Page 22 of Soldier's Chrismas Hope
“What do we do next?” John-John asked around a large bite.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Pixie told him softly.
“Sorry,” he said, his mouth still full.
“I thought if you two still wanted to ride horses, maybe we could go do that,” River offered.
“Yes,” Pixie said.
“Are they friendly?” John-John asked, looking a little nervous.
“The big one, Peter, is very friendly,” River said. “He loves children, even if they decide not to ride him. We can bring him a snack for you to give him.”
“Does he like biscuits?” John-John asked, thoughtfully eyeing his plate like he wasn’t so sure about sharing.
“I don’t think he likes biscuits,” River assured the boy.
“I’m going toridehim,” Pixie said firmly, as if she were worried that someone was going to try to trick her into just giving the animal a meal.
“That’s great,” River reassured her. “He’s going to love giving you a ride.”
Her face brightened up and he felt like he would do just about anything to make the serious little girl smile like that again.
6
NORA
Nora walked beside River down the path toward the barn while the kids ran ahead of them, stopping every few feet to examine a tree or try to identify a mysterious shape covered by the snow.
It was cold but sunny, and the birds were singing. It was so different from her usual walk in the city that Nora felt as if she were in another world.
And her heart was light. Seeing River with the kids this morning had been so lovely, and she wasn’t sure why it hit her as hard as it did.
The egg.
Nora spent a lot of time these days reminding herself that it was better that Edward wasn’t in their lives, better that the kids grow up with just one adult, as long as she was patient and accepting. But she often wondered if she was just trying to make the best of a bad situation.
She tried now to imagine Edward’s reaction if Pixie had smashed an egg on the pristine marble counter of the condo. Even if he managed not to yell or go silentwith anger, it still would have been clear to the sensitive little girl that he was upset. The man held himself to impossible standards, and he’d been the same with Nora, when they were still married. It was inevitable that he would have had high expectations for the kids, and he’d always had a low tolerance for messes and nonsense.
Seeing River laugh his head off and good-naturedly clean up his sticky, eggy kitchen had felt almosthealingto Nora.
“It’s pretty cold,” River said, glancing over at her with a hint of concern.
“Oh, we walk a lot in the city,” she reassured him. “It actuallyfeelscolder there because the buildings block out the sunlight. And the way the wind whips between them…well, this is just fine—better than fine. Look at them.”
The kids were crouched under a tree, looking at something in the snow, studying it and whispering to each other.
“Look,” Pixie said as the adults approached. “It’stracks.”
“Ah,” River said. “Do you know what kind of animal made those tracks?”
The kids shook their heads.
“I’ll bet we can figure it out,” River told them. “How many feet do you think it had?”
The kids looked back at the snow and Nora floated closer, examining it herself.
“Four,” Pixie said triumphantly after a moment.
