Page 60 of A Forgotten Heart
“Let me grab a cup of coffee and warm up, you hooligans.”
Elsie made a beeline for the kitchen. “I’ll pour.”
She met Nick at the stove. The grim set of his mouth was not reassuring.
“Thanks,” he murmured when she pressed the warm cup into his chilled hands. He glanced over his shoulder. There was movement and voices through the doorway, but the kids had stayed put. For now.
“My brothers should’ve checked in by now,” he said in a low voice.
She saw the concern in his expression. “I’m praying for them.”
Something softened in his eyes until he seemed to realize himself and shake off his expression.
“Kaitlyn’s been under the weather,” she said quickly, not wanting this moment with him to end. “Rebekah is upstairs with her.”
His forehead wrinkled. “They left you to watch all the kids?”
He seemed frustrated on her behalf.
It made her warm inside, even though she didn’t expect him to be protective.
“I have four times as many students in my class,” she said. And then regretted it when shadows darkened his eyes.
There was a crash from the front room, and they both turned in that direction.
“They’re becoming a bit stir-crazy,” she said.
“Everyone’s worried,” he said absently. “David and I had an idea that might help.”
She trailed him back to the living room, where he clapped his hands once. Ben and Eli were tussling on the floor while Jo righted the coat rack.
“Who wants to decorate for Christmas?” Nick asked.
Elsie blinked. This was his idea?
The kids cheered. David went out the front door and quickly backed inside with a fir tree that was taller than he was in his arms.
Jo shot toward the kitchen door. “Can I pop the popcorn?”
“Hold up,” Nick called to her. “Wait for an adult to help.”
He moved to help David wrestle the tree into place while Tillie danced in circles.
Ben and Eli stood back watching. This was the quietest they’d been all day.
Elsie moved closer to Nick. “Are you sure about this? What about—”Your brothers.
He seemed to understand what she’d left unsaid. Would Drew, Ed, and Isaac be upset if they weren’t included in this family tradition?
The corner of Nick’s mouth lifted. “It’ll be all right.”
Ben stared at the tree. “What do we put on it?”
Kaitlyn had given Elsie a crash course on the family dynamics last night. She knew Ben and Eli were Clare’s nephews and that they’d moved into the McGraw family weeks ago. The boys’ parents were both gone.
She slipped her arm around Ben’s shoulders. “What did your ma and pa put on your tree?”
Ben hesitated, and Eli was suspiciously silent. Tillie spoke up. “Eli and Ben never had Christmas before.”
