the first. There was no way she would be able to explain away the blimp resting on her bottom lip.
“Make it go away!”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I replied, pasting my best “I’m innocent and there’s no way you can blame me for this” smile on my face. “You look … festive … this evening. The red of your … beauty mark … really tops off the decorations nicely.”
“I’ll have you arrested for this,” Poppy threatened.
“You’re going to have me arrested for the cold sore on your lip? That’s a neat trick. Tell me how that works out for you.” I patted her arm as I walked past, lowering my voice so only she could hear. “If you don’t rein in that monstrous thing you call a daughter, I’ll give you eight more to match the two you already have.” I made sure I was several feet away before I opened my mouth again. “Have an absolutely fabulous Christmas!”
Winnie, her face unreadable, watched me as I approached. “What was all that about?”
“If they still did floggings in public, I would arrange a way for Poppy Stevens to get one,” I replied.
“That would be a Christmas gift for us all,” Winnie said.
My gaze bounced between her and Bay. “Still nothing, huh?”
“She’s decided to pout her way through the entire day and I refuse to give in and coddle her,” Winnie answered. “It’s a standoff.”
“Do you think you’ll win?”
“Probably not,” Winnie conceded. “I’ll probably crumble like a stale cookie and start begging in about ten minutes.”
“At least you’re honest,” I said, patting her shoulder. “Don’t give in yet. I think there’s a way you can both get a win out of this, and it’s right around the corner.”
“Oh, yeah? What is that? Are you going to make it snow again?”
As if on cue, the flakes began falling. Unlike the quick spurt of snow I unleashed before, this was a soft smattering that cascaded to the ground in fluffy wisps.
“Oh, Aunt Tillie,” Winnie chided. “You didn’t have to do this again.”
The children screamed in delight at the flakes, causing my heart to swell as I puffed out my chest. “I wouldn’t be the wickedest witch in the Midwest if I didn’t make the children happy on Christmas, would I?”
“Actually, I don’t think that makes a lot of sense,” Winnie said. “I thank you for the gift anyway.” She leaned over and kissed my cheek, a thoughtful expression on her face as she pulled back. “You know, it occurs to me that you never told us what you wanted this Christmas.”
“I’m an adult. I don’t need a Christmas gift.”
“You usually leave your list on the kitchen table right next to the girls’ when they write their lists,” Winnie pointed out.
I smirked. “I bought my own gift this year,” I said. “And, well, I had another special gift waiting for me at the cemetery today.”
“Is that where you disappeared to?” Winnie asked. “You know we would’ve gone with you, right? You didn’t have to go alone.”
“I wasn’t alone.”
Winnie wrinkled her nose. “Who were you with?”
“Santa Claus,” I said, my grin widening as the sound of sleigh bells approached the town square.
“What did you do?” Winnie asked, jerking her head in the direction of the jingling. She started giggling the moment she saw the sleigh. Try as I might, I couldn’t find any reindeer. Henry Hall gladly loaned me a few horses, though, so that was at least something.
“It’s Santa,” Clove squealed, jumping up and down as she clapped her hands.
I cast a look at Bay, smiling as she tilted her head to the side to study Walkerville’s newest Kris Kringle.
“Who is it?” Winnie asked, narrowing her eyes as the sleigh got closer. “I … he looks familiar.”
“Ho, ho, ho!” Terry’s bellow echoed throughout the square, and when Winnie realized who it was, her eyes filled with tears.
“How did you convince him to do this?”
“I didn’t convince him,” I said.
“Make it go away!”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I replied, pasting my best “I’m innocent and there’s no way you can blame me for this” smile on my face. “You look … festive … this evening. The red of your … beauty mark … really tops off the decorations nicely.”
“I’ll have you arrested for this,” Poppy threatened.
“You’re going to have me arrested for the cold sore on your lip? That’s a neat trick. Tell me how that works out for you.” I patted her arm as I walked past, lowering my voice so only she could hear. “If you don’t rein in that monstrous thing you call a daughter, I’ll give you eight more to match the two you already have.” I made sure I was several feet away before I opened my mouth again. “Have an absolutely fabulous Christmas!”
Winnie, her face unreadable, watched me as I approached. “What was all that about?”
“If they still did floggings in public, I would arrange a way for Poppy Stevens to get one,” I replied.
“That would be a Christmas gift for us all,” Winnie said.
My gaze bounced between her and Bay. “Still nothing, huh?”
“She’s decided to pout her way through the entire day and I refuse to give in and coddle her,” Winnie answered. “It’s a standoff.”
“Do you think you’ll win?”
“Probably not,” Winnie conceded. “I’ll probably crumble like a stale cookie and start begging in about ten minutes.”
“At least you’re honest,” I said, patting her shoulder. “Don’t give in yet. I think there’s a way you can both get a win out of this, and it’s right around the corner.”
“Oh, yeah? What is that? Are you going to make it snow again?”
As if on cue, the flakes began falling. Unlike the quick spurt of snow I unleashed before, this was a soft smattering that cascaded to the ground in fluffy wisps.
“Oh, Aunt Tillie,” Winnie chided. “You didn’t have to do this again.”
The children screamed in delight at the flakes, causing my heart to swell as I puffed out my chest. “I wouldn’t be the wickedest witch in the Midwest if I didn’t make the children happy on Christmas, would I?”
“Actually, I don’t think that makes a lot of sense,” Winnie said. “I thank you for the gift anyway.” She leaned over and kissed my cheek, a thoughtful expression on her face as she pulled back. “You know, it occurs to me that you never told us what you wanted this Christmas.”
“I’m an adult. I don’t need a Christmas gift.”
“You usually leave your list on the kitchen table right next to the girls’ when they write their lists,” Winnie pointed out.
I smirked. “I bought my own gift this year,” I said. “And, well, I had another special gift waiting for me at the cemetery today.”
“Is that where you disappeared to?” Winnie asked. “You know we would’ve gone with you, right? You didn’t have to go alone.”
“I wasn’t alone.”
Winnie wrinkled her nose. “Who were you with?”
“Santa Claus,” I said, my grin widening as the sound of sleigh bells approached the town square.
“What did you do?” Winnie asked, jerking her head in the direction of the jingling. She started giggling the moment she saw the sleigh. Try as I might, I couldn’t find any reindeer. Henry Hall gladly loaned me a few horses, though, so that was at least something.
“It’s Santa,” Clove squealed, jumping up and down as she clapped her hands.
I cast a look at Bay, smiling as she tilted her head to the side to study Walkerville’s newest Kris Kringle.
“Who is it?” Winnie asked, narrowing her eyes as the sleigh got closer. “I … he looks familiar.”
“Ho, ho, ho!” Terry’s bellow echoed throughout the square, and when Winnie realized who it was, her eyes filled with tears.
“How did you convince him to do this?”
“I didn’t convince him,” I said.
Similar Books
