December 20

After ten days of frenzied activities, finally she could breathe again. Just yesterday, the stagecoach had stopped in town to pick up the thirty-two Christmas care packages for the soldiers fighting in the Northern Territories. It had taken an insane amount of work to get to this point. She felt weary just thinking of it. It all began the day after she substituted for Elizabeth. She had managed to meet with Abigail and Elizabeth, and they loved her idea of sending care packages to the soldiers fighting up North. They all felt comforted that whether Jack returned to them at Christmas or not, at least he have a touch of Hope Valley at Christmastime, as well as all the other soldiers who were sacrificing for their country this season. Once the event was official, she began collecting personal care items and clothing from the citizens of Hope Valley, and surprisingly enough, there was an abundance of donations, so much so that the schoolhouse was overflowing with the town's generosity. Last Friday, they had a special day in Elizabeth's classroom committed to filling and wrapping the packages, as well as writing cards for the soldiers. The children had gotten on board and thoroughly enjoyed the day, and thankfully, not a one of them let out a peep about the project they had all been working undercover for Miss Thatcher.

Sure, many thought that boxes stuffed to the brim with personal care items and clothing was plenty, but not her. It had been her idea to add a taste from home, in the form of Christmas cookies, in each of the soldier's boxes. And not just any Christmas cookies would do. Christmas cookies traveling the hundreds of miles to the Northern Territories to soothe the weary soldiers must be the best of the best. And that is why she decided to hold the very first Hope Valley Christmas Cookie Bake Off. Last week, ladies, and a few gentlemen, from all around Hope Valley brought a batch of their best Christmas cookies to be taste tested by a panel of judges. Rosemary tried to convince Abigail and Elizabeth to be the judges, since they were the head of the Christmas Committee. For some reason both of them thought her idea of the bake off unnecessary, if not a little outlandish. Not to worry, she had scrounged up more than enough willing helpers. She'd talked Lee into allowing his workers to come over to the cafe during their break and taste test the Christmas cookies. Each worker would be allowed a sampling of one Christmas cookie during his morning break, and at the end of the week, after sampling all the cookies, he would cast his vote for his favorite. All the votes would be tallied up and they would have their top four Christmas cookie recipes to replicate for the soldier's boxes. Rosemary had beamed at the brilliance of her idea. Originally, it was just to locate the best cookie recipes so they could make and send the best up North, but her bake off also had another unexpected result: it drew the community closer together. Most days, the cafe was filled to the brim with not only the workers, but also those who had baked the Christmas cookies, as they were ready to observe what the audience thought of their masterpieces. Multiple children also stopped in hoping for a taste of the Christmas treats. The week had been filled with plenty of cookies, tea, smiles and laughter coming from Abigail's. By the end of the week, the top four recipes had been declared: Florence's thumbprint jam cookies, Widow McCormick's spice drop cookies, Abigail's melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookies, and Rosemary's very own soft molasses cookies. Abigail had graciously volunteered her kitchen where the winning bakers, along with several willing volunteers, baked hundreds of recipe-winning Christmas cookies. Rosemary knew the cookies were the perfect finishing touch for the soldier's boxes. Nothing tasted like home at Christmastime like Christmas cookies. Now that she looked back on it all, she was astounded at how much a determined town could accomplish in a mere two weeks. One thing was sure, Hope Valley wasn't lacking for Christmas spirit.

Aside from the projects for the soldier's care packages and bake off, Rosemary filled custom Christmas dress orders for Dottie's shop, finished the last of the Nativity costumes for the Christmas Eve program, assisted with the practices for the Christmas program, and helped the children with their special Christmas cheer project for Elizabeth. With all this busyness no wonder she didn't have much time for sleuthing and figuring out what Lee could possibly be working on for her. Oh, mark her words she had not forgotten about that mystery, she'd just simply been too busy. The one time she thought to bring it up to Lee last week he had acted surprised.

Last Week

"Lee, really?" Rosemary motioned to the mud tracks on the kitchen floor with the washrag in hand. She just mopped the kitchen floor this morning, and now this evening, here again a trail of mud littered the floor. "I'm sure the project site has run completely out of mud after all that you have brought home with you on your boots and trousers." She forced a little laugh.

"I'm sorry, Rosemary. Here, let me have that." Lee reached for the washrag and swiped at the mud on the floor. "I know it is a mess. There's just no way around it though. It's just something I have been working on." He walked over to the washbasin and rinsed the washrag out before hanging it to dry.

"Oh, it doesn't bother me much." Especially since she knew it was somehow a part of some kind of surprise for herself. "I would like to know, where you manage to pick up all this mud?" She held her breath, waiting for a hint.

"Oh, it's just out near the edge of town."

Rosemary narrowed her eyes. "Would you care to elaborate?"

Lee tossed her a serious look over his shoulder as he washed his own hands with fresh water and a bar of lye soap. "No, in fact, I wouldn't. I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't nose into my business, especially this one time."

"Why?" She batted her eyelashes. "Because it is a surprise?"

Lee turned around his eyes wide. "Who have you been talking to? How much do you know?"

Rosemary laughed. "Oh, Dear, you ought to know better than to keep a secret from the town's center of attention. People come from simply miles to tell me news."

"So, you know you have a surprise coming. What else do you know?" His mood had darkened a shade. He finished drying his hands on the hand towel and came close.

"Well, thanks to your button-lipped assistant…nothing!" Rosemary pouted. Relief poured over Lee's features.

"Rosemary, I understand that you like to be in the know, and it's nearly impossible to surprise you, but can you please accept, just this once, that your loving husband is working hard to surprise you? Can't you let it be just that? A surprise?"

"So you admit, Lee Coulter, that it is a surprise?"

Lee cocked his head. "I thought you already knew that."

"Oh I had what you'd call…an inkling, but now… oh just imagine! This whole time, you've been working on a surprise- for little old me! Oh, you wonderful husband, you. Will it be ready in time for Christmas?" Rosemary hugged his neck and looked up into his bright blue eyes.

"This kind of surprise isn't something to rush through, so unless a host of angels come down and help me, it will not be ready for Christmas."

"That's okay, dear. I just appreciate the fact you want to surprise me."

"Okay, so you know I am working on a surprise for you. Now, I can't say one more little word about it. Let's just agree to leave it at that."

Lee smiled and wrapped his strong arms around her.

Rosemary stiffened. "But when—how—"

Lee lifted a finger and placed it over her lips, silencing her. "Shh… no more questions. And Rosemary Coulter, you got to promise me you will stop poking around. Let me surprise you for once."

"What do you mean for once? Have you forgotten how you surprised me with that modern jewelry piece from New York last Christmas?"

Lee raised an eyebrow as he continued to hold her tight. "Is that so?"

Wait, he knew? He knew she had dug that hideous gift out of the closet, unwrapped it, pawned it off to the visiting peddler, and then reclaimed it, rewrapped it, and acted astounded at his gift on Christmas morning? He knew! Her cheeks burned with embarrassment.

"Like I said, let your husband surprise you for once." Lee's eyes crinkled as he smiled. Then he muttered, "Rosemary, what ever am I to do with you" as he shook his head and planted a kiss on her cheek.

Okay, so maybe she had been impossible to surprise. She wouldn't have it any other way. In fact, poking around was her specialty. Maybe for once she should allow him to surprise her. What would it feel like to be truly surprised? Terrifying! That's what. She had to know. Let the wonderful, silly man think she would be content to wait. But mark her words, she would find out some way. The only pity was with Christmas quickly approaching she wasn't going to have a free moment to devote to this mystery. As much as it pained her, some things would have to wait.