Better Than Chocolate Part 39

tsp lavender (You can add more but try this

small amount first. Like rose water,

lavender is powerful stuff!)

Directions: b.u.t.ter the sides of a heavy 2-quart saucepan. (This prevents grains of sugar from clinging to the sides of the pan and forming unwanted crystals when the fudge starts to bubble.) In it combine the sugar, half-and-half, corn syrup and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. Then cook to soft-ball stage. Immediately remove from heat and cool to lukewarm without stirring. Then add b.u.t.ter and lavender and beat vigorously until mixture becomes very thick and starts to lose its gloss. (Good exercise!) Spread in a b.u.t.tered 9 x 5 x 3 (or 9 x 9) inch pan. Score into squares while warm. Cut when cool and firm. Store in a cool place. (If you can keep it long enough to store. Good luck with that!) Note: If you cook this for too long and too high you will wind up with caramels-not a bad thing, either, but we thought we should warn you.

To extend the life of your fudge you can store it in the refrigerator. Line an airtight container with wax paper and put wax paper between the layers of fudge so the pieces won't stick to the container or one another. You should be able to store it for up to three weeks this way. Before serving allow it to remain in the container until it returns to room temperature.

BEAR DROPPINGS.

(This is courtesy of our friend Carol Hostetter.) Yield: 24 Ingredients: 2 cups milk chocolate chips

1 Tbsp shortening

cup raisins

cup slivered almonds

(You can subst.i.tute walnuts if you wish.).

Directions:.

In a double boiler over simmering water, melt the chocolate chips and shortening, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat; stir in raisins and almonds. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper. Chill until ready to serve.

Introduction.

Christmas. As the song says, it's the most wonderful time of the year, and one the women of Icicle Falls always look forward to. Their small town may not have a ball to drop on New Year's Eve as New York City does, but in the town square they have a giant tree that they light every weekend in December for the tourists. And they'll be able to enjoy holiday concerts, winter bonfires, skating in the little ice rink, cross-country skiing and sleigh rides. And you can bet there'll be plenty of Sweet Dreams chocolates on hand. To top it all off, this Christmas Ca.s.s Wilkes's daughter Danielle is getting married. It should be the perfect holiday, right?

Wrong. Ca.s.s's ex and his family are coming to town for the wedding and, with every B and B in town booked, it looks as if her former husband and his trophy bride will be staying with her, making her life miserable.

Ca.s.s isn't the only one Santa's presenting with a white elephant gift this year. Her friend Charley, who owns Zelda's restaurant, is about to come face-to-face with the ghost of Christmas past, the man who left her for one of her employees and has now returned with a disturbing proposal. Their friend Ella Swan will find it hard to keep her mind on decking the halls when she's sharing the house with her gorgeous ex while they wait for it to sell. Santa sure has a sick sense of humor.

Enjoy this first chapter of MERRY EX-MAS and get ready to help Ca.s.s plan a wedding, save Charley from the ghost of Christmas past and give Ella romantic advice. They're going to need all the help they can get!

MERRY EX-MAS is coming in November.

Chapter One.

Once in a while, if a woman is really lucky, the perfect day she envisioned turns out to be just that. This was going to be one of those days, Ca.s.s Wilkes thought as she set the platter of carved turkey on her dining table.

She surveyed her handiwork with a smile. Everything was "Martha Stewart lovely," from the china and crystal to the Thanksgiving centerpiece she'd bought at Lupine Floral, and her old Victorian was filled with the aroma of herbs and spices. The dining-room window framed a greeting-card-worthy winter scene: her front lawn with its trees and shrubs draped in frosty white and the snow-capped mountains looming beyond.

The snow had done what good snow should do; it had stopped in plenty of time for road crews to clear the way for travelers. Unlike this time last year, the town of Icicle Falls was humming with visitors looking for a holiday getaway. Good for business, especially when you owned a bakery. This weekend, gingerbread boys and girls would march out the door of Gingerbread Haus in droves and money would march right into Ca.s.s's bank account-a good thing, since she suspected she was going to have a wedding to pay for in a year or so.

A whoop of male excitement came from the living room, followed by cheers. The football game on TV was nearing its end and obviously the favored team had scored a touchdown.

"Okay, that's everything from the kitchen," said Dot Morrison, Ca.s.s's mentor and former boss, as she placed on the table a serving bowl heaped with stuffing, along with another full of mashed potatoes. Normally Dot would have been celebrating with her daughter, but Tilda was on patrol, keeping Icicle Falls safe from...who knew? Their town wasn't exactly a hotbed of crime.

Dot had dressed for the occasion, wearing jeans and a white sweatshirt decorated with a turkey holding a sign that said, "Think outside the box. Serve ham." Dot, owner of the Breakfast Haus, had encouraged Ca.s.s to think outside the box years ago, even lent her money to start her bakery. Ca.s.s owed her Thanksgiving dinners for life.

"Get those clowns in here," Dot said. "There's nothing worse than cold food."

Ca.s.s could think of a few things-taxes, yeast infections, exes.

Oh, no, she wasn't going to ruin a perfectly good holiday with even a hint of a thought about her ex-husband. That man, that self-centered, undeserving rat who'd tried to lure the kids away this weekend with a trip to Vail, who... No, no. No thoughts about Mason. It was Thanksgiving, after all, a time to count her blessings.

Three of those blessings were sitting out there in the living room-her kids, Danielle, Willie and Amber. Dani's boyfriend, Mike, was there, too, tucked beside her in an overstuffed easy chair built for one and perfect for lovers.

Twenty-year-old Dani was Ca.s.s's oldest and her right-hand woman at the bakery. She'd inherited Ca.s.s's pa.s.sion for creating in the kitchen, and after a year of community college had opted to work full-time at the bakery. "I can learn more from you than I can from any college professor," she'd told Ca.s.s. When it came to baking, well, what could Ca.s.s say? Dani was right.

Amber, fifteen going on twenty, sat curled up on one end of the worn leather couch, texting. A few months earlier she'd been adding to Ca.s.s's gray-hair collection, hanging out with the kind of kids no mother wanted her child to be with or, worse, become. Thank G.o.d (and possibly Ca.s.s's pal Samantha Sterling) Amber had changed direction and found some new and improved friends.

Willie, Ca.s.s's high school jock, was sprawled on the floor, holding the favored stuffed animal of high school boys everywhere-a football. The only trouble she had with Willie was keeping him full. The boy was a two-legged locust.

Then there was her younger brother, Drew, who'd come over from Seattle. Recently divorced (was this tendency toward divorce something in their genes?), he'd been more than happy to spend the weekend. He'd never had kids of his own, so she'd shared. He'd made a great uncle and a better father figure than her ex. No, no, no. Not giving him so much as a thought today.

Ca.s.s stood in the archway like a lady butler and announced, "Dinner, guys."

Of course, no one was listening. Another touchdown happened in TV Land. "Yay!" whooped Mike.

"My team sucks," Willie muttered, giving his football an irritable bounce.

"My dinner's going to suck if you don't get out here and eat it right now," Ca.s.s warned.

"The game's as good as over anyway," Mike said, demonstrating good boyfriend etiquette. He stood, pulling Dani up with him. He was a big boy, a former football star and her son's new hero. Mike was currently employed at the local hardware store, which, as far as Ca.s.s was concerned, was perfect. Once he popped the question, he and Dani would get married and live in Icicle falls, near family and friends, a win-win for everyone.

"You're right," Drew agreed. He shut off the TV and led the parade to the dining-room table.

Unlike Ca.s.s, who only had to look at a cookie to gain five pounds, Drew was tall and reedy, and well-dressed. Her brother had always been a better dresser. And better-looking. But he couldn't cook, and when he came to town he was her best customer. He was also her best friend and her biggest fan.

The only ones missing as everyone settled around the table were Ca.s.s's mother and stepfather, who were with his family in Florida. But Mom and Fred planned to come out for Christmas, and if Ca.s.s had to choose she'd rather have her mother with them for that holiday.

Drew reached for the turkey and Ca.s.s rapped his hand with a serving spoon. "Grace first, you heathen."

Willie snickered, which earned him the privilege of offering thanks. He barely had amen out of his mouth before he was into the dressing, piling it high on his plate.

Any other day she'd remind him that other people might actually want some, too, but not today. Thanksgiving was for feasting and she'd made plenty. Besides, she planned on taking an extra serving herself.

For a while conversation consisted of comments like, "Pa.s.s the rolls," and "Where'd the olives end up?" As plates and then stomachs filled, new topics arose: whose fantasy football team was going to win, how well Ca.s.s and Dani's new gingerbread necklaces were selling, Dot's upcoming bunion surgery.

Then it was time for pie. In spite of how crazy-busy Ca.s.s had been with work, she'd managed to bake pumpkin, pecan and her brother's favorite, wild huckleberry. "This will be enough for me," he joked, grabbing the whole pie.

With dessert came another tradition, one Ca.s.s had started when the kids were small.

"Okay," she said, "it's grat.i.tude time. Who wants to start?"

Grat.i.tude. Sometimes the challenge to be grateful had been as big as the word. Often she'd been a world-cla.s.s hypocrite, encouraging her children to look on the bright side while she indulged in resentment.

It seemed as if she'd spent most of her married life in that particular mental state. She'd resented Mason's decision to join the navy when they were engaged and she was pregnant. They'd barely set up housekeeping when he shipped out the first time. He'd missed his daughter's birth; her childbirth partner had been her mother. Better her mother than his, she'd told herself. That was something to be grateful for. And she'd been grateful when he got out of the navy. Not so much when he went back to school and neglected his family for his studies. Not so much when he carved out a career that seemed to keep him gone more than it kept him home. Mason had been determined to find the path to success, but that path left little room for his family. She was the one who'd always been there to soothe every heartbreak, puzzle over every math problem, cheer at every ball game. And what had he done?

Grat.i.tude, remember? Okay, she had something to be grateful for. She wasn't with him anymore.

"I'm grateful for something," Dani said. She reached into her jeans pocket, pulled out a diamond ring and slid it onto her finger.

"Oh, my gosh, you're engaged!" cried Amber.

Ca.s.s set down her fork and gaped. Of course she'd known this was coming, but she was a little shocked that her daughter hadn't told her before everyone else. "When did this happen?" she asked.

Dani was beaming now, her brown eyes sparkling with excitement. She looked at Mike and they shared the smiles reserved for a man and woman in possession of newly minted love. "Last night. We wanted to wait and surprise everyone."

Well, they had.

"Don't know how surprised anyone is," Dot said, "but I think you made your mother's day."

Of course she had. Why was Ca.s.s sitting there like a turkey on a platter? She jumped up and went to hug her daughter and her future son-in-law. "This is wonderful. You two are going to be so happy."

How could they help but be? Unlike her mother at that age, Danielle had been wise and thoughtful when selecting a mate. She hadn't rushed into a relationship with her hormones on fire and her brain dead from smoke inhalation. She'd held out for the man who would be perfect for her. They even looked perfect together, Mike with his dark hair and eyes and that big frame, her with her lighter coloring and sandy hair and perfect willowy figure. In their wedding garb they'd look fit for the top of a wedding cake.

"This calls for more pie," Drew said with a grin, and helped himself to another piece.

"I'm going to be a bridesmaid, right?" Amber asked her sister.

"Of course," Dani said.

"You'd better dig out your Armani," Ca.s.s said to Drew. "Dani's going to need you to walk her down the aisle."

Dani's face lost some of its bride-to-be glow and she bit her lip.

"Hey, I'm fine sitting in the front row with your mom," Drew said quickly. "I don't have to be the one."

Oh, yes, he did. Who else was going to? Oh, no. Surely not...

"Actually, I was hoping Daddy would walk me down the aisle," Dani said.

The undeserving absent father? The man who had been M.I.A. for most of Dani's life? Ca.s.s fell back against her chair and stared across the table at her daughter.

Dani's cheeks bloomed with a guilty flush and she studiously avoided her mother's gaze.

"Daddy?" Ca.s.s echoed. It came out frosted with scorn. Way to be mature and poison your daughter's happy moment, she scolded herself.

With her sunny disposition and eagerness to please, Danielle was normally easy to get along with, but now her chin jutted out at a pugnacious angle. "I know he'll want to."

Oh, he always wanted to be there, but he never had been.

Until lately. Now that their children were practically grown. He and his thirty-two-year-old trophy wife, Babette, seemed to think they could lure the kids over to Seattle any time he swooped in from searching the globe for oil for Exxon and buy their affection with shopping trips and Seahawks tickets.