He rolled his eyes. “Pink.” When she giggled, he smiled. Not a big smile, but enough to let her know that there was still something left of the daddy who used to play Big Hibernating Bear with her and Charlotte. He glanced out the window. “We better finish closing up and get home. A storm is supposed to be moving in.”
Jolene always got hopeful when a storm was forecast on Christmas Eve. As she stepped out of the back door, the cold wind that whipped her hair from its bun increased that hope. But when she glanced up at the evening sky, she didn’t see one cloud. Not one. There would be no white Christmas for her this year.
Or a Christmas pageant. No matter how much she wanted to see Cheyenne as Mary and little Gray Dove as Jesus, she couldn’t risk running into Cal. Her emotions were still too fragile and she didn’t want to break down in front of everyone at the church.
So after saying goodbye to her father, she headed home. Maybe she would start a fire and decorate her tree. She had picked out a beautiful Fraser fir at a lot just outside of Abilene. But just the thought of trimming a tree made her think of Cal and how much fun she’d had trimming a tree with him. The pain in her heart squeezed a little tighter . . . until she turned the corner onto her street.
She gapped at that sight that greeted her.
The twilight sky still didn’t hold one cloud, and yet, her lawn was completely covered in snow. Glistening white, powdery snow. There was a thick layer on her roof and every tree and bush wore a beautiful snowy coat. She was so stunned by the sight that she ran over the curb as she pulled into her driveway. She turned off the car and got out, still not believing what her eyes were seeing. The proof was the slippery slush that lined the pathway to her door and the cold iciness that greeted her hand when she reached out to a snow-covered bush to steady herself. How had this happened?
She had her answer when she saw the snowman sitting in the center of the lawn. It had a long carrot nose and coal eyes and buttons. Instead of a top hat, it wore a black Stetson. The exact black Stetson Jolene had been looking for.
But it wasn’t the familiar hat that had tears flooding her eyes. It was the cardboard sign the snowman held in his stick arms. Written across the cardboard in bright marker bubble letters were two words.
I BELIEVE.
“I do, you know.”
Jolene glanced up at the porch and saw Cal standing there. He was hatless and his hair was mussed and held a glimmer of snow, as did the shoulders of his jean jacket. He moved down the steps with a look in his eyes that made her breath catch and her heart beat faster.
“I had lost faith in everything,” he continued. “In God. In love. In people. Even in myself.” He stopped in front of her. “But then this woman showed up at my garage with a flat tire. A woman I had known forever and thought I knew. Turns out, I didn’t know her at all. I didn’t know the warm, passionate woman who met me here that first night and rocked my world. I didn’t know the intelligent, funny woman who entertained me long after we finished making love. And I didn’t know the kind, generous woman who took care of my daughter when she needed a friend and gave me a loan even when I didn’t qualify.”
Cal smiled softly. “But I know that woman now. She taught me a lot of things. But the thing she taught me the most was that there is a whole lot of good in the world. All you have to do is look for it. I believe, Jolie. You made me believe again.”
Tears fell from her eyes like the melting snow dripping from the eaves and Cal quickly pulled her into his arms. “Oh, baby. Don’t cry. I’m sorry. I’m so damned sorry.”
She held him close and spoke against his strong shoulder. “And here I thought you weren’t much of a talker, Cal Daily.”
His chuckle rumbled beneath her ear. “I guess when I’ve got something to say, I become a bit of a chatterbox.”
She drew back and looked into his eyes. “That was the most beautiful speech I’ve ever heard in my life.”
He grinned. “So I got this one right?”
“Perfect.” She glanced around. “You got everything perfect. You made it snow.” She looked back at him. “How did you make it snow?”
“It wasn’t easy. I had to drive all the way to Austin to find a snow machine to rent. Then I had to figure out how to use the darn thing and pray that it would stay cold enough to keep what I did make from melting—all while being interrupted by every person in Simple who wanted to know what in tarnation I was doing.”
She couldn’t help giggling at the thought of Cal having to deal with the townsfolk’s curiosity. “And what did you tell them?”
His beautiful hazel eyes grew intent. “I told them the truth. I told them that I was madly in love with Jolene Applegate and I was trying to apologize for being a prideful idiot.”
Jolene was so stunned she could hardly speak. “You love m-me?”
He smoothed the strand of hair that had come out of her bun behind her ear. “Yes, Jolie, I love you. I didn’t want to, but I do.” He cringed. “That didn’t come out right. What I mean is . . . I was scared. No, I was terrified of giving my heart to another woman and having it crushed. But I’ve come to realize that love hurts even more whenyou don’t share it.”
Until the day she died, whenever Jolene heard the wordjoyous, she would think of this exact moment. Because the feeling that consumed her was the definition of joy. She wanted to squeal and spin in a circle. She wanted to run into town and shout at the top of her lungs, “Cal Daily loves me!” But mostly, she wanted to stand there forever and absorb every single detail. The glistening snow and the twilight sky and her pretty pink house and her handsome beau who loved her.
She smiled from her heart. “I didn’t believe either. I didn’t believe that anyone could fall in love with a serious, unexciting woman like me. But you changed all that. You helped me find the woman inside me who knows how to laugh and love and enjoy life to the fullest. You helped me find me. I love you, Cal Daily. Not just for that, but also for the man you are. The honest, hardworking businessman. The loving, caring father. The sizzling hot lover.
His lips lifted in a sexy smile. “Sizzling hot?”
“Scorching.”
He pulled her into his arms and gave her a kiss that proved her words before he drew back and rested his forehead against hers. “I think we’ve got a little time before we have to be at the church to watch Cheyenne.”
She laughed. “Just what are you suggesting, Mr. Daily? A holiday affair? No strings? No attachments?”
