Willow Creek Christmas

by Graison, Lily

  He didn't press the matter. It wasn't any of his business anyway. He thanked her for breakfast and walked into the other room. The kids looked up at him from where they sat on the floor before they stood, grabbed their empty plates, and carried them away. "I need more chairs," he mumbled. He glanced around the small cabin, his eye landing on the blankets hanging around the bed and the small cot under the window. "I need a bigger house."

  The thought conjured images in his mind of additions, bedrooms for privacy, a proper kitchen with work space, a new stove and a table big enough to seat a large family. He had more money than he'd ever spend in his lifetime so building on to the cabin wouldn't take much. He could place the order for wood at the mercantile and have it delivered right to his door.

  Sophie Ann and Aaron ran back into the room laughing about something but stopped abruptly when they looked at him. All thoughts of building on to the cabin vanished in an instant. This wasn't his family and they weren't staying. Once Morgan found Keri's brother, they'd leave, his life could get back to normal and those extra bedrooms and big kitchen would be wasted space.

  He turned away and sat in his rocker, staring into the fire. He'd given up his chance for a normal life the day he'd returned home from the war and saw disgust and pity on Isabelle's face when she looked at him. For all her beauty, she'd been as shallow as those other snotty debutantes that flounced around Charleston.

  Isabelle had wanted wealth, something he had in abundance, but it wasn't enough. Not for her. Not after she'd seen him stripped bare and got a good look at what he'd become.

  The scar on his face had still been raw and red, the stitches the sorry excuse for a doctor put in, uneven and crooked. As horrible as the scar was, the rest of him had looked worse. The horrified expression on her face left him praying infection would set in. Dying would have been preferable to seeing the pity on everyone's face but days had turned into weeks, then months, and the scars started to heal regardless of him wishing for his own death.

  The memories nearly took his breath. He blinked, tried to chase them away by focusing on the noise in the room. Sophie Ann and Aaron talking, the sound of water splashing in the kitchen as Keri washed the dishes. That damn, irritating, ticking clock up on the mantel.

  He opened his eyes when the rocker moved. Sophie was leaning against the arm of the chair, her small face turned up to look at him. "When you going to draw me another picture?"

  "Depends on what you want me to draw."

  "Kittens," she shrieked, her tinkling laughter filling the room.

  It was the last thing he wanted to draw but her excited face drew him up from the chair to reach for the journal he'd placed on the mantel out of her reach. When he sat back down and flipped to a clean page, then grabbed his pencil, Sophie nearly lay on top of him she was stretched over the arm of the chair so far. And for some reason, he didn't mind that she was there.

  * * * *

  Three days after the visit to Marshal Avery's home, Keri was startled to hear a knock on the door. She answered it, her eyes widening when she saw Laurel Avery, the school teacher standing there. The woman smiled, her pretty, unusual amber eyes shining as she said, "Good day, Mrs. Hilam. Can I come in?"

  Keri nodded and stepped back, peeking out the door to see a man she'd never seen before by the barn talking to Noah. Aaron and Sophie were there as well, a small boy and an older girl talking to them. She shut the door and looked at her guest, wondering what she was doing there. "Is anything wrong?" she asked.

  "Oh, mercy no," she said, shrugging out of her coat and draping it over her arm. "I just wanted to talk with you about something."

  Keri's stomach flipped. Talk about what? She swung her arm toward the kitchen. "We can sit at the table, Mrs. Avery."

  "Oh please, call me Laurel."

  "Only if you call me Keri." Laurel smiled and Keri followed her into the kitchen, wringing her hands as the woman sat down, laying her coat across her lap. She smiled nervously and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't think Noah has any tea but I could make coffee if you'd like."

  Laurel raised a hand, making a shooing motion as she shook her head. "Don't go to any trouble," she said. "Come and sit down."

  When Keri had taken a seat, Laurel smiled and looked around the kitchen. "This little cabin is quite homey, isn't it?"

  Keri nodded. "Yes. Perfect for someone who lives alone."

  Laurel raised an eyebrow at her. "But not for another adult and a couple of kids?"

  A short laugh spilled past her lips. "No. There's no privacy, nor enough beds." She shook her head. "I feel bad every night me and the kids crawl into bed knowing Mr. Lloyd is on that small cot, but he wouldn't have it any other way."

  Laurel leaned forward and lowered her voice a bit. "What sort of man is Noah Lloyd?" she asked, curiously. "He's such a mystery to everyone. He's been here a couple of years and no one knows anything about him. His accent tells me he's from down South somewhere but other than that…" She sat back up and shrugged. "He rarely speaks and when he does, it’s in as few words as possible."

  Keri smiled and nodded her head. "That sounds like him." Her mind drifted to him. "He's pretty quiet here as well. Doesn't talk much. Well, he hadn't before this morning. I think we had out first real conversation over breakfast. It's the most I've ever heard him say."

  "Does he get along with the children?"

  The day Sophie Ann got into his drawings came to mind. The way he'd yelled and lifted her from the floor, racing into her mind. "For the most part," she said. "They had been staying out of his way when we first got here but Aaron helps him in the barn most mornings now and Sophie Ann's taken a liking to the pictures he draws for her. He sketches pictures that look so lifelike. They're really quite beautiful." At Laurel's inquisitive look, Keri blushed.

  Laurel changed the subject, which Keri was glad for, but at the mention of school, she sighed.

  "I'm sure they get bored here all day," Laurel was saying. "At least they'd have something to do for a few hours they were in town with me. Besides, it's my last year teaching. I'd love to get to know them before my replacement shows up in the spring."

  Dread skated along Keri's spine. "I'm sure they'd enjoy it but I see little point in it. The marshal said he'd send a wire to the sheriff in Missoula and try to get someone to track Peter down. Once he's found, we'll be leaving. If they get into a routine here, it'll be harder for them to let go."

  "And if your brother isn't found?"

  Keri didn't like to think he wouldn't be. She had to believe he was out there somewhere. He'd send for them the moment he knew they were trying to reach him, especially after being so vocal about her not marrying John to begin with. With their parents gone, she hadn't wanted to burden Peter with taking care of her, but he'd disliked the Hilam family. He thought John was decent enough, but he'd begged her not to marry him. His family wasn't good enough for her in his eyes and John was nearly fifteen years older than her. She could do better, he'd said, but she'd married John anyway. If he knew she needed him now, he'd not refuse them. "I can't think about that."

  "You need to," Laurel said. "There's a very big possibility they won't find him. California is large, Keri. I don't know how you thought you were going to find him in the first place."

  Keri's eyes burned with tears. She blinked them away and stared down at her hands as an old misery resurfaced. She'd thought the same thing almost daily as they trekked across Montana but it was either try to find her brother or let Robert destroy them completely. Swallowing the lump in her throat she said, "I have no other choice."

  "Sure you do." Laurel reached out, taking hold of her hand. "You can stay right here in Willow Creek."

  "No." Keri shook her head. "I've already burdened more people than I would have ever dreamed. I'll not continue doing it." She looked up and met Laurel's eyes. "Taking advantage of Noah is hard enough. I can't do it indefinitely."

  A peculiar look crossed Laurel's face before the woman smiled. "Well,
instead of pretending, you could actually marry the man."

  Chapter Fourteen

  Keri's eyes widened. "Marry Noah?"

  Laurel grinned. "Why not? You'd be a responsibility then, not a burden."

  "I can't see that happening."

  "Why?"

  She laughed. "Well, I'm not even sure he wants us here. I've still not figured out why he took us back in."

  "Maybe he does want you here."

  Keri thought on it, then shook her head. "No. I think he just felt obligated. There wasn't anywhere else for us to go so he brought us back."

  "Maybe. It’s something to think about, but for now the issue is Aaron and Sophie. They really should be in school. At least for a little while. They need interaction with others their own age. Besides, it's almost Christmas. I have so much planned this year and I'd hate for them to miss out." Laurel stood and draped her coat across her arm again. "Please say you'll think about it."

  Keri sighed, then stood. "I'll think about it."

  Laurel smiled brightly. "Great. School starts at eight sharp every morning. I'll be looking for them."

  She left as quickly as she came. Keri stood in the kitchen for long minutes, the ticking of the clock in the other room loud in the stillness. She knew Aaron and Sophie Ann would love attending school. Aaron had gone for a short time before John had passed but Robert refused to take him once he took over the farm. Sophie Ann had been too young, so it would be a new adventure for her.

  Could she really deny them this one small thing after everything they'd been through? What harm would really come of them spending the holiday happy and enjoying themselves?

  But they'd not want to leave if she let them go. They'd fall in love with Willow Creek, with the people who made it special, and when Peter sent for them, she'd break their hearts by forcing them to leave.

  The door swung open and Sophie Ann and Aaron came running inside, the blankets they used to keep warm outside flung to the floor once the door was shut. The moment she saw them, she knew someone had mentioned going to school. Had Laurel taken the decision out of her hands after all? Anger built inside her until she thought she'd pop. It vanished in a heartbeat, though. One look at their delighted faces and her heart ached. She hadn't seen them look so happy in years. How could she deny them this one small thing?

  They ran into the kitchen, jumping with excitement and Aaron was the first to reach her. "The school teacher's daughter said they'd come visiting so they could ask if we wanted to come to school. Please say we can."

  "Please!" Sophie Ann piped in, her cheeks red from the cool wind outside.

  Seeing their happy faces and hearing their excited laughter, Keri didn't know how she could deny them. Noah appeared in the kitchen doorway. He looked at the kids, then her, but didn't comment.

  Aaron turned and looked over his shoulder at Noah. "Tell her you'd take us. That's what you said outside, isn't it?"

  Noah met her gaze again and nodded. "I don't mind taking them every morning but it’s up to you."

  She glanced back down, both of them smiling up at her, and her heart melted. They'd had so little to be happy about in their short lives, what would this one small thing really do? Catching Noah's eye again, she gave him a questioning look. At his nod, she gathered Aaron and Sophie Ann to keep them from bouncing around the room and squeezed them. "Fine," she said, kissing them on top of the head. "You can go to school."

  They jumped out of her arms, hoops and hollers ringing inside the small cabin, their happy laughter filling her to the brim with love. She grinned as she watched them grab the blankets and run back outside. When the cabin was quiet again, Noah was still there. Still watching her. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

  "I'm sure." He straightened and readjusted his hat. "There's not enough around here to keep me busy anyway. A trip into town every morning will at least give me something to do. Besides, they'll realize how tedious school is pretty quick. They'll be begging you to stay home before the week is over."

  For the first time since meeting him, Keri thought she saw him smile. He turned to leave so fast it was hard to tell with that bushy beard all but obscuring his mouth, but it was there in his eyes, the way the skin wrinkled around them, and in the slight shift of his jaw. If Noah Lloyd was smiling now instead of scowling at them, then maybe Laurel was right. Maybe Noah did want them around. But why?

  * * * *

  Monday morning, the kids were up before the sun. Keri had covered her head with the blankets when they bounced on the bed, trying to wake her. She laughed at their antics until she remembered Noah was just on the other side of the blankets. "You're going to wake Mr. Lloyd with all that racket."

  "He's already up." Aaron jumped to the floor, dressed for school. "And we need breakfast before we leave so you got to get up, too."

  Keri grinned and sighed dramatically. "Fine. I'll get up."

  The morning passed in a blur and it wasn't until she was in the front seat of the wagon, the kids in back bundled in blankets to keep them warm, that a case of nerves hit her. What if they got scared without her? Or one of them got hurt or sick? And what would she do all day with them gone?

  Questions by the dozen plagued her until they reached town. When the school came into view, the fear rolled over her until she couldn't breathe.

  "They'll be fine."

  She turned to look at Noah, his quiet words doing nothing to calm her fears. He pulled the wagon to a stop and set the brake. "I'll come around and help you down."

  Keri's face heated when she remembered the last time she'd tried to get out of the wagon alone. Falling had been embarrassing but winding up in Noah's arms had left her a bit rattled, especially after the way he'd looked down at her, his arms tightening around her for a brief moment before he helped her to her feet and released her so fast, she stumbled. The whole incident was confusing.

  She put it out of her mind when Noah reached her side of the wagon and offered her a hand, helping her down without incident. He lifted the kids out of the back and turned to face her. "I have a few things to get from the mercantile."

  "Okay," she said, waiting until he'd crossed the street before looking up at the school. The gate squeaked when she opened it and ushered Aaron and Sophie Ann inside, all three of them hurrying up the walkway. The air was frigid this morning, and without the warmth of the blankets they bundled themselves in whenever they had to be outside, it was almost unbearable.

  Once inside the building, Laurel turned, her smile lighting the room when she spotted them. "Oh, I'm so glad you came." She made her way toward them, greeted Aaron and Sophie Ann, and reassured Keri they'd be fine.

  Keri stayed long enough to see that they were settled, both of them taking a seat with the other students, joyous smiles on their faces. The small schoolhouse was warm and the smell of wood smoke and chalk filled the air. Aaron and Sophie Ann hadn't turned to look at her once. She smiled and left before she talked herself out of leaving them behind.

  Noah wasn't back from the mercantile and she had no idea how long he'd be. She walked to the wagon, wondered if she should wait for him or seek him out. Following along behind him might give him the wrong impression but truth be told, her hands were near frozen.

  She hurried across the street, then down the sidewalk and entered Jenkins Mercantile, the bell on the door tinkling as she pushed it back shut. The heat from a pot belly stove in the middle of the store warmed her in an instant.

  Her curious gaze lit on the interior of the store as if she was seeing it for the first time. She was, in a way. It was the first time she'd been inside the building during store hours. Every other time she'd ventured inside, she'd been there to steal what she could. Embarrassment heated her cheeks but she tamped it down. There was little she could do about it now. She had no way of repaying the store for what she'd taken so she did what she always did when faced with a problem there was no solution to. She put it out of her mind.

  Crossing the store, she stopped by the stove, hold
ing her hands out to warm them and looked for Noah. She didn't see him. A curtain behind the counter swung to one side, a thin woman with spectacles perched on her nose coming through. Mrs. Jenkins, she assumed, the woman's head turning in both directions before she spotted her. Keri smiled. "Good morning."

  "Mornin'," she said. "Anything I can do for you?"

  "No thank you. I'm waiting for someone. Um, Noah Lloyd. Has he been in yet?"

  The look on the woman's face clearly told Keri she didn't like Noah. She puzzled over the fact until the shopkeeper said, "He's over at the hotel but he'll be right back."

  "All right. Thank you."

  Mrs. Jenkins stared at her until Keri was uncomfortable. She smiled at the woman again, a nervous reaction she needed to get a hold of, and cleared her throat. "Think we'll get more snow?"

  The woman raised one eyebrow. "Yes. Lots of it, too." She walked to the end of the counter and leaned one slim hip against the wood. "You the woman he married?"

  Keri started at the question, the little white lie Morgan Avery said they'd tell finally making an appearance. "Yes," she said, the word coming out in a soft whisper. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Yes. Going on a month now."

  The woman kept staring as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. She remembered the look on Mrs. Jenkins's face when she'd asked for Noah and thinking the woman didn't like him much. Was that why she looked so peculiar now? Because she didn't think anyone would willingly marry Noah?

  Keri finally turned her head, looking around the room again as she waited for Noah to return. She didn't have to wait long, thankfully. The bell above the door chimed when he came inside and he paused briefly when he saw her, then crossed the room to the counter. He spoke quietly to the store keeper, then reached into his coat pocket.

  He was paying her for something, she realized. Mrs. Jenkins took the money and pushed a large, brown paper covered package toward him. Noah lifted it and turned, making his way back toward her. "Ready to go?"