After lunch, Megan looked around the living room. If they’d been in Milwaukee, their house would be filled with decorations, lights, and every color of tinsel you could imagine. In comparison, William’s friend’s house looked bare. Apart from Nora’s pictures on the walls, it was as if Christmas was still months away.

“Whatever you’re thinking, it can’t be good.” William leaned against the doorframe.

If you didn’t look into his eyes, you would think he was in vacation mode. “Why do you say that?”

“It’s the dreamy look on your face. You only get that when you’re imagining what something will look like. I don’t think Zac would appreciate us knocking down a wall or painting the living room.”

“I wasn’t thinking about remodeling the house. It’s perfect the way it is, but it could do with some Christmas spirit.”

William frowned. “It’s too early for decorations.”

“It’s never too early. Just imagine what the house could look like with lots of fairy lights and tinsel strung everywhere.”

He studied the walls. “Nora’s pictures are Christmassy.”

Nora looked up at William and smiled. She was kneeling beside the coffee table, playing with her dolls. “I like Christmas.”

Megan sighed. “I know you don’t like celebrating Christmas, William. But couldn’t we buy a few decorations?”

William glanced at Nora. “It’s not that I don’t like Christmas. I do. But it’s not the easiest time of the year for me.”

Megan frowned. That had to be the biggest understatement of the year. When they’d first met, Nora had asked William if he liked Christmas. The unexpected question had left him pale and sweaty, as if he was going to be sick.

“Why isn’t it a good time of the year?”

He looked through the French doors at the snow-covered trees. “Lacey died two days after Christmas. Vanessa and I spent Christmas Day holding her hand, not knowing whether she would make it.”

Nora hugged Dolly to her chest. “Who’s Lacey?”

William looked down at Nora. “Lacey was my daughter. She died in a car accident.”

“Like my mommy and grandma and granddad. Were you sad?”

“I was.”

Nora picked up another doll and handed it to William. “You can share my dolls. They make me feel better when I’m sad.”

William knelt beside Nora. “Thank you. Would you like some Christmas decorations?”

A smile lit Nora’s face. “Yes, please.”

William tapped the end of her nose. “I guess I’m driving into Sapphire Bay, then.” He stood and looked at Megan. “What would you like me to buy?”

“Anything is better than nothing. The house is so large that we’ll need lots of decorations.”

“The whole house? I thought you were only talking about the living room.”

Megan forced a smile. William’s reason for not liking this time of the year made her feel terrible. The least she could do was try and focus his attention on the present and not what had happened six years ago.

“Why stop with this room?” she asked. “We spend just as much time in the kitchen. And we walk through the hallway at least forty times a day. The chandelier could have red berries hanging from its arms and the staircase would look incredible with a Christmas garland strung along its banister.”

William looked toward the hallway. “I’ve got an idea. Wait here.”

He left the room, but Megan wasn’t letting him out of her sight. And neither, from the sound of it, was Nora.

“Where are we going?” Nora asked as she scrambled to her feet.

“William has an idea.”

They followed him into the hallway.

Nora held Dolly in her arms. “Is it a good idea?”

William stopped outside the garage door. “I always have good ideas,” he replied. “Except this one might take a little more time and effort to make it happen.”

Megan held Nora’s hand. “We have plenty of time, and Nora and I can help with the effort part, too.”

Nora’s head bobbed up and down in agreement.

William smiled before opening the door. “I helped Zac take down his decorations last Christmas. We stored them in the garage. He won’t mind if we use them this year.”

Nora’s big blue eyes looked hopefully at Megan. “Do you think there are mice in the garage?”

She shuddered. “I’m hoping they’ve all gone to the barn.”

“We could look while we’re there.” Nora skipped after William, no doubt dreaming about finding more furry friends.

Megan cautiously stepped into the garage. When they’d last been here, she hadn’t taken much notice of the enormous space. It ran almost the entire length and width of the house and looked as though it was packed with every piece of sports equipment you could imagine.

She touched the silky smoothness of a fiberglass kayak. “Your friend must enjoy the outdoors.”

William stopped in front of a door on the far side of the room. “He does. It helps him relax.”

“Does that door open onto the yard?” Nora asked.

“No. It leads to another storage area.” William opened the door and flicked on a light switch.

With more than a little curiosity, Megan peered around the edge of the doorframe. It was another large storage space.

“It’s like a magic cave,” Nora whispered.

Megan had to agree. Unlike the rest of the garage, the walls, floor, and ceiling were lined with wood that was stained a rich chocolate brown. Boxes in all sorts of shapes and sizes were stacked against the walls.

“I think the Christmas decorations are over here.” William walked across the room and started hunting through the boxes.

Megan and Nora helped him.

“Does your friend have any children?” Megan asked.

William shook his head. “Zac doesn’t have any children or a wife. He travels a lot with his job. Most of the time he’s only in Montana for a few months of the year.”

Nora tilted her head to the side. “Is he a special agent like you?”

“He’s a doctor,” William replied. “He works in refugee camps around the world.”

Megan lifted a box away from the wall. “I’ve found a box of decorations. It looks as though there’s more over here.”

She placed the box beside the door and went back to investigate the rest of the pile.

Nora was on her hands and knees studying the writing on the side of another box. “I don’t know what it says.”

Megan knelt beside her. “Tell me what the letters are.” She pointed to the first letter.

“L-I-G-H-T-S.” Nora repeated the sound of each letter, slowly getting faster and faster. “Lights! We found the lights.”

William placed another box in the center of the room. “Good work. I found the garlands.”

After another few minutes of searching, they had enough boxes to start decorating the house.

Megan wiped her hands on the side of her jeans. “It’s like a treasure chest down here.”

“Wait until you see what’s inside the boxes.” William opened the largest box and handed Nora a small ornament. The blue and gold rocking horse sparkled under the lights. “The house looked incredible last Christmas. Is everyone ready to start decorating?”

Nora waived the ornament in the air. “I am.”

Megan picked up another box. “Me, too. Let’s go.”

With William leading the way, they walked back into the house.

Megan sighed when she saw what was inside the first box she opened. A beautiful pine garland dotted with tiny red berries sat on a bed of tissue paper. Very carefully, she lifted one end into her arms and imagined how incredible the staircase would look. If the rest of the decorations were as special as this one, the house would be spectacular.

William attached the last garland to the edge of the fireplace. “What do you think?”

Megan spun in a slow circle. “It’s incredible. The decorations have transformed the entire room.”

Nora picked up the ornament William had given her. “It looks like Christmas. Do you think Santa will know we’re here?”

William hadn’t thought about Christmas from Nora’s point of view. They were hundreds of miles away from Milwaukee and everything that was familiar to her. “Santa definitely knows you’re here. Did you know he has a special team of elves who let him know if you’ve moved?”

“Are you sure?” Nora asked. “If he can’t find us, he won’t be able to deliver our presents. Even Rudolph won’t be able to find us.”

Megan took a red and green striped tablecloth out of a box. “William’s right. Santa knows exactly where everyone lives. We even have an enormous fireplace he can slide down.”

Nora’s neck arched backward as she followed the chimney into the towering ceiling.

She turned to William and frowned. “Does Santa know you’re here, too?”

“I hope so. Have you ever called Santa on the North Pole’s hotline?”

Nora’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “I didn’t know there was one. Can I talk to him now?”

“As soon as I find the phone number, you can. How about we finish hanging the decorations, then we’ll look for the number?”

“Okay.” Nora looked inside Megan’s empty box before racing across to William. “You’ve got monkeys!”

William grinned. “These are special musical monkeys.” He stood four toy monkeys on the coffee table. They were about ten inches high and dressed in bright yellow, red, and blue marching band uniforms. “Where should we put them?”

Nora pointed to the floor beside the hearth. “What type of music do they play?”

“Let’s see.” He smiled as he pushed the button on each of the toys. The leader of the band lifted his baton into the air. The other three monkeys stood to attention. One placed his drumsticks on his drum, while the other two lifted their trumpets to their mouths. Within seconds the first notes of Jingle Bell Rock filled the living room.

Nora giggled and joined the monkeys as they wiggled their way through the song.

Megan took out her cell phone and took a picture.

The smile on her face was good to see, especially after everything that had happened. He just hoped it lasted.

While Nora was on the hotline to Santa, William was in the kitchen making a cup of coffee. Decorating the house hadn’t been as difficult as he thought. After two hours of stringing lights and tinsel everywhere, they were only missing one thing. A Christmas tree.

Megan walked into the kitchen. “There you are. I thought you might have gone to the gym.”

“To de-stress?”

She shook her head. “No. To get away from all the decorations. Zac’s home gym is about the only room we haven’t touched.”

William took a sip of coffee. “I don’t mind the decorations. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“No, thanks. Nora has nearly finished her phone call. The Santa hotline was a great idea.”

“A friend has a son who’s Nora’s age. He called Santa at the end of November. A week later, he was still talking about it.”

Megan filled a glass with water. “When I left, Nora was telling Santa about the baby mouse she found. I just hope she doesn’t want more mice for Christmas.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. Once she goes home, she’ll probably forget about her four-legged friends. But there’s one thing we’re still missing.”

“A Christmas tree.” Megan sighed. “I thought I’d be pushing my luck if I said something.”

Two weeks ago, William would have agreed with her. But so much had happened since then, that he was beginning to doubt whether he would ever be the same again. “I called Zac while you were in the living room. He said it’s okay to cut down a tree on the property if we want a real Christmas tree. If not, he said there’s an artificial one at the back of the storage room.”

Megan leaned against the kitchen counter. “What kind would you like?”

He didn’t have to think hard about his answer. Even when he was a young boy, nothing said Christmas more than the smell of a fresh pine tree. “I vote for real. What about you?”

“Nora and I like real trees, too. It looks as though we’ll be chopping down a tree.”

Nora ran into the kitchen. “I talked to Santa, I really did. He said I’ve been good this year, and guess what?”

Megan smiled. “What?”

“Santa is going to deliver our presents in a brand-new sleigh. His elves have just finished making it in the workshop and it’s twice as big as the last one.”

“Wow. That’s exciting news.” Megan handed Nora a small glass of water. “William has a surprise for you, too.”

Nora’s gaze shot to William. “You do?”

“We need a Christmas tree. Have you ever picked your very own tree while it was growing in the ground?”

“We went to a Christmas tree farm last year. The man showed us the trees they were growing, but we didn’t take any of those. Can I choose the tree?”

“Of course you can,” William said. “We’ll take Zac’s snowmobiles into the forest. It shouldn’t take too long to find the right tree.”

Nora ran out of the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” Megan yelled.

“To the mudroom to get my jacket and boots.”

William laughed. “It looks as though I won’t have time to finish my coffee.”

“Nora rushes everywhere,” Megan said. “She can wait until you’ve finished.”

He rinsed his mug under the faucet. “I can have another drink when I get home. It’s better if we leave now in case the weather gets worse.”

Megan watched him move around the kitchen. “Have you ever cut down a tree before?”

“Not a Christmas tree, but I’ve used a chainsaw. Don’t worry. It will be easy.” At least, he hoped so.

“What about this one?” Nora pointed to a tall, spindly pine tree.

Megan tried to stop herself from smiling. Choosing a Christmas tree wasn’t as easy as William had hoped. After seeing Nora’s first choice, he’d suggested choosing three, then making a final selection from those.

Nora’s final tree looked as though it had been starved of food for its entire existence.

“Why do you like this one so much?” William asked.

Nora tilted her head to the side, studying the tree as if it was a fine piece of art. “It looks as though it needs lots of love. If we put tinsel and lights on its branches, it wouldn’t look so sad.”

William looked at the trees around them.

They all had big, bushy branches and were one hundred times healthier than the one Nora liked.

“There are plenty of other trees you could choose.” He pointed to another tree. “What about that one?”

“But it’s already been loved,” Nora insisted.

Megan could see William’s brain working overtime. He’d probably thought Nora would choose a storybook Christmas tree. But more often than not, Nora did the complete opposite of what you expected. It kept Megan on her toes and made her appreciate just how different her niece was.

Megan touched a branch of the tree Nora liked. “This one has a quirky kind of charm. I’m sure we could do something extra special to make it amazing.”

William looked at Nora. “What about the other two trees you like?”

“This is the best one,” Nora said confidently. “Can’t you see how much it wants to come home with us?”

William studied the tree and sighed. “Okay. We’ll take the one that needs to be loved. I’ll get Zac’s chainsaw.”

He couldn’t have said anything that would have made Nora happier. She skipped back to the snowmobiles with him, listening intently as he explained what he was about to do.

Megan pulled her hat more firmly over her head. Apart from making snowmen the other day, they hadn’t been outside very much since they’d arrived. It was wonderful to be away from the house, to enjoy the clean, fresh mountain air, and not worry about the terrorists, her adoption, or the new brother she’d found.

As she watched Nora slip her hand inside William’s, she sighed. The only thing worrying her was falling in love with a man who cared about a six-year-old girl and took unloved pine trees home.

That evening, Megan handed William a piping bag. “You’ll need to keep a constant flow of royal icing coming through the nozzle. Otherwise, the edges will look blobby.”

“Blobby?”

“Like this.” She gave her piping bag a quick squeeze before going back to an even flow. She pointed to the mound of icing. “That’s blobby.”

William rolled his shoulders. “I’m ready.”

After they’d decorated the Christmas tree, Nora wanted to make cookies. They’d baked more than four dozen in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Now that dinner was over and the cookies were cold, it was time to add a little Christmas magic.

Nora was already holding her piping bag. “You’ll be okay, William. If you want, you can watch me.”

From out of the corner of his eye, he saw Megan smile. Nora loved decorating cookies as much as choosing a tree and decorating it.

“That’s a great idea, Nora. What shape are you going to frost?”

Nora looked at the cookies on the counter. “I think I’ll frost this one.” She picked up a star-shaped cookie and grinned at William. “We could leave some cookies on a plate for Santa.”

“Do you think we’ll still have any left by Christmas Eve?”

“We could put them in the freezer. That’s what Megan did for my friend’s birthday party. They still tasted yummy.” Nora twisted the piping bag and moved the nozzle along the edge of the cookie.

“It doesn’t have to be perfect,” she said in a hushed whisper. “But it’s better if you keep the frosting close to the edge.” In next to no time, she had outlined the cookie in bright red icing.

“You’re really good,” he said. “Do you help Megan decorate all her cakes and cookies?”

“Not all of them. But sometimes I make butterflies and flowers with fondant icing.”

Megan handed William a cookie. “Nora makes wonderful fondant shapes. Now it’s your turn to decorate a cookie.”

He held the piping bag over the round cookie and squeezed the icing down the nozzle.

“That’s really good,” Nora said encouragingly. “It doesn’t matter if you get a bit wobbly near the end. Everyone does that.”

When he was finished, William breathed a sigh of relief. Even if he did say so himself, it wasn’t a bad effort for a beginner.

“Well done,” Megan said. “Once we’ve finished the outlines on all the cookies, we’ll go back and fill the ones we did first.”

Nora chose another star-shaped cookie. “The line around the edge has to be dry before you decorate the rest of the cookie. Otherwise, the icing goes everywhere.”

“I didn’t know that.” William had always enjoyed Christmas cookies without thinking about the effort that had gone into creating them. After seeing how Megan and Nora carefully decorated their cookies, he wouldn’t take them for granted again.

With Christmas music playing and more than one cookie being eaten, they slowly outlined all the cookies. William was surprised at how much he was enjoying himself. His mom had been a great cook, but he hadn’t sat still long enough to help her in the kitchen.

Since he’d left home, cooking was a necessity rather than a pleasure. For Megan, baking not only had provided her with a career, it gave her a chance to spend lots of time with Nora.

He looked across at Nora and smiled. She was yawning so hard that her mouth was practically glued opened. “Someone’s tired.”

Nora quickly closed her mouth. “I was practicing for the dentist.”

“Nice try,” Megan said as she glanced at the kitchen clock. “But it’s time for bed. It’s been a big day.”

“Do I have to go to bed?” Nora asked. “I want to decorate more cookies.”

William knew how much she was enjoying being with them. “We could put some aside for you to decorate tomorrow?”

“I guess that will be okay.” Nora handed Megan her piping bag. “Can you keep some red icing for me?”

Megan kissed the side of Nora’s head. “Of course, we can. And if we have enough time, we’ll decorate the Christmas cakes, too.”

Nora grinned at her aunt. “Are you going to make dragon Christmas cakes?”

“Not dragons, but we could make Santa’s workshop and something else.”

Nora jumped off the kitchen chair. “What if one of the cakes looked like a big Christmas present. It could have pink spots and a yellow ribbon on top.”

Megan washed her hands under the faucet. “That sounds like an amazing cake to me.”

William knelt beside Nora. “Thank you for showing me how to frost the cookies.”

“That’s okay. I like helping you.” She wrapped her arms around William’s neck and gave him a hug. “I love you.”

His arms tightened around Nora’s little body. It had been so long since anyone had said they loved him that it took him a moment to reply. “I love you, too. Sweet dreams.”

When Nora stepped away, Megan scooped her into her arms. “What story are we reading tonight?”

“Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy!”

William looked bemusedly between Nora and Megan.

“Hairy Maclary is a little black dog,” Megan explained. “He has all sorts of adventures with other dogs.”

“And lots of cats,” Nora added.

“Definitely lots of cats.” Megan tightened her hold on Nora. “Let’s see what adventures Hairy Maclary has been up to.”

“And Bottomley Potts all covered in spots, and Hercules Morse as big as a horse…”

“And Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy,” Megan said in a sing-song voice with Nora.

William had never heard of the book, but it must be one of Nora’s favorites. He said good night to her as she giggled her way out of the kitchen.

He sat on the chair Nora had been using and sighed. He’d forgotten what it felt like to hear a child say they loved him, to know that whatever happened, they trusted you with their life.

And he knew the pain of not being able to live up to their expectations. Of letting them down in the worst possible way.

He dropped his head into his hands. Without knowing how it had happened, he’d stepped into an emotional web that could only end in heartache.

And that was the last thing he wanted for anyone.