Standing on Main Street, gazing at the quaint town in all its fanciful, festive garb, Kat knew she’d come home.
Wrapping her new scarf around her neck, she traced the same path she’d walked her first day in Poppy Creek. Only this time, her footsteps were light, not weighed down by fear and uncertainty.
She hugged the hefty tote bag by her side, eager to see Penny’s expression when she revealed its contents. Not to mention the look on her sister’s face when she announced her good news.
In truth, she’d wanted to tell Jack first. But the items she had for Penny couldn’t wait.
And she and Jack had the rest of their lives.
The mere thought gave her goose bumps.
As she pushed through the front door of Thistle & Thorn, and the welcoming bell jingled overhead, a huge smile swept across her face. Oh, how she’d missed this place.
Penny glanced up from helping a customer, and a gleeful squeal escaped her lips. “You’re back!” Quickly excusing herself, Penny enveloped Kat in a warm, sisterly embrace.
Kat hugged her tightly, overwhelmed by the sudden flood of affection. Sniffling, she pulled back, trying to compose herself. “I brought you something.”
Penny shot her customer a sheepish glance. “Frida, would you mind if we—”
“Not at all, dear. I’ll come back later.” The elderly woman shuffled past them, her eyes glinting with her latest piece of gossip. In a few hours, the entire town would know Kat had returned.
Which meant Kat needed to be quick if she wanted to reach Jack before the rumor mill.
Penny flipped the Closed sign and led the way upstairs.
Although she’d been gone only a few days, Kat relished being back in Penny’s apartment. She’d become accustomed to its coziness and quirky charm.
“Would you like some tea?” Penny asked, setting another log on the hearth before prodding the embers.
“No, thanks. I can’t stay long. I have to—”
“Find Jack?” Penny cut in, her eyes twinkling.
Kat answered with a coy smile as she lugged the tote bag over to the chaise lounge. “First, I want to show you something.”
When Penny sat beside her, Kat handed her a small rectangular scrapbook.
“What is it?” Penny asked, peering curiously at the nondescript cream cover.
“Open it.” Kat’s stomach fluttered, anticipating her sister’s reaction.
The second Penny cracked the spine, she gasped.
A snapshot of a smiling couple cradling an infant gazed up at her.
“It can’t be….”
“I found it in Helena’s hope chest.”
“I can’t believe it,” Penny murmured, misty-eyed as she slowly turned the pages of her baby album.
After a few minutes, Kat reached into the tote bag, retrieving a second binder. “There’s more.”
Setting the ivory satin album on Penny’s lap, she flipped to the first page, revealing a photo of Helena and Timothy Heart sharing a tender kiss on the front steps of a chapel.
“Their wedding album?” Penny’s question carried a note of disbelief.
“Did you know they were married on Christmas Day?”
“I didn’t. But it looks… perfect.” Her voice broke as she stared at the white steepled church veiled in snow. A simple wreath with a red satin bow hung on the front door and crimson poinsettias lined the stone steps. “Her dress is stunning. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s from the 1920s.”
For a moment, both women silently admired The Great Gatsby–inspired beaded bodice and slimming silhouette.
“Are those…” Leaning forward, Penny squinted at the Polaroid. “Are those feathers along the hemline?”
“See for yourself.” Barely able to contain her excitement, Kat stood and pulled the last item from the canvas bag.
As the silvery fabric unfurled, sunlight shimmered off the intricate beadwork, causing it to glitter like diamonds.
Penny sucked in a breath as the feathery hem floated to the floor.
“What do you think?” Kat asked, smiling wide. “I’m pretty sure you two were the same size.”
“You mean…” Penny met her gaze, her eyes glistening.
“I think she would’ve wanted you to have it.”
As a solitary tear slid down her cheek, Penny gently brushed the feathers with her fingertips. “Remember how I told you my father described Helena as some magical creature out of a fairy tale?”
Kat nodded.
“He said she had a haunting, angelic voice and enormous, billowing wings that could carry them through the stars.” Another tear followed the first, but she didn’t wipe them away. “I never told anyone this, but I’d always imagined her wings were silver, as though they’d been dipped in stardust.” Lost in her thoughts, she caressed the soft plumes.
“Do you want to try it on?” Kat asked gently, touched by her sister’s story.
“More than anything,” she murmured, then her expression brightened. “But first, I just had an impulsive, irrational, and completely wonderful idea.” She bolted from the chaise lounge, suddenly bursting with energy.
“What is it?” Kat asked cautiously, wary of her sister’s abrupt change in demeanor. Not to mention the wild glint in her eyes.
Even Chip looked concerned as he poked his head out of his enclosure to watch Penny pace the carpet.
“It would require some last-minute planning, which isn’t ideal. But it doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. Of course, we did just have Frank and Beverly’s wedding, but I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if—”
“Whoa! Hold on,” Kat interrupted. “I’m not following you.”
“I want to get married on Christmas Day!” Penny cried, clasping her hands in excitement. “At the chapel. Just like my parents.”
Stunned, it took Kat a minute to respond. “You realize that doesn’t give you much time to prepare.”
“Yes, but we wouldn’t need a lot! We could have a simple ceremony in the afternoon. And in lieu of a reception, we can all go to the Christmas Carnival in the evening. Actually, now that I think about it, it’s rather perfect. And I know Colt will love the idea.”
As Kat mulled it over, Penny added, “We don’t need a big bridal party, either. Just a best man and a maid of honor to stand up with us.”
“That would certainly make things easier.”
“Of course, that’s assuming you can come back on Christmas Day. To be my maid of honor,” Penny added with a hopeful smile.
For a moment, Kat couldn’t speak. Only a few weeks earlier, this woman had been a stranger. And now, Kat not only had a sister, she’d gained a best friend. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she said at last, her voice thick with emotion. “And I’ll definitely be here because… I’ve decided to stay in Poppy Creek.”
Grinning through her tears, Penny shouted, “Did you hear that, Chip? She’s staying! Didn’t I tell you she would?”
For the second time that afternoon, Kat found herself in an embrace. “I guess it’s too late to mention that I’m not really a hugger,” she teased, realizing how much she’d come to appreciate the show of affection.
“Oh, it’s absolutely too late,” Penny laughed. “And you’d better get used to it because it’ll be happening a lot. I’m so excited you’re staying!”
“There’s just one tiny problem….” Kat paused, trying to decide how to phrase her question.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, per se. But I’d need a job. I was wondering if you could use some help around here until I can find something a little more permanent?”
“Are you kidding? I would love that! I haven’t been able to find anyone since Bri left for college. And working together would be so much fun!” Penny’s grin widened as another idea struck her. “Plus, you could live here!”
“That’s a sweet offer, but I thought Colt was moving in after the wedding so you could save up for a house?”
“He was, but then Beverly offered us her place for next to nothing. It’s a darling little cottage by the creek. And Chip will have his own room, which he’s thrilled about. So, you can stay here, work for me part-time, and—” She snapped her mouth shut as though she were on the verge of saying something she shouldn’t.
“And…?” Kat pressed, suddenly curious.
“I’m not supposed to say anything. Jack wants to be the one to tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
After cutting down all the dead vines wrapped around the eaves of the Windsor house, Jack stood back to survey his handiwork. Warmth spread across his chest.
It would take several months before the place would be up and running, but he enjoyed watching the progress. What started as an endeavor to help Kat achieve her dream had transformed into so much more.
Her generous nature had inspired him to share what he had with others. And an inn would certainly be a blessing to Poppy Creek. Not only would it alleviate some of the pressure off of George and Trudy, but it would bring more traffic to local businesses.
Jack chuckled, realizing that for once, his goals were aligned with Mayor Burns’s—perhaps the real Christmas miracle.
Opening an inn would solve another problem, too. He’d decided to ask Colt to run the inn’s restaurant, which would give his friend free rein over the menu, and he and Vick could go back to serving unpretentious comfort food at the diner.
Overall, it was a win-win.
“What do you think, Fitz? How does it look?”
From his lounging position on the front porch, Fitz glanced up from his well-gnawed antler and barked his approval.
Tires crunched across the gravel, drawing the pup’s attention toward the driveway. His ears perked up, and in one leap, he bounded down the steps.
Jack turned, his heart ricocheting into his throat as Kat’s Corolla came to a stop beside his truck. He knew he’d missed her, but seeing her again multiplied his emotions tenfold.
Without thinking, he strode toward her, nearly breaking into a jog.
The instant she stepped from the car, he scooped her into his arms, capturing her mouth with his.
She melted against him, only breaking away after Fitz pawed her leg.
“Gee,” she gasped, struggling to catch her breath, “that was quite the greeting.”
“We all have our forms of saying hello. You assault people on sidewalks, and I—” He cupped her chin again, kissing her deeply.
When their lips finally parted, she murmured, “I hope you don’t greet all the girls like that.”
“Just one. And only one, from here on out.”
Her eyes widened, searching his expression.
“I know you said you can’t leave Fern and Hope Hideaway, but we’ll make it work. I love you, Kat Bennet. And I can’t go back to the way things were before you walked into my life. And neither can this guy. He’s been moping around like a lovesick puppy ever since you left.”
Kneeling to nuzzle Fitz’s neck, she told him, “I love you, too, buddy,” her voice thick with emotion.
Jack’s heart sputtered, aching to hear those same words.
As she stood, she met his gaze. “I love you, too, Jack.”
Her breathy whisper set every nerve in his body on edge, and his throat went dry. Once again, all thoughts escaped him except for one.
Gathering Kat in his arms, he lowered his mouth to hers, savoring every spine-tingling sensation as he lost himself in a moment of pure, unparalleled joy.
Fitz waited patiently, leaning against Jack’s leg until he grew restless and released a whimpering sigh.
Kat laughed softly. “I think someone needs attention.”
“Like I said, we’ve got ourselves quite the little beggar.”
“We?”
“Yep. You’d better get used to hearing me say that. We have a dog. And we have an inn….”
He let that last sentence linger in the air between them, gauging her reaction. Since she’d known where to find him, he assumed someone—most likely Penny—had mentioned something about it.
“We have an inn?” she repeated slowly, clearly stunned.
“Penny didn’t tell you?”
“She told me where to find you, but didn’t say what you were doing out here.”
“In that case…” With an arm around her waist, Jack swiveled so they both faced the sprawling home. “What do you think of our new inn?”
“I—I don’t know what to say,” she stammered, still in shock. “Is it really ours?”
“It sure is. We can work out the logistics with you in Starcross Cove, but I want it to run exactly as you’d imagined it.”
“It’s incredible, Jack.” She ran a finger along the corner of her eye, brushing aside a stray tear. “And the logistics won’t be a problem.”
“What do you mean?” He felt his heartbeat skip, hardly daring to hope.
“I’m moving to Poppy Creek.”
He earnestly searched her face, praying he hadn’t dreamt her words. “Are you really staying?”
She gazed up at him, her cheeks flushed and radiant.
In a single glance, it was as if he could see their entire future.
And it had never looked brighter.