Read Online A Little Christmas Magic by Alison Roberts - Free Book Online Page B

rather like the one that had been on Caitlin’s when Emma had suggested adding Jemima to the junior school’s play. As if she was completely crazy.
    ‘Maybe that’s because Daddy gets too busy at Christmastime. Would you like to have a tree, Poppy?’
    Poppy thought about this for a long moment. ‘Jeannie has her very own tree.’
    ‘So does Jamie,’ Oliver said. ‘And Ben and … and
everybody.
’
    Emma channelled Catherine McAllister. It was up to her to make Christmas happen for these children, even if the thought of the repercussions of this step were more than a little scary.
    ‘Right, then.’ She reached for her wallet. ‘Come on. You can help me choose the
best
one.’
    ‘No.’
    ‘But, Daddy … I
want
Jemima to be in our play.
Please
…’
    ‘
No.
’ Adam’s fork clattered against his plate in the silence that followed the resoundingly negative response.
    It was just as well that Emma had waited until dinner was almost finished before broaching the subject of including the largest family pet in the nativity play. Her appetite evaporated in the face of the atmosphere that instantly filled the McAllister kitchen—her favourite room in this grand old house. That single word had somehow created an impenetrable barrier and Adam was clearlyangry. Was he even tasting the casserole he was forking into his mouth?
    The last of the wonderful meals Catherine had left in the freezer, Emma had noted with some alarm. She would have to cook the evening meals herself from now on.
    The children began simply pushing pieces of food around their plates with as little enthusiasm as Emma.
    ‘Eat your dinner,’ Adam ordered, ‘or there’ll be no ice cream.’
    ‘I don’t
want
ice cream.’ Poppy’s voice wobbled. ‘I
want
…’
    No, Emma begged silently. Don’t say it.
    ‘I want Jemima to be in our play.’
    Adam dropped his cutlery and his chair scraped back with a screech that made Emma flinch.
    ‘It’s the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard,’ he snapped. ‘And it’s
not
going to happen. I don’t want to hear another word about it.’ The stern glare Poppy was being subjected to was transferred to Oliver. ‘From
either
of you.’
    Then it was Emma’s turn to get the look. ‘I expect this was
your
idea in the first place?’
    For a heartbeat she felt frightened. It wasn’t just about potentially getting fired from a job she was coming to love far more than she’d expected. It was more about the glimpse into what Adam McAllister would be like if he lost control. She was sensing the depth of emotion hidden away in this man for the first time and who knew what might happen if it broke through those rigid, self-imposed constraints?
    But then Emma was aware of something she rarely felt.
    Anger.
    She could see that the children really
were
frightened.Sitting there, like small statues, with pale faces and probably holding their breath. Scared that their daddy didn’t love them any more because they’d done something bad.
    Was it so bad to dream of doing something a bit out of the ordinary? Okay … a lot out of the ordinary, but this was about
Christmas
, wasn’t it? About making a little bit of magic?
    So she held Adam’s angry glare and lifted her chin.
    ‘Yes,’ she said clearly. ‘It
was
my idea. And Caitlin McMurray loved it. She said she’d talk to the hall committee about getting permission and that she could probably arrange transport to get Jemima into the village for the evening.’
    Adam was on his feet now. He crumpled his serviette into a ball and threw it down beside his unfinished plate of food.
    ‘Have you seen the state of the village hall? It’s crumbling inside. The floorboards all need replacing. Quite apart from the public-health issues of an animal needing to relieve itself indoors, there would be the danger of the floor giving way. Imagine the panic that would create? Not only could Jemima get injured but so could anybody who was unfortunate enough to be sitting