Christmas Blessings

He went back to her, taking the towel that Michael had dropped into his hands and wrapping it around her hair that was starting to unfreeze in the heat of the fire. He picked up the blankets carefully, pulling her hands out. No rings, no lines where rings could have been on her long slender fingers. He hurriedly covered her back up when he heard the children coming back into the room.

Michael led the group. "Dad, I got out the soup and put it on the counter. Who is she?"

"Yeah, daddy. Who is the blue lady?" Katie's little voice chimed in.

Nathan put his fingers up to his lips to shush the children, pointing to where she lay still unconscious. He shooed them out of the room, going with them into the kitchen to start breakfast.

They ate with the usual chaos and giggles from the girls and then all three kids helped with the clean up while Nathan started heating the container of frozen homemade soup that Maria had put up. He checked on their guest, changing the towel around her hair and checking to make sure she was warm. She didn't move but her breathing seemed easier, her skin warmer. Her coloring improved and he checked her fingers and toes, looking for frostbite.

Her fingers and toes were pink, no tinges or any sign of any problems that he could see. All he needed was for her to wake up.

While they waited, Nathan went to call the hospital. He knew the road out front would be impassable, and it was still snowing. It could be a few days before they could get medical help here and he wanted to make sure he was doing everything he could to get their unexpected guest better.

He picked up the phone and hit the on button, and got nothing but static. Going to the wall phone in the kitchen got him nothing but dead air. He tried his cell phone, but the blizzard was causing interference and he could barely make out the sounds of voices before the signal cut out on him all together.

"Well," he sighed, staring down at the quietly sleeping woman, "I guess we're on our own for right now. It would sure be nice if you'd wake up and tell me who you were." He checked her skin again for warmth, rearranging the blankets so that she seemed to rest more comfortably. Unwrapping the second towel from around her head, he finger combed her hair, amazed by the silky texture and the white blonde color.

He found himself stroking her hair while he stared at her face, noticing her features now that he wasn't trying to get her warm or take care of his children. She had a heart shaped face, long dark lashes resting on creamy cheeks. Her mouth was full and pursed in her sleep, almost as if she were expecting a kiss. She reminded him of one of Meghan's story books. Grimm's Fairytales, his mind clicked on the story having read it so many times in the past. She looked as if she stepped out of the picture of Sleeping Beauty and into his den to sleep on his couch while she waited for a kiss from her Prince.

He shook his head at his fanciful thoughts, realizing that she had him seeing queens and princesses. The next thing he knew, he'd be willing to go out and fight dragons for her. He looked up as Katie came to the doorway, her fingers pressed over her lips in an exaggerated hushing movement. She waggled her other hand at him frantically and he went to join his children for their first day of his vacation.

He checked on her regularly through the day, making sure she stayed warm. Her skin grew rosy and he covered her with only two blankets but she still didn't wake up. He fed the children dinner, and got them in bed, and she still hadn't opened her eyes.

He sat at his desk, the lamp on, listening to the wind howling outside and the snow hitting the windows as it continued to come down, while he tried to concentrate on work. When he realized he'd read the same paragraph over five times and still had no idea what was being said, he gave up. He swiveled his chair around, staring out into the winter wonderland that God was creating.

The blizzard had given up some of it's fury but it still kept a toe in the door, snow falling and the wind kicking up breezy little drifts that began to look like whitecaps on the water. The edges of the windows were caked with snow and long icicles decorated the trees and the eaves. He could make out the lights of the city through the snow now, the Christmas lights glowing cheerily dotted throughout.

He leaned back, getting comfortable as he listened to his home settle for the night. It creaked and groaned and let our a very small feminine moan.

His head turned as he heard the small voice again and he saw his new houseguest, her eyes blinking, her long, slender hand pressed against her head. She moaned again and tried to sit up, the blankets falling off her shoulders and down to her waist. Nathan hurried over to her.

"Whoa, take it easy for a minute." His hand went to her shoulder, touching warm soft skin. "You've been out all day."

She no longer looked like the Ice Queen, he thought. His eyes seemed drawn to her, roaming with a willfulness that he was unable to control over her slim curves and full breasts. Her skin was pale, but no longer that dreadful icy blue color, and smooth and sleek. He felt an involuntary reaction to her nearness that shocked him and pulled him from his thoughts. He grabbed one of the other blankets from behind her and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Let's keep you warm," he said, tucking it in gently.

She looked at him in confusion, her sky blue eyes hazy with pain. "Where am I?"

"You're in my home," he said gently, sitting down next to her so she didn't have to keep looking up at him. "My name's Nathan Carter. My children found you on our front door steps this morning." He grinned a little as she looked still confused. "My youngest thought you might be an angel that flew into the house in the storm."

Her eyes studied the room, squinting a little as her hand explored the side of her head. Nathan couldn't help but notice the grimace of pain as he was watching her intently. He turned on the overhead lights, coming back to squat in front of her. Gently, he pushed her hand down and separated the silky strands of hair to reveal a nice sized lump just above her ear. "Ouch," he said in sympathy. "Maybe you did run into the house. Sit there and I'll get you some ice."

He was back in minutes, holding an ice bag that he wrapped a towel around and then squatted in front of her once more to hold it against her head. She hissed in pain, but didn't try to move away, her eyes staring into his.

"I'm sorry, it's going to hurt a bit." Her eyes were lovely, he thought. Even dulled by pain, the huge eyes fringed with thick dark lashes were exquisite. They stared up at his with such trust. He mentally shook himself. "Okay, I've told you mine, what's your name?"

Her eyes narrowed in concentration, her face squinched up a little like Katie's did when she was really thinking.

"I...I don't know," she finally answered. "How can I not know my name?"

Her answer threw him. He'd expected to hear a story of a car in the ditch with a family probably frantic with worry over her right now, not this. "Amnesia? Do you remember anything?"

She turned even paler and he gently pushed her back onto the couch so she was leaning back. He took her hand and put it around the ice bag, letting her hold it against his head while he pulled the coffee table back towards him and sat on it, leaning towards her. "What's the first thing you can remember?"

"Being warm. And...and opening my eyes to see you sitting in the chair over there."

"What about before that?"

Her eyes closed tightly and she gave a little moan, her brow wrinkling in pain. "I... I don't know, it hurts to think about it." She opened her eyes staring up at him in panic. "It's like a wall someone put there. When I try to go around it, it hurts."

"Well, then, don't try." He patted her on the knee. "What you need is rest and some food. And we can take care of both of those." He stood and moved towards the door. "You stay right there and relax and I'll be back with some soup, okay?"

He hurried up the stairs first, checking the kids quickly before rushing into his room. He yanked open some drawers and found a pair of sweat pants and a sweatshirt for her, both probably impossibly huge but better than what she was wearing. With those in hand and a brush, he hurried down to the kitchen, ladling a bowl of the soup he'd left to stay warm on the stove. Carrying both, he went back to his befuddled guest.

Nathan sat the soup mug down on the coffee table and laid the clothing on the sofa next to her. "You might be more comfortable with some clothes on instead of just that blanket. I brought you some of mine. They'll be a bit too big." A lot too big, he thought. She was such a little thing.

He stood there holding the brush in his hand. She looked up at him and then at the clothes.

"Oh, yes. I'll just give you some...uh...privacy then. I'll be right outside." He handed her the brush and left the room, shutting the pocket doors behind him. He stood there, his back to the doors, his eyes shut, wondering why he felt so shaky inside. Okay, she was beautiful, she was vulnerable, and she had the body of a Greek goddess. That was no reason to go to pieces. His body hadn't reacted to a woman like this since...

He thought back over the last few months, the months since his wife's death. At first, he had been so caught up in his grief that he hadn't even thought of other women. After that, well, he just hadn't found anyone to catch his attention.

He heard a small shriek and a thump and hurried back into the room. She'd managed to pull on the sweatshirt, the sleeves hanging well below her hands, the hem riding down her thighs, but when she'd gotten up to pull on the sweat pants, her feet had gotten twisted in the blankets and she'd fallen, landing in a heap of tangled material and hair on the floor.

He helped her up, holding her elbow to steady her as she stood swaying a little. He looked down at her, his body instantly aware of everything about her. Her scent teased his nose, something he hadn't noticed before while he worried about her freezing to death. She smelled spicy and very enticing. His eyes roamed over her legs, the long, firm expanse of them. He could see the firm swells of her breasts pressing against the soft material of the shirt.

He realized he was staring and quickly helped her get untangled, standing back then and turning around so she could finish dressing.

"You can look now," she said in a low voice.

She looked a little strange standing there in his clothing, the sweatshirt sleeves rolled many times to uncover her hands, the pant of the sweats bagging over to cover her feet. It made her look tiny and young, more like one of his children then the beautiful woman he knew her to be.

Nathan went to his desk, putting the length of the room and the expanse of his desk between himself and the beautiful stranger. "You should eat, while it's still warm. Then I'll take you upstairs to the guest room and you can get some sleep."

She picked up the bowl and started eating, only realizing after it was half gone that she was wolfing down the food like a starved animal. "Oh, I'm sorry." A delicate flush tinged her cheeks. "You must think I have no manners."

Nathan was enchanted. "No, I think you were hungry."

She drank some more of the soup, holding the mug in both hands to warm them. "This is very good. Did your wife make it?"

"No. My wife passed away last year."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

There was silence in the room and Nathan realized he was holding him breath. He relaxed. "You can't remember anything? What you were doing out here? How you got here?"

She put down the mostly empty mug and sat back. Closing her eyes she tried again to break down the wall that seemed determined to block in her memories. "I remember voices, a little girl. And being cold, so very, very cold. Then I remember waking up to you." She squinted her eyes willing herself to remember and felt the pressure in her head start to throb. "When I try, it hurts."

"Okay, so we won't try and we'll just see how things go. For right now, though. It looks like you're my house guest." He gestured out the window where he could still see the snow drifting down. "Nothing's moving out there until the snow stops and the plows can get out. So relax and rest. How about I show you to your room?"

She stood and felt dizzy, putting her hand out as the room swam and dark spots danced in front of her eyes.

Nathan was there instantly, grabbing her hand and putting a supporting arm around her waist. "Easy does it, you've had quite a couple of days."

"Maybe I'd better just stay down here on the couch. I don't know if I could make it..."

He picked her up gently in his arms, shifting her easily.

"What are you..."

"It's okay, just consider me a pack mule." He smiled, trying to be reassuring although he wasn't feeling that way. Her breasts pressed against his chest and her arms wrapped around his neck. Her scent seem to envelop him in enticing waves. He could feel the warmth of her under her clothes and he couldn't help remembering what she had looked like without them. Before his straying thoughts could get him into trouble, he hurried up the stairs and past the kids room down to the door at the end of the hall and across from his own suite.

He let her open the door and then carefully set her down, turning on the light so that she could see around the room. His wife had decorated this room, using pale creams and sunny yellows to brighten it and make it seem bigger. They'd talked about redoing it into a nursery when they talked about having another child but had never gotten past the talking stage. Now, seeing the sunny daisy border along the top of the wall and the matching comforter made Nathan a little sad.

"This is beautiful," she said, sitting down on the four poster full sized bed. Her hand smoothed the soft cotton comforter, enjoying the silky feeling fabric.

Nathan nodded his thanks. "The bathroom is right down the hall and there are clean towels in there. Do you need help?"

She shook her head, still feeling a little out of breath from the strength of his arms and the effortless way he had carried her throughout the house and up the stairs. "I can manage."

He turned then, "I'm just across the hall if you need anything. Sleep as long as you like, I'll try to keep the goof troop quiet in the morning."

"N...Nathan?"

He looked back at her as she was standing next to the bed holding onto one of the spindles. "Yes?"

"Thank you for..." The words escaped her for a moment and she made a gesture with her arm. "I guess, for everything."

He smiled then, and wished her a good night.

~~~~~~~~~

He woke slowly in the morning, feeling rested but confused. Something wasn't quite right but he wasn't sure what it was. Then he glanced at the clock. Nine a.m. "Wait, nine!" Meghan should have been in here two hours ago waking him up. He kicked off the comforter and jumped into his jeans, racing down the stairs while pulling a tee shirt over his head. He didn't quite have it untangled from around his shoulders when he skidded into the kitchen.

The scene there made him come to a complete halt, forgetting even the shirt that was trying to strangle him.

She stood there, flour on the counter and on the floor, the girls standing next to her chattering happily as they rolled and patted dough into flat shapes. Michael, being the manly eight year old, was sitting at the table frosting cookies cut out in different Christmas shapes.

Michael saw him first. "Hey dad," he said, a big grin on his face.

The girls turned with their flour coated hands and ran up to him, dancing around him as they both talked at once. Nathan finally managed to untangle the shirt and pull it down before crouching to listen to the excited kids.

"...and Carlie showed us how to do it."

"Carlie?" Nathan looked up at the bewitching blonde who had a streak of flour across one cheek.

"She couldn't member her name, daddy. So I named her." Katie grabbed his shirt, leaving a white streak across the dark blue fabric. "Do you like it daddy? I came up with a pretty name cuz she's so pretty."

"It's beautiful, honey." He put his hand on his daughter's bright head for a moment as he realized the kitchen smelled like Christmas, full of spices and baking. It was warm in there from the heat of the oven, and Carlie's cheeks were rosy above the blue of the sweater she had on, the same one he had taken off of her when she arrived.

He felt a strange tug in his chest as she stood there, smiling at him a little guiltily. "The girls said you were going to make cookies today so I figured we could get started and let you sleep in. I hope we didn't wake you."

He walked past her, grabbing a cookie off the table and biting into it, chewing the delicious treat before swallowing and answering. "No, these are fantastic, make all of them you want to. I'll eat so many I'll end up rolling down the halls of the hospital when I go back to work."

The kids laughed and Carlie smiled as he hoped she would. Then she went to the refrigerator and pulled out the milk, pouring him a glass. When she sat it next to him, he reached up and wiped the streak of flour with his thumb, cupping her chin in his hand for a moment. "Thanks for watching them, I hope they weren't too much for you."

"Oh, no. I love kids. They've been a treat." She stopped, confused for a moment, her eyes blank and then filled with pain as she tried again to break down the wall between her present and her past.

"Don't," he said quietly. "Don't try to force it. You remembered that you love kids. It's a start." He looked at the curious faces around him. "So, after you guys return Maria's kitchen to order so she doesn't shoot us when she gets back, what do you want to do?"

"Snow fort!" Michael yelled, looking out the curtained window in the back door where the snow was just gently drifting down.

Katie tugged on his sleeve, depositing more flour. "Daddy, can we make a snowman?"

Little Meghan snuck a cookie of her own and around a mouthful, she asked, "Daddy, when we gonna degorate the twee?"

"Oh, man, Meghan," Michael groaned at the cookie crumbs she spit out. "That's gross."

They managed to clean the kitchen and Nathan and three very heavily bundled children played outside for the rest of the morning, only calling it quits when stomachs rumbled. Carlie had taken it upon herself to fix sandwiches, even cutting the crusts off for Meghan despite Michael's patient explanation to the little towhead that the only way to learn to whistle was to eat the crust on your bread.

Katie and Meghan laid down for naps and Michael departed for his room and his computer, leaving the grown ups alone in the kitchen.

"You're great with them."

Nathan looked up from where he was cleaning up crumbs off the table. He gave her a big grin. "Well, they're pretty great themselves. Not that I'm prejudiced or anything."

She smiled back, sticking the last dish in the dishwasher and closing the door. "No, I can't believe you'd ever be prejudiced. It must be hard though, doing all of this alone all the time."

"We have Maria. After my wife died, I don't think we'd have been able to keep going if she hadn't come in and taken over."

"I've seen the pictures of your wife that are in the girls' rooms. She was very beautiful. Katie looks a lot like her." She dried her hands on the dish towel and turned to survey the room to make sure she hadn't missed anything.

Nathan's smile slipped a little as he thought of the month that he hadn't been able to even talk to Katie. "After Kendra died, I had a hard time dealing with my feelings. Katie took the brunt of it, I'm afraid." He shook his head. "And I don't know why I'm telling you this. It's too morbid and you must be tired. These kids take a lot of work to keep up with."