Wye bit her lip, embarrassed it had been so important to her to expose the mundane aspect of their tradition, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized it wasn’t mundane at all.
This was the beauty of Two Willows. It inspired everyone who came here to add a little magic to the world. Jed creating Christmas trees all over the ranch was an act of the heart. A man who realized Cass and her sisters had needed some beauty in their lives had made sure they found it.
Cass linked arms with her again as Lena wielded her ax and cut down the tree. “Do you feel like one of us now?”
Wye wished she could say yes, but while she’d enjoyed herself on their adventure, the truth was at the end of it, she felt less a part of things than ever. Cass and her sisters knew each tradition—knew they were welcome to join in, that they were intrinsic to it.
She was a visitor who needed an invitation every time.
“Wye.” Cass planted her feet and faced her. “You want to know the secret to everything?”
“Everything?”
“Yes. You keep looking at us like we were born with something you weren’t, and maybe we were, because our mother was born with it and her mother was born with it.”
“The magic.” Wye knew exactly what she meant.
“Yes and no. I’m no more magic than you are. I’m no more special than you are, either.”
“Yes, you are.”
“I don’t see the future or anything like that.”
“You hold an entire family together. You hold Two Willows’ past and future together, too.”
Cass nodded. “You’re right, I do. And I suppose that is magical, but the thing about magic—and belonging, too—is that both are decisions, not gifts.”
Wye didn’t believe her. She hadn’t been born with a ranch and a hedge maze and all the other interesting features in Cass’s life. Her family wasn’t connected the way Cass’s was.
“At some point, you make a decision. If you want to have a magical life, you create a magical life. If you want to belong, you decide to belong.”
“That’s not possible for most people.”
“Yes, it is,” Cass said vehemently. “It’s not easy for most people, but that doesn’t mean it’s not possible. First it takes time and imagination. Then it takes focus and determination. The problem is you’re trying to make my magic yours, and it doesn’t work that way; you have to create your own. If no one has handed you any traditions, it’s time to start them. We’d love to participate. If you want to belong to our extended family, you’re in. I don’t know how much more of an invitation I can give you!” Her feet planted wide to steady her bulky body, her blond hair glowing in the moonlight, Cass was as fierce and striking as a goddess. “Decide, right now, that I’m not lying, Wye. I’ve never lied to you, and I’m not going to start today. Decide that I really do love you when I say I do. Decide that not everyone is your father, and if anyone starts acting like him, you have the power to tell them to stop!”
“You really think it’s that simple?” Wye felt as far from a goddess as it was possible to be. She always had her feet on the ground. Her head on her shoulders.
“Here’s another secret,” Cass said. “The simplest things are the hardest, but they’re also the most worthwhile. Wye, I wish you could see yourself. You look like an angel or snow princess tonight. You are magic. You are wanted. You are loved. Look around you—oh!”
Cass gasped when an owl swooped down from a nearby tree and skimmed over their heads on silent wings. She grasped Wye’s hands.
Wye could barely breathe—she’d felt a feather trace her cheek as she’d tilted up her head to watch it pass. “It touched me.”
“Change,” Alice said. “That’s what it means—a big change coming your way. Owls are powerful messengers.”
Change.
There’d been so much of that in her life these past few years.
Sadie, Jo, Alice and Cass clustered around her.
“What kind of change do you want?” Alice asked. “You want to set your own intentions, or you’ll get swept along by someone else’s.”
Wye took a deep breath, and for a moment she felt it—that she was a part of all this. That she belonged here.
“I want love. True love. I want a home. I want work I love. And—I want a family.”
A chill wind picked up and made Wye shiver.
“What is it?” Alice asked. “What did you hear?”
How did she know a thought had come unbidden into Wye’s mind? Be careful what you wish for.
“Maybe I shouldn’t ask for things. Maybe I should be happy with what I have,” she said quietly.
Alice shook her head. “That’s not it.”
“If you don’t ask for things, how can you get them? Anyway, you weren’t asking—you were stating your goals,” Sadie said. “It’s okay to have goals, Wye.”
“Timber!” Lena called out. The tree they’d chosen hit the ground with a whump that startled all of them. Wye realized it was taller than she’d thought.
“Finish up your hot chocolate,” Cass said. “Time to carry this sucker home.”
Just like that, the moment passed, but Wye knew Alice’s words would stick with her. You want to set your own intentions, or you’ll get swept along by someone else’s. She needed to think carefully about the life she wanted.
With the six of them carrying it, the tree wasn’t heavy, but their pace was slow and it was awkward negotiating through the woods. By the time they made it back to the house, it was late, and Wye found she was exhausted but happy.
“Won’t the men be disappointed they didn’t get to come with us?” she asked.
“They have their own
