Winds of Change by Leah Atwood Page A

few more minutes.” From her spot at the table’s head, Ma Holden crossed her arms. “Sam, while we wait, can you recite the verses from Matthew about the birth of Jesus.” She turned to Candace. “Our tradition is to read them from the Bible before we eat our breakfast on Christmas morning, but the family Bible hasn’t been replaced yet.”
    “I think I remember most of them.” Sam looked around the table, his gaze lingering on Maeve.
    Halfway through, there was a commotion at the door.
    “What is going on now?” Ma uttered, leaving the table to see what was happening. “Oh.” Her happy gasp reached into the dining room where Candace was still with the others.
    They all ran to the door to see.
    Patrick and Benjamin proudly held a fir tree between them. “Merry Christmas.”
    “A Christmas tree.” Maeve stared at it in awe. “I’ve always wanted one, but living in the city, only the well-off families had one.”
    “Can we decorate it?” Jeanette stuck her nose among the needles and breathed it. “It smells so good.”
    “In a bit.” Ma Holden put a hand on her youngest daughter’s shoulder but looked at Patrick. “Where ever did you find that? There aren’t any fir trees for miles.”
    “Grant’s spread had a few. I saw them last month when some of our cattle got through the broken fence line.” Patrick grinned. “Earlier in the week, I asked if I could chop one down.”
    Candace thought and then she remembered. The Grants were the Holden’s neighbors to the west. “It’s beautiful.”
    “Lean it against the wall. We’ll eat before the food gets cold, then we’ll find a way to stand it up and decorate it.”
    The others returned to the table, but Candace dawdled, hoping for seconds alone with Patrick.
    “I got it, Benjamin. Go eat.” Patrick flashed Candace a smile. He must have read her thoughts.
    There was no hesitation from Benjamin, whose fifteen-year-old stomach growled loudly.
    “Do you like it?” Patrick asked her as he carried the tree to the parlor.
    “I love it. It was a lovely surprise.”
    He situated the evergreen, so it was propped in a corner. “That should be good for now.”
    “What will we decorate it with?” She couldn’t resist inhaling a deep whiff of the tree’s fragrance.
    “Ma will think of something. She’s always been good at improvising.” Patrick drew her to him. “Merry Christmas.”
    His coat was still cold, but she barely noticed. “Merry Christmas.” Reluctantly, she stepped back from his embrace. “Let’s go before your Ma sends someone in.”
    “A week from today and we won’t have to worry about the chaperones.” He grinned at her before his mouth went in a straight line. “You’ve been great about all of this. I hope you never regret meeting me.”
    Feeling brave, she stepped forward on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on his cheek. “I love you. Anything that happened before doesn’t matter because it got us to this point.” She tugged his hand. “Come on, someone is going to barge through the doorway any second.”
    “Wait. I wanted to give you your present first.” Patrick reached into his pocket and withdrew a small box. He handed it to her. “For you.”
    She looked at him, then the box. When she opened it, she saw a delicate gold chain with a ruby hanging from it. “It’s beautiful.”
    Patrick’s voice became husky when he spoke. “When I saw it, I thought of something I heard Pastor Gibbons say once, about a virtuous woman being worth more than rubies. You are worth far more than this necklace, but I wanted to give you something to show that I value and appreciate you.”
    His tender words brought her to tears. She blinked them away. “Thank you.”
    “There’s a matching piece, but you will get that in a week.”
    “Will you put it on me?” Overwhelmed by his consideration, she stumbled on her words.
    He nodded. His hands appeared larger as they handled the frail chain. Wide, masculine fingers were clumsy with