She pushed away the lump in her throat at the thought of Christmas without Mama, Papa, and her brothers.
The pile of food sitting on the table Mitch’d had the general store deliver late last evening had her wondering if he thought she was feeding an army instead of two adults and one boy. Then again, the holidays were when you indulged in all the foods not normally eaten during the year. At least not in such abundance.
Fastening her hair in one single braid down her back, she went around the house, pulling up the shades to let in the pale winter sunshine. Since she’d dismissed school for the holidays two days ago, she’d spent the entire day yesterday cleaning, scrubbing and polishing. Her little house shone with love and pride.
She was just sliding the apple pie into the oven when Mitch and Ian arrived. Both of their faces were ruddy from the cold. Ian’s eyes sparkled with excitement, very common in children the day before Christmas. Once more she thought of her brothers, especially little Andrew, and her throat closed up. She had to stop this. Dogtown was her home, and home was where you spent Christmas.
“I hear someone is looking for a Christmas tree.” Mitch walked right up to her and gave her a kiss. And not a slight peck on the cheek either.
Priscilla pulled back and patted her hair. “Mitch, for heaven’s sake, Ian is right there,” she whispered.
He winked at her. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about that.”
What was this all about?
Not that she and Mitch had anything to hide—well, maybe they did—but they’d always been quite proper around others, especially Ian.
“Ian, I made some gingerbread cookies for you to help me decorate. But if you want to taste one now to see if they’re any good, I can find a couple to go with the hot chocolate I made.”
“Yes, definitely.” Before he finished speaking he was already sitting in a chair, a grin on his face.
Mitch tapped her on her nose. “Don’t I get a gingerbread cookie?” His voice and look were so seductive, she felt as though she would burst into flames. What game was he playing today? When she regarded him with raised eyebrows, he merely winked again and strolled over to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat.
Her body humming, she poured hot chocolate into three cups and placed a dish of cookies on the table. Her heart was pounding and every time she looked in Mitch’s direction, he gave her that strange “I have a secret” look.
“Miss Cochran, Pa said we’re going to cut down your tree this morning. Pa and I
usually have a real small one, but he said this year we’re going to cut down the biggest tree we can find that will fit in your parlor.”
“Goodness. That sounds ambitious. I hope I have enough decorations made for a big tree.” She loved the enthusiasm in Ian’s face. He truly was a charming young man, and if things were different, she would love to be his mother.
She was still unsure of her feelings. There was absolutely no point in denying her physical attraction to Mitch. Just one glance in his direction had her lady parts melting. But only real love would make her take such a step. She drew little circles on the table and watched Mitch under her half-closed eyes.
He was explaining the proper way to cut down a large tree so it didn’t fall the wrong direction while Ian hung on his every word. Mitch was a wonderful father and would be a wonderful father to any future children he had.
Best to push that thought far away from her mind.
Mitch shrugged into his coat as Ian did the same. There was still snow on the ground from the last storm, but the strong sun had melted quite a bit of it over the last few days. The roads were in great shape, but they needed their boots for the trek through the woods.
He patted his pocket where the diamond ring rested in the small jewelry box that had arrived on the last mail coach. Ian was spending the night, and Mitch planned a quiet, romantic proposal once his son was fast asleep before he would return to his house for the night. This time he was sure of her answer.
“Are you ready?” Mitch picked up the axe and handed Ian the saw.
“Yep. Let’s go.”
Still teasing Priscilla with his actions, he gave her another kiss as they left the house. Being in on his plans, Ian gave him a grin as they walked out the back door.
The air was crisp and clear, and the sun shone brighter than earlier in the day. This would be the best Christmas he’d had in years. Maybe this time next year there would even be a new baby in his house. Another little Ian, or maybe a tiny girl with Priscilla’s golden brown curls and hazel eyes. And definitely her spirit.
They looked at several trees, but it took them over a half hour to find the perfect one. “This one will work,” Mitch said as he looked up at the top. “We will probably have to cut some of it to make it fit in the house.”
After about ten minutes Mitch stripped his coat off and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Ian spent the time gathering pine cones and greenery to decorate Priscilla’s house.
Once the tree had fallen, Mitch sawed off enough branches to make the tree look presentable and able to fit through the door. They both took hold of the bottom branches and dragged the tree. Mitch stopped and bent to get a better grip on the tree when Ian sucked in a breath and whispered, “Pa. Turn around.”
Mitch pivoted and looked into the eyes of a mountain lion twice the size of the one he’d killed. His first thought was no wonder the animal had wrought such destruction in the area. There had been two of them. Fear raced through him as he waved at his son. “Step behind me, Ian.”
The animal sat on its haunches, staring at the two of them. He and Ian were about a hundred and fifty yards from Priscilla’s back door, with the animal smack in the middle of the distance. Sweat beaded Mitch’s forehead and he took deep breaths to try to calm his racing heart. He could try to scare the mountain lion away, but what he had to do at this point was prepare to fight the animal while Ian ran to the house.