Charmed by her Christmas Carol – Extended Epilogue

Two Years Later

Melinda had just finished dusting an apple pie with sugar when she heard the sounds of laughter floating in from outside. Darla had returned from her ride with Curtis and Jacob. The three of them went out several times a week to help foster Darla’s wishes to become a bonafide cowgirl. 

She wiped her hands on her apron and went to the front door to meet them. 

“How was it?”

Darla ran in as fast as she could and wrapped Melinda in a hug. “It was wonderful, Mama! I’ve decided to name her Chicago, to remind me where I came from.”

Melinda ran her hand over Darla’s hair. “That’s a perfect name for her, sweetheart.”

“Is that apple pie I smell?” 

“Yes, it is, but it’s for after dinner! Why don’t you go wash up, and I’ll fix you a snack.”

As Darla made her way down the hallway, Melinda turned to Curtis. “I still can’t believe you got her a horse for Christmas.”

Curtis gave Melinda a playful kiss. “How can she live out her dreams if she doesn’t have her own horse? She’d be laughed out of the cowgirl community.”

She batted his arm but couldn’t help smiling. “You dote on her too much. She’ll get spoiled.”

He hung his jacket on the hook by the door. “Darla had a difficult life before she came to us. I want to make sure she knows she’s loved.”

“I don’t think there’s ever any doubt of that,” said Melinda quietly. She had watched Curtis’s transformation over the past two years. He was an amazing father and husband. The two of them never wanted for anything.

“It smells delicious as always.” 

“Your mother helped. She taught me a new recipe for the crust. She said it will turn out extra flaky!”

“Did they go?”

“Melinda nodded. Curtis’s parents had come back to the ranch for the first time since Alice died. It had been a healing experience for everyone. Curtis had taken them to the spot on the river where she had died, and they had been going there every day since. They didn’t see it as a place of tragedy anymore. Now it was a place where they could be close to her and celebrate her life.

“Good,” said Curtis. “We must have just missed them. We went by the spot on our ride. Darla waved hello to her Aunt Alice.”

“I’m so glad you and Jacob built a memorial for her there.”

Curtis wrapped her in an embrace. “Me too.”

The pair walked into the kitchen, and Melinda looked back at the door. “Where did Jacob run off to?”

Curtis rolled his eyes. “Where do you think?”

Melinda laughed. “Well, I mean that makes sense, they are about to be married.”

“I should start collecting rent! I swear he spends as much time up here as he does his own house.”

“Yes, I know how much you dislike having your best friend around. I believe that’s why you’re building him and Savannah their own cabin to move into once they are married?”

Curtis chuckled. “It will be wonderful to have them so close.”

“She has truly become my sister, and I am so happy she has found such a perfect match in Jacob.”

“You’re just happy you’ll get to continue to gossip about us behind our backs,” teased Curtis.

“Mr. Hart!” admonished Melinda, “I gossip about you to your face now!”

“That wasn’t always the way it was, though, was it?” said Curtis with a twinkle in his eye.

Melinda took his hand and pulled him close. “No, it wasn’t … but if it weren’t for my conversations with Savannah, I might never have figured out some of my more complicated feelings for you.”

“Even after I came to rescue you in the woods?”

“Well, yes, conceded Melinda, “I did have quite a long time to think about my feelings then.”

“I shouldn’t jest.”

“No, it’s good to talk about it.” Melinda shivered. “But the  bad thing didn’t happen. And look where we ended up!”

Curtis took her face in his hands. “I love you so much.”

A loud knock on the front door ended the moment. 

With a few quick steps, Melinda and Curtis were at the door and flung it open to reveal Aunt Courtney and two little boys. 

“You made it!” squealed Melinda, pulling her aunt into a tight hug. 

“Be careful child, you’ll squeeze the life out of me!” Aunt Courtney sounded stern, but she had a smile on her face. She stood back and admired her niece. “You look happy. I’m delighted to see it.”

“I am happy,” said Melinda, smiling at her aunt. “And who are you two charming fellows?”

“This is Deacon and William,” said her aunt. “They’re twins!”

The two boys, who looked to be about six years old, gazed up at Melinda with toothy grins.

“Well, aren’t you both handsome,” said Melinda, bending down to gravely shake both of their hands. Deacon ran in for a hug. “Oh, and sweet!” she said, returning the display of affection. 

“Curtis, how are you?” said Aunt Courtney. 

“Very well, Aunt Courtney, thank you for making the trip again this year.”

“Well, it can’t be a yearly tradition unless I do it yearly, can it?”

Melinda felt gleeful. “Do you really mean to come here every year?”

“As long as I can still move, yes, I do. You’re my family, Melinda. And family should be together on Christmas.”

Melinda gave her aunt another hug. “My goodness, I’m sorry, I’ve been keeping you here in the entryway. Come in, come in. Darla can help you get settled.” 

With much scraping of boots and unwrapping of scarves, Aunt Courtney, Deacon, and William took off their winter garments. The sound attracted Darla, who arrived in the entryway with a wide smile on her face. 

“Great Aunt Courtney! It’s so good to see you!”

“And you my dear!” She gave Darla a kiss on the cheek and then stood back for the same examination she had given Melinda. “My, how you’ve grown! You’re getting so tall!”

“I’m almost as tall as Mama!” she said, sidling up to Melinda and sneaking her arm around her. 

Melinda looked at her and smiled. Darla had started calling her and Curtis ‘mama’ and ‘papa’ a few months after they had adopted her, so she was used to it by now. But every now and then the word still took her breath away. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have a daughter.

They were about to close the door when they saw they had other guests: Ralph and his family. 

The past two years had been difficult for them, but they were beginning to come out the other side. Ralph had taken on extra work boarding horses at his ranch, and Layla was even doing some sewing for families in town. She had become quite a popular seamstress, and Jacob’s father was even talking about selling some of her designs in his store. 

“Ralph, Layla!” Melinda called out, wrapping her brother-in-law and sister-in-law in a hug.

“Aunt Melinda!”

She bent over to hug all her nieces and nephews. Their youngest child, Annie, who was just a year and a half, was becoming much more confident on her feet. She wobbled over and gave her a cheerful wave.”

“I’m so glad you all made it!”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” said Ralph. “It’s tradition.” He discreetly handed Curtis an envelope. Over the past few months, he had finally been able to start paying Curtis back. Jessie himself was still in jail, but he had never revealed what had happened to the thousands of dollars Curtis had given him. 

Melinda looked at Ralph and smiled. She knew how guilty he still felt, and she was happy he was finally getting back on his feet. He was sure to feel better once he had repaid his debt to his brother.

“Everybody come in, take off your coats.”

Everybody shuffled into the house and the next several minutes were spent taking off boots and coats and exclaiming over the twins. Melinda and Curtis took her aunt’s belongings to the guest room. 

“Did you see those adorable little ones?” asked Curtis. “You think your aunt is trying to convince us to adopt more children?”

Melinda laughed. She knew her aunt would be delighted if she adopted a dozen children. She often sent her letters that encouraged her to expand their family. Sometimes she and Curtis talked about looking for a brother or sister for Darla. She was an outgoing child, and they sometimes worried she was lonely.

“Would it be a terrible idea?”

Curtis raised his eyebrows and swept her into a hug.

“I love you, Mrs. Hart.”

Melinda never got tired of hearing that. “I love you too, Mr. Hart.”

He put her down, and they looked at each other. “Are we really going to do this?”

Melinda felt her heart swell. “Let’s see how Darla gets on with them. I don’t want to rush anything if it’s not a good fit for all of us, but I think it would be wonderful. We have a big home, and I would love nothing more than to fill it with children.”
Curtis whooped and the pair embraced once more. 

***

That evening, everyone sat down around the table. Melinda couldn’t believe it had been two years since that dinner when everything had still been so fresh and new. She had been tender and sore from the ordeal with Jessie Lowry, and she had kept staring down at her hand to remind herself that the ring on her finger was real. 

Now the ring didn’t feel foreign, it felt like home. This whole place was home. The house, the barn, the animals, Mr. Winter, and Savannah next door. She had even come to love the woods. Curtis had gone out into them with her countless times until they didn’t scare her anymore. He had been so patient and loving and made it clear that he would never leave her side. Now she loved walking amongst the trees. She and Darla went out almost every day, rain or shine.

She looked across the table at Curtis’s parents. He had begun to mend the relationship by going to visit them in Chicago, shortly after he and Melinda had become engaged. He had discovered that his brother had told him the truth. They had never blamed him for his sister’s death. They just hadn’t known how to grieve. 

Curtis and Melinda had gone back to visit them many times and had helped them open up. Now, they talked about their daughter regularly. Curtis often received letters from them reminiscing about his childhood and all the wonderful things he and Alice used to do together.

Melinda had also reconnected Curtis’s parents with her Aunt Courtney. In her own correspondences with her aunt, she had learned that Mr. and Mrs. Hart often helped out at the orphanage. They loved being around children, and the orphans were always excited when they stopped by to entertain them. Melinda thought it was a good way for them to heal.

Darla and Marcus were laughing uproariously about something. Over the past two years, they had become thick as thieves and would constantly beg to see each other. He often joined the rides Darla took with her father and Jacob.

Darla was also wonderful with her other cousins and was always looking out for them. She was particularly sweet to the youngest, Annie. She had never held a baby before, and she had cried the first time she did it. Melinda knew the twins were no longer babies, but she had a feeling that Darla would excel at being a big sister. 

After they had decided to adopt Darla, Curtis had asked her if she wanted to have Alice’s room. She took this ask as a great honor and treated the room with exquisite care while still making the room her own.

Melinda continued to scan the table. Mr. Winter had remained a constant presence of calm and stability in their lives. Melinda could never thank him enough for the role he’d played in getting her home safe. At least once a week she brought some sort of baked good over to his house as a thank you. Curtis had given him a raise, and they were talking about making an addition to his house.

Melinda looked at Savannah and Jacob. She and Savannah were as close as ever, and she was so thrilled for her friend. She thought the two of them were a perfect match and was relieved Jacob had finally proposed. She and Curtis had been begging him to do it for months! Savannah looked over at her and smiled. The two still enjoyed many late-night conversations and would frequently collapse into fits of giggles with each other. 

Just when she felt like her heart was going to burst with happiness, she turned to her husband. He smiled at her, and his smile brought her back down to earth. He always knew how to ground her when she got too caught up in her thoughts. It was one of the many reasons she loved him. 

He squeezed her hand and stood up. The table hushed, and he raised his glass. 

“I wanted to say thank you to everyone for coming. Some of you have come a great distance, and it makes Melinda and me so happy to have you all share Christmas with us.

“A little over two years ago, I couldn’t have ever imagined this day. Alice died at Christmas, and I didn’t feel like I had the right to ever be happy again.”

Across the table, Curtis’s mother wiped away a tear. But she didn’t look at her son with anger. She looked at him with love. 

Curtis continued, “Then, a few days before Christmas, I got a knock on my door, and suddenly everything started to change.”

He looked down at Melinda. “You changed my life. Well, you and my daughter.” He tilted his glass toward Darla. She giggled. 

“You taught me that I didn’t have to live in sadness. You made me believe for the first time that I deserved to experience joy. And then you showed me exactly how to do it. In fact, you almost insisted on it.”

Melinda laughed and grasped his hand. She could feel the energy in the room. It was warm and full of love. He squeezed her hand in return and looked around the table.

“My wife taught me that life should be lived. And it should be lived around the people you love. You are all here today because you are our family. We love you.” He got teary for a moment. “And I know my sister is looking down on us from heaven, and she is so happy. This is exactly how she would want us to celebrate Christmas.”

There was a chorus of “Amens.”

“So, let’s raise a glass to Alice. To love. To family. To Christmas.”

“To Christmas!”

There was a great clinking of glasses, and Curtis sat back down. 

Melinda thought back to two years ago when she had noticed that Curtis’s eyes changed color and had wondered what the different colors meant. Over time she had gotten to know which emotion paired with which color. When his eyes were bright green, it meant he was experiencing joy.  She turned to him to see what color his eyes were right now.

They were the brightest green she’d ever seen.

THE END

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