Archie should have known the world would take no notice of his revelation, but he held his breath as he began his chores the next morning. The animals certainly didn't care how he felt, so long as they were fed and watered, and Pongo only pounced through the snow and barked in his normal, cheerful way.
And yet, how could they all be so ignorant to the fact that the very ground had shifted beneath his feet? That he had, knowing with every shovel, dug himself into this hole into which he would only sink deeper, painfully slowly, with no hope of relief and no one to blame but himself?
Archie nodded to August as the boy rushed from the house to the chicken coop to collect the eggs—a couple of days' worth, since nothing was collected on Christmas—and back again. Archie shut the barn door closed, making sure to latch it snugly before he made his way back to the house, his breath clouding before him in the winter sun.
His heart stopped in his throat as he entered, August not far behind. He met Ruby's smiling gaze and barely had enough thought to tip his hat to her. Did she know? He could feel a flush in his cheeks, and, though logic told him otherwise, he was certain that his mess of thoughts were plain as day, spilling out across the floorboards.
If she noticed anything different about him, she was kind enough not to say anything, and soon Archie started to relax. The afterglow of Christmas remained for the next few days, with every day holding slightly less cheer than the one before as the holidays began to feel farther away. Still, there was the new year to celebrate, and everyone was happy to see David Nolan ride up on horseback one day to invite them over for a small lunch on New Year's Day.
Soon, they were packing up to head over to their neighbours', and Ruby was fussing over the three baskets she'd managed to fill.
"I feel bad that Mary Margaret is playing host when we have yet to have them over," Ruby said, re-tucking the cloths around the jars and tins she packed snugly into the baskets.
"I'm sure the chicken and buns and pickles and tarts are more than enough," Archie assured her with a chuckle, coming up behind her. He almost placed his hand on her shoulder but thought better of it, letting his hand drop awkwardly beside him instead. She was too busy to notice anything, thank goodness, as she rushed to August to wrap his scarf around his neck more tightly, which earned her a groan from the nine-year-old. Archie, meanwhile, quickly packed the baskets into a crate and carried it to the sled waiting outside.
After far longer than seemed necessary, they were ready to go, with the food tucked behind them and themselves wrapped up in their coats and scarves and blankets—the latter for Ruby and her stomach that was by now far too large for her coat. After such a process, Archie couldn't imagine how much harder it would be to travel with a baby as well, but he couldn't deny the thought made him grin.
Truth be told, Archie was just as glad for the distraction as he was to see his friends again, and it was clear that everyone was restless after being cooped inside for the last week. After hugs and greetings had been exchanged, Cleo had been settled in the barn, and the food had been safely set inside, everyone wrapped themselves up and ventured outside to enjoy the beautiful winter day. Even Mary Margaret joined in the fun with baby Leo, who was scarcely more than a bundle of knitted wool in his mother's arms.
August and Emma scampered along together to the swing hanging from the tree, their shrieks and giggles the evidence of their freedom, if only for a little while. Ruby grinned as she talked with Mary Margaret and took Leo in her arms, and Archie walked with David to the north side of the property to inspect some tracks in the snow.
Archie knelt down to see them better. They were clearly paw prints, but larger than that of a dog, and far more plentiful.
"Wolves," Archie said, standing up to join David.
"Umhmm," David agreed. "Haven't seen the animals themselves, but we've heard them the last couple of nights, and then these." He nodded to the marred snow.
"It's unusual for them to come so close. Do you have any traps?"
"Yeah, but I usually only use them out in the fields. I don't like them so close to the house."
"Sounds wise."
"Have you had any trouble?"
Archie shook his head. "No, but I'll keep a look out." The wild animals didn't usually pose much trouble, but if they'd had difficulty finding food so far in the season, they could be edging closer to the homesteads in search of an easy kill. It didn't mean much, but it did set Archie on edge. "Thanks for the warning."
They turned to walk towards the house, both eager to move on to more pleasant subjects. David asked, "So, how was your first Christmas with the missus?"
Archie thought he caught a twinkle in his friend's eye and gave him a puzzled look. "It was nice," he assured him, his heart beating a bit faster as he refused to take the bait. "But we missed you and Mary Margaret. Ruby was so disappointed that she couldn't have you all over." Archie chuckled. "You should have seen all the food she cooked."
David smiled. "Yeah, we were disappointed, too. Not that I don't enjoy my wife's cooking, but cold ham and beans and buns aren't my idea of a great Christmas dinner."
"I have to admit, I probably got the better end of that deal."
Before Archie could say more, a pile of snow fell with a thwat at their feet. They stopped in place and looked around, quickly spotting the source of the rogue snowball with the mittens and hats and a pair of pigtails poking out from the trunk of a tree. That, and the clear sound of giggling, which instantly gave the snowy assassins away.
Archie and David shared looks before bending down to scoop a handful of snow each. Packing it into balls, they slowly tread in opposite directions towards either side of the tree. With a nod to one another, they threw their ammo and hit their targets lightly, sending squeals of delight into the air as the children ran for cover. They hid behind the corner of the house while David and Archie reconvened, bending down to grab handfuls of snow before they circled around the house.
The children made for easy targets with their backs to their fathers, completely unaware of the threat from behind—almost. David and Archie tossed their snowballs to land square on their backs, but August's suspicions had him turning around to catch the snowball in the chest instead.
"Hey!" he cried, quickly grabbing a handful of snow and packing it into a ball as he chased after his pa. "No fair!"
Emma wasn't far behind as they all jogged towards the front of the house, the children in pursuit of the men. Archie laughed as August's snowball hit him in the arm. "Is that all you've got?" he teased, a grin on his lips, panting in the cold air as he jogged backwards.
Suddenly, a snowball hit Archie smack in the face, almost knocking his glasses off. He turned around, pushing his glasses up his nose, to see Ruby facing Mary Margaret with baby Leo in her arms, feigning oblivion, save for the suspicious smirk on her lips.
She betrayed herself when she glanced back at him, her eyes mischievous in recognition. He playfully narrowed his eyes at her as she turned back to her friend, earning him another surprise snowball in the face from his son.
"Gotcha!" August cried. Archie laughed and ran towards him, sending the boy racing through the deep snow, squealing as his father's long strides closed the distance.
All-out war erupted when Mary Margaret joined in the fight, siding with her daughter's cause against her husband. Snowballs flew threw the air in every direction, some lower, some higher, some with more force than others. Even Ruby managed to join in the fight, though she had to keep by the house to grab the snow from the drifts against the building that was within reach, forming tiny balls with one hand. Archie even threw a few handfuls of snow her way, aiming for the safety of her skirts, which coaxed a few mock gasps and empty threats from her that made his heart beat a little faster.
"I think we're outnumbered!" David called to Archie as he hid behind a tree and narrowly ducked a snowy missile.
Archie laughed, his pulse racing as two snowballs hit his front—one on his shoulder, the other on his stomach.
"Oof!" he let out an exaggerated cry and held his stomach. Seeing his chance, August raced to his father, tackling his middle, and Archie let himself fall backwards into the soft snow. He glanced up just in time to see Ruby grinning at them as she lobbed a ball their way.
"I surrender!" he exclaimed. "Mercy!"
August was now straddling his chest as he lay flat in the snow. They both panted, the icy air stinging his nose and lungs slightly as he caught his breath, the air fogging before their faces.
"Good," August said, narrowing his eyes and leaning close. "And don't you forget it."
Archie chuckled as August climbed off of him before he rolled over and got up. Ruby stood over them and swiftly offered August her congratulations.
Archie glanced over at Mary Margaret and David to see they had ended up on top of each other, Mary Margaret pressed against her husband as they shared a kiss, his arms around her. Archie quickly looked away, surprised at the bittersweet longing that washed over him along with the expected embarrassment at catching such a private moment.
He felt his cheeks flush as he turned to Ruby, who looked quite at home with Leo on her hip.
He noticed her skirt covered with snow and chuckled. "It looks like you didn't completely escape the massacre," he said with a nod.
Ruby grinned and shifted the baby around her stomach poking through her coat. "Leo and I couldn't let you guys have all the fun, could we Leo?" She focused her attention on the baby, cooing at him with her face close to his, bouncing him gently. "Isn't that right? Isn't that right?" She lit up when he gurgled back at her with his little grin, and Archie couldn't help but grin at the two of them.
Soon, the cold but happy party were brushing themselves off on the porch and shedding their winter layers to be hung up to dry beside the fireplace—leaving very little space for the hearth to reach the rest of the house.
Still, the oven did well to keep the place cozy, and Ruby and Mary Margaret were not sorry to spend the next while in the kitchen while the children played some games and the men visited.
It was a simple but hearty meal to which they all sat down, and the laughter and cheer warmed Archie's heart. The winter months made such visits rare, so he cherished the fellowship when they could snatch it.
He ended up sitting in beside Ruby, and he couldn't decide whether to deem it a pleasant twist of fate or a danger. Her smile lit up the room as she talked with their friends, and when it happened to be directed at him, his pulse quickened, or his heart began to race when their fingers brushed as they passed along food.
"How have you found the winter out here so far?" Mary Margaret asked as she cut up some cooked carrots into tiny pieces for Leo, who was having more fun mashing them with his hands than putting any in his mouth.
"It's been good so far," Ruby replied with a nod. "I was expecting far worse, to be honest, after the doom-and-gloom I was promised, so so far it's been cozy more than anything."
David chuckled. "Just wait for the next couple of months," he warned her. "Then we'll really see what you're made of."
"David," Mary Margaret chastised from the other end of the table, though her eyes were bright. She turned to Ruby. "It's been mild so far, but how unfortunate that the blizzard came right at Christmas! The weather always does know how to spoil our plans. Remember two years ago when we had that ice storm in the spring?"
"My dear, I think you mean three years ago."
"David, I distinctly remember it was two years ago because it was right after Emma had found my scissors and given herself that disastrous haircut that we were trying to grow out…"
Archie nodded along, not daring to join David in agreement that it was, indeed, three years ago, when Ruby grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach.
"Do you feel that?" she all but squealed under her breath. Archie froze, at first only feeling Ruby's dainty hands gripping his and pressing it down on the fabric of her skirt along her side. Then, he felt it—a pressure from beneath beating at his fingers.
He met her gaze and his heart lurched in his throat. Her green eyes shone as brilliantly as the new growth in spring and it was all he could do to keep his breathing steady.
"I feel it," he replied softly before he grinned back.
For a moment longer, she held his hand in place, and then, as quickly as the intimacy had come, it was gone, and she dropped her hands while Archie followed suit.
Mary Margaret and David were still bantering about when the coldest winter in recent memory had been and took no notice of Mr. and Mrs. Hopper. Archie shook his head at himself, puzzled as to why that should cause a twinge of disappointment.
The afternoon bled into a lazy evening, which included cold "pickings" for dinner and fiddle music and dancing. Archie was wary about staying out too late and kept a watchful eye on Ruby to make sure she wasn't tiring quickly. He needn't have worried, however, as both his son and his wife protested leaving too soon, and he was happy to comply with their pleas for more time with their friends.
Their visit did eventually come to an end, and Archie smiled to himself as he drove them home with a sleeping boy on one shoulder and a drowsy woman on the other. For now, at least, he could enjoy these simple blessings.