breakfast.”
“You didn’t go with him?” To see one without the other surprised her. The two youngest Holden boys did everything together.
“Too cold out there for me this morning.” Lucas grinned. “Besides, I’m not going to risk missing Christmas breakfast.”
“Your stomach would never forgive you,” Candace teased. The boys were known for their hefty appetites.
“Did St. Nicholas come?” Jeanette came running into the room, still in her nightclothes.
“Patience, dear child,” Ma Holden called out, following shortly behind her youngest daughter. “But I believe I did hear him in the middle of the night.”
Candace made eye contact with her, and Ma Holden winked. For the first time, Candace noticed the small stack of gifts in the corner of the room. Jeanette also spotted them and ran toward the pile.
“Don’t touch them.” Ma Holden lowered her voice and gave Jeanette a warning glare.
“Look, Ma. There’s something in my stocking.” Jeanette pointed to the mantel. “Can I look now?”
“Not until after breakfast. We’ll all look like a family.” Stepping forward, Ma Holden leaned forward and whispered in Candace’s ear. “Let’s hurry. I won’t be able to hold her off much longer.”
Nor would you want to . Candace held back a laugh. It was common knowledge in the Holden household that Jeannette, as the youngest, received special treatment the others hadn’t been privy to as youngsters. None of the other siblings seemed to mind though, as they were guilty also of spoiling their sister.
They went into the kitchen where Liza joined them a minute later. Ma Holden put coffee going before beginning a batch of biscuits. Liza lit the stove, then began slicing bacon to fry. Candace went to the bowl of potatoes she’d grabbed from the cellar last evening. She took a knife and started peeling them. Once they were all cleared of their skins, she cubed them into small pieces. By then the smell of bacon filled the air. Candace sniffed, her stomach rumbling in anticipation.
“Are you done with these?” Ma Holden inclined her head toward the bowl.
“Yes. What can I do now?” She couldn’t fry the potatoes until Liza finished with the bacon.
“Keep an eye on the biscuits for me, please, while I get Jeanette dressed.”
Ma Holden hadn’t returned when there was a knock on the door.
“I’ll get it.” Liza left the kitchen and returned a minute later with Sam and Maeve.
They all exchanged holiday greetings and then Sam held up a venison roast. “Ma said to bring this from the smokehouse. Where do you want it?”
“Give it here.” Liza took it from her brother and plopped it into a Dutch oven.
“Where is Patrick?” Candace craned her neck and peered behind Sam and Maeve, expecting that Patrick would have come with them.
“He’s not here?” Sam glanced around. “We stopped by his cabin, and when we saw he was already gone, we thought he had come over already.”
“No.” Pushing pack a tendril of fallen hair, Candace wondered where he was, but didn’t worry. She was sure he’d be there soon.
“Patrick is with Benjamin.” Lucas entered the room with a wide smirk.
“And where would that be?” Sam arched his eyebrows.
“I promised not to tell.” Smugness spread across Lucas’s face and he obviously enjoyed having a secret.
Candace shook her head, amused. She could only imagine what the men, minus Sam, had planned. Returning to her cooking, she folded a rag in her hand and grabbed the biscuits from the oven. Then she set aside some of the bacon grease to make a gravy and dumped the potatoes in the remaining lard.
Ma Holden returned with Jeanette. She shooed everyone out of the kitchen who wasn’t participating in making breakfast. “For the first time in our lives, we have separate rooms to eat in and cook in. Don’t crowd my cooking space.”
A short time later, breakfast was on the table, but Patrick and Benjamin still hadn’t returned.
“We’ll wait a
“You didn’t go with him?” To see one without the other surprised her. The two youngest Holden boys did everything together.
“Too cold out there for me this morning.” Lucas grinned. “Besides, I’m not going to risk missing Christmas breakfast.”
“Your stomach would never forgive you,” Candace teased. The boys were known for their hefty appetites.
“Did St. Nicholas come?” Jeanette came running into the room, still in her nightclothes.
“Patience, dear child,” Ma Holden called out, following shortly behind her youngest daughter. “But I believe I did hear him in the middle of the night.”
Candace made eye contact with her, and Ma Holden winked. For the first time, Candace noticed the small stack of gifts in the corner of the room. Jeanette also spotted them and ran toward the pile.
“Don’t touch them.” Ma Holden lowered her voice and gave Jeanette a warning glare.
“Look, Ma. There’s something in my stocking.” Jeanette pointed to the mantel. “Can I look now?”
“Not until after breakfast. We’ll all look like a family.” Stepping forward, Ma Holden leaned forward and whispered in Candace’s ear. “Let’s hurry. I won’t be able to hold her off much longer.”
Nor would you want to . Candace held back a laugh. It was common knowledge in the Holden household that Jeannette, as the youngest, received special treatment the others hadn’t been privy to as youngsters. None of the other siblings seemed to mind though, as they were guilty also of spoiling their sister.
They went into the kitchen where Liza joined them a minute later. Ma Holden put coffee going before beginning a batch of biscuits. Liza lit the stove, then began slicing bacon to fry. Candace went to the bowl of potatoes she’d grabbed from the cellar last evening. She took a knife and started peeling them. Once they were all cleared of their skins, she cubed them into small pieces. By then the smell of bacon filled the air. Candace sniffed, her stomach rumbling in anticipation.
“Are you done with these?” Ma Holden inclined her head toward the bowl.
“Yes. What can I do now?” She couldn’t fry the potatoes until Liza finished with the bacon.
“Keep an eye on the biscuits for me, please, while I get Jeanette dressed.”
Ma Holden hadn’t returned when there was a knock on the door.
“I’ll get it.” Liza left the kitchen and returned a minute later with Sam and Maeve.
They all exchanged holiday greetings and then Sam held up a venison roast. “Ma said to bring this from the smokehouse. Where do you want it?”
“Give it here.” Liza took it from her brother and plopped it into a Dutch oven.
“Where is Patrick?” Candace craned her neck and peered behind Sam and Maeve, expecting that Patrick would have come with them.
“He’s not here?” Sam glanced around. “We stopped by his cabin, and when we saw he was already gone, we thought he had come over already.”
“No.” Pushing pack a tendril of fallen hair, Candace wondered where he was, but didn’t worry. She was sure he’d be there soon.
“Patrick is with Benjamin.” Lucas entered the room with a wide smirk.
“And where would that be?” Sam arched his eyebrows.
“I promised not to tell.” Smugness spread across Lucas’s face and he obviously enjoyed having a secret.
Candace shook her head, amused. She could only imagine what the men, minus Sam, had planned. Returning to her cooking, she folded a rag in her hand and grabbed the biscuits from the oven. Then she set aside some of the bacon grease to make a gravy and dumped the potatoes in the remaining lard.
Ma Holden returned with Jeanette. She shooed everyone out of the kitchen who wasn’t participating in making breakfast. “For the first time in our lives, we have separate rooms to eat in and cook in. Don’t crowd my cooking space.”
A short time later, breakfast was on the table, but Patrick and Benjamin still hadn’t returned.
“We’ll wait a
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