Deep Freeze Christmas (9 page)

"Why don't you go by René anymore?" He crossed his foot over his knee and turned more toward her.

She ran her hand through her hair to push the flattened strands away from her face. "When I graduated from culinary school, I dreamed of opening
Leo's
again. So I started using my middle name—my grandmother's name. She made the restaurant famous, and I wanted to follow in her footsteps. And Dad's. He kept the restaurant going after she died. But it's what I want, not what they've expected me to do."

"I'm happy for you. You look as if you love what you do, and I'm starting to realize how important that is."

She cocked her head to the side. "I don't make a ton of money like you do."

"And look where that's gotten me. Full bank account, empty heart." He'd kept busy working deals and acquiring possessions. He'd never considered how lonely he'd been until tonight.

Her smile faded. "I'll pray for you." She glanced downward where she thumbed the hem of her jeans.

Max, with slow deliberate movements, stood and ambled to Cameron. He placed his paw on Cameron's leg. "What is it, boy? You need to go outdoors?"

Leona smirked and shrugged. "He picked you. His leash is in the duffel bag."

Cameron put Max's leash on and took him to the edge of the porch. The whipping wind and frigid snow iced his face and neck. The temperatures had continued to drop and Cameron's stomach plummeted. The wood stack covered in snow had too few logs left to last through the night. He couldn't imagine his dad finding them up here in this blizzard. If the storm passed tonight, they'd see the smoke from the fireplace in the morning provided they still had wood. Cameron would have to find an ax and a log to chop. But how? Everything was covered in snow, and he could barely see his hand in front of his face.

Finished, Max jumped onto the porch. "Shake, boy."

Max shook all the snow off his coat before Cameron let him back into the cabin. "I'll bring in the last of this firewood." He stuck his head partly in the door.

"OK. I'll see if I can scrounge up something for us to eat." Leona stood in the tiny kitchen hunting through the cupboards.

He hadn't even thought about food. He'd thrown in a couple of beef jerky sticks when he'd packed the duffel, but not enough for three to last through the night and into the morning.

With each log he lifted, the burden of their situation weighed on his shoulders. How could he have put Leona in this predicament? He knew the dangers out here. Why did he leave the house without getting all they needed in the event something like this would happen?

He stacked the logs next to the door. Would there be enough? He remembered how easy the words had come for his earlier prayer. Cameron closed his eyes against the assaulting wind.
Lord, let them find us before the wood runs out, or at least let the wood last until it's light, and I can run down the mountain to get help.

The load on his shoulders seemed to lighten a bit after the prayer.

 

 

 

 

Threize

 

Leona found two cans, one of kidney beans and the other tuna fish. Mixing beans and tuna hadn't been on the syllabus during her culinary training. But at least with the beef jerky she'd found in the duffel and these items, they'd have some type of Christmas Eve dinner.

Despite the horrible conditions, she wasn't worried. As soon as the storm passed, Cameron's dad would find them. Or Cameron could take the snowmobile back to the lodge and get help. Things would be fine. She had faith all would be OK.

A blast of cold shot into the cabin as Cameron stacked the firewood next to the door. "It is cold out there! Really cold." He removed his gloves and stood in front the fireplace.

"How's our wood situation? Is this it?" She stared at the meager stack he'd brought in.

"It'll last through the night if we need it to, but I'm sure the storm will pass over soon, and we'll be able to head back. If not, I'm sure there's an ax somewhere in here. I'll go get more."

While she was grateful for his confident words, the worried look in his eyes betrayed him.

"Well, I've prepared a gourmet meal for us. Cold kidney beans, tuna and bits of beef jerky." She'd found a can opener and a couple of enamel plates and cups. The meal looked pretty paltry, but it was better than nothing.
Thank You, Lord for Your provision of this meal and this cabin.

Cameron stood next to her in the tiny kitchen. "Looks like a gourmet meal to me."

She smiled. "I hope you don't mind, I gave the other beef jerky stick to Max."

Cameron shot a glance toward the sleeping dog. "Looks as if he's happy. Belly full, warm fire. What more could he need?"

Being here with Cameron, regardless of the circumstances, gave her hope that she could get to know more about the man's heart and not so much about what he'd done the last few years. While hearing about his work was exciting she longed to know him again. Only this time in more depth than a nine year-old could care about.

After they'd eaten the meal, Cameron tended to the fire. The flames licked around the log he'd added and before long, they grew in brightness and warmth.

They returned to the loveseat and Leona unlaced her boots, removed them, and rested her feet on the tiny hearth. She allowed the heat to seep into her socks and warm her feet. "This feels wonderful." She nudged Cameron with her elbow. "Try it."

He followed her lead and placed his feet next to hers. "Nice." He linked his fingers through hers. "Thanks for the prayers."

"What prayers?"

"When I told you I had a full bank account but an empty heart, you offered to pray for me. That means a lot. I've made other things in my life idols and I want to change that." He kissed her fingertips.

Despite the warmth of the fire, his kiss sent a series of jolts along her arm. She searched his eyes. Was he sincere? The Cameron she'd known as a child had never lied to her. She'd trusted him. But now—this new Cameron? A sliver of doubt snaked its way through her.

Had he become accustomed to telling people what he thought they wanted to hear? He had thanked her for praying which meant he still recognized the importance of prayer. Maybe he'd been astray for so long, it was hard to talk about his faith.

She placed her other hand on his. "Cameron, I'll keep praying. I'll pray that you get a clear nudge about going through culinary training and about talking with your dad."

His excited gaze rested on her face. "What do you think about me working with you and Julian? Maybe you and I can partner together and open
Leo's
again?"

She swallowed. She and Cameron in business together? Opening her family's restaurant together? Her mind darted back to the days in the tree house when they'd had similar discussions.

Sitting so close to Cameron, she clearly saw into his crystal, aquamarine eyes, fed off the excitement he had, and felt as if anything was possible. That gave her courage. But she didn't want a business partner in
Leo's.
It was her dream and her family's legacy. "It's definitely something to think about."

He untangled his fingers from hers and placed his arm around her shoulder. "I don't want to lose you again. I've never stopped thinking about you. At first, I thought we were just a couple of crazy kids excited over our attraction. Besides, what do kids at nine and eleven know about love? Right?"

A smile crept across her face when she recognized his words as her own thoughts.

"But you've stayed in my heart all this time." He circled his index finger through a strand of her hair. "I was excited about moving to New Orleans. I honestly planned to look you up. But there was a part of me that was afraid to—afraid that you had married someone else, and I'd have lost you all over again." He leaned close to her and brushed a gentle kiss on her temple.

His breath and the warmth from the fire heated her whole face. She turned to him and offered him her lips. He pulled her closer and slowly kissed her. She basked in the tenderness of his touch. How many times had she dreamed of being with him? Too many. He'd never left her thoughts. All these years.

He pulled away and caressed her jaw while he studied her eyes. "What are the odds that you would be here in Colorado cooking for my dad? God made sure our paths crossed again. If that's not enough to make you believe we belong together, I don't know what could."

Her spirit soared.

Could they make it together as partners? Not just business partners, but maybe more?

 

****

 

Cameron eyed the dwindling stack of wood and then turned back to Leona. While his heart swelled to have her in his arms and he could stay there forever, he knew he needed to do something. If they had to spend the night in the cabin, it would be extremely cold. The temperatures were expected to dip far below zero tonight. He slipped his boots on, tied the laces, and stood. "There should be an ax in here somewhere."

"What? Are you going out there?"

"Yes, we need more wood, and the storm doesn't look as if it's letting up." He found the ax in the closet in the bathroom. When he returned to the sitting area, Leona, with her boots on, stood near the front door.

"I'm coming with you." She blocked the doorway.

"Stay here and keep warm. I can get this."

She shook her head. "Nope, if you're going, I'm going."

He smiled at her. "Yep, you are definitely René. Still have that hard-headed streak your mom always complained about."

"I prefer the term strong-willed, thank you." She slipped into her coat and donned her gloves.

Cameron knew better than to argue with her. If she wanted to be next to him seeking firewood in the snow that's what she'd do. "OK, but you stay close by."

They trudged out into the hammering snow and biting wind. Under the large trees were bits of branches and broken limbs. Together, they gathered as much as each could carry and brought it back into the cabin.

Back in and warm, Cameron turned to Leona. "We make a pretty good team."

"Yes, we do." She nodded and laced her arm through his.

"I've been thinking," he said. "What if I went to culinary school in New Orleans? You and I can open
Leo's
together as husband and wife. Just like we planned when we were kids?"

She sat up and turned to him. "Cameron George Fleming, II, did you just propose to me?"

He kissed her cheek. "I believe I did. So what do you think?"

She smiled and looked deep into his eyes. "I think it's a great idea"

He took her into his arms and kissed her.

In the distance he heard the hum of his dad's snow cat coming up the trail.

 

 

 

 

Épilogue

 

Christmas Eve—One Year Later

 

Leona snuggled in Cameron's arms on the tiny loveseat in the hunter's cabin. A huge roaring fire warmed the small space. Firewood piled high next to the door ensured they'd be warm throughout the night.

"Well, Mrs. Fleming…" Cameron looked deep into her eyes. "…does the honeymoon suite you requested meet your approval?"

She snuggled deeper into his arms. "Exceeds."

The scene reminded her of something out of a Rockwell painting. Cameron had hired a couple who lived in nearby Steamboat Springs to come in and get the cabin ready for their honeymoon night. They'd cleaned the place up, stocked the cupboards and ice chest, put comfortable linens on the bed, stacked enough firewood to last a week, and brought in a special bed for Max.

The minute Cameron and Leona arrived and got a fire going, the spoiled canine curled into the bed next to the fireplace and instantly fell asleep. He became Cameron's dog shortly after their rescue last year.

"Tonight's a far cry from when we were here last Christmas Eve." Cameron held her hand and toyed with the wedding ring he'd placed on her finger earlier today.

Leona relived the ceremony in as much detail as an ecstatic bride could remember. Their church had been decorated with poinsettias and cedar boughs. The nativity in the corner of the church was a special blessing. How many people get to have the baby Jesus at their wedding ceremony?

The more than two hundred guests had helped make the wedding a traditional southern extravaganza. Julian and his new girlfriend, Coco Andrus, had arranged the jazz band for the second line procession from the church to the reception hall.

Although the temperatures were a bit on the cold side, she had loved carrying the lace-covered parasol dancing along the street next to her umbrella-toting groom while their guests merrily followed.

Marissa Madison, who had found Leona's journal and had been moved enough by her prayer, had let her guard down and become Leona's friend. She and her new husband, Bryan Golby, had provided the private jet for Cameron and Leona's honeymoon trip to Colorado.

Cameron tapped her arm with his index finger. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm still blown away by everything. The wonderful wedding. Our friends. It was perfect."

He nodded. "It was, but we left out one thing." He handed her an envelope.

 

****

 

Her confusion made him smile. The wait to give her his special wedding gift had taken all his willpower, but now, seeing her brilliant brown eyes with the firelight reflected in them and the look of total surprise was worth the wait.

"What's this?"

"Your second wedding present." He leaned back and encouraged her with his smile.

Her brows furrowed. "Second. I thought the first was more than enough." She fingered the gold cross hanging from her neck.

"This is just a little lagniappe – a little something extra." He prodded her hand. "Open it."

Once opened, she slid the folded paper from the envelope and shot him a quick glance. Her fingers shook as she turned the flaps over and read the words written in Cameron's recognizable script.

 

My dear René,

 

I believe I am the luckiest man alive. Who said dreams don't come true? Mine have. I'm married to the girl of my dreams, I'll be a chef this time next year and with this money, we can open Leo's. You don't know how blessed I feel to be able to give you your dream.