Chapter Thirteen

Noel woke up chatty the next morning. She gave Ally the play-by-play of the entire previous night’s conversation with Brian. He had bought a Christmas tree, but it remained bare in the corner of their living room, because he wasn’t going to start decorating without her. He had refused to watch another episode of the TV series they were bingeing, even though he’d been tempted a few times to help pass the loneliness without her. He’d made a stocking that said “Chelsea Rose” even though the baby wasn’t due until after Christmas.

“Brian’s the best husband a girl could ever ask for,” Noel said at one point, and, from all she’d heard, Ally couldn’t debate the point. When Ally told Noel she was heading out to go sledding, Noel prodded her about the previous night. “I know you were with Jake. I saw you two out the window.”

“It was nothing,” Ally said. “We just built a snowman in the dark.”

“A snowman?” Noel said. “Cute.” She turned the topic back to Brian and told tales of their own snowman-building escapades. Ally thought she’d avoided any further prodding about Jake, but then Noel abruptly stopped her Brian reminisces to blurt out, “Do you have feelings for Jake?”

Ally was pulling her sweater on over her head, and the surprise question threw her off her motion. Suddenly, the sweater was stuck on her head. She finally managed to free herself and turned to her temporary roomie.

“Noel? Really?”

“I was just wondering,” Noel said.

“Of course not. I mean…I barely know the guy. And you do know we’re not here forever, right? We’ll be on our way tomorrow, I’m sure. I’ll never see Jake again.” And if you never saw him again, how would you feel about that? Ally asked herself, pretending to be her own therapist.

“That’s what you keep saying,” Noel said, “but so far tomorrow hasn’t come.”

Ally laughed and reached into the dresser drawer for a pair of jeans. “Well, Mother Nature seems to have a mind of her own.” Ally yanked on her jeans as she hopped to the window. She saw Jake chuck an old-style wooden sled into the bed of his pickup truck. “Okay,” she said, zipping up her jeans, “I’m going to go. You good?”

“Oh, sure,” Noel said. “Peggy’s taking me to Doc Baker’s for a checkup, and then we’re getting hair and nails done. I want to look pretty for the big bake-off tonight. So, even if we lose, at least I’ll look good.”

Ally smiled. “See you later then.”

“Have fun on your date, Ally.”

Ally gave her a look at the door. “It’s not a date.”

“Whatever you say, roomie,” Noel replied with an impish smile. “Whatever you say.”

…

Noel’s date comment got Ally thinking as she slipped into the passenger seat of Jake’s pickup truck. Is it a date? Maddie’s presence made it a little murky. Jake had a cup of to-go coffee from Charlie’s waiting for Ally in the truck cup carrier. Thoughtful, she mused. It was still warm. “Thanks for the coffee,” she said.

“You’re welcome.” Jake shifted into gear, and they lurched off. Ally made sure she sat just close enough to him so that his gearshift hand would brush against her leg, but, at the same time, tried not to be too obvious about it. Does he know I’m doing it on purpose?

“So, you’re not needed at the diner?” Ally asked as they rolled down the quiet street. She noticed the previous night’s snowfall had layered a fresh new dusting on the bushes and rooftops.

“Libby knows how to run that place like a well-oiled machine,” Jake said.

“So, how’s Robbie?” Ally asked. “What’s the latest with Amelia?”

“He’s a bit down in the dumps,” Jake said. “She came in for dinner last night with the good-looking kid from your flight.”

“Oh, that’s not good,” Ally said. “Then again, maybe she’s trying to make him jealous.” Ally wasn’t sure she believed that. Amelia didn’t seem the type.

Jake then laid out the dramatic story from the previous evening, finishing while the truck idled in front of Tina’s house as they waited for Maddie to come out. Apparently, Amelia had come into Charlie’s with her new “friend” Justin just after seven. Libby had seated them in a booth by the window, and, before she could go to the back to warn Robbie, he’d come barreling out of the kitchen, toting an empty bus pan and whistling “Jingle Bells.” He was clueless to the lurking danger.

“Robbie didn’t see them at first and then…he froze in his tracks. It couldn’t have gone worse,” Jake said. “I was ringing up a customer at the register and witnessed the whole disaster. Robbie stood there like he’d just seen a zombie crawl out of a grave. When Amelia said ‘hello, Robbie, how are you?’ he just turned and slunk back to the kitchen. He wouldn’t come out again until he was sure they’d gone. It was pretty pitiful, actually.”

“Wow,” Ally said. “That boy’s got it bad.”

“Yeah,” Jake said. “I think he feels insecure because he wasn’t able to go off to college right after graduation like everybody else. His mom needs his help. She’s got cancer.”

“Oh,” Ally said. “I’m so sorry.”

“All ready!”

Ally watched as Maddie flew out the door and down the steps toward the truck, passing by Snowman Bob, who looked to still be in pretty good shape. Maddie was bundled up in a pink parka and lavender ski hat. She had on white mittens and wool boots. Ally started to get out to let Maddie sit in the middle, but the little girl was too fast.

“You can sit in the middle,” she said as she jumped in the front seat. “Uncle Jake would probably like that.” Ally glanced at Jake as she edged over, positioning her legs just to the right of the gearshift. Jake’s precocious niece took over the truck. She tuned the radio station away from her uncle’s chosen classical music to a pop station and spent the twenty-five-minute drive in a nonstop chatter-fest. She talked about Snowman Bob and her favorite boy band. She talked about her friend Carmen and how she’d been really needy lately; she talked about the Robbie and Amelia saga, tossing in her own two cents.

“Robbie just needs to stop being a wimp and man up.”

Even though Maddie’s assessment wasn’t very yogi-like, Ally had to agree with the sentiment.

Wow, the scenery is so beautiful, she thought as Jake’s truck rolled out of town into the pristine countryside. The two-lane rural road took them past snow-laden farms, woods, and pastures. They rolled past a snaking rushing river with foaming waters. Ally imagined it had to be brutally cold. Jake was silent most of the ride, letting his gabby niece provide the entertainment. But Ally caught him glancing her way from time to time, and there was no way to keep his jean-covered knees from touching hers. She wondered if he enjoyed the proximity as much as she did.

“Okay,” Jake said at last. “This is us.”

He pulled his truck off the main road and down a snowy path that cut through a thin wintry forest. The ride was bumpy, and Ally felt her coffee jostling in the cup. She put her finger over the little slit in the lid so that the lukewarm liquid wouldn’t spill. The trail soon started arcing upward, pushing her back in the seat, the path rising higher and higher until, some two minutes into the ride, they arrived at a clearing at the top of a steep slope.

“Here we are!” Maddie shouted. As soon as the truck rolled to a stop, the eager girl was out the door, headed to the back to grab the sled. Jake put on the parking brake as Ally slid over into the spot Maddie had just vacated.

“It’s snow time,” he said.

Ally hesitated for a moment before getting out. She wondered about this hill. “Is this a special place?” she asked. “Did you come here with Kate?”

Jake looked at her. “No. Not with Kate. This is where I used to escape after she passed away. I’d come here to think, or, rather, try and not think. Just to get away. Find some solitude. You’re the first woman…” He stopped himself. Ally felt herself flush. First woman you ever brought here? she mentally completed his sentence. Happy to be your first. She pushed open the door and climbed out so he wouldn’t see her pink cheeks. Jake followed her, and they walked to the edge of the hill, looked down at the valley below.

“It’s beautiful,” Ally said.

“Yeah,” Jake said. “It sure is.”

Maddie came trudging over, dragging the sled by the rope. “Can I do a run by myself first?”

“Sure, go for it,” Jake said. Maddie jumped down stomach-first on the sled.

“Ready!” she said. Her uncle Jake planted his foot on the back of the sled and gave it a big push. “Banzai!” Maddie shouted as the sled eased off the top of the run, then arced downward, careening faster and faster down the steep grade. Ally watched as the little girl gathered speed, her joyful squeals fading as she sped down the run.

“Okay,” Jake said. “One last run? Tandem?”

“Sure,” Ally said. “But this time you get in front and I steer.”

They’d been there nearly an hour, and Ally was wet and cold and tired and deliriously happy. She had totally forgotten just how amazingly fun sledding could be. She had managed to impress Jake and Maddie with her ability to ride down surfer-style, standing up and making it all the way down the run without tumbling off.

“Let’s all three go,” Maddie said. “I’ll go in front, Uncle Jake can be in the middle, and Ally can steer.” Ally looked at Jake.

“Sounds good to me,” she said.

“All right,” Jake said. “Let’s do it.”

Maddie aimed the sled and then hopped on the front, while Jake awkwardly positioned himself in the middle. Finally, Ally stood at the back, her hands on Jake’s shoulders. “Okay,” she said. “I’m going to push off and then jump on. Hopefully, anyway. One…two…three!” Ally struggled and strained and finally got the old Flexible Flyer moving downhill.

With the added weight, the sled rocketed down the steep snowy grade and veered into a snowbank, flipping on its side and sending the three passengers tumbling, laughing into a heap.

“Yes!” Ally said. “Now, that’s what I call a ride!”

Maddie sprang to her feet right away. “Can we go again? Please? One more time?”

Ally and Jake exchanged a look. He was leaning back against her, and she didn’t think he seemed in any hurry to move. She wasn’t exactly squirming to move away from him, either. The stiff and guarded Jake had seemed to vanish into the brisk winter air.

She liked this new version.

…

By the time they loaded the sled back into Jake’s truck some ninety minutes after arriving, Ally had snow and ice in her hair and down her back. Her jeans were wet, her cheeks frosted, and her lips chapped. She hadn’t been sledding since visiting her grandparents in Vermont when she was twelve, and it was the best time she’d had in a long while. Another great stress reliever, she thought. If only Tim could see me now. For some reason, for the first time since she’d found out, she didn’t immediately try to push thoughts of Tim from her head. Could it be she was already on the way to recovery? Ally thought how time felt different in Bethlehem—a day seemed like a week or even longer. It was as if the clock played by different rules in northwest Colorado. You should be miserable, she thought. Why aren’t you?

“Ally, you’re an awesome sledder,” Maddie said on the drive back.

Ally could tell she’d impressed Jake, too. Her surfer-style runs had been a big hit. Maddie couldn’t believe that Ally could make it all the way down the hill without falling off. Ally loved the feel of the breeze through her hair on her standup runs down the snowy grade. But mostly she loved the feel and fun of the three of them bunched up together on the sled, Jake’s body pressed against her, his strong hands on her narrow hips. His touch warmed her and, she had to admit, made her blush a little.

“That was fun,” Ally said as they drew near to town. Maddie slumped down in the seat, lost in her earbuds.

“It was,” Jake said. “Even the falls are fun.”

Ally laughed. “Yeah. That’s true.” She suddenly felt so connected to this man that she wanted to put her hand on his knee or reach out and caress his sun-struck face with the back of her hand. She wanted to lean over and kiss his unshaven grizzled cheek. Get ahold of yourself, Henderson, Ally told herself. You’re acting like a lovestruck schoolgirl.

Ally found Noel in the kitchen with Peggy when she got back to the house. She filled Ally in on the latest news. The eastern seaboard was still shut down, and they had decided to throw out the cookies from the day before and bake a fresh batch for that evening’s contest. Ally admitted she’d tried to get Jake to offer up any hints as to what he’d baked, but he’d been close-lipped.

“I taught Jake everything he knows about baking,” Peggy said. “So, naturally, he’s quite good. He will not be an easy opponent.”

“I feel confident,” Noel said. “Our cranberrilicious cookies rock!”

By the time Ally, Noel, and Peggy finished re-baking and packaging the cookies, it was nearly time to head off to the Great Christmas Cookie Bake-off.

Standing in the foyer with Peggy and Noel, putting on coats and hats and scarves, Ally thought about how incredibly Christmassy she felt. Not only did Peggy’s house look and smell of Christmas from every nook and cranny, but it also had that feeling, as well.

“And we’re off,” Peggy said. “Cookies?”

“Check,” Noel said, holding up the cookie tin.

“Christmas spirit?”

“Check,” Ally said.

“Confidence?” Peggy asked.

“Check!” Ally and Noel said in unison.

Peggy smiled at her houseguests. “All right. Now, let’s go kick some cookie butt.”