Read Online Holiday Wishes by Nora Roberts - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Nora Roberts
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door and danced around the kitchen. “We’re going to go caroling tonight in the hay wagon and there’s snow all over the place.” She stopped in front of Jason and grinned. “Hi.”
“Hi, yourself.”
“Mom and I are going to build a snowman. She says Christmas snowmen are the best. You can help.”
She hadn’t known just what reaction Clara would have to finding Jason at the breakfast table. With a shake of her head, Faith began to beat eggs. She should have known Clara would be willing to accept anyone she’d decided to like. “You have to have some breakfast.”
Clara fingered the plastic Santa on her lapel, tugging on the string so that the nose lit up. It never failed to please her. “I had cereal at Marcie’s.”
“Did you thank her mother for having you?”
“Yeah.” She stopped a minute. “I think I did. Anyway, we’re going to build two of them and have a wedding and everything. Marcie wanted the wedding,” she added to Jason.
“Clara would prefer a war.”
“I figured we could have that after. Maybe I should have some hot chocolate first.” She eyed the cookie jar and calculated her chances. Slim at best.
“I’ll fix it. And you can have a cookie after the snowman,” Faith told her without bothering to turn. “Hang your things by the door.”
Scrambling out of her coat, she chattered at Jason. “You’re not going back to Africa, are you? I don’t think Africa would be much fun at Christmas. Marcie’s mother said you’d probably be going to some other neat place.”
“I’m supposed to go to Hong Kong in a few weeks.” He glanced at Faith. She didn’t turn. “But I’ll be around for Christmas.”
“Do you have a tree in your room?”
“No.”
She gave him a wide-eyed look. “Well, where do you put your presents? It’s not Christmas without a tree, is it, Mom?”
Faith thought of the years Jason had grown up without one. She remembered how hard he’d tried to pretend it didn’t matter. “A tree’s only so that we can show other people it’s Christmas.”
Unconvinced, Clara plopped into a chair. “Well, maybe.”
“She used to say the same thing to me,” Jason told Clara. “In any case, I don’t think Mr. Beantree would like it if I left pine needles all over the floor.”
“We’ve got a tree, so you can have dinner with us,” Clara declared. “Mom makes this big turkey and Grandma and Grandpa come over. Grandma brings pies and we eat till we’re sick.”
“Sounds great.” Amused, he looked over as Faith scooped eggs onto a plate. “I had Christmas dinner with your grandparents a couple of times.”
“Yeah?” Interested, Clara studied him. “I guess I heard somewhere that you used to be Mom’s boyfriend. How come you didn’t get married?”
“Here’s your hot chocolate, Clara.” Faith set it down. “You’d better hurry. Marcie’s waiting.”
“Are you coming out?”
“Soon.” Grateful that her daughter was easily distracted, she set the platter of bacon and eggs on the table. Ignoring the half-amused lift of brow from Jason, she took her seat.
“We need carrots and scarves and stuff.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
With a grin Clara gulped down chocolate. “And hats?”
“And hats.”
A snowball hit the kitchen window. Clara was up like a shot. “There she is. Gotta go. Come soon, Mom. You make the best.”
“Soon as I’m dressed. Don’t forget your top button.”
Clara hesitated at the back door. “I’ve got a little plastic tree in my room. You can have it if you want.”
Moved, he only stared at her. Just like her mother, he thought, and fell in love a second time. “Thanks.”
“’Sokay. Bye.”
“She’s quite a kid,” Jason commented as the door slammed behind her.
“I like her.”
“I’ll give her a hand with the snowman.”
“You don’t have to, Jason.”
“I want to, then I’ve got some things to take care of.” He checked his watch. It was only Christmas Eve for so long. When a
“Hi, yourself.”
“Mom and I are going to build a snowman. She says Christmas snowmen are the best. You can help.”
She hadn’t known just what reaction Clara would have to finding Jason at the breakfast table. With a shake of her head, Faith began to beat eggs. She should have known Clara would be willing to accept anyone she’d decided to like. “You have to have some breakfast.”
Clara fingered the plastic Santa on her lapel, tugging on the string so that the nose lit up. It never failed to please her. “I had cereal at Marcie’s.”
“Did you thank her mother for having you?”
“Yeah.” She stopped a minute. “I think I did. Anyway, we’re going to build two of them and have a wedding and everything. Marcie wanted the wedding,” she added to Jason.
“Clara would prefer a war.”
“I figured we could have that after. Maybe I should have some hot chocolate first.” She eyed the cookie jar and calculated her chances. Slim at best.
“I’ll fix it. And you can have a cookie after the snowman,” Faith told her without bothering to turn. “Hang your things by the door.”
Scrambling out of her coat, she chattered at Jason. “You’re not going back to Africa, are you? I don’t think Africa would be much fun at Christmas. Marcie’s mother said you’d probably be going to some other neat place.”
“I’m supposed to go to Hong Kong in a few weeks.” He glanced at Faith. She didn’t turn. “But I’ll be around for Christmas.”
“Do you have a tree in your room?”
“No.”
She gave him a wide-eyed look. “Well, where do you put your presents? It’s not Christmas without a tree, is it, Mom?”
Faith thought of the years Jason had grown up without one. She remembered how hard he’d tried to pretend it didn’t matter. “A tree’s only so that we can show other people it’s Christmas.”
Unconvinced, Clara plopped into a chair. “Well, maybe.”
“She used to say the same thing to me,” Jason told Clara. “In any case, I don’t think Mr. Beantree would like it if I left pine needles all over the floor.”
“We’ve got a tree, so you can have dinner with us,” Clara declared. “Mom makes this big turkey and Grandma and Grandpa come over. Grandma brings pies and we eat till we’re sick.”
“Sounds great.” Amused, he looked over as Faith scooped eggs onto a plate. “I had Christmas dinner with your grandparents a couple of times.”
“Yeah?” Interested, Clara studied him. “I guess I heard somewhere that you used to be Mom’s boyfriend. How come you didn’t get married?”
“Here’s your hot chocolate, Clara.” Faith set it down. “You’d better hurry. Marcie’s waiting.”
“Are you coming out?”
“Soon.” Grateful that her daughter was easily distracted, she set the platter of bacon and eggs on the table. Ignoring the half-amused lift of brow from Jason, she took her seat.
“We need carrots and scarves and stuff.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
With a grin Clara gulped down chocolate. “And hats?”
“And hats.”
A snowball hit the kitchen window. Clara was up like a shot. “There she is. Gotta go. Come soon, Mom. You make the best.”
“Soon as I’m dressed. Don’t forget your top button.”
Clara hesitated at the back door. “I’ve got a little plastic tree in my room. You can have it if you want.”
Moved, he only stared at her. Just like her mother, he thought, and fell in love a second time. “Thanks.”
“’Sokay. Bye.”
“She’s quite a kid,” Jason commented as the door slammed behind her.
“I like her.”
“I’ll give her a hand with the snowman.”
“You don’t have to, Jason.”
“I want to, then I’ve got some things to take care of.” He checked his watch. It was only Christmas Eve for so long. When a
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