Page 1 of Holiday Promise

ONE

Melody ducked behind a large ball of snow with a laugh that echoed across the extensive yard. Fluffy, cold flakes fell from the blue-grey clouds overhead. She poked her head up over the partial makings of a snowman, but didn’t see Max anywhere.

Slowly, she rose taller, her eyes searching for the five-year-old boy. “Max?” There were too many footprints in the snow to be able to tell where he snuck off to. She wasn’t worried that he’d ran off somewhere. His father had made sure his home was secure enough to keep him out of trouble. “Max?” she called again. “You know I don’t like it when you startle me.”

She came out from behind the large ball of snow, then heard the faint sound of a giggle. Her focus darted toward a large tree a few yards away. Melody grinned, carefully moving through the snow toward the tree. On her way, she scooped up a small handful of the white powder.

Today had been a good day, but they’d been lucky. Max wasn’t dwelling on his mother being gone. She’d passed away right after Christmas last year and the poor kid had been missing her a great deal more these days. She couldn’t blame him, and that was why she made sure they took advantage of the moments when he returned to being a carefree little boy.

The giggles quieted down just before she reached the tree, but that wasn’t what stopped her. It was the muffled sounds of tears. The snowball fell from her hand and landed on the ground as she rushed around the side of the tree to find Max with his arms wrapped around his knees and his face buried in his snow pants.

“Buddy! What’s the matter?”

He shook his head but left it buried in his knees.

“Hey, it’s okay. Whatever it is, I’m sure I can help you fix it.”

Max turned his warm brown eyes toward her, red-rimmed and the most heartbreaking expression she could remember seeing. “I don’t want to forget her.”

“Forget who, buddy?” She knelt down beside him and brushed the tear from his cheek. Their playtime had turned sour so quickly. Melody didn’t even need to ask him that question. She already knew who he spoke about.

“My mom.” He wiped at his face with his soggy glove. “I can’t remember what she sounds like.”

Her heart ached for him. She’d been hired to make sure all his needs were met, but this wasn’t a problem she could solve. Melody pulled Max onto her lap and held him tight. “You won’t forget her.”

“How do you know?”

“I just know.” She rested her chin on the top of his head. “Your dad has some videos of her. Do you want to watch some after dinner?”

Max nodded.

“How about you tell me about her. What do you remember you did last year for Christmas?”

He shrugged.

She hugged him again. “I’m sure you could think of one thing if you thought about it really hard. Close your eyes and take adeep breath.” Melody waited for a moment, unsure if this would even help.

Then Max’s quiet voice shattered the silence. “Cookies.”

“Cookies?”

He nodded. “My mom made me cookies.”

“Then I think we’re going to have to make some, too.” She pulled him to the side so she could look him in the face. “You know what else? I called your grandma a few weeks ago. She said she’d send us some stories to help you remember her. She has some pictures, too. And I’m sure your dad would be able to tell stories as well. Maybe we can ask him at supper. What do you think?”

Max nodded again. “When is my dad going to be home?”

She frowned. That wasn’t a subject she wanted to discuss. Blake had been taking on more hours at work lately. Between his longer work days and the time it took to travel home, he wasn’t spending nearly enough time with his son. “He should be home soon.”

The small boy might have been young, but he wasn’t dumb. He didn’t look convinced at all with her answer. Melody needed to distract him. Not only that, but she needed to figure out how to tell Blake that he needed to be a present father—at least for the next couple of weeks.

Melody picked up Max and helped him to his feet before she straightened. “I think we need to go inside and dry off.”

“And get some hot chocolate?” Max’s eyes managed to look even warmer, like they were chocolate and caramel blended together. How could she say no to that face? She couldn’t.

She laughed, taking his hand in hers. “Of course we’ll get some hot chocolate. Who do you think I am?”

His smile, albeit small, returned.

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