Footprints At Dawn (Book 2)

Chapter Twenty-Four

The last eight days had flown by so fast it was hard to believe it was Christmas Eve already. It was all due to the fact that Nicholas and I had both fallen into a busy daily routine.

Every morning after breakfast, we would arrive at the cottages, looking forward to the day ahead. Nicholas would spend quality time with his father, while I went off to do my volunteer work with the residents. When the afternoon arrived, I would join Nicholas and Thomas for a chat and early dinner, then finish the day off with a moonlit ride back to the inn with Nicholas.

After the scare with the wanted ad in the newspaper, we laid low; only going directly to and from the inn and cottages, and only visiting stores for necessities. No one bothered us, and as far as we were aware, no stalkers were lurking in the bushes.

Pulling my borrowed knitted shawl tighter around my shoulders, I gazed up at the clear evening sky. The sun had dipped below the horizon, the trees in the far distance silhouetted against the orange and pink glow.

"Father Christmas won't have any trouble delivering presents tonight," I called out to Rose, who I knew was sitting on a chair somewhere behind me. "It's a beautiful sky tonight."

"Oh, how pretty," I heard her say.

After tying the final bow on the Christmas tree, I stepped back to admire my work. Edie had asked Nicholas and Rose's husband, Noah, to go chop down a pine tree for the residents' Christmas Day gathering, and they had come back with a beautiful, six foot tall specimen. A little larger than Edie was expecting, but she was still grateful nonetheless.

The tree was going to be the main attraction for the day, centred between several tables and chairs, and I was excited that I had been the one chosen to decorate it.

"I think I'm done here. Ready to call it a day?" I asked Rose, who I found rubbing her eyes with her fists when I turned to face her. "You okay?"

She placed her hands in her lap, then shrugged, a look of uncertainty showing on her face. "I feel a little light headed all of a sudden. I don't think I have had enough water today."

"Stay here while I'll fetch you some," I said, stepping away.

"No, it's fine." I stopped. "Like you said, it's time to call it a day. Where did Noah disappear to?" she asked, glancing around the property for her husband.

"Off with Nicholas, I assume. They disappeared after they dropped off the tree. They looked like they were up to something, like two teenagers up to no good."

"Discussing our Christmas gifts, perhaps?"

I shrugged. I had no idea if Nicholas was going to give me a gift. Not that it worried me. Even though he helped with setting up the tables and chairs for the residents' Christmas Day lunch, as promised, and fetched a tree, he had done his best to avoid any mention of Christmas all week. I was hoping he might feel differently this year, seeing as he was going to spend it with myself and his father, but he seemed set in his ways.

But I wasn't going to push it. He knew I would always be there for him if he needed to talk.

"I'll check with Thomas. They can't be too far away, surely. It'll be dark soon," I said, resuming my walk towards Thomas' cottage.

"I'll come with you." Rose stood slowly, waiting for the world to stop spinning before following me.

The distance from the tables and chairs to the cottages wasn't far. It was deliberately set up that way so the residents could walk back and forth from their home on their own if they needed to.

"How are you feeling?" I asked her, hooking my arm around hers in case she fainted.

"All right. It was a busy day today, that's all. My body's telling me to go home and put my feet up."