Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Series, Volume 3 (117 page)

A trio of four-foot-tall snowmen stood guard in the hallway
near the family room where the Nativity scene was displayed on the fireplace
mantel. Decorating had helped take Beth's mind off the fact that her ex-husband
would be joining them for Christmas. This would be the first time she'd seen him
in three years. Oh, they'd spoken often enough, but every conversation had
revolved around their daughters. Nothing else. No questions asked. No comments
of a personal nature. Just the girls and only the girls. It'd been strictly
business. Until now.

Until Christmas.

They both loved the holidays. It was Kent who'd first suggested
they have several Christmas trees. Always fresh ones, which was one reason Beth
had been attracted to the Christmas tree farm when she started her new life.

“I've got lunch ready,” Beth said, trying to turn her attention
away from her ex-husband. He still lived in California, as did the girls. He'd
stayed in their hometown of Sacramento, while Bailey and Sophie both attended
university in San Diego. According to their daughters, Kent had asked to come
for Christmas. She'd known for almost two weeks that he'd made reservations at
the Thyme and Tide B and B in Cedar Cove. The news that he'd be in town had
initially come as a shock to Beth. He hadn't discussed it with her at all.
Instead, he'd had their daughters do his talking for him. That made everything
more awkward, because it wasn't as if she could refuse, not with Bailey and
Sophie so excited about spending Christmas together as a family. But Kent's
plans had left her with a host of unanswered questions. Was this his way of
telling Beth he missed her? Was he looking for a reconciliation? Was she? The
questions swarmed in her head, but the answers wouldn't be clear until he
arrived. At least she'd be better able to judge his reasons. His intentions. And
her own…

“Just like it used to be,” Bailey finished. Beth had missed
whatever she'd said before that, although it wasn't hard to guess.

Just like it used to be.
These were
magic words, but Beth had recognized long ago that the clock only moved forward.
Yet the girls' eagerness, Kent's apparent insistence and her nostalgia for what
they'd once shared swept aside her customary reserve.

“Mom?” Bailey said when she didn't respond. “We're talking....
Where are you?”

Beth gave a quick shake of her head. “Woolgathering. Sorry. I
haven't had much sleep lately.” Exhausted as she was, managing the tree farm and
getting ready for Christmas with her daughters—and Kent—she'd hardly slept. She
couldn't. Every time she closed her eyes, Kent was there. Kent with his boyish
smile and his eyes twinkling with mischief and fun. They'd been happy once and
somehow they'd lost that and so much more. Beth had never been able to put her
finger on what exactly had gone wrong; she only knew that it had. In the end
they'd lived separate lives, going their own ways. Their daughters had kept them
together—and then they were off at college, and suddenly it was just Kent and
Beth. That was when they discovered they no longer had anything in common.

“You're not sleeping?” Bailey's eyes widened with concern.

Sophie elbowed her sister. “Bailey, think about it. This is the
busiest time of year for a Christmas tree farm. Then there's all this
decorating. And, if we're really lucky—”

“Mom made date candy?” Bailey cut in.

“And caramel corn?” Sophie asked hopefully, hands folded in
prayer.

“Yes to you both. It wouldn't be Christmas without our special
treats.”

“You're the best mom in the world.”

Beth smiled. She'd had less than three hours' sleep, thanks to
all the Christmas preparations, her dogs and…her incessant memories of Kent.
Traffic at the tree farm had thinned out now that Christmas was only three days
away. But families were still stopping by and there was quite a bit to do,
including cleanup. Her ten-man crew was down to four and they'd coped just fine
without either her or Jeff this morning. While he drove out to the airport,
she'd been getting ready for her daughters' arrival. However, as soon as lunch
was over, she needed to head back outside.

Beth and the girls had booked a skiing trip between Christmas
and New Year's, and after the hectic schedule of the past two months, she was
counting on a few relaxing days with her daughters. Their reservations were made
and she was eager to go. Ted Reynolds, good friend that he was, had offered to
take care of her animals, which reminded her of the one hitch in her perfectly
planned holiday escape.

“Before we sit down to eat, I need to tell you we have special
guests this Christmas.”

“You mean Dad, right?” Bailey led the way into the other room,
where there was more greenery and a beautifully arranged table with three place
settings.

“Well, yes, your father. But he's not the only one....”

“Mom.” Bailey tensed as she spoke. “Don't tell me you have a
boyfriend. It's that vet, isn't it?”

“Ten guests, actually,” she said, ignoring the comment about
Ted, “and they aren't all boys.”

“Puppies?” Sophie guessed.

“Puppies,” Beth confirmed, not surprised that her daughter had
figured it out. “Ten of them.”

“Ten?” Sophie cried, aghast.

Without asking, Bailey went straight to the laundry room off
the kitchen. “Where did you get ten puppies?” The instant she opened the door,
all ten black puppies scampered into the kitchen, scrambling about, skidding
across the polished hardwood floor.

“They're adorable.” Sharing Beth's love for animals, both girls
were immediately down on the floor, scooping the puppies into their arms. Before
long, each held at least two of the Lab-mix puppies, the little creatures intent
on licking their faces.

Unable to resist, Beth joined her daughters and gathered the
remaining puppies onto her lap. One curled into a tight ball. Another climbed
onto her shoulder and began licking her ear. The others squirmed until one
wriggled free and chased his tail with determined vigor, completely preoccupied.
They really were adorable, which was good because in every other way they were a
nuisance.

Sophie held a puppy to her cheek. “Where'd you get them,
Mom?”

“They were…a gift,” she explained, turning her face away to
avoid more wet, slurpy kisses.

“A gift?”

“But why'd you take all ten?” Bailey asked, astonished.

“I didn't have any choice. They showed up on my porch in a
basket a week ago.” Beth didn't say that discovering these puppies had been the
proverbial last straw. They'd literally appeared on her doorstep the same day
she'd learned Kent was coming here for Christmas. For an insane moment she'd
considered running away, grabbing a plane to Fiji or Bora-Bora. Instead, she'd
run over to the Hardings' and ended up spilling her heart out to Grace. Under
normal conditions, Beth wasn't one to share her burdens with others. However,
this was simply too much—an ex-husband's unexpected visit and the arrival of ten
abandoned puppies, all during the busiest season of the year. The Hardings had
given her tea and sympathy; Ted had been wonderful, too. Beth was grateful for
his willingness to watch her animals but she refused to leave him with these ten
additional dogs. So she'd made it her goal to find homes for all of them before
Christmas. Which didn't give her a lot of time…

“How could someone just drop off ten puppies?” Bailey asked as
she lifted one intrepid little guy off her shoulder and settled him in her
lap.

“Who could do that and not be seen?” Sophie added. “I mean, you
have people working all over this place.”

Beth had certainly asked around. “Jeff saw a woman with a huge
basket at my door. He thought he recognized her from his church, but when he
asked her, she denied it. Then later, Pete, one of the drivers, claimed he saw a
man on my porch with a basket. I talked to five different people and got five
different stories. All I know is that I've got to find homes for these puppies
before we leave for Whistler.” And preferably before Kent arrived, although that
was highly unlikely.

“Have you found any yet?” Bailey asked.

“No…but I've put out the word.”

“You'll do it, Mom,” Sophie said confidently. “I know you
will.”

“How old are they?” Bailey stroked a soft, floppy ear.

“Ted thinks about two months. Between six and eight weeks,
anyway.”

“They're irresistible. You won't have trouble finding homes,”
Sophie said.

Beth wished she had even a fraction of her daughter's faith. In
October, she'd found homes for four part-golden-retriever puppies. Coming up
with those homes had been hard enough—and now ten more. She hoped the season
would help.

She'd offer assistance with training if the new owners wanted
it—and she'd push the all-important spay-and-neuter message. Ted had promised to
give the owners a break on the price, too.

Working together, Beth and the girls corralled the puppies and
got them back inside the laundry room. Then they washed up for lunch. Thankfully
the girls' favorites didn't require much effort; the tomato basil soup and
toasted cheese sandwiches were on the table within minutes.

“Now I truly feel like we're home,” Bailey said, spooning up
the thick soup.

Sophie sighed contentedly. “This place is starting to feel more
like home all the time.”

Beth had moved to Washington State following her divorce. For
fifteen years she'd taught business and management classes at an agricultural
college outside Sacramento. After she and Kent had split up, Beth felt she
needed a change. A big one. An escape. She'd read about this Christmas tree farm
for sale while browsing on the internet and had become intrigued. As soon as
she'd visited the property and toured the house, she was sold.

Her general knowledge of farm life and crop cultivation had
come in handy. She knew just enough about trees not to be intimidated. Besides,
Wes Klein, the previous owners' son, had helped the first couple of years. She'd
soon picked up everything else she needed to know. She hired the same crew each
season and was pleasantly surprised by how smoothly things had gone this year,
the first year she was on her own.

In addition to Christmas trees, she sold wreaths and garlands,
which were created by three members of her staff who devoted all their time to
this endeavor. The Kleins used to have only a handful of orders for holiday
wreaths. Beth had turned that into a thriving aspect of the business. Plus,
overseas sales of Christmas trees had doubled in the past three years. Beth had
always enjoyed the season, but never more than now. She felt she was actively
contributing to a lot of families' happiness this Christmas.

The girls cleared the table and put their plates and bowls in
the dishwasher.

“I've got to get back outside, but before I go, I need you to
tell me what's going on with your father.” From the girls' startled expressions
Beth realized she should have led into the conversation with a bit more finesse.
But subtlety wasn't exactly her strong suit and she was short on time.

“Dad wanted to come for Christmas,” Bailey answered, as if that
was all the explanation required.

“Did he give you any particular reason?” she asked
suspiciously.

Sophie shook her head. “None that he mentioned.”

That wasn't too helpful; still, Beth persisted. “But why this
year?”

Bailey shrugged. “Don't know. All I can tell you is that he
said he missed us and asked if he could join us for Christmas. We couldn't say
no. You wouldn't want us to, would you, Mom?”

“Of course not.” Beth looked from one daughter to the other.
“He didn't say anything more than that? You're sure?”

“Positive.” Both girls widened their eyes, expressions innocent
as could be.

Convinced there was more to this sudden desire to be with
them—and remembering Grace's suggestion that the girls might be more involved
than they were letting on—Beth hesitated. She wanted to probe deeper but really
needed to get to work. As it was, she'd lingered with her daughters well into
Jeff's lunch hour.

“You'll be okay without me?” Beth asked, abandoning all
inquiries for the moment.

“Mom, it isn't like we're six years old!”

“I know, I know, it's just that I hate leaving you so soon
after you got here.”

“Go,” Bailey said, ushering her toward the door. “We'll be
fine. We'll unpack our suitcases and put
It's a Wonderful
Life
in the DVD player.”

“I want to watch it, too,” Beth protested. It was their
favorite Christmas movie.

“Okay, we'll hold off until tonight. Now go.”

Walking out the door, Beth blew them a kiss, the same way she
had every time she left for work when they were youngsters.

* * *

The second the door closed, Bailey turned to her sister.
“Do you think Mom suspects anything?”

“I'm not sure.…”

“I told you we needed to get our story straight before we saw
her!”

“I didn't think she'd drill us with questions the instant we
walked in the door. Just remember, this whole idea was yours,” Sophie reminded
her.

“But you agreed! Dad's miserable without Mom, and Mom needs Dad
whether she's willing to admit it or not.”

“Well, she's
not
willing to admit
it, not yet,” Sophie said. She rinsed out the soup pan and placed it in the
dishwasher. “I never really understood why they got divorced,” she mused.