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“Trying to hang these lights,” she explained, reaching once more for the hook. As she did, the ladder gave another tiny wobble.
“Well, get down from there! That’s what you have me for. You shouldn’t be climbing ladders right now.”
Lacy turned to glance at Derek, who shot her a pointed look before glancing down at her swollen stomach. Begrudgingly, she made her way down the ladder, and when her feet found solid ground once again, she gave him a quick kiss.
“I’m not made of porcelain, you know.” She passed him the string of lights that she’d been working with, and then stepped back so he could try to finish what she had been working on.
“I know you aren’t,” he answered. “But you’re growing something incredibly precious. And you don’t have to do it all yourself. That’s what you have me for.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Lacy waved her hand in dismissal, but the smile that she gave her husband let him know that there was no actual malice behind her words.
She watched Derek as he worked, her heart swelling with love as she rubbed her pregnant stomach. Lacy directed him on where to string the lights, telling him the vision she had for the decorations for the upcoming Christmas party. There was so much left to do to get St. Nick’s Place ready for the people that would come streaming in for the holiday festivities. She knew that if Derek had his way, he would wrap her in bubble wrap and have her stay still until their daughter was born. But sitting still wasn’t in her nature.
She gave Derek a few, additional adjustments for the lights, and when he climbed down, he wrapped his arms around the small of her back and they stood to look around the space. Even after all this time, Lacy still couldn’t believe that St. Nick’s Place was hers. After she had found out the truth about her grandfather, she had felt so connected to this house and to Snowy Pine Ridge, and she adored the home and the life that she and Derek had created there.
They broke apart, taking a few steps back to admire their handiwork. The lights they had just finished twinkled above them merrily, weaving back and forth across the ceiling. Garland wrapped around the staircase banister on the far end of the hall, with giant poinsettia blooms nestled inside the greenery. Mistletoe hung in doorways and in intervals throughout the space. Lacy reached down and grabbed Derek’s hand, threading their fingers together and leading him through to the other rooms.
In the main ballroom, there was sprayed, fake snow misting the gilded mirrors. Red Christmas balls hanging from transparent wire dangled from the ceiling at varying lengths. And at the far end, a large, fluffy Christmas tree that was just begging to be decorated.
“Not too shabby,” Derek mused.
A sharp, swift movement in her belly grabbed her attention and Lacy let out a gasp.
“Derek!” she exclaimed as she brought her hand to her stomach, feeling around for another sign of movement.
“What? What is it?” Derek’s eyebrows were raised, and a look of worry flashed across his face.
“The baby,” Lacy explained as a wide, happy smile tugged at her lips. “She kicked.”
She reached forward and grabbed Derek’s hand, bringing it to her protruding stomach. The baby kicked again, right underneath the pressure of Derek’s palm. They held each other’s eyes as joy bounced between them. And Lacy couldn’t imagine anything being more perfect than that moment.
CHAPTERTHREE
Colette laughed heartily as the large husky laid down with a harumph across her lap, and she stuck her hands into the dog’s thick, warm fur.
“Oh, Bart,” she said with a sigh as the dog glanced at her lovingly. “What are we going to do with our time now?”
Bart’s tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth, making Colette laugh again. Over the last couple of days, the boxes and items that wouldn’t be remaining in the home had all been moved into storage, and Colette had scrubbed everything from top to bottom.
There was a room that Emma had wanted to paint, and a couple odds and ends to finish up. But other than that, the to-do list for the main house had dwindled down to almost nothing. And all of the free time was making Colette go a little stir crazy.
To help herself pass the time, she’d taken to coming out to her cousin’s dog sled company and spending time with the huskies. Being surrounded by their energetic, fluffy bodies had been the highlight of her day, and it also helped to make her feel like she was actually doing something.
The sound of the door to the kennel opening and closing had Colette pushing herself off the floor. Tufts of Bart’s white fur clung to her dark jeans, and she tried to brush it off before deeming it a lost cause. Bart sat on his haunches, watching her and panting. The other dogs were out playing in the snow, and Colette had been glad when Bartholomew had come in to visit her.
Walking through the spacious kennel that had been decorated for each individual dog, and with Bart trotting along at her heels, Colette made her way toward the office workspace at the front of the building. She pushed open the large, wooden door and took a peek into the room beyond. A heavily pregnant Lacy was rifling through papers that sat on the desk, and her head popped up at the sound of the door opening.
“Oh! Hi, Colette,” Lacy said as her face broke out into a wide, welcoming grin. “Derek didn’t tell me you were coming today.”
“Just needed a little bit of time with the dogs. Getting my mind off of things, you know.”
Lacy nodded at Colette’s words as the two women closed the distance between them, wrapping each other in a warm, welcoming embrace. The hug was made difficult by Lacy’s stomach, and they both laughed as they maneuvered themselves into the correct position.
“How are you doing, by the way?” Lacy asked when they finally drew away from each other.
“There are ups and downs. I’m doing okay today, though,” Colette answered, and Lacy gave her arm a sympathetic squeeze.
“I know I’ve told you this about a thousand times, but if you need anything, just let us know. From Derek or from me.”
