“It’s been a lot longer for me,” he whispered.
I met his intense gaze with a reluctant smile crossing my lips. After he wielded a few more words to swoon me into silence, he pulled me onto his lap where he spent quite some time kissing me senseless.
We were rescued sometime in the late afternoon. Thankfully, Jack had been aware of our plans to go riding and, when we didn’t return at a reasonable hour, set off to search the few places he could think of that we might have sought shelter. He was visibly relieved to find us both okay. After shooting a few meaningful glances at his son as he helped us onto his snowmobile, I concluded that this ordeal must have brought up a few memories for him as well.
TWENTY FOUR
“Till this moment I never knew myself.”
Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice
Christmas morning arrived all too soon. The air bit at my nose as I made my way toward my mom’s cabin. There was a peaceful calm about me. The gray clouds that hung low in the sky all day yesterday were absent this morning. The sunlight sent its rays down to sparkle on the snow before me. The howling wind from yesterday was silent, the calm after a storm. Somewhere in the distance, the loudspeakers hummed out a soft tune of “O Come, All Ye Faithful”. Even though I still preferred to hide away in my own cabin, I walked forward with a purpose in my step, a determination that had never been there before. Though this had never been a moment I would have wished for, I was going to try my best to attempt to live it today.
The snow-covered sidewalk crunched under my boots as my thoughts turned to yesterday and how I had left my heart bleeding under the covered bridge in the care of Miles Taylor. I couldn’t remember a time since my dad’s death that I’d unloaded my thoughts on somebody that way. Earlier this morning, I had awoken to the sting of embarrassment, the dawn of a new day bringing to light my pathetic vulnerability. Then, not even five minutes later, I received a text from Miles.
Miles: If I understand your self-persecuting mind as well as I think I do, you woke up about to die of embarrassment. Don’t. Please don’t. It was my sincere pleasure to be your listening ear. Everyone needs one. Thank you for being mine. Have a great Christmas morning with your family, Olive. I hope it’s a good moment for you. I’ll see you this afternoon. P.S…I left something by your door.
I flung the sheets off my bed and raced to the door, half hoping to see Miles sitting in a basket with a bow on his head. I was only slightly disappointed with what I found instead–a small basket filled with a large thermos full of freshly made hot cream with a splash of coffee, a book, and what looked like a well-loved DVD.
With a grin, I pulled out the book first—a beautiful hardback copy of Jane Eyre we’d spotted earlier in the bookstore. I opened the cover and discovered his inscription.
Olive,
For a cozy night by the fire. I’ll let you read me to sleep.
Love,
Miles
I laughed when I picked up the DVD. The cover had faded, and the clasp had broken off, but the face of Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator was very clear. Attached to the back was a sticky note.
Olive,
For our next date night in. I’ll change your mind, I promise. So much fodder for good literary discussion in this movie. Trust me.
Love,
Miles
I arrived at Mom and Russ’s cabin at 8 am. On their front porch was a large basket of Christmas brunch items from the Taylor family. There would be a big Christmas dinner celebration at the lodge later this evening, but each family had the whole day to spend together in their cabins. The basket contained the makings of simple but delicious breakfast foods, along with cheeses, specialty meats, and sliced bread for lunch.
I was the last to arrive, with a tired Chloe and Ben sitting by the tree while their two impatient three-year-olds rummaged through their stockings. My mom and Russ were both cheery and dressed in a matching set of flannel pajamas and robes when I stepped inside, depositing my small box of presents near the tree by the window. Mom came over and wrapped me in a hug, her warm scent of vanilla tickling my nose. When I pulled away from her, Russ and I glanced at each other awkwardly. I had never hugged him. And I didn’t really hug him this time either, but as if by mutual accord, we went in for a brief side hug and a hesitant smile.
“Hey, kiddo,” he said. “How’s your cabin holding up? Do you need me to chop some wood for you?”
I bit my lip. Though Miles had talked a big game about leaving me to fend for myself, the wood always seemed to be replenished. A fresh bundle appeared almost magically every morning on the porch.
“No. Thank you. Miles has been keeping me warm.”
Mom and Russ looked at me in surprise as my eyes widened in horror.
“No! That’s not what I meant. I mean he’s kept the fire burning.”
Ew. No. Make it stop.
I shook my head in mortified frustration. “Let me start over. He chops wood for me every day and puts it on my porch. And then he goes away.”
Russ started laughing, and my mom followed suit, though her laughter brimmed more with relief than actually thinking I was funny.
“Let me know if he gets out of line. I’ll have a talk with him.”
I stiffened at the gesture, but before I could think too hard about it, Russ clapped his hands excitedly and motioned us over to the couch and chairs in the living room, surrounding the tree. “Should we open presents now?”
Holly and Ivy squealed in excitement, jumping up and down. Chloe and I exchanged a look with my mom. I wanted to tell Russ that we always opened presents after we had a big breakfast. We would wake up early and check out our stockings first, before my parents began cooking a big breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns, and cinnamon rolls we’d made the night before. Then we’d sit down to eat before digging into any actual presents, dragging the whole morning out until we were all dying of anticipation.
Mom met my eyes. “Russ’s family was never patient enough to wait until after breakfast.”
Russ looked appalled. “Open presents after breakfast? What kind of self-controlled monsters are you people?”
Ben raised a hand. “I have to agree with you, Russ. My family always opened everything before breakfast, too. These people are crazy.”
Chloe gave Ben a playful push. “We still do, at YOUR parents’ house. My year for Christmas, we do it right.”
Russ nodded theatrically to Ben. “Yes, the second we were all up, it was a race to the tree and a wrapping-paper frenzy going a hundred miles an hour.”
“Yup. It’s the best,” Ben agreed, smiling smartly at his wife.