The first group of people arrived in a noisy caravan of pickups from the Elkton ranch bunkhouse. It was snowing slightly, and the men stomped their feet on the cement outside the barn to knock any loose snow off their boots before they removed their hats and went inside the barn.
The Christmas tree in the stage area was lit with hundreds of tiny lights and all of the ornaments that Mrs. Hargrove generally hung on her tree. There were angels and red birds and golden sleighs. Someone, Lizette thought it had been Charley, had put a small wooden nativity set under the Christmas tree.
Lizette had all of the dancers, except for the Mouse King and the Nutcracker, up in the hayloft so that the audience wouldn’t see their costumes until it was time for the ballet to begin. She had hung a blanket in a corner of the loft so they had a changing room, and all of the children were in their costumes. The children had peeked over the edge of the loft and whispered about how many people were in the audience. Even Mrs. Hargrove and Charley were standing near the edge of the loft.
They all saw Pete come in with his friends.
“We’re up here,” Lizette called, and Pete looked up to where she stood at the top of the stairs leading to the hayloft.
“I’m coming right up,” Pete said as he left his friends.
“We still have a few more minutes,” Madame Aprele said as she, too, walked to where the others stood and put her hand on Lizette’s shoulder. “The children said Judd was coming. That he just had an errand to run in Miles City, and that he’d be back in time.”
Lizette supposed she should be grateful that Judd had brought the children into town at least. “We’ll have to go on without him if he’s not here.”
Mrs. Hargrove nodded. “There’s still time for him to get here.”
Lizette wondered if she could demand that everyone give her their copy of the diagram she’d drawn of how to stage a kiss. In all of the confusion, she’d left hers on the chair next to Edna. The reporter probably didn’t even realize Lizette didn’t want the diagram published. It had just been an image to go with the text Edna had written. There were now thousands of that image between here and Billings. Some of them were going to be in the barn tonight.
Lizette looked over the rail of the loft and saw at least two ranch hands who had a piece of newsprint in their hands. It had to be the diagram.
There was probably no chance that Judd hadn’t seen it, Lizette thought.
“Do you get a newspaper at your house?” Lizette turned and asked Bobby.
The boy shook his head. “Cousin Judd listens to the radio.”
Maybe there was a chance, Lizette thought. Fortunately, no one on the radio was likely to have heard about the Hollywood Kiss Diagram, which was what Edna had referred to it as.
Fifteen more minutes passed and Judd still hadn’t arrived. The barn had filled with a good-size crowd, and everyone seemed to be having a good time.
Lizette had decided she wouldn’t sell tickets to the ballet, but Linda had offered to put a bucket near the refreshment table where people could make donations to cover the costs of the production. There was a line now for the coffee, and it looked like most people held a dollar bill in their hand to put in the bucket.
“I’ll go down and get the music ready to start,” Lizette said. It was five minutes until the time the ballet was scheduled to begin. She looked over at Madame Aprele and smiled. “You’d best get in the Nutcracker costume. When I come back up, I’ll wait a few minutes and then give Linda the signal to dim the lights and push the play button for the music.”
Lizette walked down the stairs and onto the barn floor. Half of the chairs were filled with people drinking coffee or punch and waiting for the ballet to begin. The other half of the chairs would comfortably seat the people who were still in line for their beverage.
Linda had suggested they serve the drinks before the ballet and then serve them again after the ballet when they brought out the pastries.
“Hi,” Linda said when she saw Lizette walking toward the refreshment table. “We’ll be finishing up here in a few minutes.”
Lizette nodded. “Judd’s not here yet, but he might not make it. When everyone gets settled down here and back to their seats, just dim the lights and then a minute later start the music. The dancers will come down the stairs then and we’ll begin.”
The chatter in the barn had a warm feeling to it, Lizette thought as she walked back to the stairs. People smiled and greeted her like an old friend instead of a performer, and she liked that.
Lizette climbed the stairs to the hayloft and gathered her dancers around her for a final word of encouragement.
“This is for fun,” Lizette said to them all as she nodded to Madame Aprele, who was holding the Nutcracker’s hat but still hadn’t changed into the entire costume. The older woman had more hope than Lizette did. “I don’t want you to worry if you make a mistake. Everything will be fine.”
“I’m not going to make any mistakes,” Amanda said. She had her costume on, and the wings glittered pink and gold in the light that came into the loft. “I’m a Sugar Plum Fairy, and we don’t make mistakes.”
“We try not to make mistakes,” Lizette agreed. “But sometimes we do.”
“Like Cousin Judd,” Bobby said. “He’s making a mistake because he’s late.”
Lizette put her hand on the boy’s shoulder. “It’s all right. It will be okay even if he doesn’t get here. We’ll all understand.”
Lizette hoped that message would get to Judd through the children.
“Uh-uh.” Amanda shook her head. “Cousin Judd needs to be here. He’s the Nutcracker. Who’s going to do the kiss if he’s not here?”
Lizette exchanged a glance with Madame Aprele. The older woman would play the part of the Nutcracker. But— “Maybe there won’t be a kiss this time around.”
“I’d be happy to do the kiss,” Pete said as he stepped out from behind the curtain in his Mouse King costume.
Lizette noticed the ranch hand had not flirted with her since he’d arrived. He wasn’t even flirting now.
“On Judd’s behalf, of course,” Pete added. “As a friend.”
“Oh, well—” Lizette stammered. “No one needs to do a kiss.”
Pete stepped closer to the edge of the loft and looked over. “I think they’re going to demand a kiss.”
Lizette stepped closer to the edge of the loft just in time to see the barn door open.
“Well, look who’s here,” Pete said with relief. “I knew he’d make it.”
It was Judd walking through the door, along with a woman who was wrapped in a long black coat with a gray wool scarf wrapped around her face so that none of her hair or skin showed.
Lizette tried not to be jealous of the fact that Judd was walking with his arm around the woman and leading her to one of the chairs in the back of the barn. Who Judd put his arm around was none of her business, Lizette told herself, even though he was carrying a huge bouquet of roses that he gave to the woman when she settled into her chair. Judd called Linda over to the woman before he looked up to the hayloft and saw Lizette and Pete.
The chatter in the barn grew more excited as Judd walked over to the staircase leading up to the hayloft.
“Cousin Judd!” Amanda squealed when she saw Judd coming up the stairs. “You came!”
“Of course,” Judd said as he stood at the top of the stairs.
“You need to get into your costume,” Pete said as he slapped Judd on the back. “We’ve got a ballet to do.”
Linda dimmed the lights to signal the audience was ready. Judd was already walking over to Madame Aprele, who held out his costume to him. Then he headed for the curtain to change. “If you want to start, I can slip down in a few minutes.”
Lizette nodded. “You don’t need to be in the first few minutes, anyway. We thought we’d have the family sing a carol in front of the tree to start.”
This, Lizette thought, was what a family Christmas felt like even hundreds of years ago when the Nutcracker was written. It was gathering your friends and family together beside a tree and celebrating a wonderful time of gifts and love.
The carol the family sang was “Silent Night.” Mrs. Hargrove led everyone in the barn in softly singing the song and the sound filled the whole structure with warmth.
Lizette slowly danced ballet steps to show how a young girl would see the wonder of that night long ago when Christ was born. The audience was hushed. Lizette had not known until these past few days what it meant to be truly silent on that holy night.
After the carol finished, Charley started to read the story of the Nutcracker.
The Nutcracker came on the stage just when the presents were given to the children, and Lizette realized what she should have done. She should have taken a moment to warn Judd about the kiss. He must not know that everyone had been talking about the kiss he was going to give her tonight.
Lizette danced the part of Clara’s excitement over her new gift, hoping to come close enough to whisper in Judd’s ear. Unfortunately, none of the steps got her close enough to say a few words to him that all of the others wouldn’t also hear.
She’d have to wait for the battle scene, she thought. There would be enough noise with all of the mice attacking that no one would hear her talking to Judd.
What was wrong with the Nutcracker? When they had practiced, Judd had held back as though he wasn’t part of the mice attack. He’d let the children attack him, but he hadn’t gotten into their play. Now, he attacked with abandon, lifting one mouse up in the air until the mouse giggled and then going after another until even the tin soldier forgot which side of the battle he was on and all of the children swarmed around the Nutcracker.
Lizette didn’t have a chance to talk to Judd, so she just kept dancing. She twisted and turned and made it look like the whole stage was alive with ballet.
Then Charley started to read about the attack of the Mouse King, and Pete burst out of the fireplace with a roar that briefly overpowered the music.
Now, Lizette said to herself, as she tried to dance closer to Judd to explain that he didn’t need to kiss her. There wasn’t a kiss in every Nutcracker production, and there wouldn’t be one in this one. The people of Dry Creek would have to get their romance elsewhere this Christmas. Her friendship with Judd was more important than the ballet, even if this ballet affected the future of her ballet school in this little community where she was making her home.
“Psst,” Lizette hissed as she danced as close as she could to Pete and Judd.
The Mouse King and the Nutcracker were engaged in a magnificent battle, and the audience was shouting encouragement to them both. There was enough noise that she could deliver her message to Judd if he’d only look her way.
But the Mouse King had the Nutcracker in his grip, and Charley was clearing his throat.
“The shoe.” Judd twisted his neck and finally looked at Lizette. “You need to throw your shoe.”
Lizette figured she’d have to talk to Judd after she saved his life.
Lizette’s shoe hit Pete on the shoulder, and he went down with a groan.
The music swelled up and Charley threw sparkling confetti in the air as if it was a party.
Judd moved closer.
Finally, Lizette thought as she danced closer to him, she’d have a chance to tell him about the kiss.
“You don’t need to do the kiss,” Lizette whispered as she came close to Judd.
Judd had already taken his hat off, and he wasn’t frowning at all. In fact, Lizette thought he looked downright happy. Which meant only one thing. He hadn’t heard about the story in the newspaper.
“Oh, yes, I do,” Judd said as he moved even closer to her until she had no room left to dance.
“But—” Lizette said before Judd bent down and kissed her. It wasn’t a stage kiss, of course. He hadn’t taken any of her earlier suggestions. The funny thing was that she didn’t care. She had his kiss.
Yes, she thought to herself, this was what Christmas and mistletoe and family were all about.
Lizette was only dimly aware of the applause.
“We’re not finished,” she murmured as she settled even closer to Judd, if that was possible.
“Not by a long shot,” Judd agreed with his lips close to hers.
“We still have the Sugar Plum Fairy.”
“That, too,” Judd agreed as he smiled into her eyes and then kissed her again.
The applause overpowered the music. Lizette thought there was some stomping, too.
“Oh, yes,” Judd said as he slowly pulled himself away from her. “I almost forgot—”
Judd looked to his side where Linda stood with the hugest bouquet of red roses Lizette had ever seen.
“These are for you,” Judd said to her as he took the roses from Linda and handed them to Lizette.
She almost cried. Everything was perfect for the moment. But when someone said something about that diagram, she didn’t know what he would do.
Judd then turned to the audience and said quite clearly, “And for those of you who are wondering about the secret to a Hollywood kiss, that’s it. Bring her roses, boys, that’s all there is to it.”
The audience loved him. Lizette could see that. Odd that she still had the urge to cry.
“That was a smart move,” she said to Judd. She couldn’t look him in the eye, but she could look at his chin, which was close enough. “They won’t tease you now. It was brilliant.”
“Brilliant had nothing to do with it,” Judd whispered as he tipped her chin up so her eyes met his. “I’m hoping to kiss you a lot in the days ahead, and I don’t want someone stopping to draw a diagram of it every time I do.”
“You do? Hope to kiss me?”
Judd nodded. “A man’s got to have hope even if he’s got no reason to.”
Lizette smiled. “You have reason.”
Judd grinned and kissed her again.
Lizette danced the next scenes as she had never danced before. Madame Aprele was right about ballet being fun. The Snow Queen must have thought it was fun, too, because she almost frolicked during her scenes.
Then there was the Sugar Plum Fairy. Amanda glowed as she stood at the edge of the stage area and started her dance. Lizette had had more time to teach Amanda dance steps than any of her other students, and the little girl was actually doing ballet.
Lizette had given Amanda a solo part, and so Lizette had danced to the sidelines to wait while Amanda completed it.
Madame Aprele was standing next to Lizette. “She’s got promise, that one. She’s a natural.”
Lizette nodded. It was good to know she had at least one student who was in it for the ballet instead of the doughnuts.
“There will be more,” Madame Aprele said with a nod to the audience. “You’ll find more students out there.”
The applause at the end of Amanda’s solo was as loud as the kiss applause, and the little girl glowed under the shower of encouragement until one woman at the back of the seating area stood up to give her a standing ovation.
“Mama,” Amanda squealed, and forgot all about being the Sugar Plum Fairy as she ran down the aisle to her mother.
Lizette swore there wasn’t a dry eye in the whole barn by the end of the ballet.