A Christmas Spark (Hudson House Holiday #2)

Chapter Eleven

“G o, Dori!” Kase cheered as the sled Dori was riding edged ahead of the one Sarah rode. The two girls were racing toward the bottom of the sledding hill.

“Are you cheering against your sister, or for that beautiful girl?” Uncle Denver asked as he settled a hand on Kase’s shoulder.

“Both,” Kase said, grinning at his uncle.

Uncle Denver laughed. “It’s good to see you out here, Kase. Have you gone down the hill yet?”

“No. I’d like to, but climbing that hill is going to be more than I can manage.”

“I see,” his uncle said, then hurried off without another word.

Kase turned his attention back to Dori and Sarah. His sister glanced over her shoulder and inadvertently steered right into a snowbank.

Everyone laughed as snow sprayed in her face, leaving Dori to reach the finish line first.

Kase chuckled and waved at Dori as she hopped off the sled, then hurried over to check on Sarah. When Sarah wiped her face on Dori’s coat sleeve, they both started to laugh and continued giggling as they started back up the hill.

The annual New Year’s Eve party was off to a grand beginning. Twenty people had arrived that morning to help add the final touches to the decorations in the carriage house where the dinner and dance would be held that evening.

After a simple lunch of potato soup simmered with carrots and chunks of smoky bacon, warm bread, and an assortment of cookies, everyone bundled up to go sledding and ice skating.

Kase wished he could join in the fun, but he knew he couldn’t hike back up the sledding hill and still be able to attend the dance that evening. At the moment dancing with Dori seemed far more important than playing in the snow. He could probably ice skate, but if he fell on his injured leg, he’d likely spend the rest of the day in his bed in pain. Although he hadn’t danced with anyone for years, and wasn’t even sure he could, he needed to dance with Dori this evening.

He’d positioned himself at the top of the hill where he could help the younger sledders get their sleds and toboggans heading in the right direction. He gave pushes to those who asked for one.

Although it wasn’t the same as the thrill of riding a sled down the hill, Kase was enjoying himself. He could watch everything happening, talk to his relatives and friends, and keep an eye on Dori all at the same time.

She looked adorable wearing a long blue belted sweater with a pair of short wool pants he was sure belonged to one of his younger cousins. The boots she wore laced halfway up her calves, something likely also borrowed. A red-and-white stocking cap, perched at an angle that almost covered her right eye, matched the scarf she’d wound around her neck and the snow-caked mittens on her hands.

If he didn’t know better, he might have mistaken her for one of the boys, but the curves beneath that sweater said otherwise.

“Give us a push, Kase. Please?” Greta asked as she and Uncle Austin’s two daughters settled onto a long toboggan.

“A big push or a little one?” Kase asked, waiting until the girls were all settled to grab on to the back of the toboggan.

“Big!” Greta said, then she and the girls screamed as he gave them a hefty push that sent them sailing down the hill.

As he gave his cousins and friends pushes, he kept an eye on Dori and Sarah. They’d made it to the top of the hill and were sitting on one of the straw bales placed around for people to rest on, laughing at something Denver’s son said to them.

Kase might have been jealous of the way Dori smiled at his cousin, but Danny had a sweetheart who would be at the ball that night.

“Kase!” he heard someone call and glanced around. “Kase! Down here!” He looked to the bottom of the sledding hill and saw Uncle Denver on the back of a horse. He had a length of rope shook out, holding it in his hand. “I’ll pull you back up to the top.”

The reasons why he shouldn’t ride down the hill popped around in his mind like kernels of corn in a hot skillet, but he ignored them, grabbed a sled with handles he could steer, and flopped onto his belly.

“Our turn to send you flying,” said Danny as he and their cousin Jackson gave the sled a hefty shove.

Kase laughed as the sled sailed down the hill. It hit a bump and coasted on air before it landed with a thud and continued on a downward path. He was still laughing when he turned the sled so it would slow to a stop and stood, raising a fist in victory.

“Tie the rope to the sled, and I’ll pull it to the top,” Uncle Denver said, tossing him the end of the rope.

“Are you sure you won’t kill me? Mama would be put out if you did anything to ruin the party today.” Kase smirked at his uncle and tied the rope to the front of the sled, leaving a length for him to hang on to.

“She’d shoot me on sight for that. The way she’s standing up there with her fists planted at her sides makes me think I’ll get an earful from her as it is.” Uncle Denver winked at him. “Better make the ride worthwhile.”

“Yeehaw!” Kase yelled when Uncle Denver clucked to the horse and it raced back up the hill. The sled skidded one way, then the other, but Kase held on, thrilled with the excitement that coursed through him.

When they reached the top of the hill, Dori and Sarah flanked Holland, all three of them scowling while Brant stood behind them with a wide grin.

Holland pointed a mitten toward Denver. “Are you trying to—?”

Brant stepped in front of her and offered Kase a hand as he rose to his feet. “Make sure everyone has a great time today. It’s a wonderful idea, Denver. Thanks for thinking of it. I’m just sorry I didn’t.”

“Daddy! Pull me up next,” Greta said as she hopped on a sled and whooshed down the hill.

“I’m not wearing out this poor horse retrieving a girl who can walk back up here,” Denver said, swinging off his horse and patting it on the neck. He turned to Kase. “But if you want another ride, let me know.”

“Thanks, Uncle Denver. It was incredible.”

Kase waited until his aunt Serena asked his mother to help with something in regard to the party that evening before he took another sled ride down the hill. When he got to the bottom, his uncle was there to pull him back up to the top.

“Thank you so much, Uncle Denver. It meant a lot to be able to join in the sledding today.” Kase shook his uncle’s hand after he’d gotten to his feet at the top of the hill.

“I’m glad you had fun, Kase. You need to do more of those things that make you happy.” His uncle tipped his head toward Dori as she laughed with Sarah and Aunt Savannah. “Loads more.”

Kase nodded and started toward Dori only to have two of his younger cousins beg him to give them a push down the hill.

The afternoon passed in a blur of activity. Dori and Sarah went ice skating, while Kase helped haul in the centerpieces that had arrived for the party in the carriage house.

By the time he made it back to his room, showered, and shaved, he just had time to don his tuxedo, comb his hair, and tuck a few things in his pockets. As it was, he’d need to hurry if he wanted to be in the carriage house before all the guests started to arrive.

He opened his door and stepped into the hall to see Sarah and Dori admiring each other’s outfits.

“Might I have the honor of escorting two beautiful ladies to the ball?” Kase asked, executing a deep bow before he straightened and held an arm out to each of them.

“You may, kind sir.” Dori offered him a polite nod that made the black plume in the black sequined band fastened around her forehead bob slightly. Her brown hair fell in luxurious waves around her lovely face. She wore makeup this evening, her eyelashes dark and thick, her lips red and soft. He longed to kiss her tempting mouth, to taste the delicious flavor that was uniquely hers, but he’d save that for later if he could get her alone for more than a moment or two.

Both Dori and Sarah were dressed like flappers. He had no idea if his mother had seen or approved of their outfits. Kase assumed Sarah was behind their clothing choice of sleeveless dresses with low waists and skirts that fell in a fringed hem landing a few inches above their ankles. Black satin gloves encased their arms up past their elbows.

Sarah wore a gold satin dress highlighted with black flowers in an art deco pattern embroidered down the front, while Dori’s dress was black silk with an overlay of black lace. The style was simple, but she made it look quite elegant.

Between the two girls, they wore enough strands of pearls, glittery bracelets, and big gaudy rings to make it appear they’d robbed a jewelry store.

“Don’t you need coats?” Kase asked when they reached the side door that was nearest to the stables and the festivities.

“We’ll hurry. Coats will ruin the effect of our ensembles,” Sarah said, grinning at Kase, then rushing out the door. She lifted her skirt and ran toward the carriage house down the path that had been shoveled free of snow then sprinkled with salt to keep ice from forming on it.

Dori looked up at him and smiled. “Sarah’s a little more confident about our attire. Should I change into something more traditional? I don’t want to offend anyone.”

Kase shook his head and kissed her nose. “You are gorgeous, Dorthea, but you’ll freeze if you walk with me.” He removed his tuxedo jacket and draped it around her shoulders, then opened the door and waited for her to precede him outside. He felt the cold stinging his skin through his shirtsleeves, but it didn’t take long to reach the carriage house which was heated and full of people. Sarah had already wrapped her hand around the arm of a boy she’d liked in school, and the guests were beginning to find their seats for dinner.

Dori slid off Kase’s jacket and held it out to him. “That was most kind of you, handsome sir. Thank you.”

Kase shrugged into it, then lifted his chin as Dori adjusted the collar and his bow tie. “Handsome sir, is it?”

“If I add dashing and debonair, it might cause your ego to swell to such enormous proportions the guests would have to evacuate the building.” Dori’s eyes twinkled with mirth as she teased him.

Kase growled at her, and she laughed, gently patting his chest. He placed his hand over hers, then looked down at the large rhinestone ring refracting light on her middle finger. “Where did you get all the baubles?”

“Sarah. She has quite a collection. I suggested one necklace was plenty, but she insisted on piling them on. For tonight, I wanted to humor her.” Dori turned to search the crowd for Sarah. “Now, you must tell me about the handsome fella she’s following like a besotted puppy.”

“That’s Theo Lewis. Sarah had a huge crush on him in high school. It seems she hasn’t yet outgrown it.” Kase placed his hand on Dori’s back and guided her toward a dining table. He had made certain her place card was next to his, and they sat across the table from Dulcie and Denver, with Savannah and Remington on one side of them, and Boston and Serena on the other. Kase might have been ready to attend a party, but he preferred to sit with family who wouldn’t mention the war nor his wound.

His parents entered, and his mother’s gaze went to Sarah’s attention-getting outfit. “Mama will be having words with Sarah about the flapper phase,” Kase whispered in Dori’s ear.

Dori glanced over in time to see Holland glaring at Sarah. “Oh dear,” she said, then nervously glanced down at her outfit. “Perhaps I should change.”

“No. Don’t. Please?” Kase kissed her cheek. “I think you are a spectacular addition to our evening, Dorthea. Don’t let anyone dim your glitter.”

She grinned. “Well, thanks to your sister, we both have plenty of glitter and shimmer tonight.” Dori waggled her hand with the big ring. “At least there are others dressed in similar styles.”

Kase looked around and saw several younger women in flapper-style gowns. The older crowd would wear their tongues out gossiping this evening.

“Let’s take our seats. Dinner will be served soon.” Kase pulled out Dori’s chair and couldn’t help but inhale a breath of her enticing wildflower fragrance. He wondered if she had any idea how much he loved the scent, not just on her, but the appealing aroma that hung in the air when the wildflowers bloomed on the estate in the spring.

He’d barely settled in his chair when a crystal bell was rung, signaling everyone to be seated. His parents walked over to the platform where the band would play, and his father led his mother up the steps.

“Welcome, everyone,” Brant said, smiling at the guests. “We are so pleased to have you here at the Hudson Estate to help us ring in the New Year. Dancing will follow dinner. We’ll have a few games for those who’d like to play, and noisemakers will be passed around just before midnight. Enjoy your evening!”

Brant and Holland waved before they left the podium and took seats at the head table. Kase noticed Sarah sitting there with Theo. He and Dori would have been up there, but he just couldn’t force himself to be in the center of their guests’ attention.

Kase knew his parents understood. His mother had merely patted him on the back when she caught him moving around the place cards earlier.

Dinner was a tantalizing feast featuring beef wellington, duchess potatoes, four different kinds of vegetables, baskets of rolls, and apples stuffed with cinnamon, butter, and sugar and baked until they were tender. Beverages, in addition to water, included coffee, lemonade, or tea.

After the meal was over, staff moved out many of the tables used for dinner and made more room for dancing and mingling.

Kase and several of his cousins jumped in to help. His family had never been the type to stand by and watch the staff work themselves to death if they could lend a hand, so they often did. In bigger social circles, he had no doubt his family would have been snubbed for such behavior, but here in Silver Bluff, it seemed more important to help.

He saw Dori carrying centerpieces to smaller round tables that were being set up along the fringes of the room.

In less than an hour, the room was transformed from a dining hall to a ballroom with glittering-gold and gleaming-black decorations.

Kase couldn’t help but think his sister had planned her and Dori’s outfits to match tonight’s color scheme.

Brant and Holland stepped onto the floor to begin the first song of the evening, then everyone joined in.

Kase and Dori danced to a slow song, and he was ecstatic to discover he could move well enough to keep from tripping or stepping on her toes. They danced to another slow song, then he took a seat at a table with his Grandpa Jack while his cousins took turns dancing the faster-paced songs with Dori. When she swung by with Danny, laughing as they kept up to the energetic song, Kase hated that he couldn’t be the one on the dance floor with her.

“You gonna marry that girl?” Grandpa Jack asked. The question caught Kase so off guard, all he could do was gape at his grandfather. The older man laughed and thumped him on the shoulder. “Hadn’t thought about it, had you?”

In fact, Kase had thought of the possibility multiple times in the past week, but he couldn’t exactly march up to Dori, tell her he loved her more than he’d ever loved anyone after less than a month together, and thought they should get married. She’d think he’d imbibed more than the fruity punch being served at the refreshment table.

“She’s a fine woman, Kase. She’ll make a fine wife and a loving mother. A girl like her doesn’t come along every day, and a smart man knows it when he is fortunate enough to cross paths with her.” His grandfather gave him a long look. “I never, not even once, took you for a dummy.”

Kase grinned at his grandfather. “Thanks, I think. She’s grand, Grandpa Jack, but she’s heading back to college soon. I’m not leaving here. What’s the point in pursuing something that isn’t going to work out?”

His grandfather made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “Last I checked, you weren’t a tree, son. You can pick up and move anytime the notion strikes. If you want a future with that sweet girl, you need to put a little effort into wooing and pursuing her.”

“Wooing and pursuing?” Kase would have rolled his eyes, but he didn’t want to seem disrespectful. “I’m not sure she wants to be wooed or pursued, Grandpa.”

The older man thumped him on the shoulder a second time. “There isn’t a woman alive who doesn’t enjoy a little of either or both from time to time. Your grandmother led me on a merry chase before she finally let me catch her. I have a feeling Dori won’t be all that hard to convince if you put your mind to the effort. In fact, my farmer’s almanac is predicting a full moon tonight. A fellow interested in romancing his girl might just take her somewhere they could see the moon and do a little smooching.”

“Smooching? Along with wooing and pursuing? Do I need to get a piece of paper and take notes?” Kase grinned at his grandfather and took a sip of punch. He wasn’t about to admit his grandfather’s idea was a good one. He could take Dori up to the top turret of the stables. One turret had been built as an observation room of sorts, entirely glassed in, with a circular view of the estate. It would be the perfect spot to see the sky, and maybe steal a kiss or two if the opportunity arose.

Before he could give more thought to plans of pursuing Dori, she appeared and took the chair beside him, fanning a hand in front of her face. “That was fun, but I’m parched.”

“Here.” Kase handed her his half-empty cup of punch.

“Thank you.” She took his cup and drained it, then set it back on the table.

Kase started to rise to get a refill, but Dori hopped up. “I’ll get more. I want to try one of those little spice cakes. May I bring anything for either of you?”

“Cake would be nice, Dori. Thank you,” Grandpa Jack said, smiling at her with a twinkle in his eyes.

“I’ll help you,” Kase said, rising and feeling the aching pull in his leg.

“It’ll just take a minute.” Dori rushed off through the crowd. She returned with a tray he had no idea from where she’d procured it and set it on the table. It held three cups of punch and three plates of spice cake, along with a dish of assorted candies. Grandpa Jack snagged a piece of walnut-studded divinity. Kase took the plate of cake Dori held out to him while eyeing a piece of snow fudge.

“I don’t know who half of these people are. You two need to educate me,” Dori said, looking from Kase to Grandpa Jack.

Kase ate his cake, two pieces of fudge, and drank a cup of punch while his grandfather talked about the families in the area Dori hadn’t yet met and how they were connected to the Hudson Estate.

When Dori finished her cake and punch, and a piece of toffee, Kase stood and held out a hand to her. “Do you think you could tolerate me trouncing your toes again?”

“I believe I have sufficiently recovered from the last dance with you.” Her gorgeous amber eyes sparkled in the lights of the room. He could see humor and affection in their depths.

“You two go on. I’m gonna see if I can woo and pursue some more divinity,” Grandpa Jack said, giving Kase a pointed look.

Kase ignored him and held out an arm to Dori, then waltzed her across the dance floor. When the song ended, he took her hand and led her from the carriage house and up a set of stairs.

“Where are we going?” she asked, as he walked along the hallway that housed the rooms for the male staff.

Kase still had a room there with his things in it, but he planned to clear it out and return all his belongings to his room in the house. He no longer felt the need to hide in the stables all the time, although he intended to continue carving in his workshop. From the reactions to the Santas he’d made this year, he’d need to double his production to meet demand. After Sarah and Dori returned to college, he’d have plenty of time to get started.

“You’ll see,” he said, wanting to surprise her with the view they’d have of the night sky. He entwined their fingers as he opened a door at the end of the hallway and led them up a winding set of stairs to the glass-encased turret. It was chilly there, but not as cold as being out in the open air. When they reached the top of the stairs, Kase removed his jacket and draped it around Dori’s shoulders.

“Wow, Kase! This is incredible.” Dori walked around the small room, taking in the views, then stopped to stare at the big glowing globe of the moon. Reflections of it rippled in the water of the river, making it look like ribbons of silver. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I’ve never seen anyone like you, Dorthea Stanford.” Kase wrapped his arms around her. She looked up at him with such an endearing smile, he felt as though his heart melted right into his feet. “You make me feel so alive, Dori, and your sweet spirit pours light into my heart.”

“Kase, I … You make me feel alive too. Like when I’m away from you I’m walking in the shadows. With you, I feel like the stars are shining in my heart.”

He kissed her tenderly, slowly, in no rush for the moment to end. Dori’s hands slid up his shoulders and he could feel the satin of her gloves against the back of his neck. The kiss deepened with a spark of yearning neither of them could ignore. Around them a burst filled the night followed with the racket of well-wishers ringing in the new year.

Slowly, he raised his head, and Dori shifted so she rested against his side as they watched the fireworks show that filled the river with reflected splashes of color from the overhead explosions. Beneath them in the carriage house, guests toot-tooted tin horns, swung the handles of ratchet-style noisemakers, and rang cowbells painted with the Hudson-flourished H.

Although Kase had worried how he’d react to the noise and fireworks, in the turret with Dori he was able to enjoy them. His thoughts weren’t of war, but of love.

“Happy New Year,” he whispered as he kissed her again, convinced he’d never forget ushering in the new year with delectable Dori in his arms.

“Happy New Year, Kase. May it bring more joy and happiness than your heart can hold.” She kissed his cheek, then took his hand. “We better get back, or someone will come looking for us.”

Dori wasn’t wrong, so they returned to the party in time to help pass out chocolate bars embossed with the Hudson H, wrapped in gold foil, and tied with black ribbon to the departing guests.

When they finally returned to the house to go to bed at nearly two in the morning, Kase tossed and turned, unable to sleep. His grandfather’s words played over in his mind. Could he have a future with Dori, or was it better to let her go?

A week later, Kase was in his workshop, sanding the nose of a Santa he’d carved, still contemplating what to do about Dori when Bobby raced into the room and grabbed his arm, yanking him toward the door.

Kase set the Santa on the workbench, glared at his cousin, and jerked his arm out of Bobby’s grasp. “What’s wrong with you?”

“The girls are leaving. Mama told me to fetch you before you miss saying goodbye to them.”

“What?” Kase asked, hurrying as fast as he could out of the stables toward the house with Bobby beside him. “They didn’t mention leaving this morning at breakfast.”

“Your aunt sent a telegram, inviting them to return a few days early to join her for a shopping excursion before classes begin. They’ve been packing all morning, and Gareth just loaded their things to take to the depot.” Bobby gave Kase’s back an encouraging thump. “Don’t miss your chance, Kase.”

As Kase charged through a side door and weaved through the maze of hallways to the front of the house, he wondered if he’d already missed his chance with Dori. He’d been trying to work up his courage to speak from his heart to the woman he loved, but he’d thought he still had time before she left.

He stepped into the foyer to see Sarah and Dori there with his parents. Sarah was hugging their mother, while Dori shook hands with Brant.

They all turned to look at him as he limped toward them. “You’re leaving. Were you even going to say goodbye?” He spoke to his sister, but the words were meant for Dori. After all they’d shared since she arrived last month, would she really depart without so much as a word of farewell?

“We were going to find you before we left, but Aunt Dulcie said Bobby would fetch you,” Sarah said, giving him a careful hug to keep from getting sawdust on her coat.

Kase hugged her close anyway and kissed her cheek. “Behave yourself and stay out of trouble. I expect to hear you’re at the top of your classes.”

“You can expect all you like, but it doesn’t mean I will be. I’m taking Japanese this semester, and it’s going to be challenging at best.” Sarah pulled back from him and patted his cheek. “I’m so, so happy to have my brother back, Kase. Don’t keep hiding away from life. Promise?”

“I promise to try.” He squeezed her hand, then turned to face Dori. He had no idea how to tell her goodbye. Not when it hurt his heart to know he wouldn’t be able to see her every day. He’d grown so accustomed to her smiling face across the table and spending evenings listening to her laughter in the sitting room or the library.

Foolishly, he thought if he avoided thinking about the day she’d leave, it wouldn’t come.

Now that it was here, he felt filled with regrets. There were so many things he wished he’d said to her. So many ways he should have shown her how he felt about her. But it was too late.

She was leaving. He was staying. Goodness only knew when he’d see her again.

“Kase,” she said, in a voice that wobbled with emotion. “This isn’t goodbye, you know.”

“It’s not?” he asked. Did that mean she’d stay?

“Your parents have kindly extended an invitation for me to spend the summer here at Hudson House. If that is agreeable to you, I’ll look forward to seeing you then.”

“That seems a long time away, Dorthea. Will you write?” he asked, taking her hands in his.

“Yes, if you promise to answer my letters.”

Kase nodded. “I will.”

“Let’s get you on your way to the station, honey,” Holland said, nudging Sarah toward the door while tugging on Brant’s hand.

“Right. We should make sure everything the girls need is loaded.” Brant settled an arm around Holland and Sarah, walking with them outside, leaving Kase alone with Dori in the foyer.

“I don’t want you to go,” he said softly.

“I don’t want to leave,” Dori said as tears glistened in her eyes. “However, I can’t stay, Kase. This past month with you has been something I’ll always remember. You’ve brought me such joy, and I’m so grateful.”

“Me? It’s you who lit the spark that brought me back to life, Dori. How am I going to survive without you here to keep it going?”

“You’ll be fine, Kase. I know you will. I’m just going to miss you so much.”

Kase took her in his arms and kissed her with all the emotion that swelled in him. All the love he’d bottled up spilled out and flowed over her.

A throat clearing at the doorway drew them apart. Brant appeared sheepish, but he motioned to the car waiting outside. “It’s time to go if you girls are going to make today’s train.”

Dori nodded and wiped at the tears streaming down her cheeks.

Kase brushed at them with the pads of his thumbs, kissed her chastely one last time, and walked her to the door. “I’ll miss you every single day.”

“I’ll miss you more,” she said, then turned and rushed down the steps to the car. Gareth helped her inside, closed the door, and got behind the wheel.

Kase stood there, feeling the cold seep into him, not from the chilly January air, but from the absence of the warmth Dori brought into his life.

His parents flanked him and drew him back into the house. Kase stood in the foyer, forked a hand through his hair, and felt as though his heart were splintering.

“Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to go after her?” Brant finally asked after several minutes of Kase pacing around and around the marble floor.

Kase stopped and gaped at his father. “What do you mean ‘go after her?’”

“Your mother and I think it would be a good idea for you to go to San Francisco. If you’re ready to resume your training to take over Hudson Estate at some point in the future, I can’t think of anyone better to teach you what you need to know about running a business than your cousin Mayes. If you went, it would give you and Dori more time to get to know each other. We know you love her, Kase, and she loves you. Why are you being so stubborn about it?”

“And obtuse. Ridiculous, even,” his mother added, giving him one of her disappointed looks that made him feel like he was six years old and had just broken Dulcie’s cookie jar all over again.

“I never considered … you think it’s possible … I could really stay with Mayes and see Dori whenever I wanted?”

“You could, but only if you hustle. When that train leaves, if you aren’t on it, you may never get a second chance with her,” Brant said.

Holland nodded in agreement.

“Then we better hurry!” Kase favored his injured leg as he rushed for the elevator, his father beside him. “I need to pack. I need a ride to the station. I’ll have to have some cash for travel.”

“Your mother’s having Bobby bring around the car. It’s a good thing the snow on the road is packed after all the visitors we’ve had recently. I asked Maude to fetch one of the suitcases down from the attic. Take what you need for a few days. We can ship more later.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Kase said as the elevator reached the second floor. “I don’t know what I’d do without Dori. She brought me back to life. I can’t explain it other than the moment I saw her and Sarah at the depot last month, it was like my heart started beating again.”

“I understand,” Brant said, walking with him to Kase’s bedroom. “I’ve never had to face the challenges you have, but I felt like my life truly began the day I met your mother.”

Kase tossed clothes on his bed, then rushed to change into a suit while his father packed the suitcase Maude had brought to the room. Kase didn’t bother combing his hair. He just leaned over the sink and shook out the curls of wood that had settled there.

His father handed him his hat and coat, as well as a wad of money. “We’ll settle up later. If you need your carving tools, we can send them, or you can buy some there. You may be so busy with Mayes, you won’t have time for much else than courting Dori.”

“I can only hope.” Kase grinned as they stepped onto the elevator and hurried outside to the car Bobby had waiting. He hugged his mother and kissed both of her cheeks, shook his father’s hand, then rushed down the steps to the car. “Tell everyone I’ll miss them!”

“We will,” Holland called, waving to him as tears flowed across her cheeks. From the way she was smiling, he assumed they were happy tears.

Kase grinned at his cousin as he took a seat in the car. “I wouldn’t normally say this knowing how you drive, Bobby, but get me to town as quickly as possible.”

Bobby grinned and put the car in gear. “You don’t have to worry. I’ll get you to your girl in time.”

The car slipped around corners, almost slid into a fence twice, and barely missed colliding with a sleigh coming down Main Street, but they reached the depot just as the conductor gave the last boarding call.

Kase grabbed his suitcase and got out of the car. For a moment he forgot he could no longer run, but he limped as fast as he could onto the platform.

“There!” Bobby said, pointing to the private Hudson car. He kept a supportive hand on Kase’s arm as they rushed across the platform. Kase had one foot on the step to the car when the train lurched forward. Bobby gave him a push, and Kase managed not to fall on his face as he set his suitcase on the top step and used the railing to regain his balance.

“Thank you!” he called to Bobby, then made it up the steps, picked up his suitcase, and opened the door into a car he’d ridden in many times over the years.

The girls weren’t in the sitting area, but he heard soft voices from the bedroom. He set his suitcase by the door, removed his coat and hat and left them on the hooks by Dori’s, and then settled onto one of the chairs. He noticed a copy of yesterday’s newspaper on the table and picked it up. He held it in front of him and listened to the feminine hum of conversation even if he couldn’t hear the words coming from the bedroom. He figured Dori and Sarah were unpacking their things and would return soon enough.

They stepped out of the bedroom about five minutes later, talking about their plans with Aunt Eloise as they returned to the sitting room.

“I think we should have lunch at the …” Sarah’s voice trailed off as she noticed him in the chair.

“Sir. This is a private car. Do you need help finding your seat?” Sarah asked in a polite yet reserved voice.

“No,” Kase said, purposely deepening his voice. “I heard there were two pretty girls all alone on this car and decided to join them.”

“Sir! I’ll have to call the conductor to remove you if you don’t leave at once.”

Kase grinned at the testy sound of his sister’s voice.

“Sir, please?” Dori’s voice sounded pleading. “It’s been a terribly hard day. Would you kindly not make it worse?”

Kase stood, still holding the open newspaper in front of him. “Only if I get a kiss from the girl with the amber eyes.”

He heard both girls suck in a gasp. He was surprised the force of it hadn’t drawn the newspaper right out of his hands.

“We’ll do no such thing. You must leave. Now!” Sarah started to walk past him to the door, but Kase lowered the newspaper enough to wink at her.

Before she could blurt the news he was there, he dropped the newspaper, wrapped his arms around Dori, and kissed her like it was the last one he’d ever have.

She struggled against him for a moment until she realized who held her, then she melted into him.

“You came. You really came,” she whispered when he raised his head.

“I couldn’t let you get away, Dori. Not when you’ve got my heart in your hands. It only started beating again when you came to Hudson House. I was afraid months without you would make it completely shrivel into nothing. Dad helpfully suggested I resume my business training by staying with Mayes for a few months. What do you think of me being in San Francisco until spring?”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea.” Dori pulled his head down and kissed him again. When she moved back she gave him a sly smile. “What would you think of us returning to Hudson House in time to see the wildflowers bloom and perhaps make a lifetime commitment to always stay together?”

“Are you proposing to me, Dorthea Elizabeth Stanford?” Kase teased.

Dori’s cheeks turned red and Sarah laughed, but Dori nodded her head. “I suppose I am. What do you think, Kase Alexander Hudson? Can you keep the Christmas spark you ignited glowing for the rest of our lives?”

He grinned at her and nuzzled her neck. “I’m sure willing to try, my sweet Dori. Marry me among the wildflowers and live with me at Hudson House? Be my sweetheart forever?”

“Forever,” she said.

Before he could kiss her again, Sarah started squealing and dancing around them, hugging them both at once. “A wedding at the house. The first one! Mama is going to be so excited!”

“Not any more excited than we are,” Kase said, elbowing his sister out of the way so he could kiss his bride-to-be one more time.