The last cake had been delivered and set up. Only a couple of orders were left to be picked up and they were running low on chocolates. Heath, Marcus and Ally had already left along with Jane.

"You work hard enough the rest of the year," she'd declared sending them home early with a gift of chocolates to share with their families and a bonus for all the hard work they'd done that year. It was, as she knew, a large part of the reason her shop had been such a success this year.

Detective Patrick Shannon entered. "Is it too late to get a cup of coffee and some chocolates to go?"

"Never," she said serving his coffee up quickly. "We're a little low on chocolates but if you can tell me what you want, I'll see what I can do."

"Salted caramels," he said hopefully, "along with some of your truffles. I was talking to my sister and she was raving about them so..."

"So you decided you'd better pick some up. Let's see." It was lucky he'd asked for an a.s.sortment she realized. She couldn't have come up with a dozen of any one kind. With a couple of raspberry truffles, three coffee, an orange, four chai, a rum and an eggnog, she had an easy dozen. And fortunately she had a box of salted caramel as well.

"Will that do?" she asked arranging them with practiced ease in a chocolate box.

He grinned. "If that's all you've got. Any chance you could come up with another box as well?"

"I'm out of most of my truffles." She scanned her shop. "I've still got some rum and raisin, lemon drops and cinnamon delights, hazelnuts and peanut b.u.t.ter truffles along with lazy turtles and caramels."

"Sounds perfect," he said.

As she wrapped them quickly in Christmas paper and a bow it was clear she'd had a lot of practice this year.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who likes your chocolates."

"From your lips to G.o.ds' ear," she said lightly. There had been more than once this year when she'd wondered if her dream would die before it ever got off the ground.

"I hear Julianna's throwing a New Year's bash and you're the caterer."

"You heard right," she said happily. Noting the shop was empty of all but two customers sitting by the window she asked casually. "Have the police found anything more about the a attack?"

"Such as?"

"Who did it?" she said lightly, "or why?"

Detective Shannon gave her a speculative look. "Do you know something?"

"First tell me what you've got."

His jaw tightened. "This isn't a game Maxine. A woman's life is in danger."

She drew back. "I was just hoping you'd caught the guilty party and we could all breathe a little easier."

"It would be easier if we could get a little cooperation," he said testily.

"Wouldn't Julianna and her family want the culprit caught?"

"You'd think so, wouldn't you," he growled. "Or at least be willing to cooperate with the police so we could keep her safe."

"Oh," she said, realization coming to her. "I know she left hospital before the hospital or her family really wanted. In all honesty she looked really healthy though."

"For how long? So far we've got nothing. She says she doesn't remember anything."

"You say that like you don't believe her."

"I say that like someone who thinks she could do more to cooperate. We've got twenty-four hour coverage on her from when she leaves her house in the morning to when she returns."

"But?"

"She won't let us in the house."

"So?"

"In case you haven't noticed her house is a little bigger than most. Sometimes it's more like Grand Central Station than a regular, everyday house. And that's when she's not throwing a huge party."

"They know who's coming in don't they?"

"And when we find out who was behind the attack it's probably going to be one of them."

She stood a little stiller. It made sense. Why would someone who'd never met her lure her away from her own wedding to...she shook her head. "Do you have any suspects, any idea of why?"

He shook his head angrily. "In the meantime both Julianna and her family insist on carrying on as if nothing has happened."

"Not exactly," she pointed out. "You've got round the clock surveillance on her-except when she's in her house-and they haven't stopped you investigating have they? And they've postponed the wedding."

"Somebody, somewhere knows something," his brows drawing together in anger. "And so far no one's come forward."

"So if you've got 24 hour surveillance on her do you know who she was meeting at the airport today," she said.

He looked at her. "That's what you were going to tell me."

"Well, I didn't know you were watching her around the clock."

"It was her brother," he said. "From New York. Apparently he decided to come home for Christmas."

"Not for his sisters' wedding though?"

"Yeah, that got me too." He spread his hands and shrugged. "What can I say? The rich are different."

"I guess," she agreed. Not that different she thought. Not from what she'd seen.

"Are you working Christmas?"

He shook his head. "It's going to be a family Christmas. And thanks to you I'll have done a better job on presents than I do most."

She laughed. "Merry Christmas Detective Shannon." She stood on tiptoes and gave him a light kiss on the cheeks.

He looked momentarily surprised and then he smiled as he rubbed his cheek. "Merry Christmas Maxine."

This year, she thought, was going to be the best Christmas ever.

As they shared hot chocolate and Christmas stories around Grandma Ellie's tree, the scent of pine trees and snowflakes filling the air, she couldn't help thinking she was incredibly lucky. She'd been worried about Walt, wanting her mother to be happy, while afraid she'd be hurt.

So far she liked everything about him. More importantly, it was clear her mother was smitten. In blue jeans and a casual sweater he looked relaxed and casual. So did her mother.

"You grew up in Alberta," Grandma Ellie was asking.

"I did. Spent thirty years ranching, now it's time for my son to take over."

"I didn't think people still did that," her grandmother exclaimed.

Walt just smiled a lazy smile. "I only had one boy. My wife died of cancer when he was young. He went to university for a couple of years ." Walt shrugged. "The only thing he really ever wanted to do was ranch."

"So you just handed it over?"

"I keep my hand in. And I still live on the ranch part-time. I spend a lot of the year in Calgary now." He smiled at Maxine's mom and squeezed her hand. "I wasn't sure I'd last in the city but I found things to keep me occupied."

"And I spent a week at the ranch this fall. I loved every minute of it."

Her mother had gone country? Maxine shook her head in surprise.

Grandma Ellie wasn't done questioning him yet. "You seem a little young to have retired. What do you do to keep yourself busy?"

He laughed, his laugh warm and friendly. "Oh don't worry about me. When I first decided to spend part of the year in the city I took some investing courses. I've invested over the years but only blue chip stocks. I didn't have the time to put in for anything riskier. Now that I do though, I'm having fun. I usually spend a few hours a day on that. I help out with some charities." He grinned. "I actually like to golf. And it gives me lots of time to spend with your daughter."

"And he cooks!" Sheila seemed to find this an amazing feat. Then again Maxine could count on her hand the number of times she'd seen her mother in the kitchen voluntarily.

He grinned. "I've always loved barbecuing. Now that I've got some free time I've taken a few cooking courses as well." He gave a nod in Maxine's direction. "Nothing on the scale of what you're doing of course. If you've got time I'd love to see your operation."

"And you will. After Christmas a if that works for you?"

"We were hoping to spend the whole of Christmas here," her mother said. "Until the New Year." She reached over putting her hand on Maxine's. "Don't worry, we won't get in your way."

Guilt surged through Maxine. Her mother was worried about getting in her way? She gave her a wobbly smile, tears welling up in her eyes. "I have time for you Mom. I can show you both around after Christmas. There won't be a big Boxing Day sale because I've pretty well sold out of everything." She paused, "I do have a few cakes to make over the week and a big catering job for New Year's Eve."

"Maybe we can help with that," Walt said warmly.

"As long as I don't have to do any cooking," her mother said, holding her hands up in horror.

Maxine laughed. "This is a holiday for you. I don't want to put you to work for me in my shop."

"Remember if you need help, we're more than happy too. I know Mom was saying you needed help for New Year's."

"If I get stuck I'll call," she said.

"Your Grandma was telling us about the girl you're doing the party for," Walt said.

"I'm amazed she still wants to have a party," her mother said sharply.

"They're still getting married. They've decided to move it later in the year so there won't be any bad memories attached. The New Year's party is her way of celebrating life."

"After all she nearly lost hers, it's natural she wants to celebrate," Grandma Ellie said.

Maxine laughed. "You're not the only one who feels that way though," she said to her mom. "She's driving the police crazy."

"You'd think she'd show a little more consideration," her mother said sharply.

"Expecting them to cancel Christmas goes a bit far. From what Julianna said to me that's why they wanted the wedding when they did. They were going to get married, go on a ten day honeymoon and be back in time for Christmas."

"With everything that's happened surely her family would understand."

"It's Julianna who wants it to go forward. And she's refusing to have any police at the dinner itself. Patrick feels she's putting herself at risk. She refuses to believe it's anyone in her family."

"And who can blame her," Grandma Ellie said eyes widening at the idea.

"Patrick's right though. It was probably someone from the wedding so it could be a family member."

"Or someone connected with them," her mother said sharply.

"It's hard to believe someone could do something like that and then go on as if nothing happened," Walt said.

"You'd be surprised," Maxine said thinking back to earlier in the year.

Christmas came bright and early and even though there were no children in the house they were all up by eight with Maxine the earliest of all. She'd popped the tray of cinnamon buns she'd made the night before into the oven while starting coffee and hot chocolate.

Now she sliced up oranges and apples, cantaloupe and kiwi making a fresh fruit salad to go with them. Her mother came in yawning running her hand through her hair.

"I really can't believe you're my daughter." She sniffed the air appreciatively, "it smells divine. And fresh coffee, I think I'm in heaven."

"Cooking may have skipped a generation," Maxine laughed as her mother poured herself a cup of coffee, "but I get my business smarts from you."

"Sometimes I think I've spent too much time on business and not enough on family," her mother said uncharacteristically.

Maxine found herself frozen, unable to say anything to dispute it. It was what she'd felt so often growing up. She'd never expected to hear her mother say it, though. She smiled now, the smile feeling slightly plastic. "I could never really see you as a PTA mom anyway."

Her mother gave a short laugh. "Oh I don't know. I could've organized all the other moms and made them the number one fundraisers."

"Our school would've been the best equipped ever," Maxine said laughing at the thought of it.

"We need something with the fruit salad," her mother said. "I like doing a whipped topping, half sour cream, half Cool Whip or some other light whipped cream. It's almost healthy and it tastes good."

"See you can cook."

Grandma Ellie joined them in the kitchen. "It smells wonderful." She smiled at them both. Three generations of Peters women together. "Walt's going to feel out-numbered."

"Merry Christmas Grandma."

"He went for a walk first. I go with him sometimes but this morning I just wanted to spend time with you."