Page 1 of Through the Snow Globe
Chapter 1
’Twas the Night Before December 4th
“You think I’m an Elsa too?” Diana Merriman drew back as she faced her fiancé.
Linus placed his hands on his hips. Today he was wearing his lavender-colored tie with a print of tiny dogs playing fetch. She’d given it to him for their six-month dating anniversary. It was meant to be more of a prank than a staple in his weekly wardrobe, but it fit Linus’s personality perfectly—equal parts fun, dorky, and unassumingly handsome. “I didn’t say that.”
“No, but you didn’t say I wasn’t one either.” Earlier in the day, Diana’s teenage patient had tossed this insult at her and Diana’s thoughts had been simmering on it ever since. She’d only seen bits and pieces of the children’s movie, and the character in question was beautiful and strong. Diana didn’t think Addy meant for it to be a compliment, though. “Elsa is an ice queen, right?”
Linus chuckled under his breath, which only made her feel more hurt by the accusation.
“It’s not funny, Linus.” Diana narrowed her eyes as she folded her arms over her chest, applying pressure over her achy heart.
Linus reached out to touch her shoulder. “Hey, don’t be upset. I didn’t mean to laugh. It’s not like you to be so sensitive with stuff like this.”
Diana’s lips parted. “What is that supposed to mean?” She could feel herself taking offense to even that statement. She was just stressed. She’d had a busy day, seeing one home health patient after another, and tomorrow was her interview with her boss for the big promotion she’d been pining over for months. That’s all it was. She was tired and stressed, and she wanted Linus to side with her in this debate. He was her fiancé after all.
“You’re not an Elsa, okay? I think what your patient probably meant was that you’re hard to reach—emotionally. You can be a little”—Linus wobbled his head back and forth, a small grimace stretching the corners of his lips—“distant sometimes.”
“I’m not distant,” she objected. “I’m standing right here.”
Linus slipped his dog-print tie from around his neck. “Well, I didn’t mean it literally.”
“What did you mean, then? Give me one example of a time when I was emotionally distant.” Diana looked at him expectantly. She watched as the humor drained from his expression, a note of trepidation playing in her chest.
“Okay,” he said, his tone suddenly becoming serious. “How about ever since I proposed this summer?”
Diana’s throat tightened, remembering that night. She’d had no idea he was going to ask her to marry him. The question had taken her so much by surprise that she’d actually started crying for the first time in front of him. It was the happiest moment of her life. “What does that mean?”
“You said yes to forever, but you’ve been dragging your feet on setting a date ever since.”
She shook her head. “No, I haven’t. I’ve just been—”
“Busy? Or”—Linus folded the tie in his hands in half— “distant. One can have a career and a personal life too. It’s been done before.”
Diana looked around their bedroom, searching for the right response. How had the conversation jumped from her teenage patient’s insult to her and Linus’s wedding plans—or lack thereof? She rolled her lips together, searching for yet another excuse to delay this discussion. She wasn’t ready to discuss dresses or flowers and especially not a guest list.
“Let’s get married this Christmas,” he said, his expression shifting into a lopsided smile. It was the same smile that had stolen her heart nine months ago when she’d first walked into his father’s toy store—the Toy Peddler. The same store that Linus now owned, following Mr. Grant’s retirement.
“This Christmas?” she repeated, an invisible cord tightening around her chest. Her breathing felt like shallow gulps. “As in three weeks from now?”
Linus grinned. “It’ll be perfect. My relatives from my mother’s side are flying in. My dad’s family all live within an hour’s drive. Everyone will be here.”
“Everyone” implied even more than the droves of Grants who’d come to Linus’s parents’ home for Thanksgiving. That’s when she’d learned Linus had more aunts, uncles, and cousins than she had acquaintances.
“Imagine it. The lights. The trees. The poinsettias.” He took a step closer, bracing her shoulders with his hands.
She tipped her head back to look up at him, and her heart did a little somersault in her chest. She loved this man. There was no doubt about that. He wasthe one, the only one, for her. Some part of her wanted to say yes so badly. There was another part, though, that envisioned herself as the runaway bride. A lack of love wasn’t what made those brides-to-be bolt. No. Diana knew exactly what made women turn their backs on a perfectly good happy ever after—fear.
“What do you think? Having our wedding at Christmas will take out most of the planning and a lot of the expenses. It’ll just leaveus.”
“Us” and about fifty or so members of the Grant family to Diana’s zero. She had friends, of course, but Linus had more. The church would tip to one side from the guest list’s disproportion.
She tried to swallow, but her mouth felt parched. “My interview for the promotion at work is tomorrow,” she finally said. “Let me concentrate on that before we make any rash decisions. Then we can focus on planning the wedding. I promise.”
“Rash?” Linus asked quietly. The disappointment in his tone was evident. “We’ve been engaged for months and you’ve barely wanted to discuss wedding planning.” He searched her gaze. “Why do I get the feeling you don’t want to marry me at all? Was your yes to my proposal out of pity?”
“What? Why would you ask such a thing?”
