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“Take a seat,” he said, his authoritative side taking over. Eden sat down in one of the hardback chairs and gingerly placed her hand on the table. Brady took a seat next to her, quickly examining the reddened area. He reached for her hand, feeling a rush of satisfaction when she didn't pull away. Something hovered in the air between them. A low hum of awareness he hadn't experienced with a woman in quite some time. Eden seemed aware of it too, judging by the way her expressive eyes widened and her cheeks took on a flushed appearance. As soon as he'd finished bandaging her up, he shot her a gentle smile. “There. That wasn't so bad was it?”
“Thank you,” she said in a soft voice. “The cream is taking out the sting.”
There was something on her face—a twinge of sadness perhaps—that made him want to reach out and clasp her hand tightly in his own. But he knew instinctively Eden wouldn't take too kindly to that type of gesture. As it was she'd initially rebuffed his attempts to examine her hand. He was grateful she'd allowed him to help her at all. Something told him she didn't allow people to get close to her very often.
A memory tugged at him, one that went back all the way to childhood. The candy canes. Eden and her three best friends. They'd done everything together...set up lemonade stands, built forts, went horseback riding at the Diamond R Ranch. Had she still remained tight with those girls? They were actually women now, even though they’d all been kids the last time he'd seen them. Pastor Polk’s daughter had been one of them. Christine Polk. And her cousin, Bailey. And Tabitha Daily who's family owned the Diamond R Ranch. Tabitha’s older brother Linc had been in his class in elementary school. They'd gone to each other's birthday parties and been in Eagle Scout's together. Somehow over the years Brady had lost touch with all of them.
Try as he might, he couldn't contain his curiosity. “The girls you used to pal around with when we were kids. I think you called yourself the candy canes. Are you all still friends? Do they all still live in Celebration?”
Eden looked taken aback at first by the question, but then the beginnings of a smile began to break out across her face. The very sight of it nearly bowled him over. He wasn't sure if Eden had any idea of how a simple smile lit up her face like a thousand Christmas lights. “Yes, we're still friends. I'm surprised you remember the candy canes.”
Some things you simply never forgot. He still had an indelible memory of chasing salamanders down by the creek with Eden. With two pigtails trailing down her back and eyes the same color as his favorite candy caramels, she'd been as sweet as pie.
And he would always remember four young girls running around town handing out candy canes in red and white elf costumes. “Hard to forget four of the prettiest girls in town.”
She bowed her head for a moment, a flush rising to her cheeks. “We became friends in grade school. We called ourselves the candy canes because we came up with the idea of gifting candy canes for the church fundraiser. Pastor Isaiah called us the candy cane girls and it stuck. We shorted it to the candy canes.” The tinkling sound of her laughter made him grin.
“That was the four of you who came up with the idea? I loved that tradition. It always made me feel so great when I received one. And I seem to remember giving out a few myself to a cute little tomboy with pigtails.” He smiled at Eden, letting her know none-too-subtly he was talking about her.
“I remember,” she said in a soft voice. “Those days were so joyful and innocent. All we thought about were our Christmas wish lists and presents and stockings and candy canes.” She shook her head. “Sometimes I wish I could go back in time just so I could relive those moments. And they stopped doing the candy cane exchange after a few years. I wish they still did it.”
“Memories are wonderful snapshots, but the good thing is you can create wonderful new Christmas memories. That’s one of the reasons I came back to Celebration. My grandparents are getting on in age and I know time won’t stand still. I want to spend this time with them so we can build memories I can cherish for the rest of my life.”
Eden ducked her head down. She didn’t raise it up for a few moments. When she raised it back up, tears were shimmering in her eyes. “That’s wonderful, Brady. Sometimes memories are all we have to sustain us. I’ve needed the candy canes more than ever in the last few years. They’ve had my back. And I love them for it.”
Brady frowned at her. Curiosity tugged at him. “I hesitate to ask, but did something serious happen?”
“My grandmother died rather suddenly.” She made a choking sound. “Gran and I were involved in a robbery at a restaurant. Gran had a stroke due to the stress of being held at gunpoint. She died right there at the diner in front of me.”
Brady knew the story sounded vaguely familiar. He’d never connected the story to Eden. Surely his mother had told him about it. He frowned, wishing the details were
n't so foggy. When the story had been relayed to him, he hadn't really thought too much about it, other than that it was terribly sad. At the time his childhood in Celebration had seemed so distant, especially since there were some memories he'd worked really hard to erase from his mind.
“I remember hearing something, but it was just a tidbit my mother passed on to me,” he admitted. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Eden sighed, her petite frame seeming to heave with the effort. Her features were etched in grim lines. “Our lives turned on a dime. Everything changed. It all broke apart.”
“It's understandable why things fell apart,” he said with an encouraging nod. “It must have been hard to wrap your head around what happened to your grandmother.”
Surprise shone in Eden's eyes. “Exactly! It was hard to make sense of why Gran died so suddenly. And under such traumatic circumstances. I’ve asked God why ever since.” Her eyes were filled with uncertainty. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get answers.”
“Have you and your father been able to move forward and grieve her loss?” he asked, curiosity causing him to push a little harder than he should have. Eden reminded him of a wounded deer. Although her vulnerability made him ache for her, from what he'd witnessed so far, she had a tendency to withdraw or to reject any overtures. Perhaps her grandmother’s tragic death was responsible for the air of reserve that shrouded her. If so, it was perfectly understandable. The loss of a loved one was brutal. The loss of a family member due to a violent crime had to be traumatic and agonizing.
“We've been doing better lately, although with Christmas coming it’s gotten difficult. Christmas was Gran’s favorite time of year. I don’t know if you remember, but she always went way overboard decorating the house. She would light it up so people could spot it for miles.” Eden shook her head and laughed. “And she had all these traditions. Putting holly over the doors and making her own wreaths to put on the front door. Most of all, she had the most fabulous collection of stars for the top of the Christmas tree. And one year she bought me my very own star. I still have it somewhere. Maybe it’s up in the attic. I haven’t looked for it in a long time.”
“I do remember how festive your house always looked,” Brady said as an image of a larger-than-life Santa Claus perched on their roof flashed into his thoughts. “Your family always had the extra Christmas cheer.”
“We did.” She let out a sigh. “So much of it was Gran’s doing. She had so many Christmas traditions. And she injected everything she did with such love and care. I miss that so much.”
Another loud bang echoed in the front of the house. Eden frowned. “It sounds like someone's at the door.” Brady jumped up from the table, letting out a groan as he did so. He'd totally forgotten about calling the tow service this morning. Someone from Lou's Auto Shop was supposed to swing by Eden's house and take him back into town, as well as hauling his car back to the shop.
“I think that's the tow service,” he said. He followed Eden as she began moving towards the front of the house. Grabbing his coat and belongings, he said, “Well, I suppose the next time we'll see one another is in a few hours at the Country Vet. I'll be there as soon as I get back to the house and finish getting myself cleaned up.” He scratched the side of his face, his fingers scraping against his slight five o'clock shadow. “You'll have to show me the lay of the land.” He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “And I want to know the lowdown on all the difficult pets...and their owners.”
Eden begin to giggle. The sheer musicality of her laugh made him want to do a little victory dance right there on her doorstep. It was the first time he'd heard her signature laugh in two decades. Not just a slight chuckle either. She'd been tickled all the way down to her funny bone about what he'd said. “I think I'll let you figure that out for yourself. Don't want to scare you away before you even have your first day on the job.”
“Thank you for your hospitality. It was mighty gracious of you to allow me to hunker down for the night. Please tell Sheriff Lassiter I said goodbye.” Even though he was now retired, Eden's father would always be Sheriff Lassiter to him. As a child he'd always respected and admired the tough, no-nonsense lawman.
“You're welcome, Brady,” Eden said, her flushed cheeks lending her a warm glow. “I'll see you in a little bit.”
