Chapter Nineteen
“To us,” Amy said, raising her glass of wine to her husband’s. They had reached their favorite moment of Christmas. The big dinner was over; they’d said goodnight to their friends. Robin was tucked into his crib and nary a guest was left in all of Bramble House.
“To you, my love.” Chet toasted her back. “Do you realize this is the second Christmas you’ve had an emergency trip to the hospital?”
“Ugh. That’s a streak I’ve got to break.
” She leaned her head against his shoulder.
They were seated facing the fireplace, their feet toasty warm on the huge ottoman, while Christmas carols played softly over the sound system.
As per orders, her left wrist was elevated with an ice pack.
But at least she could still drink wine with her right.
“Your brother sure looked happy this morning.”
“Didn’t he? Larkin was beaming too.”
“Your mistletoe worked its magic again.”
“I didn’t think it would happen this year. But then we’ve had a lot of surprises. This is the first year one of our guests cooked breakfast for us.”
“Yeah, and Marjorie looked so happy doing it. For me the biggest surprise was Gibson.”
Amy nodded. “I can’t believe he might feature Bramble House on his podcast. I thought he hated this place.”
“I’ve changed my mind about that guy. He’s not so bad after all. Shelley on the other hand…”
Amy’s mouth puckered. “Another story for sure. I tried to e-transfer her wages, but she declined the money. Then she sent me this really contrite email.”
“I can hear by the tone of your voice that you’re ready to forgive her. I still say we should talk to Dawson after the holidays.”
“I don’t disagree. It’s not that I feel vindictive. I just worry she could be heading down the wrong path in her life. Some hard talk from the local sheriff might help her course-correct.”
“Exactly.”
“By the way…” She shot him a playful look. “I have another little gift for you under the tree.”
She could feel him tense. “I’ve seen that grin of yours before. Is it another pair of miniature cowboy boots?”
“You’ll have to open it to see.”
He shook his head. “You love toying with me, don’t you?”
“It is kind of fun,” she agreed.
He got up from the couch and retrieved the small box that she’d wrapped in red paper with a tiny red bow. Returning to his spot beside her, he pulled away the bow, tore the paper, and opened the box.
Inside was a bright orange dog collar with a name tag that read Copper.
“What?” He turned to her in total surprise, and slowly the biggest smile bloomed on his face. “We’re getting a dog?”
They’d talked about it as something they would do…eventually. They both felt that Bramble House, and Robin, needed a dog. When her period had arrived—ironically hours after Gemma had shared the news of her pregnancy—Amy had felt the time had come.
“At the Christmas tea, Sage told me about a friend whose golden retriever just had six puppies. Yesterday afternoon I emailed her, and she sent me some pictures. One of them is a darker red color—”
“Hence the name Copper?”
“Exactly. Anyway, they’re saving him for us—if you agree.”
“Hell yes I agree.” He hugged her, careful not to disturb her left arm. “I never had a dog growing up.”
“I know.” Though they’d talked of a dog for the house and for their son, she knew it was something Chet desperately wanted too. He asked for so little, her husband. It felt marvelous to have thought of the perfect gift for him.
“I can picture Copper on that rug by the fire,” Chet said.
“Yes.” It seemed their life together grew richer each year. Amy put her head back on his shoulder and as the song on the sound system switched to “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” it felt like the perfect soundtrack for their lives.