“Didn’t I hear you had a nurse come to stay with Sam while he’s recuperating?” Mr. Davis asked.
Seth nodded. “Yep. She’s um…”
“Pretty? Young? Just right for you?” Mr. Davis asked. He cackled at the horrified expression on Seth’s face.
Joy hid her smile behind her cup of hot chocolate.
As though he sensed his friend’s turmoil and desire to escape the inquiring glances being tossed his way, Drew rose and placed a hand on Seth’s shoulder. “We better get back to it or we’ll be out here in the dark.”
The men thanked Mrs. Harris for the cookies and hot chocolate then hurried back to work while some of the neighbors lingered. Joy watched from the porch where Mr. Davis kept her and Mrs. Harris entertained with stories. With the heater blowing warm air and blankets tucked over their laps, Joy enjoyed an hour spent listening to the old man share his memories while she basked in a feeling of community she’d never before known. This was what she’d been missing all the years she lived in California. People who cared about each other, supported one another, and joined together to lend a hand.
When a lull arose in the conversation, Joy grinned at Mr. Davis. “Say, I have an idea and wondered if you all might assist me with it.”
“What are you thinking, honey?” Mr. Davis asked, leaning forward and patting her on the arm.
“I’m thinking Drew could use a little holiday cheer. What if we…”
Chapter Twelve
A grin creased Drew’s face as he opened the mailbox and found another gift inside. Throughout the day, nearly every stop on his route had resulted in him receiving a note of thanks, a gift of gratitude, a tray of treats with a message of thankfulness for his service in not only delivering the mail, but all the extra things he did.
He’d never, not once in his life, felt so loved and appreciated. That morning, when the first few steps on his route resulted in a handful of gifts and cards, Drew had grown suspicious. Even Rhett had given him a gift card for a year’s worth of free oil changes and tune ups at his garage.
“I appreciate all you do, man,” Rhett said, thumping him on the back and handing him a cup of hot coffee.
“It’s no more than you do for me, dude,” Drew said, grinning at his friend as he tucked the gift card in his coat pocket and sipped the coffee. “You wouldn’t, by chance, know who headed up the campaign to shower me with gifts and thanks, would you?”
Rhett snickered. “Ask your girlfriend.”
Drew glowered at him. “Joy is not my girlfriend. We’re just friends.”
Rhett’s snickers turned to an all-out laugh. “Man, you are as blind as Mrs. Burnside if you can’t see the way that girl looks at you. Besides, any idiot can see the sparks dancing between the two of you when you get within ten yards of each other.”
Drew raised an eyebrow and glanced at Rhett. “Like the electricity that shoots between you and your lovely neighbor. How is Cedar doing?”
“Fine,” Rhett said, and then pointed outside. “Don’t you have mail to deliver instead of harassing me?”
Drew laughed and finished the coffee, tossing the disposable cup in the trash can by the door. “Thanks again, Rhett. I really do appreciate the gift, and your friendship.”
“Get out of here before you make me have to punch you for getting all mushy.”
Drew waved and Rhett grinned as he walked outside. Several of the businesses in town gave him gift cards for things like a free haircut at the barbershop, or free drinks at the coffee shop. Mrs. Pith handed him a bright red gift bag when he left mail at her junk store. Inside, he found an antique, wrought iron wall mailbox full of an assortment of miniature candy bars.
Joy had even left him a gift. She was at a doctor’s appointment, driven by the pastor’s wife, when he stopped at her house, but he found a scarf the same color of blue as his eyes in the mailbox along with a note that said she’d made it with a little help from his mom.
Drew wrapped the scarf around his neck, warmed to his core by the outpouring of friendship he’d received today because of this incredible woman.
In the past, a few of Drew’s customers left him little notes or boxes of candy right before Christmas, but today, nearly every single customer had shared something that let him know he was appreciated.
Overwhelmed by it all, Drew had no idea how to process all the emotions swirling through him other than to feel grateful in return for his community, his friends, and especially for Joy.
He returned to the post office late that afternoon, prepared to share some of the goodies with Marlene, but people had dropped in throughout the day to leave gifts and cards for her and Kelly as well.
“I heard your Joy is the instigator of all this holiday fun,” Marlene said as Drew packed in empty mail trays and carried in the outgoing mail.
“That’s the rumor.”
“When are you going to admit you have a thing for that sweet girl?”
Drew’s head snapped up and Marlene laughed. “Everyone in town knows you like her as much as she likes you.”
Tension tightened the muscles of his shoulders as he carried in another tray loaded with outgoing mail. “It doesn’t matter how much I like her, she’s only here for six months to fulfill the terms of her grandparents’ will. After that, she’ll head back to California and I’ll never see her again.”
Marlene rolled her eyes and shook the candy cane she’d been sucking on at him. “Don’t be an idiot. All she needs is a reason to stay. I bet if you give it a little effort, you can convince her Faraday should be her home.”
Drew shrugged. “Maybe.”
His co-worker waggled her candy cane at him again. “No maybe about it. Tell her how you feel, Drew. Unless you do, you’re going to let a wonderful girl get away and that would be a shame. Our town could use more cheerful, giving people like Joy.”
Drew thought about what Marlene said as he loaded his gifts into his Jeep and headed home. Joy had agreed to help with the church’s Christmas program and had practice tonight, so he ate dinner with Drake and pondered the best way to convince Joy he couldn’t live without her.
He would have asked Drake his opinion, but his brother seemed lost in his own thoughts.
Drew went to bed, determined to take Joy out for dinner the following evening and maybe for a drive to look at Christmas lights. That would give him ample time to confess the truth: that he’d been in love with her from the moment she opened her door and said hello.
The sound of his phone ringing yanked Drew from a peaceful slumber. He glanced at the clock and saw it was a few minutes past four. Fear swept over him as he grabbed for the phone. No one called at that time of the early morning unless it was bad news.
“Hello?” he asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes and trying to clear the cobwebs from his mind.
“Drew! It’s Joy.” She sounded panicked, upset, and terrified.
“What’s wrong, baby?” he swung his feet over the edge of his bed.
“He’s missing!”
Her sobs made it impossible for him to understand what she said.
“I’ll be right there. Hang on.” He raced down the hall to the living room, shoved his feet into his boots and yanked on his coat. Grabbing his keys off the end table, he ran out to his Jeep and rushed to Joy’s place.
Three minutes later, he cut the ignition and hurried up her front steps, taking three at a time. Joy met him at the door, tears streaming down her cheeks as she stood with her hair in a tousled mess wearing a plush dark blue robe.
“He’s gone, Drew! Gone!” she sobbed and threw herself into his arms.
He closed the door and held her, brushing his hand comfortingly along her back as she cried. “Shh. It’s okay, baby. It’s okay. Tell me what happened. Who’s gone?”
“Pete’s gone!” Joy pulled back and swiped at her tears with a soggy tissue she held in one hand. “Bacon started barking and ran into my room, acting so strangely. He jumped on the bed and tugged on the sleeve of my nightgow
n. I’d just gotten up when I heard a horrible crash. When I went outside to see what had caused it, the gate on the side of the house was busted open and Pete was nowhere around. I called and called for him, but I can’t go far with these stupid crutches. I’m so sorry to bother you, but I didn’t know what else to do.”
Drew bracketed her face with his hands and kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll find Pete. I promise. You stay here, in case he comes back. Okay?”
Joy nodded and moved back from Drew, balancing on her crutches. She took a long look at him and her lips quivered in the beginning of a smile. “You might want to go home and put on some clothes, Drew. You’ll freeze to death dressed like that, not that I mind the view at all.”
Drew glanced down and realized he’d raced out of the house wearing a pair of shorts and nothing else beneath his coat. He rubbed a hand over his bare chest, then glanced at Joy.
A blatant look of desire burned in her eyes, one impossible to mistake or misinterpret.
“When I find Pete and bring him home, you and I need to have a conversation,” he said, taking a step closer to her.
“We do?” she asked, looking up at him with such heat and longing, Drew almost forgot about the lost donkey and everything else except for how much he loved this gorgeous woman.
“We most certainly do.” Unable to stop himself, Drew pulled her into his arms and kissed her fiercely, possessively, then let her go, making sure she balanced herself on her crutches before he gave her a rascally grin. “And if you promise to kiss me like that again, I might even fail to put on my shirt before I come back.”
Joy blushed as he hurried outside and closed the door behind him. He ran around the side of the house and examined the broken gate. It looked like it had been kicked open from the inside, which meant Pete had most likely busted himself out. The question was why. Drew looked around the backyard before the nippy temperatures forced him to the Jeep.
He sped home and hollered for Drake to get up then dressed in warm clothes and dug out every flashlight he could find while his brother grumbled at him, but pulled on his clothes.
“What are we doing?” Drake asked, groggy and half awake.
“Pete’s missing. We’re going to find him.” Drew shoved his brother toward his Jeep then slid behind the wheel.
“Where could the donkey have gone?” Drake asked, scrubbing his eyes with the pads of his hands. “Better yet, why would he want to leave Joy’s place? It’s like donkey nirvana over there.”
“Exactly,” Drew said, driving back to Joy’s neighborhood. It hadn’t snowed for a few days, so no fresh tracks existed for them to follow. “Something must have spooked Pete for him to break the gate and take off. Shine your light in the yards. Maybe he’s hiding around here somewhere.”
Drake lifted a flashlight and pointed it at the yards Drew drove past. He turned to glance at Drew. “He could be anywhere. How in the world are we going to find a runaway donkey in the dark?”
“I don’t know,” Drew snapped as he turned onto one of the main streets and looked around, trying to decide where he would go if he was a frightened donkey. “All I know is that Joy loves Pete like he’s her kid and I’ll do anything it takes to get him back.”
Drake nodded and continued watching out the window. They’d driven down Mr. Davis’ street with no luck and headed toward the next street over when Drew’s phone rang. He didn’t even bother to look at the caller, but tossed the phone to Drake. “Answer it on speaker.”
“Drew’s phone,” Drake said, holding it up so they both could hear.
“Hey, man, this is Rhett. I think Joy’s donkey is over here cavorting with Lolly. Now there’s a five-dollar word to start your day.” Rhett’s chuckle made the two brothers smile.
“We’ll be right there, Rhett.” Drew turned around in the middle of the street and headed back to Joy’s place. He parked the Jeep and left the motor running. “Climb in the driver’s seat, will you, Drake?”
“Whatever you say, bro.”
Drew hustled up the walk and took the porch steps in two long strides, then opened Joy’s front door. “Joy?” he called as he stepped inside.
“In here,” she said, from the parlor where the Christmas tree provided the only light in the room.
“Rhett found Pete. He’s hanging out at his place,” he said, stepping into the room. Joy rose and made her way toward him. He was glad to see she’d dressed in jeans and a warm sweater. She even had on her snow boots, as though she anticipated going outside soon. “I thought you might like to go along and meet Lolly.”
“I’d like that. Did Rhett say if he’s okay? Is he hurt?” Joy asked as Drew held her coat while she slipped it on.
“It sounded like Pete’s fine.” He swept her up and carried her outside. Drake pushed open the passenger door and Drew slid in with Joy on his lap.
“Morning, Joy,” Drake said, finally sounding awake.
“I’m so sorry to wake you guys up so early. I just didn’t know what else to do,” she said, snuggling against Drew. Admittedly, Drew could get used to holding Joy all the time. He hoped, with a little coaxing, she might give him the chance.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Drake shot a teasing grin his way as he drove toward the edge of town.
Drake turned off the highway and drove up the lane to Rhett’s place. Lights were on in the house and glowed brightly in the pre-dawn darkness at the barn. He drove down the path to the barn where Rhett stood in the doorway with a camel on one side of him, the donkey on the other, and a dog and cat at his feet.
“Now that’s a fun picture,” Joy said, sitting forward.
The moment Drake stopped the Jeep, Drew opened the door and carried Joy over to where Rhett waited with the animals.
“Pete! Oh, Pete!” she said, wrapping her arms around the donkey’s neck when Drew set her down. “That was a naughty thing to do, running away like that.” She glanced over to where three men stood watching her. “How on earth did he make his way over here?”
“I don’t know, but when I came out to feed Lolly, there he was, standing outside the fence like he knew exactly what he was doing,” Rhett said, reaching out and patting Pete’s neck.
Pete looked up at the men with a big grin and brayed excitedly.
“I guess he told you,” Drake quipped, bending down to pet Rhett’s dog and cat as they leaned against his legs.
Drew laughed as the camel approached Joy and sniffed her before batting her lashes at her and bumping her arm with her head.
Joy laughed and tentatively reached out to pet the camel. “You must be Lolly. I can see why everyone talks about you like you’re the local celebrity. You’re such a pretty girl, aren’t you?”
The camel practically purred as Joy lavished her with attention.
Drew rubbed a hand over Pete’s back then scratched behind his ears, keeping a hand on Joy’s waist so she didn’t lose her balance and step down on her injured leg. With the camel on one side and the donkey on the other, the two animals somehow maneuvered until Joy was pushed into Drew’s arms.
He chuckled and gave her a quick kiss, unconcerned that his brother and friend watched. “I think they’re trying to tell us something.”
Joy laughed and looped her hands around his neck. “Then I guess we better listen.”
That evening, as a fire crackled and popped in the fireplace in her parlor, Drew sat on the couch with Joy nestled in his arms. The scent of the tree mingled with her luscious fragrance while carols played softly in the background. Together, they watched snowflakes lazily drift down outside the window on the other side of the Christmas tree.
“There’s something I need to tell you, to ask you,” Drew said, turning slightly so he could look into Joy’s beloved face.
“What is it, Drew?” she asked, reaching up and placing her hand against his cheek.
He took her hand in his and kissed her palm before he placed it over his heart. “You feel that? You feel my heart racing, Joy?”
She nodded, making no move to pull her hand away, which encouraged him to continue speaking.
“It’s because I’m hopelessly in love with you. I think I have been since the day I met you.” Drew kissed her temple. “I know it might seem rushed or too soon,” he pressed a kiss to her left cheek, then her right, “but one thing I’ve learned in the last month is that I can’t bear the thought of life without you in it. Please, Joy, stay here in Faraday. Don’t move back to California. Stay here, with me.”
She smiled with love burning in the depths of her eyes. “I have no plans at all to leave, Drew. I haven’t for a while. I’ve found the home I’ve always wanted here in Faraday and learned what a real community is all about. More importantly, I’ve discovered how amazing it is to be loved by you, Drew Miller. I think I fell in love with you the first time I watched you walk across the street in your cute little postal shorts. Little did I know then that they hid a Grinch-clad bum.”
“You’re never going to let me live that down are you?”
“Never,” she agreed on a giggle.
Drew chuckled and tickled her sides, making her squirm against him. He stopped and tipped her back on his arm so she could see his face. “I’m not good at eloquent speeches or even being very romantic, Joy, but I do love you, with my whole heart, and I always will. You’ve filled my whole world with a special, magical glow that I never even dreamed existed. Do you think, if I pulled a little something out of my pocket…” He reached down and removed a small velvet box from his jean’s pocket then held it out to her. “Do you think you might say yes if I asked you to marry me?”
“Definitely yes,” Joy whispered as she opened the box and gasped at the glittering diamond that twinkled in the light from the fire and the tree. “Oh, Drew, it’s beautiful.”
He took the ring from the box and slid it on her left ring finger. “Not nearly as beautiful as you, baby. I love you, Joy, and I love the joy you give me. You’ve filled all our hearts with love and happiness this holiday season, and I look forward to filling yours with the same over the next sixty or so years.”
Tidings of Joy Page 12
