Christmas In Silver Bell Falls (16 page)

Epilogue

Josiah couldn’t help the anticipation he was feeling.  Melanie was coming back from North Carolina today and if he timed it right, he was going to be arriving back at the cabin around the same time she was.

She was coming home.

To Silver Bell Falls.

Yeah, that made him grin like a loon and it felt great. 

He turned onto the winding driveway that led to the cabin and felt like his heart was going to beat right out of his chest when he saw Melanie’s car in the driveway with the U-Haul trailer behind it. 

Two months ago she had told him she loved him and the simple fact that she was here just proved it all the more.  After Christmas she had put her house in Raleigh up for sale and her father had handled most of the arrangements for it.  And then, true to her word, she left Silver Bell Falls and contacted her grandmother’s attorney to get the land signed over to him.  Being that he planned on the two of them getting married, it was almost a moot point.

The property would be theirs together no matter what.

Pulling up beside her, he quickly rounded the car and gathered her up in his arms and spun her around before kissing her like he was a dying man and she was a feast.  Luckily she seemed to feel the same way as him and before he knew it, he had her backed against the trailer ready to give the world a show!

Whispering his name between kisses, Melanie finally pulled away a bit.  “I missed you so much,” she said breathlessly.

“It was too long.  Too damn long.”  And then he was kissing her again.

Melanie put a hand on his chest and gently pushed him away.  “It was only ten days.”

“Ten of the longest days of my life.”  He was breathless and turned on and he wanted nothing more than to take her inside and make love to her, but he could tell she had something on her mind.  “What’s going on, Mel?  Is everything all right.”

She chewed nervously on her bottom lip as she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out an envelope.

“What is it?” he asked.

“I got it yesterday before I got on the road.  It’s from my grandmother.”

Josiah looked at her like she was crazy.  “How…how is that even possible?”

“She wrote it before she died—at the same time she wrote her will.  Her attorney sent it to me.”

“Have you read it yet?”

She shook her head.  “I’m a little afraid to.”

Pulling her close, he hugged her and placed a kiss on the top of her head.  “It’s okay.  You’ll read it when you’re ready.”  He let out a breath and did some mental calculations.  “Tell you what, it’s starting to get dark out so why don’t we move as much of this stuff as we can into the cabin and then we’ll have some dinner.  What do you think?”

“Please tell me we’re going to get some takeout!” she chuckled.  “There’s no way I am up to cooking anything tonight.”

“Don’t you worry,” he said, kissing her again simply because he couldn’t help himself. “It’s already cooking and it should be done by the time we’re ready.”

She looked up at him in surprise.  “You cooked dinner?  Really?”

He tickled her ribs until she cried uncle.  “Don’t sound so surprised!  I’ve cooked dinner for us plenty of times.  It’s nothing fancy, just some crockpot chili, but it will do.”

“Oooh…I love crockpot chili.  Thank you.”  She smiled up at him and then walked over to the back of the trailer and unlocked it.  “You ready?”

He nodded.

Three hours later the trailer was empty, dinner was done and they were seated on the couch in front of a roaring fire. 

“Welcome home, Melanie,” he said softly, his arm around her, his head resting on top of hers.

Beside him, Melanie sighed.  “It’s good to be home.”

****

It was two in the morning and Melanie couldn’t sleep.  Beside her, Josiah was sound asleep.  Carefully, she rose from the bed and put on her robe before tiptoeing out to the living room.  Everything was dark and the fire had long since gone out.  With her heart hammering in her chest, Melanie walked over to the front closet and reached into her coat pocket and pulled out the envelope that had her grandmother’s letter in it. 

Slowly, she walked over to the sofa, turned on the small lamp beside it and opened the envelope.  She took a steadying breath.  “You can do this,” she sighed and began to read.

To my dear Melanie,

I am sure this letter is a bit of surprise for you.  After all, I didn’t reach out to you while I was alive, so why would you expect a letter once I was gone?  I want you to know how sorry I am.  Sorry that I was prideful.  Sorry that I was spiteful.  And most of all, I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you like I should have been.  I let the disagreement with your father affect our relationship and that never should have happened.  You were an innocent victim in the whole thing and I wish there were a way to go back and change that.

If you’re getting this letter, it’s because you declined the property in Silver Bell Falls.  I really wish you would have reconsidered.  It’s a truly amazing place.  Some of the greatest memories of my life have to do with taking your father there when he was a child.  There’s nothing quite like a Christmas in Silver Bell.  I had many friends there and I had always hoped that someday those friends would be your friends too.  Maybe they’d be able to tell you about a side of your old grandmother that you didn’t know existed.

And maybe you’d see that I wasn’t such a cold-hearted person. 

I made many mistakes in my life, Melanie, and it’s a hard thing when you come to the end of your life and realize all of them and know that there isn’t enough time to make them right.  My hope was that you’d go to Silver Bell.  The sheriff there, Josiah Stone, is an amazing young man.  When I got to know him, in the back of my mind I imagined him being the kind of man who would make a good husband for you. 

You see, you may think that I didn’t know you, but I did.  I always kept track of where you were and what you were doing.  That probably makes me more of a coward since I didn’t come and see you for myself.  I won’t make any excuses to you—I was wrong and I know it.  I just want you to know that I am very proud of the woman you grew up to be and if time had allowed it, I would have told this all to you in person.  But my time is coming to an end.  I always thought there’d be more of it—time, opportunities.  I was wrong about that and so many things.  I hope that someday you’ll be able to forgive me and think of me with a little less anger and maybe even a little understanding.

I wish you nothing but love and happiness, my dear granddaughter.  And should you ever need a place to call home, I hope you’ll consider going to Silver Bell.

All my love, Grandma

Tears were streaming down Melanie’s cheeks.  She re-read the letter another three times.  When she looked up, Josiah was standing in front of the sofa looking sleepy and rumpled and so damn good to her that all she could do was stand up and wrap her arms around him.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.

She shook her head.  “I finally read her letter.”

He didn’t say a word.  He just held her. 

She cried as if her heart were broken, and in a lot of ways, it was.  Melanie lost track of time and when she finally lifted her head and looked up at Josiah, he cupped her face and used his thumbs to wipe away some of her tears.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Rather than answer, she picked up the letter and handed it to him.  They sat down on the sofa and snuggled together as he read it.  When he was done, he let out a low chuckle.  “Son of a gun,” he murmured.

“She was trying to set us up,” Melanie said.

He nodded.  “She never even told me she had a granddaughter.”  He paused.  “I’m not saying that to make you feel bad, it’s just…”

“It’s okay,” she interrupted.  “It’s not important.  Not anymore.”

For a long time, he just sat there and held her.  “I wish I knew what to say.”

“Just tell me you love me.”

“You know I do,” he said, his voice barely a whisper.

She knew he was tired.  She was too.  Slowly, she disengaged from his arms and stood up, holding out a hand to him.  “Come on.  Let’s go back to bed.”

He stood with her hand in his, but he didn’t move.  When she looked up at him questioningly, he said, “I’m thankful for her.  I know you may not want to hear that, but I am.  You’re here with me now and she had a hand in that so for that fact alone, I’ll always be thankful to her.”

Melanie gave him a small smile.  “Believe it or not, I am too.”

“Welcome home, Melanie,” he said and drew her back into his arms.

“It’s good to be back in Silver Bell with you,” she replied and with a soft kiss, she led him back to bed.

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