A Christmas Wish: Sapphire Bay, Book 3 Read online

  Caleb groaned. “I’m supposed to be your boyfriend. You should say nice things about me.”

  Sam grinned. “I love you regardless of your faults. Besides, I’ve got enough issues for both of us.”

  “You make nice cookies,” Nora said from the kitchen stool.

  Sam ruffled Nora’s hair. “That’s good to know. And who is this beautiful doll?”

  “Her name is Dolly. She’s special.”

  “She looks special. How did you find her?”

  While Nora chatted to Sam, Megan asked Caleb about his life. They’d been careful about what they’d said over the telephone in case someone was listening. But here, in the middle of the wilderness, they could share parts of their lives they hadn’t spoken about.

  The weight of everything that had happened began to lift from Megan’s shoulders. She felt at home with Caleb, more at peace than she had since her sister and parents’ deaths. It wasn’t until much later that she realized why.

  She wasn’t alone anymore. She had a brother.

  William sat on the sofa beside Megan. “Nora fell asleep halfway through the story. She must be exhausted.”

  “It was a big day. She loved playing in the snow.”

  “She’ll miss the wide-open spaces when you go back to Milwaukee.” William watched Megan carefully. Nora wasn’t the only person who was tired. After spending most of the day with Caleb and Sam, Megan had fallen asleep on the way home. “How are you feeling?”

  Megan shrugged. “Okay, I guess. It’s still hard to believe that I have a brother.”

  “Your biological mother did the right thing. Allowing another family to adopt you meant you were safe.”

  “I wonder if it would have been easier for Caleb if I’d stayed.”

  William wasn’t sure anything would have made a difference. “Your biological father was a mean drunk. Having another child in the house could have made everything a lot worse.”

  “Maybe.” She squeezed his hand. “I want to talk to you about something else. I’ve decided to stay in Sapphire Bay.”

  William’s eyes widened. “For how long?”

  “At least a year, but probably longer. Brooke asked if I want to share her kitchen. At first, I wasn’t sure it would work, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea.”

  To say William was shocked, was an understatement. “I thought you wanted to return to Milwaukee as soon as possible? You’ve been worried about your customers using other cake decorators.”

  “Sapphire Bay is one of the fastest growing towns in this part of Montana. Lots of people are moving here after they’ve retired. Young families are arriving to work in tourism-related industries. But the best thing is that the nearest bakers are at least a thirty-minute drive away in Polson.”

  “But the population of Milwaukee is huge compared to Sapphire Bay.”

  Megan let go of his hand. “I can only bake and decorate a small number of cakes each week. Brooke’s customers loved my Christmas cakes. If I can encourage other people to place orders, I’ll have more than enough customers. I thought you would be happy for me.”

  “I am, but I assumed you’d move back to Milwaukee. What about a school for Nora?”

  “There’s an elementary school in town. Nora and I are talking to the principal next week. I’d be able to spend more time with my brother, and Nora would be happy.”

  “And you decided all of this while we were visiting Caleb?”

  “I’ve been thinking about it for a couple of weeks. At least Sapphire Bay is closer to Bozeman than Milwaukee. We could see each other on the weekends.”

  William swallowed his disappointment. He wanted to see Megan every day, but he was worried he was expecting too much, too soon. “The FBI has a small office in Polson. I could wait until a position becomes available, then ask for a transfer.”

  Megan shook her head. “Bozeman is a bigger city. You’ll have more opportunities there.”

  “If you want to live somewhere smaller than Milwaukee, why don’t you come to Bozeman?”

  “I’ve already looked online. It would cost too much to rent a building.”

  William’s heart sank. “Why don’t you want us to live in the same town?”

  Megan rubbed her hands along her jeans. “Since my sister and parents died, every decision I’ve made has been focused on what’s best for Nora. I want to do something for myself.”

  “And living three hours away from me is what’s best for you?”

  “I know it sounds selfish, but I need to stand on my own feet.”

  William didn’t understand why she wouldn’t move to Bozeman. “What will happen in a year’s time? Will you move somewhere else when you get tired of living here?”

  Megan’s eyes widened. “I don’t know what will happen. Why are you so annoyed?”

  “I’m not annoyed. I’m confused. Do you want to be in a relationship with me or not?”

  Megan opened her mouth, but no words came out.

  If he’d thought he was disappointed before, it was nothing compared to the heartache he felt now. “It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything.”

  “I want to get to know you better. But Nora—”

  “Nora will be happy regardless of what happens between us.” He took a deep breath. “Now that the terrorists aren’t a threat to you, my job here is done. I start work in Bozeman on Monday.”

  “This coming Monday? But Christmas is in two days. I thought you’d spend some time with us.”

  William looked down at his hands. “I’m leaving in the morning. Dad is flying into Bozeman in the afternoon. We’ll have a couple of days together before he goes home.”

  “But Caleb invited us to spend Christmas Day with him. Your dad could join us.”

  William needed to leave Sapphire Bay and the sooner that happened, the easier it would be on everyone. “I’d prefer to have Christmas in Bozeman.”

  He saw the disappointment in Megan’s eyes. “I need to be honest with you. If you don’t want us to live in the same town, I can’t see the point in being anything other than friends.”

  “Couples live apart all the time,” Megan argued. “We can make it work.”

  “It’s not the type of relationship I want. I’ll say goodbye to Nora in the morning.” His heart pounded as he looked into Megan’s tear-filled eyes. “Zac isn’t back until the end of January. If you’d like to stay here for a few more weeks, you’re more than welcome.”

  Megan wiped her eyes. “I’ll let you know when we’re moving into town.”

  “I hope everything works out for you. I’ll see you in the morning.” And before he changed his mind, he left the room.

  “Why do you have to leave?” Nora asked.

  “I have to help other people in Bozeman,” William explained.

  Nora clutched Dolly to her chest. “But I’ll miss you.”

  William’s heart was breaking. When he’d told Nora he was leaving, her eyes had filled with tears. All the reasons why he was going didn’t make up for the fact that he probably wouldn’t see her again.

  “You can draw pictures of Sapphire Bay for William,” Megan said. “And we could email him photos of the cakes and cookies we make.”

  William knelt in front of Nora. “If you ever want to talk to me, I’m only a phone call away.”

  “It won’t be the same.” Nora wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “What about my Christmas wish?” she whispered.

  His heart clenched tight. “Santa will bring you something different.”

  “But I want you.”

  William sighed. “I know, but it will be okay.” He kissed the side of her face, then stood beside Megan. “Good luck with your business.”

  Megan looked as upset as he felt. “Thanks.”

  “I meant what I said about calling me. If you need anything, I’m only a few hours away.”

  Megan nodded, but he knew the chance of her calling him was almost nonexistent. Neither of them was happy, but he couldn
’t do anything about it. His last marriage had ended because he was a part-time dad and husband. William had promised himself that if he ever fell in love again, it would be an all-or-nothing kind of relationship. And living three hours away from the two people who meant the world to him wouldn’t work.

  With one last look at Nora, he walked across to the truck. There was no point in staying any longer. It would only make everyone feel worse.

  “William! Wait!” Nora let go of Megan’s hand and ran toward him. “Dolly wants to go with you.”

  There was no way he’d take Dolly with him. The red-headed rag doll was Nora’s security blanket; the one thing that helped her sleep at night.

  “I can’t take her. She needs to stay with you.”

  “But she wants to go to Bozeman, to keep you safe.”

  “I’ll be all right. Dolly will miss you if you’re not with her.”

  Nora held his hand. “I don’t want you to go.” Her bottom lip quivered and tears ran down her cheeks.

  “I know you don’t, but it will be okay. How about I call you when I arrive in Bozeman? That way, you’ll know I’m all right.”

  Nora nodded. “Can you take a photo of your Christmas tree and send it to me?”

  “As soon as I find a tree, I’ll take a photo.”

  “Your daddy could help you choose one.”

  William straightened her hat. “He could. Come on, let’s get you back to Megan.”

  Once Nora was holding Megan’s hand, William returned to his truck and drove toward the front gate.

  One day, he’d look back on this assignment and be thankful no one was hurt. But right now, he was having a hard time being thankful for anything.

  He’d fallen in love with the woman he was supposed to protect, and there was nothing he could do about it.

  Chapter 14

  Megan stepped onto her brother’s veranda.

  Nora ran ahead and pushed the doorbell.

  The last two days had been a crazy mix of last-minute Christmas shopping and baking more cookies for Brooke’s store. In between all of that, she’d bought a second-hand truck and started to pack their bags.

  Nora peeked through the window. “I can’t see Uncle Caleb, but I can hear music.”

  “It sounds like your favorite song.”

  “It’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” Nora said excitedly. “Do you think Uncle Caleb left carrots for Rudolph?”

  “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask him.”

  The front door opened and Caleb grinned at them. “Merry Christmas!”

  “Merry Christmas,” Megan and Nora said at the same time.

  “I hope we’re not too early.” Megan handed Caleb the box in her arms. “If you take this one, I’ll get the next box.”

  Caleb sniffed. “If I’m not mistaken, this must be your famous ginger and walnut Christmas loaf.”

  Nora’s eyes opened wide. “You can smell Aunty Megan’s loaf?”

  “I love anything that’s baked with ginger. The smell makes my taste buds water.”

  “What’s a taste bud?”

  “Come inside and I’ll tell you.” Caleb held out his hand.

  While Nora asked him about the other things he liked eating, Megan walked back to her truck. As well as the ginger and walnut loaf, she’d baked a Christmas fruitcake, some shortbread, and a triple mixture of chocolate chip cookies. If that wasn’t enough to impress her brother, she’d brought him a special Christmas present, too.

  “Do you need any help?”

  Megan turned around. Sam must have walked out of the house while she was daydreaming.

  “That would be great.” She handed Sam the shortbread and cookies. “Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas to you, as well. How are you feeling?”

  “A little strange. Before we knew anything about Caleb, Nora and I were going to spend Christmas with my Aunt Millie and her family. Now, look at us.”

  “Discovering you had a brother must have been a shock.”

  “It was, but I’m okay now.”

  Sam frowned. “Caleb said you asked your aunt if she knew you were adopted.”

  Megan stacked the cake box on top of Caleb’s present. “Aunt Millie wasn’t living in Milwaukee when I was adopted. She assumed I was Mom and Dad’s biological daughter.” With the truck locked, Megan walked toward Caleb’s house. “Are you still flying to Bozeman this afternoon?”

  Sam opened the front door. “We’re catching the five o’clock flight. That way, Caleb gets to spend most of the day with you and Nora before being hijacked by my family.”

  Nora rushed toward Megan. “He did it! Uncle Caleb left carrots for Rudolph and some cookies and milk for Santa. You should see all the presents under the tree.”

  Megan smiled. “Caleb must have been extra nice to get so many gifts.”

  “He’s always nice,” Sam said.

  “Who’s always nice?” Caleb took the container of cookies out of Sam’s hand.

  “You,” Sam said with a grin. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell your sister all your deep, dark secrets. Not yet, anyway.”

  “Talking about secrets,” Caleb said to Megan. “There’s something Sam and I want to tell you.”

  Megan looked at Sam’s flushed cheeks, then back at her brother. “You’re getting married, aren’t you?”

  Sam sighed. “How did you know?”

  “It wasn’t hard,” Megan said. “From the first conversation I had with Caleb, he mentioned your name in every second sentence. You mean a great deal to him.”

  Nora held onto the edge of Megan’s jacket. “Can we go to Uncle Caleb’s wedding?”

  “If we’re invited, we can.”

  Caleb carried the cookies into the living room. “You’re definitely invited. We haven’t chosen a date, but it won’t be too long away.”

  Megan opened the container of cookies and handed them to Caleb. “If you need someone to make a wedding cake, I’m happy to help.”

  Instantly, Sam smiled. “That would be great, thank you.”

  “Just let me know when you have a date in mind and we’ll go from there.”

  Caleb bit into a chocolate chip cookie. “These are yummy. I’ll have to put them away in case I eat too many.”

  Sam patted his stomach. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you don’t overindulge.”

  As Megan listened to the easy banter between Caleb and Sam, she thought about William. She missed the easy relationship between them, the way his eyes lit up whenever he saw Nora. But more than that, she missed his sense of humor, the way he appreciated everything they did, and the way he made her heart beat out of control with one glance.

  But thinking about how much she missed him wouldn’t achieve anything. He had decided to return to Bozeman, and there wasn’t anything she could do to change his mind.

  Megan wanted to stay in Sapphire Bay. Moving to another town to be closer to her boyfriend brought back too many memories of other relationships that had failed.

  She needed to focus on her career, build a new life for herself and Nora, and have fun—something that had been missing from her life for too long.

  An hour later, everyone sat in front of the Christmas tree. Music filled the living room as they exchanged gifts, oohing and aahing as they unwrapped each present.

  Caleb had given Nora an enormous art set. For Megan, he’d found an heirloom quilt. It would be perfect with the dusky shades of pink in her bedroom.

  “And this is for Nora.” Caleb walked around the tree and handed Nora a large rectangular box. “It’s from William.”

  Megan frowned. If William had hidden the present in her truck, she would have seen it. But it definitely hadn’t been there.

  Caleb sat beside Megan. “William dropped it off on his way to Bozeman.” He reached for another present and handed it to her. “This is for you.”

  A blush heated her face. She hadn’t expected a gift from William. And maybe, after telling him she wanted some time for herself, s
he didn’t deserve one.

  Nora took a card out of an envelope. Her eyes skimmed across the words before she handed it to Megan. “Could you tell me what this says?”

  William’s handwriting was as controlled and steady as he was. She cleared her throat and read the message. “To Nora. Always reach for the stars. Lots of love, William.”

  Nora tore the wrapping paper off the present.

  Her loud gasp made Megan wonder what was inside the box.

  “It’s a model of a spaceship,” she cried. “I saw one just like it in town. William told me that one day I might be able to touch the stars. Can we make it now?”

  Megan looked at the box. With more than two hundred pieces, it wasn’t the type of model you moved between locations. “How about we leave it until tomorrow? We’ll find somewhere special to make it.”

  Nora’s smile disappeared. “I want to make it now.”

  “Megan’s right,” Caleb said. “It would be easy to lose some of the pieces.”

  Nora studied the picture on the outside of the box and sighed. “I guess that’s okay.” She looked at the gift in Megan’s hands. “Are you going to open your present from William?”

  Megan smiled, but her heart was racing. With hands that weren’t quite steady, she peeled the tape off the wrapping paper.

  “What is it?” Nora asked.

  “It’s an apron and a chef’s hat.” She opened the apron and showed Nora the embroidered logo.

  “That’s the same as the stickers we use on the cake boxes.”

  “It is. It’s called a logo. It tells people who made their cake.” She read William’s note and smiled.

  Nora leaned against Megan’s legs. “What does it say?”

  “Happiness is knowing there’s a cake in the oven.”

  Nora giggled. “William loves cake. Can we call him and say thank you for our presents?”

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. He’s spending the day with his dad.”

  “Please. William said we can talk to him whenever we want. He won’t mind. We could ask him if he found our presents.”