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KIM BALDWIN. Erin put her arms around Gable and squeezed her tight
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Erin put her arms around Gable and squeezed her tight. “I’ll tell you what, my darling Camp Fire Girl. Light us a one-matcher in the F replace and I’ll let you open one tonight and the rest tomorrow.”
“Deal!”
Once they had a cheery F re going, they changed—Gable into men’s f annel pajamas and Erin into light f eece loungewear—and curled up on the couch together under a lap robe.
“This is perfect,” Gable said, draping an arm along the back of the couch so she could run her F ngers lazily through Erin’s hair while they stared at the F re.
“I’ll second that.” Erin closed her eyes and groaned contentedly.
“Although if you keep doing that, you’ll put me right to sleep.”
Gable’s hand froze. “Well, I don’t want to do that, or I won’t get to open any presents!” She leaned over to nuzzle Erin. “Not to mention some other plans I have for you later that I really would rather you be awake for.”
Erin smiled. “You’re incorrigible. All right. You can open one. ”
“So…which one?” Gable asked, eyeing the four packages with her name on them.
Erin sat up a little and pushed her hair back from her face, blinking drowsily. “You can open that.” She pointed to the largest one.
Gable hustled over to the tree and picked up the gift. It was lighter than she expected. She held it up and shook it gently as she carried it back to the couch. It made an odd sound she couldn’t identify. Tearing open the green and gold paper, her hands came to a large cardboard box.
She opened it and found a sea of Styrofoam peanuts. Digging through it, she found a familiar-looking black case, shaped like a hatbox.
“A drum!” she exclaimed with enthusiasm. “You got me a snare drum!” She took the case out of the box and sprang the latches on the lid.
“I knew you had to have one that day in the band room,” Erin gave a satisF ed smile. “It was you, as I recall, who told me it’s never too late.”
“Oh, this is so cool!” Gable shook her head in disbelief. Then realization struck. “You wrapped the drumsticks separately, didn’t you…so I won’t get them until tomorrow! Oh, you’re a cruel woman, Erin Richards.”
Erin laughed. “There’s other drum-related goodies among your gifts, that’s all I’ll say. I will let you open another present if you like,
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but I get one F rst.”
“You’re so accommodating,” Gable pecked her on the cheek. She jumped up and returned with one of her presents for Erin. “I hope you like it.”
Erin pulled off the ribbon and bow and carefully undid the gold metallic paper beneath.
“Oh, Gable. It’s lovely.” It was a music box made of fragrant sassafras wood, and it had Erin’s initials carved in the top. When she opened it to reveal velvet-lined compartments for earrings and bracelets, it played “It Had To Be You,” the old standard that Erin had been playing the night she told Gable she loved her.
“How? Where did you get this?” Erin ran her F ngers over the smooth polished surface of the box, lingering on the delicate carved initials. “The workmanship is wonderful.”
Gable blushed. “I’m glad you like it. I made it for you.”
“You made this?” Erin gazed at her with her mouth gaping open.
“Really? Oh, Gable, it’s just amazing. You never told me you could do this.”
“Well, as I recall, I think I did tell you that my brother Mason taught me a thing or two about whittling and carpentry.”
“Yes, but you never told me you could do this. ” She planted a kiss on Gable’s cheek. “How did you ever F nd the song?”
“Google. I found a company that sells the mechanisms. They had hundreds of tunes.”
“Well, it is an unbelievably cool present. Thanks so much. That took a lot of work.”
“Glad you like it. So…do I get another present? Hmm?”
Erin laughed. “Oh, all right. You sure you don’t want to wait?”
“Erin!”
“Okay, okay. You have a present up in the guest room you can open tonight.” Erin had a devilish grin on her face.
“The guest room?” Gable’s curiosity was piqued. She thought all of her presents were under the tree. “Why is it in the guest room? Is it too big? Does its shape give it away?”
Erin shrugged. “Guess you’ll have to go up and see.”
As soon as Gable started toward the guest room, she jumped up and followed at her heels.
Gable turned the knob and pushed open the door. Curled into a ball against the pillow on the bed lay a sleeping kitten: black except for
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