Page 56 of A Whiskey River Princess

She shrugged as she folded the dish towel and placed it on the armrest of the sofa. “I think you might live.”

Dirk chuckled. “I don’t know…,” he teased as Gabriella smiled. He looked down at the popcorn garland laying on the small table in front of the sofa. “Well, these popcorn strings won’t finish themselves.”

“Unless a Christmas fairy comes in and does it for us, I believe you’re right.” Gabriella picked up her garland and set to work.

“Christmas fairy?” Dirk mused, threading another piece of popcorn onto the garland.

Gabriella shrugged. “Or Pere Noel’s elves. But I think they may be a bit too busy now to bother with our tree.”

Dirk laughed. “I think you may be right,” he replied, knowing that Pere Noel was another name for Santa Claus. As he watched her, it felt good to have a lady in the house again. Without realizing it, she had brought a bit of Christmas magic with her.

Soon, the strands of popcorn garland were finished. Dirk loved watching her eyes sparkle as they laid the garland across the tree branches.

“Now, let’s make some ornaments,” Dirk announced as the last of the popcorn garland was laid on the tree. “And I have a box of ornaments somewhere….”

“There’s some ribbon in the sewing box.” Gabriella jumped excitedly from the sofa and ran into the bedroom.

Dirk headed into the utility room and pulled down a string from the ceiling. A set of wooden stairs came down, leading to the attic as cold air rushed into the house. He hurried up the stairs and looked around. In the corner was a box of ornaments, some from his childhood, and some from when he and Sarah were together.

He picked up the box just as Gabriella reappeared standing at the bottom. “May I help?”

“I have it, thank you.” Holding the box in one arm, he climbed down the wooden stairs.

“Here. I’ll take them.” Gabriella took the box, and Dirk pushed the wooden stairs back up until it collapsed back into the ceiling.

Then Dirk took the box and carried it into the living room where he set it on the small table and sat on the sofa.

Gabriella sat down beside him. “What’s this?”

Dirk sighed as memories flooded his mind. He pulled the wooden box onto his lap and removed the lid. Inside, wrapped in cloth, were little bundles. Carefully, he reached in and unwrapped one, revealing a miniature manger with the baby Jesus.

Gabriella gasped. “It’s lovely.”

Dirk smiled. “It belonged to my mother.” He took the string holding it and it dangled in the air. “My mother hung this on the tree every Christmas. It holds many memories for me.”

“What happened to her? To your father?”

Dirk sighed. “They both passed away before I moved here.”

“How?” Gabriella’s voice was merely a whisper.

Dirk took a deep breath. “My mother died first, basically of old age. Then a year later, my father followed. He was so in love with my mother that he died of a broken heart, I guess.” Dirk looked into Gabriella’s eyes. “He just couldn’t bring himself to go on without her.”

Gabriella touched his arm. “I’m so sorry.”

A small smile appeared on his lips. “It was a long time ago.” He looked at the ornament dangling before him. “I remember my mother hanging this on the tree when I was a child, and then she looked down at me and smiled.” He smiled as he watched the simple ornament. “After her death, I pushed many of the memories out of my mind….” He looked in Gabriella’s eyes. “Until now.”

Gabriella smiled. “It’s okay to remember. To remember our loved ones. But it’s also okay to go on.” Gabriella paused for a moment, as if trying to find the right words. “I know now that the people we love become a part of us… a part of who we are.” Gabriella nodded, as if understanding. “We can’t run from thembecause they’re a part of us, always with us. We can’t run from the memories, nor should we try. They help to shape us, to make us who we are.” A faraway look came into her eyes. “Although we can make our own destiny, we can’t run from who we are or from whence we came. They, our past, the memories and our loved ones, combine with our own choices, and mold us into the people we become. We can learn from our pasts and embrace the memories, for they teach us what to do or what not to do. Then our unique experiences and choices help to shape our view of the world, making us who we are.”

Dirk smiled as a tear ran down his cheek. “Yes, you’re right.” For the first time in a long time, he understood. “I guess I’ve been running from the memories, placing them on a shelf within my mind, but somehow, you’ve brought them out of me.” He bit his lower lip, not wanting to say more, to scare her off. But if he could, he was about to say that knowing her in this short time has changed his life, and that the memories of her, of their short time together, would help to shape him, too. She was quickly becoming a part of him.

She reached up and wiped the tear away from his cheek. Dirk caught her hand and held it, looking deeply into her eyes, wondering why he had met her now. He let her hand go, the spell of the moment broken.

“Well now, let’s hang the rest of these ornaments.” Dirk stood and hung the ornament on the tree.

And as he and Gabriella decorated their Christmas tree together, he let the memories come.

The next day, Dirk and Gabriella made more decorations out of things that she had found around the house. Together, they were quickly making the cabin a home.

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