Page 54 of Soldier's Chrismas Hope
“He’s not sweeping anyone off anything,” Nora said firmly. “He’s just a good friend. The kids and I will beback after the holidays. But I won’t take your job away. I can find something else when the timing is right.”
She decided not to say anything about John-John going to preschool and making the timing work sooner than later. It really wouldn’t be right to kick Leslie out of her new job.
“No way,” Leslie said. “You were so good to me in school. I’m glad to be able to do something for you too.”
Leslie was brilliant, but she had always struggled with test-taking, so Nora made a point of always studying with her. When it was time to prepare for the national exam, they had spent weeks together, scrawling on flashcards, making up songs and poems, and doing whatever they had to do to be sure they both knew the material inside and out.
But studying together had never been a burden. Nora saw it as a privilege to spend time with her friend, and a joy to celebrate their shared success when they both managed to pass the exam.
“That was nothing,” Nora said. “You’re such a good friend, Leslie. I’m so glad to have you in my life.”
“Ditto, Nora,” Leslie said. “Now tell me more about this farm. What kind of animals does he have?”
Nora smiled at her friend’s enthusiasm and was relieved to have something to talk about that had nothing to do with either of the Young brothers, or her feelings about them.
You’ll have to face your feelings sooner or later,a little voice whispered in the back of her mind.You can’t run forever…
14
RIVER
Early the next morning, River walked along the path to the big barn. He had been taking this route every morning since taking possession of the farm. But he hadn’t walked it with three companions before.
The children were warmly dressed, but still very sleepy. They followed after River, hand-in-hand, like two bundled-up ducklings. Nora brought up the rear, looking bright-eyed and excited to spend time with the horses.
Snow fell all around them, insulating them from the usual sounds of the outdoors. At this hour, River was used to hearing the morning birds and sometimes even the roosters on the neighboring farm.
This is nice.
He should have offered to do this with them sooner. He knew Nora would have an interest in the animals, and an early wakeup was probably worth it to the kids if it meant more time with the horses. If they ended upfeeling tired from it, they could always just take a nap or go to bed earlier.
He’d ended up heading to bed a bit early himself last night when it became clear that Nora wasn’t coming back downstairs once she got into her phone call.
It’s good that she has a friend to talk to,he told himself.
And he firmly believed that. But he’d still been a little jealous last night when he passed the door to her room and heard her soft laughter.
I want to be the one who makes her laugh…
“Here we go,” he said, forcing himself out of his own head long enough to open up the barn.
“What’s that sound?” Pixie asked immediately.
He paused for a second and picked up a high-pitched mewling coming from the back corner of the barn.
“Sounds like kittens,” he realized out loud.
“Kittens?” Pixie echoed.
“I want to see them,” John-John said, the sleepy boy suddenly perking up at the idea of the baby animals.
“Why don’t we let River check on them first?” Nora suggested.
River nodded to her as he flipped on his phone flashlight and headed deeper into the barn.
The horses snuffled their greetings.
“Be right there, guys,” he told them, continuing on.
