Free A Midnight Clear by Hope Ramsay

clandestine meeting at midnight.
    Now every customer who came through the doors of Last Chance Bloomers wanted to know if she was planning to meet “that Yankee doctor” at the town square tonight.
    The majority of her customers thought it would be oh-so-romantic, even if he was from up north and talked funny. People’s attitudes toward Tom were beginning to thaw, especially since that specialist up in Columbia had found something wrong with Lillian and put her on medicine that was actually helping her.
    Of course the town might be warming to the new doc, but Lillian had lost a lot of face, so she wasn’t all that keen on any of Last Chance’s single ladies taking up with that new doctor. She didn’t mince words when she bustled into the shop on Christmas Eve morning to pick up her centerpiece. “Teri, you cannot go meet that man at midnight. He’s a Yankee, and you know he’s going to leave in two years.”
    “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” This was Teri’s standard reply to the question she had to answer at least ten times every day. She pulled Lillian’s centerpiece out of the refrigerator.
    “Piffle, of course you know what I’m talking about.” Lillian appraised the flowers. “Goodness, Teri, you’ve outdone yourself.” The centerpiece consisted of a swag of Douglas fir interspersed with sprigs of variegated holly and red glass balls. A wide, wired red velveteen ribbon looped on either side of a three-inch red cinnamon scented candle. She’d made about ten of these centerpieces over the last few days. They were quite popular this year.
    “Thanks, Lillian. I’m glad you like it.”
    “I do.” The large church lady looked up. “But I don’t want you getting involved with that man. It’s not as if Miriam—” Lillian bit off the end of her warning when the old-fashioned bell above the shop’s door jingled. Good thing, because Teri really didn’t much like it when Lillian started pointing and waving her finger. It was a sure-fire indication that the woman was about to go righteous. And it was mildly uncomfortable to find herself agreeing with Lillian Bray about the wisdom of going out to the town square tonight at midnight.
    “Oh, good gracious, it’s you, Savannah,” Lillian said interrupting her own tirade.
    Savannah Randall gave Lillian a wide smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Hey, Lillian, I just came to get my centerpiece.”
    “It’s ready,” Teri said, escaping to the back room. Savannah’s centerpiece was nothing like Lillian’s. In fact, Savannah’s centerpiece had been a labor of love. Not many folks in Last Chance were looking for something different when it came to Christmas. But she could always count on Savannah.
    Savannah had just finished redoing the old Victorian house that had belonged to her family for generations. She wanted something that evoked an earlier time. Teri had created a centerpiece entirely out of natural materials. A swag of magnolia leaves provided the arrangement’s backbone. She’d wired orange and clove pomanders to the swag to provide the bulk of the color and a wonderful scent. Tucked around the oranges were sprigs of juniper, pheasant feathers, bundles of cinnamon, and orange pyracantha berries. Aiden would have liked this arrangement. It had not a smidgen of red anywhere in sight.
    “Oh my word,” Lillian said in an avaricious voice the moment she saw Savannah’s centerpiece. “That’s just gorgeous. Teri, why on earth didn’t you advertise this one?”
    “Because it’s one of a kind. Savannah commissioned it specifically.”
    “Oh.” Lillian’s nose went right in the air. Typical.
    She picked up her flowers and gave Teri the evil eye. “You remember what I said, now, you hear? You stay away from that man.” She turned and left the store.
    “I’m assuming she was talking about Doc Crawford?” Savannah asked, apparently in no hurry to get home and do whatever still needed to be done for tomorrow’s