Page 65 of Soldier's Chrismas Hope
“It’s freezing,” she realized out loud, her heart breaking at the idea of anyone spending Christmas like this.
“Oh, I’m a country boy,” he said with a smile. “And I’ve got a fire. This doesn’t bother me.”
“You’re not sleeping out here anymore,” she told him firmly. “You’re coming back to the houseright now.”
“Well, I need to put the tarp back up,” he said.
“In this storm?” she said. “No way. It’s windy and slippery up there. You can deal with it when the snow stops.”
“It’ll do more damage,” he said, frowning as if there was any way to actually make the place worse.
“Are you so attached to that rug?” she asked him. “We can tarp it instead, if you want.”
They both looked over at the faded rag rug. It was moth-eaten, and probably older than both of them put together.
After a moment, River’s warm chuckle broke the silence.
“Fine,” he said with a smile. “I’ll deal with it later.”
“And you’ll come stay in the house,” she said.
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re tougher than you look?” he teased her.
“There’s a first time for everything,” she said lightly. “Now get your stuff and let’s get out of here. This is ridiculous.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, jogging over to grab his duffel.
The walk back to the farmhouse felt less dangerous than the walk to the cottage.
It’s because River is with me…
When they got inside, he headed upstairs to put his stuff away, and Nora decided she would start their tea this time.
By the time he got back down, the kettle was whistling.
“Perfect timing,” she told him, grabbing their favorite mugs.
He grinned at her and sat down at the table, looking genuinely happy. She fixed their tea and brought it over, placing his in front of him before taking a seat herself.
“Why were you staying out there?” she asked him.
“I know the kids aren’t used to having a man around the house,” he said. “And they barely knew me. I figured it was better for you to have the place to yourselves.”
“Maybe for a night,” she allowed. “But they know you now. And this is no kind of weather for camping out. Why didn’t you move back into the house?”
He looked down at his tea, watching the steam for a moment before he answered her.
“I’ve had a hard time since I got home,” he said, his eyes still not meeting hers. “It can be hard for me to have a lot of… social interactions, I guess.”
She nodded, instantly feeling like an idiot for not thinking about it.
“I’m so sorry,” she said after a moment. “I’ve been so focused on all the adjustments the kids are going through. But you’re going through a big one too.”
“This farm is everything I ever wanted,” he said quickly. “And I’m glad to be home, obviously. I know how lucky I am.”
She nodded, knowing that all those things could be true, and he could still be in pain.
“But I saw some things, being away,” he said softly, then cleared his throat. “It’s just going to be a while before I feel a hundred percent like myself again, that’s all. Makes it hard to bump into people in town and do small talk.”
