by Tess Brennan
“Of course, of course!” Grace watched eagerly as Kate took one corner and Brooke jumped up to take the other, spreading the quilt and holding it up so she could take it all in.
Grace beamed, and then, predictably, the tears spilled over. “It’s beautiful. It’s almost too gorgeous to use. Kate, how long did this take? You must have been working on it for months!”
“Off and on,” Kate admitted. “I put the finishing touches to it a couple of nights ago.” She grinned at Grace. “But you know how I am with my craft work. I enjoyed every minute of it. I just wish I had more time to spend on craft.”
Grace got up out of her chair and walked over to the quilt, still stretched out between Brooke and Kate. She touched the flowery center panel, running her fingers over the 3D effect of blooms that seemed almost real, and sighed in contentment over the way the colors blended with the muted pinks and mauves of dusk and the deeper hues of twilight. “I can’t wait to put this on my bed – but the one that’s on it now is beautiful, too! I’ll hate to part with it.”
Unexpectedly, Jossy spoke up. “That one on your bed now, Nana…?”
“Yes, darling?” Grace smiled at her.
“It would look nice in my room. I mean, the colors still go, right? If that’s OK.”
“It’s not actually mine, Jossy. It’s on loan from Kate.” Grace looked at Kate enquiringly.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize.” Jossy retreated immediately.
“I have a dozen or more quilts at home,” Kate said quickly, smiling. “The biggest problem any quilter has is finding a home for them all. You’re welcome to it, Jossy. It will go beautifully with the prints you chose for your room.”
“Well, thanks. If you’re sure.” The girl looked uncomfortable. Kate could understand that: it wouldn’t be easy to accept a gift from someone you’d so recently insulted.
With any luck this might be the start of an easier relationship, but she wouldn’t count on it.
Eggnog, music and conversation gave way to Christmas dinner, paper hats and the snap of Christmas crackers. Lachlan, completely won over by Tolly’s easy good humor and impressive business background, relaxed enough to tell a few jokes, which meant that Amy was happy too. By mid-afternoon the four youngest were in the kitchen supposedly washing up, but there sounded like more laughter and talking going on than anything else.
When Grace had finally succumbed to the warmth from the fire and a heavy meal and was dozing in her chair, Amy and Lachlan exchanged a look and both stood up.
“Mom, we really need to be going. But thank you, Tolly, for asking us over. We’ve had such a nice time.” Amy took Lachlan’s arm. “Will you thank Grace for us? I don’t want to wake her.”
“Of course I will. And we’ve enjoyed every moment of your company.” Tolly stood up too, and shook Lachlan’s hand warmly. “You’re welcome any time.”
“Thanks.” Lachlan, like Amy, was relaxed and convivial. “We just might take you up on that.”
“I’ll walk you out.” Kate waited at the kitchen while Amy and Lachlan said their goodbyes to the other four, and then followed them out to their car.
Amy hugged her. “I’m sorry we have to leave early. And I’m sorry I was so grumpy about going next door. You’re right: they’re nice people.”
“They are.” Kate kissed her on the cheek, and then reached up to kiss Lachlan. “Now you can see why I love living next door to Grace!”
“Yes, we can.” Amy squeezed her hand. “Don’t forget your promise, Mom.”
“I won’t.” Kate switched her attention to Lachlan. “Amy told me about your offer to help pay a mortgage, Lachlan, and I’m very grateful – but I couldn’t possibly let you do it.”
“Don’t say ‘no’ yet.” Amy put a finger on her lips. “Think about it.”
“All right, I will.” Kate huffed out a sigh, pretending impatience, then grinned. “Difficult girl that you are.”
Amy laughed wryly. “That’s not going to change. I’ll probably always be the ornery one, Mother.” Seeing Kate’s expression, she rolled her eyes and quickly amended her words. “I mean Mom.”
“I’m so glad you could both make it,” Kate said sincerely. “Drive safely. And don’t be a stranger.”
“I won’t. We won’t leave it so long before visiting next time, will we, Lachlan?”
“Definitely not,” said Lachlan, but Kate caught the flicker of doubt in his eyes.
Oh well. She couldn’t have expected things to change overnight, she decided. She waved until they were out of sight, and then went back to Grace’s.
When she returned to the sitting room, Tolly was stoking the fire and Grace was snoring gently. He put his finger to his lips and nodded towards the family room through the archway.
“What are they doing in there?” Kate asked, hearing another burst of laughter from the kitchen. “How long does it take to clean up after Christmas dinner, anyway?”
“I believe they’re sampling the mead I bought for Christmas,” Tolly said. “And telling tall tales.”
“It’s nice to see them all getting on so well.”
Tolly raised an eyebrow. “Especially Logan and Sophie. I think my son is somewhat smitten.” He reached over to the Christmas tree and slid a small be-ribboned box off one of the branches. “This is for you, Kate. Merry Christmas.” He took her hand and placed the box on her palm.
“Tolly.” Kate looked at the box he placed on her palm, and then glanced up at him. “Thank you. I have something for you, too.” She bent and extracted a present from the few remaining under the tree. “I hope you like it.”
“Thank you too. Now, you first.”
Kate grinned. “Good. I’m bursting to see what it is.” Carefully, she unwrapped the box, stowing the ribbon in her pocket. The box was emblazoned with the name of an antique store in Laredo, and when she opened it, a delicate flower-shaped pendant, crafted in silver, glinted from the black silk lining. A single deep blue stone glowed from the center.
“It reminded me of you,” Tolly said. “And the quilt you made for Mom. It’s just a small thank you.”
Kate’s heart grew warm. “Tolly, thank you. It’s beautiful. The perfect gift.” She glanced up at him, and he took the opportunity to dip his head and kiss her softly. Kate closed her eyes and savored the feeling of his warm lips on hers, and then sighed and drew back. “Now you.”
Tolly ran his fingers over the paper. “Hmmm. Hard and smooth.” He took it in both hands and shook it near his ear, listening. “Doesn’t rattle.”
“I can see you learned this from Grace,” Kate scolded. “Come on, I know you can tell what it is. Just unwrap it!”
“All right, I admit there’s no disguising a book.” Cheerfully, he ripped off the paper and laughed. “Coffee Making for Connoisseurs?”
“You probably know it all already,” Kate said. “But hey.” She shrugged. “For the man who has everything… open it up.”
He did so, and an envelope slid out. Tolly caught it before it dropped to the floor, and grinned when he saw the contents. “A voucher for coffee beans!”
“From that new store in Laredo. They import these fancy beans from wherever.” Kate shrugged. “Wasted on me, but I figured you’d be interested.”
“I am indeed.” He looped his arms around her neck and kissed her again. “I’ll pick some really obscure beans and we’ll have a coffee morning.”
“That was my plan. Now, I want to put this on.” She extracted the pendant and its fine chain from the box, and turned around so Tolly could do up the clasp.
He did so, and kissed the back of her neck. “I hope I’ll get to do this a lot more.”
She turned around and gazed up at him, drinking in his good-humored face and warm gaze. For a moment, the rest of the world went away. “Me too,” she whispered.
The sound of voices coming from the direction of the kitchen broke the spell. When their children came in, they were sitting on the sofa, looking at the pages of Tolly’s new b
ook.
“Here,” Jossy said, handing a glass of mead to her father. “You were the one to buy it, we figured you should taste it.” Her eyes were bright, and her cheeks flushed. “It’s not half bad.”
“And here’s yours, Mom.” Brooke was carrying a second glass. “We thought we’d better quit while we’re ahead. We’re going to watch a Christmas movie on TV. Want to join us?”
Kate and Tolly toasted each other with their glasses, enjoying their children. “Sounds like a plan,” said Kate.
She looked up to see Jossy’s eyes on the new pendant hanging around her neck.
“Um, Kate.” Jossy moved from one foot to the other, looking embarrassed but determined. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Kate took a sip to cover her sudden apprehension. Surely, after things had been going so well all day, Jossy wasn’t going to spoil it now?
Clearly, Jossy meant not here with everyone else listening.
“More intrigue with Grace’s renovations?” Kate asked, keeping her voice light. “Sounds like you don’t trust your Nan not to be faking it either. Let’s go where she can’t hear us.”
They all glanced at the other end of the room where Grace was still blissfully snoring near the fire, and everybody laughed.
Jossy led the way, and Kate followed her to the kitchen.
When they were safely away from the others, the girl’s eyes again went to the antique pendant, gleaming on Kate’s soft sweater. “Dad bought you that,” she said. “I saw him showing it to Nana.”
“Yes, that’s right.” Kate kept her voice pleasant. “It’s lovely. Kind of a link to Grace’s new quilt.” She realized she was clenching and unclenching her fingers, and willed herself to be still. “I assume this is not really about Grace, or the house renovations, is it?”
“No, but that was a good save.” Unexpectedly, Jossy shot her a wry grin, and immediately the tension in the room dropped down a notch.
“It’s, um.” Jossy shook her head, and then put her chin in the air and met Kate’s eyes directly. “I owe you an apology. I jumped to conclusions about you, and I was wrong. I’m sorry.”
Kate’s mouth dropped open, and then her eyes narrowed as she swiftly put two and two together. She sighed. “My girls have been talking, haven’t they?”
“Yes.” She leaned back against the kitchen bench and twisted her hands together in front of her. “Don’t be angry with them. We were trying the mead, and talking, and I told them about one awful Christmas when my stepmother was still around, and they could tell I didn’t like her, and Logan made a crack about the evil stepmother…” She stopped and looked up at the ceiling. “I’m babbling. I know.”
Kate just looked at her. “Go on.”
“And I told them what she was really like and what she did to Dad, and Brooke just laughed and said that she was the exact opposite to her Mom.”
“And they told you about Dan. My ex-husband. The money.”
“Not much,” Jossy said, red surging into her cheeks. “They just said that they were trying to persuade you to take a settlement and you wouldn’t. And they said that Amy was right: you are too Christian for your own good.”
Kate had to laugh. “Oh dear. I don’t think that’s quite right, but they’re a bit upset with me at the moment. Anyway.” She saw the shame in Jossy’s eyes, and her fingers twisting together, and took pity on her. “It’s OK, Jossy. I get it that you don’t want your father hurt again.”
“But I was really rude.” She swallowed. “Did you tell Dad? What I said?”
“No. I told you I don’t operate that way.” Kate’s voice was gentle. “Forget about it, Jossy. I appreciate your apology. More than I can say.”
“Thank you.” Jossy stared at her feet.
“I think we’d better go on a shopping trip to get some truly decadent, thick towels for Grace’s new bathroom, don’t you?” Kate said conversationally. “Now the sales are on, and all.”
Jossy’s head flew up. “A shopping trip?”
“Yes. After all, that’s what we came out here to discuss, wasn’t it?” Kate winked. “More surprises for your Nan?”
Grateful, Jossy nodded. “OK. That sounds good.”
“All right. We have a truce.” Kate walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek. “It really is all right, Jossy. I won’t say a word.”
“Thank you.” Jossy reached up and touched the flower pendant. “I like the pendant.”
“It’s a lovely gift. I can see your Dad gave it some thought.” Kate inclined her head in the direction of the family room. “Come on. Let’s go watch a movie with the others.”
They went together to join the rest of the family, and Kate thought that as Christmas gifts went, a vote of confidence from the daughter of the new man in her life was pretty hard to beat.
THE END
About Tess Brennan
I live on the East Coast of Australia with my husband, and love exploring the area with him — and I also love the beach, swimming, lolling about in the sun, and travel!
Oh, and there’s one other thing that I love to do: read stories about people who have loved and lost, and loved again… or people who fight against the odds to find the love of a lifetime!
Naturally, reading stories like this led to writing stories about the same true love. (OK, I’m a sucker for this.) The Hope Valley Romance series was a pet project, but it’s just the beginning.
After all, there are thousands of wonderful stories to tell!
Tess
A Christmas Gift for Kate
Copyright © 2017 by Tess Brennan
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to people is purely coincidence. All places, names, events, businesses etc. are used in a fictional manner. All characters are from the imagination of the author.
