Chapter Fourteen

It took less time to find the two large blue plastic storage bins filled with Christmas decorations than it did to get Joey and Julie out of the attic.

“Did you see the rockin’ horse, Julie? I wonder if Aunt Nell will let us bring it down from the attic so we can ride it.”

“I bet if Uncle Emmett asks she’ll say okay.” This was followed by Julie’s frightened squeal. “Sp…i…der!” She ran to Emmett and hugged his leg. “Don’t let it get me.”

“Here, now, little girl, hush up that screechin’. You ’bout scared ten years off me. It won’t hurt you if you don’t mess with it.” Emmett removed his hat and gently encouraged the hobo spider to move along. “Let’s get these decorations downstairs. Julie, help your brother with that smaller bin.”

The children followed Emmett down the stairs to the living room, where they deposited their burdens. Emmett removed the lid and dug around until he found the tree holder and secured the blue spruce in it, then set the tree in front of the large window.

Nell lamented, “I haven’t put up a tree in several years—don’t know if the twinkle lights still work.”

Emmett assured her. “Don’t fret, Nell. We’ll get it figured out.”

After an hour of untangling cords, stretching them out, and testing to make sure all the bulbs were screwed in, Emmett pointed and said, “It’s the moment of truth. Joey, there’s the wall outlet. Plug ’er in.”

Addison held her breath. Nell crossed her fingers. Julie scolded, “Hurry up, Joey.”

Much to everyone’s delight, the strands of red and green, blue and white lights twinkled. Nell helped Emmett wrap the strings of light around the tree. Addison’s heart twanged when the couple’s hands touched and Nell’s cheeks flamed when Emmett winked.

“Let the decorating begin,” Nell stepped back and declared.

Addison reached into the bin and drew out a miniature crocheted wreath. She sucked in her breath. A fat tear squeezed from the corner of her eye.

“Why are you crying, Addison?” Julie’s childlike voice was a mixture of sympathy and curiosity.

Addison held up the teal wreath adorned with a red bow for the twins to see the picture glued to the wreath. “Aunt Nell crocheted one for each of us. This is me when I wasn’t much older than you. It was my first Christmas at Hope Ranch.” She lovingly placed the ornament on a bluish-green sprig.

Nell peeked around from her side of the tree. “If you dig around, you’ll probably find one with Ruby’s picture, and a lot of others, too.”

“This is fun.” Joey pulled a spotted rocking horse from the box and hung it on the tree.

Addison searched until she found a plastic bag filled with ornaments that were Nell’s creation. She recalled most of the names as she hung other colorful crocheted wreaths. She held up a blue wreath with a green bow. “Who is this cute guy?”

“Oh, my goodness, that’s Wade. I think he was about eleven years old. He and Ava didn’t live here very long before Ward and Lucy adopted them.” She ran a finger over the picture. “He grew into a fine man.”

Addison found a place for the wreath. “Yes, he certainly has.”

“Look, isn’t she beautiful?” Julie crooned as she held up an angel tree-topper that wore a green coat with white faux fur trim and a green plaid dress with gold trim. The angel held a gold cross in one hand and a harp in the other. Her wings were snowy white feathers.

The little girl’s happy face crumpled, tears rimmed her eyes, and she sniffled. Addison knelt. “Why are you crying, Julie?”

Joey came and draped his arm over his sister’s shoulder. “She’s sad because the angels took our gram away.”

Addison used the tip of her shirttail to wipe away the tears. “Your gram wouldn’t want you to be sad. In fact, you and Joey come with me.”

Nell and Emmett exchanged curious glances and followed Addison as she led the twins outside to the front porch and down the steps. It was almost as if all of them had forgotten it was dark and cold.

Addison pointed to the inky sky littered with stars. “Stars are angels that watch over us and make us feel happy and safe. Look carefully for the star that glitters the brightest. That will be your gram smiling down at you.”

As if of one mind the twins pointed and said, “There…see, Addison? That’s the brightest star.”

Addison swallowed the welling in her chest. “I do see it. Remember, any time you feel sad or lonely, you can always find your gram.”

“How do you know this, Addison?” the twins asked.

Addison turned to see Nell wearing a misty smile. “A very wise woman told me.” She shivered. “Let’s go inside where it’s warm.”

Emmett lifted Julie in his arms and clasped Joey’s hand. “I’ll hold you up so you can place the angel on top of the tree. That way she can smile down at all of us.”

Nell wrapped her arm around Addison’s waist. “After all these years you still remember.”

“I’ve truly missed you, Aunt Nell. It’s good to be home.”

After admiring the tree and declaring it was the most beautiful Christmas tree ever, Nell tucked the sleepy-eyed children into bed while Addison helped Emmett clear the clutter from the floor. Even as he lifted the bins, saying he’d stick them back in the attic, he pierced Addison with a no-nonsense gaze. “I may be gettin’ on in age, but I’m nobody’s fool, Addison. What’s all this cloak-and-dagger stuff about me comin’ for lunch tomorrow?”

At Addison’s hesitation, he squinted hard at her. “I’m an old man, and my patience ain’t as long as it used to be.”

Keeping her voice hushed, Addison moved close to Emmett. She made a tick-a-lock motion against her lips as a way of asking him to keep quiet. “Nell is on the verge of losing the ranch. The meeting tomorrow is for putting our heads together and creating a plan that’s more than a Band-Aid solution to her finances.”

“What the hell…”

“Shh…you promised!”

“Why didn’t she come to me?”

Addison lifted her eyebrows. “Same reason she didn’t come to me or any of the others.”

He grabbed his hat. “Yeah—same reason she refused to marry me—stiff-necked, stubborn pride.”

The expression on Emmett’s face told her that he was as surprised by his admission as herself. She touched his arm. “Don’t leave, please. We’re all treading on the same thin ice with Aunt Nell. Let’s not give her a reason to make a decision that could leave her homeless and put this beautiful ranch in the hands of money-grubbing land developers. Don’t forget your property adjoins hers.” She drew a breath. “At least stay for a goodnight cup of coffee.”

At that moment Addison made a decision to get in touch with Ruby Raye as soon as possible. She had made a decision that, good or bad, would affect her future and possibly the rest of her life. Not to speak of putting a huge dent in her savings account.

Emmett followed Addison to the kitchen and helped her set out the cups. In a few minutes, Nell joined them. She settled on her usual stool at the large island with its white quartz countertop. “I sure will miss those young’uns when they’re gone. Until today it hadn’t dawned on me how empty and quiet this house has grown over the years.”

Addison realized she couldn’t remember the last time she had felt the sense of family. How sad that she had allowed those opportunities to slip away by not visiting Nell, especially on special occasions like Christmas and Nell’s birthday.

Emmett’s voice awakened Addison from her reveries. “Reckon I’ll mosey on. See you tomorrow for the…um…meeting.”

She remained at the kitchen island while Nell showed Emmett to the door. Once she returned, Addison said, “Has the festival ever held a fashion show?”

Nell lifted her eyebrows. “Not as long as I’ve served as chairwoman, and that’s been over twenty years. Activities have gotten stale after all this time, and the crowds have dwindled. Tell me more about this idea of yours.”

Addison was filled with renewed energy. “A fashion show with children—the twins would be adorable. T.J. Elsworth has daughters, and surely you know of others with children. To keep it cute and fun, we’d set the age limit at anyone between six and twelve years old. Maybe several store owners will donate outfits, and of course, it would be great advertisement for them.”

Nell’s brown eyes twinkled. She clapped her hands like an excited child. “By jingles, I love the idea and know the others will, too. What else you got?”

Addison took a sip of coffee, her mind whirling. “Hmm, here’s another idea. Have you ever auctioned off dinner with a bachelor…say, start the bidding at twenty-five dollars, with donating a portion of the proceeds to a worthy cause? We could ask the restaurants if they’d be willing to donate the dinner. It could be a tax write-off for them.”

Nell winked. “Smart girl, and another fun idea. Maybe we can recruit Wade and Emmett, and then there’s Lars Johansson, Howard Fedderman… I’ll make a list. With only two weeks before Christmas, we need to get clicking. When’s our first committee meeting?”

“We can meet at the library, to make it convenient for everyone. What about Saturday at one o’clock?”

“Saturday should work. One suggestion—Brenda has a private dining room in the back of her café. We could meet and eat at the same time.”

“Great idea, Aunt Nell.”

Addison helped Nell clear the kitchen before excusing herself for the night. She peeked in to check on the twins, then headed upstairs to her room. She removed the sling from her arm and managed to undress herself and then slip into a pair of flannel pajamas. She climbed into bed and reached to turn out the lamp. Lying in the dark, she thought if the festival committee approved of auctioning off an evening with a bachelor she would definitely bid on Wade. She admitted part of her wanted him, and wanted him to want her. Her skin erupted in icy prickles merely thinking about him—his gray eyes, the way he stood, the sound of his voice, and the sensual scent of his cologne.

Addison gently rubbed the healing scar on her forehead to ease the itching. Sighing, she questioned her judgment. Unfortunately, Rowan had taught her a bitter lesson that all men were not what they seemed. In her mind appeared the image of her matron of honor, mauve silk gown shoved up to her shoulders, and Rowan with his tuxedo trousers and suspenders puddled around his feet, his hands squeezing the woman’s hips while he pumped furiously in and out, and the damned bitch, her best friend, begging for more.

She had stood there, watching in shock, her brain not registering what she was witnessing, and her first inclination was to laugh because the scene reminded her of a television commercial where a guy was vigorously using a plunger to clear his clogged toilet. Then she remembered screaming, “You bastard—it’s our wedding day! For God’s sake, we’re in the church!”

Addison covered her head with a pillow trying to obliterate the vision that seemed permanently branded in her brain. The pillow muffled her cries. “How could you…damn you…damn you both to hell…how could you betray me? Why…why…why!”

She reminded herself that she was no longer a gullible young woman and had to stifle thinking about Wade in a romantic way…or was it purely sexual yearnings? If I know what’s good for me, I need to throttle these fantasies and never let them get away from me. Besides, he called me Gracie. I won’t be duped again.

Lost in misery, she didn’t hear the bedroom door open.

“Addy, honey, are you having a bad dream?” Nell stood silhouetted in the moonlight.

Like a dam that had burst, Addison sobbed, “Oh, Aunt Nell. I will hate him forever.”

“Who? Tell me.”

Propped against the headboard, in the light of the moon, between sobs and hiccups, Addison released her pent-up anguish and anger and the reason for her broken engagement to Rowan Sarkozy.