morning when I asked how she could stand living on the mountain in winter with only a wood stove for heat? She said all she needed was a rug, a blanket, and a Bear to keep her warm.”
“Ahhh …”
When the kiss broke up and Bear set Patricia back on her feet, they saw Sarah and Nic watching. Bear winked, and Patricia said, “Missed your chance, girls. He’s mine.”
Nic thought about that moment an hour later as she drove toward Murphy Mountain. How powerful the force must be to have compelled Patricia to abandon her career to live in the back of nowhere with a man who considered indoor plumbing a luxury. She envied those lucky enough to find it. She wondered if they realized just how blessed they were.
She wondered if Gabe considered himself blessed or cursed.
In the big scheme of things, which was worse? To have that sort of love for a short time and lose it, or never to have known that depth of love at all? Obviously the answer would be different for different people, but since Nic believed that life should be lived to the fullest, she’d rather have a great love and lose it than never experience it. Of course, what she wanted most of all was a grand love that lasted the rest of her life.
“Hey, it could happen,” she murmured aloud as she stopped at Eagle’s Way’s gate and rolled down her window to input the security code. “Just not with the likes of Gabe Callahan.”
And yet, as she continued up the drive toward the house, a subtle tension stirred within her. Could Sarah have been right? Would he be waiting for her, an apology at the ready? If so, how should she respond? What should she say? What did she want to say to him?
Except for telling him what she’d thought of his text message, Nic drew a blank. She’d have to see what he said first and go from there.
As it turned out, she need not have concerned herself with the question. Unlike yesterday, the house was dark. No smoke rose from the chimney. No Christmas carols floated on the air.
Taped to the front door, she found a folded note with her name written across the front. She yanked it off the door, opened it, and read: He’s in the mud room. Same security code as the gate. Sack of letters on the workbench. G.
“I was right the first time. He is a jerk.”
For the next week, Nic quietly fumed and tried her best to put Gabe Callahan, jerk, out of her mind. She told herself that she refused to let him ruin her holidays, so on New Year’s Eve, when she would have preferred crawling into bed early with a good book, she packed an overnight bag and joined her friends at Cavanaugh House for a previously planned event.
As she donned the Christmas gift Sage had given her in the bedroom Celeste had assigned to her, Nic glanced in the mirror and finally shook off her blue mood. Okay, maybe Sage’s idea wasn’t so stupid after all. Feeling delightfully silly, Nic headed downstairs. At the second-floor landing, she paused and eyed the banister. Dressed like this, she was tempted to slide her way to the ground floor.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Sarah said from the ground floor below. “I wanted to do it, too.”
Nic looked at her friend and laughed. “Oh my gosh, Sarah. You look ten years old.”
Like Nic, she wore fleece footed pajamas, green frogs against a pink background print. “I think I look darling.”
“You do look darling. We both look darling.”
“That yellow looks good on you. I love the puppies.”
“Thank you.” Then, indulging in her inner child, she balanced her butt on the banister and slid her way to the floor. She and Sarah both were laughing when they entered Celeste’s drawing room to find Sage and Celeste already waiting for them. Noting the prints on their pajamas—butterflies for Sage and angels for Celeste—Nic shook her head and asked, “How perfect. Where did you find these, Sage?”
“A little store in New England. The owner bought one of my butterfly paintings, and she sent me my pair with a note saying that my work inspired her.”
“Well, I love my pair,” Celeste said, holding out a foot and wriggling it. “They’re so soft and warm and perfect for a slumber party. Now, y’all take a look at the sideboard and tell me if I’ve forgotten anything.”