"Hmm?"
"Have you heard from Slade?"
Carroll shook her head. "Not yet."
"Where do you suppose he is?" Christy leaned against Carroll and gave a forlorn sigh.
"Honey, he has a job, remember? He'll be back." Maybe.
"When?"
"I don't know."
"The play's in six days."
Carroll gave her a swift hug. "He knows that."
Four days later, Kris sat perched on the corner of her desk. "What have you heard from Slade?"
"Nothing. Why?"
He gave an elaborate shrug. "No reason."
"Come on, Kris."
He shrugged again. "The day after tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and he's going to take care of the lights."
Carroll's sigh was slightly ragged. "I don't know what to say."
Kris patted her shoulder and bounced to his feet. "Too bad he missed the second batch, but he'll be back in plenty of time," he assured her.
"Sure." If we're lucky.
"Mom!" Christy bounced into the office, her face flushed with excitement. "Look what they just brought from Patty's flower shop!" She held a white box in either hand. "This one's yours." Her blue eyes snapped with excitement. "And this one's for me."
Carroll held her box with fingers that shook. "You first," she said, smiling as Christy tore open the lid.
"Oh, look! Isn't it gorgeous?" She lifted a small-corsage with a crimson tulip decorated as a bell. "There's a card, too." She lifted a glowing face. "It's from Slade, 'for the star of the show tomorrow night.'"
Carroll opened her box and stared down at a delicate white orchid. The card said simply Save me a seat.
That was all it said, but it meant so much more. And she knew-no, she believed-that he meant every word.
She handed the box to Christy and said urgently, "Honey, put these in the fridge. I have to run into town for a minute."
Christy's eyes grew even brighter. "For more presents?"
Carroll nodded, grinning. "This one's for Slade."
The morning of Christmas Eve, Carroll held her cup of tea and looked out at the empty carport. Robe-clad and yawning, Kris and Christy shuffled in, heading straight for the window. They both turned at the same time, alarm widening their eyes.
"He isn't here," they said in unison.
This time there was no hesitation, no qualification.
"He will be," she said in a serene voice.
Later that morning, Kris received a telephone call. It was a measure of his concern that he answered without complaint. Two minutes later he charged out of the house, calling that he would see them at the play.
Later still, when Carroll drove Christy into town and parked by the playhouse, they saw that the marines had landed. Mac, Red and the rest of them, under Kris's supervision, were doing something with the lights.
Carroll hugged Christy. "Good luck, darling."
"Mother! You're supposed to tell me to break a leg."
"I'm afraid to." She tapped the cast with a grin. "You'll be wonderful." She hurried away to join the audience.
The show was just beginning when Slade eased into the seat beside her and reached for her hand. She felt the tension emanating from him and asked, "Is everything all right?"
"Keep your fingers crossed," he whispered, then settled back with a satisfied grin. He did ask one question during intermission. "What is Christy's legal name?"
A peculiar expression crossed Carroll's face. "Why?"
"Just wondering. A point of reference, you might say."
"She made me promise not to tell anyone."
"I'll take a vow of silence if I have to. Just tell me."
She swallowed. "Christmas Stilwell."
Slade's eyes closed briefly, and he muttered, "I might have known."
Thirty minutes later, with the sound of Christy's, "God bless us, everyone!" still ringing in the room, Slade jumped to his feet and led the enthusiastic applause.
As the audience straggled outside, they went backstage to collect Christy. Beside herself with excitement, she hugged Slade and announced, "I'm going to be an actress."
"You already are." He rumpled her hair. "A good one, at that." Glancing swiftly at his watch, he said, "Come on, we've got to get outside."
"Slade?" She looked at him anxiously. "Are the lights going to go on for Kris?"
He squeezed her hand. "I don't know," he said honestly. "But you know Kris. He believes in miracles. Anything can happen."
"He believes in people," Christy said firmly, clutching his hand.
When they joined the crowd outside, Carroll winced. "Oh no. Look over there."
Slade's gaze followed hers, settling on a man wielding a minicam and a woman with a microphone talking to Tom Miller. "So they got their TV coverage. Let's hope it's worth their trip up here." He swung Christy up in his arms so she could get a better view.
The crowd looked at the digital clock on the bank across the street and began a soft countdown. "Ten, nine, eight… "
"Slade," Carroll began, then stopped when he draped his arm around her shoulders and tugged her closer. "Thank you for the flowers."
"Five, four, three… "
He looked down and smiled.
"Two, one!"
Tears stung Carroll's eyes as a glorious profusion of color flowered to life around them. Lights glistened and glowed, illuminating the entire town. They came on, and they stayed on.
Christy turned an awed face to Slade. "I bet we could light up the whole world."
He groaned and tightened his arm around her. "Don't mention that to Kris. Please."
Carroll nudged him. "How did you do it?"
Shaking his head, he said simply, "I didn't. We can thank the U.S. Marines."
Her brows rose. "Oh?"
"I told them the problem, and they decided they could use a little positive PR. They donated the use of a diesel generator, and the boys volunteered to do some rewiring." He smiled complacently and nodded toward the minicam. "Tom should be telling the world about it right now."
The church choir softly sang "Joy to the World," and soon everyone joined in. Carroll wiped a bit of moisture from her cheek, then dabbed at the tip of her nose. She blinked and looked around her. It was. It really was!
She looked up, her eyes meeting Slade's. He grinned ruefully and shook his head.
It was snowing.
Right on schedule, Kris drove down the street, booming greetings to one and all. The hay wagon did indeed look like a sleigh. Rudolph and Blitzen, mercifully, did not look like reindeer. Eleven grinning marines sat among the pile of presents.
When Santa parked his sleigh, Slade handed Christy up to one of the marines, then found a quiet spot for himself and Carroll to watch.
"I didn't put my gift on the sleigh," he told her quietly.
"I didn't, either."
They reached into their coat pockets, and each of them brought out a small box. When they exchanged them, Slade said, "You first."
It was a ring, a solitaire diamond, sparkling and darting, reflecting the dazzling lights all around them.
"Will you marry me, Carroll? Will you trust me to love you the way you should be loved? Will you-"
She stopped his words with her fingers. "First, open your present."
He lifted the lid. Taking out a small enamel pin, he said, "A dove?"
She shook her head, smiling uncertainly. "It was as close as I could come to a homing pigeon. It's silly, I guess, but I wanted to tell you that I know you'll always come back."
He slid the ring on her finger, and they both looked up to see Christy watching, doing an awkward jig in the crowded sleigh. Carroll threw her arms around his neck and tugged, bringing his mouth down to hers. Hunger and trust and love blended in the brief kiss.
Behind them, her voice shrill with excitement, Christy called, "God bless us, every one!"
Holding Carroll tight against him, Slade asked, "How do you feel about Harold if the first one's a boy?"