Page 35 of Soldier's Chrismas Hope
“I like havinga lotaround,” he murmured, stepping closer without thinking about it. “It feels right to me.”
She blinked up at him, her eyes widening slightly, as if she could read his mind and know that he didn’t just mean that he liked doing activities with the kids, or having a house that wasn’t half empty all the time.
His eyes went to her lips of their own accord, and he practically shook with the need to pull her close and kiss her, to show her that she was no one’s burden, that she was everything to him.
“A bird,”Pixie cried out suddenly. “There’sa bird!”
Nora turned instantly, but not before River caught the expression of shame on her face.
Is she ashamed that I wanted to kiss her? Does she think I want to take advantage?
Or could she be feeling ashamed because she wanted to kiss me too?
There was no time to think about it, because suddenly the porch was aflutter with chickadees and the children were squealing with joy at the sight of the sweet little birds feasting on their creations.
9
NORA
Nora climbed into bed to read to the children that evening, feeling tired but content after a day well spent.
After watching the birds for a long time, they had all gone for a walk around the farm, and the kids looked on while Nora helped River get the horses back to the barn and settled for the night.
She smiled at the memory of the children wishing the horses sweet dreams before heading back.
The sun set in the late afternoon, and the farmhouse looked so cozy with the porch light glowing when they came home for an early supper.
Nora knew that too much television was bad for the children, but most days they negotiated for an extra half an hour, and she often relented. They were in their pajamas and brushing their teeth when she realized they hadn’t had any screen time at all since they’d arrived on the farm.
It’s good for them to be here, it’s good for all of us… I’m so glad I decided to say yes.
It reminded her of an inspirational quote from one of last week’s calendar pages:
“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
She knew she needed to talk with the kids about River’s offer for them to stay for the holidays, but she wasn’t sure where to begin. One thing she knew for certain was that they wouldn’t stay unless both kids wanted it.
“It’s nice here,” John-John said suddenly.
“I love the horses,” Pixie said, nodding.
“And River’s nice,” John-John said. “He doesn’t mind if we make a mess.”
Nora smiled. They definitely had made their share of messes today. From the egg incident, to trying to get bird seed out of the seam in the kitchen table to wiping up sloshed soup from the floor, she could attest to how messy an average day was with children.
And John-John was right—River never seemed thrown by any of it.
He’s so different from his brother…
But nothing good would come from thoughts like that. She knew she shouldn’t be comparing the men. She shouldn’t even be thinking of staying here any longer after that moment earlier in the kitchen.
This isn’t about me, or even about River,she reminded herself. It’s about the kids.
“River asked me something today,” she said carefully. “And we’ll want to decide together what the answer is.”
“You should marry him,” Pixie said firmly. “Definitely say yes.”
