Chapter One
FROST GLISTENED ON THE carved stone of the fountain that was the jewel of the Wishful town green, looking candied and fanciful, like something out of a fairy tale. Tara Honeycutt hunched her shoulders against the cold, watching her breath puff out in clouds. She really needed to get going. The window between when she dropped her siblings off at school and when she had to be at The Daily Grind for her shift was already narrow, and today she needed to swing by to pick up a check for her sales at the artisan market where she sold her hand-crafted jewelry. But the fountain had drawn her. Maybe because of the dream.
Last night she’d been back in her old life. On the stage. Preparing for the season’s opening performance of The Nutcracker. She’d woken out of sorts, with a gut-deep yearning for what used to be. And so, here she was, a coin in her fist, about to make a wish in the fountain that gave the town its name.
I wish...
What did she wish? Did she really want to go back to professional dance? To the brutal schedule? The grueling competition? The loneliness? No. Whatever she may have missed about performing, it wasn’t that. She’d traded her career for family and she wouldn’t—couldn’t—go back on that.
But God, to be a normal twenty-one year old girl, free of all these responsibilities...
I wish I could be normal girl, just for a little while.
Tara tossed the coin into the water and immediately felt guilty for making such a selfish wish. She found herself digging into her purse for another coin.
I’ll just make another wish. Surely that’s not breaking the rules.
Clutching this one tight in her hand, Tara stared hard at the fountain, as if that would somehow impress upon whatever powers that be that she was really serious about this one.
I wish I could give Austin and Ginny a good Christmas. The kind of Christmas they truly deserve.
The nickel hit the water with a thunk, joining the legion of others from wishers who’d come before.
Okay, that was enough of that foolishness. She needed to get going. With long-legged strides, she headed across the green toward Wishful Discount Drugs.
The historic downtown pharmacy was decked out for the holidays in true Currier and Ives style, with swags of greenery, twinkly lights, and festoons of ribbon. The windows had been flocked with fake snow, and somebody had even found a vintage Christmas village to set up in the front window. Tara made a mental note to bring the kids by to see it. Ginny would absolutely love it, and even Austin would be charmed by the train circling on a track. Bing Crosby crooned “White Christmas” over the loudspeakers as Tara stepped inside.
“Be with you in a sec!” Pharmacist Riley Gower’s voice floated from somewhere below counter level.
Tara crossed over, trying to think if she needed to pick up anything else while she was here. Ginny’s insulin supply was good, and they’d just restocked syringes last week.
Riley popped up, a pair of felt reindeer antlers perched in her glossy dark brown hair. “Tara! Merry Christmas!”
Tara grinned. “Nice antlers.”
“I drew the line at the nose.”
“I think the rosy cheeks and sparkle in your eyes make up for it. They’ve been a permanent addition since you and Liam got engaged.”
Riley beamed and blushed. “I keep thinking I’ll get used to it. But I don’t.”
“Don’t ever get used to it. I think that’s the key to staying in love. And it looks good on you,” Tara added. If she felt just a wee pinch of envy, it wasn’t big enough to note. Riley and Liam were two of her favorite people—kind and generous to a fault. Tara was delighted they’d found each other.
But a tiny part of her—the small, self-absorbed part wishing for a normal life—wondered if she’d ever get the chance to find someone of her own. At least before her siblings were grown and out on their own. What did the dating scene look like for thirty-two year olds? It didn’t bear thinking about.
“I’ll get your check. You’ve had absolutely outstanding sales. If you’ve got any other stock to load in, now’s the time. The last minute shoppers are picking up and everybody’s loving the new artisan market.”
“I’ve got a few more things I can bring by in a day or two.”
Riley disappeared into the office.
If she stayed up a couple extra hours tonight, she could probably stretch that to more. Tara’s mind was already spinning new jewelry designs based on the supplies she had left when Riley came back out.
“Here we go.” She handed over the check.
Tara took it. “Thanks. I’ve gotta jet. I’m gonna be late to my shift at The Grind and we’ve been hopping with all the holiday shoppers.”
“I’ll see you in a few days when you bring in the new stock.”
Tara turned toward the door, glancing down at the check. She took in the number of zeroes. Blinked. Looked again. “You forgot to take out the booth rental fee.”
“Nope. The amount is right. You’ve sold out all but two pieces.”
Tara stared at her. “You’re kidding.”
“Make that all but one,” Jessie Applewhite said. Riley’s pharmacy tech wandered in from the market side of the store. “I’m nabbing that turquoise pendant necklace right now. And if Eli comes in looking for ideas, I want the earrings, too. Just sayin’.”
“Well, sweet little baby Jesus,” Tara muttered.
“Told you. Enjoy it!” Riley urged.
Two wishes, one of them answered in fifteen minutes. That had to be some kind of record. Batting 500—and the more important 500 at that—was pretty darn good odds. She didn’t have a prayer of a shot at being a normal girl, but this year—this year she’d be able to give her brother and sister a real Christmas. One with new traditions and festivities that would make up, at least a little, for the absence of their parents.
Tucking the check carefully into her purse, Tara hurried to work.
* * *
There’s no place like home.
Jace Applewhite took his time crossing the town green, enjoying the sight of the enormous town Christmas tree. The Bradford pears lining Main Street were wrapped in twinkle lights, and the light poles had regimented lines of lit wreaths marching all the way around the green. Beautiful. And with the unseasonably cold weather, it actually felt like winter. Of course, give it a day or two and it’d be 75 degrees. Such was the nature of December in Mississippi. His sister Livia and their cousin Jessie had a long-running bet on whether they’d be able to wear t-shirts for Christmas Day.
Jace stepped into The Daily Grind, scanning the faces for his friends. Grad school exams had wrapped a bit earlier than expected, so he’d come on home to Wishful to help with the family business for the remainder of the holiday. He’d head out to the farm and surprise his parents after catching up with the guys.
Across the room, Eli lifted his hand in a wave.
“Well, you’re a sight for sore eyes,” Jace said, pulling him into a back thumping hug.
“That’s what you get for doing the grad school thing, man. Lots of tiny print. While you’re up to your eyeballs in textbooks, I’m out in the good clean air.”
“And how’s the Forestry Service treating you?”
“Can’t complain,” Eli said.
“How’s my cousin treating you? Or maybe I should ask how you’re treating Jessie.”
“He’s whipped,” Zach Warren announced, rising from his chair to repeat the man hug routine.
“As he should be. She’s too good for him. Where are Leo and Reed?”
“Leo’s running the lighting and sound for the community theater’s production of White Christmas, and Reed is in Connecticut with his lady love and her parents.”
“I still can’t believe he’s engaged,” Jace murmured.
“Brother, you and me both,” Eli said.
“You worried Jessie’s gonna get ideas?”
Eli’s face paled. “Dude, don’t even talk about that. We haven’t been dating that long.”
Laughing, Jace slapped him on the shoulder. “Only a matter of time, buddy. Let me grab some coffee.” Jace joined the short queue at the counter, tapping a finger against his leg in time with the rhythm of the music playing over the sound system. What was that? Charlie Brown Christmas?
“Welcome to The Daily Grind. What can I get you?”
Jace focused on the girl behind the counter. Your number.
Tall and willowy, her sandy blonde hair was piled on top of her head in some updo that left her long, graceful neck bare. His fingers itched to trace it, to see if her skin was as soft as it looked. Her hazel eyes were expectant, and Jace realized he hadn’t said anything. He cleared his throat. “Um, what do you recommend?”
“For light roast today, we’ve got a Nkurubuye from Rawanda. Our dark roast is an Idido from Ethiopia. This late in the day, I’d be inclined to go for the dark. Less caffeine.”
“Really? I thought darker roasts had more caffeine.”
“Other way around,” she said. The name tag on her holly red apron read Tara. “The roasting process destroys some of the caffeine, so the lighter the roast, the more potent.”
Her voice was deeper than he expected. A throaty, rich alto. Talk about potent.
“I’ll have the dark then. Just black.”
Tara punched at the iPad mounted at the register. “Any nibbles to go with it?”
Jace could think of several of her inches he’d like to nibble. Jesus, he really had been stuck in a book too damned long. “No, nothing to eat, thanks.”
Her slender fingers punched in the rest of the transaction and tipped the iPad toward him to pay. “I’ll just get this started for you.”
Jace pulled out his wallet and swiped his card before he forgot how to use it. Tara seemed to float across the floor, graceful and unhurried, almost like a dance. How did she do that?
“Here you go.”
He took the steaming mug she offered. “You aren’t from around here.”
She tipped her head in question.
“I’d remember if I’d seen you before,” Jace clarified.
“You haven’t been in for coffee in a year and a half? I know all the regulars.”
“Grad school at Mississippi State,” he explained. “I’ve been having my caffeine directly by IV drip.”
Her lips curved a little, and Jace found himself wanting to see her full smile. He’d bet it was stunning.
“Home for the holidays, then,” she concluded, friendly but not exactly a green light to his flirtation.
“I am indeed. A full month until I have to go back. I’ll be one of those regulars before you know it.” Jace grinned, hoping she’d respond in kind.
But Tara wasn’t quite paying attention. Her head angled slightly, her eyes unfocused and heartbreakingly sad.
The sight of it struck a deep, painful chord in him, reminding him of another pair of somber eyes. He wanted to reach out and stroke her cheek. Don’t be sad. The music on the sound system had shifted to The Nutcracker. Not exactly a melancholy tune.
Before he could work that out, she shook herself, plastering on a smile that was stiff around the edges. “You have a merry Christmas.”
It was a polite brush off with an underlying message of hands off.
“You, too,” Jace murmured, lifting the coffee in a toast and heading back to his friends.
“Need a fire extinguisher?” Eli asked.
“Huh?”
“Because you just crashed and burned, brother.”
Jace glanced back at Tara, who was helping another customer. “What’s her story? Is she seeing somebody?” Which was only half what he wanted to know. He wanted—needed—to know what had put that look in her eyes.
“Oh no, the Snow Queen shoots down all comers,” Eli said. “Many have tried. No one has succeeded.”
“Snow Queen? Isn’t that kinda harsh?” Jace felt offended on Tara’s behalf.
“She’s never rude, just kind of holds herself apart. More important things to worry about than dating.”
“You’re taken,” Jace reminded him. “By my cousin.”
“I’m off the market. I’m not blind,” Eli protested.
Zach picked up the thread. “She’s been here a bit over a year, I think. Not sure where she came from, but she’s got guardianship of her two half-siblings.”
“She’s young for that isn’t she?” Jace didn’t think she was more than twenty-two.
“Got them at nineteen.”
“Holy crap. Why?”
Zach sipped at his coffee. “Mom left for parts unknown a few years back. And their dad is in jail on burglary charges. Tara’s the only other family they’ve got.”
That was certainly adequate reason to be sad. “Wow. How old are the kids?”
“Third grade and fifth from what I remember when I did school pics earlier this fall,” Zach reported.
So, for the time being, anyway, she was a single sort-of mom. The hands off vibe made total sense in that context. Jace should probably respect that. But as he sat catching up with his friends, he knew he’d spend the next month feeding his coffee habit.
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