Christmas at Timberwoods - Fern Michaels [109]
“That’s not an answer! You sound just like Mom. ‘Maybe’ and ‘someday’ aren’t real answers,” Ashley stated in that clear and concise matter-of-fact way eleven-year-olds have.
Melanie chuckled. Ashley was right. “Truthfully, I don’t know when or if I’ll ever get married because I haven’t dated anyone long enough to fall in love, so marriage hasn’t been my number one priority.”
“What’s a priority?” Amanda asked.
“It means something that is very important, right Auntie M?” Ashley replied.
“Yes, that’s exactly what it means. And right now my top priority is to arrive safely at The Snow Zone so we can drop Clovis and Odie off. I need to focus my attention on the road. It’s incredibly slick.”
Again, Melanie glanced in her rearview mirror. Ashley rolled her eyes.
“That means we’re not supposed to ask any more questions about Aunt Melanie’s personal life.”
“Why?” Amanda asked.
With her engagement to Patrick, Stephanie talked about marriage constantly. It seemed the girls had acquired an avid interest in the topic as well.
Melanie wanted to tell the girls it was okay with her to ask such questions, just not while she was driving on an icy road, but this was Stephanie’s rule, and she would respect that.
“You ask too many questions,” Ashley informed her little sister. “Doesn’t she?”
Melanie peeped in her rearview mirror again. “It’s okay, Ash. All little girls like to ask questions.”
“Mom says Amanda talks too much, but I would really like to know if you plan on getting married sometime in the future because Krissy Haygood, she’s a girl in my class, all she talks about is her big sister getting married this summer. She’s the maid of honor and said it was highly unusual for someone her age to act as maid of honor, and well, I sort of thought if you were to get married, or think about it, maybe I could . . . you know, be your maid of honor.”
For once, Melanie was at a loss for words. She never remembered having such desires or thoughts when she was eleven, but times were different; kids matured earlier nowadays. She took a deep breath, fearing she was about to put her foot in her mouth but decided if she did get married, there would be absolutely no reason that Ashley couldn’t act as her maid of honor.
“When I get married, I promise to ask you to be my maid of honor.”
Chapter 2
Melanie wrapped a thick towel around her wet hair, swooped her old, worn-out yellow terry cloth robe off the hook on the back of the bathroom door, slipped her arms inside, then secured the belt around her waist. She hurried to the kitchen just in time to hear the microwave’s bell ding. After spending the day skiing, and the afternoon instructing the girls how to make a slipknot and cast on stitches, Melanie was pleasantly worn-out. Too tired to make a proper dinner, she’d popped in a microwave meal while she showered. Clovis and Odie were curled together beneath the kitchen table, waiting. She smiled at the sight.
“I know you two had more than your share of treats today, so what is it?” Melanie asked as she removed her lasagna from the microwave, placing the black plastic container on a dinner plate.
Odie yawned, and Clovis gave her his don’t-mess-with-me look. Sure that Clovis had been an emperor in another life, Melanie turned around and gave the feline a quick bow. She did a doubletake when Clovis nodded his furry head, then reclined against Odie’s belly. He really does think he’s an emperor.
I am definitely spending too much time alone.
This reminded her of Ashley’s earlier question. Would she ever marry? Have children of her own? She certainly didn’t have any prospects, but that was her own doing. Since she’d started working from her home, she’d devoted most of her spare time to caring for her pets and Stephanie’s little family. She loved the excitement on the girls’ faces when she surprised them with a visit or an unexpected treat. She often wished for a family, a child of her own, but knew until she met the man of her dreams, it was