Chapter seven:
After breakfast, the boys and Godric, go out to tend to the ranch. I help clean up and then start getting to work on my stollen. While they are cooking, I get to work on the spice cookies, as well as the molasses, sugar, chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies. Next is the danish, potato and chocolate doughnuts. By lunch, I am covered in flour and other baking agents. I start the bread and rolls. Freyda comes in and gasps. 'She doesn't just cook. She COOKS!'
"My lord, did you make all this?"
"It helps when there are three ovens to work with." I chuckle, as I start the Broccoli soup for lunch. It seems like a good day for it. I heat up some dinner rolls to go with it. When Godric, Eric and Alcide come in, we are setting it on the table.
"This soup is terrific! Can I have the recipe?" Freyda asks after one sip. "And these rolls are great." Alcide plows through two bowls of soup and five rolls before pushing his chair back. "You are one heck of a cook, sis." He pats my shoulder on the way out of the house. Eric and his father take their time, discussing how the horse is coming along.
When they finish, Godric thanks me sincerely and tips his hat to me before heading back to work. Eric helps bring the dishes out to the kitchen, where Freyda is starting a sink to wash them. He kisses me on the cheek and thanks me before joining his father and brother, grabbing a spice cookie and winking at me on the way out.
"It does my heart good to see you two together. It's like a cherry on top that you are an excellent cook. I know he will be well taken care of." What is she talking about?
"Thank you. Now if you excuse me, I want to get a jump on supper. I hope you don't mind lasagna and garlic bread."
She grins at me. "Not at all, it happens to be Godric's and my favorite meal. I have never been able to make one to my satisfaction though." I smile, as I start frying up the sausage, hamburg, peppers and onions. I season and drain them. Next I start my sauce; dumping three cans of spaghetti sauce into a short stockpot. I add the meat mixture, and season again. I spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of my pan and begin the layers.
"You don't cook your noodles?" Freyda asks, amazed. I shake my head. "No, with the sauce as it is, I don't need to." I add my cheeses and the pepperoni and repeat until all I have left is a double cheese layer. I stash it in the refrigerator. Minutes later, the bread joins it. I get started on cleaning my mess, it takes a while. Freyda and I take a break with some tea and cookies. "I froze some cookies, doughnuts and one of the stollen." She just shakes her head. 'Say you'll never leave him and I will sign the whole checkbook over to you.'
"You are too much, to be true, and to think Eric found you at confirmation camp. We had to convince them to go, you know. Alcide was getting into the wrong crowd. That's why we moved. Eric just sulked around the house. He came home after that week and was a changed man. Even Alcide was different. Eric couldn't stop talking about you. I am so glad, you fit so well together." I hug her and go to start the mulled cider.
"My God, girl do you ever stop?" Alcide comes in while I'm stirring the cider. I smirk up at him. "It takes a lot of cooking to keep up with you, brother." I curtsey deeply and walk back to my chair. I sit down before I hear a bellow of laughter. Eric and Godric are behind Alcide. Godric holds up his hands in surrender to me and claps Eric on the back.
"Son, any woman who can dish it right back to your brother and cook like this one can, you marry as soon as she lets you. Sookie, as far as I am concerned, I will be honored to call you my daughter in law." I thank him and look at the clock. I turn around and get supper out to cook. An hour later, we sit down to eat. Once again I get rave reviews. I go to bed that night happy that I paid back a small amount of generosity they've shown me.
I wake up early on Christmas Eve, before Eric. Once again, I need to use the bathroom. I run my hand down his chest to wake him enough to let me go. I come back and snuggle into his arms again. He brings me closer still and kisses me before we fall back asleep.
The day passes quickly, with me trying to hide the huge package that the delivery truck brings. Lucky for me, Freyda decides to start placing the gifts under the seven foot tree in the living room. We hide the saddle behind the tree and the little gifts in the tree; while I tell her about how long ago they would place it all in the tree with elaborate tying and let the kids go crazy. She laughs. I am now glad that I bought her that book about Christmas in the past. She has the same reaction to Alcide's paper that Eric did, and oohs and aahs at the bows on all my packages.
"I know, I can cook, wrap and a few other things but don't ask me to walk a straight line."
We are all sitting by the fireplace in our pjs, sipping cider and cocoa, when this urge comes upon me. I start reciting 'A Visit from St. Nicholas', first to myself and then as everyone turns to listen, out loud. I actually do the whole thing, something that I haven't been able to since my Nana died years ago. As I get to the end, tears are streaming down my face, though I am smiling. Eric wraps his arms around me and hugs me. "Let's go to bed. We have a big morning of laughing ahead of us." I snuggle down into our bed and drift away with a silent prayer to God for letting me find such a great guy.