what is it you want for Christmas, Melody?” Jake asked, his eyes glittering more silver than gray in the twilight of approaching night. She loved the way her name sounded falling from his lips.
She smiled and snuggled a little closer to him. “I already have what I wanted—happiness. Oh, I bought myself a bottle of perfume and a new sweater to wrap and put under the tree so that Libby wouldn’t think that Santa forgot me, but all I hoped for this Christmas was peace and happiness, and I’ve already found that here in Mistletoe.”
With you, she wanted to add. She wanted to tell him that he had become part of her happiness equation, but he hadn’t even kissed her yet. He might never kiss her the way she wanted him to, she told herself, although she was certain she’d seen desire for her in his eyes more than once.
It was after eight when they finally left the pond and headed back home. Jake was unusually quiet on the way to her house. Melody chalked it up to tiredness. He’d skated several more times throughout the evening and had also helped Bob carry more cookies and drinks from the house to the pond. Libby was quiet as well, obviously happy and exhausted.
They arrived at the house and Melody thanked him for yet another wonderful day. Libby got out of the backseat and ran to the front door to await Melody.
“I’m cooking a big roast and potatoes tomorrow,” she said, and unbuckled her seat belt. “Why don’t you come to dinner? I’d love to cook a nice meal for you.”
“Thanks for the offer,” he replied, a distance she’d never seen before in his eyes. “But I’ve got a lot of chores to take care of around the ranch, so I have to say no.”
“Oh, of course.” Melody’s heart plummeted, both with disappointment and with guilt. “We’ve been taking up too much of your time.”
“By my choice,” he said.
Melody opened the car door and stepped out. “The dinner invitation is a standing one. Just let me know when you’re available.”
He nodded. She began to walk toward the house but stopped as he rolled down the window and called out her name. “I hope you and Libby have a merry Christmas.”
Before she could reply he rolled up the window and drove away. She hurried toward the front porch where Libby waited for her to unlock the door. Her mind whirled with his words...words that indicated he didn’t intend to see or talk to them again before Christmas.
She unlocked the front door and Libby ran down the hall to her bedroom to get out of her extra clothes, while Melody closed the door and sank down on the sofa, Jake’s parting words still playing in her mind.
She hadn’t realized until now that the picture she’d had of Christmas Eve had been the three of them decorating the tree together. In her visions of the holiday, it had been three at the table eating a Christmas Day feast.
It felt as if something had ended before it really had a chance to begin. She felt as if she’d lost something she’d never really had, and she’d forgotten until now what the pain of loss felt like.
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