"We are purging negative energy," Clarice explained. "Join us, Madeline."

"Aw, h.e.l.l, Skip," Chet yelled, "don't tell me you're into this s.h.i.t too."

Skip shrugged as he and Rene joined the group.

"Ignore the old crow in the wheelchair," Clarice said with a smile. "Spread out so no one is touching. We don't want to share the negativity. Now look at the sky so blue, so beautiful. Lift your arms palms up, fingers wide. Let the negativity flow up from your feet, feel it coursing through your body and leaving out through your fingertips."

Skip burped. "I'm so sorry. That beer I drank was negative."

"Ignore the flatulence," Clarice intoned, "there is no shame in releasing whatever is harmful within the body."

Morgan began to tremble with silent laughter and heard Jaclyn release a soft whimper. Knowing that Jaclyn was laughing made it funnier. Morgan took a heaving breath, trying to regain her composure when Maddie broke out in a cackle.

"Oh, don't be mad at me, Clarice," she pleaded between fits of laughter. "It's working. I'm happy."

Clarice gave up when her pupils began to laugh uncontrollably.

"For this meal, we are thankful, Lord. We also thank you for our family gathered here today to share in it. And we thank you for this day of celebration of our freedom. For all these things, we are truly grateful. Amen," Harlan said.

A chorus of amens rang out as the procession along the food table began. Morgan moved along behind Jaclyn with her plate in her hand. Maddie grabbed Caleb's hand as he reached for a roll and used a pair of tongs to get it for him. Heath put a spoon in Dawn's hand, dipped it in a dish, and guided it to her plate. Ida made Chet's plate as he nodded his approval when she held the serving spoon over each dish.

Morgan wasn't sure when she'd first felt it. Maybe it was when Betsy came to her house to talk to her when she was unsure about getting involved with Jaclyn. Perhaps, it was when Clarice smeared her with the foul-smelling balm. Then again, it could've been the warm looks and hugs she received from the others, but she realized she was truly among family, her family. She knew then that she'd pick up a saw when someone needed help in their yard, she'd visit Clarice's dead cats, and she'd scoot Chet around in his chair until he was strong enough to stand on his own. Most importantly, she'd watch Austin grow into manhood, and she'd spend her evenings on the back porch holding Jaclyn's hand.

Chapter Thirty-six.

"You're just jealous because you want to make fish faces with Arianna." Morgan grunted as she tried to avoid Austin putting her in a headlock.

"You're so wrong for that." Austin caught her around the waist and threw her down on the couch. Morgan hooked her leg around his and caused him to fall onto the coffee table. It broke beneath the impact with a loud crack.

Jaclyn pursed her lips as she walked into the room and spied two guilty faces peering over the back of the couch. "She did it," Austin accused, pointing at Morgan.

"I did, and I'm sorry. I'll get a new one, I promise."

"I'll help pay for it, I'll work at the store now that I'm off for the Thanksgiving holiday," Austin offered. "Please don't kill us."

Austin's joke didn't sit well with Jaclyn. "Yes, you will. I've warned you both about the roughhousing. Now go outside while I clean up this mess."

"I'll clean-" Morgan b.u.t.toned her lip when the infamous daggers shot out of Jaclyn's eyes. She felt like she was six again as she and Austin slinked outside.

"We are in big trouble," Morgan said. "Where can we get another coffee table that's nice?"

"Skip made that one in his wood shop. It was real st.u.r.dy, but one time Logan jumped on it playing air guitar and cracked one of the legs. I glued it, but today it didn't hold."

Morgan looked across the street. Skip's truck wasn't in the driveway. "I'll ask him to build another one quickly. Until then, we need to get something to appease her, and I don't think chocolate's gonna do it." She looked across the lake at the Christmas tree stand that was being set up. "Hey, do you think they'll sell us a tree, even though they aren't open yet?"

"I go into the woods and cut them myself. Mom said those have been down too long and are a fire hazard."

"She doesn't go with you?"

Austin shrugged. "She's not big into it."

"Let's go hunting," Morgan said with a gleam in her eye.

Jaclyn stood on the front porch feeling bad for being so angry earlier. Truth was, she didn't like the coffee table that much, but Skip had made it for her, and she'd felt obligated to keep it. What was troubling her was a case of PMS, and Christmas was approaching. It hovered over her like a dark rain cloud.

Morgan hadn't taken her Jeep, and there was no sign of anyone at the cabin. When she'd checked with Bailey, she hadn't seen them, either. Jaclyn chewed the inside of her cheek as she regarded her phone. She was about to call Morgan when something caught her eye in the woods across the street. Morgan was carrying the top of the tree, and Austin was at the back. It was ma.s.sive.

"Hey, I'm sorry that I was so grumpy earlier," Jaclyn said as they walked into the yard.

"We're sorry that we broke the table. Austin and I had a long talk in the woods, and we've made a pact to play outside when we wanna wrestle." Morgan looked like a child when she said, "Look what we've got! Let's order a pizza and spend the evening decorating, it'll be fun."

"Okay," Jaclyn said, allowing some of Morgan's exuberance to wash over her.

No matter how much they cut off the base of the pine, it would not fit into the stand that Austin had gotten down out of the attic. When Morgan suggested borrowing Harlan's chain saw, Jaclyn threw in the towel. "Maddie's got a bunch of Christmas stuff in at the store. Let's go shopping for another stand."

Austin groaned.

"Oh, come on," Jaclyn chided. "You know how much you love shopping, and we can pick out an ornament between the three of us for this year."

"Well," Maddie said when they walked into her crowded store, "what a surprise."

"We got a big-a.s.s...I mean a really big tree, and it won't fit our stand." Austin's face flushed red as he avoided looking at Jaclyn.

"We're going to need more lights, too. We want high-tech at a bargain price." Jaclyn looked over at the manger display. "Very nice, but I liked the one you originally did when you included yourself."

"I'll flock you for free." Maddie caught the attention of one of her helpers. "I'm going to the back with these people because they're known to shoplift. Holler if you need me." Maddie looped her arm around Austin's. "So you went big tree this year."

"Morgan did, and she picked one in the middle of a briar patch. I still have thorns in my jeans."

Morgan shrugged. "You know what they say, big tree, warm heart."

Jaclyn grabbed a cart and winked at Morgan. "Wanna ride?"

"Don't tease because I'll get in there." Morgan's shoes skidded on the cement floor as she came to an abrupt stop. "These are cool," she said, eyeing a box of tube lights. "We could line the front walk."

Jaclyn bit the inside of her cheek before asking, "You...uh...want to decorate the outside, too?"

"Can we? I haven't done it since I was a kid. You've got those big junipers on either side of the porch, and they'd look great lit up."

Morgan looked like a kid again hugging the box of tube lights, her eyes big and beseeching. "Austin," Jaclyn said with resignation, "do me a favor and go get another cart."

When Morgan was excited, Austin got excited. They went through the store like two tornadoes. The carts were filled with lights, plastic candy canes, a lighted reindeer with mechanical bobbing head, and ornaments galore. Jaclyn stood back watching them with a wistful smile.

When Austin was young, he got really excited about Christmas, but once the Santa myth was dispelled, he'd lost some of his enthusiasm. Morgan had regressed to a child around seven years old and had taken him with her. They giggled and pushed the b.u.t.tons on every animated singing deer, elf, and Santa. As Jaclyn watched them, she realized that she had allowed the fun and magic of the holiday to be stolen from her. Her gaze fell upon an angel with its plastic hands folded. Her grandmother had always put one on the peak of the house, and to Jaclyn, it seemed to look down on her with its smile, and she felt she was in its favor. She ran her hand over the blond head and picked it up.

"Did you order these?" she asked with a sidelong glance at Maddie.

"I always have, you never noticed. Put her in the basket, sis."

Jaclyn did and smiled. "Thank you." She looked back at Austin. "No tinsel, anything else but that."

"Why not?"

"Because it's dangerous. The cat could choke on it."

Morgan looked up from the wreath she was holding. "We have a cat?"

"No, but I'll get one." Jaclyn rolled her eyes. "Okay, it clogs my vacuum cleaner."

Austin made a face and exchanged the tinsel for a Grinch ornament and put it in the cart.

"Okay," Morgan eyed the haul, "I think we've done enough damage to my credit card. Let's get home and put all this stuff up."

Maddie grabbed one of the carts. "Austin, follow me to the express checkout." Instead of going to the front of the store, Maddie headed toward the back.

Jaclyn grabbed her sleeve. "I know what you're doing, and I'm paying for this stuff."

Maddie spoke lowly. "Do you think I want half the town to see the discount I'm going to give you? Hush and follow." When they were all in the back of the store, Maddie closed the doors. "Morgan, why don't you and Austin go get the car?"

"Jaclyn can get the car because I'm paying for this. It was my idea to go all out."

"I'd like to talk to my sister alone for a minute. I promise I won't let her pay for anything."

Morgan scratched the back of her neck as she looked around. "How exactly are you going to ring it up back here?"

"Morgan, have you ever seen me mad?" Before Morgan could reply, Maddie said, "You don't want to, trust me. Now please do as I asked because I've got a flocking machine that will blow the hair off your head."

Morgan jutted her chin. "I'll go, but I will pay you for all of this one way or the other, and you can flock me up if you want to. Come on, Austin."

"Don't take her money," Jaclyn said after they walked out. "And let me tell you one-"

"You aren't gonna tell me jack s.h.i.t," Maddie said forcefully. "If I need a gallon of milk or eggs or anything else, I just walk into your store and take it." Maddie raised her voice when Jaclyn tried to speak. "More importantly, I want to do this. It's exciting for Morgan, and as much as you try to hide it, it's making you happy, too. This is your first Christmas together. Light up that house like Vegas. And it makes me happy," Maddie admitted with a softer tone. "This is an early Christmas present to me because I get to see you happy this time of year for a change. Take these things, please, and enjoy them," she said as her eyes misted.

Jaclyn stared at her for a moment. "Well, that speech was Golden Globe-worthy."

"I know! Did you like the tears I added at the end? I really had myself going there for a second. Now take this s.h.i.t and go. We'll square up later."

Chapter Thirty-seven.

Pizza had to be delivered because Morgan couldn't take the time to wait on it. She had a slice hanging out of her mouth as she and Austin strung the lights on the tree. It wasn't cold enough for a fire, but Jaclyn lit one anyway to add to the atmosphere and opened all the windows and doors. She picked up an ornament, eager to put it on the tree.

"Hey," Morgan said as she waved her pizza slice at her. "We aren't finished stringing the lights here. Take a bite and relax."

Jaclyn grinned as she bit into the pizza. "Can we put the angel up tonight?"

"Oh, baby, we're gonna put it all up tonight. I plan to blind Skip and Rene."

"I'm gonna go make coffee since we're obviously going to be awake until dawn."

Jaclyn went into the kitchen and smiled at the container of cinnamon sticks that Morgan had put on the counter and the gingerbread man cookie cutters. Morgan's Christmas fever was getting contagious. Jaclyn could feel it welling inside of her. If she would've had the ingredients for gingerbread, she would've baked up a batch of cookies.

"We're hung," Austin called out with a giggle.

Jaclyn rolled her eyes and shook her head as she went back into the den. The tree was lit up, and multicolored lights filled the boughs. "It's beautiful," she said with a sigh. "Can we decorate now?"

Morgan lay on the couch with Jaclyn curled up against her with her head on her shoulder. They laughed softly at the pictures on Morgan's phone as she thumbed through them: Austin on a ladder stringing lights on one of the junipers; Morgan with a slice of pizza hanging out of her mouth as she hung an ornament on the tree; the angel lit up on the roof smiling down at them. There were many others to look at, but Morgan felt her eyes growing heavy.

"These are our memories of our first Christmas together," she said as she set the phone aside. "I'm gonna make them into a slide show on my computer."

"That's a good idea." Jaclyn stared at the tree, wondering what presents to get for Morgan. "Do you remember what your favorite all-time present was when you were a child?"

"Oh, yeah. It was a motocross bike with k.n.o.bby tires. I stuffed a chicken bucket between the fender and the tire, and it made a sound kind of like a motorcycle when it rubbed against the k.n.o.bbies."

Jaclyn chuckled. "I could see you doing that. Mine was a BB gun, a pump rifle. I wouldn't shoot at squirrels like Skip did. I couldn't kill them, and Skip's dad made him clean and eat every one he shot. He still doesn't eat squirrel to this day." Jaclyn yawned. "I shot the h.e.l.l out of some cans, though. Grandma gave me that gun because my mom wouldn't buy me one. She wanted me to be interested in dolls and board games like all the other girls. I really blew her mind one year when I asked for a trip to Fiji."

"Fiji?" Morgan asked with a laugh.

"I saw pictures of it once in a magazine. I dreamed of living in the little huts built over the water far away from my folks. One day, when money grows on trees we'll go there," Jaclyn said with a smile.

"Deal." Morgan stroked her back. "Maddie told me about your parents and how stressful it is for you when they're here."

"I don't understand them. I could never be that way toward Austin, but maybe that's because I know how it feels to be disapproved of."

"Regardless, you'd never do that to him. My mom died before I knew who I was. I wonder a lot how she would've reacted. I really don't know because I don't remember her all that much. I'd like to think she would've accepted me just the way I am. I used to work with a guy named Kevin, and his parents booted him out of the house when he came out. Maybe they think it's tough love, and if they make it hard, their kids will walk the straight line, so to speak. And then it could boil down to embarra.s.sment. They think they've ruined us somehow, and everyone will know they're not good parents."

"Maddie seems to think the latter. I've pretty much stopped wondering, and now, I'm just bitter. I have to let it go because it's doing me no good, and they certainly don't care." Jaclyn rose up on her elbow and gazed down at Morgan. "I have you, though, and for the first time in a while, I'm looking forward to Christmas morning."