Holly and Homicide (34 page)

Audrey escorted me to a quiet corner near the kitchen and asked in a low voice, “You’re still not terribly fond of Wendell, are you?”

“What matters is that you like him, so I’ll try not to be anything less than gracious when we’re together.”

“Have no fear, Erin. Wendell and I have had our fun, and there are no hard feelings, but he was never going to be the one to spend my golden years with me.”

“Really?”

“You’re trying hard not to sound relieved, but you can go right ahead and admit it.”

“Okay, yes, I’m very relieved.”

She pursed her lips. “You weren’t actually worried that I’d fallen for him, were you?”

“We can’t always control our feelings for people. Sometimes you can find yourself drawn to someone you don’t even like.”

“True, but that type of attraction never lasts for long.” She searched my eyes and gave me a smile that struck me as maternal. “I don’t mean to monopolize your time, though. Excuse me.” She whirled around and headed through the kitchen doors. As I watched the doors wave back and forth in her wake, I wished once again that Henry hadn’t insisted on keeping the stupid things; they’d forever reminded me of the saloon doors from
Gunsmoke
.

I was puzzled by her abrupt exit until I turned and saw Steve approach, wearing his coat. I returned his smile and said, “You’re carrying my coat. No wonder Audrey fled the scene when she spotted you. You’re ready to leave already.”

“Actually, I wanted to get some air, so I thought we could take a quick stroll around the grounds first.”

I hesitated. I had a sudden fear of seeing another body strangled with Christmas lights on the footbridge. Not giving me much choice in the matter, though, Steve helped me with my coat and ushered me toward the kitchen. We exchanged a few words of small talk with yet more guests in the kitchen, then slipped out the back door.

The chill air was invigorating, the stars were out, and the blanket of snow seemed to take on an ethereal glow. Directly ahead of us, the lights on the gazebo sparkled. Henry—or more likely Ben—had hooked up the speaker wires. One of my favorite carols—“O Holy Night”—was
playing at a soft volume. “The gazebo looks really pretty,” I said, happily lacing my fingers through his.

Steve gave my hand a squeeze as we crossed the yard. “It really does. You know, I barely set foot in the thing till this evening, when I came out to sweep the snow off the floorboards.”

“That’s the thing about most gazebos, especially in winter. They’re seldom used. Most of them make you feel like you’re on a ministage in the middle of somebody’s backyard.”

Despite my words, Steve was leading me right toward the gazebo. We climbed the three steps. I was starting to get suspicious, but said nothing. “I hung one last Christmas decoration here,” Steve said. “I’ll show it to you.” He led me to the center of the octagonal floor and said, “It’s kind of corny, I know, but look over your head.”

I gave him a wry smile, still gazing into his eyes and not overhead.
“Mistletoe?
From
you
, Sullivan?” I looked up and was momentarily startled. A small gray-and-red toy rocket dangled from a thread. Suspended beside it was a pink balloon, shaped like a foot, with red and green ribbons tied around its big toe. I laughed. “Missile toe.”

I lowered my eyes to look at him and gasped. He’d dropped to one knee. He was holding a blue Tiffany ring box. My eyes filled with tears.

“Before I met you, Erin, I was alone. Since then, there has always been somebody trying to take you away from me. You’ve told me more than once that the Fates are aligned against us. I can’t believe that the Fates are that foolish, but in any case, my love for you is a stronger force.
Please say that you’ll marry me. Allow me to be your husband for the rest of my life.”

I hesitated, but only because I was too choked up to speak.

“Please say yes, Erin. I’ll let you keep the missile. And the balloon.”

My laughter mingled with my tears as I said, “Well, in
that
case, yes.”

Steve slipped the stunning ring on my finger, and it fit perfectly. He stood up and swept me off my feet into his arms. Behind us, I heard cheers, and was now certain that Audrey had known about Steve’s plan all along; it explained why she’d been so adamant about my coming up to the inn tonight.

Very soon, I intended to turn around and acknowledge Audrey and our fellow partyers, who were no doubt lined up along the windows, watching us embrace. But for this one moment, I was already with my entire world.