QUOTE(Kav @ Dec 31 2005, 09:40 AM)
Um...I do believe we can confirm our growing suspicions...you are...
...in the nicest way, of course.
Almost two hours later, with snow falling softly around them, they arrived at their destination. Tara pulled up in front of the Deep Creek Inn, a beautiful mansion, which was nestled in a small community in Maryland.
"So, what do you think?"
"Amazing," he said, as they got out of the car.
Tara opened the trunk and reached for her bag, but Bobby placed his hand on her wrist. "Luv, I have a confession to make before we go inside."
"What is it?"
"Tara I don't think I can spend the night with you in a place like this and keep the promise I made to you - to us. Understand? Every day it gets harder."
Tara's face bloomed a pretty shade of pink. "Oh, we're not staying the night. You'd have to make Christmas reservations a year in advance. Sherry, the owner, is a friend of mine and she said we could come for the afternoon and evening. This is just a change of clothes for each of us for dinner."
Bobby exhaled the breath he'd been holding. Hefting both bags onto his shoulder, he said, "Then, lets get going."
Sherry immediately enveloped Tara in a hug. "Thank you for letting us come," Tara told her friend."
"I'm just so glad you took me up on my offer," Sherry said. "I've been wanting to meet this guy for months."
Tara introduced Bobby. "I've heard so much about you," Sherry explained.
"All good I hope."
"Most of it," she said with a twinkle in her eye. "You two can put your things in my quarters. I have a lunch for the two of you already set up in there. Tara, you already no the schedule of events for the evening. Participate in whatever things you want. Now, go have some fun."
Tara led Bobby to Sherry's quarters. Obviously. Bobby thought, she'd been here before. He wondered if this was what Tara sometimes referred to as her weekend get-away. Even before they had ever dated, Bobby noticed she'd often talk about going there after a particularly tough case and would always come back refreshed. Sherry could certainly pamper a person.
After a delicious lunch in Sherry's suite, Bobby and Tara decided to take a walk outside. Sherry stopped them at the door. "Tara, the horses and sleigh, and of course, the driver, Hank, will meet you out front. Since our last little sledding experience went downhill," she giggled at her own joke, "I wanted to treat you to this." She squeezed Tara's hand affectionately. "You'll be back in time to dress for dinner."
Tara felt like they had stepped back in time as she watched the breath of the large Belgian horses billow into the air. "It looks like a scene from a Currier and Ives print," she told Bobby.
After helping her into the sleigh, Bobby climbed in beside her and tucked the fur blanket over both of them.
"Are you two all tucked in back there?" the driver asked.
Bobby nodded and immediately they were whisked away through a snowy meadow. Tara giggled as the driver picked up speed and Bobby drew her closer. As they approached the woods, it had grown darker. The driver stopped the sleigh and lit the lamps fitted to the sides of the sleigh. The ambiance the warm glow created made Tara shiver.
"Are you cold?" Bobby asked. The snowfall had picked up and Bobby couldn't help but notice. "I can ask him to take us back."
"No way. I don't want to miss a minute of this."
"Then I guess I have no choice but to use my favorite way to warm you up." Slipping his hand onto her neck, he pulled her towards him. He ran he finger of his other hand along her cheek and across her lips, then followed the same path with his tongue. "Warm yet?"
"Getting there."
He brushed her lips with a hint of a kiss, then deepened it. "Warm?"
"Very. Thanks."
"Any time. And I mean ANY time."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~After dressing for dinner, Tara and Bobby joined the other guests in the dining room. Sherry had a table for two , complete with candlelight and white roses, set for them in the corner.
Bobby loved the beef tenderloin tips with wild mushrooms and Tara found the rich, dark chocolate torte as sweet as Bobby's kisses - almost.
"After dinner, they are having a Candlelight and Carols hour in the music room," Tara told him.
"Candlelight and Carols like we have Down Under on Christmas Eve?"
"I'm not sure if it's just like it, but it was one of the reasons we came. I wanted you to have a taste of home if you wanted to."
She could tell he was touched. "Thank you."
"After that, there's a midnight service at the church. I know it'll put us back really late, but I wanted to go if it's okay with you. The creche was today's picture."
"There's no place I'd rather be on Christmas Eve, dinkum."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sherry passed at candles to each of the guests who had chosen to gather for the Candles and Carols hour, lit one, and turned off the rest of the lights. They took turns lighting the candles off one another as she began to play the first song on the piano.
Tara turned to Bobby to light her own candle. Their eyes met and Tara felt a surge of something deeper than she'd ever known.
Later, Sherry persuaded Bobby to teach them the Australian version of the 12 Days of Christmas. "I hope I'll remember all the words." Soon he had everyone joining him. The final chorus had everyone laughing as they tried to recollect everything. Bobby's voice rang out clearly.
On the TWELFTH day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me,
Twelve possums playing,
Eleven lizards leaping,
Ten wombats washing,
Nine crocs a-snoozing?
Eight dingos dancing,
Seven emus laying,
Six sharks a-surfing,
Five kangaroos,
Four lyrebirds,
Three wet galahs,
Two snakes on skis,
And a kookaburra in a gum tree. Like a masterful story teller, the next songs Sherry chose slowed the pace and set scene for the final carol by candlelight "Silent Night." In the flicker of the candles dotting the room and with Tara by his side, Bobby thought the song had never sounded more beautiful.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Crammed into the pews of the small church, Bobby was mesmerized by the glow on Tara's face as she watched the birth story of Jesus unfold. When one of the performers sang "Mary Did You Know," tears slid down her cheek. It amazed how something he'd heard so many times, became new again when he saw it through her eyes.
When the service concluded, Bobby and Tara were both startled by the amount of snow which had accumulated in the last hour or so. "Tara, I'm not so sure we should even try to make it back."
"There aren't any rooms left at the inn," she said, then had to laugh at the irony of what she'd said.
"Maybe we can sleep in the barn. I wouldn't mind a roll in the hay with you."
"I'm pretty sure Sherry would let us sleep on her floor, but can we at least try to get back? Your Christmas gift is at home."
"It'll still be there tomorrow, luv. It isn't worth the risk."
"But I wanted to give it to you tonight."
"You could tell me what it is."
"Nice try, Koala Boy."
Sherry happily agreed to let them stay. When the snow had started piling up, she'd been hoping they would. "Tara, you can sleep with me and we'll open the sofa and make up the bed for Bobby. I warn you, though, I get awfully early on Christmas morning to play Santa for all the guests and see to breakfast."
Lying in the hard hide-a-bed Tara and Sherry had made for him, Bobby lay awake trying to find a new way to ask Tara to marry him. He'd had it all planned back in D.C., but now things had changed. At least he still had the ring.
And don't forget -- traumatic to the bear. I hope they have a trauma unit ready with lots of hunney and hugs at the end of this!
Where can I sign up for one of those?
Oh I so need one of those kits -- but do they make them with Winnie the Pooh bandaids instead? 
I don't know how you come up with this stuff but it is truly amazing!!!!
) so I am grateful that no mice were harmed in this story...
and 
I'm just going to grovel around here on the floor until I finish the rest of the story.
I can't wait to find out what Tara has in store for Bobby!!!!
, but I'm stumped as to what Tara's Christmas gift is going to be!
See the effect you have on me.
that will be me cowering in my darkened bedroom imagining all the horrors that could befall a poor lost and frightened stuffed bear far away from his mummy! ack! I say. Ack! I demand satisfaction in an epilogue...but don't worry, I won't make you do it until the New Year! 
This was 
and I'll give you a couple of days off for good behaviour and so your children can enjoy your company for a bit and then -- back here with another story, okay???? 
Bravo!! 
outside in the cold somewhere or 
forlornly at being left all alone for so long or 
for his momma! And just out of curiosity -- do your children let you near their bears? 
I so have a bear sequel-ish thing planned if I can claw my way out of the Christmas aftermath.
One of the funniest and romantic stories I have read on this board.