Yuletide Stalker Read online

  Last year at Christmas, a cousin of her mother’s had invited Maddie for the holidays, and she’d gone, thinking it would be a break from the usual routine. It had been a miserable experience because the cousin’s grandchildren were noisy and unruly. She was thankful that Linc’s invitation had spared her a repeat visit with her relatives.

  As she and Roselina shopped for the Christmas dinner and baked cookies to put in boxes for the elderly church members, she knew she was a help. She carried most of the groceries to the car and into the house—legwork that Roselina had done by herself in other years.

  Linc closed his offices for a three-day holiday so his employees could be at home with family. He turned down several invitations from his business associates to spend Christmas Eve at their homes.

  Since Linc would be home all day on the twenty-fourth, Maddie waited until then to trim the tree. Roselina had insisted that Maddie should buy exactly what she wanted. She had color coordinated the various-size ornaments in blue and rose. The electric lights were small seashells in a brownish-rose color. A blue-robed angel adorned the top of the tree. After they draped several ropes of silver tinsel around the tree, they stood back to admire their efforts. Maddie believed it was the most beautiful Christmas tree she’d ever seen. Roselina agreed with her.

  Linc had had all of his gifts professionally wrapped. While Roselina and Maddie worked in the kitchen preparing dinner, he brought them from the garage. Even while he questioned the wisdom of it, Linc had bought many things for Maddie. Every time he saw something he thought she would like, he bought it and ended up with fifteen gifts for her. Roselina entered the room and lifted her eyebrows humorously when he spread all the gaily wrapped packages under the tree. Linc felt his face burning.

  They ate their meal at four o’clock so they could finish in time for the Christmas Eve service held on Waikiki Beach.

  When Linc went upstairs to dress for the evening, Roselina whispered, “Thank God, Mr. Linc is going with us. I’ve prayed for him for years. God heard my prayers and sent you to us, Miss Maddie. You’ve made a big change in his life.”

  Maddie blushed and wouldn’t look at Roselina.

  The interdenominational service was scheduled a half hour prior to the fall of darkness. Seated in a semicircle of padded chairs arranged to accommodate three hundred people, space usually used for a hotel’s luau, the audience faced the ocean. As the choir sang anthems, and four ministers read the Christmas story from Matthew and Luke, the sky changed constantly. An outrigger canoe passed by with a band playing Christmas carols. The sun dipped behind a cloud as the speaker brought the sermon to a close.

  Maddie’s heart was full of praise and worship, and tears of joy glistened in her eyes. She turned to Linc and their eyes met and held for an interminable moment. Maddie’s blood scampered through her veins like a tidal wave, before her heartbeat slowly settled to its natural rhythm. Her physical reaction to Linc stunned her as if she’d been hit by a stroke of lightning.

  Maddie knew without doubt that she loved Linc, not with the immaturity of a child, but with the full-blown emotion of a woman’s heart. Before she turned away, she believed she detected a sense of wonder in his gray eyes, as if he, too, had realized he loved her. But whatever his feelings toward her, Maddie knew that she belonged to him forever.

  The pageantry and beauty of the service had blessed all of them, and they drove back to the house almost in silence. When Linc unlocked the door, he said, “Should we open most of our gifts tonight? And perhaps save a few boxes for tomorrow when the Kingsburys are with us. I have gifts for them, so we’ll keep some of our things to open when they’re here.”

  “Suits me, Mr. Linc,” Roselina said. “You know I’m just like a kid when it comes to opening gifts.”

  Maddie went to her room to take off the lightweight jacket she’d worn to the service. She was fidgety, wondering if Linc would like the gift she’d gotten for him, even though Roselina had assured her it was a suitable gift.

  Since the police agreed with Linc that Maddie shouldn’t go anyplace alone, Roselina and Maddie had shopped together for Linc’s gifts.

  “Mr. Linc usually receives a lot of expensive gifts from his business associates, but I always buy several little trinkets for him,” Roselina had said while they shopped.

  Maddie had agonized over what to buy Linc, until she finally decided to have an enlargement made of her photo that she carried in her billfold. The picture had been taken the year before for a university publication. But after she had the eight-by-ten photo made, matted and framed, Maddie wondered if she was being presumptuous to assume that Linc would want her picture. But she’d spent quite a lot on the gift and she couldn’t afford anything else.

  No doubt he would just accept the gift like a father receiving a picture from his daughter.

  NINE

  After her mother’s death, Maddie hadn’t received many gifts, and she shared Roselina’s excitement about the presents under the tree. In spite of the suspense that had surrounded her since her arrival in Hawaii, as Christmas Eve settled around them, there were no shadows in Maddie’s heart.

  Roselina settled in a big armchair, and Maddie sat on the floor beside her while Linc distributed all of the packages. “I’ll leave one box for each of us with the ones I have for Steve and Ahonui,” he said. He’d deliberately left the black pearls and earrings set he’d bought for Maddie under the tree. It was his finest gift to her, and he wanted to save it for last.

  “It’s a custom in my family that the youngest opens gifts first and then we continue up the age level to the oldest,” Roselina said. “So Miss Maddie, you go first.”

  “And we always opened our gifts on Christmas Eve when Mother and Daddy were alive,” Maddie said. “So this seems like old times to have so many gifts under the tree.”

  Linc sorted Maddie’s gifts and brought them to her one by one. He sat on the floor beside her as she opened them.

  Briefly she wondered if she should accept so many gifts from Linc, but her joy in his gifts outweighed her pride. She tore into each box with the excitement of a four-year-old. She realized that Linc and Roselina were amused at her excitement. Only later would she wonder if Linc had bought the gifts because he thought of her as a daughter, or if there could be a deeper meaning.

  Some of the gifts were more like toys—a hula girl figurine, and a grotesque carved wood male figure about a foot tall, which was called the Lucky or Aumakua Tiki. A shark’s tooth necklace made of bone beads and hematite was the only other jewelry from him. He gave her a coconut purse, which was just the right size to strap around her waist and carry small essential items when they walked along the beach. There was another large Aloha handbag that matched the Summer Hibiscus pareo he’d purchased.

  Picking up the pareo and feeling the soft fabric, Roselina said, “You can wrap this around your body in many ways. All Hawaiian women have them.”

  “I know. It’s just what I need to wear back and forth to our beach.”

  Linc saved the largest box for the last, and Maddie was surprised into silence when she opened it to find a ukulele inside.

  A tender expression in his eyes, Linc said, “Since you sing so well, I thought you could learn to play the ukelele. There’s a self-taught lesson book inside.”

  Maddie took the instrument from the leather case and strummed the strings.

  “I can learn to play this easily,” she said. “I have a guitar, which I often played when Janice and I sang together at VOH chapel service. Thank you so much for everything. I don’t know how I’ll ever get them home.”

  “I’ll have them shipped for you,” Linc said. Any problem she had, Linc was quick to solve it. But how would he solve her biggest problem—her love for him?

  Opening Roselina’s gifts of body lotions, stationery, a calendar and a muumuu was anticlimatic, but Maddie showed as much appreciation for them as she had for the gifts she’d received from Linc.

  His gifts from his business associates
included cheese and nut sets, shaving lotion, cufflinks, as well as gift boxes of Hawaiian products.

  When he opened the portrait of Maddie, he was speechless. The photographer had captured all of her beauty—physical and spiritual—on the camera. For a moment, he forgot that Roselina was in the room.

  “You couldn’t have given me anything I’d like more,” he said softly. “Did you have it made here?”

  “The picture was taken at the beginning of last school year. I had the enlargement made in Honolulu.”

  “Thank you.” The words sounded inadequate, but what else could he say that wouldn’t reveal the depth of his feelings for her?

  “Maybe it will make you remember me after I leave Hawaii.”

  The thought of having Maddie leave his home was becoming more and more unpleasant. He hadn’t known how empty the house had seemed before. He enjoyed his home, but he’d spent a lot of time away from it. Now that Maddie was in the house, he eagerly watched his office clock for five o’clock to come. Generally, she was watching for him and stepped out on the veranda and waved to him as he drove into the garage. Would he be foolish to let her return to her home without giving her the opportunity to stay with him?

  Roselina had several gifts from her children and grandchildren in California, and from her sister, who lived in Honolulu. Linc had bought lengths of fabric for her as she liked to make her own clothes. He also gave her a check for a thousand dollars.

  When the gifts were all opened, Roselina said, “Hey, one of you give me a hand. I’ve been sitting here so long, I can’t get up. We’ve got to get this mess cleaned up before company comes tomorrow.”

  Linc took her hand to assist her out of the chair.

  “There’s no hurry. I told Ahonui we wouldn’t eat until midafternoon. But we should put our things under the tree and dispose of the wrapping and ribbons.”

  “If you and Miss Maddie will do that, I’ll make a few preparations in the kitchen. Everybody takes care of their own breakfast in the morning,” she warned.

  Maddie separated the gifts they were to open tomorrow from the ones they’d opened. She took the sweeper from the closet and cleaned the carpet while Linc disposed of the wrapping paper.

  “Thank you again for all your gifts. It’s been a wonderful evening.”

  “So you don’t mind that I brought you so far away from home for Christmas?”

  Mind! she thought wildly. She felt more at home now than she’d ever felt in her life. But to Linc, she said, “I wouldn’t have wanted to spend Christmas anywhere else. It’s the best Christmas I’ve had since I was a little girl, and I was with Mother and Daddy opening our gifts together. Can you remember your best Christmas, Linc?”

  “That isn’t hard to recall,” he said with a slight tremor in his voice. “It’s this one.”

  His gray eyes blazed with an emotion that Maddie wasn’t sure she understood, but it filled her heart with a strange inner excitement. She turned away, wondering how to interpret the message his eyes flashed in her direction.

  Maddie didn’t go to sleep for a long time after she went to bed, thinking about all the gifts Linc had bought for her. He’d made it a point to convince her that he was interested in her because he had been her father’s friend. So did he buy the presents for that reason or because he had another interest in her?

  What was his problem? Did he think he was too old for her? Or didn’t she appeal to him in a romantic sense?

  She didn’t think of Linc as her father’s friend. There wasn’t any doubt in her mind that the childish infatuation she’d carried for ten years had become something much more important. She knew she shouldn’t read more into his gift giving than he’d intended. Still, since it was Christmas Eve, she indulged herself and lay awake wondering about the message his eyes had conveyed—thinking how wonderful it would be if Linc was in love with her.

  Maddie awakened when she heard Roselina leave her room. She wanted to do her share of the work and hurried out of bed and into the bathroom to prepare for the day. Dressed in capris and a knit shirt, she arrived in the kitchen at seven o’clock.

  Roselina was working at the sink peeling and de-veining the shrimp they’d gotten at the market yesterday. She wore a brightly colored muumuu, which had been one of Linc’s gifts. She hummed “Silent Night” softly. Roselina didn’t know Maddie was in the kitchen until she said, “Merry Christmas! What can I do to help?”

  Roselina glanced over her shoulder and scolded, “What are you doing up so early?”

  “I want to help. Just tell me what to do.”

  “You can set and decorate the table, but fix yourself some breakfast first.”

  Linc wandered into the kitchen wearing the long robe Roselina had given him. He looked sleepy, and his hair was disheveled.

  “How can a guy sleep when the two of you are bustling around the house?”

  “I suppose you came to help, too?” Roselina said, a gleam in her eye.

  “No such thing. I won’t help until I’ve had my breakfast.”

  “Which you’ll have to fix yourself,” she retorted. “I told you I’d be busy today.”

  “What do you want for breakfast?” Maddie asked. “I’m going to fix toast, Hawaiian style, for myself. Would you like a serving of that?”

  “I would. While you do that, I’ll prepare a pot of coffee, since my housekeeper refuses to help.”

  Maddie cut two thick slices of bread from the loaves Roselina had baked the day before. She put slices of ham, pineapple and Gouda cheese on each piece of bread and arranged them on a cooking sheet. She turned the oven temperature on low heat and baked the toast until the cheese melted. She garnished the toast with a few ripe cherries. It gave her a warm feeling to be preparing Linc’s food.

  By one o’clock, the buffet was ready, and the three of them went to their bedrooms to change. Maddie wore the Hawaiian dress—a white fabric with red poinsettias sprinkled lavishly across it—that Roselina had bought for her. Roselina changed into another muumuu, and Linc wore a green turtleneck and white trousers.

  As usual, Ahonui and Steve came earlier than expected. As Maddie went out on the veranda with Linc to greet the guests, the sun shone brightly, the temperature was in the seventies and a pleasant breeze wafted from the ocean. She couldn’t believe it was Christmas Day.

  Steve carried three gifts, which he handed to Maddie. “You can put these under the tree.”

  “Merry Christmas, Linc,” Ahonui said. “And you, too, Maddie.”

  “Thanks—the same to you.”

  Ahonui seemed friendly enough, but Maddie was still uncomfortable around her. She felt mean-spirited to be jealous of his secretary, when she was sure that Linc hadn’t spent any time with Ahonui, except in the office, since she had arrived in Hawaii.

  Maddie carried the boxes and put them under the tree.

  “We opened our gifts last night,” Linc said, “but we kept one each to open when you came. Roselina and Maddie have dinner prepared, but we might as well open our gifts now.”

  “Opening gifts on Christmas Eve?” Steve said, lifting his heavy eyebrows.

  “It’s customary in Maddie’s and Roselina’s families, and I liked it,” Linc said tersely.

  Maddie’s gift from the Kingsburys was a set of Hawaiian lotions and perfumes, which she did appreciate. Roselina was given a tote bag containing several romance books, puzzle books and a white shawl. The Kingsburys had gotten Linc a silver ring inset with a large ruby.

  Ahonui exclaimed over the long, golden chain Linc gave her. “I’ll give you the privilege of putting it around my neck for the first time.”

  Maddie busied herself with opening a bottle of perfume and sniffing it when Ahonui backed up to Linc and held the necklace out to him.

  “So I get the largest gift,” Steve said as he tore the wrappings from a bag for his golf clubs.

  “Just what I needed,” he said. “The guys I play with have been warning me to buy a new golf bag before I lose all of my clubs.�
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  The last gift to be opened was the small box Linc had withheld from Maddie the night before. “I hope you’ll enjoy wearing these,” he said softly, his voice as intimate as if they were alone.

  Her eyes widened, and she looked up at Linc in amazement, when she removed the wrappings of the box containing a choker necklace set with a seven-cluster of Tahitian black pearls. A set of matching pearl earrings was in the box.

  “Oh, Linc,” she said breathlessly. Quickly, she took off the necklace and earrings she wore. Handing the necklace to him, she said, “Help me, will you?”

  His hands trembled until he could hardly fasten the pearls around her neck. Maddie didn’t seem aware of his shortness of breath as she busily inserted the black pearls in her ears.

  Excited, she left her chair and went to the mirror over the chest beside the stairway. The jewelry didn’t do anything for the dress she wore, but she intended to wear them the rest of the day. Linc must have known that the silver-hued pearls would contrast vividly with her ivory skin. She lifted her eyes to the mirror and held Linc’s clear gray ones as he watched her pleasure in his gift. A tense, exciting silence filled the room until Ahonui broke the spell.

  “That’s a very nice gift,” she said.

  “I’ll say!” Maddie answered excitedly. “I’ve admired them in the shop windows, but I never expected to own any. Thanks, Linc. You’re spoiling me.”

  “My pleasure,” he said, dismissing her thanks with a wave of his hand.

  They ate leisurely, and the Kingsburys lingered until late evening. Ahonui insisted that they must watch a special sailing event around Oahu featured on late-night television. Roselina wanted to telephone her children, and she excused herself and went to her room soon after dinner. Maddie watched the sailboats for a while, but when she kept yawning, she curled up in a corner of the big couch and went to sleep.

  When they finally left at midnight, Ahonui said, “I’m sorry we bored your houseguest with the sailing.”