Read Online Home in Time for Christmas by Heather Graham - Free Book Online Page B

in Gloucester. And it ends with her heading to New York City, aware that her brother had been captured and was about to be executed. The diary is absolutely charming. There’s so much of the day-today in it—and so much about the feelings of the general public during the Stamp Act, and then the Boston Tea Party. She has all kinds of wonderful herbal recipes in there—and reference to the fact that she intends to use all her powers to save her brother’s life.” She paused, glancing up from the pages. “Oh look, I remembered correctly. Serena’s brother’s name is Jake, too. Jake Mallory. What a pity there isn’t an ending to the story!”
    Jake took the book, his fingers trembling. He handled it as tenderly as if it were a living being. He quickly flipped to the end to read for himself.
    He looked at her across the table. “There is no ending,” he said. “Her last words are here. ‘May God grant that he be home in time for Christmas.’”
    Melody stood quickly, unnerved.
    It had to be a hoax. Someone knew that her mother had found the diary. Jake wasn’t real. He was a hired actor—maybe Mark had even hired the guy to see what she would do. It was all a cruel hoax. Perhaps someone was trying to prove that Mona was a kook.
    But how did anyone manage for her car to spin at precisely the time he was in the road.
    â€œIs everyone finished with dessert?” she asked, her voice ringing coldly.
    Keith said, “Come on upstairs, Jake. I’m going to show you my new computer—and dig out some DVDs.”
    Melody flew into the kitchen with the dessert dishes. Everyone followed, carrying in something from the dinner table. She curtly thanked them all, and shooed her mother out as well, cleaning up after dinner with a vengeance.
    When she was done, she tiptoed to the door to the family room. George was in his chair. Her mother was going through more bookshelves.
    She flew up the stairs to Keith’s room. Jake was sitting in front of her brother’s desk, he was still holding the diary and looking dazed.
    Keith turned to her. “Civil War. We’ll start with the Civil War.”
    â€œWhat?” Melody said.
    â€œWhat’s the best Civil War movie?”
    â€œGone with the Wind,” Melody said. “ Gettysburg. That’s the best. It’s based on the Shaara novel.”
    â€œYes, but… Gone with the Wind is a classic.”
    â€œ Gettysburg is more of a guy’s movie,” Keith insisted.
    â€œBut Gone with the Wind has the manners and mores of the time.”
    â€œ Gettysburg is better,” Keith said stubbornly.
    Jake turned, swiveling in the desk chair. “Perhaps, if you’d be so kind, I could see them both. It does seem that, at the moment, time is all I have.”

4
    M elody started dozing off before Scarlett married Rhett.
    Keith told her to go to her own room and go to bed; he’d see that Jake saw the end of both movies—they’d move on to the twentieth century after—and that he was settled in the guest room.
    She left them uneasily, wondering just what her brother would tell their new friend about the current world, but her drive had been long that day. At first, she stared at the ceiling, thinking that now that she’d actually come to bed, she’d lie awake all night.
    But she didn’t. She was out cold in a matter of minutes, and if she dreamed, she remembered nothing of it when she woke the next morning.
    She felt the morning light come through her drapes, and for a few minutes, she just lay there, appreciating the slow, lazy coming-to-grips with day when she didn’t have to rush up for any reason.
    Then she remembered Jake and she shot out of bed as if she had been catapulted.
    She started immediately out the door, raced back into her bedroom to splash water on her face, give her teeth a furious lick and a promise, and grab a robe andslippers. Then she