Page 23 of Soldier's Chrismas Hope
“Yes,” River agreed. “You’re right. And how does it move? Does it take a lot of little steps?”
“No,” Pixie said, frowning as she studied the prints again.
Each set of four prints was a foot or two apart from the last.
“So how does he move?” River asked.
“Jumping,”John-John cried out happily.
“Is it a rabbit?” Pixie asked.
“The jumps aren’t big enough,” River told her. “And look how tiny the paws are. Maybe we should look at where the tracks are coming from.”
The kids looked around, but the prints seemed to start where they were standing.
“Could the animal have come from this tree?” River asked, helping them out.
“Yes,” Pixie said, looking thunderstruck. “Yes, that’s exactly what it did.”
“And there are no other prints around the trunk,” River said. “So, it jumpeddownfrom the tree.”
“Asquirrel,” Pixie exploded. “Those aresquirrelprints.”
Both kids looked to River.
“Great job,” he told them with a big smile. “You’re exactly right.”
The two of them took off, hopping through the snow like a pair of squirrels themselves.
“Are they always like this?” River asked, turning to Nora.
“Pretty much, yes,” she told him with a smile. “They’re curious and they’ve got a ton of energy.”
“I know it’s a lot of work,” he allowed. “But they’re so much fun.”
“They really are,” she agreed. “Being with them puts everything into perspective. You don’t have time to worry about things that don’t matter.”
River nodded thoughtfully and they walked on in friendly silence. It was really refreshing to see the kids through River’s eyes.
On her own, Nora had a tendency to overthink every interaction, looking for signs that she was failing or that missing their mom was drawing them in on themselves.
Out here, she was seeing them in a fresh environment, with someone fun and caring to interact with.
This is good for all of us,she thought to herself.Even if it’s just for the weekend. I’m so glad I said yes.
Nora had always been a careful sort of person. It wasn’t like her to come out to the countryside at the drop of a hat, especially with River, given who he was.
As they walked, she could smell the spice of his aftershave, mixed with the stronger scent of a wood fire that hadn’t been there before. The combination was intoxicating, and she found herself wanting to just lean close and breathe him in. Even though she tried, it was impossible not to think about how much he had changed physically since the last time she’d been around him. And he was more serious now, too. Though the kids seemed to bring out a bit of the twinkly-eyed young man she remembered.
“Here we go, guys,” he called out to the children, his deep voice penetrating the cold air.
When they turned to him, he pointed to the big red barn. It looked like something out of a watercolorpainting with its faded red paint and pretty, snow-covered roofline.
“It needs paint,” he said. “Pretty much the whole place does.”
“It’s beautiful,” she told him honestly. “I was just thinking that this whole place looks like a piece of art.”
“It’s got good bones,” he said in a pleased way, nodding. “I’m going to enjoy bringing it back.”
