Wicked Wonderland (31 page)

Her tenure was almost over. Tomorrow night was Christmas Eve. Robbie and Hallie had coordinated plans for a big evening meal. Timothy would be in attendance, but unfortunately Daniel was slated to work until nine.

A tight knot of panic crowded Hallie’s chest. Nothing had been resolved between her and Daniel. She knew he was still waiting for some concrete sign that she returned his feelings. But she was too damned scared to admit the truth.

The fifteen Denmans were booked on a flight for eleven a.m. Christmas morning. Timothy had to work on the holiday, so all the tearful hugs would happen late on the twenty-fourth.

Hallie was due to fly out at two p.m. on the twenty-fifth. She planned to be up early on Christmas morning and spend the time after the Denmans departed making sure everything was spotless and well organized for Hazel and Roy’s return.

Her head was achy and heavy with confusion. She glared at Santa, resenting his unrelenting cheer. She’d grown up knowing she was always on Santa’s “nice” list. The girl who never made waves. Who always toed the line. Who believed in hard work and dedication.

And where had it gotten her?

She poked Santa’s belly with her big toe. Of course, there was always another way to look at it. Maybe she was still on the “nice” list and Daniel was her present. “Is that it?” she asked, not expecting an answer.“Is Daniel my compensation for being unemployed?”

She grimaced, knowing that her situation was outside Santa’s jurisdiction. And losing her job was the least of it, really. Nothing could compare to losing her mom.The Prentiss family wasn’t like the Denmans. They didn’t have people to spare. Why did it have to be
Hallie’s
mother?

No answers from the jolly man. Big life questions were not his territory.

She glared at him anyway, no longer seeing his image, but instead talking aloud, searching for answers. “And if I had to lose my mom, why did I have to lose my job, too? That’s a lot to handle in one year.”

Old St. Nick smiled genially.Was that a note of disappointment she saw behind the painted smile? Was there some big lesson Hallie was supposed to be learning?

The fictional George Bailey had been ready to commit suicide before he’d been rescued from himself. He’d been as full of self-pity as Hallie had for the last month. Shame twisted in her stomach. What did she really have to complain about? People died. All the time. It was the price of living. And at least she had had a job to lose.

She was young and strong and healthy—there would be other jobs. And in the meantime, she was blessed with friends. Friends like Julie, who had arranged this “working” vacation in Alaska. And like Robbie, who could have bitched about Hallie’s incompetence in the kitchen, but instead had pitched in with grace and enthusiasm.

And Daniel. Daniel, who loved handing out presents at an elementary school. Daniel, who took pride in the important job he was doing. Daniel, who had treated her like a princess since the first day she set foot in the Land of the Midnight Sun.

She bit her lip and sat up suddenly. Father Christmas nodded his approval. She shook her head to clear it.All the sleepless nights in Daniel’s bed were catching up with her.Was she really carrying on a conversation with a portly figurine?

She took a deep breath and let it out, her heart feeling lighter than it had felt in months. “Okay, Santa. I get the message. I’m a lucky woman.And I’m not ready for tomorrow. Not by a long shot.”

She jumped to her feet and grabbed her coat and keys. Soon she was on the road headed toward Fairbanks to do some shopping. She’d already decided what to get her guests at the inn. A photography shop in town carried beautiful Alaska photo albums. Hallie bought four . . . one for each of the individual Denman families.

With no new job in sight, it made sense to guard her savings account. But Christmas was about love and generosity and giving. The joy the Denmans had shared with her couldn’t be measured in dollars and cents. Though it wasn’t strictly necessary, she purchased inexpensive toys for all the little kids and iTunes gift cards for the older ones. For Timothy, she selected a restaurant gift certificate. Playing Santa was exhilarating and fun.

That left only Daniel. What did you get a man you met two weeks ago? She didn’t even know what his hobbies were. Between his job and the inn and the time the two of them had spent in bed, there was still a lot they didn’t know about each other. And then it dawned on her.

With her backseat loaded with packages, including two rolls of Christmas paper and tape and bows, and with the precious daylight waning rapidly, she headed for home. She had a lot of wrapping to do.

 

Daniel sat at his desk late on Christmas Eve and doodled a dancing elf on the edge of his notepad. The post was quiet tonight, everyone tucked in for the holiday. He wanted badly to be at the inn with Hallie and all the Denmans, but as a single man, he couldn’t deprive a young dad of the chance to tuck his kids in bed on the most important night of the year.

His second-in-command had a two-year-old, so when the little boy was asleep, the other man was going to relieve Daniel. And one of the other single men had offered to cover the holiday tomorrow.

Daniel brooded as the hours passed slowly. Hallie was going to fly home tomorrow, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it. He had a gut feeling that if he didn’t get her to admit she loved him before she left, he’d never see her again.

And it hurt. He was convinced she loved him. At least a little. But she was so damned focused on figuring out the future, she wasn’t able to see the gift that life had dropped in their laps.

He and Hallie were made for each other. He knew it. And he had one last shot this evening at convincing her.

They were a perfect match in bed. Despite the string of nights they had spent together, his body ached for her all over again. She was hot as hell between the sheets. For the first time in his life, he could imagine waking up to the same face year after year.The thought was comforting.

Hallie was his, damn it.

He glared at the clock as it ticked away the final precious hours of Hallie’s stay in Alaska. What was going on at the inn? Was Hallie in a good mood? Did she miss him?

Glumly, he pulled up a required report on the computer and started filling in statistics. He was stuck for the moment. Might as well get some work done....

 

Hallie stared at the mound of presents under the tree and grinned. Dinner was now nothing more than a fond memory. They had all devoured enough calories in one sitting to make a grizzly bear comatose. And even though there was a huge plate tucked away in the refrigerator for Daniel, she wished he had been there to be part of the fun.

The kids were riding a sugar high, and the kitchen was a shambles. Hallie had planned to clean everything up while the Denmans had their family time around the tree, but surprisingly, the four fathers, plus Timothy, had declared the kitchen a “no female” zone and were now elbow deep in dishwater and dirty pots and pans.

Robbie and the other three moms were going through one last checklist to make sure all the presents were in place.They’d had to do some creative shopping to guarantee nothing was too big to ship home, but even so, Hallie was pretty sure there were going to be some overage charges on heavy suitcases.

Hallie was preparing to slip down the hall to go to her room when Robbie grabbed her arm.

The older woman grinned. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Hallie shrugged, feeling awkward. “This is family time. I don’t want to intrude.”

“Bull crap. You’re not running out on this circus, honey. You’re an honorary Denman.... We all voted.”

Robbie was kind enough to ignore the two tears that wet Hallie’s cheeks.

Hallie cleared her throat. “Thank you for including me, Robbie.”

Timothy was tapped to play Santa. There was a strict system in place for the distribution of gifts. The children each received one present first to take the edge off their excitement. Then the women opened a package.

Hallie was taken aback when a large, beautifully wrapped box was placed in her lap. Everyone paused in the mad frenzy of paper ripping, and suddenly all eyes were focused on Hallie. She felt herself blush. “What’s this?”

Robbie, standing behind the sofa, brushed her hand over Hallie’s head in a maternal caress. “All four families went in together to get you something special.You’ve made these two weeks really wonderful, Hallie.You have an extraordinary gift for hospitality. And we all really appreciate what you’ve done for us.”

Timothy grinned, his face looking more like a kid’s than an adult’s at the moment. “Open it, Hallie.”

She loosened the tape and carefully folded the paper to a chorus of disapproving groans.When she lifted the lid from the box, she caught her breath.

Inside was a lightweight, extremely luxurious cashmere robe in soft gray. She lifted it free of the thick tissue and held it to her cheek. “It’s lovely,” she said softly. “Thank you all.”

Stanley patted her knee. “You’re one of us now. Don’t you forget it.”

They were all kind enough to divert their attention from a choked-up Hallie as “Santa” continued handing out gifts.

When it came time for all the Denmans to open Hallie’s presents, she could tell from their expressions that they were genuinely pleased. And the kids crawled in her lap for kisses and hugs.

Despite the festivities, Hallie couldn’t help but wish Daniel were there. She missed him with a deep ache that had nothing to do with Christmas and everything to do with the fact that she could no longer deny her feelings. She loved him. Madly. And for the long run.

But she hadn’t a clue what to do about it.

Julie’s parents were paying her for only two weeks. Hallie couldn’t exactly crash in Daniel’s room like a college kid nabbing a couch.

When the front door opened and Daniel entered in a swirl of snowflakes and icy air, everyone greeted him with gusto. Santa found one last present under the tree, and soon a laughing Daniel was stripped of his coat and ensconced on the sofa beside Hallie.

He stole a kiss in front of their audience. “Merry Christmas, Hallie.”

She grinned at him, feeling her world settle into its orbit at last. “Merry Christmas, yourself.”

Daniel’s gift from the Denmans was a fishing pole, top-of-the-line, to use the following summer. They had all heard him wax poetic about the streams in Alaska and wanted him to be ready.

By ten thirty, Daniel had eaten a plate of leftovers, and the merrymaking was beginning to subside. The Denmans were well aware that they all had to say good-bye to Timothy, who had to be back on post by midnight. Hallie and Daniel escaped to the kitchen to give the family some privacy.

He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek.“I have a present for you, my girl. Do you want it now or in the morning?”

She bit her lip. “Don’t you have to work tomorrow?”

He shook his head. “I did some swapping. I’ll be here to help you clean, and I’ll take you to the airport if you still insist on leaving.”

She bent her head, hearing his gentle rebuke.“I guess I want it now,” she said softly. “I’ve never been a patient person.”

He pulled a velvet-covered box from his pocket, and her heart stopped.

“It’s not a ring,” he said quickly. “Not yet anyway.”

He handed it to her, and she opened it. Inside was a necklace, a delicate platinum chain with a small charm, a lovely sapphire representation of a flower. It was clearly expensive, and she wondered when he had found the time to shop for such an exquisite gift.

He took it from her and unfastened the latch, placing the necklace around her neck. He turned her to face a small mirror on the opposite wall. “It’s a forget-me-not,” he said gruffly, “the state flower of Alaska. I hope it does its job. I’m counting on it, in fact.”

Her skin quivered when his fingers brushed her throat. She touched the jeweled blossom. “I love it, Daniel. Thank you.”

He turned her in his arms and kissed her gently. “It’s a start.”

She smiled at him. “I have something for you, but I think I’ll make you wait till the morning.”

“How is that fair?”

She shrugged. “I’ll make it up to you later.”

He lifted an eyebrow.“I think I just found my second wind. Is it too early to say good night to our guests?”

Before Hallie could answer, Timothy eased the door open and poked his head into the kitchen. “I’ve got to head out,” he said gruffly. Misery darkened his eyes, and it was all Hallie could do not to bawl. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, and the two men embraced briefly.

Daniel clapped him on the back.“I’ll be keeping an eye out for you, Denman. Maybe we can grab dinner once in a while.”

Timothy cleared his throat. “I’d like that.” He smiled at Hallie, but his big puppy dog eyes made it clear that he was sad to be saying good-bye. “You’ve been wonderful to my mom and the whole family.We can’t thank you enough.”

“It was my pleasure,” she said. “I hope we’ll stay in touch.”

Hallie and Daniel went out on the front porch with the rest of the crew to say good-bye and to watch Timothy drive off down the street.

After that, no one had much Christmas spirit left. Except for the children, of course, who were anxious to get to sleep so Santa would come. Hallie knew that, despite the early flight, everyone would be up with the roosters for the kids’ benefit.

When the activity downstairs had quieted down, Daniel squeezed Hallie’s hand. “Let’s go to bed, sweetheart.” About then the grandfather clock chimed the hour. They looked at each other and smiled.

She took his hand as they walked down the hall. “Merry Christmas, Daniel.”

Their lovemaking was subdued. Daniel was exhausted, and Hallie was overly emotional from the evening that had made her aware of so many mixed feelings. He entered her slowly, and moved inside her for what seemed like hours. Her legs were twined tightly around his waist, as if clinging to him gave her the power to stop the clock.To keep the weak Alaskan sun from rising.