Silver Bells. Mary Burton

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      It was after one o’clock when Amy and Hank climbed back into Alice’s SUV to do some Christmas shopping. The crowds in the small village carried gaily colored shopping bags as they walked from store to store. Children bundled in snowsuits and mufflers pulled sleds filled with packages. Gaily dressed Santas stood in doorways handing out candy canes and hot chocolate. Holiday music wafted from loudspeakers mounted on the telephone poles that surrounded the square.

      Apple Valley was small-town America at its finest.

      “This is nothing like New York.” Hank laughed as he accepted a cup of hot chocolate from an elf standing in the doorway of Jones’s Pharmacy. Amy opted for a candy cane. They moved on, finally coming to stop at a small toy store. Inside, they turned into little kids, their selections outrageous until they stopped in their tracks, looked at one another, and reminded themselves the twins were just a year old. Sheepishly, they replaced the Barbie and Ken dolls and the catchers’ mitts.

      When they finally left the store, the stock boy tagged along behind them, their purchases piled high on a dolly. When they were loaded into the cargo hold and the door shut and locked, Hank turned to Amy, and said, “Do you think we’ll have this much fun when we buy toys for our own kids?”

      Whoa. She turned around hoping she could be cool. Cool? Amy’s heart was beating so fast she thought it was going to leap right out of her chest. She struggled for a flip answer of some sort. Nothing came to her. Besides, Hank was looking at her so intently, she needed to respond. “Don’t you have to ask me to marry you before the kids come? You haven’t even kissed me yet.”

      “Not true,” Hank said lightly. “I kissed you once, and I never forgot the feeling. That kiss lasted twenty-one seconds.”

      “You counted the seconds?” Amy asked in awe.

      “Yeah. I thought I was going to black out. I was in love with you. I realized I was still in love with you the minute I set eyes on you.”

      Amy was so light-headed with Hank’s declaration she reached for the side mirror to hold on to it. Hank had just said he loved her. That’s what he said. The words were still ringing in her ears. All her dreams were finally coming true. She was supposed to say something. What?

      Hank shuffled his feet in the snow. His voice sounded so anxious when he said, “Your turn.”

      The words were stuck in her throat. She wanted to say them. Instead, she leaned forward, grabbed his jacket in her mittened hands, and yanked him forward. She planted a lip-lock on him that made her head spin.

      “Twenty-seven seconds!” she shouted gleefully when she came up for air.

      The sound of handclapping brought both of them to their senses as a small laughing crowd moved off.

      “Wow!” was all Hank could think of to say.

      “That’s it, wow!” Amy said. “You up for an encore?”

      Hank groaned. He was no fool. He moved closer. All the years of pent-up longing melted away when he brought his lips down on hers. This moment he knew seared his future. When he finally released her he looked into her eyes and saw what he knew was mirrored in his own. In a low, husky voice, he asked, “How many seconds?”

      In a voice as shaky as Hank’s, Amy said, “Are you kidding, I wasn’t counting.”

      “Oh, who cares? You going to marry me?”

      “If that’s a proposal, the answer is yes.”

      Hank backed up a step. He looked to Amy like he was in a daze. She smiled.

      He smiled.

      “We should go to pick out the Christmas trees, Hank.”

      “Yep. That’s what we should do,” Hank said.

      “But are we going to do that?”

      Hank groaned as he opened the passenger-side door for her. “Yes, that’s what we’re going to do, but later, we are going to do other things.”

      “Promises, promises.” Amy giggled. My God, when was the last time I giggled? Never, that’s when. She leaned back and closed her eyes. She realized she had never been as happy as she was at this moment.

      Hank laughed, a joyous sound. “There’s something you need to know about me. I never make a promise I don’t intend to keep. I don’t know when I’ve been this happy,” he blurted.

      Amy laughed again. “Me, too. It’s such a wonderful feeling. More so because it’s the holiday season. Everything seems to be special during this time.” Her voice turned serious a moment later. “But there’s Mr. Carpenter and Alice. Are we being…?”

      “No. It was Albert’s time. Alice…well, Alice made her own decisions. While we both understand that, we’re doing what we think is right. We’re doing what we can for Alice. Albert…is beyond our control. Somehow I think he would be very happy for the both of us. No, that’s wrong, Mandy. I know Albert would be very happy for us. Okay, enough of all this. Are you ready to pick out the biggest, the best, the most-wonderful-smelling tree in the lot?”

      “I’m ready, Mr. Anders,” Amy said, hopping out of the truck.