Accidental Love (28 page)

"Hrmmphf."

"Come on, it's time to get up. You don't want to waste the whole morning in bed, do you?"

Sleepy green eyes slowly revealed themselves. "What time is it?"

"Eight." The eyes snapped shut and the young woman let out a groan. She pulled the blanket up over her face only to have a stronger hand pull it back down.

"But it's Christmas. You can't sleep in on Christmas." Ronnie hopped off the bed and pushed the portable commode over. "Come on, up and at 'em."

Rose gave one more groan but slowly opened her eyes, deciding Ronnie was entirely too chipper in the mornings…until she realized what morning it was. "Oh God, it's Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas," Ronnie chuckled, pulling the blanket out of the way and laying on her side, using her elbow to prop her head up. "It's a beautiful morning and it would be a crime to let you sleep through it."

"How long have you been up?"

"About an hour and a half."

"I'm surprised you waited this long." Ronnie was about to defend herself when she saw the twinkle in Rose's eyes. She pounced playfully on the smaller woman, the two engaging in a brief tickle fight. "You are ruthless," Rose said when they finally broke apart.

"Well, I guess you're awake now, aren't you? I'll just leave you to take care of business."

"Uh, okay. I'll just be a couple of minutes."

"Sure, just give a shout when you're ready. I'll bring your coffee into the living room. You can drink it and open presents at the same time, can’t you?"

Rose listened carefully until she was certain Ronnie was not coming right back, then she retrieved the small present hidden in the drawer of the night stand. An unexpected fear passed through her. Suddenly, the pen and pencil set she had Karen pick up for her did not seem such a great gift after all. If Ronnie wanted one, she would have had it by now. Maybe she did not like mechanical pencils because she could not bite them. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," she grumbled to herself before setting the gift down on the stand and pushing herself over to the commode.

Fifteen minutes later she was dressed, wearing a light beige shirt Ronnie had insisted on giving her. Rose did not believe for a minute that it was too small for her benefactor, as it hung a good eight to ten inches past her own hips and the cuffs had to be folded over several times before she could see her fingertips. Still, it was given to her by Ronnie, and like the Dartmouth nightshirt, it was something Maria was hard pressed to get away from her long enough to wash.

A final run of the brush through her hair and Rose was ready. She set the present on her lap then covered it with the quilt before calling out. A few seconds later Ronnie appeared. "Ready?"

"I guess so." She forced a smile to her face.
Oh God, please let her like my gift
, she silently prayed as Ronnie helped her into the wheelchair and guided her out of the room.

*******************

The large pile of presents spilling out from under the tree captivated Rose's attention as Ronnie helped her into the sunken level of the living room. Even when she stayed with a family of five one Christmas, the young orphan had never seen so many presents stuffed under the tree. She recognized the large, flowing style of Ronnie's handwriting on all the gift tags. "Is your family coming over today?"

"No. I have to go see Susan's family later, but no one's supposed to be stopping by. Why?"

Why put all their presents under the tree if they aren't stopping over?
Her expression became even more puzzled. "Well, aren't those their presents?" Ronnie gave a short laugh and squeezed her arm.

"No. They're yours."

Rose's eyes grew wide as saucers and for a few seconds she forgot how to breathe.
Mine?
"Yyou mean…?" Giving up on speech, she merely pointed at the presents.

"Yup, they're all for you." Ronnie's brow crinkled. "Is something wrong?"

"N-no…I…" She looked up at the most important person in her life as a pair of tears slid down her face. Rose had to fight to keep her lip from quivering. "I never…all those…for me…" She reached out and was met halfway, enfolded in strong, comforting arms. "Oh Ronnie."

"Shh, I've got you." Ronnie left one arm around Rose's back and used the other to stroke her hair.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking about how many there were. I just kept seeing things I thought you'd like and bought them."

"B-but I only got you one…"

"Shh." She put her fingers to Rose's lips. "It's the thought that counts, not anything else." Wiping away a tear streak with her thumb, Ronnie spoke again. "One gift from you is worth a thousand from anyone else, got that?"

The blonde head moved with a shaky nod. "Can I give you my gift first?"

"You know what…" Ronnie wiped away the other streak from Rose's cheek. "I'd rather wait until after you open your presents. Would that be okay?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." She stood up and reached for the handles of the wheelchair.

"Where are we going?" Rose asked with some surprise when she felt herself moving.

"It's Christmas. You'd be much more comfortable on the couch and I'm tired of kneeling. Come on, we'll sit back and drink our coffees, then open presents."

****************

Rose was just settling on the couch when they heard a crash from behind the tree. "What the…?" Ronnie exclaimed. She got her answer a second later when Tabitha came tearing out from under the tree and raced into the kitchen. Before either could speak, the orange and white blur returned and dove back into the mountain of presents.

"What's wrong with her?" Rose asked, concerned. "I've never seen her move so fast before."

"I think…" Ronnie crossed the room, knelt down, and began moving presents out of the way.

"Yup…Tabitha, you greedy little girl." She moved back to let the younger woman see. The cat was lying on her back, batting at an ornament ball dangling above her. "Your little baby there got into her Christmas present." She reached in to retrieve the package only to have her wrist caught between Tabitha's front legs. "Don't you even think about clawing me," she warned while slowly trying to pull her hand back. Soft paws revealed their weapons, the claws pressing against her skin until she stopped moving. Tabitha looked up at her for a second, then began purring and licking Ronnie's wrist. "Miss Grayson, I do believe your cat is stoned out of her mind." She pulled out the bag of catnip. It was still wrapped in festive green paper, except for the prominent piece missing where it had been chewed into.

"You put catnip under the tree?"

"Yeah but it was in a plastic bag and wrapped in paper."

Rose smirked and shook her head. "Ronnie, they can smell catnip a mile away. Tabitha. Tabitha?

Come here, honey."

The cat moved three steps before falling into a lump on the carpet and cleaning herself.

"I don't think she's going anywhere, Rose."
Enough of this. I want you to open presents.
She reached over and picked up a shirt box wrapped in silver paper. "Since I'm over here anyway, let's start with your first present." She returned to the couch and handed it over, trying hard to control her enthusiasm and excitement.

Small fingers ran over the fancy paper and red bow. "It's almost too pretty to open."

"It's just wrapping paper. Open it," she urged.
Come on, open it up and see what I got you.
A smile akin to a child's grew on Ronnie's face.

Rose looked around. "There's no place to throw the paper away."

"Toss it on the floor. I'll pick it up later. Open it!" Ronnie scooted over until she was on the cushion next to the younger woman.

"I can't toss it on the floor." Her fingertip traced the bold writing on the gift tag.

"But…" Ronnie looked around, frowning when she did not find anything suitable in sight. "I'll be right back." She hopped off the couch and went into the kitchen. Rose listened to the sound of cupboards opening and shutting, followed by drawers. There was a muttered curse followed by

"There it is." A few seconds later Ronnie returned, shaking the garbage bag open. She handed it to Rose and returned to the adjoining cushion, tucking her bare feet up underneath her thighs.

"Okay. Now open it."

The young woman looked from the present to Ronnie. "Thank you."

"You don't even know what it is yet."
Hurry up and open it.
Rose slipped her fingernail under the tag and carefully separated it from the package, setting it on the side table. Another pass and one corner flap opened. "Just tear it," Ronnie growled playfully. "Or we'll be here until next Christmas."

Rose looked at the beautiful package, her friend's overly excited face, then at the present again. Small fingers curled beneath the open flap and with a quick tug tore a large strip of paper away. A few more rips and the box was opened to reveal a rust colored shirt. She picked it up by the shoulders and held it out to look at it. "Oh! That's very nice."

"Do you like it?"

"Oh yes, absolutely." Rose looked at the length of the sleeves, noting they were a perfect match to her shorter arms. "I won't have to fold over the cuffs."

"Of course not. I made sure to get the right size." Ronnie smiled proudly. "Do you like the color?"

"Very much."

"It matches your eyebrows. I bet you'll look great in it."

Rose turned the shirt this way and that, nodding with agreement. It was, quite simply, terrific and she couldn't wait to wear it. She folded it up and handed it to Ronnie, who set it on the empty cushion at the end of the couch. The trash was moved out of the way and another present retrieved from under the tree…

*******************

Rose forced the last piece of wrapping paper into the already overstuffed trash bag and wiped another happy tear from her cheek. "You really are amazing, you know that?"

"I'm glad you think so," Ronnie responded with a warm smile. It had been a day full of tears and smiles from Rose and the executive could not have been happier. "Those are the only things I wasn't sure about." She gestured with her hand at the pair of blue and white sneakers on Rose's lap. "I can take them back if they're too big."

"No, they're perfect."

"Great." Ronnie reached over and picked them up, then looked around for an empty place to put them. The cushion was piled high with clothes and the coffee table was littered with software programs and various other items. She went to set them on the carpet but Tabitha came running over. "Oh no you don't." In the end the sneakers were placed on top of the pile of sweaters.

Rose gave a short sniff and blinked several times before moving her hand beneath the afghan. "I guess it's time for your gift now. I'm sor…"

"No, wait." Ronnie jumped off the couch. "There's one more. Don't go away, I'll be right back."

Fingering the thin bow on the gift in her lap, Rose let her gaze settle on the pile of clothes. A fresh tear rolled down her face, causing a frown to cross the blue-eyed woman's face upon her return. "You know, it wasn't my intention to make you cry." She resumed her position on the couch only inches away from Rose.

That earned a chuckle. "I'm just a bit overwhelmed, I guess," Rose replied, haphazardly wiping the salty drops off her cheeks. "I've never gotten so many things at Christmas ever." She looked around, still amazed at the multitude of presents piled about. "I just can't…" Rose looked down at her lap and shook her head. "Listen to me, I make it sound like my life was straight out of Oliver Twist." She took the offered linen handkerchief.

"Of course you don't," Ronnie said softly. "Come on, let me give you your last present and then you can give me mine." She set the jewelry box in Rose's hands.

"Oh…oh my." The young woman's hand began shaking only to be steadied by a much larger one wrapping around hers.

"Open it," came the whisper near her ear. "It's okay, it won't bite." After a few seconds, long fingers pried the box open to reveal its contents.

Rose stared in amazement at the pendant attached to a thin rope chain. Only an inch and a half long, the white gold had been carefully molded into an exquisite representation of a rose. Tiny emerald and ruby chips made up the petals and leaves while a diamond solitaire rested at the base of the stem. Her lower lip quivered as she touched the pendant reverently with one fingertip.

"Oh Ronnie…it's beautiful," she whispered.

"A rose for a rose," Ronnie said, repeating the slogan that had drawn her to the jewelry in the first place. She took the necklace out of the box and opened the catch. Rose stayed very still as the cool metal touched her skin and Ronnie fastened the chain. "Looks perfect on you."

"It-it's too much, Ronnie. I can't…" She was stopped by a pair of fingers pressing against her lips.

"Rose…" She wiped another tear with her thumb. "I guess Santa should have brought you some handkerchiefs too, hmm?" She dabbed another tear away from Rose's face. "Listen to me. I wanted you to have this."

"But…" Rose looked around. "All these clothes, the programs, the shoes and sneakers and…" Ronnie's fingers silenced her again.

"You deserve nice clothes. You deserve things that fit and look good on you." She took the young woman's chin in her hand and forced her to meet her gaze. "And you deserve to wear something pretty. Now…give me a hug, tell me how much you like it, and give me my present." She said the last part with a playful smile, forcing Rose to smile along with her.

"It's more than pretty, it's wonderful. I love it." The young woman wrapped her arms around Ronnie's neck and pulled her in for a hug. "It's so beautiful," she whispered. "I love it so much, thank you."

"I'm glad."

"You really are my guardian angel, aren't you?" Rose pulled back and looked at her friend, green eyes sparkling with moisture. "You're the best friend anyone could ever have." She reached under the afghan and pulled out the present. "I just wish I had something more to show you just how much you mean to me. Merry Christmas, Ronnie." She nervously handed over the present, a million thoughts flying through her mind. Her anxiety grew as Ronnie slowly removed the gift tag and slipped it in her pocket. "Well, open it."