Page 4 of Soldier's Chrismas Hope
“When I’m ready to start working again, I’ll check in with you,” she told him. “I promise. And if it’s meant to be, you’ll be between techs, and it will work out just fine.”
That was a pipe dream though, and she knew it. The little clinic paid well and their kindness to their employees was clear from the way they had handled Nora’s sudden family. The next tech lucky enough to be hired by them would never leave.
But she also knew that tenderhearted Tony felt terrible, and she wanted to leave him on an optimistic note.
“Thanks, sweetheart,” Tony told her. “You let us know if you need anything. Anything at all.”
“I sure will,” Nora told him before they hung up, knowing full well that she wouldn’t.
She had taken on these children, and they were her responsibility. She tried to keep what an honor that was at the front of her mind during times like this. When she was feeling overwhelmed, it helped to remember that Alma had trusted her implicitly with her precious children.
Tomorrow is not for today,she told herself. It was a quote from her inspirational calendar, but it felt like it had been written just for her, a woman trying to weigh achild’s best interests against how long the balance of her bank account would carry them.
She didn’t know what she was going to do about any of it yet. But right now, she was going to drink her tea, read her book, and try her best not to think about it anymore until tomorrow.
2
RIVER
River Young stood at the peak of the hill, looking out over his new farm.
In the fields below, golden stalks reached up through a blanket of snow toward the gray sky as far as the eye could see. In the growing season, the farm would be bustling, but right now, it was quiet as the peaceful vista of sleeping corn and soybeans spread out in front of him.
It made River think back to his first training jump in the Army—the noise in the plane and the close quarters with the other troopers, his chest pressed against the parachute of the man in front of him, and the sounds of harsh breathing and murmured prayers all around.
It was the opposite of peaceful, but once he had jumped and opened his own chute, all the noises and bodies were suddenly gone, and River was alone in the sky, drifting slowly toward the green fields below.
That moment of quiet calm between the jumping and the landing had reminded him of his goal to one day bestanding where he was right now. All his fear had vanished, replaced by a sure sense that he was doing the right thing.
While his time in the military had been filled with challenges, he had managed to hold onto that kernel of faith through it all.
And now, years later, this little piece of Trinity Falls finally belonged to him, and the sense of peace that had sustained him once could extend for a lifetime.
He breathed in the sweet, cold air, enjoying the feeling of solid ground beneath his boots, but wondering why he still felt a shiver of restlessness.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out as his mom’s contact info popped up. River smiled and slid his thumb across the screen to accept the call.
“Hey, Ma,” he said.
“River,” she said. “Glad you picked up. I wanted to check in and make sure you were going to bring those nice chocolates your father likes for Christmas.”
“Of course,” he told her. “I’ll definitely pick some up. Should I grab one box or two? Will Edward and Nora be there, or are they jetting off to Paris or something?”
River’s older brother and his wife lived in a fancy condo in the city. The two of them missed out on family gatherings from time to time because they liked to travel.
“Oh dear,” Mom said. “He didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?” River asked.
“Well,” she sighed. “You know they decided not to have children.”
River hadn’t known, though he had suspected that they either didn’t want kids or that they couldn’t havethem. They had been married a few years now, and he couldn’t imagine a less child-friendly environment than their tiny glass and marble condo.
He made a general sound of agreement, not wanting to start a whole conversation around whatever their mom thought about such a decision.
“Well, her sister passed away,” she went on, not sounding too sad about it. “And she left those two kids of hers with Nora. It wasn’t part of their plan, and so the two of them decided it was best to separate. He let her keep the condo.”
“What?”River asked, truly stunned.
