The Heart of Christmas Read online

  “Sounds like the two of you weren't on the same page,” Eden said, her hackles automatically rising at the idea of such a short-sighted, materialistic partner as Brenda.

  “You're right about that. We were miles and miles apart. But, on the bright side, that experience has taught me a huge life lesson. Wherever I land with my next practice, it has to reflect my heart and soul, who I am as a person. Otherwise, it feels empty.” He flashed her a smile that made her stomach do flip flops.

  Eden found herself smiling back at him. For a second she was transported back in time to a simpler place when Brady had been the fearless, dynamic kid she'd been crazy about. Hadn't this same smile been used dozens of times to entice her to engage in mischief? And hadn't he made her feel like she could be herself around him, her true, unfiltered self. It had been a long time since she'd felt that way, so long, in fact, she could hardly remember the feeling of being comfortable in her own skin.

  Now that there was an opening, Eden decided to plunge right in. “Did Vicky tell you about our holiday fundraiser?”

  “She might have mentioned something in passing. Is it something I’ll be working on?”

  “We need all the help we can get.” Eden nodded her head. If Brady was going to be running the Country Vet it would be great if he helped out with the fundraiser. She’d stepped up to the challenge due to her passion for abandoned animals even though she wasn’t at her best in most social situations. As Vicky’s grandson, Brady would make a perfect ambassador.

  “I hope you join the cause,” she continued. “We’ve already raised a few thousand dollars from various fundraising events. We’re still shy quite a bit of money, so Vicky and I have been brainstorming about one last event to push us over the edge.”

  The sound of shuffling feet reached her ears just as her father, using the assistance of a cane, walked over the threshold and into the living room. He stopped short when he laid eyes upon Brady, his expression one of befuddlement. His gaze swung towards Eden. “Eden, what's going on? Who is this?” Her father's tone sounded a little gruff. He knit his eyebrows together as his eyes begged for answers.

  “Daddy, this is Brady Shepard. His car broke down in the middle of the storm about a mile down the road.”

  “Shepard?” he barked. “Are you Alma's son?”

  “Yes, sir,” Brady answered, an amiable smile planted on his face. “I'm Vicky and Tom's grandson.”

  He squinted, staring at Brady with assessing eyes. “I’m guessing Vicky and Tom are mighty glad to have you back in town for the holidays. Alma is your mother, huh? I remember you as a young boy. You're the spitting image of her.”

  Brady nodded, seemingly in agreement. “I've heard that a time or two. I think it's the hair color and the eyes.”

  “How are your folks?” her father asked gruffly.

  Brady grinned amiably. “They're doing great. They moved to Florida a few years ago so they could have balmier weather all year round. They just celebrated their fortieth wedding anniversary.”

  Something flickered in her father's eyes. Perhaps his thoughts were of his own wife, Eden’s mother, and all the years they'd lost together due to her mother's capricious nature. She imagined the loneliness was overwhelming sometimes.

  “Welcome back to Celebration, son.” Her father stuck out his hand in greeting to Brady, who reached out and shook it firmly.

  “Thanks. It's nice to be back,” Brady said with a nod of his head. “Even with this stormy weather.”

  Her father shifted his attention to her. “Eden, I came to tell you that the little terrier is making quite a racket in the spare room.” In all the commotion she'd almost forgotten about Miss Daphne, the terrier she'd adopted a few weeks ago. Although she hadn't realized it at the time, Miss Daphne was not only an abandoned dog, she was pregnant also. With her big brown eyes and badly groomed coat, the terrier had quickly wormed her way into Eden's heart. All day she'd been nesting, circling around her dog bed and acting out of sorts. As far as she could tell, the dog was due to give birth any day now.

  “I put her in the sitting room away from Rodeo and Lola so she wouldn't be disturbed,” Eden explained. “I've been checking in or her every half hour or so.”

  Brady raised his eyebrows. “Three dogs? That's impressive.”

  Her father let out a hearty chuckle. “Three? She'd have thirty-three if she could. Never met anyone who loves to take care of strays as much as my Eden.”

  Although Eden would never admit it, her love of strays was connected to her own feelings of estrangement from her mother and sister, as well as the community of Celebration. She could relate to the abandoned dogs. It was her firm belief that every living creature deserved to be loved and nurtured. And she shuddered to think what would happen to them if human beings didn't step up to find homes for them. Right now Miss Daphne needed her help. Eden glanced at Brady, hoping he wouldn't feel as if she was imposing on him.

  “Miss Daphne is about to give birth to her litter. Would you mind taking a look at her? She's been acting a bit peculiar all day.”

  With a curt nod, Brady said, “Sure thing. It's the least I could do considering you gave me shelter from the storm. I might have turned into an icicle out there.” Brady's voice had a teasing tone to it. So far he seemed pretty agreeable, she reckoned. He was nice enough. Polite. Easy on the eyes. But, she didn't really know him, even though they'd been friends back in the innocent day of childhood. Life had shown her that things could change in the blink of an eye. Even when you thought you knew someone's character, there were oftentimes things hidden under the surface.“This ice storm is the darndest thing,” her father said, scratching his head. “The last time we saw one of these was when you two were still in diapers. Wouldn’t it be something if we had a white Christmas?”

  The very thought of a white Christmas made Eden smile.

  After Brady went to the kitchen to wash his hands, Eden led him down the hall towards the sitting room, with her father trailing behind them at a much slower pace. The shuffling sound of his foot dragging on the hardwood floors rang out in the stillness. She tried not to focus on the sound of it, knowing he'd made progress by leaps and bounds in the last few months. Once she opened up the door she spotted Miss Daphne lying on her side in her comfortable doggie bed, her stomach heaving up and down in rapid movements. Eden scrambled over to her side, getting down on her knees beside her. Next thing she knew Brady was next to her on the floor, his fingers swiftly moving across the dog's abdomen. Brady frowned and continued to palpate Miss Daphne's stomach.

  “Well, she's definitely in labor.” A few more tense seconds ticked by until Eden could no longer stay silent. “How long has she been carrying the pups?” Brady asked with a frown.

  “I don't know exactly. She was a rescue pet. I'd only had her a few weeks when I noticed she was thickening around her middle. Is there something wrong?” she asked fretfully. Her experience working at the Country Vet had taught her enough about animals to be able to sense that things weren't progressing normally with Miss Daphne. Like all her pets, Miss Daphne was a huge part of her life. More than anything, she needed for her dogs and the pups to be all right. All of a sudden Miss Daphne began to emit a low, mournful wail. The very sound of it made Eden want to scoop her up and cradle her in her arms.

  A frown marred his near perfect features. “She's ready to deliver these pups, but she's not making any progress. Her breathing is pretty choppy.”

  Eden had seen a similar situation play out at work when a client brought in her pregnant boxer. Vicky had termed it dystocia or difficult birth. Despite the complications, Vicky had delivered a healthy litter of puppies. She prayed her grandson would do the same. All thing are possible to him that believeth. Sometimes faith was such a fragile thing, yet clinging to her beliefs in times of adversity strengthened her.

  “The good thing is there's no bleeding, just normal discharge. I'm going to try and help her along some. I could use some towels.” Eden got up and quickly made
her way to the linen closet, grabbing a few older towels, antiseptic and hand sanitizer to use for the whelping. Upon returning to the room she saw Brady on his hands and knees, fully engaged with Miss Daphne.

  Watching Brady in action was a comforting, rewarding experience. Like his grandmother, he was a very skilled professional. His tenderness and ease lent a sense of calm to the situation. She shouldn't have been surprised by his professionalism, but she felt a bit overwhelmed by the way he'd stepped in and handled the situation with such finesse. Eden had to admit it spoke to who he was as a person.

  In the end, Miss Daphne whelped four puppies in all. Brady sat back on his haunches, a pleased expression lighting up his face. Eden felt a wave of happiness wash over her at the sight of Daphne with her healthy brood. The pups began immediately jockeying for position to get milk from their mama. She made a mental note to make sure each of the puppies got an opportunity to nurse. And in a little bit she was going to change the soiled bedding and replace it with fresh linens.

  “I can't thank you enough, Brady. I don't know what we would have done if you weren't here,” Eden said, gratitude filling her heart.

  “I'm sure you would have stepped right in and assisted Daphne,” he said with a grin. “My grandmother wouldn't have you working so closely with her if you couldn't help out in a crisis.”

  The compliment washed over her like warmth from the sun, causing a trickle of pride to slide through her. Brady had no idea how much she respected and loved his grandmother. Working as her assistant was her dream job. It had given her something to look forward to each and every day. And it had gotten her out of her safe little cocoon. She shot Brady a grateful smile, then focused her gaze on the new little bundles. New life being brought into the world was an awesome thing indeed.

  “Well, I'll be,” her father said, his tone breathless. “Four little pups. One is cuter than the next. I have the perfect names for them. Rudolph. Dasher. Prancer and Cupid.”

  Eden couldn’t help but laugh at her father’s suggestions. “Maybe we should hold off on naming them. We can’t keep them, dad.”

  Brady looked at the litter, his face radiating satisfaction. “Any idea what you're going to do with these little guys?”

  Eden shrugged while her mind whirled with the possibilities. She wished that she could keep them all, but it wasn't even remotely feasible. Little did Brady know, but she was already active in dog rescue within the Celebration community. In the last six months she'd rescued over thirty dogs, most of whom she'd placed with loving families in the area. Truth was, she wasn't sure the community would be open to adopting more animals. As it was, she'd finessed all of her connections in town in order to find homes for the ones she'd rescued. She may just have exhausted all her resources. It was one of the reasons this fundraiser for abandoned animals was so vitally important.

  She bit down on her lip, her thoughts whirling a mile a minute. “I could take out an ad in the Celebration gazette and put up some signs,” she said feebly. All of a sudden, the prospect of caring for four more little mouths seemed daunting.

  “Tell you what,” Brady drawled. “Why don't we take some pictures and put up some signs at the Country Vet? Whenever a customer comes in they'll see these irresistible little faces staring back at them. We can even tie it in to the holidays.”

  Eden clapped her hands together. It was hard to hide her excitement. “Oh, that's a great idea. Maybe even put some red ribbons on them in case a parent wants to gift them to their kids for Christmas. We can even sell the idea by calling them the Christmas puppies.” Joy speared through her at the thought of the puppies being embraced and taken in by the community. Until that time she was going to have to stock up on some puppy supplies and formulate a plan about taking care of the brood while she was at work. There was no way she could place such a huge burden on her still recuperating father.

  Her gaze swung back towards Brady. Even though she felt gratitude toward him for helping with Miss Daphne's delivery, she still hadn't made up her mind about Dr. Brady Shepard. From everything she'd observed, he seemed just about perfect. Too perfect, she realized. Experience had shown her there was no such thing. Wolves in sheep’s clothing. Unbidden, the words came to her, reminding her of the mistakes of the past. Despite how long you'd known someone, despite their ability to project an air of normalcy, you still didn't know a person. It was best to be cautious.

  “I'm more than happy to help you take the pictures,” Brady offered, the words tumbling easily off his lips. “Since I'm bunking down here for the night, we could knock it out easily.”

  Brady's offer made perfect sense. Didn't it? Although on one level she recognized it as a kind gesture, another part of her rejected it. The very thought of being so close to him, of working side by side made her a little nauseous. Unsettled. She felt her pulse quicken. Her palms began to feel clammy. If she felt this way, how in the world was she going to be able to work with him at the Country Vet?

  “No thanks,” she said in a brisk voice. “I've got Dad here to help out. We can manage just fine. Thanks anyway.” Brady couldn't disguise the taken aback expression on his face. For a moment she felt a twinge of remorse for speaking to him in such clipped tones, but it was far better to establish the lines now before they began working together. Other than her father, the candy canes and Vicky Shepard, she really didn't need anyone. Nor did she give her trust easily. She wasn't the type of person to get close to people. And the sooner Brady Shepard realized it, the better off they both would be.

  Chapter Three

  The dawning of a new day brought clear blue skies and a glorious sunrise to Celebration. As was his custom, Brady woke up at the crack of dawn, just in time to see the vibrant orange sun burst over the horizon. He stood up and stretched, feeling incredibly rested considering the small size of the mattress. His long legs hadn't completely fit and they'd dangled a bit precariously over the edge. Still, the room had been cozy. That pretty much described Eden Lassiter's home, although it was a direct contradiction to the woman herself. She wasn't exactly warm and fuzzy.

  Although he was very grateful for being a recipient of her hospitality, he couldn't stop thinking about how much she'd changed in the ensuing years. She had a formal air. Cold. Distant. Those words described her to a T. There had been a few moments of joy exhibited by Eden, but those moments had been few and far between. For the most part she seemed stoic, as if she was determined to hold everything together. A veneer of perfection, he imagined.

  She was an incredibly beautiful woman and he wondered if that was part of her problem. Perhaps the attitude he'd witnessed was ego rather than anything else. Was Eden Lassiter stuck up? Haughty? Memories of his ex-girlfriend came to the forefront. Thea had been a beautiful woman—tall, blonde and regal—who believed the world revolved around her due to her stunning looks. For a while there he'd been taken in by her beauty, failing to see that it didn't extend to her soul. He'd vowed long ago never to venture down that particular road again. Life was too short to spend it in the presence of people who didn't see and appreciate the beauty all around them, choosing instead to focus on their own reflection in the mirror.

  It was a shame the spirited tomboy had turned into such a closed off woman.

  Something inside him felt guilty about judging the woman who'd given him refuge last night. Perhaps she'd just been unsettled by the storm and his unexpected arrival at her home. Maybe he was being too hard on her. Time would tell if his assessment was too harsh.

  The smell of coffee rose to his nostrils. Rich, savory coffee. Clamoring for a taste, he left his room and ventured down the hall towards the kitchen. The moment he crossed the threshold, the scent of cinnamon and dough assailed his senses. Praying he wasn't imagining things, he cast a quick look towards the stove. The sight of freshly baked cinnamon buns sitting on a baking sheet almost brought him to his knees. He couldn't think of the last time he'd had one of these hometown favorites. Feeling grateful, he let out a ragged sigh of appreciati
on.

  “Sounds like you're a fan.” The sound of Eden's honeyed voice came from behind him. She was standing in the doorway, a hint of a smile playing around her lips. In the fresh light of morning she was even more spectacular than she'd appeared to be last night. Her beautiful dark hair hung down all around her, creating a soft, demure look. Even though she was wearing a simple pair of dark jeans and a pink sweater, she looked stunning.

  “I haven't had a homemade cinnamon bun in years. Vicky used to make 'em for us when we were little.”

  “My grandmother taught me to make these. I’m not sure if you remember her or not, but she was some kind of woman. She was good at everything, especially baking.” Eden waved her hand in his direction. “No need to stand on ceremony. Grab a plate and help yourself,” Eden said, motioning towards the stacked plates on the kitchen table. Brady quickly complied, taking a plate and depositing two cinnamon buns smack in the middle. “There's a fresh fruit bowl and some bacon and sausage also.” Brady would have groaned out loud again at the smell of bacon wafting in the air if he didn't fear it would have been unbearably rude. An image of his own grandmother wagging her finger in his direction kept him in line. Settling himself down into one of the hard-backed chairs, he scooted himself towards the table. The moment he bit into the bun, he lost all sense of decorum. He let out a loud sigh of appreciation. “Oh, these are amazing,” he raved. “They are hands down the most delicious cinnamon buns I've ever tasted.”

  Eden smiled at the compliment. “I won't tell Vicky you said so.” Her smile took him by surprise. He stopped eating mid-bite, transfixed by the sight of her face. It had been transformed by her smile from pretty to absolutely radiant. It confused him though. From one moment to the next he didn't know what to expect from her. Had he done something last night to bring about her reserved air? Or was she simply more relaxed now that he'd proven he wasn't a serial killer? She was proving to be a bit of an enigma. He continued to eat as Eden moved around the kitchen, pausing to fill a glass of orange juice for him. She placed the OJ down in front of him then turned back to the stove. Her movements were light and graceful. With Eden's petite frame and elegant air, she reminded him of a ballerina. She turned towards him abruptly, catching him off guard when he was staring at her. “Would you like some coffee?” she asked, pot in hand. Thankfully, she hadn't seemed to notice his gaping at her. With a mouthful of food in his mouth all he could do was nod, grateful for her hospitality. “How's Miss Daphne doing this morning?”