Some Enchanted Season (39 page)

The door closed, and footsteps moved across the floor, coming slowly into his line of sight. Booted feet, small feet. He jerked his gaze upward, and the ring slipped from his index finger, fell to the floor, and rolled to a stop between the boots. Maggie bent, picked it up, examined it closely, then closed her fingers around it.

He had to try several times to make his voice work, and even then the words were hoarse and thick. “Forget something?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I did.” She disappeared into the living room, then returned with a small package. Kneeling a few steps below him, she held it out, and slowly, without touching her, he took it. “Open it.”

It was small, flat, wrapped in gold foil paper and decorated with a gold mesh bow she’d tied herself. He opened the package to find a Christmas ornament—a
wreath with two angels side by side, kissing. He touched it lightly, then glanced at Maggie. Her face was puffy, her eyes red, but her mouth curved in the beginning of a smile, and her expression was expectant.

“Turn it over.”

He did. Written on the back was a brief message:
This time forever
. “Your promise,” he whispered.

“You asked me for a promise and I made it. Now I’m going to keep it.”

“But you didn’t know—”

“I knew the important things. I knew that I loved you. I knew that you loved me. That’s what matters.”

His hand reached for her of its own accord. Deliberately he pulled it back. “What I did matters.”

“Yes … but it can be dealt with. What’s important is what you do now, what you do in the future.” She became sweetly serious. “We were different people a year ago, Ross, in a different place. We can’t let what we did then ruin the future we can have now. What we
can
do is ensure that it never happens again. We won’t forget what’s important. We’ll make it good and make it last.” She gestured toward the wreath. “My promise.”

Abruptly her gaze shifted to the ornament. She took it from him and held it up to see better. “Hey, that’s not the one I bought. On mine, the angels were holding hands.”

“I like them kissing better,” he said, sliding an arm around her waist, drawing her closer. “Maybe the clerk accidentally switched it with another.”

“But she didn’t have any others with two angels. She checked.”

“Maybe she was mistaken. Maybe you were mistaken.”

As he lifted her onto his lap, she gave him a wry look. “Believe me, I know the difference between this”—she clasped his hand—“and this.” Wrapping one arm around his neck, she brought her mouth to his in a kiss that was instantly hot and needy and full of promise and love. When she finally ended it, he was breathless.

“Maybe …” His mind was blank, the words forgotten.

She rested her head on his shoulder and studied the ornament for a minute, then slowly smiled. “Noelle found this for me. She’s an angel, you know. Maybe that explains it.”

He thought of the young woman in the park who’d known his secrets, eased his fears, and disappeared without so much as one footprint in the snow—and he smiled too. “Definitely an angel.”

She wriggled to retrieve the gold band from her jeans pocket, gave it to him, then extended her left hand. Ignoring her hand, he studied the ring for a moment. Sixteen years old, it had been through a lot. There were nicks and scratches, and, after being relegated to the jewelry box in favor of the diamond monstrosity, it had lost its luster. But the imperfections added character and the shine had been restored with a little TLC. It was as fitting a symbol of their marriage as any.

Solemnly he slid it onto her finger, then pressed a kiss to it. She gazed at it, then at him, with a look of
supreme satisfaction. “And she brought us our own Christmas miracle.”

A
cold Christmas eve, snow on the ground, breathtaking stars in the sky, friends gathered round, and Ross at her side. Maggie couldn’t imagine a more perfect moment if she tried, and so she didn’t. She simply savored.

The high school choir was leading the crowd in one last carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” She didn’t sing along. Neither did Ross, who held her so close that she imagined she could feel the steady beat of his heart through their coats. Surprisingly, beside them, Tom did sing along, and quite satisfactorily. Next to him, Holly was singing too—in between stealing glances.

As the last notes faded into the night, a hush fell over the crowd, broken after a moment by the pastor who offered the closing prayer. She had much to be grateful for, and she whispered a prayer to that effect. Then church bells from nearby rang in Christmas Day, and everyone turned to their friends and neighbors to offer greetings and wishes.

The Winchester sisters were the last to seek them out. “I would say that I hope Santa brings you your heart’s desire,” Miss Corinna said with a twinkling smile, “but it’s obvious you’ve already got it. I’m happy for you both.”

“Come and see us tomorrow. Bring your guest,” Miss Agatha instructed.

“We will.”

Miss Corinna hugged Maggie, then Ross. As she leaned close to him, Maggie heard her murmur, “Faith is a marvelous thing, isn’t it?”

Indeed it was.

They made their way slowly to the sidewalk, where Ross left her with Tom for a moment while he spoke to a woman waiting to cross the street. He appeared to be asking a question, to which the woman nodded vigorously. When he rejoined them, Maggie asked, “What was that about?”

“You’ll have to wait and see.”

At home Tom wished them a Merry Christmas and good night on the sidewalk. He even gave Maggie a touch, just his fingers brushing her shoulder, before he left.

“I think he’s warming up to me,” she said with a laugh. “That’s the first time he’s ever touched me in eleven years.”

“Come inside.
I
want to touch you.”

“Sounds like fun.” She let him pull her to the door and inside. Instead of heading upstairs, though, he guided her into the living room and to the tree, where he urged her to sit on the floor. “What are we doing?”

“Opening gifts.”

She watched, amused, as he gathered the packages, then joined her on the floor. As he opened the sweater she’d picked out, she removed the paper from a long, narrow box. Jewelry—probably a necklace, she thought with the experience of years opening these boxes and just a hint of disappointment. However, when she lifted the lid, it was no magnificent necklace in the box. There was a charm made of metal and engraved
with the year beneath a heart pierced by an arrow and the sentiment RM + MM.

“It’s for the tree,” he said. “When we plant it outside.”

She swallowed hard over the lump in her throat and reached for the next package. Inside were the emerald earrings she’d always loved so dearly. When she reached for the third gift, he stopped her.

“I wasn’t sure about this and the next one. When I bought them, I thought I was offering a reluctant compromise. I thought it was selfish agreeing to something I didn’t think I wanted just so I could have you, but …” He swallowed. “I really do want this, and I’ll be good at it, and you’ll never be sorry. I swear.”

Slowly he released the package, and she laid it in her lap, then peeled the paper away. Inside was a small paperback with a bright-eyed baby on the cover and ten thousand names inside. Tears welled in her eyes, then burst free when he brought the next gift in from across the hall. She knelt in front of the cradle, rubbing her hand over the delicately shaped curves, and all too easily imagined it providing a haven for the best-loved baby who ever lived.

Looking up at her anxious husband, she wiped away the tears. “Oh, Ross …” Before she could find the words, though, the doorbell rang and he disappeared to answer it. After a moment’s quiet conversation, he returned—or, rather, was dragged back by the biggest, blackest, friendliest-looking creature she’d ever seen. As the dog bounded into her lap for an exploratory sniff and lick, she gave in to laughter.

“Remember your dreams? A man you loved, a
pretty little house, three kids, and a dog? Meet the dog.” Ross sat down beside her, capturing some part of the animal’s attention. “His name is Buddy, which is Old English for herald or messenger. You can look it up if you want,” he said, gesturing toward the baby name book. “He was half starved and terrified of people when the vet found him, but he seems to have gotten over both. She says he’s very gentle and great with kids.”

Buddy settled in, half over her lap, half over Ross’s, and gave a loud, contented sigh. Without disturbing him, Maggie twisted to wrap her arms around Ross’s neck. “Thank you so very much—for the dog. The book. The cradle. The earrings. The tree tag. For loving me. For having faith in me.” Her own words—words that he had listened to, taken to heart and acted on—echoed through her mind.
I would … marry a man whom I loved. We would have a pretty little house, three kids, and a dog, and we would live this incredibly normal, incredibly satisfying life
. They brought from her the same contented sigh Buddy had just given.

“Thank you, Ross, for making my dreams come true.”

About the Author
 

Known for her intensely emotional stories, Marilyn Pappano is the author of nearly forty books with more than four million copies in print. She has made regular appearances on bestseller lists and has received recognition for her work with numerous awards. Though her husband’s Navy career took them across the United States, they now live in Oklahoma, high on a hill that overlooks her hometown. They have one son.

When Dr. J. D. Grayson is approached by Noelle, posing as a social worker, about providing a foster home to the four Brown kids, he has a number of reasons to say no. He’s single. He lives in a cramped apartment. He works odd hours. And the biggest reason: Becoming a foster parent requires a background check, and there are secrets J. D. doesn’t want uncovered. But Noelle is nothing if not persuasive, and before J. D. knows it, he’s got four children to care for.

No sooner have the kids settled in than a real social worker, Kelsey Malone, shows up. She doesn’t know who gave custody of the kids to J. D.; certainly no one in her office did. When she conducts a background check, J. D.’s nightmare comes true. And it’ll take all of Noelle’s special magic to pave the way to happily-ever-after.