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Maeve woke to the sound of children watching cartoons downstairs and the smell of coffee. She chastised herself for sleeping late. Her plan to keep Tom away from coffee—and cold pizza—would have to wait for another day.
Before she went downstairs, she called over to the guest house to make sure everyone slept well, letting them know Judy, one of the part-time stable hands and the resident short-order cook, would be preparing breakfast and it would be served in the banquet hall starting around 8:30 a.m.
After Maeve hung up the phone, she wondered again what Gill meant by the “news.” No one had said anything more last night. Was there something going on she didn’t know about, or was he just talking about everyone coming home? She thought again about Mary saying, “finding out in time.” Finding what out in time? It all sounded a bit cryptic, but no matter, the kids were home, and it was Christmas. What more could she want?
Maeve finished getting dressed and went downstairs where Tom greeted her with coffee in her favorite mug.
“Just how you like it dear, two creams, one sugar,” Tom said, then kissed her cheek.
“Thanks, honey,” Maeve replied. “Are you ready for breakfast?”
“I believe the question is, are you ready for breakfast?” he bantered.
Maeve just smiled and said, “Let’s go eat.”
By now, Gill’s strange comment, Mary’s odd question, and now Tom’s remark intrigued her, but she shrugged it off. Perhaps the family had gotten her something out of the ordinary for Christmas this year.
Judy’s scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, buckwheat pancakes with maple syrup, homemade biscuits, and fresh hash browns delighted everyone for breakfast. As they sat around the table afterward looking stuffed, Maeve waited for some other kind of clue, but no one said anything out of the ordinary.
She filled everyone in on the itinerary for the day—going to town to window shop with the girls, the gun range for those who wanted to practice shooting, or horse riding down to the river. If they didn't feel like being adventurous, they could hang around the always peaceful ranch. The kids, of course, always chose the game room.
Everyone was to meet back up around four o’clock to get ready for dinner at six. Judy was making pork barbecue, curly fries, and green beans, with apple pie, cherry pie crisps, and homemade vanilla ice cream. And, of course, Aunt Maeve’s Famous Iced Sugar Cookies.
When the groups convened at the barn earlier than expected, Maeve noticed all the lights were on in the banquet hall and a few extra cars sat in the driveway. But she paid no mind as she stabled her quarter horse Logos and went to the main house to get ready for the dinner.
“Hey, honey,” Tom whispered as he sidled up beside her, “Would you mind if we dress up a bit for dinner tonight? It is Christmas Eve. Besides, I like wearing my dress blues any time I can get by with it.”
“Sure, if you want to. But remember we’re having pork barbecue. You’ll want to be careful.” Maeve frowned at his odd request. “What should I wear then? Oh, maybe my green dress with gold trim. Or maybe my white dress with the blue and purple sash. You know ... we could pretend like we’re back on the Thames River looking at Big Ben and ringing in the New Year.”
Suddenly, caught up in the memories of her and Tom’s life, she exclaimed, “What a great year that was!”
“Yes, indeed.” Tom beamed before saying, “Go with the white dress, honey. You look so lovely in it.”
“White dress it is,” Maeve agreed. “But I’ll need a bib!” They both snickered and continued getting ready.