Page 42 of Soldier's Chrismas Hope
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NORA
Nora sat in the passenger seat of River’s truck an hour later, her eyes on the snowy fields outside as she tried to pull herself together.
River’s mom had been perfectly kind and polite. But of course Nora knew Mrs. Young well enough to know what that tight smile really masked. And she hadn’t even stayed to meet the kids.
It’s not her job to meet the kids,Nora reminded herself.Her other son didn’t want them to be part of his family. She’s just being loyal to him.
But it hurt anyway. She was so proud of Pixie and John-John. And she felt that rejection on their behalf.
Luckily, they seemed to have been too busy enjoying themselves to notice that the lady with the big bag of eggs didn’t want to eat pancakes with them.
And now they were heading off to do one of Farmer Bear’s activities. She smiled to herself at the idea that River was going to cut down a tree today just to make the kids happy.
He was such a kind soul, and he seemed to take a lot of pleasure from small, everyday things. He was like a big kid himself sometimes. But that wasn’t really right, because the man was also so protective.
Looking back now at everything that had happened since he first appeared at her door, she had come to the conclusion that he just might be the best, most big-hearted man in the world.
“Is that it?” Pixie called out, pointing to a field with a few horses in it.
“Not yet,” River told her. “But we’re almost there. And they do have horses at Cassidy Farm.”
“Am I going to ride them?” Pixie asked excitedly.
“Probably not today,” Nora told her. “Only because we’re going to go hunting for a Christmas tree, and then River’s going to cut it down so we can bring it back to the farmhouse. All that will keep us pretty busy.”
“Just like Farmer Bear,” John-John sang out.
“We’ll come back soon to see the animals and play on the playground,” River added.
“There’s a playground?” Pixie asked.
“Cassidy Farm is a super fun place to spend a day,” River told her. “The one thing we will make sure to do today is get some apple cider.”
“Can you have a playground on your farm?” Pixie asked.
“I never thought about it,” River said. “But I don’t see why not. There’s plenty of room. Now what kind of tree are you two hoping to find today?”
The kids burst into a lively discussion about tree shapes and sizes and exactly how many shades of greenthey came in, and Nora found herself glancing over at River.
He was such a picture of masculinity, his wide shoulders straining the seams of another of his lined flannels, squinting slightly in the late morning sun. And the closed cabin of the truck only made the spicy woodsmoke scent of him all the more maddening.
He caught her looking and winked at her, and she felt her cheeks heat.
“What kind of tree are you hoping for, Nora?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I just love the smell, so any tree will do.”
“Then we should look at the balsams,” he said, nodding. “They have the best scent. Do you want one that’s tall and skinny? Short and fat?”
“Up to the ceiling,” she said with a smile. “And as wide as you think will fit.”
“A girl after my own heart,” he chuckled.
“But we’ll let the kids pick, of course,” she said. “And if they’re expensive, we’ll want to stick to a budget.”
She pressed her lips together, feeling ashamed that she had to talk about money when he was housing and feeding them right now. But they were only doing this for the kids, so she knew that her paying for the tree was the right thing.
