A Boulder Creek Christmas (6 page)

The welcome bell sounded and Lani glanced up to find Ryan leaning lazily against the doorjamb. “Hello, Lani.” He removed his hat and dipped his head. “It's good to see you again. It's been too long.”

“It's been a day and a half, Ryan.”

“I know.” His gaze captured hers, latching like an electron magnet. “And, like I said, it's been too long.”

Though Lani tried, she couldn't draw her gaze from him. She'd purposely attended the earliest church service yesterday, knowing Ryan liked to sleep in on Sunday and attend the service closer to noon. Then she'd spent the afternoon in a long walk along the greenway, hoping she'd avoid him if he decided to swing by her house to tackle more chores. That had proved to be a wise move; she'd returned home to find Christmas lights strung along the porch eaves. Ryan had obviously found the stash she and Grandma Cora had hastily stored beneath the workbench in the garage at the end of last season. And to add insult to injury, Moe splayed along the porch near the front door, basking in a ray of sunshine that caused the snow-covered ground to glisten like scattered diamonds, and gnawing one of the hugest rawhide bones Lani had ever laid eyes on.

“I noticed your beautiful Christmas lights as Jill and I drove home from evening services last night, Lani.” Mrs. Wexell sidled up to the counter, drawing Lani's attention back to the present. “You must have worked very hard yesterday.”

“I didn't string them.” Lani's voice faltered as her gaze shifted to Ryan for the slightest moment and then back to Mrs. Wexell. “I'm assuming
he
did.”

“A wise assumption.” Ryan tugged the toboggan from his head and balled it in his hands. “I'm guilty as charged, but Moe helped.”

Lani propped a hand on one hip and waggled a finger. “Was that before or after you bribed him with that ridiculously-massive rawhide bone?”

“Does it matter?”

“I think not,” Mrs. Wexell interjected as she took her checkbook from her purse. “But I would certainly add that Ryan Connolly is a keeper, don't you think, Lani? He's kind, generous, hardworking…and he smells good, too.”

“A keeper?” Lani gnawed her lower lip. “I…um…”

Ryan's guffaws drowned out further thought. Mrs. Wexell joined in the laughter as Lani stood there behind the counter.

“You smell good, too, Lani,” Ryan offered. “Better than a man deserves. And you're smart, loyal, and—”

“How much would you like on the gift certificate?” Lani'd heard enough—more than enough.

“Enough for a style and highlights,” Mrs. Wexell replied. “And don't forget to include a generous tip. I know how you are, Lani…always thinking of others before yourself.”

The comment elicited a sudden wave of guilt. Who was she thinking of now, with such curt and impatient behavior? Lani drew a breath to bring her attitude into check.

Help me here, Lord. I need a dose of patience…and humility.

“I noticed you have several boxes of decorations stored in your garage.” Ryan took a step toward the counter. “Do you plan to use them this season, Lani?”

“I haven't decided yet.”

“
Tsk, tsk
…” Mrs. Wexell shook her head. “Christmas is merely a week away, Lani. At my age, it's not prudent to mull things over for too long. Ah, to be young and foolish again, and to have all the time in the world to squander. Youth is wasted on the—well, it's wasted on the young.” She laughed at her own joke. “But forgive me, Lani, I digress. I'll take that gift certificate now.”

“Certainly, Mrs. Wexell. Coming right up.” Lani retrieved the book of certificates from beneath the counter. As she leaned forward, the silver heart escaped her collar to dangle above the glass counter.

“Oh, I love your necklace, dear.” Mrs. Wexell set her checkbook aside. She reached across the counter and caught the sliver of silver as it swayed back and forth. “It looks familiar. Who gave it to you?”

Lani's heart fluttered at the memory. “Ryan did…a long time ago.”

“Ah, yes.” Mrs. Wexell smoothed a pair of fingers along the tiny cross embedded inside the heart. “This piece is one of a kind…designed by my late husband. I remember now the day Ryan came into our shop to purchase it after discovering it in our window display. He had stars in his eyes…stars only for you, Lani.”

“I didn't know.” Her pulse crescendoed.

“But now you do.” Mrs. Wexell released the heart. She took up a pen from the counter and scrawled her signature across the bottom of a check before tearing it from the register. “You know, Lani, the Good Lord can only lead you to a place, He can't make you open the door and step inside.”

“I don't understand.”

Mrs. Wexell quoted,
“‘Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.'”

“Ephesians chapter four, verse thirty-two.”

“That's correct. So you're familiar with that passage?”

“Of course.” Lani nodded. “I've known it since I was a child.”

“Are they merely words, Lani, or something more?”

“I—”

“Don't answer now. Think on it.” Mrs. Wexell exchanged her check for the certificate and tucked the gift into her purse. “But keep in mind that it was one of your grandmother's favorite passages, you know.”

“Yes, I know.” Grandma Cora had cited the verse whenever Lani became discouraged by her mother's extended absences. “I don't know how I could have forgotten such a thing. Thank you for reminding me, Mrs. Wexell.”

“You're welcome, dear.” She gathered her purse, slipping the strap over her shoulder as she took up her cane and slowly turned from the counter toward the door. “Ryan says you whip up a delicious roast. I'll bet the meat and potatoes taste even better followed up with a hearty slice of warm apple pie.”

Lani allowed her gaze to connect with Ryan's once again as guilt stabbed her. She hadn't even sliced the apple pie after sending him away a few nights ago; it sat on her kitchen counter, untouched and still waiting to be eaten.

“Let's go, son.” Mrs. Wexell waggled a finger at Ryan. “If you don't mind, I'd like to stop by the jewelry store and see what specials Jill has highlighted for this holiday season before you take me home.”

“I don't mind at all. I'm in no hurry.”

“Perhaps you'll find a precious token that suits your needs, as well.”

“Perhaps I will.” Ryan opened the door for her but turned back to Lani with a smile before following her out. “I'll see you again soon, Lani.”

~*~

Ryan stopped by the hardware store after he dropped Mrs. Wexell at home. After stringing the lights around Lani's porch yesterday, he'd taken a more thorough walk around the property and added a few items to his chore list. If she'd let him into the house again, he was certain he'd find even more.

And there was the matter of the mailbox. He didn't think there was any chance of robins hatching from the nestled eggs, but who was he to argue the point with Lani—or with the mama robin that he'd found perched atop the nest that morning?

Ryan purchased all the items he needed and deposited them into the truck bed. From the parking lot of the hardware store, he could see the north end of the Boulder Creek Town Square where the community garden was slated for planting this spring. Already, the designated area was staked with orange flags that stood out against the snow-dusted lawn. As soon as the holidays passed and the weather eased a bit, a tractor and aerator would be brought in; digging and ground preparations would begin.

For now, though, the area held plants of another kind in neat rows. Their pine scent coupled with holiday music filled the air with visions of Christmas. Ryan smiled as he tucked the truck keys back into his pocket and crossed the lot toward the boulevard, quickly heading that way.

7

Moe barked as a flash of headlights illuminated the drive that led to the small frame house. The sound of a motor joined spitting gravel.

“Who's there, Moe?” Lani rose from the sofa and crossed to the window as Moe stood before the door, tail thumping both the floor and the wall as it wagged. He lifted his head and gave one sharp bark.

“Yes, I see…it's Ryan.” Her heartrate increased to a gallop and her palms dampened as Ryan parked the truck at the top of the drive, near the front lawn. He opened the door and Christmas music spilled from the cab to make the air happy. Light from the porch danced over him as he killed the motor and exited the truck. Lani pressed her face to the glass, fogging the pane as she attempted a better look. “What's he doing here at this hour?”

Moe circled Lani's feet like a wind-up toy and barked as if to say, “He's here to see me, silly.”

“Yes, you're probably right.” Lani laughed and smoothed a hand through her hair. She thought of the apple pie waiting on the counter and wondered if Ryan would still care to share a slice. “What does he have in the truck bed?”

She watched as he rounded the truck toward the rear. He lowered the tailgate and stepped onto the bumper. A gasp escaped her lips as she saw what waited there, and quickly realized the purpose of his visit. “Oh, Moe…look!”

Even from this distance, and in the yard illuminated only by the intermittent flash of mini-light color, she could tell the evergreen was spectacular in size. The warmth that filled her heart might have melted the snow as Ryan tugged the tree from the bed and hoisted it onto one shoulder as if it weighed no more than a sack of groceries. He glanced up through the darkness, and his gaze connected with hers. The warmth grew to a flash of heat as he smiled. Lani offered a slight wave through the bay window glass and returned his smile.

Ryan stomped over gravel and up the stairs, pausing before the door to shake snow from his boots. He called, “May I come in, Lani?”

She opened the door and stepped onto the porch, her heart a jumble of excitement as Moe followed at her heels. “Ryan Connolly, what are you up to now?”

“I told you I'd see you again soon, sweetheart. Have you saved me a slice of that apple pie?”

~*~

“It's so beautiful, Ryan.” Lani gushed over the tree they'd spent the last hour decorating. She set two slices of apple pie on the coffee table and turned to admire the ornament-laden limbs and the antique angel set atop the highest bough. “You were right…Grandma Cora would be so happy to see this.”

“I'm happy to see it, too, Lani.” Ryan leaned against the back of the loveseat and crossed one foot over the opposite knee. “Each ornament has a tale all its own. Cora spent a lot of time that Christmas Eve it snowed so hard—the Christmas I spent with the two of you—sharing them with me. I treasure those memories.”

“Me, too. Grandma Cora was one of the best storytellers. We should write all of them down, so we'll always remember and pass the stories on to our—”

“Children?” Ryan reached for her hand. “We could do that together, you know, write down the stories.”

“I suppose we could.” She settled on the loveseat beside him. The scent of her perfume mingled with wood smoke from the fireplace and pine from the evergreen, awakening Ryan's senses. The splash of blush along her cheeks only served to enhance the summer-green shade of her eyes. “That would be fun. Oh, Ryan, the tree is just perfect.”

“I'm glad you like it.” Mini LED lights flickered along the branches as “The First Noel” sang softly from the CD player. Like a cheerful sentinel above all, Grandma Cora's special angel glowed. “So, I guess I did OK?”

“You did better than OK.” Lani refilled his coffee cup with brew from the warming carafe. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” Ryan smoothed a hand along the length of her hair as she sat back beside him, allowing her shoulder to brush his. “I think Moe approves, as well.”

“Yes, he does.” Laughter tumbled as Lani watched the dog settle beside the tree, dressed like a holiday gift in a huge red-velvet bow Ryan had fashioned between his ears. “I wonder what he has on his Christmas list this year.”

“I know what I have on mine.” Ryan's gaze captured Lani's. “How about you, sweetheart?”

“I'm…still working on it.” Lani shifted in the seat. “Do you have to work Christmas Eve?”

“No. Unless there's a huge emergency I'm off the rotation this year.” He watched her expression, wondering what was going on in that pretty little head of hers. “Why?”

Lani shrugged. “Just wondering.”

Ryan reached for his coffee, shifting gears. He didn't want to pressure her. “You were busy at the salon today?”

“It's always busy this time of year. We even have extended hours because everyone wants to look their best for the holidays.”

“You've worked hard to make a go of it there…to earn a degree and own your own business.”

“Chloe's been a huge help. She's a good friend. And Grandma Cora, well…she believed in me when the going got tough.”

“I have always believed in you, too, Lani.” He truly wished he could make her see what filled his heart.

“But I thought…” Her eyes, green as gems beneath the firelight, widened with disbelief. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” The thought that she doubted him pained Ryan like a blow to the solar plexus. “I know you have no reason to believe that, but I'd like to make it up to you…to redeem myself…if you'll give me the chance.”

“We've both made mistakes, Ryan.”

“Mine were bigger.” He set his mug back on the table and turned to Lani. He leaned in and feathered a finger along her jaw before fisting a hand in her hair. “I have a confession…I never regretted the kiss, Lani. I wish I could go back and do it all over again.”

A low gasp escaped her lips as they curved into a soft little
oh
. “We can't go back, only forward.”