1225 Christmas Tree Lane (11 page)

“We're not upset,” Roy told him, and Corrie nodded.

“As Gloria mentioned, we plan to have another ceremony later, with friends and family from both sides.”

“This way we
all
get what we want,” Corrie said happily. A marriage and a baby—another grandchild for her and Roy—and a wedding.

Roy stood, extending his hand to Chad. “Welcome to the family.”

“Thank you.” The two men shook hands.

Corrie hugged her daughter and Chad. She'd spend the next few months getting ready for the wedding and reception, and the thought filled her with anticipation.

“Mom and Dad, there's another reason we stopped by early.”

“Oh?” Corrie murmured.

“You're not pregnant with twins, are you?” Roy asked, half-joking.

“No. We wanted to get your okay before we had one of your gifts delivered.”

“All right….” Roy glanced at Corrie, clearly wondering if she knew what this was about; she shook her head, as confused as he was.

“Did you hear someone left ten puppies on Beth Morehouse's porch?”

“We did,” Corrie confirmed. “In fact, Bob was just telling us he got one of those pups for Peggy.”

“And we chose one for you,” Gloria said.

Their daughter had gotten them a puppy?

Corrie stared at her.

“Not long ago, Dad talked about a Labrador he had while he was growing up and he got a nostalgic look in his eyes. I heard about these puppies from Ted Reynolds, and Chad and I went to Beth's house today to pick one up.”

“If you don't want the dog,” Chad said, moving toward the edge of the sofa, “Gloria and I will take her. She's cute as a bug and has personality to boot.”

“Where is she now?” Corrie asked.

“At my place,” Gloria replied. “We thought we'd bring her over tomorrow.”

“A puppy.” Roy wore a silly grin, as if the prospect delighted him. “What about a name?” he asked.

“I know—Asta. That's the dog in the
Thin Man
movies, remember?” Corrie suggested.

“Perfect for a detective's dog.” Roy smiled. “Even if the original Asta was a boy.”

“Asta it is,” Corrie said, adding, “We need a puppy in the house again.”

This was going to be the most wonderful Christmas in recent memory. Weddings, grandchildren—and now a puppy.

“Come in out of the cold,” Danielle said as Kent and Beth returned to the house after delivering the sleigh to the Nelsons'. It might have been Beth's imagination, but she suspected Danielle had been standing by the door waiting for them. She had her cell phone in her hand again.

She immediately ran up to Kent and spoke urgently in his ear. Kent looked decidedly uncomfortable as she hugged him, but put his arms lightly around her. Beth saw Danielle's hug as a claim of ownership. Unable to watch, she stepped around the embracing couple and hurried into the kitchen, grateful for the escape.

Bailey and Sophie were standing in a corner of the family room, whispering heatedly.

“Girls?” Beth said, wondering what they were up to. They didn't seem to be arguing, but clearly had different opinions on something or other. “Is everything all right?” she asked.

Bailey turned around so quickly, she nearly stumbled. “Ah…sure. Why wouldn't it be?”

Sophie narrowed her eyes as Danielle and Kent stepped into the room.

“It was a…lovely afternoon, but it's time I…we left,” Danielle said, and then inclined her head as if to say the decision was final.

“You're
leaving?
” Bailey cried in apparent shock.

“You're not staying for dinner?” Sophie sounded equally shocked.

“I thought you came to Cedar Cove so you could spend Christmas with us,” Bailey reminded her father.

Frankly, Beth was just as glad to see them go. She didn't understand exactly what had happened between her and Kent in the sleigh, but whatever it was had made her feel confused and a bit panicky. She'd actually
wanted
him to kiss her. Her ex-husband had brought another woman to spend Christmas with the family, and yet Beth could hardly stop herself from leaning into him….

“Kent will be back on Christmas Day,” Danielle said to the girls, as if they were small children in need of reassurance. “Christmas Eve is a time for family and—”

“Our father
is
family,” Bailey protested as she curled her hands into tight fists. She seemed to be on the verge of tears.

Sophie cast a pleading glance at her father. “Daddy?” she implored.

Kent hesitated.

Danielle tugged him over to the door. “I need to go. Don't worry, your father will be back in the morning.” She turned to him, hissing, “The girls need to spend time with their mother, too.”

“I'll stay,” Kent said decisively. “That is, if you're sure it's what you want.” The question was directed at Beth.

Holding her breath, she realized she didn't have a choice. Which meant that her Christmas Eve dinner would be shared with Kent and…Danielle. What she wouldn't give for a peaceful evening alone with her daughters. Instead, she was forced to watch her husband—er,
ex
-husband—with another woman.

“Mom?” Bailey whispered.

“Of course you should stay,” Beth said, just a little too brightly.

“Mom's making lasagna,” Sophie said, and then added,
apparently to enlighten Danielle, “It's a family tradition. The recipe comes from Grandma Carlucci.”

Danielle pursed her lips in a pout, then squared her shoulders, coming to some decision. “In that case, I insist on helping.”

The last thing Beth wanted was this woman in
her
kitchen. “All I need to do is get the lasagna in the oven,” she said. “It's already put together—just needs to bake.”

“Well, then, I'll make a salad,” Danielle said.

“Mom always makes Caesar salad and garlic bread,” Bailey told her.

“I can make a Caesar salad.” Danielle pushed up the sleeves of her sweater and grabbed an apron off the countertop, staking out her territory.

Beth felt as though the other woman had declared war. Fine. In that case, she was prepared to surrender without a fight. This was Christmas, and if Danielle wanted to plant her flag in Beth's kitchen, she was welcome to it. Only Beth wouldn't be there.

“Are you sure you don't mind making the salad?” she asked.

“I offered, didn't I?” Danielle placed one hand on her hip.

“Okay, then, there's no reason for me to stay. I'll use
the time to deliver one of the puppies.” She'd drive the Randalls' puppy over to Grace Harding's place.

Danielle cast her a triumphant look, as if to say she'd taken great satisfaction in maneuvering Beth out of her own kitchen.

Sophie smiled; Beth could tell this was precisely what she'd hoped would happen. “Dad, you should go with Mom.”

“Kent!” Danielle said sharply. “I might…you know, need you.”

“Dad,” Bailey challenged, “do you want Mom driving on treacherous roads
alone?
What if she had an accident?”

Beth tried to remember whether her daughter had ever taken drama. If so, she'd had a good teacher. The kid was ready for Broadway.

“It's fine, Kent,” Beth assured him, trying to hide her laughter and not quite succeeding. “I've driven these roads alone any number of times.”

“But not when there's
snow
on the ground,” Sophie wailed, as if she'd attended the same drama class.

“Your mother knows what she's doing,” Danielle tossed in casually. “She'll be perfectly fine
by herself.
” The last two words were given heavy emphasis.

Again Bailey and Sophie turned to their father with wide eyes even Scrooge couldn't have ignored.

“Dad? Are you really going to let Mom go out all on her own?”

“Would you ever forgive yourself if anything happened to the mother of your children?” Sophie wailed.

Unwilling to be part of this ridiculous conversation any longer, Beth grabbed her coat, gloves and scarf and headed for the back door. She was outside and halfway to the car with the puppy in its carrier when Kent jogged up behind her.

“Hey, wait up,” he called.

“Kent, really, this isn't necessary.”

“According to our daughters, it is.”

Beth rolled her eyes. “I don't remember you being manipulated quite this easily when we were married.” She opened the rear passenger door and placed the puppy's carrier inside.

Kent climbed into the front passenger seat and waited until Beth joined him before he responded. “Did you ever stop to think I might actually
want
to accompany you?”

She hadn't. For the life of her, Beth couldn't manage a single word. In fact, it was all she could do to breathe. All at once the interior of her SUV seemed to shrink
until it felt as if the two of them were trapped inside a box the size of a milk crate. Her mouth went dry and she concentrated on driving rather than the man she'd loved and married and…left. Oh, how she wished she could turn back the clock.

Risking a look at Kent, she wondered if he was thinking the same thing.

The silence that stretched between them threatened to snap.

“I…” She started to say something—although what, she wasn't sure. “I was—”

They both spoke at the same time.

“You first,” she said. “No, you.”

She laughed. “Please, you go first.”

“Well,” he murmured after a few awkward seconds, “I was just thinking back to all the animals you rescued while we were married. Remember Ugly Arnie?”

Like she'd ever forget the injured raccoon she'd found at their back door. “How could I forget him?”

“Vicious, ungrateful—”

“Kent, he was in pain! As I recall, you aren't exactly Prince Charming when you aren't feeling well.”

“Prince Charming? So is that how you remember me when…I was feeling good?”

She doubted that he expected an answer, but she gave him one, anyway. “You had your moments.”

“So did you.”

“Thank you.” They could play nice, she realized. It hadn't always been this silent battle of wills.

“I kind of thought you'd remarry,” he said, frowning as he spoke.

“Really?” She, on the other hand, hadn't even considered the possibility that Kent might marry someone else—well, other than in some vague, abstract way. Certainly not someone like Danielle. Beth was astonished that Kent would find this hard, brusque woman appealing. Yes, superficially Danielle was attractive—okay, gorgeous—but she seemed to lack all the qualities Beth had expected him to value.

“If you did remarry, I assumed you'd choose a vet.”

“Oh, my goodness…” Without thinking, Beth eased her foot off the brake and the car swerved on the icy road and went sideways. “Hold on,” she cried.

Kent braced his arms against the dashboard until the car came to a complete stop on the side of the road. “You okay?” he demanded.

“I'm fine…what about you?”

“My heart is somewhere in my throat,” he said, “but other than that I'll survive. What just happened? I didn't see anything in the road.”

“It's Ted.”

“Ted? Who's Ted?”

“The local vet… He said he'd stop by this afternoon and I need to be there.”

“Give him a call,” Kent muttered, as if it was of little concern.

“I will.” She reached across for her handbag and grabbed her cell, pushing the button that would connect her with him.

“You have him on speed dial?” Kent asked with raised eyebrows.

Beth ignored the question and waited impatiently for Ted to answer. After four long rings, the phone went to voice mail. She exhaled loudly, then carefully put the car in Reverse and turned around.

“Where are you going now?” Kent asked.

She would've thought the answer was obvious. “To Ted's place. He's probably with an animal, so he couldn't get the phone.”

“You could've left a message.”

He was right, she could have, but that seemed rather unfriendly. Besides, she wanted to explain. “His place
isn't far from here,” she said, instead of responding to his comment.

The silence returned.

Again it was Kent who broke it. “Do you see a lot of this Tim fellow?”

“Ted,” she corrected. “About once or twice a week, I guess.” She downplayed the veterinarian's role in her life, which had taken on more significance in the past three or four months. There'd been a shift in their relationship, beginning in late September, when he'd come over after caring for a sick goat nearby. He'd stayed for a glass of wine, followed by a leisurely dinner.

A week later they'd met in town, and Ted had insisted he owed her dinner. That was how it had started, almost innocently. Recently, however, it'd become more. Ted had kissed her, and that had been a turning point. Lately, Ted had taken to dropping in during the evenings, and Beth looked forward to his visits.

“Any particular reason Ted was coming to the house?” Kent asked nonchalantly.

“Nothing formal, if that's what you mean. To wish us a merry Christmas. And I want him to meet the girls. He has a line on someone who wants a puppy, too.”

“So it's serious? Between you and him?”

“We have a lot in common,” she said, well aware that she hadn't really answered the question.

Ted's driveway came into view, and she signaled, then drove down the long gravel road that led to his home and his veterinary clinic.

Ted was in the yard clearing snow. When he saw her car, he smiled and waved, then leaned his shovel against a tree.

Beth parked and turned off the engine, slipping out of the car.

Walking over to meet her, Ted grinned from ear to ear. “Good to see you, Beth,” he said. He didn't kiss her, no doubt because he'd noticed there was a man with her.

Beth tried to see the veterinarian as Kent might. Ted was a few years older, a big man with large, strong hands and an easy smile. He had a receding hairline, visible despite his wool hat. His gentle nature comforted animals—and people.

“Kent Morehouse,” Kent said, stepping forward, his hand extended.

Ted pulled off his glove to shake hands but his gaze immediately shot to Beth.

“Kent is my ex-husband. He's here to spend Christmas with the girls,” Beth said, feeling uncomfortable saying anything more.

“Oh, yes. You mentioned that Kent was planning to visit,” Ted commented.

“I was just driving to the Hardings' to drop off a puppy when I recalled that you were coming over today,” she said quickly.

“Well, seeing that you've got visitors, perhaps I shouldn't—”

“No, please, I want you to,” Beth said, eager to reassure him. “In fact, I was hoping you'd stay for dinner.”

“Dinner?” Kent repeated, frowning.

“Yes, dinner,” she said pointedly. “I'm making lasagna. A family recipe.”

“My grandmother was Italian,” Kent added in a meaningful voice, essentially explaining that this was
his
family's recipe.

“Kent's, uh, friend is with the girls, preparing a Caesar salad and garlic bread.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

“It will be,” Beth said. “
Please
say you'll join us.”

Ignoring Kent, Ted stared at her for a long moment. “You're sure?”

“I'm positive.”

Ted nodded decisively. “Then I accept. Thank you. What time would you like me there?”

Beth was about to suggest as soon as possible, but before she could, Kent spoke.

“I believe Beth mentioned something about dinner being ready around five.”

“Yes, five. We're eating early so we won't be late for church,” she murmured.

“Can I bring anything? Wine? Dessert?”

“I've got everything covered, but thanks.” She wanted to visit longer, but Kent had already walked back to the car and stood with the door open, waiting for her.

“I'll see you soon,” Ted promised. “And I've got a couple bottles of a nice red. To go with the lasagna.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, and hoped Ted understood how much she appreciated his willingness to show, once again, what a good friend he was. As good a friend as Danielle….