Page 29 of Soldier's Chrismas Hope
“Farmer Bear’s Christmas,”Nora said, impressed. “It’s their favorite. So you can imagine what a hit this trip has turned out to be.”
“Are you visiting friends or family?” Sarah asked.
Nora frowned, uncertain how to classify River.
“Oh, gosh, I didn’t mean to pry,” Sarah said, a furrow in her forehead. “I’ll just let you browse.”
“You’re not prying at all,” Nora told her right away. “It’s just… complicated. We’re here to visit with River Young. He’s my ex-husband’s brother.”
“River Young?” Sarah asked, her eyes widening. “I know who that is. He just came home from the Army, didn’t he?”
“Sure did,” Nora said.
“My husband was up volunteering at the farmer’s market, and they bumped into each other,” Sarah said. “He’s a farmer too.”
“Oh, what kind of farm?” Nora asked.
“He’s a Webb,” Sarah said with a smile. “So grains, mostly.”
“The Webbs are grain farmers?” Nora asked, trying to keep up.
“Yes,” Sarah said. “He works the family farm. It keeps all of us close, which is nice.”
“River is the first in his family to own a farm,” Nora confided. “He mentioned to me that he hoped the guys in town would give him some advice, but he doesn’t want to take advantage.”
“Are you kidding me?” Sarah chuckled. “My Brody would bend his ear all night if he had the chance. All the farmers around here love to talk shop.”
“That’s great to know,” Nora said. “I’ll make sure to mention it to him.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Sarah said. “I’ll put a bug in Brody’s ear about it, so if they wind up volunteering together again, he’ll know what to talk about.”
“You’re a lifesaver,” Nora told her.
“Oh, this kind of thing is what the community’s all about,” Sarah said with a smile. “It’s why I wanted to come back here so much.”
“You haven’t always lived here?” Nora asked.
“Nope,” Sarah said. “My family was here for a short time when I was a kid, but I always knew I wanted to come back. So I moved here two years ago to buy the old bookshop, and the rest is history.”
“Aunt Nora, Aunt Nora,” John-John squeaked excitedly as he scampered over to her with a familiar-looking book. “Look.”
Unsurprisingly, it was a copy ofFarmer Bear’s Christmas.She said a silent prayer of thanksgiving that he was so happy to see a book they already had.
“Look at that,” Nora said with a smile.
“I already have this one,” John-John told Sarah importantly.
“That book has some of the nicest illustrations I’ve ever seen,” Sarah told him. “You made a good choice when you picked it out.”
“My mama picked it out,” John-John told her. “She died.”
Nora glanced up at Sarah to gauge her reaction. The kids didn’t talk about their mother dying much. It seemed so sudden now, though of course she was sure Alma was always on their minds.
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Sarah told him, her eyes serious. “Do you think of her when you read your special book?”
“Yes,” John-John said solemnly. “Do you want to read this book with me?”
“I would love to,” Sarah told him. “If you have time?”
