Page 53 of The Blessings of Christmas
“I’ll take the coffee but hold off on the oatmeal.” Stepping over, he poured himself a cup of steaming coffee and sat down. He’d gotten up earlier today. As happy as he was, he couldn’t sleep.
Peering at him over the lip of his mug, Stanley took a sip. “So what’s with the whistling?”
“Just feeling pretty good right now.” Slouching in the hardback chair, he smiled.
Stanley’s eyes twinkled. “So the widow woman’s working out, is she?”
Ryan wasn’t about to share any details. “Let’s just say, we’re happy where we are right now.”
“Yeah, well something put that smile on your face. You look happier than a red bulb on a Christmas tree.”
“By the way, thanks for letting us use your woods. You’ve got some beautiful acreage there.”
“Did you get a tree? I haven’t been out there much since the snow started.”
The tree. Ryan didn’t know what to say. “We saw a lot of awesome trees. But Nathan and Justin chose the most pathetic tree you’ve ever seen.”
Stanley sat up like he’d been hit with a cattle prod. “In my woods?”
“Sorry, but yes. Relax. That’s why they liked it. The boys said it was their Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Fits real nice in the corner of Sarah’s living room. I was kind of relieved. Some of your trees are so big, I could never have wrangled one into Sarah’s small bungalow.”
“Glad it worked out. So everything’s fine?” Stanley paused, obviously curious.
“Guess so.” Ryan tossed back the last mouthful of coffee and stood up. “See you later. I have to go make gingerbread men.”
“Do tell. You’re getting all proper on us now.” Raising a pinkie, Stanley took a small sip of his coffee.”
As Ryan was striding through the garage, Stanley called out, “I could use some of those gingerbread cookies with my coffee!”
Ryan chuckled until he hit the frigid air outside. Man, it was cold. His ears stung as he pulled himself up into the cab. Sitting there waiting for the truck to warm up, he could not stop thinking about Sarah. But she hadn’t been the only one on his mind all night as he tossed and turned in bed. No, Jamie had been there too, running through his head with his straight-shooting, confident ways.
The one message Ryan heard was “Go for it”––his brother’s favorite phrase. In his dreams, Jamie was smiling when he said it.
Ryan threw the truck into drive.Okay, I will, big brother. I sure will.
By the timeSarah got to The Full Cup, Ryan had filled the racks with breads, brownies, lemon bars and even some gingerbread men. “What is this?” She shrugged off her coat. “What time did you get here?”
“Early,” he said with the cutest duck of his head. Who knew a guy could look masculine with a frosting bag in his hand.
“Wow, I’m impressed.” Grinning, she tied on an apron. “You almost look as if you know what you’re doing.”
Sliding a tray of gingerbread men onto the counter, he gave her a dark look. “Oh, I do. I know exactly what I’m doing.”
She grabbed a second bag and another load of cookies. “Let’s time ourselves. Winner gets her wish.”
Coming closer, Ryan snagged her by the waist. His kiss was coffee-delicious. “Maybe the winner will gethiswish.”
So he wanted a challenge? “Game on.” It wasn’t easy to pull herself from his arms, but she sprinted to the other side of the counter and positioned her tray, one eye on the clock.
“Go!” They both ducked their heads.
Sarah worked faster than she ever had before. She tried not to let her excitement put too much pressure on the piping bag. Halfway through her tray, she looked up. Hunched over, Ryan nipped his lower lip as he worked. That one glance nearly broke her rhythm.
When she took the tray from the cooling rack, she hadn’t really paid much attention to the cookies on it. Wielding the bag of frosting with ease, she sped through the gingerbread men, Santa Claus and Christmas tree cookies. But the entwined R and S caught her by surprise. Sarah’s throat closed and her eyes blurred.
She couldn’t rush through this. Hands shaking a bit, she took her time, piping a pretty scroll along the lettering.
Ryan startled her when he shouted out, “Done!”
