Page 10

KENDALL

Four months later

I hum a Christmas carol as I place another ornament on the Christmas tree.

We found one in the forest, which Stone chopped down.

The squirrel family living inside were not happy about being evicted and showed their displeasure by racing around the living room in different directions.

Watching him try to wrangle them while wearing oven mitts will be a memory I cherish forever. I’ve never laughed so hard in my life.

Tomorrow, I’m going to the little Christmas shop that opened up in White Falls to see if I can get a squirrel ornament for him.

A truck door slams outside, and a minute later, Stone strides in.My husband is as fine as ever. The grayer he gets, the hotter I get for him. Or maybe it’s hormones. I think I’m pregnant.

The week following the incident with Ryan, I quit the job I hated, packed my few belongings, and moved in with Stone. We married a month later. Neither my parents nor Ryan came, which made the day better. I didn’t want their negativity on the best day of my life.

Stone means everything to me.

He glares at the tree and shrugs out of his jacket. “You didn’t adopt anymore animals while I was gone, did you?”

“I took applications from a raccoon and a family of deer, but we’re waiting for their references.”

He snorts and pulls me into his arms for a deep kiss. “Maybe we should skip the local wildlife and get a dog?”

“I’d love a dog! I’ve never had one.” My parents didn’t allow pets when we were growing up. Unless they were championship bred, they weren’t worth having.

“We’ll have to fix that.” He strokes the back of his fingers down my cheek. “I brought the mail.”

“Anything interesting?”

“A dozen magazines trying to get you to buy Christmas gifts, and a card from your brother.”

My chest goes tight, and I have to swallow past the sudden lump in my throat.

I haven’t seen Ryan since he stormed out of this cabin last summer, furious that I wouldn’t go with him.

Even when Stone rescued him from Ilya Petrova, I didn’t see him.

Bishop, the local ranger, patched him up, and he left without a backward glance.

This card makes the second time we’ve heard from him.The first was a postcard from Mexico with “Congrats on your wedding” scrawled on it. Nothing else.

Stone kisses my temple, then hands me the red envelope. The return address says Denver, Colorado.

“He went home.”

“Seems like it,” Stone says.

Part of me doesn’t want to open it.

“At least he’s reaching out, baby girl.”

With trembling fingers, I open the envelope and withdraw a Christmas card. Inside is a folded note:

Sorry, Sis. You were right about me. I should have realized it sooner. You always were the smart one.

I’ve had a lot of time to think since that night with Petrova.

I blamed everyone else for my problems—especially Stone.

It took a Russian mobster to finally get through to me.

I don’t expect forgiveness. I just wanted you to know I was trying.

The therapist says that’s important. Anyway, Merry Christmas.

Maybe we’ll see each other again one day. Be happy. —Love, Ryan.

P.S.- I wish I’d been there to walk you down the aisle. You deserved to have family by your side. Tell Stone I still look up to him. He’s the type of man I want to be.

I swipe the tears from my eyes. “I think there’s hope for him.”

“There is. He’s made bad choices, but underneath, he’s still a good man.” Stone smiles tenderly at me. “Now, come with me. I have something for you.”

I lay the card aside, take his hand, and let him lead me outside. There’s a box on the porch, covered by a buffalo check blanket with a red bow on top.

“Go on,” he says when I give him a questioning look.

I lean down to remove the bow and blanket, and hear something move.

Underneath, I find a crate with a sleepy little golden retriever blinking up at me.

It’s snuggled in another blanket, with its fat little belly up and legs sticking in the air and wearing a pink bow.

The puppy yawns and wags its little tail.

“Oh my God.” I scoop her into my arms, pressing my face to warm, fluffy fur. “Stone.”

“She’s yours. You even get to name her.”

“She’s perfect.” I bounce her in my arms. “And she’ll be the perfect companion.”

“Woman’s best friend?”

I shake my head. “Baby’s best friend.”

Stone goes utterly still. “Baby? Are you...?”

I flush. Maybe I should have waited until I knew for sure. “I think so, but I haven’t tested?—”

He takes my shoulders and turns me back to the house, stopping only to grab the dog cage. “Let’s make sure, baby girl.” He gently puts the puppy back in her cage, then lifts me up and carries me to bed.

I laugh when he tosses me down, then climbs in after me and kisses me hard. The stubble of his short beard is soft against my palm when I cup his cheek. We’ve talked about having children, but he wanted to finish fixing up the cabin first. “I didn’t know if you’d be happy about a baby so soon.”

“I’m thrilled, honey.” He kisses me again, longer and deeper until I’m focused on the feel of his body beneath me. “Besides,” he whispers against the shell of my ear. “I thought the squirrel was my present.”

I giggle until he kisses me senseless.

“Merry Christmas, Stone.”

He traces the shape of a heart on my chest. “Merry Christmas, Kendall. Having you is the best gift I could ever ask for.”

I hope you loved Stone and Kendall’s story!