Author: Michelle Wood
Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me, nor do I profit from the story, etc. This is a work of fan fiction.
Ratings and Warnings: G
Author's Notes: A little Christmas memory and Mark's first Christmas with the Judge.
The Missing IngredientIt was the fist of December and things were quiet around Gulls Way. Too quiet. McCormick, the fast talking ex-con and general handyman, was sitting quietly in the gatehouse. He had just completed the oil change on the corvette and truck and was scheduled to help Sarah with a few things back in the main house, but he didn't feel like going back to the main house.
Judge Milton Hardcastle watched the lonely young man complete the oil changes. He saw the slumped shoulders as he walked to the gatehouse. The judge knew something was bothering the young man because of how quiet he had been all week. The judge figured it was because of how things went with Denny Collins and the Denco ride the previous week. He knew the young man loved racing and thought that it was his last big chance, but things weren't meant to be and now the young man was quiet and withdrawn.
McCormick changed clothes and dutifully walked back to the main house, reporting to the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen, he was surprised to see the number of mixing bowls and ingredients that Sarah had set on the countertop.
"Hello, Sarah. I'm ready to help you now," commented Mark as he entered the kitchen. "So, what do you want me to do?"
"Oh, Mark, I'm so glad you're here to help," responded Sarah with a smile. She like the gentle ex-con and was concerned at how withdrawn he had been all week. " I need you to help bake and decorate the cookies that are going to the Children's Home for their Christmas Open House this week."
"Cookies, huh. This doesn't sound like too bad of a job. Do I get to eat them too?"
"You can have a couple…when we're done. We have ten dozen to make and decorate."
"Ten dozen! That's 120 cookies," exclaimed McCormick, finally understanding why Sarah was asking for help.
"Glad to know you can do the math, kiddo," called out Hardcastle as he came into the kitchen. He grabbed a cup of coffee and smiled at Sarah before looking at McCormick. "Can you handle this end of things while I start pulling things together for our next case?"
"Yeah, Judge, I think I can handle cookies," responded McCormick quietly.
"Good. I'll be in the files if you need anything," replied Hardcastle as he left the kitchen.
Sarah had watched Mark's face when the judge mentioned the next case. It had gone from a gentle half smile to sullen in a moment. She wasn't sure what was bothering Mark but she planned to find out.
For four hours, they worked together. Sarah placed the ingredients in the mixing bowl, letting Mark do the mixing. She rolled the cookies and Mark used the cookie cutters to cut them out. Once the cookie sheets were filled with unbaked cookies, Sarah handed McCormick the sprinkles and he began to decorate them. As he worked, Sarah noticed a sad smile on his face.
"Mark, what's bothering you?" she asked gently.
"Nothing," Mark answered without looking up from the cookies.
"Nonsense! Something has you looking so sad and for the past week you have been very quiet." Sarah put her hand on his chin and gently lifted it so she could see into his eyes. "What's the matter?" she asked again.
Mark stopped for a moment, his blue eyes seeing the concern on Sarah's face. He sighed before responding. "I was just thinking about my mom and Christmas. We never really decorated cookies because she worked so much and we couldn't afford the extras. But she would still try to make it special." He sighed again before continuing, "Sarah, what does the judge normally do for Christmas?"
This was not the response that Sarah had expected. She thought about telling Mark that the judge didn't celebrate Christmas and hadn't since he wife and son had passed away, but she understood that McCormick wanted to do something special.
"Well, Mark. Judge Hardcastle hasn't celebrated Christmas in a long time, not since his wife died. But they used to have wonderful parties, decorate cookies for the Children's Home, and have friends over for a special Christmas Eve dinner. It's been just cookies and a couple friends over for the past few years. Why do you ask?"
"I was wondering what he would do this year, now that I'm here." Mark said as he placed another tray of cookies in the oven.
"Oh, I expect that there will still be a few friends over but I really don't know. He hasn't mentioned anything to me." Sarah smiled at Mark as he continued to decorate cookies. "So, mentioned that your mom would make Christmas special. Will you tell me what she used to do?"
Mark looked at Sarah for a moment surprised that someone actually cared enough to ask this simple question. He smiled at her and responded, "She made a special cake. It was called a Prince of Wales cake. It was an old family recipe. She said her grandmother brought it to America when she came. It wasn't fancy but it was something special for us."
"Prince of Wales cake. I've never heard of it before. What kind of cake was it?"
"A spice cake with a coffee frosting. It didn't require many ingredients but it was so good. Mom made it on Christmas Eve and I would leave a piece for Santa." Mark smiled at the memory. "I really wish I had the recipe for it. I haven't had it since she died."
"What happened to your mother's recipe?" asked Sarah.
"My aunt and uncle," replied Mark bitterly and suddenly focused on decorating the cookies in front of him. He looked up and asked, "So how many more do we have left?"
Sarah heard the sadness mixed with bitterness and decided not to ask about the cake any further. She replied, "Last dozen for the children is in the oven. This tray and the one you are decorating are for you and the judge to enjoy."
They finished the cookies with conversation regarding the Children's Home and why Sarah continued to make cookies for the annual open house.
Several weeks passed. The judge and McCormick had their share of adventures: the trip to San Rio Blanco that resulted in Mark breaking the judge out of jail and the two of them helping Henry Willard return the $750,000 that he stole 25 years earlier. Christmas was only a week away and Hardcastle hadn't said anything about it yet. Mark was getting worried.
Once afternoon Mark returned from running errands for Sarah as well as grocery shopping for himself to find a small recipe card on the desk in the loft. He picked it up, read the name on it, and sat down as his eyes began to water. It was a recipe card written in Sarah's hand but it appeared to be his mother's recipe, minus the coffee frosting. After a few minutes, McCormick took the recipe over to the main house and walked into the kitchen.
Sarah was working on dinner when she saw Mark enter the kitchen. She knew he had found the recipe and was happy to see the light shining in his eyes. He walked up to her and gave her a hug as he said, "Thank you, Sarah. This means a lot to me."
"You're welcome, Mark. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to find a coffee frosting recipe for it."
"It's okay, Sarah. This means a lot already."
"Well, don't just sit there," said Sarah as she handed McCormick a bowl and pointed to the table, "start mixing."
"What?" asked a confused McCormick.
"The recipe. All the ingredients are there for you." Sarah looked at him and smiled. It looked like an easy recipe. "Besides, while you make it, you can keep me company."
"I can't bake. I can barely make a frozen pizza without burning it."
"You did just fine with the cookies for the Children's Home."
Mark looked at Sarah and smiled. He had never made the cake himself, just helped his mom. But if Sarah thought he could do it, he would try. He placed the recipe card in front of him and began to read…
Prince of Wales Cake
2 cups of Brown Sugar
1 cup of butter (beat well)
1 cup sour milk
1 cup raisins, currents, or nuts
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
Blend sugar and butter together. Then add milk and eggs. Beat together. Sift the spices and flour together. Then add to butter mixture. Finally add in the raisins and nuts. Bake at 350 degrees until done.
Mark followed the recipe but was confused by the bake until done comment. He looked at Sarah and asked, "How do I know when it's done?"
"You listen to the cake or use a toothpick," responded Sarah. She noted the look of confusion still on Mark's face and clarified, "Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, if it comes out clean the cake is done."
"Oh, okay."
About 40 minutes later, Sarah was pulling the cake out of the oven when McCormick and the judge came into the kitchen.
"Smells great, Sarah," called out the judge as he saw the cake coming out of the oven. "What kind is it?"
"Prince of Wales," responded McCormick quietly. "I made it."
"You made the cake!" exclaimed Hardcastle.
Sarah could see that McCormick looked like a wild animal that was ready to flee at the first sign of danger.
"Yes, he did Your Honor. It's an old family recipe and I asked him to help me in the kitchen this afternoon," responded Sarah. She could see the look of relief on Mark's face. Sarah knew that Mark was sensitive and a bit wary.
That evening, after their dinner of pot roast, mashed potatoes, and carrots, Sarah brought out Mark's cake. She had cut several pieces and put them on plates so they could enjoy it with coffee. Mark watched Sarah and the judge's faces as they tried the cake.
"Not bad, kiddo. Didn't know you could bake," said Hardcastle as he reached for his coffee. "Could use some frosting though."
"Your Honor, I think it turned out just fine. It's a nice, simple spice cake."
Mark took a couple bites of his cake and asked if he could be excused. Not waiting for a response, he picked up his plate and some of the other dishes and carried them to the kitchen. Hardcastle watched McCormick leave and looked at Sarah, questioning. Sarah sighed and indicated that she would talk with him later. She finished her cake and went into the kitchen to begin cleaning up.
McCormick had most of the dishes loaded into the dishwasher when Sarah joined him in the kitchen. He looked at her and smiled. "Thanks, Sarah. Dinner was wonderful."
"Mark, your cake was very good. I can see why your mom made it for Christmas."
"It tastes like hers but it is still missing something." Mark began to wash a few dishes in the sink. "Thanks for finding the recipe for me."
"You're welcome," responded Sarah as she gave him a gentle hug.
They finished the dishes in quiet. As soon as the kitchen was clean, McCormick returned to the gatehouse. Sarah found the judge sitting in the den and decided to talk with him about Christmas Eve and the young man that was sitting in the guesthouse. An hour later, an understanding had been reached and plans were being made for Christmas Eve 1983.
The next morning after breakfast, the judge carrying a piece of cake on a plate, walked over to the guesthouse to see what McCormick was doing since he had not joined them for breakfast. Entering the guesthouse, he found Christmas carols playing on the stereo, wrapping paper on the couch next to a couple of neatly wrapped presents, and McCormick sitting at the table with a mixing bowl, powdered sugar, and coffee.
"What are you doing?" asked the judge as he placed the plate of cake on the table.
"Don't you ever knock?" yelled back McCormick as he quickly began picking up his cooking supplies.
"Not in my house, I don't," replied Hardcastle. He noticed McCormick gathering the items and heading for the kitchen. "Don't tell me that was breakfast. No wonder you can't sit still for ten minutes."
Mark returned from the small kitchen and replied, "No, I had cereal. That was just something I was trying." Mark began to pick up the wrapping paper and moved the presents to the mantel over the fireplace. "What do you need me to work on today?"
"Well, there are a few things we need to do before the party of Christmas Eve." Hardcastle watched McCormick's expression change from mild annoyance to disbelief before continuing, "Mike Delaney, Frank Harper and his wife Claudia, are coming over for dinner. Is there someone you want to invite over? Teddy or Barbara?"
"No, Judge, there's no one this year. Teddy has gone to visit a friend. Don't worry, he's not violating his parole." McCormick sighed. "And Barbara is going back to Florida to spend time with some old racing friends and family. She's having a hard time without Flip this year and I suggested she go east and visit some of her family. She doesn't need to stay around here for me."
"Well in that case, it'll be a small gathering. You've not met Frank and Claudia but you'll like them. Come on, kiddo, time to get to work." Hardcastle headed for the door and McCormick followed him.
For the next three days, McCormick was busy with yard work while the judge hung a few Christmas lights. Sarah worked on the menu, made a few more cookies, and kept insisting that she didn't need any help in the kitchen.
Christmas Eve Day arrived. McCormick was nervous about meeting more of Hardcastle's friends but did his best to hide it. Sarah picked up on the nervous energy and gave Mark a gentle hug. By mid afternoon, Frank and Claudia had arrived along with one homemade New York cheesecake. Mark found he actually liked talking with Claudia and Frank wasn't too bad for a cop. By four o'clock, Mike Delaney arrived. More drinks and small talk were enjoyed. Mark continued to visit with everyone but kept sneaking into the kitchen to help Sarah.
Everyone enjoyed a simple dinner of beef stew, homemade bread, and a glass of Merlot. Mark cleared the dishes and brought out the coffee service. Sarah followed a few minutes later with Claudia's cheesecake and another cake on her tray. She set the tray down, passed the cheesecake to Claudia and the other cake to McCormick.
Mark looked at her, puzzled. Sarah smiled at him and then announced to the group, "Well, we are blessed with two delicious desserts tonight. So I will let the owners of the desserts do the honors of serving the group. Claudia was kind enough to make a traditional New York cheesecake." Sarah smiled at Claudia and then continued, "And Mark was kind enough to share a family recipe with me. He didn't make this cake, but he did say it was a tradition growing up to have Prince of Wales cake on Christmas Eve. Claudia was also kind enough to share with me, her recipe for the frosting that belongs on the cake."
Mark looked at the cake and then at Sarah. She smiled at him. "Yes, Mark, it's coffee frosting, just like you described."
McCormick looked over at Claudia, not sure what to say. "Thank you, Mrs. Harper."
"Mark, please I told you earlier, call me Claudia. Mrs. Harper is my mother-in-law." Claudia smiled as McCormick blushed. "Okay, who wants cheesecake?"
Everyone had a small piece of both desserts before breaking for the evening.
Later that evening, McCormick took a small piece of cake back to the gatehouse with him. He placed it next to the small Christmas tree he had, along with a note that said,
'Merry Christmas, Mom!'