A Nantucket Christmas by Nancy Thayer

appetizing.”
    “Good.” Rinsing her hands, Nicole murmured, “I wish we had two ovens. I have to sort of stagger what I’m cooking with only one.”
    Sebastian snorted. “Sorry, Nicole. Cooking was never one of Katya’s passions. One oven was more than enough for her.”
    Nicole bit her lip. She didn’t enjoy hearing the words Katya and passion come out of her husband’s mouth.
    As if he’d guessed her thoughts, Sebastian drew Nicole into his arms. “I hope you realize how grateful I am for all you’re doing. Not just the decorating and the cooking, but making the house feel so warm. You’ve got a gift for perking up people, Nicole.”
    For half a second, Nicole considered pointing out that she certainly didn’t please Kennedy. But that would have been churlish, especially with her husband’s arms around her. “I hope I perk you up, Sebastian.”
    “Let’s go upstairs and I’ll show you,” Sebastian murmured into her neck.
    Nicole drew away in pretend horror. “In the daytime? With your family here?” Secretly, she was tickled.
    James chose that moment to come into the kitchen from the birthing room. “Time for a drink yet?” he asked. “Kennedy’s sound asleep.”
    “Maddox is out trying to build a snowman,” Nicole told him. “I promised I’d go help him, but I got delayed with cooking and um, everything.”
    James looked out the window. “Is Mad in the backyard or the front?”
    “The backyard, of course.” Nicole checked her watch. With a playful glance at Sebastian, she said, “Dinner’s ready in about an hour.”
    “I’ll play with him until then.” James went out the door.
    “Alone at last,” Nicole’s husband said, pulling her close once more.

16
    Maddox stood in the backyard with his tongue protruding, trying to catch the flakes of snow that the wind flung into his eyes and up his nose. When his tongue got cold, he decided to go into his fort.
    Snow had settled on top of his hideaway. On one side, snow drifted up into a wall. Maddox dropped to his knees and crawled between the lawn chairs into the warm security of his cave.
    It was dark inside. He blinked, thinking about this, trying to understand. Back in the real world, the sun had almost set, but some pale rays still illuminated the sky and the brightness of the snow reflected back the shine. In here—with cardboard walls secured by duct tape wrappings and a ceiling of picnic table wood—no snow entered, and not much light.
    After a moment, his eyes adjusted to the dim interior. It was nice and warm compared to the chill outside. Maddox crawled farther in and closed the cardboard flap that served as a door. Now it was supercozy.
    Except …
    Something was in the corner. Something as big as Maddox. Something dark, at least it looked dark, and as Maddox watched, it moved.
    Too paralyzed with terror even to squeak, Maddox stared at the lump. A wolf? No, wolves were bigger. A rat? No, rats were smaller. A rabbit? That would be okay, but it wasn’t rabbit shaped.
    An eye gleamed through the darkness.
    Maddox didn’t know what to do. Should he pretend to be something not alive, a big rock, for example? Should he try to be friendly? How fast could he exit the cave before whatever it was leapt at him, catching him by his shoe?
    The creature stirred. Two eyes shone. It appeared to be in no hurry to eat Maddox. He knew it wasn’t a lion or a bear; Daddy said those didn’t exist on the island. Perhaps it was a baby deer? But the thing shuffled into a standing position, and its legs were not nearly long enough to be a deer’s. Was it a cat?
    “Hello?” Maddox whispered. “Kitty kitty?”
    Encouraged by his voice, the animal slowly, cautiously, moved toward Maddox, stumbling slightly on the uneven cushions, until Maddox could see that the creature was a furry brown dog with black button eyes like his toy animals and a pink tongue peeking between small white teeth.
    “Hi, guy.” Maddox held out his hand the way his mommy