Muriel knew that tone of voice. She pressed a fist to her mouth.
“No. There are colleges nearby. I’ll go back to school on the G.I. bill.”
Now all Muriel could hear was silence. She pressed her ear harder against the door.
“Okay, son,” Daddy said at last. “Show me you mean business and then we’ll talk.”
“No offense, sir, but I’m not waiting four years to date your daughter.”
Good for you, Stephen. Good for us! Muriel smiled. She thought she heard her father chuckle.
“Tell you what,” Daddy said. “You get a year of school under your belt. Go back to Swede’s or get a job in the grocery store. If you can hold down a job for a year and I hear good things about you, then maybe I can find a place for you at Sweet Dreams.”
Muriel could hardly believe her ears. It was like the king promising a peasant part of his kingdom.
“You’ve got a deal,” Stephen said.
A moment later, her father called out, “You can come in now, Muriel. I know you’re out there listening.”
How had he known? Who cared? She entered the room smiling and linked her arms through Stephen’s. “I told you that you were wrong about him, Daddy.”
“Time will tell,” said her father.
Six
COME CHRISTMAS THAT YEAR, Muriel had an engagement ring.
“It’s beautiful,” Pat said, when she’d stopped by to exchange gifts. “I’m so happy for you.” She handed over Muriel’s present. “I hope you’ll like this.”
Muriel opened the box to find a photo album inside. “Someplace to put the pictures of you and Stephen.”
It was a perfect present, and Muriel thanked her and hugged her. Then she pulled a small box out from under the Christmas tree. “And here’s yours.”
Pat opened it and gasped in delight at the sight of the silver heart necklace. She picked it up and read what had been engraved on it. Best friends forever. “It’s perfect,” she said. “I love it!”
“That’s us,” Muriel said. “Let’s never forget it, because friendship is the best gift a woman could ever get.”
EPILOGUE
“STEPHEN WOUND UP going to college, and after he graduated he went to work for my father,” Muriel said to the girls gathered around her. “A few months later we were married. Sweet Dreams turned out to be a perfect fit for my husband. He fell in love with the business, and he and my father actually became good friends. Eventually, Daddy retired and Stephen took over running the company. I helped out in the early days, but then I got busy running our home. And writing.
“We had three wonderful daughters and a wonderful life together. So, as you can see, all ended well for us.”
“You lived happily ever after,” Aurora said dreamily.
“Because my grandma didn’t steal your boyfriend,” Clara added, and shot an angry look at her former BFF.
“No,” Muriel said gently. “Because we both wound up with the men we were supposed to be with. Jimmy Wilder came to town and your grandma found the man of her dreams, too. And one of the things that’s made me so happy all these years is my friendship with her. I’d hate to have lost that because we quarreled over a man.”
“Anyway, people can’t help who they love,” put in Bailey.
“If a guy’s not into you he’s not the right one for you,” Cecily added.
“Besides, being mad at your friends is bad for your digestion,” Dot said, and popped a mini quiche into her mouth.
Clara frowned, still not convinced that losing the boy of her dreams was a good thing.
Cecily sat next to her on the floor and put an arm around her. “I have a feeling that the perfect boyfriend for you is right around the corner.”
Clara looked at Cecily as if she knew the secrets of the universe. “Who?”
“I can’t tell you that,” Cecily said. “But I can tell you he’ll be worth the wait.”
“So that means you can keep your girlfriend,” Bailey added.
“Keep the girlfriend and lose the guy,” Dot advised. “Men are a pain in the patootie.”
That made the girls giggle and Dot’s friends frown in disapproval.
Aurora stole a look at Clara, who was suddenly very busy picking lint off her sweater. “Want to get some punch?” she ventured.
Clara nodded and they made their way to the punch bowl with the other girls following suit.
“Crisis averted,” Samantha said as she watched the two girls hug each other. “Good job, Mom.”
Muriel smiled and shook her head. “I can’t really take credit for that. The girls would have made up eventually.”
“Yeah, but you saved us from having to endure teen girl drama,” Dot said.
“And maybe you opened their eyes just a little,” Pat said. “Friendship is one of God’s greatest gifts.”
“Right up there with family,” Cecily said, and smiled at Bailey.
“And so is being together at Christmas,” put in Olivia.
“Gack,” said Dot in disgust. “Next, one of you is going to say, ‘God bless us, everyone.’”
“God bless us, everyone,” Samantha said, deadpan, making Dot frown and the other women laugh.
Dot shook her head. “Never mind all that sweet, syrupy stuff.” She raised her cup of punch. “Let’s stick to our traditional toast,” she said to her friends. “Here’s to us, none like us.”
“Amen to that,” said Pat, raising her cup. “And here’s to Christmas and to being able to gather with family and friends.”
“To love and BFFs,” added Cecily, looking at the next generation, gathered around the punch bowl and giggling.
Muriel followed her daughter’s gaze and smiled. Family, friendship, romance—love had a way of working things out no matter where trouble sprang up. Oh, yes, it was going to be another wonderful Christmas in Icicle Falls.
Starstruck
RaeAnne Thayne
Also available from HQN
The Cowboys of Cold Creek series
from New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne
STARSTRUCK
LIGHT THE STARS
DANCING IN THE MOONLIGHT
DALTON’S UNDOING
THE COWBOY’S CHRISTMAS MIRACLE
A COLD CREEK HOMECOMING
A COLD CREEK HOLIDAY
A COLD CREEK SECRET
A COLD CREEK BABY
CHRISTMAS IN COLD CREEK
A COLD CREEK REUNION
A COLD CREEK NOEL
A COLD CREEK CHRISTMAS SURPRISE
A COLD CREEK STORY
THE
