Authors: Vanessa Devereaux
“Can I have it?” asked Jon.
Cole nodded and slid the box toward his son. He and
Nina were the only things that had, and continued to keep him going. They
needed him and he reminded himself of that simple fact every time he walked
into the barn at work and saw an exposed beam and a piece of rope calling his
name.
“Everything okay, Dad,” asked Nina.
She was perceptive just like her mother had been.
Her hand went to his back.
Another one of her mother’s
habits.
When people weren’t feeling especially good both of them sensed
it.
“Sure, just tried. I had a busy day at work.” He
took her hand and kissed it. “Okay, young lady, time to get cleaned up and off
to bed.”
“Can I watch a movie first?”
Cole shook his head.
“It’s not fair. Jon stays up an hour longer than
me.”
“That’s because he’s older.”
“Then I can’t wait till I’m older.”
“Don’t worry you’ll get there soon enough.” Cole
rubbed his hands over his eyes. “I’ll clean up the plates and flatware if you
want to go and study before bed,” Cole told Nina.
She nodded and then kissed him on the cheek. He was
a lucky man, because he had two great kids.
Cole stood, grabbed the pizza box, and threw it into
the garbage bin. Next he took the plates and forks over to the sink and rinsed
them before placing everything in the dishwasher. He turned around. Ten minutes
ago the kitchen had been filled with chatter about this and that, but now it
was silent. It was just him.
It had been for the last three years, but tonight
was the first time he’d actually realized it. He grabbed one of the mugs that had
been sitting on the rack, picked up a tea towel and dried it. Drying it more
than he really needed to but the spinning motion took away some of his
frustration and anger.
He was caught between two worlds.
One
of the present, the grieving widower.
The second, the
man who once loved a woman but had to move on and find someone else to grow old
with.
Putting down the towel and mug, he reached into his
back pocket and pulled out his wallet and the photo of Amanda. It was his
ritual when he got stressed. The psychologist had told him it wasn’t a bad
thing. He fingered the outline of her face. He’d grown three years older, but she
was stuck in time. She’d be thirty years old forever. One of his tears splashed
onto the photo and he quickly wiped it away so he didn’t ruin it.
“Wish you could tell me what to do.”
He hung his head and that’s when he saw it.
Hayley’s business card balancing on the toe of his cowboy boot.
Chapter
Eight
Hayley headed inside the fire department offices,
not sure which one she needed to help her locate Cole so she could return the
Christmas ornaments. Upon hearing men’s voices coming from the one down the
hallway, she decided to head that way and ask.
“It’s unbelievable that someone else is out sick.
Just our luck that it’s everyone who’s signed up to do something important for
one our holiday programs,” one man said.
“Any idea who can cook for the pancake breakfast
with Santa?” asked another.
“I can,” said Hayley, stepping into the doorway.
Wait
a minute, why did I say that?
Did I
actually say that?
Guess she had, because both men were looking
directly at her with smiles on their faces.
“Is this our Christmas angel or what?” asked a man
with greying hair around the temples.
“A complete stranger
offering to step in and cook pancakes on Saturday morning.”
She’d volunteered to do what? Guess she couldn’t
take it back now.
“Sure, you tell me what time you need me and I’ll be
here. By the way, I’m Hayley Ward and I own the Rustic Inn B and B.”
Both men stood and took turns shaking her hand. “I’m
Fred Niven, the fire chief. And this is Todd Ralston, one of our firemen.”
“Did you fall out of the sky or what?” asked Todd.
“No, I was actually here to locate Cole True who’s a
volunteer fireman.”
“One of the best guys we have.”
“He kindly gave me a box of holiday decorations and
it looks like some personalized ones got in there by mistake. I’m sure he’d
like returned. I was wondering if you could give them to him or could tell him
to call me.”
“He’ll be at the pancake breakfast on Saturday. He
and his kids have volunteered to help clean up after,” said Fred.
“Then I guess I’ll bring them along. What time would
you like me to start?”
“Breakfast is at 9 a.m. but if you could get here an
hour earlier to make sure everything’s running smoothly.”
“I can do that.”
“We’re buying a pre-made batter from a discount
store.”
“No, I have a recipe I use at the inn if that’s okay
with you?”
“Sure, and we can reimburse you for ingredients.”
****
Cole headed into the fire station with Jon and Nina
ahead of him. This was the one thing they did every year as
a
family as a way of saying thank
you to the fire department that had been
first on the scene of Amanda’s accident.
When he stepped inside he was sure he recognized the
woman’s voice. He must be obsessed with her or something because it sounded
like Hayley. He turned the corner and sure enough there she was standing in the
kitchen wearing one of the fire department’s oversized aprons and beating milk
into a bowl of flour. He never thought he’d see her again.
He felt someone slap him on the back and turned to
see Fred.
“So what do you think of our Christmas angel? She
stepped in to save the day.”
“Yes, I met her at the tree lot. What happened to
Gene?”
“Came down with that weird flu
that seems to be going around.
Okay one minute, sick the next,
fine the day after that.”
“So how did Hayley hear we needed someone?”
“I’m not sure and I don’t care because she’s here
when we need her the most.”
Cole glanced over at her as she broke eggs into a
bowl and added them to the flour mixture. She glanced up, obviously sensing she
was being watched.
He waved to her and she nodded and smiled as she
continued beating the batter.
“Maybe she could do with some help,” said Fred.
Cole stepped into the kitchen. Even the raw batter
looked great.
“Wow, this will be the first Christmas pancake event
that the pancakes haven’t come from a mix.”
“It’s the specialty of the inn. The owner left me
the secret recipe. There I serve them with real maple syrup and sausages from a
local farm.”
Just the thought of that made his stomach rumble. He
hadn’t eaten pancakes for over three years and the thought of homemade ones
were a bit too tempting.
“Anything I can do to help?” he asked.
“No, I think I have everything under control. I did
hear you and your children are going to help clean up for me.”
“Yeah, and I’d like you to meet them.” He looked out
into the main room and guessed they’d made their way to the foosball table.
“Stay right there and I’ll go get them.”
Cole found them exactly where he’d thought. Jon was trying
his best to outscore his sister. He signaled for them to quit and come join
him. He put his hands on each of their shoulders and marched them into the
kitchen. For some strange reason he wanted the kids to like Hayley, and Hayley
to think they were adorable.
“Jon, Nina, I’d like you to meet Hayley Ward.
Hayley, my children.”
Hayley wiped her hands down the sides of her apron
and first shook Jon’s hand, and then Nina’s.
“I like your necklace,” said Nina, pointing to the
purple beads around Hayley’s neck.
“Thank you. I made it myself from a kit I bought at
the new craft store in the mall.”
Nina turned to Cole. He knew what she was going to
say.
“Can you take me there so I can get one?”
Cole nodded. Amanda had always been into crafts and
Nina was following in her footsteps. It used to be stuffed toys, but obviously
now it was jewelry. He guessed he hadn’t realized that his little girl was
turning into a young woman before his very eyes.
“So I’m just about ready to start making pancakes,”
said Hayley. “Anyone want to help?”
“I can,” said Nina.
Hayley handed her an apron, which she wrapped around
her.
Yeah, looked like the two of them had hit it off
straight away.
Nina stood beside
Hayley and watched her pour the batter onto the griddle. She probably missed
having a woman around to cook with, and to make things with like necklaces.
Maybe he’d been selfish in not bringing someone new into their lives.
****
Hayley leaned against the wall and smiled. Her
pancakes were a success and she had lots of folk asking if they could stop by
the inn for breakfast even if they weren’t a paying guest. It had given her a
new idea about another source of income.
She’d been busy but it hadn’t stopped her from
catching sly glances of Cole. His children both had his good looks. In fact,
they were so cute she guessed his late wife had been beautiful.
Now as she wiped down the table as the crowd
slowly thinned out, she noticed Cole standing in the doorway observing her.
“What did you think of the pancakes?” she asked him.
“I haven’t tried them.”
She turned around to the griddle, lifted two off,
placed them on a paper plate, and handed it to him.
“I haven’t…”
“Haven’t what?”
He seemed lost for words, in a panic almost as he
rubbed his hand across this forehead and shuffled his feet.
He finally took the plate from her but simply stared
at them.
Something was wrong with him. Maybe he hated
pancakes and was too polite to say so.
“If you don’t want them…”
The next thing she knew he’d broken off a large
chunk of one with the plastic fork and popped it into his mouth. He didn’t say
a word, but she was sure she saw his eyes watering or were they tears?
Her cooking had never made anyone cry before. What
if they’d been awful and everyone had been too polite to say so because of it
being a fundraising event?
“I think I’m in heaven,” he finally said.
Hayley let out the breath she’d been holding in
since he taken his first bite. “Glad you like them.”
“Best ones I’ve tasted since my wife passed away.
She was the pancake making expert.”
Hayley smiled at his nostalgic expression. “Oh,
which reminds me.
When I sorted through the decorations you
gave me I found some personalized ones that I guess had made their way into the
box by mistake. I’ve got them with me. And I’ve put them in a box with your
name on it by your locker.”
Cole had lost all his color. Maybe he was coming
down with the flu that was going around the station.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Sure, I’m fine.”
“Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, I’m going to be okay. I’ll just get started on
clearing the tables.”
She nodded and walked back into the kitchen. She
peeked through the window. Cole wasn’t clearing or cleaning. Instead he was
sitting down simply staring into space.
Something was wrong with him, but she didn’t know
him well enough to pry. Jon and Nina headed over to him, patted him on the back,
and then the three of them set about throwing away the dirty paper plates and
wiping down the tables.
Maybe she could help too now that she was done in
the kitchen.
“Guess a fourth pair of hands is always a good
thing,” she said, picking up some plastic forks.
Santa chose that moment to walk by and take off his
hat and beard.
“Man, it was hot in this thing,” he said, wiping the
sweat from his face. “Okay if I hang this back in the supply cupboard?”
“Sure, and thanks for playing Santa. I know everyone
had lots of fun,” said Cole.
“Before I do get rid of this thing I have to ask you
what you wish for.”
Cole shrugged his shoulders.
“Come on, you have to come up with something.”
“How about the best year ever?”
“And how about you, Hayley?” asked Santa.
“That’s an easy one. More guests at my inn.”
“May both of your wishes come
true.
”
Cole smiled at Hayley as Santa left.