Megan stepped onto her brother’s veranda.

Nora ran ahead and pushed the doorbell.

The last two days had been a crazy mix of last-minute Christmas shopping and baking more cookies for Brooke’s store. In between all of that, she’d bought a second-hand truck and started to pack their bags.

Nora peeked through the window. “I can’t see Uncle Caleb, but I can hear music.”

“It sounds like your favorite song.”

“It’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” Nora said excitedly. “Do you think Uncle Caleb left carrots for Rudolph?”

“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask him.”

The front door opened and Caleb grinned at them. “Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas,” Megan and Nora said at the same time.

“I hope we’re not too early.” Megan handed Caleb the box in her arms. “If you take this one, I’ll get the next box.”

Caleb sniffed. “If I’m not mistaken, this must be your famous ginger and walnut Christmas loaf.”

Nora’s eyes opened wide. “You can smell Aunty Megan’s loaf?”

“I love anything that’s baked with ginger. The smell makes my taste buds water.”

“What’s a taste bud?”

“Come inside and I’ll tell you.” Caleb held out his hand.

While Nora asked him about the other things he liked eating, Megan walked back to her truck. As well as the ginger and walnut loaf, she’d baked a Christmas fruitcake, some shortbread, and a triple mixture of chocolate chip cookies. If that wasn’t enough to impress her brother, she’d brought him a special Christmas present, too.

“Do you need any help?”

Megan turned around. Sam must have walked out of the house while she was daydreaming.

“That would be great.” She handed Sam the shortbread and cookies. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas to you, as well. How are you feeling?”

“A little strange. Before we knew anything about Caleb, Nora and I were going to spend Christmas with my Aunt Millie and her family. Now, look at us.”

“Discovering you had a brother must have been a shock.”

“It was, but I’m okay now.”

Sam frowned. “Caleb said you asked your aunt if she knew you were adopted.”

Megan stacked the cake box on top of Caleb’s present. “Aunt Millie wasn’t living in Milwaukee when I was adopted. She assumed I was Mom and Dad’s biological daughter.” With the truck locked, Megan walked toward Caleb’s house. “Are you still flying to Bozeman this afternoon?”

Sam opened the front door. “We’re catching the five o’clock flight. That way, Caleb gets to spend most of the day with you and Nora before being hijacked by my family.”

Nora rushed toward Megan. “He did it! Uncle Caleb left carrots for Rudolph and some cookies and milk for Santa. You should see all the presents under the tree.”

Megan smiled. “Caleb must have been extra nice to get so many gifts.”

“He’s always nice,” Sam said.

“Who’s always nice?” Caleb took the container of cookies out of Sam’s hand.

“You,” Sam said with a grin. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell your sister all your deep, dark secrets. Not yet, anyway.”

“Talking about secrets,” Caleb said to Megan. “There’s something Sam and I want to tell you.”

Megan looked at Sam’s flushed cheeks, then back at her brother. “You’re getting married, aren’t you?”

Sam sighed. “How did you know?”

“It wasn’t hard,” Megan said. “From the first conversation I had with Caleb, he mentioned your name in every second sentence. You mean a great deal to him.”

Nora held onto the edge of Megan’s jacket. “Can we go to Uncle Caleb’s wedding?”

“If we’re invited, we can.”

Caleb carried the cookies into the living room. “You’re definitely invited. We haven’t chosen a date, but it won’t be too long away.”

Megan opened the container of cookies and handed them to Caleb. “If you need someone to make a wedding cake, I’m happy to help.”

Instantly, Sam smiled. “That would be great, thank you.”

“Just let me know when you have a date in mind and we’ll go from there.”

Caleb bit into a chocolate chip cookie. “These are yummy. I’ll have to put them away in case I eat too many.”

Sam patted his stomach. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you don’t overindulge.”

As Megan listened to the easy banter between Caleb and Sam, she thought about William. She missed the easy relationship between them, the way his eyes lit up whenever he saw Nora. But more than that, she missed his sense of humor, the way he appreciated everything they did, and the way he made her heart beat out of control with one glance.

But thinking about how much she missed him wouldn’t achieve anything. He had decided to return to Bozeman, and there wasn’t anything she could do to change his mind.

Megan wanted to stay in Sapphire Bay. Moving to another town to be closer to her boyfriend brought back too many memories of other relationships that had failed.

She needed to focus on her career, build a new life for herself and Nora, and have fun—something that had been missing from her life for too long.

An hour later, everyone sat in front of the Christmas tree. Music filled the living room as they exchanged gifts, oohing and aahing as they unwrapped each present.

Caleb had given Nora an enormous art set. For Megan, he’d found an heirloom quilt. It would be perfect with the dusky shades of pink in her bedroom.

“And this is for Nora.” Caleb walked around the tree and handed Nora a large rectangular box. “It’s from William.”

Megan frowned. If William had hidden the present in her truck, she would have seen it. But it definitely hadn’t been there.

Caleb sat beside Megan. “William dropped it off on his way to Bozeman.” He reached for another present and handed it to her. “This is for you.”

A blush heated her face. She hadn’t expected a gift from William. And maybe, after telling him she wanted some time for herself, she didn’t deserve one.

Nora took a card out of an envelope. Her eyes skimmed across the words before she handed it to Megan. “Could you tell me what this says?”

William’s handwriting was as controlled and steady as he was. She cleared her throat and read the message. “To Nora. Always reach for the stars. Lots of love, William.”

Nora tore the wrapping paper off the present.

Her loud gasp made Megan wonder what was inside the box.

“It’s a model of a spaceship,” she cried. “I saw one just like it in town. William told me that one day I might be able to touch the stars. Can we make it now?”

Megan looked at the box. With more than two hundred pieces, it wasn’t the type of model you moved between locations. “How about we leave it until tomorrow? We’ll find somewhere special to make it.”

Nora’s smile disappeared. “I want to make it now.”

“Megan’s right,” Caleb said. “It would be easy to lose some of the pieces.”

Nora studied the picture on the outside of the box and sighed. “I guess that’s okay.” She looked at the gift in Megan’s hands. “Are you going to open your present from William?”

Megan smiled, but her heart was racing. With hands that weren’t quite steady, she peeled the tape off the wrapping paper.

“What is it?” Nora asked.

“It’s an apron and a chef’s hat.” She opened the apron and showed Nora the embroidered logo.

“That’s the same as the stickers we use on the cake boxes.”

“It is. It’s called a logo. It tells people who made their cake.” She read William’s note and smiled.

Nora leaned against Megan’s legs. “What does it say?”

“Happiness is knowing there’s a cake in the oven.”

Nora giggled. “William loves cake. Can we call him and say thank you for our presents?”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. He’s spending the day with his dad.”

“Please. William said we can talk to him whenever we want. He won’t mind. We could ask him if he found our presents.”

Megan’s fingertips traced the logo on the apron. William had put a lot of thought into choosing their presents. It would be rude not to tell him how much they liked them. “We’ll call him later. Caleb and Sam still have some presents to unwrap.”

Nora leaped into the air. “I know where they are.” Like a missile finding its target, she zeroed in on the two gifts leaning against the trunk of the Christmas tree.

With two hands, she picked up the closest one. “This is for you, Uncle Caleb. It isn’t from Santa. It’s from Aunty Megan and me. We made it ’specially for you.”

“Thank you.” He sniffed the wrapper before giving the box a quick shake. “It doesn’t smell or sound like cake or cookies.” His hands gently squeezed the side of the present. “And it’s hard, like a big book.”

Nora’s gaze shot to Megan. “He nearly guessed,” she whispered.

Megan held her finger to her lips. “Shh. It will give the surprise away.”

Caleb leaned toward Nora. “Should I tear the paper off the present?”

Nora nodded. “But not too quick. You might—”

Megan cleared her throat.

With eyes wide open, Nora slapped her hand over her mouth. “I nearly told you.”

Caleb grinned. “In that case, I’ll be extra careful.” With the speed of a snail, he took the tape off the wrapping paper.

Even Sam looked as though she was falling asleep while he meticulously unwrapped his gift.

When he’d peeled the last piece of tape away, he stared at the album.

Nora wiggled closer. “We took lots of photos for you.”

Caleb turned to the first page and looked at Megan. “This is wonderful.”

“It was a joint effort. Nora took most of the recent photos and we found the others in my albums. I wanted you to know about my childhood and the people who are important to us. We wrote captions under each photo so you’d know everyone.”

“That’s my mommy.” Nora pointed to a picture of Christine. “Isn’t she pretty?”

“She is. You look a lot like her.”

“That’s what Aunty Megan says. I want to be just like Mommy. Did you know she liked horses? One day I’m going to ride a horse.”

“Lots of people in Sapphire Bay own horses,” Caleb said. “I bet we could find someone who would let you ride their horse.”

Nora’s mouth dropped open. “Really?”

Caleb nodded. “Even though it’s winter, there’s probably an indoor arena we could use.”

“That would be amazing.”

Nora’s smile was so big that Megan wondered if it would ever go away. She handed Sam her present. “I hope you like this.”

Sam ripped the paper off the box and grinned. “It’s wonderful. How did you know I have a sweet tooth?”

“Brooke mentioned that you like her candy.” Megan was glad Sam liked the cookies, fudge, and rock candy she’d carefully wrapped.

“We made the gingerbread men ’specially for you,” Nora added. “The ‘S’ on their tummies means you’re special.”

Sam hugged Nora and Megan. “They’re lovely. Thank you.”

“Now can we call William?” Nora asked.

Megan sighed. “Okay, but we’ll only speak to him for a little while.”

“William will be so surprised.”

He wouldn’t be as excited as Nora. She was jumping up and down so fast that Megan was getting dizzy. Hopefully, his phone was turned on. Otherwise, they could be calling his number all afternoon.

William stacked another plate in the dishwasher. So far, the day had gone well.

The last Christmas he’d had with his dad was when Lacey was alive. The house had been decorated from top to bottom in tinsel and balloons. They’d enjoyed time in front of the fireplace, reminiscing about the Christmases they’d shared with other family members.

But, even then, Vanessa had been distant. She was so busy making sure every last detail was perfect, that she’d missed the most important part of Christmas. Spending time with her family.

William’s father walked into the kitchen. “I’ve checked the living room for dirty dishes. This is the last of them.” James rinsed two cups and added them to the dishwasher.

“What would you like to do this afternoon?” William asked. “We could go to the Museum of the Rockies. They’ve got a special Christmas exhibition in the planetarium.”

James looked over the rim of his glasses. “Do you really want to go to a museum on Christmas Day?”

“There’s not much else to do.”

“What about a movie? There must be something on TV.”

William laughed. “We sound like a couple of ninety-year-olds. I’ll bring the popcorn.”

“If you swap the popcorn for the Christmas cake we had yesterday, I won’t remind you about your birthday.”

He was surprised his dad had remembered. “It’s still a couple of weeks away.”

“It will come around quick enough.” James turned on the coffeepot. “If you don’t want to talk about your birthday, you can tell me about Megan.”

A heavy weight settled in William’s stomach. “We’re not seeing each other anymore.”

“That was quick. What happened?”

“We had a difference of opinion.”

His dad snorted. “Happens to all of us. Your mom and I had a difference of opinion most days, but we got through it.”

“Megan wants to stay in Sapphire Bay.”

“Must be a nice town.”

“It is, but it’s not Bozeman.”

“Do you think she’ll change her mind?”

William took two mugs out of the cupboard. “I don’t know. She owns a fantasy cake company and wants to concentrate on building her business.”

“That makes sense. How long have you been dating?”

“We haven’t, not officially.” William ran his hand through his hair. “I was sent to Milwaukee to protect Megan and Nora from a terrorist threat. The only reason I brought them to Sapphire Bay was because their lives were in danger.”

James pulled out a chair from the kitchen table and sat down. “Are you sure you aren’t confusing your feelings about Lacey with Megan and Nora?”

That was the only thing William was sure about. “Nothing will ever bring Lacey back. If anything, Nora has taught me there’s more to life than my memories. Lacey will always have a special place in my heart, but I can’t keep living in the past.”

“Do you care about them?”

William dropped his head to his chest. “I do.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

“I don’t know.” William’s cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and frowned at the number. “It’s Megan.”

“Well, don’t sit there staring at your phone. Answer it.”

Before William changed his mind, he answered the call.

“Hi, William. It’s Nora. Merry Christmas!”

Despite his uneasiness, he smiled. “Merry Christmas to you, too. Are you having a good time at Caleb’s house?”

“It’s been the best day ever,” Nora said excitedly. “Uncle Caleb might know someone who owns a horse. He’s going to take me for a ride. And Sam made roast turkey for lunch. It was yummy. Do you like my picture?”

“I do. It looks exactly like Zac’s house.” William had found Nora and Megan’s gifts when he was unpacking the Christmas cake and cookies they’d given him.

“Did you see the mouse beside the barn? That was Snowy.”

“Snowy?”

“The mouse I found in Zac’s house. When are you coming back?”

William rubbed his forehead. “I’m not coming back for a while. But you can still draw pictures for me. Megan will mail them to Bozeman.”

There was silence on Nora’s end of the phone.

“I miss you, William.”

“I know you do. What else are you doing today?”

“Umm…we’re having ice cream soon and then Aunty Megan is driving us home. Uncle Caleb is going to see Sam’s family. Did you know they’re getting married?”

William’s eyebrows rose. “No, I didn’t. That’s exciting news.”

“And Aunty Megan said she’ll make them a wedding cake. I hope they want pink roses on the top. They look so pretty. What are you doing?”

He looked across the table. “I’m about to have a cup of coffee with my dad before we watch some movies.”

“Are you going to watch Shrek?”

“I’m not sure. We haven’t looked at what’s on the TV.” William had spent more than one afternoon watching Nora’s favorite movie with her. Whenever Shrek, Fiona, or Donkey sang a song, Nora stood in front of the television, singing and dancing with them.

“If Shrek’s on, you should watch that. Can you take me to school on my first day?”

William’s mouth dropped open. He didn’t want to disappoint Nora, but he wasn’t her dad. “Megan will want to take you.”

“She’ll come, too. I’ll show you my classroom and you could say hello to my teacher. Please. It wouldn’t take too long and I’ll be able to see you again.”

William’s heart was pounding. Nora had told him she was worried about starting school, but there was nothing he could do to help her. “I live too far away now, Nora. But you could tell me all about your first day at school when you get home.”

“I guess that would be okay.”

He heard the disappointment in her voice and felt like the meanest person in the world.

“Do you want to speak to Aunty Megan?”

“Sure,” William murmured. “Enjoy the rest of the day.”

“I will. Bye, William.”

By the time Nora handed the phone to Megan, William was a nervous wreck. It had only been a day since he’d last seen her. Twenty-four hours of second-guessing himself and not knowing if he’d made the right decision.

“William? Are you still there?”

“I’m here. Merry Christmas.”

Megan sighed. “Merry Christmas to you, too. I’ve moved into the kitchen to give us some privacy. I heard what Nora said. You don’t have to come to Sapphire Bay for her first day of school.”

“It’s okay. I told her I couldn’t make it. If she remembers, she’ll call me when she gets home.”

“I don’t think there’s much chance of her forgetting. How’s your dad?”

William glanced at his father. He’d poured two cups of coffee and was about to cut into the Christmas cake Megan had made. “He’s fine.”

James held the knife over the plate. “Tell Megan the cake is wonderful. If she sends them to Chicago, I’ll order two from her.”

William smiled as his dad bit into a big slice of cake. “Did you hear that?”

“I did. Send me your dad’s address and I’ll bake them for him this afternoon.”

“You don’t need to do that.”

His dad placed the cup of coffee and some cake in front of William. “If you’re talking about the cakes, yes she does.”

William frowned.

“Oh, for goodness’ sake. Give me the phone and I’ll speak to her myself.”

There was no way he wanted his dad to speak to Megan. “Your coffee will get cold.”

“So will a lot of things if you don’t hand over the phone.”

William reluctantly placed the phone in his dad’s hand. “Be nice.”

“I’m always nice. All you have to do is ask the ladies at the bowling club.” James held the phone against his ear. “Hello, Megan. This is James, William’s dad. Your cake is delicious.”

William had no idea what Megan said, but James’ dry chuckle surprised him.

“Don’t let my son distract you from getting your business up and running. Can you send two cakes to me in Chicago?”

William picked up his cup of coffee and listened to the one-sided conversation. His dad wasn’t much of a talker, especially on the phone, but Megan seemed to be prodding sentences out of him.

James smiled. “No one’s perfect. But if you want a keeper, you’d go a long way to beat my son.”

Heat scorched William’s face. “Dad! Don’t say things like that.” It was just as well Megan wasn’t in the same room. As well as being incredibly embarrassed, he’d want to disappear as fast as he could.

“What was that?” James asked Megan. “I couldn’t hear what you said over the top of William’s mutterings.”

It was time for William to eat cake. So he did. A great big slab of rich fruitcake that was easily the best he’d ever tasted. He was about to cut a second slice when his dad cleared his throat.

“I’d better rescue the cake,” James said as he moved away from the table. “There won’t be much left after William’s finished eating his next slice.”

His dad wasn’t much of an exaggerator, either. But the conversation with Megan was bringing out the worst in William. Before his dad could say anything else, he grabbed the phone out of his hand.

“It’s William. I apologize for anything offensive my dad might have said. He’s not usually like that.”

“Your dad seems nice.”

William heard the smile in her voice and some of his nerves disappeared. “Send Caleb and Sam my congratulations. Nora told me they’re engaged.”

“It’s going to be an exciting year. Are you looking forward to working in an office again?”

“I haven’t given it much thought.” That was a lie, but Megan didn’t need to know he was dreading the next few weeks. “It will be good catching up with the rest of my team.”

“I’m sure they’ve missed you.”

William heard some voices in the background.

“I have to go,” Megan said. “Some of Caleb’s friends have arrived. I hope you enjoy the rest of the day.”

“You, too.”

“Remember to send me your dad’s address. And tell him I won’t be charging him.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I do. Call it a thank you present for everything you did for Nora and me.”

There was no point arguing with Megan. Even if he didn’t give her his dad’s address, she would still manage to get the cakes to him. “Dad will look forward to seeing them. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Bye.”

And before he could stop his dad from eating another slice of cake, Megan ended the call.

James licked royal icing off the end of his fingers. “That went well.”

“You think?”

His dad smiled. “Take it from a man who’s had more differences of opinion with other people than anyone you know. It went well.”

William hoped so because, as much as he didn’t want to admit it, he was still in love with Megan.