Page 40 of The Holiday Gift

“Who’s ready for dessert?” Louisa asked eagerly, as the meal was drawing to a close.

Barrett rolled his eyes. “I haven’t even finished my steak. You’re just in a hurry because you made it.”

“So? I never made a whole cheesecake by myself before. Mom or Aunt Mary always helped me, but I made this one all by myself. I even made the crust.”

“I saw it in the kitchen and it looks delicious,” Chase assured her. “I can’t wait to dig in.”

She beamed at him and his heart gave a sharp little ache. This was another reason he didn’t want to remain on the edge of Faith’s life forever. Louisa and Barrett were amazing kids, despite everything they had been through. He wanted so much to be able to help Faith raise them into the good, kind people they were becoming.

He had no idea what he would do next if she was so afraid to take a chance on a relationship with him that she ended up pushing him out of all of their lives.

He would be lost without them.

He set his fork down, the last piece of delicious steak he had been chewing suddenly losing all its flavor.

He had to keep trying to make her see how good they could all be together, even when the risks of this all-or-nothing roll of the dice scared the hell out of him.

“Okay, do you want chocolate sauce or raspberry?” Lou asked.

He managed a smile. “How about a little of both?”

“Great idea,” Mary said. “Think I’ll have both, too.”

Louisa went around the table taking orders like a server in a fancy restaurant, then she and Olivia headed for the kitchen. When Faith rose to go with them to help, Louisa made her sit back down.

“We can do it,” she insisted.

The girls left just as another gust of wind rattled the windows and howled beneath the eaves of the old house. The electricity flickered but didn’t go out and he couldn’t help thinking how cozy it was in here.

They talked about the record-breaking crowd at The Christmas Ranch that weekend until the girls came back with a tray loaded with slices of cheesecake. They were cut a little crooked and the presentation was a bit messy but nobody seemed to mind.

“This is delicious. The best cheesecake I think I’ve ever had,” Chase said after his first bite, which earned him a huge grin from Louisa.

“It is really excellent,” Celeste said. “And I’ve had cheesecake in New York City, where they know cheesecake.”

Louisa couldn’t have looked happier. “Thanks. I’m going to try an apple pie next week.”

He couldn’t resist darting a glance at Faith and wondered if he would ever be able to eat apple pie again without remembering the cinnamon-sugar taste of her mouth.

She licked her lips, then caught his eyes and her cheeks turned an instant pink that made him suddenly certain she was thinking about the kiss, too.

“That wind is sure blowing up a storm,” Rafe commented.

“The last update I heard on the weather said we’re supposed to have another half foot of snow before morning,” Hope said.

“Yay!” all of the children exclaimed together.

“Maybe we won’t have school,” Joey said with an unmistakably hopeful note in his voice.

“Yeah!” Barrett exclaimed. “That would be awesome!”

“I wouldn’t plan on it,” Mary said. “I hate to be a downer but I’ve lived here most of my life and can tell you they hardly ever close school on account of snow. As long as the buses can run, you’ll have school.”

“It really depends on the timing of the storm and the kind of snowdrifts it leaves behind,” Chase said, not wanting the kids to completely give up hope. “If it’s early in the morning before the plows can make it around, you might be in luck.”

“We should probably head home before the worst of it hits,” Rafe said.

“Same here,” Celeste said. “I’m so glad Flynn put new storm windows in that old house this summer.”

---