"I think you're the sneakiest man I've ever known in my life," she said.

"Yeah, so I've been told a time or two. But you have your plans. It was just a thought. I know better," he said. "Too bad you have to miss the pageant, though, after all the time you put in helping."

Ha! The pageant was just one thing! There were other, far more exciting things to her. Spending her days with children who were just learning to learn. Helping them construct art projects that showed their imaginations. Having learning games that were fun and funny. And field trips-she loved field trips! The parents of her kids were always running for their lives and hiding under beds to avoid being chaperones, and Becca loved field trips.

"You couldn't do it," she said to Jack. "You have to have it certified-the whole school. That's the only way you get funding. You'd need a school board. You'd have to form a PTA."

"Hey, if we can pull a bunch of church deacons out of this run-down, sinful town, we can manage a school board and PTA." He grinned.

A bunch of guys came into the bar, all rosy-cheeked and laughing. Jack excused himself and set them up a few drinks, absorbed the latest news and left Becca alone to think. She had a good ten minutes before he was back. He wiped off the bar in front of her.

He studied her for a moment. Then he said, "If I screwed up your last night in town by tossing out crazy ideas, I'll have to apologize."

She turned those crystal-blue eyes up at him. "I kind of miss my mom," she said. "She wasn't exactly supportive of me coming up here." She shrugged. "It wasn't as last minute as I said. I was sort of plotting it...."

He turned a fake shocked expression on her. "No way."

She smirked. "I really had no idea what I was walking into. It was quite a gamble. After all, Denny could have been committed." She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. "It's not as though that's the kind of thing he'd be likely to tell Rich."

"It worked out for you, Becca. And I'm glad."

"Thanks. He's a really special guy."

"You're a special young woman." He leaned on the bar. "Tell me something. Aside from Denny, who is now your slave till the end of time, what do you really want? What's your big dream?"

She shrugged again. "It's totally crazy," she said, staring into her wineglass.

"Come on," he urged. "Lay it on me."

She looked up. She took a steadying breath. "When I was a little girl, I had a couple of teachers who were so awesome, I sometimes liked to pretend they were my big sister or aunt or even my mother. We had one of them to dinner once-Miss Tindle. She was young and sweet and made me love school. Then there was Mrs. Dallas-she helped me love school again after an awful teacher just traumatized me. I had a teacher in junior high, Mr. Hutchins... I loved that man. I had such a hard time in his math class and he still managed to make me feel smart. He was so funny, so patient, so there for every one of his kids." She blinked. "That's what I want. I want to be that teacher to some kids. I want some twenty-five-year-olds or forty-year-olds to say, 'I'll never forget Miss Timm-without her, I'd probably be nowhere.'"

He covered her hand with his big paw. "I have a feeling about you, Becca. I have a feeling you already are that teacher."

She smiled. Then she said, "Are you serious about that prefab modular school?"

He gave a nod. "As a heart attack."

"I think you might've just totally screwed up my plans for Christmas...."

Seventeen

Becca begged a moment of privacy in the Middletons' house to call her mother. "You were right," Becca said. "I was taking a big chance coming up here like I did."

"Oh, honey," Beverly said. "This doesn't sound good. What happened?"

"What happened is, I fell totally in love. With Denny, of course, but also with the kids. With the bartender and his wife. With the town. Denny wants to live here and..." She took a breath. "And I have a job offer. Jack offered to put up a schoolhouse for me. So I can teach the little kids."

"You can't be serious," Beverly said.

"I am totally serious."

"Then why do you sound down?"

"Well, there's only one thing wrong with it. It's much too far from one of my best friends." She felt her throat thicken even as her vision blurred with tears. "We don't agree that often, Mom, but at the end of the day, you're always on my side."

"Oh, Becca," Beverly said. "Best friends are never very far apart. The job sounds great, but what I really want to know is, have you made the right decision about Denny?"

"Oh, yes. He is the man I missed so much, the man I fell in love with such a long time ago, before I was ready for it. Before he was ready for it. I wish you could see him here, with the people of this town. He takes such good care of his friends. He looks after people he doesn't even know. And, Mom, he takes such good care of me. Even though this place is the best thing that's ever happened to him, he never hesitated for a second in saying he'd move back to San Diego to be with me. Anything that would make me happy, he would do it. I love him so much. Mom, it's right. It's completely right with Denny. I'm going to marry him."

"Please, please don't rush," Beverly pleaded. "At least give yourself time to think, to be sure. Besides, I want to be the mother of the bride!"

She laughed through her tears. "Of course, Mom. Do I have your blessing?"

"Becca, a very long time ago I had to leave my parents to start a new life with your dad. It was one of the hardest things I ever did. Sometimes I was so lonely. But nothing helped me grow up faster than taking that new direction and building my own family. I've watched you the past few years. Much as I wanted you to, you never let go of Denny. He was always the love of your life. I'm only going to ask you one more time-are you sure? Of him?"

"I'm sure," she said. "I've never been more sure. Mom? Will you be very disappointed if I don't live in San Diego?"

"I might become an expert on flight schedules," she said with a laugh.

"This is the first year I wasn't there to help get out all the decorations and ornaments," Becca said. "Like the really old ones from your grandmother. When I was little, it was a very big deal to peel back the tissue paper and discover some of those precious holiday things...the crystal balls, the crewel tree skirt, the nativity scene that Great-Grandpa carved."

"I'm sure we'll have many holidays together in the future," Beverly said. "I'll miss you the rest of the time, but what I want for you is much bigger than our friendship and our holidays together. It's time for you to build your own family. I can't be so selfish that I'd put restrictions on how you do that."

Becca cried. "You are the best mother. If I can be half as good a mother as you..."

"I have no doubt you'll show me up! Now, when are you coming home?"

She sniffed back her tears. "I'm going to stay long enough to see the pageant I helped with and to tell the kids and my friends that I'm coming back. Will you be terribly hurt if I don't get home until late on Christmas day?"

"I'll hold dinner," she said. "Just don't rush. Drive carefully and safely."

"We'll leave extra, extra early. The weather will be good. We'll make good time. I'll stay home a week-long enough to pack, close up the apartment and spend some time with you and Dad. And Jack, the guy who owns the bar, he's going to fix us up with a little two-bedroom house in town rather than that one room over the garage. Denny's been saving for a house. In a couple of years..."

"Are you going to be all right if you're not here for Christmas Eve?" Beverly asked.

"The little girl I told you about? The one who's playing Mary in the pageant? She reminds me of me. Oh, her life is much more difficult than mine ever was, but if anyone could use a champion, it's that kid. I'm going to watch her do her part, tell her that I'm going to be around to make sure she gets smiley faces on her good papers, and then we'll get a little sleep so we can start the drive home real early."

"I can't wait to see you, sweetheart," she said.

"Me, too. Thank you, Mom. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for trusting me to know what I want."

"Becca, my sweet girl, this is far easier than watching you bungee jump or poised at the top of a thirty-foot wave. And tell our sweet Denny that if he ever hurts you like that again, he'll answer to me!"