“I’ve been waiting to do this,” he whispered. “I hope it’s okay.”

  “It’s more than okay,” she murmured. And then they shared a few more kisses, just as warm and passionate as the ones so many years ago. And for a long moment, they just embraced without speaking. She now had much more than a teenage crush going on. She wasn’t even sure how to describe it. A mature familiarity . . . a connected wholeness . . . security. She was at home.

  Without letting her go, Gavin stepped back to look at her. “Well, this has all been totally amazing, Madison, but I don’t like leaving Lily home alone for too long.”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Although I suspect she planned this whole thing.” He chuckled.

  “Cupid Lily?”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised.” With an arm still around her, he walked her to his SUV and then helped her in. She felt her heart fluttering similar to when she was a teenager, but there was something more too. Even with her pulse racing and a giddiness inside, there was stability as well, a sense of coming home.

  “My girls aren’t used to the idea of their dad being interested in a woman. Besides their mother, I mean. So it might be awkward for them to see me actually dating someone.”

  “I know.”

  “Of course, you already have Lily’s approval. But Lucy might be a challenge.”

  “If it makes you feel any better, Lucy has already expressed her opinions to me.”

  “Seriously?” He glanced at her. “What did she say?”

  “We actually had a really sweet talk. I mean, it was difficult at first.” She told him about Lucy’s hopes that Gavin would find a woman similar to Shelby.

  “Like Addie?” he suggested.

  “Exactly. It’s like those two are joined at the hip.”

  “Maybe she can start calling her Aunt Addie.” He chuckled, but Madison caught her breath. Was he already talking about marriage? Was she even ready for that? This was moving so fast . . . and yet her heart was singing.

  At the house, he got out and walked her up to the porch. “I don’t want to keep you late,” he said. “But I would like a proper good night.”

  She glanced toward the windows. “We might be being watched.”

  “Let them watch. I don’t care.” He dramatically swooped her into his arms, making them both laugh, then landed a big kiss on her lips. And another. When he finally released her, she felt slightly dizzy . . . but happy.

  “Good night, Gavin,” she whispered.

  “Good night, Madison.” He kissed her forehead. “See you tomorrow. You don’t open for business until noon, right?”

  “Right. That way I can go to church.”

  “Yes, I’ve noticed you there. That’s nice.”

  “Lily’s the one who talked me into going again. I used to go with my grandparents when I was a girl.”

  “I know.”

  She smiled at him. “We have similar roots, don’t we?”

  “In so many ways, yes.”

  “We can give you a ride tomorrow.”

  Madison glanced at the house. “Maybe I should get there on my own. Less questions for both of us to answer.”

  “I’m ready to answer some questions,” he told her. “Aren’t you?”

  She considered this. “Okay. I guess so.”

  He kissed her again and she opened the door. Despite her sense of foreboding, her steps felt light as she crept inside. When she heard the rustling sound of someone in the front room, she knew they’d been spied on. But like he’d just told her, let them watch. Why should she care? And maybe she didn’t. Well, not much anyway.

  Madison didn’t think it was her imagination that she got the cold shoulder the next morning. She was relieved that no one was talking to her. And after grabbing some toast and coffee, she eagerly ran out the door when she saw Gavin’s SUV pull up. She didn’t bother asking anyone to go to church with her since they’d all turned her down last time. But maybe she could entice them to attend the Christmas candlelight service tonight. Hopefully they would thaw out before long. Otherwise it was going to be a cold Christmas. And she wasn’t thinking about the weather, although there was a definite nip in the air and the forecast called for dropping temperatures.

  Gavin, Lily, and Madison managed to serve the numerous U-cutters all afternoon, but by the time Lily put up the Closed sign for the last time of the season, Madison was exhausted. “That was fun, but I’m so glad it’s over.”

  “Me too,” Gavin said. “We might want to consider hiring more help next year.”

  “Next year?” She glanced at him, wondering more about his use of we than next year but not wanting to go there just yet.

  “Well, you’re not going to give up on this place, are you?”

  “I don’t want to. But it depends on Addie.”

  He nodded. “Right. I get that.”

  “It’s getting cold out.” She shivered, pulling her scarf more snugly around her neck.

  “Lily is certain it’ll snow by Christmas.”

  “That would be something.” She tipped her head toward the house. “Why don’t you and Lily come in for dinner? I’m not sure what I’m fixing, but I can whip up something.”

  “I believe it.” He grinned.

  “Might be spaghetti again.”

  “I loved that.” He linked arms with her. “How about some help? I’m pretty handy in the kitchen.” He waved to Lily, calling her into the house. “I bummed a meal for us.”

  Madison playfully jabbed him with her elbow. “I invited you and you know it.”

  Finding the kitchen already occupied with Mom and Addie attempting to cook and Lucy looking on, Madison wasn’t sure what to do.

  “I was going to make spaghetti,” she told her mom.

  “Too late. I’m making lasagna. There’s enough for everyone. And Addie is fixing some dessert.”

  “Lasagna? You know how to make lasagna?” Madison blinked.

  “You mean without poisoning everyone?” Mom said wryly.

  “They’re premade frozen lasagnas,” Addie clarified. “One vegetarian, one not so much.”

  “Wow, that sounds good.” Madison exchanged glances with Gavin. “Looks like we’re not needed in here.”

  “How about I make a fire in that big fireplace out there,” he suggested.

  “Perfect.” She nodded eagerly.

  “Dinner will be ready in about forty minutes,” Mom called after them. “I thought it’d be sooner, but someone forgot to turn on the oven.”

  As Madison trailed Gavin into the front room, she could hear her sister and mom arguing. Lily, bless her heart, sounded like she was trying to referee. Like that was possible.

  “By the way,” Madison called over her shoulder. “Don’t forget that I’m cooking Christmas dinner this year. And it’ll be ham, not turkey.”

  “That’s a relief,” Gavin told her. He was already stacking kindling in the big stone fireplace. “I guess I’m assuming we’re invited.”

  “Don’t be silly. Of course you’re invited.” She poked his shoulder.

  “I was hoping.” He lit some twisted newspaper and blew on it to ignite the kindling. “This is such a great house for Christmas.” He stood and looked around with an approving expression. “Are these your grandma’s decorations? I think I recognize some.”

  “Yes.” Madison didn’t want to confess the way her family had argued about using the old-fashioned decorations. Mom wanted to order fancy pieces from some swanky catalogue but fortunately discovered it was too late for delivery. Addie wanted to go shopping at Pottery Barn, but Madison finally convinced both of them that using these decorations would be cheaper and easier than buying all new stuff and starting over. And, even though she’d been tired, she’d volunteered to put them up herself when they suddenly lost interest. But Lily had helped and now it felt like homecoming to her.

  “Only one thing is wrong.” Gavin rubbed his beard.

  “What’s that?” She looked around. She hadn’t put up all of Grandma’s things, but that would’ve taken until New Year’s.

  “The tree.”

  She laughed. “Oh, we never put that up until after U-cut season.”

  “Then it’s time.”

  She nodded. “It is.”

  “Do you have one all picked out?”

  “I do.”

  His eyes twinkled. “Want to do it?”

  “Tonight?” she asked.

  “No time like the present.”

  “Are you going to cut your Christmas tree tonight?” Lily asked eagerly as she emerged from the kitchen.

  “Why not?” Madison grinned. “We can take flashlights. I know the tree I want.”

  So the three of them bundled back up and trudged outside. They spotted the right tree, then Gavin began to saw into the trunk, with Lily and Madison aiming their flashlights for him.

  He was about halfway through when Lily let out a happy shriek. “It’s snowing!”

  “No way.” Gavin stood.

  “I felt a flake on my nose,” Lily told him. “Honest, I did.”

  “I don’t believe it.” He returned to sawing.

  Then Madison felt a cold dampness on her cheek. She pointed her flashlight into the air. “She’s right, Gavin. It is snowing.”

  “It’s going to be a white Christmas.” Lily was dancing about, her light bouncing all around, illuminating the few flying flakes in the black sky.

  “Don’t count your snowflakes before they stick,” Gavin warned in a good-natured tone. “And please keep your lights down here if you don’t mind. I don’t want to cut off a finger.”

  With lights aimed, the tree fell, and it wasn’t long before they got it up onto the porch and into the stand that Madison had ready and waiting. Gavin took the heavy end and Lily took the light end, and with Madison directing, they carried it into the house and set it into the usual place by the front window.

  “It’s so beautiful.” Lily’s eyes were wide. “I thought it would be too tall.”

  “I’d already measured it.” Madison smiled at the noble fir. “Grandpa would be proud. Perfect shape and size and coloring and everything.”

  “And it smells amazing.” Gavin breathed in deeply. “Nothing like the aroma of evergreen inside a house.”

  “Even after working the trees all day,” Madison said quietly, “I still love the fresh scent.” She smiled at Gavin. “Thanks for encouraging me to do this tonight. And for helping.”

  They were just putting colorful light strands on the tree when Mom announced that the lasagna was done. Madison longed for some holiday peace as they came to the dining table. But she knew the three women now taking their seats were uneasy about what they suspected was developing between her and Gavin. So far no one had said a word. But it felt like a ticking time bomb. Mom attempted some polite conversation as she dished out lasagna squares, but Addie and Lucy remained cool and distant.

  Madison tried to ignore their chilliness, focusing her conversation on their plans for Christmas. “I’ve been so distracted with the tree business that I haven’t really given much thought to holiday preparations. But I plan to go into town tomorrow morning to get groceries and all that,” she said to no one in particular. “I thought we could do it like Grandma always did. A light buffet on Christmas Eve and the big dinner on Christmas Day.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Gavin said.

  “Can I go with you?” Lily asked eagerly. “To town, I mean. I need to do some shopping.”

  “Sure.” Madison smiled. “I’d love the company.”

  “I’d go too,” Gavin said, “but I have a ten o’clock Zoom appointment. After that I hope to be free until after the New Year.”

  “So you say,” Lily teased.

  “I plan to leave my phone off,” he told her.

  They continued to visit pleasantly, discussing whether or not the snow, which was still lightly falling, would stick around and whether or not they should plan a trip to the mountains to see some real snow. Meanwhile the other end of the table grew even frostier. Hopefully the women would thaw out by Christmas. Because, thanks to last night, Madison had great expectations for the holidays this year. It could be her best Christmas ever. Or it could be a real heartbreaker.

  20

  Madison’s first errand on Monday was to go to the bank. Although Addie had protested it, Madison insisted on personally depositing all the funds from the tree sales. It was an impressive sum and Madison just wanted to enjoy the process of taking it in herself. Thanks to the way Grandma had arranged the account after Dad died, Madison was a cosigner.

  After she made her deposit and got a receipt that showed the balance of the account, she was surprised at the total—the farm seemed to be healthier than Addie had alluded. While still standing there, Madison requested a statement for the past six months.

  “We can email that to you,” the clerk told her. “Just fill out this form.”

  Madison filled out the form, but as she drove to the specific mall Lily had asked to go to, she felt conflicted. On one hand, she was glad to see the farm was doing better than she expected, but on the other hand, she wondered why Addie was making it seem worse. Of course, Addie wanted out and wanted to convince Madison they were in the red. But how did she plan to explain the bank account?

  “We’ll save grocery shopping for last,” Madison told Lily as she searched for a parking place at the craft and antique mall. “Can you believe how busy it is?”

  “Yeah. Think the stores will still have anything left?”

  Madison laughed. “I’m sure they will. Are you looking for anything in particular?”

  “I want to get Dad an antique barometer.”

  “An antique barometer?” Madison blinked. “Really?”

  “Yeah. He’s always talking about this one that burned up in the fire. It was his grandpa’s and was kinda special, I guess. I’m always telling him he can check that stuff on his phone, but he really wants an old one.”

  “I remember that barometer, Lily. It hung in the dining room of his house.”

  “Cool! Maybe you can help me find one.”

  “Might be . . . well, hard to find.” Madison wanted to say “completely impossible” but didn’t want to dash Lily’s hopes completely.

  “I see a space over there.” Lily pointed to the next row. “And it’s near the antique shops. That’s where I want to look.”

  Soon they were parked and perusing one antique shop after the next. Madison had described the old barometer as best she could recall, but so far, they hadn’t found one exactly like it.

  Just when they thought they’d never find one, Madison spotted something on the wall. “Hey, Lily, this is the closest thing I’ve seen yet.” She pointed out the long narrow strip on top with the thermometer and the barometer’s round gauge below.

  “That’s nice.” Lily nodded.

  “The wood seems darker, but for all I know, it could be its twin.” Madison admired the antique. “Wood does darken with age.”

  “I like it.” Lily picked it up, looked at the price, then frowned. “But it’s more than I wanted to pay.”

  “I wonder if you can haggle.”

  “Haggle?”

  “Talk them down on the price. People did that all the time in Mongolia. It was just the normal way to buy things.”

  “Okay.” Lily picked the barometer up again. “I’ll go haggle.”

  “Good luck. I’ll keep looking around.” Madison had already found a few interesting pieces that would make good gifts. Well, she thought they’d be good. It remained to be seen what her mom and sister would think. She’d even gotten an old dartboard set that Lily had fallen in love with, sneaking it out to her Jeep while Lily was at the other end of the shop. But she’d yet to find anything for Gavin.

  Lily’s haggling, plus her preteen enthusiasm, worked like a charm. She got the price down even lower than hoped. As they went to the car, Madison confessed she was having trouble finding something for Gavin.

  “You used to know my dad when you were kids, right?” Lily asked as she laid her carefully wrapped treasure in the back seat.

  “Right.”

  “What kind of things did he love back then?”

  Madison tried to think as she got in the car. “Well, life was pretty simple. I mostly saw him in the summertime. Of course, he loved his old pickup. Can’t afford one of those.” She laughed. “Mostly we loved good times on the river.”

  “And he’s already got the river.”

  “Rafting!” Madison exclaimed. “He had this old rubber raft. I think it was his dad’s. Big yellow stinky thing. We used to shoot the rapids in it. It was a blast.”

  “That sounds awesome. Get him one of those.”

  Madison frowned as she started the Jeep. “Yeah, good idea. Where do I find a yellow rubber raft in wintertime?”

  “Can I see your phone?” Lily asked.

  Madison handed it to her, watching as the girl did a quick internet search and then called a number. “Do you have yellow rubber rafts?” she asked. Satisfied with the answer, she directed Madison to a sporting goods store, and before long, they were hefting a box holding a yellow rubber raft into a cart, as well as a pair of paddles.

  “This is great,” Madison said as together they lifted it into the back of the Jeep. “Perfect.”

  “Will you wrap it and put it under your tree?”

  “Of course.” Madison laughed. “But I better get more wrapping paper. I noticed my grandma’s supply was getting thin.”

  “I bet it’ll be the biggest thing under the tree.”

  By the time they’d finished shopping, had a quick lunch, and had gotten groceries, it was past two. But Madison felt all set for Christmas. Only one thing bothered her. What about the farm’s business account? She knew she should wait until after Christmas to bring it up, but it was gnawing at her now. She dropped off Lily and was about to leave when Gavin came out to help unload Lily’s packages.

  “Want to go with us to the candlelight service on Christmas Eve?” he asked Madison.

  “I’d love to go. I hope Mom will too. I don’t know about Addie though. She’s been a little antichurch in adulthood. But maybe I can remind her of how much she liked the candlelight service as a little girl.” Madison sighed. “Our grandparents took us, and we both always loved the candles and singing and everything.”