Christmas in Cupid Falls (23 page)

“Because he’ll share his dog with you.” Nana Vancy and her Bela came forward as well. “But that’s not enough of a reason, is it, Mal?”

“No, those are all good reasons for you to say yes. I could add more. Reasons like I won’t sell you the Center, but if you’d marry me, you’d be half owner. Like if we got married, I’d have a constant stream of Mom’s cookies, but I guess that’s more for me than for you. How about if you married me, we could start every morning together sharing coffee and breakfast? I can’t think of a nicer way to start every day for the rest of my life. Or how happy my mom would be to know we were married. But none of those are the right words, are they, Nana Vancy?”

“Say the words, Mal. Say the right words. The only words that matter,” Nana Vancy said. “Because everyone knows that words have power.”

“The crowd is waiting to hear what words Nana Vancy is referring to,” Angela said into the microphone.

Mal got down on one knee in the snow, illuminated by the glow of the lantern light. He pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket. “Marry me, Kennedy Anderson, for all those reasons, and one more very important one. Marry me because I love you.”

Nana Vancy was right, those were the only words that mattered, but only if he meant them. “Mal, don’
t . . .
”

“I love you. You said that we didn’t really know each other well. But you’re wrong. Whenever I talked to my mom, her conversation was full of Kennedy news. Things you’d done for the town and things you did for her. She didn’t tell me specifically about Movie Mondays, but she told me about teaching you to bake and about joining the book club with you, and she told me about all the things you did for the town and everyone in it. I think I was halfway in love with you when I came home for her funeral. That night, I found someone who’d suffered her loss as much as I did. I found comfort in your arms. And at the time, I might have thought I could have found that in anyone’s arms, but now I realize, I found comfort in your arms because I loved you even then. I loved you before I knew it.”

“You don’t have to—”

“It’s not something I have to do. It’s not even something I can control. It’s simply part of me. I love you. When I adopted Jethro today, you protested he wouldn’t like an apartment. You’re right—he wouldn’t. And it turns out, neither do I. I’m moving back home and opening my own practice here. If you say no today, I’ll still ask you tomorrow and every day after that. But from now on when you ask me
why
, my answer will always be the same.
Why?
Because I love you.”

Kennedy was silent. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and her hands held on to the baby in her stomach as if it were a lifeline.

“When I ask you to marry me, I’ll tell you that wherever you go, I’ll follow,” Mal continued, “but I don’t see you leaving Cupid Falls. You’re part of it and it’s part of you. But if you ever did leave, I’d follow.”

Clarence called out, “Mayor, we want you to know that even though we’re helping Mal out, if you say no, we’re behind you. Me and Joan already talked about it, and we’d like to help with the baby when you need it.”

“And I’m gonna be its cousin,” Ivy called out, “so me and the boys will help.”

The crowd all murmured their agreement.

“Whatever you decide,” Clarence said, “we’re on your side.”

Kennedy looked at the town, holding their signs and pledging their help. They were waiting for her response. Nana Vancy stood with the Silver Bells, her Bela, Isabel’s Leo, and Pap. May was holding her new dog August’s lead.

“Words have power,” Nana said, and smiled, as if she knew Kennedy’s answer.

The fact of the matter was, Nana Vancy probably did know her answer. There was only one answer Kennedy could give. But first she checked, needing to be sure. “You love me?”

“Absolutely. Completely. Baby or not, I’d be asking you to marry me, Kennedy, because I love you.”

She took a deep breath and felt an even stronger cramp. This went beyond a cramp to straight-up pain. She waited a moment for it to ebb, then said her powerful word. “Yes.”

Malcolm moved in and hugged her, even though her girth made it awkward.

“I should add, I love you, too,” she told him.

“Yeah, I know,” he said with a teasing grin. “I mean, what’s not to love?”

Kennedy scoffed.

“Will you marry me before the baby comes?” he asked. “I’d like to be your husband when he arrives.”

“I’d like to say yes to that, but I think that I’ve had a couple contractions.”

His expression changed from triumph to panic. “If you’re in labor, why are we still in the woods?”

“Shh,” she said. “First babies take time. But I do want to marry you before the baby. The official papers can come later, but we’re here at the falls and we’re surrounded by friends and family. Will you marry me now? Here. Surrounded by friends and family.”

“I’m not going to ask why,” he told her. Then loudly said, “Does anyone feel like having a wedding here and now, before Kennedy has my baby?”

The crowd went wild. Angela said into her mic, “I think this might be a record. Mal and Kennedy are going to say their vows right here and now, if I understand it correctly.”

Mal helped Kennedy to the edge of the falls. Standing there, in the lamplight, with the slivered moon peeking through the clouds, in front of their friends and family, he held Kennedy’s hand and said, “The Quakers don’t use ministers when they get married. The two people in question stand together and make their promises before God, their family, and friends. I have a friend who had a Quaker wedding and it was beautiful. It seems appropriate to say my vows to Kennedy by the falls, which, if legend is to be believed, is the reason our town sits here—because countless men and women have fallen in love here. This is where I’ll pledge to love you for the rest of my life. To be your friend. To be your partner. To be the father to your children. But mostly to love you with all my heart.”

Kennedy stood in the midst of he
r . . .
family. She’d always felt as if she didn’t quite belong, but she only had to look at the signs that people still held to not only know she had a place here, but to feel it.

And she only had to look into Malcolm’s eyes to know she had a place with him. Next to him. For the rest of her life.

“Malcolm, I didn’t plan to be here today saying these words to you, but I love you. I have loved you in so many ways. I first loved you as a teenage crush. Soft and fragile. Later, I loved you for how kind you were to your mother and grandfather. I envied you having them. Then, I loved the part of you that was growing inside me. But all of those versions of love pale next to how I feel about you now. I love you heart and soul. I love your kindness, how yo
u . . .
”

She grabbed her stomach and froze. Trying to remember what they’d said about breathing. Keeping oxygen flowing. Trying to ride out the contraction, not fight against it. As it ebbed, she looked in Mal’s concerned face and said, “I think we’d better head to the hospital, but I love you and I’m proud to be your wife and have you as my husband.”

She knew that this wedding was anything but legal, but she also knew that no other words or legal documents could make her feel more married than she did right now to this man who was rushing her to the carriage.

Words have power. She was convinced that Nana Vancy was right about that. So for good measure she said, “You are my husband and I love you.”

He grinned as he climbed up next to her in the sleigh and Gideon took his place at the reins.

“I love you,” Malcolm whispered back.

EPILOGUE

On Christmas Day, Kennedy cradled her daughter close as Malcolm hung up the phone. Jethro was on the couch next to her. He’d adopted little Evie as his own. It was amazing to see how gentle the big dog was with the tiny baby. Wherever Kennedy carried Evie, Jethro followed.

Pap and Malcolm’s father were whispering in the corner as if they were afraid they’d disturb the baby, but so far Evie showed no signs of being disturbed by anything. She basically ate, slept, and looked out at the world with happy interest.

The fire was going and the smell of turkey filled the room.

Malcolm came back to the couch and Kennedy felt a sense of complete and utter happiness.

“That was Nana Vancy,” Malcolm said. “She said to tell you that she was right, it was a girl. And that she was right about you getting a dog. She added that that’s a lot of
right
for one little old lady.”

Kennedy laughed as Malcolm sat on the side of the couch that Jethro didn’t occupy. “She’s going to be unbearable,” Kennedy said.

“She also said that if the Murray kids could adopt you as an aunt, then she’s officially adopting Evie and the two of us as well. I heard Annabelle in the background saying since she was Pap’s girlfriend,
she
should do the adopting.”

Pap slapped his knee. “That woman is a pip,” he said, and at the sight of him, Kennedy suspected there would be another wedding in Cupid Falls soon.

Malcolm nodded and continued, “And Isabel said, well, she wasn’t going to be left out. Let’s just say that it looks like Evie’s got a number of surrogate grandmothers.”

Kennedy wiped away tears.

“Hey, no crying,” Malcolm said.

“For the longest time, I felt alone, and now I’m surrounded by family. Having you all here, and having all of us connected through Elisabeth Valerie Carter.” She loved that they’d honored her aunt and Malcolm’s mother. They’d tried out the initials. EVC. And liked EV so much, that’s what they’d ended up calling her. Evie Carter.

Malcolm hugged her. Which only added to her feeling overwhelmed. She had Malcolm and Evie. She had Pap and Senior. She had the entire town of Cupid Falls.

She was a rich woman. A lucky woman.

She was a happy woman. “I love you, Malcolm Carter.”

“And I love you.”

Pap cleared his throat.

“I told you that sharing a holiday with a couple still on their honeymoon might not be a good idea,” Pap said to Senior.

“How long do you think they’ll be like this?” Senior asked.

Pap looked at them both and said, “According to Nana Vancy, they’ll be obnoxiously mushy like this for the rest of their lives. Their very happy lives,” he added.

Kennedy looked at Malcolm, Evie, and even Jethro and knew that Hungarian magic or not, Nana Vancy was absolutely right.

FROM THE AUTHOR

Dear reader,

I hope you enjoyed the first Cupid Falls book! And for all you Nana Vancy fans who wrote to tell me that you miss her, I hope you enjoyed her visit to neighboring Cupid Falls. I’ll confess, I was happy to see her again. And of course, I was thrilled to include more dog adoption stories. For those who don’t know, the dogs on the cover of
Everything But a Dog
are mine, and the bigger dog, Ethel Merman, was a rescue. We got the smaller one, Ella Fitzgerald, to help ease Ethel’s separation anxieties. Yes, I bought my dog a dog. They were the models for the dogs in the book, and they’ve so enjoyed their fam
e . . .
no, the
puparazzi
hasn’t
hounded
them yet, but they did make the local paper. They’re thrilled they got a cameo on this new book, too.

I’m including Mal’s mother’s oatmeal cookie recipe, which is actually mine. It took a lot of experimentation to find one that suited my taste. I love that although it’s a treat, it’s actually very healthy as treats go. Mal reminisced about his mother’s cookies, saying that she taught him to cook, but he’d never asked to learn this recipe because it was
hers
. For Mal, coming home meant a big plate of his mom’s cookies waiting for him. It was a sign of his mother’s love. It was a tangible signal that he was home. For me, as a writer, the first indication of Kennedy’s true feelings for him was when she made that plate of cookies for him.

Food is a big part of our daily lives. I love how a dish (or a cookie) can bring back a memory or remind us of someone. When my own grandmother (who was just plain Nana to us) was alive, she made this green Jell-O salad. Jell-O (always green, though I’m sure other colors would work), pineapples, cottage chees
e . . .
and horseradish. It sounds awful, but we had it every holiday growing up. After she passed, I tried making it, but it wasn’t like hers and I haven’t tried to make it again since. I think each cook adds something unique to their special dishes. I might be able to add the right ingredients, but I can’t add my grandmother’s love. Maybe that’s why Mal loved Kennedy’s cookies as much as his mother’s. It wasn’t just the recip
e . . .
it was that she added her own love to the mix.

I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Holly

Valerie Watson Carter’s Oatmeal Cookies

2 sticks of softened butter

1 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar

½ cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

Cream these ingredients, then add:

1½ cups of whole wheat flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

1 cup raisins

1 cup walnuts
(nuts are optional—I’ve used pecans, too, and love them)

Bake about 10–12 minutes at 350˚.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A special thanks to Ellen and her inspirational frogs, and to all the Nana Vancy fans who were disappointed to see the Everything Bu
t . . .
series end. All I can say is thank you for loving her as much as I do an
d . . .
she’s baaaaaack!

I’d really like to thank Kelli Martin and Helen Cattaneo. Working with new editors is like going on a blind date: you never know how you’re going to mesh. Well, I lucked out! Working with you both has been nothing but a joy! Thank you for working with me to make my stories as strong as they can be!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Award-winning author Holly Jacobs has sold over two and a half million books worldwide. The first novel in her Everything Bu
t . . .
series,
Everything
But a Groom
, was named one of 2008’s best romances by
Booklist
, and her books have been honored with many other accolades.

Holly has a wide range of interests, from her love for writing to gardening and even basket weaving. She has delivered more than sixty author workshops and keynote speeches across the country. She lives in Erie, Pennsylvania, with her family and her dogs. She frequently sets stories in and around her hometown.