Christmas Catch-Up X

  Christmas Catch-Up X

  Cindy Caldwell

  Copyright © 2018 by Cindy Caldwell

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Epilogue

  Also by Cindy Caldwell

  About the Author

  Introduction

  It’s Christmas at River’s End Ranch. See what’s happened in the last few months.

  Merry Christmas 2018!

  Mistletoe Mistake - Gillian & Aaron

  Picture Perfect - Opal & Bernard

  Second-Chance Sweethearts - Corinne & Allen

  Teaching Tamlyn - Tamlyn & Bradley

  Fanning Flames - Lindsey & Alex

  Chapter 1

  FANNING FLAMES

  Lindsey and Alex

  Lindsey gazed up at the flight departure board one more time—probably the 100th in the last five hours. The lights flashed so quickly it was hard to keep track of all the changes in departure times and outright cancellations.

  She hung her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. When she and Alex had agreed to a December assignment to help rebuild destroyed homes after the most recent hurricane, never in a million years had it crossed her mind that they wouldn’t make it back to River’s End Ranch in time for Christmas.

  Christmas. It would be the first she’d ever had with real family. After finding her twin brother so recently, not having seen him since they were toddlers, all she dreamed about was spending time with him, his wife Dani, and her own new husband Alex in front of a fire, decorating a tree, singing Christmas carols. And now it wasn’t going to happen.

  She walked slowly over to where Alex had been sitting for hours and plopped down beside him on the hard airport seat. He took off his headphones and reached his arm around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze.

  “No change?” he asked as he looked past her toward the departure board, its lights still flashing.

  “No,” she said quietly. She leaned forward and reached into her bag, pulling out two red felt Christmas stockings. One had snowmen on it and a candy cane, with big white felt letters that said, “Travis.” The other had a reindeer on it with a shiny red nose and a cutout of Santa right over the name, “Lindsey.”

  She laid them on her lap and smoothed them out. They had been in the box her adoptive mother had given her, two small tokens to remember that she and her brother had once lived together, celebrated together—before they’d been separated for decades.

  Alex took a handkerchief from his pocket and brushed the falling tear from her cheek.

  “I know you wanted to surprise him with those. It’s a big disappointment for him, too, I’m sure, and he doesn’t even know about the really cool stockings. Retro and everything.”

  She sniffled and looked up at him to confirm that he was teasing her, and she saw that he was. Alex had grown up with a big family and when he’d described their Christmas traditions to her and she’d been envious of every one. And she’d been looking forward to creating some of their own, with their new family. He knew how much it meant to her, so she appreciated his attempt to cheer her up. Just the same, she pinched him.

  “Hey. Pinching is for your brother, not your husband,” he said as he rubbed his arm, but she was happy to see him smile nonetheless.

  “Well, he’s not here so you’ll have to be the recipient of pinches. Consider it a husband pinch.”

  “Is that a thing? I don’t remember it in our wedding vows,” he said as he wrapped his arm around her once more.

  Things had happened very quickly for them, and Lindsey twirled the wedding ring on her finger. The fire season had been a short one, and they’d been called from one disaster to another in the ensuing several months. It had become such a big part of their lives and they were together all the time that they’d gotten married on the spur of the moment, finding a preacher in the town they’d been staying in. They’d agreed that they’d have another ceremony when they got back to River’s End Ranch, and that was part of what she’d been so excited about. To get married with her family as witnesses to their commitment.

  “I think there are all kinds of things that come with marriage that we didn’t talk about. The fun part will be finding them all out,” she said as she leaned back, resting her head on his shoulder.

  “Hm. I hope most of them are more fun that getting pinched,” he said as he brushed back her hair from her forehead.

  “I have no doubt they will be.” Lindsey carefully folded up the stockings and gently placed them back in her bag.

  Alex glanced over at the departure board again and shook his head slowly. “I suppose we might as well let Dani and Travis know we’re not going to make it.”

  Lindsey nodded slowly, her heart in her throat. She reached for her phone and brushed back another tear before scrolling through and finding FaceTime on her phone. “Do I look too awful to do video?” she asked Alex as she contemplated her red nose and swollen eyes on the camera before she dialed.

  “Is that another one of those things we’ll find out about each other? That I’m supposed to say you look beautiful no matter what so I don’t get pinched?” Alex asked with a laugh.

  She reached out to pinch him and he backed away in the airport seat. He held up his palms and laughed again.

  “You look spectacular, sweetheart. Dial away.”

  “I will, thank you very much,” she said. “I want to see Dani. She must be getting big by now with the baby due in a few months. I want to at least see her on the phone.”

  She dialed Travis’s number and her heart leapt when he answered.

  “Hi, Linds,” he said cheerfully, and Lindsey watched while he walked over and plopped down on the couch in front of the fire by Dani.

  “Hi, you guys,” Dani said with a wave. Her other hand was on her tummy and a decorated Christmas tree twinkled in the background.

  Lindsey wasn’t sure why that surprised her, but she was happy to see that Dani seemed to be in the family spirit.

  “Hi,” Lindsey and Alex said in unison.

  “Dani, you are positively glowing,” Lindsey said, smiling at Dani’s protective hand over her tummy.

  Dani smiled shyly as Travis rubbed her tummy, too.

  “She is, isn’t she? This is going much better than I thought. She’s actually listening and staying off the high-wire rescues. There may be some hope here.”

  “I guess that maternal instinct actually kicked in,” Alex said as he watched his tough, kind co-worker blush. He hadn’t been sure what to expect, but what he saw warmed his heart.

  “Oh,” Dani said as Travis pulled his hand away from her tummy and they both stared at each other.

  “What?” Lindsey asked quickly.

  “Was that the baby kicking?” Travis asked.

  “I…I think so. I haven’t felt that before,” Dani said as all four of them stared at her tummy, Lindsey and Alex on the other side of the country on video.

  “Oh, my gosh,” Lindsey said, her eyes welling up with tears.

  “Wow. Glad you got to be here for that first, even if it is on video.” He leaned over and kissed Dani. “We can’t wait to see you in person,” Travis said. “Christmas Day’s going to be so hectic with the Weston festivities and you guys with Alex’s family so I’m so glad it worked out you can be here Christmas Eve. Just the four of us. Prime rib for everybody.�
��

  “Yeah, he’s cooking,” Dani said, pointing her thumb at her husband. “So you’re safe.”

  “Oh, um,” Lindsey began as she quickly looked at Alex and down at the stockings in her bag. “I guess we have some bad news.”

  She handed the phone to Alex, who sighed before he started.

  “I could show you the departure board, but it seems like every single flight out of here is delayed by hours and hours or flat out cancelled. We’re not going to be able to make it,” he said, his disappointment clear.

  “Oh, no,” Travis said. “I was hoping that we could…we would...”

  Lindsey scooted closer to Alex so they were both in the video frame. If Travis was half as sad as she was that they wouldn’t be together for their first Christmas after being reunited, his heart was breaking, too.

  “I know. We feel the same way. We’ve done all we can. Tried every stand-by and crazy route to get there.”

  “Oh,” Travis said. “I’m sure you have, but fingers crossed all the same. Our new families are supposed to be together this Christmas. We waited decades to celebrate, and it’s supposed to happen. I just feel it.”

  Alex signed off after they’d all said, “Merry Christmas,” and that they’d look forward to getting together whenever Lindsey and Alex could make it.

  Travis had looked crushed, too, and Lindsey sat back in her chair. Her disappointment overwhelmed her and she stood, pacing in the small space between the airport seats. She stopped for a moment and looked out the window and blinked a few times. Planes that had been standing still for hours seemed to be moving, and the snow had stopped, the sun peeking out from between a few clouds.

  “Alex? Let’s check the board again,” she said as she rushed back to Alex.

  They picked up their bags and headed to join the crowds that were now forming around the listing of flight departures.

  “Well, look at that,” Alex said from behind her. “Looks like we’ll be home for Christmas after all.”

  She dropped her bags and turned around, throwing her arms around his neck. She kissed him deeply and when she pulled back, she smiled at the moisture in his eyes, too.

  “Alex, our first Christmas together as man and wife, my long lost brother and his new and growing family—this was the way it was supposed to be.”

  He kissed her again and smiled.

  “Well, then, we’d better hurry. We’ll have to run to make this flight.”

  “I’m right behind you,” she said as she grabbed her bags and ran behind her husband, thrilled to rush toward celebrating both her future and her past, in a whole new way.

  Chapter 2

  MISTLETOE MISTAKE

  Gillian and Aaron

  Gillian Hamilton peered up through the windshield of her four-wheel-drive truck as she rounded the last bend toward the the cabin Aaron had bought almost a year before. It wasn’t even noon yet but the clouds, heavy with falling snow, made it seem almost like nighttime.

  “I hope this clears up by the time the kids come out tomorrow,” her husband Aaron said as he followed her gaze.

  Her hands gripping the steering wheel, she nodded. “The forecast said that very thing, that Christmas Eve would be stormy but that it should clear by Christmas day. Tomorrow should be bright and beautiful.”

  She pulled up to the side of the cabin and slowed to a stop. No matter how many times they came out to the cabin—which was quite a lot—she fell in love with it anew, every single time. The summer had been blissful, and she and Aaron had dipped their toes in the pond in the evenings more times than she could count. The turning leaves of autumn had been a spectacular display of oranges, reds and golds amongst the evergreens and the smell of the pine trees—well, she thought she’d never grow tired of it.

  She hadn’t seen the cabin in the snow this winter yet, as Aaron had wanted the kitchen re-model to be a surprise for her for Christmas. She’d tried to argue with him—after all, they’d designed it together so she knew what was coming—but he’d insisted. She hadn’t been allowed back since they’d returned from their European castle tour earlier in the fall. As soon as they’d gotten back, he’d started on the construction. She’d done her best not to ask about it as he’d been so excited about the surprise, but the anticipation was more than she could handle now that they were finally there.

  He must have been feeling the same because he was out of the car almost before she’d been able to park.

  “Okay, this is it,” he said, the excitement evident in his voice.

  She smiled when he put his arm around her waist and slipped a handkerchief over her eyes.

  “What are you doing? I’ve already seen all the plans. This is…silly.”

  He steadied her from behind, his hands on her shoulders as he nudged her forward.

  “Just humor me,” he said. “We can get the groceries later. I just can’t wait for you to see this.”

  Her heart melted as it always did when he led her toward something new, something exciting. He was so careful with her, and she trusted him with her life. Not something she thought she’d ever feel again after having been widowed for so long.

  “Okay, five steps up now,” he said, gripping her waist tighter.

  She grabbed his wrists with her mittened hands, visualizing the steps to the cabin. When she knew she was on the porch, she stomped off the snow she knew was likely on her boots.

  “Oh, Aaron, Christmas music,” she said as Christmas carols lilted from inside. “You must have come out early.”

  “Maybe,” he said cryptically as he removed the handkerchief from her eyes and brushed back a bit of her hair. “I wanted it to be special.”

  “How could it not be special?” she asked softly as she stood on her tiptoes and pulled him closer, resting her lips on his warm ones. “Everything is special with you.”

  She closed her eyes as he dropped his forehead to hers. “I have to agree with you on that one,” he said quietly. “I mean, special with you. This has been the best year of my life, Gillian. All because of you.”

  Her breath hitched as he squeezed her. “The feeling is mutual, Aaron,” she said, and she took a deep breath to stop the tears that pricked her eyelids.

  “I hope you feel the same when you see inside. I made some…changes to the plans and I hope you like them.”

  “Changes?”

  She couldn’t imagine what changes he’d made. They’d gone over the plans in every detail, and now she was especially curious. She couldn’t imagine that anything would be bad—he had great taste, and their shared love for cooking could only make the kitchen better than they’d planned initially—but she wondered why he was so nervous.

  Aaron cleared his throat, took in a deep breath and let it out in a whoosh before he said, “Well, I guess you’ll just have to judge for yourself.”

  He flung the door open and nudged her inside.

  Warmth washed over her, and she blinked a few times before she realized that it was a real crackling fire in a very real, floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace that had been installed in place of the small woodstove. From the glow of the fire, tiny lights sparkled from a huge tree in front of the plate glass window that looked out over the snowy meadow.

  She gasped. “Aaron, a fireplace. And it’s gorgeous,” she said, crossing over the hard wood floors to run her hand over the stone mantle. It was lined with pictures of their new, big family—Olivia, Fred, the babies, Allen, Corinne, Opal and Bernard, and Tamlyn and Bradley. And, of course, a picture of the two of them in front of a castle.

  Her eyes brimming with tears, she turned to him and reached her arms around his neck. “Aaron, this is lovely. Our family is sure growing, and this place is just magical, a special place for us all to be together.”

  “I’m glad you think so,” Aaron said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “And the mantle is especially big, for all the kids to come.”

  “You are so sweet. Who’d have thought a lifelong bachelor would ha
ve embraced so many people. So many kids.”

  He ran his thumb over her lips before he kissed her. “I guess I just never knew what I was missing. And now we just get to celebrate as it gets bigger and bigger. Oh, and there’s one more thing.”

  He stepped aside and pulled her over toward the kitchen, waving his arm in the direction of the kitchen they’d designed—with the addition of a much larger kitchen-type stove and a huge table that would seat all of them. ALL of them.

  “Oh, my goodness,” she said, walking slowly forward with her hand on her chest. “It’s so big, and beautiful.” She ran her hand over the dark wood of the table and smiled when she saw the centerpiece of pine cones and pomegranates. Perfect for Christmas.

  “Well, if the mantle had to be big enough to fit all of us, so did the table. And I hope you don’t mind that I actually added a loft for all the kids—future kids, I guess—to sleep in.”

  Gillian’s head spun as she envisioned the family all together in such a beautiful space, playing games after dinner, sitting by the fire. And her and Aaron cooking for all of them.

  She shook her head as she looked at the time. “Oh, my gosh. And they’re all coming tomorrow. And we’re cooking for them,” she said as she opened drawers and cupboards, tickled that he’d thought of every last detail.

  “Well, what better place to do it in,” he said, twirling her around the kitchen at the sound of their favorite Christmas carol, just like he had a year ago before their lives had changed forever.

  Chapter 3

  PICTURE PERFECT

  Opal and Bernard

  “I need a finger,” Opal Dubois called out to her husband as she held the ribbon tight on the last package she had to wrap before they could relax.