Page 67 of A Whiskey River Princess

“Thank you,” she replied, smiling. “But I had a little help.”

“A little, huh?” he teased, laughing. They had made some of it together earlier that day, but Gabriella had made most of it while Dirk was tending the livestock.

“Well, maybe more than a little.” She shrugged, an impish smile lighting her lips. “And having the cookbooks didn’t hurt, either.”

He laughed, watching her work.

Gabriella took the cups of hot cocoa into the living room. Warmth filled the room when she walked in, and the fresh scent of pine needles, evergreen, and cinnamon wafted through the air. Lit candles were placed strategically around, casting a golden glow over everything. Dirk was lighting the last one when she walked in.

“It’s lovely.” Her voice was merely a whisper as she handed him a cup.

Dirk nodded as he took it. “Why don’t we eat first? I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”

Gabriella laughed as she walked over to the kitchen table, and he followed. “You couldn’t be starving.” Then she remembered that they hadn’t eaten since breakfast. They had been so busy with the decorations that she had forgotten about lunch altogether. “Oh, I’m sorry about that. I guess I got busy… with everything.”

Dirk laughed as he held out her chair for her. “I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself.”

She laughed at the image he portrayed. With his burly muscles and height—probably around six foot two or three—referring to himself as a boy was comical.

Dirk proceeded to carve the turkey. “Gabby, would you like white meat or dark?”

“White,” she replied, smiling at his nickname for her.

“Well, it’s a good thing, because I love dark meat.” He smiled as he placed a whole drumstick on his plate. “More for me.”

Gabriella couldn’t help but laugh. “Make sure to save room for dessert. We have plenty.”

Dirk chuckled. “That’s an understatement! I think we have enough to feed a small army. In fact, we should take plates over for Colton and Ella tomorrow.”

Gabriella nodded her agreement as she took a sip of her hot chocolate. “This is good, even if I do say so myself.”

“Now, I have to seethatfor myself,” he teased, and took a sip. “Umm… delicious.”

Gabriella laughed. “Are you surprised?”

Dirk smiled as he set down his cup. “Since you could hardly cook when you came here—”

“Well, I’ve learned a lot since then.” Gabriella took another sip, and then set down her cup. “Would you like to say the blessing?”

Dirk nodded as a smile lit his lips. “Yes, I would.” He said the most heartfelt blessing, thanking God for letting them be together to share the holiday, moving Gabriella almost to tears. When he finished, he ended with, “Let’s eat!”

Gabriella laughed. “So, tell me about your childhood.” She spooned some cranberry sauce onto her plate, along with a helping of stuffing.

Dirk shrugged. “There’s not much to tell.” He took a bite of a buttered biscuit. “I grew up in New York.”

“In the city?” Gabriella asked, clearly intrigued.

One corner of his lips curled into a smile. “You sound surprised.”

She shook her head as she nibbled on the stuffing. “It’s just that you’re a natural here. Country life suits you.”

He smiled as he played with his mashed potatoes. “I grew up in the city, and there was no greenery until they built Central Park when I was older. The only greenery was in upstate New York.” He let out a deep breath. “The city just had too many cobblestones and was too confining. Too many people, and too busy for my taste. I feel a lot more at home here.” He thought for a moment, and then asked, “So, what about you? What was it like in Monaco?”

She shrugged as she played with her cranberry sauce, wondering how much to tell him. “It was much the same. Too confining. Just too… much.” She didn’t tell him that the “too much” was actually the palace. “I wanted adventure and grew tired of my life being mapped out for me. So, I decided to come out west.”

He smiled as he picked up his hot chocolate. “I guess we have a lot more in common than we thought.” He held his cup up to her. “Here’s to the past, but may the future be much, much brighter.”

Gabriella returned the smile as she touched her cup to his and then took a sip.

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