Dashing Through the Snow (16 page)

Ashley rang the doorbell and waited. This was the moment she'd held in her mind since she'd gotten word that she had the time off.

She heard her mother walking toward the door, muttering something like “Hold your horses, I'm coming.”

Sallie Davison opened the front door and blinked twice before she shouted, “Ashley Gene.” She threw open her arms and grabbed hold of her in a hug that was strong enough to crack her ribs.

“Merry Christmas, Mom.”

“How…when?” Her mother brought her into the house, but continued to stare at her as if she feared Ashley was a vision and would disappear as unexpectedly as she'd appeared.

“The diner closed for repairs,” Ashley explained, “and I decided to head home and surprise you.”

“And who is this?” she asked, leaning down to pet Little Blade.

“He's one of your Christmas gifts.”

“Ashley Gene,” her mother whispered, and covered her mouth as tears blurred her eyes.

“Mom, I've got so much to tell you, but I'm dead on my feet. I need a shower and a nap before I feel human again. Oh, and Mom, I met the most wonderful man. We rode up from San Francisco together and I'm crazy about him.” She paused and studied her mother. “Is it possible to fall in love with someone after only two days?”

Her mother cupped Ashley's face and smiled. “It happened to your father and me. We met just as he was about to ship out with the navy and were together only two days.”

“Oh Mom, I have so much to tell you…” The last part escaped on a loud yawn.

“Where is this young man of yours?”

“He'll be back, but for right now I think he went to buy a phone. You see, he lost his…I'll explain later, okay?”

Her mother followed her up the stairs and Ashley talked nonstop about Dash and their wild adventures on the drive from San Francisco, until it felt as if she was about to collapse from lack of sleep.

As it happened, Ashley slept through the afternoon and the night, and didn't wake until seven in the morning on Christmas Eve.

Ashley came down the stairs still groggy but well rested. She kept her phone close at hand, expecting to hear from Dash at any moment—well, maybe not quite this early, but soon. She found her mother busy in the kitchen, getting everything ready for their dinner that evening.

“I still can't believe you're here,” Sallie Davison said as she poured a cup of coffee for Ashley and delivered it to the table.

Ashley was scrunched up on the chair, her knees tucked up under her chin, as she cradled the mug in her hands. “I can't believe it, either,” she murmured, reveling in her first cup of the day. “Oh Mom, it was a crazy, unbelievable drive. I can't wait for you to meet Dash.”

“I can't wait to meet him, either. From the minute you walked in the door, he was all you could talk about, and frankly, Ashley, you weren't making a lot of sense.”

That didn't surprise her. Not more than an hour after she'd arrived, Ashley had completely zonked out.

Her mother placed an English muffin in front of Ashley, then sat down at the table across from her.

Ashley finished off the English muffin, wiping a smear of peanut butter off the corner of her mouth. “I'm going to go upstairs and get dressed.” She hoped that by the time she finished, Dash would be stopping by.

“I'm running to the grocery store,” her mother shouted up the stairs after her.

“Mom, you don't need to fix a fancy dinner, you know.”

“It's Christmas Eve, and…” She hesitated. “Actually, I should probably tell you now.”

“Tell me what?” Ashley asked, standing at the top of the stairs and looking down on her mother.

“I invited a man to dinner.”

“Oh? Who?”

“You've never met him.”

This was an interesting development and a surprise. “Who is he, Mom?”

Making a dismissive gesture, her mother said, “Now, I don't want you making more of this than warranted. His name is Cole and he's a widower. I met him while volunteering at the library. He volunteers, too. His children live in other states, and since I was going to be alone for Christmas and he was, too, we decided to celebrate the holidays together.”

Ashley was pleased for her mother. “That's wonderful, Mom.”

Her mother refused to make eye contact. “You don't mind?”

“Of course not. Why would I mind? How long have the two of you been…dating?”

“Not long. About two months now. We aren't sleeping together, if that concerns you.”

“Mom. TMI. This is your life. What you and Cole do is your own business.”

Her mother's smile was shy and sweet, as if she was deeply relieved to have told Ashley about her man friend.

Her mother left, and in an effort to kill time before Dash arrived, she decided to bake cookies. She chose Mexican wedding cakes, the very ones he'd mentioned that he enjoyed. The cookies were baked and set aside when the doorbell chimed.

With her heart in her throat, Ashley hurried to the living room and threw open the door without looking to see who it might be. Dash stood on the other side, holding a poinsettia plant in one hand.

Ashley took it out of his hands and then leaped into his arms. “Merry Christmas, Dash.”

Hugging her with his arms around her waist, Dash whirled her around. Laughing, Ashley wrapped her legs around his waist and captured his mouth with her own. The twirling stopped as they both became deeply involved in the kiss. They'd been apart only a handful of hours, but Ashley had missed him dreadfully. She told him so with her lips and he responded with equal fervor.

Little Blade bounded into the living room and barked excitedly.

Breaking off the kiss, Dash looked down at the puppy. “Looks like Little Blade missed me, too.”

“We both did,” Ashley assured him, twining her arms around his neck. “But I missed you more.” She pressed the side of her head against his shoulder.

Reluctantly, Dash released her. “As soon as I left you yesterday afternoon, I picked up a new phone. It drove me crazy not to have my cell.”

“You didn't call me?”

He traced his finger down the side of her face. “I didn't know your number, which I found frustrating as hell. If I'd been thinking, I would have gotten it earlier.”

With their arms around each other, Ashley led him into the kitchen.

“Where's your mother?” he asked.

“The store, and guess what? My mother has a man friend. He's joining us for dinner, and…would you mind very much if I called and talked to your mother again?”

Dash's head came back. “You want to talk to my mother? Is there any particular reason?”

“I want to let her know she raised an honorable man and that I'm seriously taking into consideration what she told me.”

“Which is?” he asked with arched brows.

“Between your mother and me.”

“Okay, but I think you should know I made a decision last night.”

He sounded serious. “Which is?”

“I'm going to look for a job in the San Francisco area. We've just gotten to know each other and I want to give us a chance.”

“I want to give us a chance, too.”

“I'm looking for a position as a consultant. I should be able to find enough work to keep me afloat until you graduate. If this thing between us works out the way I hope it does, then we can both move to Seattle.”

Ashley stared back at him, hardly able to believe Dash was willing to change his plans for her.

Who would have believed that only three days ago she'd been frustrated because she'd been unable to fly home? Her plans had been thwarted in the most surprising of ways. Instead, she'd found herself dashing through the snow in a twist of fate that led her to Dash.

Her arms were securely wrapped around him and they continued kissing until Dash reluctantly broke off the heady exchange.

Ashley followed his gaze and looked over her shoulder to discover her mother standing in the doorway, her arms loaded down with groceries. Right away, Dash went to help.

“You must be Dash,” her mother said, coming into the house.

“I am, and in case you didn't know, I'm pretty much crazy about your daughter.”

“So she says,” Sallie Davison said, smiling. “And she also tells me she feels the same about you.”

Dash brushed the hair from Ashley's brow. “Good thing,” he whispered, his eyes boring into her.

“It is a very good thing,” Ashley agreed, and not caring that her mother was watching, she leaned forward and kissed Dash again. Ah yes, this was going to be a great Christmas after all.

To Dan and Mary Wolgemuth,

who understand the Reason for the Season

Silver Linings

Love Letters

Rose Harbor in Bloom

The Inn at Rose Harbor

Blossom Street Brides

Starting Now

Dashing Through the Snow

Mr. Miracle

Starry Night

Angels at the Table

Last One Home

D
EBBIE
M
ACOMBER
, the author of
Dashing Through the Snow, Silver Linings, Last One Home, Mr. Miracle, Love Letters, Blossom Street Brides, Starry Night, Rose Harbor in Bloom, Starting Now, Angels at the Table,
and
The Inn at Rose Harbor,
is a leading voice in women's fiction. Nine of her novels have hit #1 on the
New York Times
bestseller list, with three debuting at #1 on the
New York Times, USA Today,
and
Publishers Weekly
lists. Her holiday novels,
Mr. Miracle, Mrs. Miracle,
and
Call Me Mrs. Miracle,
were all top-watched movies on the Hallmark Channel. In 2013, Hallmark Channel produced the original series
Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove.
Debbie Macomber has more than 170 million copies of her books in print worldwide.

debbiemacomber.com

Facebook.com/​debbiemacomberworld

@debbiemacomber

Pinterest.com/​macomberbooks

Available from Ballantine Books

This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen. Six years out of high school, Addie Folsom had envisioned returning home loaded and driving a fancy car. Instead, she was limping back in a twenty-year-old Honda with close to three hundred thousand miles and her tail between her legs.

So much for the great promise of moving to Montana and walking into a get-rich-quick opportunity. She'd left Washington State with such high hopes…and ended up living in a leaky trailer and waiting tables in a run-down diner. It took all six of those years for Addie to admit she'd made a very big mistake. Pride, she'd learned, offered little comfort.

Oh, she'd returned home for visits at least a couple of times a year. When asked pointed questions about her work in the silver mine, she'd made sure her answers were vague.

Then, last summer, her chiropractor father had died unexpectedly of a heart attack.

Addie had adored her dad as a child, but the moment she'd hit her teen years, their relationship had deteriorated. She hadn't repaired things before he'd passed away so suddenly. In retrospect, she suspected she and her father were too much alike. Both were stubborn and headstrong, unwilling to admit when they were wrong or make the effort to build bridges.

They'd argued far too often, her mother stepping in, seeking to make peace between her husband and her daughter. How sorry Addie was for the strife between them, now that her father was gone.

For now, she was home for good. Addie parked in front of the single-story house where she'd spent the first eighteen years of her life. She loved that it had a front porch, which so many of the more modern homes didn't. Normally, the Christmas lights would already be up. Her father had always seen to that the Friday after Thanksgiving. This year, however, the two arborvitae that bordered each side of the porch seemed stark and bare without the decorative lights.

Her mother must have been watching from the living-room window, because the minute Addie climbed out of the car, the front door flew open and Sharon Folsom rushed out with her arms open wide. “Addie, Addie, you're home.”

Addie paused halfway up the walkway and hugged her mother close.

Sharon Folsom brought her hands up to Addie's face and smoothed back her dark brown hair. Her mother's chocolate-brown eyes, a reflection of her own, held her gaze with an intensity of longing.

Addie found she couldn't speak. It felt so good to be home, to really be home.

Her mother hugged her even tighter this time. “You said you were coming back, and I'd hoped…” She left the rest unsaid.

“I'm not returning to Montana this time, Mom.”

“Oh Addie, really? I couldn't be happier. So you decided you are definitely back to stay?” She wrapped her arm around Addie's waist and led her up the porch steps. “It's so wonderful to have you home, especially at this time of year…it's the first one that's so difficult, you know.”

The first Christmas without Dad.

“I talked to your uncle Roy,” her mother said.

“Yes?” Addie tried hard not to show how anxious she was to hear what her mother had found out.

“He's pleased to know you're interested in health care. Your dad would have been so happy; that was what he always wanted for you. Roy said once you get your high school diploma, he'll do everything within his power to get you the schooling you need. He's even willing to hire you part-time while you're in school and to work around your class schedule.”

Addie hardly knew what to say. This was an opportunity she had never expected. More than she could ever hope would happen. Now it was up to her not to blow it.

“Aren't you excited?”

Again, her throat tightened and she answered with a sharp nod. She knew that no matter what she hoped to accomplish, she'd need her high school diploma. One class credit was all she needed. Why she'd dropped out when she was so close to graduation was beyond her. How stupid and shortsighted she'd been. Her one missing credit was in literature, so she'd found a class she could take at the local community college.

B-o-r-i-n-g!

As a high school sophomore, Addie had been assigned
Moby-Dick
to read
.
Because of her dyslexia, she was a slow, thoughtful reader, often using her finger on the page to help her keep track of the words. Then to be handed that doorstop and work her way through it page by excruciating page had been pure torture. Following
Moby-Dick,
she'd been completely turned off to reading in general…although lately, after her television had stopped working, she'd gotten a couple of books at the library and enjoyed them immensely. Finding pleasure in reading had given her hope that maybe…just maybe she could return to school.

“I already signed up for a literature class. It starts this week, which I understand is a bit unusual; apparently, it was delayed until a teacher could be replaced.” Addie had thought she'd need to wait until mid-February, when the second semester began. This class was perfectly timed for her.

“You enrolled already?” How pleased her mother sounded, and her face brightened with the news.

They were inside the house now, and after removing her coat, Addie tucked her fingertips in the back pockets of her jeans. Standing in the middle of the kitchen, she looked around and breathed in the welcome she found in the familiar setting. Her mother had placed a few festive things around the house to help celebrate the season. The Advent wreath rested in the center of the kitchen table. The first purple candle had been lit.

When she was growing up, it'd been a big deal to see who got to light the candle every night at dinner, Addie or her brother. Generally, Jerry was given the honor. Oh, how her brother had loved lording it over her. He lived in Oklahoma now, was married, and worked as a physical therapist for a center that trained Olympic athletes. He'd always been athletic himself, just like his best friend, Erich Simmons, who lived next door. The two had been inseparable; any mental image of her brother also conjured up his constant sidekick and the way she'd humiliated herself over Erich.

At one time Addie had thought Erich Simmons was the cutest boy in the universe. He was a star athlete, class valedictorian, and the homecoming king. Addie hadn't thought of him in a long time and didn't know why he'd popped into her head now. As a teen, she'd idolized Erich and hadn't bothered to hide the way she felt. He, unfortunately, found her hero worship highly amusing. Oh, there'd been the usual antics when they were kids. Her brother and Erich had wanted nothing to do with her, despite all her efforts to follow them around. It wasn't until she was fourteen and fifteen that she'd viewed Erich in a different light and sent him valentines and baked him cookies. It embarrassed her no end to remember what a fool she'd made of herself over him, especially since he treated her like a jerk.

“Addie?” Her mother broke into her thoughts. “You look a million miles away.”

“Sorry, Mom.”

“Bring in your suitcases. I've got your old room all ready for you.”

It felt wonderful to be home.

Addie unloaded her car, which, sadly, took only a few minutes. Everything she'd managed to accumulate in six years was contained in two suitcases and a couple of boxes. When she finished unpacking, she headed directly for the garage.

Her mother found her there ten minutes later. “Addie, my goodness, what are you doing here?” she asked. “I've been looking all over the house for you. Are you hungry? Would you like me to fix you something to eat?”

“In a little while.”

“What are you doing?”

Addie stood in the middle of the garage, surrounded by several clear plastic boxes she'd brought down from the shelves. Her father had been a whiz at organization, a trait she'd inherited. “I'm looking for the outdoor Christmas lights.”

“But, Addie—”

“It won't feel like Christmas without the trees by the porch lit up.”

“But Addie—”

“Mom, please, let me put up the lights.” Her dad would have wanted her to do this for her mother, Addie was sure. She owed him this, even if things hadn't been so good between them when he died, or maybe because of that.

“Erich offered to put them up for me, but I said no.”

“Good.” Perfect Erich. She bristled at the mere mention of his name. He'd always been so thoughtful and kind…to others. But he'd tortured her at every opportunity. For one thing, from the time they were in first grade together, he'd insisted on calling her Adeline. Addie had always hated the name. She'd never even known the great-grandmother she'd been named after. Saddling her with that name had been her father's doing, no surprise.

Her mother moved a couple of steps into the garage. “Um…there's a reason I didn't want Erich to put up the lights.”

Addie straightened. Her mother's voice revealed hesitation and a bit of apprehension. “What is it, Mom?”

“I mentioned all those firsts without your father, remember…?”

“Yes.” It was one of the reasons Addie had returned home when she did. She didn't want her mother spending this first Christmas without Dad by herself. Jerry couldn't get away, but Addie could. Actually, she'd been more than ready to leave Montana. Although she'd come to love the state, everything else there had proved to be less perfect than she'd hoped. Her job at the mine had fizzled out after a few months, but pride hadn't allowed her to return home so soon after her grand departure. For a while she drifted from job to job, until finally settling in at the diner. She'd made friends and the tips were good. It was easy enough to coast through the next few years.

“I didn't say anything earlier when you called to say you were coming…” her mother said, interrupting her thoughts. Her mother wrung her hands.

“Mom, what is it?” Clearly there was something her mother didn't want to tell her.

“Please don't be upset with me.”

This was all very strange. “Mom, please, don't worry. You're not going to upset me.”

“You're sure?”

“Positive. Just tell me.”

Her mother squeezed her eyes tightly shut. “I'm going on a two-week Christmas cruise with Julie Simmons.”

It took a second for the information to sink in. “A cruise?”

Her mother still hadn't opened her eyes. “Julie's a widow. I'm a widow. We figured that we'd both get away this Christmas with a trip to the Caribbean. We booked a few days in Florida before the cruise as well. The sunshine and all…please tell me you're not upset with me.”

“Of course not,” Addie assured her, although her heart sank. This meant she'd be spending Christmas alone.

“Julie and I talked about it for months, and then right before Halloween we found this great deal from the cruise line and Julie said we should do it. If not now, when? I had no idea you'd be coming home, let alone for good, and…and, oh Addie, if you want I'll cancel the trip.” Her voice became half plea and half regret.

“No way,” Addie insisted, strengthening her resolve. “You're going on that cruise and you're going to enjoy every minute of it while I hold down the fort here.”

“Erich offered to look after the house.”

Of course he would.

“He's not married, you know, and neither is Karl.”

Erich's younger brother.

As if she felt the need to keep talking, her mother continued. “Karl is dating a wonderful young woman and is spending Christmas with her family someplace back east. Neither Julie nor I have grandchildren yet, and being this has been such a difficult year…”

“Mom, please, you don't need to make excuses. I want you to do this. Please go.”

“But you'll be alone.”

“It's fine. I'll connect with a few friends and it won't be a problem. Don't worry about me.”

“You're sure…?”

“Absolutely positive.”

“It's just that Julie and I have been so looking forward to this, and…”