Page 15 of Carpenter's Christmas Bride

But kindergarten was looming closer and closer, and Aidan still wasn’t convinced that they had enough for house repairs as well as whatever he’d need to float them until he could get enough work around his hometown to support them—not without risking that he’d have to break into what he had set aside for Walt’s education.

Soon, he would have a decision to make. Once Walt was settled in at school, he wouldn’t want to make big changes.

After a few more minutes, he finally pulled into the long drive that led to Timber Run and prepared himself to see his son, pushing his concerns aside for now.

Even if the last year might have left him disillusioned with the world and mankind in general, Aidan always made the effort not to let his unhappiness bleed over into Walt’s world.

He parked the truck, glancing at the new scratch on the back from MacKenzie Forrest and shook his head, fighting back another smile at the thought that he had a souvenir now.

He climbed the steps to the front porch and carefully wiped down his boots and slipped them off before opening the front door. The pretty hardwood floors were his aunt’s pride and joy. As a carpenter, he appreciated the way she cared for them. Plenty of people would have had to replace some of that beautiful wood with as many kids and grandkids as Aunt Leticia had in and out regularly. But as far as Aidan knew, she’d never even needed to refinish them.

The house was quiet as he stepped in, except the sound of Christmas music playing on the radio back in the kitchen. He followed the tune and found his aunt stirring the fragrant pumpkin soup and humming along to Elvis’s “Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me.”

“Hello, Aidan,” she said calmly with a smile.

Walt sat on the slate kitchen floor. It was heated from beneath by a hot water system, so it was a favorite cozy spot for all of the kids. He had a bowl of water and a paintbrush, and it was clear he had been painting patterns on the floor with water and watching them evaporate, just like Aidan had done once upon a time. Walt’s chubby little feet were bare, and it was all Aidan could do not to scoop him up in his arms and cuddle him.

“Daddy,” Walt said happily, looking up at Aidan. “Watch this.”

Aidan watched Walt dip his brush carefully in the water, wipe the excess on the side, and drag the brush along the floor, making a line.

“Wow,” Aidan said, admiring his son’s fine motor skills. “You’re decorating Aunt Leticia’s house for her.”

“But look, it disappears,” Walt sang out excitedly.

Aidan crouched down and they both bent over the line on the floor. Sure enough, a moment later the line was gone.

“Wow,” Aidan said.

“It’s gone,” Walt said, his husky little voice bright with delight. “You can’t see it anymore.”

“It’s a fun way to practice writing letters too,” Aunt Leticia said fondly.

“You have the best ideas for fun things to do,” Aidan told her, meaning it.

“This one only works when the furnace is running,” she said, laughing. “And before this, he was outside with his uncle, having a nice walk.”

“He spotted some cardinals on the fence by the old barn,” Uncle Simon piped up from his chair in the family room.

“The boys are red,” Walt said. “And the girls are brown.”

He was dipping his brush back in the water before Aidan could respond.

“I brought the bread,” Aidan told his aunt, ruffling Walt’s hair before pointing to the counter, where he had deposited the paper bags.

“Isn’t that so sweet how she has her bags labeled and those cute little stickers,” Leticia said to herself as she took a look.

“Sorry I took a little extra time,” he added. “I may have a new job lined up.”

“Out here?” his aunt asked. “That’s wonderful. Who’s it for?”

“MacKenzie Forrest,” he replied, feeling a weird little zing in his chest when he said her name.

“Oh, that poor girl,” his aunt said, sighing. “It’s so sad what happened with her ballet career.”

“What ballet career?” Aidan asked.

“Didn’t you know her from school?” Aunt Leticia asked, frowning at him.

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