“No,” Alex said gently. “Please, don’t apologize. You have already made their lives so much richer, and in such a short amount of time. What kind of father doesn’t want that for his daughters?”

  “Are you sure?” she pressed earnestly. “Because this was all such new territory for me. Growing up with my aunt and uncle, I was alone so much of the time. I got used to just looking out for myself and going with the flow. I don’t really know how to fit into a family. I don’t have the first clue what I’m doing, to tell you the truth.”

  Alex chuckled and brushed an unruly strand of hair out of her face. “Well, for somebody who doesn’t know what she’s doing, you’re doing an awfully good job. And the rest of it? I don’t think there’s just one way to navigate this stuff. But we can figure out what works best for us together. If you want to, that is. If you think you might be able to give me a second chance.”

  Lord knew, he didn’t want to push or press her. He was the one who had unraveled everything in the first place, after all. That being said, it was killing him, waiting for her answer. He was laying himself open, showing her all of the most sensitive parts of himself and giving her every opportunity to crush them.

  “Are you sure? That you want that, I mean?” Her voice was delicate and every bit as fragile sounding as he felt.

  “Juniper, if there is one thing I’m certain of, it’s the way you fit in my life. When I think about what I want my life to look like in the future, you’re a major part of it. You’re in the picture, and I don’t want you to go anywhere.”

  “Well, then I guess I only have one thing to say to that,” she said, reaching up and running a hand along his stubbly cheek.

  She didn’t use her words to give him his answer, though. Instead, she rose up onto the tips of her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. It wasn’t the first time he’d held her like this, but he was still astonished by how perfectly they fit together. He was supremely lucky that she was willing to give him another chance after he had so completely botched the first one.

  They kissed for a long time, though Alex knew it would never really be enough for him. In those kisses, they said to each other all of the things that needed to be said about their reconciliation. There would be more words on the subject, he was sure, but they weren’t needed now. There was more healing in the feel of her pressed against him than there ever could be in speech.

  When they finally, reluctantly, broke apart, Alex took her by the hand. He led her over to the wood he had brought, along with the other offerings to go along with his apology. The wood hadn’t felt like nearly enough, so he had scoured the ranch land looking for anything that might be of interest to Juniper. Each stone, each gnarled, warped piece of wood, he put in his truck and imagined what it would become under the guidance of Juniper’s capable hands.

  Now, he actually got to see how much joy those simple found objects brought her. It was more than he had dared to hope for. She stopped and exclaimed over each one, chattering on about the things she might be able to do. He was in awe of her fire and her artistry. He was, he realized now, totally and hopelessly in love with her.

  19

  “Are you ready for this? Because if you’re not, we could always circle around the block or something. You just say the word and we’ll keep right on driving.”

  Juniper’s eyes widened in surprise before she started giggling. “Circle around the block, Alex? Did you forget where we are? This is a ranch. There isn’t much of a block to circle.”

  Alex sighed, letting his head fall back against the headrest of the driver’s seat. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go inside and be with his family. He absolutely did. But he could predict what his girls’ reaction would be to the joyous surprise of having Juniper there on Christmas after all, and it was going to be very…energetic. It would be great, but selfishly, he wanted just a little more time to have her all to himself.

  He reached for her, sliding his hand behind the back of her neck and smiling when she sighed and shut her eyes. “Thank you, Juniper. I don’t know if I said that yet, but seriously. Thank you for giving me another chance, and for taking my kids into your heart so willingly. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to tell you just how much that means to me.”

  “It wasn’t something I had to try and do, Alex,” she said gently, nuzzling her face into his hand. “I fell in love with them almost as soon as I saw them. They are infinitely loveable, those girls of yours.”

  “So, you think we should head on in and see them?” he laughed. “Is that what you’re getting at?”

  “That’s what I’m getting at,” she agreed with a laugh. “Don’t worry. We’ll have plenty of time for just the two of us. I promise.”

  That was enough to get his heart going and to send his mind to all sorts of places that weren’t exactly family-friendly. She was right, though. It was still Christmas Day, now bleeding into evening, and he didn’t want to miss that time with his girls. Plus, he was dying to see the looks on their faces when they saw he had brought Juniper back with him. He was looking forward to seeing his dad’s reaction, too, and if it meant a couple of raised eyebrows from his brothers, that was just fine with him.

  They walked hand in hand up to the front door, where Alex let her go. He raised a finger to his lips, signaling for Juniper to keep quiet, then turned the knob.

  “Daddy!” came the chorus of greetings from the living room. Everyone was still gathered around the tree, almost like they knew he was bringing home a surprise for them.

  “Where have you been, Dad?” Sophia asked in her reserved, grown-up voice. “We were starting to think you were going to miss dinner.”

  He smiled and stood in the doorway, still blocking Juniper from sight. He could feel how much she wanted to come inside and say hello to everyone, but he wanted to draw this out for just a few seconds longer.

  “Sorry, Sugar. I had some things I needed to take care of. Needed to clear my head a little bit, too.”

  “Because you’re sad?” Thora asked, her pretty little face pinched with worry. “About Juniper going away?”

  “That’s right. I was sad about Juniper going away. I was starting to think maybe that wasn’t the greatest idea, after all. Do you guys have any thoughts about that?”

  “It was dumb,” Sophia said matter-of-factly. “She’s awesome. You should do something to fix it so that maybe she comes back.”

  Will looked embarrassed for him, and Travis threw back his head and laughed. “I’m sorry, brother, but when the kid’s right, she’s right.”

  “No need to be sorry, Travis. I happen to agree with her. That’s why I went and did something.”

  Finally, he moved aside so that everyone could see Juniper waiting there behind him. She stepped forward, her hands clasped in front of her and a nervous, expectant look on her face. If he hadn’t been sure about her before, he definitely was now. It made his heart swell to see so clearly on her face how much she wanted the girls to like her. It wasn’t like she had to make a good first impression all over again. They were one hundred percent on board when it came to Juniper. Almost as soon as they had met her, they had become devoted. Even so, she cared enough to want them to invite her back into their lives, and that meant the world to him.

  Lizzie was sitting with her legs splayed out at the impossible angles only small children could manage. When she realized it was Juniper standing on the doorstep, she shot up to her feet. She went racing across the room, knocking over a tower of cards Travis had been building as she went. When she got close enough, she launched herself at Juniper, who bent down and caught her up in her arms.

  “You came back!” Lizzie said, her face pressed against Juniper’s chest and her voice muffled by her sweater. “Daddy said you weren’t coming again, but I knew you would.”

  Thora and Sophia approached at a more dignified pace, but it was clear to Alex that they were both just as excited to see Juniper as Lizzie was. The light was rapidly returning to Sophia’s face and for a brief moment, Alex caught a glimpse of what she would look like when she became a woman. She would be beautiful, just like her mother had been. And with any luck, now she would have Juniper to help guide her along the way.

  It was Thora’s reaction that really got to Alex, though. After all, it had been her letter that had set this whole chain of events in motion. A letter written by a still little girl asking Santa Claus for a deceptively simple Christmas gift. If it hadn’t been for her, they would never have gone to Juniper’s shop. He would never have sought her out for help with the tea set, and the love he felt for her would never have grown. He owed Thora a lot, come to think of it, and he doubted she had the first clue.

  Looking up at Juniper with shining eyes, she slid her hand into the one Juniper wasn’t using to prop Lizzie up. She pressed her face against Juniper’s hip, then turned to look at the room full of loved ones.

  “This was what I wanted,” she said softly, almost shyly. “This is what I asked Santa Claus for. I wanted a perfect Christmas.”

  “Perfect is kind of a tall order, little lady,” Travis said with a chuckle. “Hope we managed to live up to that at least a little bit.”

  Now, the shyness left her, and she looked positively radiant. “No, not a little bit. All. It was good before, but now that Juniper came back, it’s just right. It’s my most perfect Christmas.”

  Alex looked at Juniper and saw that her eyes were misty with tears. He was feeling a little choked up himself, and he didn’t think anyone would blame him for it. He hadn’t expected to find love again so soon, or maybe not at all, but life didn’t always go the way you planned. Love had found him in the end and now that he had it, he planned on holding onto it with both hands.

  They all sat down to dinner together, and it couldn’t have felt more different to Juniper than the brunch from the day before. Yesterday, she had felt like a total outsider. She had been sure that no matter what she did or how hard she tried, she would never feel like she truly belonged with the Harvey clan.

  Now, with everyone laughing and carrying on, she felt none of that awkwardness. She sat beside Alex, who kept his chair close and used every available opportunity to squeeze her hand or her leg under the table. When she looked across the table and caught Abbott’s eye by accident, he gave her the slightest smile and nod of approval. The food was tasty, the company warm, and her sense of well-being more intact than ever. She could happily have sat right there in that chair for the rest of her life, just so long as she could keep the same company and atmosphere.

  The girls, on the other hand, had a very different idea for after-dinner activities. They seemed to need no rebound time at all when they were done eating, unlike Juniper, who felt semi-comatose.

  “Hey guys,” Sophia said. She spoke timidly, not used to being the focus of everyone’s attention. “I have an idea for something we could do.”

  “Oh yeah?” Will asked with a warm smile. Juniper could see that he had a special soft spot for Alex’s eldest daughter, probably because they were very much alike in many ways. “Well then lay it on us.”

  “I was thinking…maybe we could have a snowball fight?”

  “Yes!” Lizzie squealed, hopping up and down and clapping. “Yes, yes, yes! A boys against girls one!”

  “You sure you want to take us on?” Travis demanded, jumping to his feet and flexing his muscles. Juniper made a dramatic show of rolling her eyes at the gesture. She was tickled pink when all three girls followed suit and mimicked the look.

  “I think we’re sure,” she said with a laugh. “Us girls are tougher than we look, in case you hadn’t figured that out yet.”

  That comment was enough to get the trash talking going in earnest on both sides. Everyone except for Abbott, who begged off to go and rest his eyes, got bundled up in their warmest clothes and headed outside. Juniper couldn’t remember the last time she’d been a part of a snowball fight. More likely than not, it had been with the Harvey boys when they were all much younger. The snow was thick on the ground, heavy and wet. It was exactly what a person looked for when making snowballs, and Juniper grinned.

  Alex came up beside her and slipped an arm around her waist. “What’s that smile for?”

  “Oh, nothing,” she said, giving her best look of innocence. “I was just thinking about how badly we’re going to wipe the ground with you guys.”

  “If you say so.” He leaned forward and kissed her on the tip of her nose. It sent a little shiver of pleasure running up the length of her body and she pulled away.

  “Oh no you don’t, mister,” she said reproachfully. “If you’re trying to distract me, it’s not going to work. Not right now, anyway. For the time being I am all business, and that means you’re a member of the enemy camp.”

  “I guess it does,” he said with a chuckle. “But I don’t mind saying you’re the prettiest enemy I’ve ever had.”

  The group separated into their respective teams to talk strategy. Juniper was thrilled to have them be split up the way they were, especially because it was one of the girls who had suggested it. Now, they listened intently as she helped outline a plan of attack, and they designated her the official snowball maker. She knelt down in the snow and showed them her technique, cupping Lizzie’s mittened hands and helping her to roll her own.

  With that done, she pulled them in closer, speaking in a low, conspiratorial whisper. “What do you think, girls? Who should fire the first shot? Do we wait for them, or do we mount our attack?”

  As it turned out, there was no need to ask the question. With a battle cry worthy of the most epic of fights, Lizzie threw both fists over her head. She held a snowball in each and ran as fast as she could toward the boys. It was a good tactic, too. It surprised them so much that none of them moved before she let both of her weapons fly.

  From that point on, all effort at order was lost. Juniper made snowballs as quickly as her hands would allow, but it still wasn’t enough to keep up. Sophia, Thora, and Lizzie seemed to have an infinite amount of energy, bolstered by the adrenaline of a perfect Christmas Day.

  Even in the flurry of activity, Juniper kept her eyes on Alex. It felt almost impossible to look at anything else, even if she had wanted to. Which she didn’t. She could still remember the first time she had seen him, when they were young, and her heart had made a space just for him. What would that little girl version of her say if she learned that one day, she and Alex Harvey would be together? What would she say if she knew that it would no longer be just her loving him from afar, but him loving her back?

  “Juniper! Where’s Daddy?”

  Lizzie, suddenly right next to her, tugged at the sleeve of her jacket. “Where’s Daddy? We lost him!”

  “What?” Juniper asked with surprise. “Did we?”

  She had gotten so lost in daydreaming about Alex that she had lost sight of him. He shouldn’t be too hard to track down with the snow making everything one large, white blanket, but she didn’t see him anywhere. She looked to Sophia but only got a small shrug and a peculiar look she couldn’t read.

  All of a sudden, something grabbed her from behind and she was falling. As the world toppled from right side up to the other way around, her ears were filled with the laughter of the girls as well as Travis and Will.

  She wriggled around onto her back and found Alex hovering above her. His spicy, pine scent enveloped her like a hug, and his face was so close to hers that she would hardly have to move to kiss him. A wave of desire washed over her so strong that it made her hot all over despite the snow creeping up the back of her coat.

  “Do you surrender?” She could feel the words vibrating in his chest, accompanied by the strong, steady beating of his heart.

  She sighed melodramatically. “I suppose I’ll have to, won’t I? You’ve left me no other option.”

  “Good enough,” he said with a laugh, rising and putting down a hand to help her up. “Then I happily proclaim the Harvey men the victors. What say you, girls?”

  All three of them looked to Juniper and she gave them the smallest shake of her head. Lizzie smiled, and Thora nodded, but this time, it was Sophia who took control. As if one body, the three of them ran at their father, knocking him down with ease.

  Juniper took the opportunity to scoot a few paces away from the group, where she leaned against the fence and watched the girls tackle their father. This was not the life she thought she would have. Not even close. All the same, it felt righter than anything that had come before. For the very first time in her life, Juniper truly felt like she was home.

  20

  Alex was a little worn out after the snowball fight, but more content than he had been in a long time. Certainly since Fiona had passed away. His family felt whole and happy in a way he’d wondered if they ever would again. At the moment, his daughters were holding a grand tea party with their new tea set and looked like they were having the time of their lives. The present had been a big hit, and all three girls had loved their individualized cups and saucers. Looking at how happy his daughters were, and how easily Juniper fit into his family, he couldn’t figure out how he had ever doubted it. He was also infinitely grateful to his dad for helping him see what a fool he was being.

  “What are you smiling about, mister?” Juniper elbowed him lightly as they stepped onto the porch.

  He shook his head and kissed her lightly on the forehead. “Oh, nothing much. I’m just thinking about how lucky I am to have you here.”

  “That’s right,” she said with a mock-serious, stern look. “You are, and don’t you forget it.”

  “I won’t,” he said quietly. “I promise. Now, do you think you’re up for a little walk? Or did the great battle and my kids’ energy completely wear you out?”