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“Just five more minutes,” she thought, “and I’ll be done.”
She startled when she heard the front screen door snap back to its frame. Gill and Sara had arrived.
“Hey, Mom! I’m home!” Gill shouted. “And the whole gang’s coming!”
Maeve put the last of the icing on the final cookie and placed it in an antique crystal cake saver with a red bow on top as Gill entered the kitchen.
“Oh, Gill, that’s great news!” Maeve grinned as she stood for a hug from her oldest son.
“Where’s Dad?” Gill inquired.
“He went to mend a five-foot section of the fence line, so Alan and Alana’s dog won’t get loose,” Maeve answered.
Alan and Alana, now six years old, were grandson Zachary’s fraternal twins and the youngest great-grandchildren of Tom and Maeve.
“Oh, okay,” Gill murmured. “Did you know that Bethany and John won a free trip to Hawaii for Christmas and planned to go next week?”
Bethany was Maeve and Tom’s only daughter and Zachary’s parents. She shook her head.
“No matter,” Gill said a bit to himself. “They changed their plans when they heard the news. They should be here around dark.” Before she could question her son about this “news,” he continued, “I’m going to get our things. Sara should be right here. I’ll go see what’s keeping her.”
He walked out of the kitchen through the formal dining room toward the side entrance. What “news” was Gill talking about, she wondered as she made her way to arrange the wood in the fireplace for later.
The screen door clacked again and in ran Rufus and the twins, Alan and Alana.
“Hi, Granny!” they yelled in unison as Rufus shook profusely and plopped down on the rug in front of the fireplace.
“Well, hello, children. Thought you wouldn’t be here until later today,” Maeve replied, giving each of them a quick hug.
“We came with Uncle Jacob and Aunty Mary,” Alana explained.
“We begged Mom and Dad, and they finally said yes,” Alan added.
Maeve hadn’t realized her other son Jacob and his wife Mary had arrived. She tried to look out the front window to the drive, but Alana pulled on her top.
“We wanted to be here early, Granny. It’s so exciting!” Alana and Alan grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl sitting on the coffee table and dashed back outside.
Rufus, realizing his pack leaders were on the move, darted toward the door to follow. But missing the open door, he ran right into the screen. A slight yelp came as his momentum stopped abruptly, and his nose poked through.
Maeve couldn’t help but giggle as she walked to free the Rhodesian Ridgeback from his embarrassment. She consoled Rufus with a pat on the head and let him out. She felt a warm rush come over her as the sixty-five-degree breeze came across her face. It was so wonderful to have this great weather as the family returned home. The forecast for possible snow on Christmas—now just two days away—would be the icing on her cookie. Tom had asked the stable hands to prepare wreaths for their horses Dancer and Prancer and adorn the winter sleigh with pine, holly, bells, and ribbons just in case there was enough snow.
In the distance, she saw Tom coming back from mending the fence. Fetching him some iced tea, she met him where he stabled his American Painted Horse Lingo.
“Honey,” Maeve said as she handed him the glass, “Will you and Gill put some more wood in the wood boxes, please? The weather will be coming in tomorrow night, and I want to make sure we have enough for the house and the barn. And don’t forget to check the tie-downs on the decorations. We’re supposed to get some high winds as the weather changes. Oh, and maybe you can add fixing the screen door to your to-do list.”
“Got you covered.” Tom smiled, then took a sip of his tea, accustomed to his wife’s lists of demands. “The decorations will withstand a hurricane.” He winked. “And I just need to get another load of wood on the front porch. We’ll be set for a fortnight, my dear.”
“Everyone except Bethany and John will be here shortly after noon, so I’ve ordered pizza,” informed Maeve. “Bethany and John will be here this evening.”
“Great!” Tom handed Maeve the now-empty glass and headed for the large woodpile under the lean-to where the four-wheeler and trailer stood waiting.
Maeve laughed as she heard Tom yell, “Hey, Gill. Come help your old man out and let the ladies talk about us!”
“Sure, Dad,” Gill replied as he placed the last suitcase on the front porch. His wife Sara came up and gave Maeve a quick hug.
“Hello, Mother.” Jacob leaned in to kiss Maeve on the cheek.
“We’ve missed you,” Mary added, and she leaned in for a hug. “So glad we found out in time.”
They watched as Alan and Alana played keep-away with Rufus in the driveway, running back and forth, slinging the Frisbee.
“Kids, you may want to head to the field,” Jacob prompted. “Don’t want you falling in the gravel and hurting yourself.”
The twins acknowledged their uncle and merrily skipped toward the field.
“It has been a while since we’ve all been together, hasn’t it?” Maeve said, again wondering when someone would share the “news” Gill had mentioned. And what did Mary mean about “finding out in time?” She brushed the thoughts aside and said, “Your room is ready. Go on up and settle in. I have pizza on the way for lunch, and everyone should be here soon.”