A Boulder Creek Christmas Read Online Free PDF

Was it branded into her memory?
    Moe returned from the kitchen to the living room and did a slow three-sixty, sniffing the ground, before settling down on the braided rug. He tucked his front paws under his chin and studied Ryan with large, woeful eyes as if he could sense his turmoil. There was no stopping it—that Christmas Eve came tumbling back, plowing over Ryan like the stiffening breeze outside the bay window.
    He’d just given Lani the gift he’d purchased for her several weeks before, when he happened to pass by a shop window along Main Street and glimpsed the treasure among items in the display. The gift seemed so perfect…as if it whispered directly to him. Moe seemed to agree; only a year or so old at the time, the dog had meandered down the boulevard with Ryan that afternoon and had hunkered down beside him in the shop, his tail thumping the polished tile floor in approval. Without hesitation, Ryan had made his purchase as an odd little tugging he recognized as excitement took hold in his gut. Mrs. Wexell—she and her husband had owned the jewelry shop for decades before handing it down to their daughter Jill a few years ago—had wrapped the small hinged box in shimmery gold-foil paper and added a luxurious velvet bow before she tucked the package into a gilded gift bag and handed it to him.
    “That sure is something special.” Mrs. Wexell gave Ryan a quick wink. “And I’ll bet it’s for Lani O’Dwyer.”
    “You’re right.” Ryan gasped as his gaze connected with hers. Her eyes twinkled beneath the shop lights. “But how did you know?”
    “Oh, I pay attention.” Mrs. Wexell’s smile calmed the nerves that gnawed at him like ravenous pterodactyls. “And don’t you fret, son. You made the perfect selection. She’s going to love it.”
    “I hope so.” Suddenly, the bag seemed to weigh a ton in his hands. “I’m not sure when I’ll give it to her.”
    “Oh, no worries there, Ryan.” Mrs. Wexell reached across the glass display case and patted his hand. “Simply listen to your heart, and you’ll know when the time is just right.”
    Well, he’d taken Mrs. Wexell’s advice and had found the right time without even looking…it had come to him. Christmas Eve that year had presented itself by way of a snowstorm for the ages, beginning soon after Ryan had settled into the house with Grandma Cora and Lani for the duration. There’d been no chance of a candlelight service at Boulder Creek Community Church that night, unless one chose to venture out in a sleigh, dressed like an Eskimo. So he and Lani had come up with the idea to devise a special service all their own, filled with holiday hymns and—
    “Here you go.” Lani returned from the kitchen carrying a pair of mugs. Steam wafted as she handed one to him. “Hot chocolate with a drizzle of fudge and a dollop of whipped cream—just the way you like it.”
    “You remembered.” Ryan lifted the mug to his nose. The sweet aroma caused his belly to rumble with need.
    “How could I forget?” Lani laughed softly, her gaze dipping to his mid-section. “And it sounds like the snack came just in time.”
    “Thanks.” Ryan drew a sip and licked the whipped cream from his lips. The liquid coursed in a trail of heat that warmed him to the core. “It’s delicious.”
    “Good.” She drew a bone-shaped biscuit from the pocket of her jeans and tossed it to Moe, who snatched it greedily in his jaws. Lani patted his head. “You didn’t think I’d forget you, did you, you big mutt?”
    Moe’s tail thumped as he settled back down and made quick work of the treat.
    Ryan scanned the room. “You know, you’re missing something in here.”
    “What would that be?”
    “I don’t see a Christmas tree…” Ryan motioned to the corner just right of the hearth. “...or any other holiday decorations, for that matter. No chaser lights…no candles or knickknacks. I remember how you and Grandma Cora always loved to decorate during the