“No. Because we’re all together.”
Peter took the tray out of her hands and kissed her cheek. “There’s nothing wrong with being a little crazy.”
* * *
Katie satbeside Peter at the dining room table and opened her napkin. They’d had to bring extra tables and chairs inside to accommodate everyone but, listening to the noisy chatter going on around them, no one seemed to mind.
“Lunch looks amazing,” Peter said. “Your family must have been up hours ago cooking all this food.”
“We started at seven o’clock this morning. BetweenWyatt and Penny’s double oven and ours, the kitchens have been like Grand Central Station.”
“My parents usually take us to a restaurant for lunch. It’s not as Christmassy as being here.”
“Most years, we don’t have an option about where we go. Everything in town is closed and we don’t want to travel anywhere else. Tonight’s dinner will be different. The church is hosting a big Christmas meal for anyone who wants to come. At four o’clock we’re loading the trucks with gifts and boxes of desserts and driving into town.”
“Does that happen each year?” Peter asked.
“We’ve only been doing it since Pastor John arrived. The church’s catering and hospitality class do all the baking for the main course and the rest of the community do the desserts and gifts. You should come. It’s a great way to end the day.”
“I’d like that.”
If her smile was a little goofy, she didn’t care. She enjoyed Peter’s company and wanted to make each moment they were together count.
Her dad tapped his wineglass with a spoon. “Merry Christmas, everyone. On behalf of Mabel and I, I’d like to propose a toast.” He cleared his throat and a hush fell across the tables. “This year has been one of the most extraordinary we’ve ever experienced. We’ve welcomed Wyatt, Ethan, and Theo into our family, felt the loss of Mabel and Beatrice’s mom, and enjoyed the company of our daughters. We’ve seen the girls transform this beautiful home into an inn and create a thriving business. We’ve even had a mystery or two to solve when we found the dresser and discovered what was inside. Throughout everything, you have all been in our hearts and minds. Today, I’d like to propose a toast to you and our family who can’t be here. Without your love and support, our lives wouldn’t be as rich or rewarding as they are. God bless and Merry Christmas.”
Everyone raised their glasses and said, “Merry Christmas!”
Katie glanced at the photo of her grandma on the mantelpiece and her eyes filled with tears. Each Christmas after Granddad died, Grandma would wake at dawn and sit in her rocking chair, watching the sun rise over Flathead Lake. Katie would join her and they’d talk about Granddad and all the wonderful times they’d had with him.
Out of everyone in her family, it was her grandma who understood her the most. She was her soft place to fall and the one person who understood why she wanted so badly to publish her stories.
“Are you okay?”
She saw the concern in Peter’s eyes and forced a smile. “I’ll be all right. I was just thinking about my grandma. She would have loved being here.”
“Maybe she is.”
Peter’s softly spoken words filled her heart with hope. As her family helped themselves to the delicious food, she lifted her eyes to the angel sitting on top of the Christmas tree. Gathering all the love inside of her, she sent a silent prayer to the woman who’d loved her unconditionally, who’d always wanted the best for her, and never minded her late phone calls and excited chatter. But mostly, she thanked her for being her grandma.
CHAPTER11
“Not charades!” Barbara groaned. “No one follows the rules and Dad always gives his team clues.”
“You’re supposed to have clues,” Allan said stubbornly.
“But you aren’t supposed to say them out loud. That’s why it’s called charades.”
Katie laughed at the twinkle in her dad’s eyes. He knew his flexible approach to the game annoyed Barbara, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to play it.
“What if I promise to be less vocal?”
“It isn’t possible,” Barbara muttered.
Theo looked bemusedly from his wife to his father-in-law. “I haven’t played charades in years. It will be fun.”
“I can’t believe you’re agreeing with my dad.”
Diana laughed. “There’s a reason for that.”
