Snowfall on Haven Point (30 page)

“What?” she exclaimed. “Oh, Marshall! How did it go?”

“Good. Better than I ever imagined. I have a son.” His wondering smile made her want to cry, happy tears this time. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “I needed to tell him. Yes, you were right. I have a feeling I'd better get used to saying those words.”

There was so much promise in his voice, she shivered.

“It's a huge relief to have it out there. He seemed...okay with it. Herm and Louise are, too. We're having a DNA test as soon as we can arrange it, but I don't need to see the results to know the truth. I don't think he does, either.”

“Oh. I'm so happy.”

“He's a troubled teenage boy. Everything won't be roses all the time, I'm afraid, but I can't wait to get to know him.”

He paused, his expression both pensive and endearingly tender. “You know, the whole time I was there talking to Herm and Louise and Christopher, all I could think about was telling you. I guess that's what you do when you're in love.”

“Oh, Marsh,” she whispered.

“I can't believe I'm saying this, but the day Jackie ran me over might have been the luckiest day of my life. Without it, I never would have let you into my life, never would have discovered just how much I needed you. And not just you. Will and Chloe and Sadie and Mrs. Finnegan, too.”

How could she
ever
have believed him cold and unfeeling? He had all this tenderness and love inside him, just waiting for him to feel comfortable enough to let them out.

“It's going to be a wonderful Christmas, isn't it?” she said.

“The very best one ever.” His gaze held promise and possibilities. “Until next year, anyway. Something tells me that from here on, everything will just get better and better.”

EPILOGUE

“A
LL
RIGHT
,
GIVE
IT
to me straight, Miss Chloe,” Marshall said. “I have it on great authority that my Christmas tree last year was the second-best tree in town. I'm hoping to move up in the ranks this year. What are my chances?”

His seven-year-old stepdaughter pursed her lips and gave serious scrutiny to the tall and bushy blue spruce that took up an entire corner of their den.

“It's so
big
. I don't know. It's like twice as big around as the one Will and me did for you last year. I hope we have enough lights and ornaments.”

“Are you kidding?” Christopher exclaimed from the floor, where he and Will were untangling string after string of lights for Marshall to twist around the branches. “How could we possibly not have enough ornaments? You've been cutting out paper snowflakes since the Fourth of July!”

“I have not,” she retorted. “Remember? I made all the paper hearts for the wedding, so I didn't even start on snowflakes until after that.”

“Okay. Fine. Since September.”

Marshall smiled, remembering all those hearts strung around the stone patio in the backyard, where they'd had their reception—just two days after he and Andie signed the papers buying his grandmother's house from Wynona.

He couldn't think of that day without his own heart wanting to burst out of his chest. Random snapshots of that day seemed permanently implanted in his mind, his own little mental slide show he could take out whenever he needed a break from the tough job of county sheriff.

Standing in the front of the little church in Haven Point with Christopher by his side as his best man, palms sweaty and nerves zinging.

His mother in the front row, holding Uncle Mike's hand and already sniffling into a tissue.

His sisters, Cade, Elliot, his aunts and all the people he loved filling the other rows.

And then Andie. His amazing, beautiful Andie, walking down the aisle with an uncharacteristically solemn Will on one side and sweet, pretty Chloe on the other, all three of them prepared to merge their lives with his.

He thought he couldn't possibly ever be as happy as he was in that single moment, watching his future walking toward him—but every single day since had been even better.

Even when his kids were squabbling.

“I
had
to start making snowflakes in September,” Chloe insisted to Christopher. “We have fifty trees to decorate.”

“Exaggerate much?” Christopher said. Though his words were a little snide, he smiled when he said it.

Chris adored Chloe and Will. As soon as Marsh accepted that he couldn't imagine any future without Andie and her kids, he had been concerned at first that it wasn't fair to introduce two new young children into the picture when he was still trying to forge a relationship with his son. Christopher didn't seem to mind, though. He seemed to get a kick out of both of them and had relished the chance to have younger siblings for the first time.

“We have to decorate this huge tree that's as big as two other trees,” Chloe said now, ticking her count off on her fingers. “I have one in my room. Will has one in his room. You have one in your room in the attic. Mom has one in her new office over the garage. How many is that?”

“Still not fifty,” Will pointed out helpfully. “That's only five.”

“I also cut out about a billion snowflakes for Grandma Charlene and Grandpa Mike and for Grandma Louise and Grandpa Herm and I made some for Aunt Wynona and Uncle Cade and for Jazmyn and
everybody
.”

“If we don't have enough snowflakes for our tree, we'll know it's because you gave them away to everybody else in town,” Christopher teased.

“If we don't have enough, Chloe can just make more,” Will said. “She's superfast and she has paper in her room and can get more from Mom's office.”

“Who can get what from my office?”

After they had been married a year, was his heart still going to pound like this every time he saw her? What about two or ten or twenty? He turned to find Andie coming in, cheeks a little pink from the short walk outside from her new office.

Christopher's room had been carved out under the eaves in the old house. He loved the slanting ceiling and the dormer windows. It was small, but that didn't seem to bother him, since half of his stuff was still at his grandparents' house next door, where he still spent plenty of time with Herm and Louise.

Marshall couldn't believe they'd managed to find room for everyone—including Mrs. Finnegan and Sadie, who right now were both curled together on the rug watching the proceedings.

He was still considering building on to the little house. They were a family of five—plus two pets—and bursting at the seams. The yard was big enough they could easily build on to the house. He was thinking about adding a bigger family room in place of this den and a couple more bedrooms.

For now, it worked. He was never happier than when he pulled into the driveway, knowing his family waited for him inside.

“I said Chloe can get more paper from your office if she needs more snowflakes,” Will said.

“Why on earth would she possibly need more?” Andie asked, eyes wide.

“We're hoping she doesn't,” Marshall assured her. “We'll know in a few moments, once I finish with these lights and you all can start decorating the tree.”

Andie moved into the room and inhaled deeply of the tree's heady fragrance. “Oh, wow, it smells fantastic in here.”

“The smell is about the only good thing about a real tree,” Christopher groused. “Unraveling these lights is a
pain
.”

“It might be hard, but you guys are doing an amazing job.” She placed a hand on the teen's shoulder and Marshall could tell it pleased him. Andie was amazing with his son. Whenever Christopher was in a mood, missing Nikki or simply being a surly teenager full of hormones, Andie could invariably tease a smile out of him.

“I still don't know why we couldn't just get another artificial tree for in here,” Chris said now. “I've always had artificial trees and it's tons easier. You just pull them out of the box and plug them in.”

“New family, new traditions,” Marshall said.

“Exactly.” Andie backed him up. “Since this is our first year as a family, isn't it fun to try a few different things so we can figure out which traditions we want to keep in the coming years together?”

“Last night was so fun!” Will said. “I loved when we went swimming and then cut the tree down at Evergreen Springs. My favorite part was the sleigh ride.”

“I liked the hot chocolate we had with Jazmyn and Ty,” Chloe said. “Especially the little tiny snowman marshmallows.”

“Those were cute,” Andie agreed.

“You had fun, too. You were lucky,” Will said wistfully to Christopher. “You got to cut down the tree. Next year I get to use the chain saw, right?”

Marshall winced at the idea of Will with a dangerous power tool. “We'll have to see on that one, kid. I think I'm ready for the next light string.”

“What this party needs is some music,” Andie declared. “Christopher, can you stream some on your phone to the speaker?”

“Yeah, if you can come help with the lights. We have, like, three more strands.”

They traded places and Christopher found some kind of edgy rock version of “Holly Jolly Christmas,” then he followed it up with some classic Sinatra and a bluegrass duet about angels crying on Christmas Eve that had always made Marsh's mother cry.

It was the perfect night, he thought as his family worked together to decorate their tree.

As he reached high to hang the star on the top of the tree, he couldn't help thinking how his life had changed since that snowy December night a year earlier when Jackie Scott thought she could solve her problems with a stolen SUV.

He had been a different man then. Harder. Less giving and less
for
giving.

He had been convinced he didn't need anything—certainly not family or laughter, Christmas trees or paper snowflakes or hot cocoa by the fire.

Now, as he watched Chloe direct everyone on proper ornament-hanging in her bossiest tone and Christopher tease Will, who teased him right back, and Andie send him a laughing glance over her shoulder, his chest seemed to expand with joy so big the little house couldn't contain it.

“Okay,” Chloe said at last. “I think that should do it. We used all the paper snowflakes and almost all the other ornaments, too.”

“Can we turn the lights off now and see it?” Will begged.

“Sure,” Marshall said. “Chris, can you do the honors?”

His son turned off the lamp and then the main lights in the room, leaving only the Christmas tree gleaming against the windows.

“Oh,” Will breathed. “It looks
awesome
!”

“I guess it's pretty good, for a real tree,” Christopher agreed.

“I love it,” Andie said. She smiled at Marshall and slipped her arms around him. They all stood there for a moment, until he realized Chloe hadn't offered her opinion; she was just standing and looking up at the twinkling branches.

“Well, Chloe? What do you think?”

She turned, eyes shining with the reflection of eight hundred colored lights. “Yes,” she said in a hushed voice. “This is the best tree in town. Maybe the best one
ever
. We have the best tree and the best house and the best family.”

“I can't argue with you there, sweetheart,” he said, his own voice low as soft music played and outside the windows a light snow began to fall. “It's absolutely perfect.”

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from
EVERGREEN SPRINGS
by RaeAnne Thayne.

If you loved
Snowfall on Haven Point
, then come stay awhile at Brambleberry House. It's a place infused with acceptance, healing and heart—as only
New York Times
bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne can imagine it.

Don't miss this unforgettable collection featuring two fan-favorite stories about second chances and finding love.

Brambleberry House

Order your copy today!

For more sweet and heartfelt stories, return to Haven Point, where there's no place sweeter to fall in love…

Don't miss any of the titles in this charming series:

Snowfall on Haven Point
Riverbend Road
Evergreen Springs
Redemption Bay
Snow Angel Cove

Available now!

“RaeAnne Thayne is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors… Once you start reading, you aren't going to be able to stop.”
—Fresh Fiction

Connect with us on
Harlequin.com
for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

Other ways to keep in touch:

Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com