The little boy sitting next to the dog made a grossed-out face. “You’re not supposed to give dogs whipped cream!”
“You’re not?” Rose watched Marigold happily lick remnants of whipped cream off her fur. “She sure seems to like it.”
“But it’s a dog.” The boy gave her a dramatic roll of his eyes. “Dogs don’t eat whipped cream.”
“Well, this is my first dog, so I’m not very experienced.” Rose gave Marigold a good scratch behind the ears. “I’m just trying to make her happy. It’s her fav—”
“Rose?” Gregory poked his head in.
With all the excitement she hadn’t seen him since before Mags’s appointment. Not that she had been in a huge hurry to break up with him. The truth was weighing on her, though. “Where have you been?” she walked over to greet him, but Gregory didn’t step foot in the camper. He simply stood outside in the snow.
“I had a ton of work to finish up this afternoon.” The tight scowl on his face put a damper on her Christmas spirit.
“The coffee shop owner finally kicked me out,” Gregory went on. “He’s not the politest person I ever met.”
“Oh, that’s Grumpy.” She carefully maneuvered down the steps and stood across from him. “There’s a reason he earned his nickname.” But she loved the old man and couldn’t imagine Juniper Springs without him.
Gregory didn’t seem to see the charm in the name. “Anyway, I think I’m going to head back up to the house and settle in for the night.”
Rose glanced at her watch. It was all of eight o’clock.
“I’m not in the mood for some big festival tonight,” he went on. “You should see the text my mom sent me about missing tomorrow’s family Christmas dinner.”
It always came back to Evaline. She not only influenced Gregory’s life and schedule. She also influenced his moods.
Dahlia’s earlier words blared back at her. You have to choose wisely. Rose hadn’t. The whole time she’d been engaged to Gregory, she’d been more concerned about what he wanted. Or, more accurately, what his family wanted. But this was her moment. She had to make the right choice now, before she lost what she wanted most. “Sassy offered us the inn, and I want to keep it.”
Gregory sighed heavily and leaned his shoulder against the camper. “It’s not practical. Talk about a money drain. This place is too run-down. We’d never make a profit on it.”
“I don’t care about a profit.” He should know her better than that by now. “The Juniper Inn means something to me. It means something to my family.” In a way, it had become the place where she could be the truest version of herself. She could be creative and wandering and casual and contemplative. “I’m happy here.”
“I don’t understa
nd.” Gregory threw up his hands and paced a few steps away from her. “What happened to you when you left?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Whatever it is, you need to snap out of it. You’ve changed. You’re different. I feel like I don’t even know you.”
“I am different here.” This was who she got to be when all the labels were stripped away. This is who she got to be when she wasn’t Gregory Cunningham’s fiancée. “I like who I am here.” She was a better person here than she’d been in Savannah. “And I can’t do it. I’m sorry. I can’t be who your family wants me to be. I can’t be who you want me to be.” Dally was right. She had to follow her heart, no matter how much it cost her.
“All I want is for you to be the same woman I fell in love with.” Anger put a brittle edge into the words. “I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”
Tears heated her eyes. “But I’ll always be changing. Growing. Trying to be better.” At least she hoped she would. “I’ll always be trying to live deeper.” That wasn’t what he wanted though. He wanted predictable and controllable. He wanted to work out every morning and then go to work and get home in time for a late dinner and then he wanted to wake up and do the same thing the next day so he could fulfill every expectation he’d been living under since he was a child. And that wasn’t love. That wasn’t passion. “I can’t marry you.” The tears fell. “We have to call off the wedding.”
“Are you crazy?” Even in the dim light outside the camper, she could see his face turning the same shade of red it did when she was running late somewhere. “We can’t call off the wedding now. After we’ve already made such a big deal about it. What will everyone think?”
“It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.” That question only confirmed this was the right decision. He wasn’t at all upset about losing her. Calling off the wedding wouldn’t break his heart. It would damage his image, his family’s image.
“I can’t live my life trying to meet everyone else’s standards.” Not after seeing this glimpse of what her life could be. “I especially can’t meet your mom’s standards.” And she wasn’t willing to spend her whole life trying.
“You’re walking away from me?” He marched to her and got in her face. “You’ve lost your mind. I think the altitude has made you crazy.”
“And I think it’s helped me see things clearly for the first time in a long time.” The mountains, her sisters, her aunt. This charming little town. “I care for you very much. But we want different things out of life.” Admitting it finally freed her. One month ago, she wouldn’t have been strong enough to walk away. She would’ve marched down that aisle with a push from her mother, but her sisters inspired her. Sassy inspired her. She needed to live the life that made her happy.
“Obviously you’re not who I thought you were,” Gregory sneered.
“I’m not,” she agreed. “I guess I didn’t know who I was.” She’d been too busy trying to make everyone else happy. “I’m sorry.” But she had no doubt he would find a woman who was willing to fill her place.
“Sorry?” He turned and stomped away from her. “A lot of good sorry is going to do me.” He continued talking as he walked away from her, but the light wind stole his words.
Children still chattered inside the camper, as though too engrossed in their treats to pay any attention to what the adults were saying. “Hey guys, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She handed the little dog expert the can of whipped cream. “You’re in charge.”
“Yes!” He went about refilling everyone’s mug.
“Come on, Marigold,” she called, wrapping her scarf around her neck. Together, she and her dog stepped outside and tromped over through the aspens en route to the barn. She’d best tell Aunt Sassy and her sisters Gregory wouldn’t be joining them for their Christmas breakfast in the morning. “I’m not getting married,” she informed sweet Marigold. “Wait until my mom hears. She’s going to lose her mind.” But she didn’t have to think about that right now. She wouldn’t think about that right now.
A swooshing came through the trees—the gentle sound of runners on the snow. Rose stopped and stepped aside as Colt steered the sleigh through the narrow path in the trees. He looked like a cowboy sitting on that bench seat all bundled up.
“Whoa.” Pulling on the reins, he slowed the horses to a stop next to Rose. “Need a lift?”
“A lift would be great.” She’d decided to wear her cute boots instead of the clompy snow boots, and now her toes were numb.
“Here we go.” Colt reached out his hand to help her into the sleigh, and Marigold jumped in behind her. They all settled in, and he handed her a warm wool blanket. “It’s pretty chilly when you get going.”
“I remember.” But it was also beautiful—the lights in the trees, the white fluffy snow. With views like this, she would take the cold any day.
“Where to?” Colt prodded the horses to get moving, and the sleigh glided effortlessly over the ground.
“I need to head to the barn,” she told him, her gaze entranced by the colorful lights.
“That’s where I’m headed anyway.” He steered the horses with an expert hand. “Sassy wanted the sleigh rides to start at eight thirty on the nose. I figured I’d better get down there early.”
“Everyone is going to love this.” Rose closed her eyes, letting the cold wind bite at her cheeks.
“Should I ask why you were walking alone when your fiancé showed up for a surprise visit?” Colt finally broke the silence between them.
“I wasn’t alone.” She guided Marigold’s head to lay in her lap. She wouldn’t be alone with Marigold around.
The man next to her shot her a knowing look, but simply asked, “You okay?”
“Not really.” Gregory might not’ve been the one for her, but they’d shared a lot. At one point she’d imagined a future with him. And watching him walk away had hurt. “I broke up with my fiancé.” Colt wasn’t your typical heart-to-heart talker, but he’d likely hear eventually anyway.
“I’m not sure what to say,” he admitted, keeping his eyes on the tracks in front of him. “Breakup advice isn’t my specialty.”
“Are you sure?” she teased. But then she let him off the hook. “You don’t have to say anything. It was a long time coming.” For her, the breakup had been a process of evaluating her doubts and then finally finding the strength to give in to them. “It’s for the best.” In this case, those words weren’t trite. “He’s a good person, but we want different things.”
“So, what’re you going to do?” Colt asked, pulling the sleigh to a stop near the barn.
“I’m going to stay here. In Juniper Springs.” The answer came easily. Think of everything she could do with this place! She could pour all of her creativity into these old cabins. Maybe she would make each one a different theme. She slid a smile in Colt’s direction. “But I promise not to redecorate anything in this town without getting permission first.”
“Ha.” He climbed out of the sleigh and then walked over to help her down. “You don’t need permission. This town could use some flair.”
“I’ll remember that.” She walked by his side to the barn doors, smiling at the music and laughter echoing inside. “I can’t believe I’m starting over. I hardly know anyone here. And my mother…” Her emotions seesawed back and forth between elation and terror. But she had to do this. She couldn’t live for Lillian anymore.
“Well, Sassy loves you, so you won’t be totally alone.” Colt nudged her shoulder with his. “And Grumpy seems to think you’re okay.”
“That’s true. I guess I’ll have two friends here.” She stared him down, lifting her eyebrows in wait.
“Two’s not too bad,” Colt said with a straight face.
Oh, come on. Was he going to make her beg? “But maybe I could make it three?” she prompted.
He opened the door for her, smiling as they went in. “We’ll see.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Magnolia
Here, let me take th
at.” Eric swooped in and took the box of cookies out of Mags’s hands, bringing it to the large table where her confections were rapidly disappearing.
“I can carry a box of cookies,” she informed him with a playful smile. “Just this morning, I carried my laundry basket downstairs all by myself.”
“That’s because I wasn’t here.” Her husband set the box of cookies on the table and crept up behind her, weaving his arms around her waist. “Now you don’t have to carry your own laundry, or your own box of cookies.”
Shaking her head at him, Mags turned into his embrace. “You’re not going to be around twenty-four/seven, you know. What about when we’re back home and you’re at work?”
He settled his hands on her hips. “Maybe I should take the next thirty-eight weeks off so I can do all the lifting and cleaning and laundry.”
That made her laugh out loud. “Last time you did the laundry you turned all of my underwear red.”
Eric laughed, too. “Those buttons on the washing machine are confusing.”
“Leave the laundry to me.” Mags rested her palms on his chest, and that was enough to bring a swell of desire. Whoa Nelly, it had been way too long since she’d touched this man. “We’re not going to worry, remember? I can lift things. I can clean, and I can still do laundry.” As unfortunate as that was. “It’s good for me to exercise, to be active. You don’t want me to gain a hundred pounds, do you?”
“I’d still love you.” His hands met at the small of her back, pressing her in a little bit more. “God, I was so afraid I was going to lose you, Mags. I was so afraid we weren’t going to find each other again. I can’t imagine my life without you.”
For at least the tenth time that day, tears crowded her eyes. You’d think she’d run out of them eventually. “I can’t imagine my life without you either.” She’d been so closed off to him, closed off to everything because of the pain. But now her heart was opening again, and she would let everything back in. The love and the grief. Both were part of life and healing.
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