by Lisa Prysock
“It’s really nice. Can I do that now?”
“Yes, you may.” Thinking of Drew’s idiosyncrasies, she added, “Play with it as much as you like, but try to keep it on the coffee table, okay?”
“Okay, sure, thanks Mom.” She stared up at Nicole with her bright blue eyes, her hands resting on the baby Jesus figurine representing their Savior. “I know why you want me to be careful. The preacher man, Savannah’s Dad, he said baby Jesus coming to the earth is the best thing that ever happened to the world and that’s what Christmas is all about.”
“He’s absolutely right, Amy.” She settled into the recliner with her book, staring at her daughter, happy to hear she’d grasped the true meaning of Christmas... happy their visit to The Sweetwater had brought Christ front and center into their lives. She couldn’t help but smile as she wrapped a strand of her dark hair around one finger. Thankfully, they were both finally wide awake spiritually to celebrate the most important birth in the annals of all history.
AFTER THEY’D PUT UP the tree and all of the decorations, Amy fell asleep on the floor where she could stare up at the lights. Jack had held her up in his arms so she could position the big star on the very top. While they put the ornaments on, they’d enjoyed watching Miracle on 34th Street. The whole evening had felt like a dream to Nicole since Drew hardly celebrated Christmas except for the wrong reasons.
Now, Nicole and Jack sat close together, admiring the tree and catching the last few minutes of the movie. He’d put his arm around the back of the sofa, his fingertips resting on her shoulder. It wasn’t long before he pulled her closer and tipped her chin so he could give her a passionate kiss.
When they stopped kissing and the movie was over, it was time to tuck Amy into bed, turn on the nightlight, and head to the kitchen to make cups of mocha flavored coffee in the Keurig. This time, Nicole sat down in the recliner, leaving Jack the sofa. She didn’t want things to move too fast, but it was nice having him there.
“Is this the book and the movie script you were telling me about at dinner?” Jack spied the package from her agent and picked up the book for a closer look.
She nodded. “Yes, it’s an amazing story. I finished reading it this afternoon. The script is very well written, too.”
“What role do they want you to portray?” He stared at the front cover of the book for a long time. She didn’t have to ask about his thoughts to know they were both thinking of the lighthouse visions he’d mentioned. It was yet another uncanny moment between the two of them.
“The mother of ten children and the wife of the ship’s Captain.” She sipped her coffee, enjoying the perfect blend of chocolate and coffee.
“The Lady of Cornwall,” he repeated. “It sounds intriguing. You look too beautiful to be the mother of ten children.”
“Careful now, you’ll make me blush,” she replied, laughing. “Make-up artists can make me appear older, and the hairstylist will probably style my hair messy.” She wound her hair back into a knot at the nape of her neck and pulled a generous amount of strands out to hang loosely around her face. “Like this.” She turned so he could see.
He chuckled. “I see...that’s what they call the messy bun, right?”
She nodded. Leaning forward, he turned the book over again. “Seems like a great story.”
Nicole began explaining the storyline. “Basically, she’s married to a ship’s captain and does a lot of waiting for him to return from his trips for the East India British Company. They’re from England. They have ten children, and some of them go on the ship to learn their father’s trade. She lives in a small village on the coast of Cornwall, but there are rocks in the port and ships experience dangerous fog, gales, and high winds.”
She continued as he listened. “Without the lighthouse, her husband’s ship and others are not able to navigate the harbor safely. She must be a strong character, managing their farm and household when he’s away at sea, and maintaining the lighthouse. Of course, there are all kinds of troubles, including storms, financial threats to the lighthouse, the farm, and the like. Her husband also takes in children as indentured servants, teaching them about the sea and the shipping trade, helping them avoid a life of poverty in workhouses and destitution. When they are done serving their term, they come out of terrible conditions with a trade and a future. She’s a Christian, as is her husband, and their children. It’s an inspirational romantic story of overcoming many difficulties in the 1800s, you see.”
Jack picked up one of the letters. “I believe you were born for this role. I’d like to visit the set when you’re filming it. It sounds like a great story, and you mentioned it’s not Fairchild Studios, but through your agent, right?”
She nodded. “The director is really good and the story is based on true events, as you see by the enclosed copies of real historical letters written between Captain Wellsey and his lady.”
“Are you going to take the role?” His eyes scanned the letter.
“I think so,” she nodded, a wide smile lighting up her whole face. “I’m supposed to let him know tomorrow.”
“Mind if I read the book? There were many shipwrecks off the Cornish coast.” Jack continued to examine the contents of the package from her agent.
“Sure. You like to read British classics? You sound as though you may be well-versed in English history. How might this be?” Nicole turned to look at Jack from the recliner as if he’d fallen off another planet.
“When I’m not riding broncos, breaking in mustangs and quarter horses, or bringing in the next hay harvest, I’m usually reading,” he answered, a twinkle in his eyes.
“Well I’ll be, Jack Colten, aren’t you just full of surprises?” Nicole sat back in her recliner to sip the mocha flavored coffee, stare at the tree, and quietly marvel at her new discovery about her handsome cowboy.
Chapter 23
“Christians awake, salute the happy morn,
Whereon the Savior of the world was born.”
—John Byron
December brought a plethora of Christmas activities to The Sweetwater, and something more—romance, too. There were plenty of romantic outings and family moments. There were a few trips to the mall for last minute shopping for gifts. They’d taken a fall hike with Jack through some of the trails twice when the snow had almost completely melted again and the sunshine had come out for a few days. He’d said it wouldn’t last, and he was right. Snow was merely playing a game of hide and seek with them.
The mud dried up long enough to make walking pleasant, and blue skies showed off more of the rich autumn colors in the last of the fall season’s Wyoming landscape. The meadows looked apple green with golden tips on everything, little bits of pink and purple occasionally shouting they’d survived the first few signs of the winter to come. Patches of trees displayed their glorious remaining leaves in shades of plum, red, yellow, and orange. They’d discovered the row boat at the little lake, and he’d taken them for a peaceful afternoon picnic and fishing at the end of one Saturday morning hike. Of course it’d been too chilly to catch any fish, but they’d had fun being out on the lake in the little boat.
The fall mums, scarecrows, and pumpkins disappeared from the ranch when Jill Haven began decorating everything with Christmas greenery and red velvet bows. She had the wranglers hanging Christmas lights and wreaths everywhere for days.
Wearing flannel shirts, jeans, and cowboy boots, the Sweetwater cowboys began creating a nativity scene which filled up the rodeo area near the pavilions, and to Nicole, the best part was they’d get to see it every Sunday morning on the way to the little white country church. She hadn’t been to church in years, but now she truly looked forward to the services at The Sweetwater Chapel to hear Logan preach comforting words and the gospel message of Christ’s birth and life. More than that, Logan had a way of helping her understand how she could apply what she was learning and live out the Christian life. It was all so new all over again. She’d forgotten so much about what it should have be
en for her all along, and she could hardly believe she’d ever strayed.
Amy finished all of her homeschool lessons early and was soon officially on Christmas break. They crammed as much fun into each day as they possibly could, joining in with the ranch activities like Christmas caroling, quilting sessions, and making Christmas crafts at the main house. There’d been a country western dance one evening too, and Jack was Nicole’s escort. Sometimes Amy played outside in front of the cabin with the Haven kids. Other days, she walked to the chapel with the children who planned to participate in the Christmas program while Nicole did some reading indoors.
They also watched holiday movies and spent a few days baking cookies and wrapping gifts in their cabin. Wrapping all the gifts had taken forever, but Jack had even put the bike together for Christmas morning. It would remain hidden in his RV until Christmas Eve. All of their other packages were mailed or placed under the tree, and it seemed as though they’d eaten dinner every evening with Jack Colten. They’d even managed about three dates without Amy, thanks to Jill offering an invite from Savannah for a few sleepovers.
“DO WE LOOK ALL RIGHT?” Nicole asked nervously as she twirled around one last time in the cabin foyer before Jack would escort them to the main house. He’d invited her and Amy to be his guests at the Haven Family Christmas Party. Only family for the Havens and Sweetwater staff were invited. She and Amy wore matching Christmas dresses in burgundy with gold sashes. Her chiffon skirt flared out as she twirled. They’d had their nails and hair done at the beauty salon at the ranch. So far, it’d been one of the events she’d looked forward to most.
“You ladies look wonderful.” Jack smiled approvingly in his dark suit and burgundy tie. “We match. It was a nice thought to coordinate a little bit.”
“It’s snowing again,” Amy said. “You’ll have to hold our hands, Cowboy Jack, so we don’t fall on the snow.”
“I can do better than that,” he said, swinging her up into the air and slipping an arm around Nicole. With Amy giggling and settled against his shoulder, he pulled Nicole close and instructed her to hold on tightly. “My truck will have us there in a jiffy. I’m just parked a short distance away.”
When they were settled at the party in the main room by the stone fireplace, Jack introduced a few of the Haven relations. “Nicole, this is Philomena and Chase Haven from The Broken J. Chase and Logan are cousins. I worked at their beautiful Tipton ranch for a while.”
“Nice to meet you,” Nicole smiled, shaking each of their hands and realizing she’d already lost Amy to Savannah. “My daughter is over there by the Christmas tree with Savannah. They’re about the same age.”
Philomena smiled sweetly and nodded in the direction of the children. “That’s sweet they have each other to hang out with. Merry Christmas to both of you. We sure do miss having you at The Broken J, but I know Logan and Jill will treat you right.”
“They sure will.” Chase nodded, agreeing with his wife’s words. “My dad is here somewhere. Oh, there he is, talking with Aunt Sadie and Uncle Jack. They’re probably exchanging their vegetable garden secrets. They had this sibling rivalry thing going on all summer long about who could grow the biggest cabbage and the best watermelon.”
“Sure, I remember your dad. That’s funny about the gardening. Logan and Jill have been great. Looks like it’s almost time to sit down for dinner and then the opening of gifts,” Jack said, as Logan began quieting everyone down for a prayer. All of the wranglers had arrived with their wives or a date, and the staff and family members looked excited about the evening.
“I’ll get Amy situated at the children’s table and then maybe we can all sit together,” Nicole whispered.
Jack smiled and squeezed her hand gently. The guy was a saint. What had she ever done to deserve the chance to be with such an amazing guy?
JILL NUDGED LOGAN. “It’s time honey, it’s time.”
“To open gifts? All right, I’ll get everyone to gather around the tree as soon as I finish this last bite of my prime rib.” Logan grinned happily as he stabbed the steak with his fork.
Soft Christmas music played in the background while ivory pillar candles surrounded by evergreens and pinecones flickered their flames against white linen tablecloths on forest green table runners. The large, stone fireplace was stoked, and it was as though the good Lord had smiled on them when the snowflakes started falling before that evening.
Mrs. Wright and Corky had done an excellent job executing Jill’s decorating wishes to hold the Christmas party in the sunken living room. They’d brought out round tables and plenty of greenery to make a festive environment. A buffet piled high with culinary delights tantalized their family and the staff who’d helped grow The Sweetwater. Prime rib, roast turkey, country ham slices, mashed potatoes, gravy, broccoli cheese casserole, sweet corn, honey glazed carrots, cherry and mandarin orange cranberry salad, and fluted cups of tapioca pudding graced the buffet table.
“No, honey,” Jill shook her head. “The baby. It’s time to have this baby. My contractions are about seven minutes apart. By the time we get to the hospital, they may be even closer together. Savannah arrived sooner than doctors expected, so it could happen with this baby, too.”
“Contractions? Baby? Hospital?” Logan’s eyes grew wide and he dropped the fork onto the plate. “Oh, it’s time!”
Looking across the table at Chase and Philomena, Jill smiled sweetly as if nothing were out of the ordinary. “Chase, Philomena, we’ll need you to finish hosting our party. Apparently this baby has decided to make an arrival. Would you mind?”
“We don’t mind,” Philomena chimed in. “This is wonderful. I’m sure we can manage. Don’t worry about anything.”
“As you know, everyone brought a gift to exchange and placed it under the tree for someone else, even the children. There are a few extra if needed. The gifts for the wranglers and the staff from us are all tagged and under the tree with their names. There’s a bonus inside the Christmas cards for each one, and they’re all supposed to take a country ham home from the kitchen freezer for their Christmas dinner.” Jill summarized the last few details for Phil and Chase with a hand on her tummy.
“We can handle that,” Chase grinned and nodded. “You two go on and bring us home another second cousin. Cousin Phil and Chase to the rescue. We’ll stay with the kiddos until you return, right honey? Text us if you need anything else.”
“Are you all right, Logan?” Jack asked from his seat at the same table.
“He does look a little pale,” Nicole commented.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Logan mumbled as he rose to his feet. “Let’s see. What was on our list we’re supposed to do first?”
“Find someone to watch the kids, and we did that.” Jill winced with another contraction. “Philomena, I forgot to mention my mom, Betty Anne, and my Aunt Meredith are both here at the party, if you need anything to do with the kids. Oh, and Sadie, too. They have all of our emergency numbers.”
“Sure, no problem. I know Jackie will be a huge help to us if needed.” Philomena nodded with concern for Jill, but her violet eyes were also filled with joy. She offered a smile. “I’m so happy for you both! The baby is on the way!”
“I know we’re forgetting something, but I can’t remember what we’re forgetting.” Logan produced the keys to his truck and tilted his head as he considered the matter.
“Just my suitcase and the baby bag, dear,” Jill breathed. “By the foyer desk, ready to go. They’ve been there for weeks now. I texted the doctor. He texted back and is on the way to meet us at the hospital.”
“Right, suitcase and baby bag,” Logan nodded, pulling out Jill’s chair as she stood up and winced again.
Chase grinned. “Don’t worry, cousin. We’ll be fine. All you need to do is get Jill to the hospital and be there for her.”
“Got it,” Logan nodded, the color returning to his face. “Thanks cousin. Make yourselves at home. Do whatever you need to be comfortable and stay clo
se to the kiddos, and say a few prayers, eh?”
“We’re on it and we’ll explain everything to the kids,” Chase was reassuring, a twinkle in his eye appearing at the prospect of having a new addition to the Haven family. “Drive careful.”
“The kids, oh man, we don’t have time to explain...” Logan looked bewildered. “They’re all still eating over there at their table and looking forward to opening a gift tonight. It will take forever if we stop to explain now. Can you bring them to the hospital tomorrow?”
“Of course,” Chase nodded. “You’d better go.”
“Let’s go, honey. Phil and Chase can handle it,” Jill nudged. “This is getting pretty intense.”
“Right.” Logan ran a hand through his hair, still looking as though he wondered if he was forgetting anything.
“I’ll call Ed, Logan. A police escort couldn’t hurt.” Jack began dialing his brother-in-law.
“Thanks, Colten. Good idea.” Logan gave Jack a look of gratitude and steered his wife toward the foyer.
CLIMBING UNDER THE quilt in the loft bedroom of her cabin, Nicole sighed with contentment. She propped the pillows up against the hand-carved headboard and sank back into them. Ah, the bed was so comfortable; a nice end to a lovely evening with Jack and Amy. She sipped some of the cup of steaming spiced cider and returned it to the saucer on the night stand. Logan and Jill had been cute together trying to get out the door and be on their way to the hospital. They’d been so kind to her, she was truly happy for them. Soon, there’d be news of a new Haven baby to meet and love. Amy would be ecstatic.
Reaching for the book, the script, and the letters one more time, she scanned through a few of her favorite passages. She hadn’t been able to stop reading everything. The script and the book were both so good. The letters were authentic, being penned more than a hundred years ago by the real people upon whom the story was based. They continued to speak to her heart long after she’d read them the first time.
