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In the end Rosie had managed very little sleep. That tiny flame of doubt was still flickering in her brain, lit by her sister.
She woke feeling as tired as she had when she’d gone to bed. She wished she was waking up with Dan. That was a good sign, surely? If she missed him, then that had to mean she loved him. Those feelings she’d been battling with at the airport seemed to have vanished.
She grabbed her phone to message him, and saw that he’d already sent a message to her.
Miss you, babe.
Her eyes stung as she texted him back.
Miss you, too.
His reply came back instantly.
Hope you’re having fun with your sister.
Not so far, but hopefully today would be different.
Anxious to mend fences, she showered and dressed, made coffee and took one to her sister.
She opened the door and Katie, who had been in the process of removing her pajamas, gasped and grabbed a robe.
“Don’t you ever knock?”
Since when had they knocked? And why was Katie clutching her robe around h
erself as if she had something to hide? It wasn’t as if sharing a bedroom was unusual for them.
“I’m sorry.” The bond between them bruised again, she put the coffee on the nightstand. “I thought you’d want coffee. I’ll meet you in the living room when you’re dressed.”
What was wrong with Katie? Was this because Rosie was marrying a man she hadn’t known for long, or was there more to it than that?
She walked back to the living room, gathered together her outdoor clothes and was tugging on gloves when Katie appeared.
“I didn’t mean to snap. You surprised me, that’s all.” She joined Rosie by the door and pulled on her coat and boots. “Remember when you were little? You’d crawl into bed with me on Christmas Eve and tug open my eyelids to see if I was awake.”
Rosie was relieved her sister seemed back to normal. “Because Mum told us I couldn’t get up and open my stocking until you were awake.”
“So you thought you’d help me.” Katie wrapped Rosie’s scarf around her mouth and nose. “I don’t want you breathing in cold air and triggering an attack.”
Rosie’s love for her sister was threaded with frustration. She hadn’t seen her sister since early in the summer and was surprised Katie couldn’t see how much she’d changed in that time. But maybe it was going to take time. Before she’d met Dan, Katie had always been her first phone call in an emergency. Rosie hadn’t called for anything other than a chat since she’d arrived in the US. She felt stronger. More confident, and she knew that was Dan’s influence.
When they’d spent a few days together, hopefully Katie would see how she’d changed.
“Let’s go. I know Mum and Dad are dying to see you, and I want you to meet Dan’s family. And you’re going to love being out in the forest.” And she couldn’t wait to be alone with Dan. Admittedly it would be on the back of a snowmobile, but it was better than nothing. And maybe he’d pull in somewhere so that they could sneak a few moments alone in the snowy forest. The thought cheered her. “It’s a ten-minute walk along the forest path to Snowfall Lodge, or someone can pick us up if you prefer.”
“Let’s walk.” Katie pulled on her boots and they closed up the tree house, clomped their way down the steps and found the path that led through the trees. “I’ve never been in love, but I might be in love with this place.”
“I fell in love with this place the first time Dan brought me here. The leaves were starting to change color and it was spectacular. I thought it was my favorite season, but now it’s winter.” Rosie stooped to pick up a fir cone. She handed it to her sister. “Snow on the ground. Fir trees. This is how Christmas is supposed to be, don’t you think?”
“Maybe.” Katie turned the fir cone in her hands. “Where are you and Dan going to live when you’re married? Have you talked about it?”
Rosie pushed her hands into the pockets of her coat. They hadn’t talked about it. They hadn’t talked about anything, but to admit that would simply feed her sister’s anxiety. “We’ll stay at his apartment, as we do now.” She hesitated. “I’ll still be coming home to visit. And you can come and stay with me.”
“Sounds good.” Katie pocketed the fir cone. “We’d better see what Mum and Dad are up to.”
They walked through the foyer of Snowfall Lodge, past the enormous Christmas tree and the fire and up the stairs to the top floor.
The dining room seemed to be full of people, and the table groaned under the weight of food.
