Page 9 of Christmas Secrets

Dottie was waitingon pins and needles at Thistlewind for Ben to arrive home. She chewed on her thumbnail as she stared out the window of her office in the cottage they lived in. Thistlewind was the Sangster family property. Poppy and Angus lived in the main house, while she and Ben moved into the cottage as a newly married couple almost two years ago.

She loved life at Heaven’s Gate. The Sangster family and the MacCandish family roots went back several generations. Thistlewind had been deeded to the Sangster’s for their generations of loyal service when Ben’s great-grandfather was still alive. So technically, even though the Sangster’s now owned the land they lived on, it was still part of the Heaven’s Gate estate which was the largest privately owned land mass in the northern highlands.

The sun was slowly setting behind the mountain peaks casting a golden glow over the twilight of the coming evening hours. It was so beautiful it almost brought tears to her eyes, and she wished it wasn’t so cold outside. She’d grab Ben’s Artic Cat snowmobile and chase the sleepy sun until she couldn’t see it anymore. But with the rising of the waking moon, it would grow even colder and the surrounding hillsides would turn hostile with their naked black limbs and shrubs. Dottie shivered and put her fanciful thoughts aside.

The darkness of the night always weighed heavy on her like a wet blanket you could barely shift. She’d gotten lost once while picking berries with her sisters, and they hadn’t found her until long after the warm sun had given up residence to the moon. The night calls of the insects, the rustling of small animals in the underbrush, and the shadows that seemed to flit between the trees as if looking for her hiding place had left an indelible impression on her six-year-old mind. She didn’t like the darkness, no matter where she found it. Not even in a crowded theatre with other people around or walking down a well-lit street with company. It just made her uneasy and she was suspicious of every shadowy corner.

On automatic pilot, Dottie got up from her computer and began turning on every light in the cottage, plus all the outside ones she could turn on from inside. The warm glow of the lights pushed the darkness back and she felt immediately safer. Sure, Ben gave her a hard time about the extra cost of electricity, but he understood and he didn’t make fun of her or shoot her disgusted looks. He really was the best husband which made her deception about the food that much harder. She’d been so stupid to let her pride get the best of her.

She could have gone by Neamh and they could have eaten with everyone else, but she was afraid she would give herself away somehow. At least with Ben collecting some of the dinner for them, she’d know they hadn’t thrown it away. She wondered what they were saying about it right now? Did they like it? Was it good? She hadn’t even tasted it herself, but she was sure it would be wonderful. Everything Helo the chef cooked was amazing. She nibbled on her other thumb, her nerves still on edge.

When her text alert sounded in her pocket, she grabbed her phone and checked her messages. It was from Ben; he’d just left Neamh with their supper and the smell was making his stomach growl. He couldn’t wait to try her new recipe.

With another flash of guilt, Dottie headed for the kitchen to put the tea on. She was hungry too, but with her deception weighing so heavily, she wasn’t sure she could eat. If she didn’t though, Ben wouldn’t be happy. Her well-being was important to him and it was one thing he could be very stern about.

Dottie loved his protectiveness and tried to please him as much as possible, but she had never had a big appetite. He was just used to the amount of food his dad could eat. She would taunt him about that and the look in his eye always made her wonder if he was thinking of putting her over his knee, but so far, that hadn’t happened.

As the tea kettle heated the water, she took plates out of the cupboards and set the table for the two of them in the cozy little kitchen area. She had one window over the kitchen sink with cheerful white curtains sporting red apples all over them. The blinds she twisted shut with a grimace to close out the darkness.

The cottage was a simple design with the living and kitchen area visible when you came in the front door. There was a tiny hallway with four doors just beyond the kitchen. Two bedrooms on the right side and a bathroom and utility room on the left. The utility room held a washer and dryer and led to the backdoor which led straight out to the barn behind the cottage. It was small, but cozy for just the two of them.

When they had children, they would have to move or she would have to give up her office in the second bedroom, but that was for the future. Right now, they were saving as much as they could. Maybe they would even expand the cottage, who knew?

She glanced up at the ceiling where the big construction beams were visible. Ben had created extra storage for pans and other things since the cabinets were limited on space. It gave the whole cottage a very rustic aura. The big fireplace was banked in the living room, the heat from it helping to keep them very snug in the winter.

Her ears perked up when she heard the crunch of tires on the snow outside and then the slam of the car door. She eagerly went to the front door to open it for her husband.

“Ben,” she exclaimed as he stepped up on the small covered deck and met her at the open door.

“Dottie,” he replied just as eagerly as he stepped inside with his hands full. He bent down to kiss her on the lips.

“Oh, yer lips are frozen,” she squealed.

Laughter lit up his eyes, the gray dots in his dark pupils seeming to twinkle in the light. “That’s because it’s colder than the ice it takes to freeze the flames of hell,” he retorted. He handed her the warm dish in his hand. “Here, take this, honey, it’s nice and warm.”

“I’m not planning on kissing a dish,” she retorted dryly.

He chuckled, a rich deep tone that had her insides jiggling. Then he closed the door behind him and took off his outer gear as Dottie carried the dish to the kitchen and set it on the table. As she took off the lid, the rich aromatic odor of the pasta and spices made her tummy growl. “Wow, this smells wonderful.”

Ben padded over in his sock feet. “Well, ye made it, my little wonder chef, ye should know that already.” His tone was quizzical as he cocked his head at her. Then his long arms closed around her and his hands slipped up the back of her red sweater.

“Ben, yer hands are cold,” she squeaked as he drew her up to his big body.

“Then warm them up fer me,” he teased as his hands dipped below her buttocks and lifted her bottom up and into his arms.

She swung her jean-clad legs around his waist and enveloped their faces between her locks of blond hair, their warm breath mingling together as his lips warmed from their kiss. Dottie found the hardness of his strong body against her lady parts and the ying and yang of hot and cold between their mouths was sending her senses spiraling out of control.

How she loved this man.

The tingling in every cell of her body told her that he could do anything he wanted to her and she would respond with a passion that couldn’t be denied. When he carried her into their bedroom, she reflected briefly that dinner might get cold before they got back to it, but she didn’t care. At that moment, she needed her husband, and he needed her just as much.

***

Ben took the firstbite of the once again re-heated lasagna and his tastebuds watered in his mouth. “Oh, my gawd,” he groaned as the luscious pasta melted in his mouth, the bursts of flavor teasing him unmercifully. “Dottie, make sure ye have this recipe saved, it’s the most heavenly lasagna I’ve ever eaten, I swear. Thank ye so much fer doing this fer Lucerne, I know they all appreciate it at Neamh. Ye are the best little wife a man could have.”

Dottie smiled at him, but her eyes looked wistful for some reason. “Thank ye, Ben. It wasn’t much, just some stuff I threw together hoping it would all work.”

He took another bite, a huge one this time and chewed with delight while holding up his free thumb in the universal sign of approval. When he could finally speak, he said, “Oh, it works all right, honey, it totally works. I think I could eat this every day.”

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