Good Tidings (27 page)

He released her arm and followed her. There were two envelopes on the counter. One had a large lump in it; the other was just a flat envelope.

The envelope with the lump had “Mary” printed in block letters. She opened it up and pulled out a letter crafted of construction paper and something wrapped in tissue paper. “It’s from Joey,” she said.

“
Read it,” Bradley encouraged.

“
Merry Christmas,” she read. “Thank you for saving Jeremy. I will always be your friend. This for you. I hope you like it. Love, Joey”

She didn’t care about the tears that fell; she unwrapped the paper and found a large cat’s eye marble nestled inside. “It was his favorite marble,” she whispered, turning her face up to Bradley’s.

He cupped her chin and gently wiped away her tears with his thumb. “My turn.”

He opened the letter and read, “Dear Chief Alden, I know I kind of got in the way the last time. Maybe this time you can do it right. Look up! Love, Joey.”

They both looked up and saw a bundle of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. Bradley shook his head slowly and then looked down at Mary’s upturned face. “He’s right,” he said softly. “I really need to do it better this time.”

He slid his hand along her cheek and buried his fingers in her hair. Then he tenderly caressed her face with his other hand. “Mary.”

He lowered his face and brushed his lips against hers once and then once more. He felt her body relax. Then, with a soft sigh, he crushed his lips to hers and pulled her tightly into his arms. Mary melted against him, joy building in her heart and exploding throughout her body. She slipped her hands into his hair, pulling him closer. “Oh, Bradley,” she whispered.

He rained light kisses over her face and then onto her neck. She trembled in his arms. He moved back to her lips, parting them and tasting her sweet mouth. Mary shuddered, every nerve on edge, her body pulsing with need. Then suddenly, he was just holding her, wrapping her in his arms, his cheek resting on the top of her head. His breathing was rushed and his body tense. But his hands were gentle as he slid them slowly up and down her back. Finally, with the passion banked, he pulled away slightly and looked into her eyes.

“
Mary,” he whispered, “I love you.”

She smiled back at him, tears in her eyes. “I love you, too.”

He pulled her back into his arms and held her. “I still…I still need to work some things out,” he said. “But I can’t hide what I feel for you anymore.”

She lifted her head and kissed him softly on the lips. “I can wait,” she said. “I feel like I’ve been waiting for you all my life.”

He laid his forehead on hers. “I want to be sure we do this right,” he said. “So I need to leave now, before I can’t. Does that make any sense?”

She smiled. “Merry Christmas, Bradley. Stop by tomorrow for another round of mistletoe.”

He kissed her on the tip of her nose. “Merry Christmas, Mary. I can’t wait.”

She walked him to the front room and they kissed. He took his coat out of the closet and they kissed. She walked him to the front door and they kissed again. He cupped her chin in his hand. “Don’t forget… I love you,” he said, kissing her once more before he slipped outside.

Mary turned the lock and leaned back against the door.
Miracles do happen!

*****

Mary stood in her darkened bedroom, staring out the window into the night sky. She was wrapped in her favorite terry bath robe and thick cotton socks. “I really can’t stay, but baby it’s cold outside,” she sang with a giggle.
How could this day be any better?

A lone star came out from behind the cloud cover and sparkled above the city.
My very own Christmas star,
Mary thought, hugging herself.
My very own fairytale come true.

Suddenly she felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise and knew she was no longer alone. She turned around to see a dimly illuminated figure standing on the other side of her bed. She reached slowly for the bedside lamp and turned it on.

The same ghost she’d seen in the hospital, in their hotel room and finally, at the Rawleigh Building, stood before her.

“
Thank you,” Mary said. “I really didn’t get a chance to say that earlier. You saved our lives.”

The ghost smiled sadly and nodded.

“
I want to help you,” Mary said. “Would you like me to help you move on?”

The ghost nodded again.

“
What’s your name?”

The ghost sighed. “I’m Jeannine Alden, Bradley’s wife.”

About the author:
Terri Reid lives near Freeport, the home of the Mary O’Reilly Mystery Series, and loves a good ghost story. She lives in a hundred year-old farmhouse complete with its own ghost. She loves hearing from her readers at
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