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Rissa scrambled to a sitting position with a huge smile on her face.
He sat and handed her the box. “I know it’s not traditional to wrap the box, but I thought you’d like an extra Christmas present to open.”
She laughed. “I don’t need any presents at all, Burke. I’ve got everything I’ve ever wanted.”
He shook his head and kissed her lightly. She might not need them, but he wanted to make up for the years she hadn’t had a single gift. Her joy in the process proved him right. She traced her finger over the bow and then peeled it off carefully. She stuck it to their headboard with a grin. “That’ll make me smile every time I see it.”
She got such joy in the simplest of pleasures. His mission would be to fill her life with them.
Rissa’s fingers trembled as she opened the paper, then set it to the side to brush her fingers over the velvety box itself.
Burke lifted her hand to kiss it, then popped open the box to face her.
Rissa gasped at the ring and her eyes filled with misty tears. “Burke, it’s exquisite.”
He lifted the ring out. He’d known she would want something she could wear while working, so he’d chosen a circle of diamonds with brilliant blue sapphires spread evenly around the band.
He lifted her trembling hand and slipped the ring on her finger. It was a perfect fit. Amber had somehow figured out the right size. He’d attribute that to the magic of Amber.
Burke kissed her finger and then her lips. “Thank you.”
Her laugh sparkled. “For what?”
“For loving me. For agreeing to marry me.”
“Thanks for asking. We’re going to have the best life, Burke.”
She was right; he’d make sure of it.
Rissa reluctantly pulled her mitten over her engagement ring. Her eyes kept returning to the proof that Burke loved her back. The symbol of their commitment to spend their lives together filled her with joy.
Now, Burke had enlisted her to help him pull off a Christmas surprise.
They slipped out of the farmhouse, and he grabbed her hand with a grin. His glove brushed over her ring, and his smile widened.
He led them to his Blazer, which had a trailer hooked up behind it. He opened the back seat and put the bags holding their Christmas presents inside.
“Where are we going?”
He opened her door and helped her in, then set Frizzle on her lap. He kissed her before going around to his side. When he started up the vehicle, he answered her question. “Not far, but we’re on a secret mission for Santa, and I didn’t want to discuss it outside where anyone could hear us.”
Letting him have his fun, she didn’t ask more questions. He drove to their neighbor Sylvia’s property and pulled up in front of her garage.
When they exited the vehicle, a loud bark had Frizzle’s ears perking up.
Squirrel, a floppy-eared fuzzball, bounced their way with a huge smile on his face. Behind him, Sylvia waved. “Merry Christmas!”
They returned the greeting, while Frizzle scrambled down to play with the excitable goldendoodle. The two bounced in circles around each other for a few moments, making the humans laugh. When they went into their sniffing routine, Sylvia unlocked the garage door. “Your Santa gifts are inside.”
The boxes weren’t wrapped, but they would have been easy to identify anyway. “You bought skis for everyone?”
Burke grinned at her. “Santa let me know where to pick up the gifts for everyone, that’s all. Have you ever skied?”
She shook her head. “I’ve never tried it.”
He handed her a box. “I hope you’ll like it. We should be able to make trails through the entire orchard.”
Which meant they were cross-country skis, not downhill. That had to be easier. “Maybe we could record a lesson teaching people how to cross-country ski and how to get started. I don’t know anything about the equipment or the process.”
