A Gift of Family (Love Inspired)

by Ross, Mia

  “Then we’ll see you for lunch.”

  “That depends,” he teased as he zipped the bag closed. The clothes inside were clean, and he knew he’d have to convince her not to unpack and rewash them when he got home. “What’re you having?”

  “Your favorite,” she said as though it should have been obvious. “Roast beef and mashed potatoes.”

  “For lunch?” He groaned. “Why not just throw me on the couch and tell me to take a nap?”

  “Your sense of humor’s coming back,” she commented with a laugh. “It’s nice to hear it again.”

  Since he’d been a teenager, she’d complained nonstop about his slightly edgy wit. He had a feeling her approval wouldn’t last. “We’ll see what you think of it at New Year’s.”

  “You sound more tired than when we talked yesterday morning. Is everything okay?”

  The hesitance in her tone made him cringe. He wasn’t even home yet, and she was walking on eggshells. Then again, considering what he’d put her through during his long recovery, he couldn’t blame her for being extra careful.

  “When I get there, you can ask me all the questions you want. Might not answer, but you can ask.” Any about Lisa Sawyer, he definitely wasn’t fielding.

  “You’re such a pain,” she scolded with another laugh. “Drive carefully.”

  “I will.”

  There was a pause, and he waited for her to ask him to call her from his halfway point. That she worried so much about him made him more determined than ever to stand on his own. When the request never came, he decided to give her a break.

  “Well, I’d best get moving. I’ll call you from that truck stop in Franklin.”

  “Thank you, honey. I didn’t want to ask.”

  “I know. See you soon.”

  He turned his phone off and stared at it for a few moments. He’d debated confronting her about talking to Lisa, then thought better of it. Mom wouldn’t have done it if she thought it would upset him, and he didn’t want to start out their family Christmas with an argument that would probably leave her in tears and him in the doghouse.

  Sighing, he slung his bag over his shoulder. His tools were already in the truck, and a quick check showed him the room was empty. It was as if his visit had never happened, he mused as he headed into the hallway. On the landing, he paused and looked through the open doors into the four rooms he’d refurbished.

  In those, he saw plenty of evidence that he’d been there.

  The new oak floors shone in the early sunlight, and the freshly painted walls stood ready for the tenants moving in after the holidays. He’d done a good job, he thought with pride as he went downstairs. And this time, he was walking away with everything intact.

  Most everything, he amended when he strolled into the

  kitchen. Over the swinging doors, he saw Lisa out in the dining room, looking as if she’d just sledded in from the North Pole. In a red dress and candy-cane apron, she was wearing a cute elf’s hat studded in jingle bells. She stopped at a table occupied by four good-looking men dressed for the outdoors. As she moved around them to pour coffee, the bright sound of bells accompanied her.

  “Morning, guys.” She greeted them with one of her beautiful smiles. “Pancakes or waffles?”

  “Both.” Grinning up at her, one of them added, “Very cute. You should dress like that all the time.”

  Laughing, she tossed her head to make the bells ring. “I can’t sneak up on anyone.”

  “But think of all the tips you’d get.”

  Feeling a little nauseous, Seth turned away and found his aunt tapping cinnamon sugar onto a batch of steaming twisty donuts. When he reached in to sneak one, she smacked his hand before looking up.

  When she saw it was him, she said, “I’m sorry, honey, help yourself. I thought you were that new busboy. He’s always trying to get stuff past me.”

  “He’ll learn.” After swallowing, he grinned. “You don’t even have to chew these. They fall apart in your mouth.”

  “No higher praise for a pastry chef.” Picking up a canvas sleeve, she attached a decorating tip and started filling it with icing. “Now, tell me if this is none of my business—”

  “Lisa and I had a fight, but everything’s fine.”

  That wasn’t completely true, but he’d get over it, and so would she. If what he’d just seen was any indication, she’d already forgotten about it. And him.

  Aunt Ruth assessed him with a long, suspicious look. “What makes you think that’s what I was going to ask?”

  “You have some kind of trouble radar, that’s why.”

  “Well, I meant to ask if you needed a hand with whatever’s left to do over at the church.” Piping the icing onto a fresh coffee cake, she added, “It’s interesting that your mind went straight to Lisa, though. What happened with you two?”

  Seth had been asking himself that question all night and still didn’t have a good answer. “Nothing, just like I told you a month ago. We’re too different for it to be any other way. Sorry to break your matchmaking streak.”

  “Don’t you get smart with me, young man.” The fond twinkle in her eyes took some of the sting out of her scolding. “I don’t encourage people to get together for my own sake. If it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be. It’s not like I’m keeping score.”

  “Good to know.”

  When he grinned at her, she huffed, “You’re impossible. Get out of my kitchen.”

  “Yes, ma’am. We’ll see you at Mom’s New Year’s party, right?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it.”

  She tilted her head in a silent command, and he dutifully kissed her cheek. Impulsively, he lifted her up and spun her around in a quick hug before setting her down.

  Laughing, she demanded, “You almost gave me a heart attack! What was that for?”

  “Everything. Merry Christmas, Auntie.”

  Emotion sparkled in her eyes, and she patted his shoulder with a sugar-coated hand. “Merry Christmas, Sethy. Have a good trip.”

  She embraced him again, and on that warm, fuzzy note he headed out. Crossing the street, he saw Gus was already at the church site, sitting on the tailgate of his antique truck. As Seth had asked, he’d parked out of sight behind the building.

  Sipping coffee from a large Ruthy’s Place to-go cup, Gus greeted him with a nod. “Morning.”

  “Morning. Thanks for helping me out.” Looking into the bed, he smiled. “Nice tree.”

  “It’s the biggest one they had at the nursery. You sure I can’t help you pay for it?”

  “No, I want to do this myself. Harland’s been good to me,” he added with heartfelt gratitude. “I want to leave something for the town.”

  “Then we’d best get to it.” Reaching in, Gus took out two shovels and handed one to Seth. “Being a soldier and all, I’d imagine you know what to do with this.”

  While they dug, Seth realized that Gus’s reference to his history had sailed by smoothly. He’d felt none of the tension or anxiety he’d reluctantly come to accept as the norm for him. He searched his brain for that old seizing-up feeling he used to get when his military past came up in conversation, but it was gone.

  Glancing over at the little white church he’d helped to repair, he couldn’t help wondering if Lisa was right. Had God brought him to Harland because this was where he would heal? For all the hard work and aggravation his visit had caused him, had the church project actually been a blessing in disguise?

  Maybe, Seth mused, Jim Canfield’s turnaround wasn’t the only Christmas miracle that had happened in this small town.

  “That oughta do it,” Gus declared.

  From his amused expression, Seth knew the old Marine had been waiting for him to come out of his fog. Since Gus wasn’t calling him on it, Seth decided to let it be.
He wasn’t sure what his convoluted train of thought meant, and he wasn’t keen on exploring it just now.

  Gus backed his truck to the edge of the hole they’d dug, and they tipped the tree into place. After heaping the dirt back in, they packed it down and stood back to admire their work.

  Even though this was the best he could do, Seth frowned. “Doesn’t quite measure up to the old one, does it?”

  “Ten years or so, it will.” Gus clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Nothing worth having comes easy, son. You have to be patient.”

  As usual, Seth got the feeling there was a deeper lesson in the wise words. Smiling his appreciation, he held out his hand. “It was an honor working with you, sir.”

  “Back at ya, son. Anytime you’re looking for a change of scenery, you’re welcome at my place. I’ve always got a use for someone who’s as good with their hands as you are.”

  Not sure he’d heard that right, Seth cocked his head. “Are you offering me a job?”

  “Sure am.” He held up his hands in a calming gesture. “No pressure or anything, just an opportunity if you want it. What you do with it is up to you.”

  It was the first time anyone had had enough confidence in him to mention hiring him permanently, and Seth’s heart soared knowing Gus had that much faith in him. He wasn’t sure how to express that without getting all gushy, so he settled for a simple, “Thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it. By the way,” he muttered, glancing around. “I’m taking your aunt to the Christmas Eve service tonight. Officially.”

  “Really?” He couldn’t help grinning at the excited twinkle in Gus’s eyes. “Good for you.”

  “Don’t know where we’ll end up, but even if it’s right where we are now, I figured it’s time to give it a shot.”

  “Uncle Paul would’ve liked that,” Seth approved. “If Aunt Ruth was gonna be with anyone else, I think he’d be happy it was you.”

  “I appreciate you saying that,” Gus said in a gruff voice. “Paul and I were best friends our whole lives, so that means a lot to me.”

  “Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas to you, too.”

  Patting Seth’s shoulder again, Gus climbed into his truck and pulled away from the church. When he was alone, Seth went up the back steps into the chapel.

  On the altar, the pastor’s lectern glowed under its new coat of varnish. Above it, the stained-glass window was still behind its protective casing. Climbing up on a ladder, Seth carefully removed the box he’d built and carried it down to store it in back. If they ever did major work on the church, it would come in handy.

  With a cloth and some watered-down cleaner, he carefully wiped the dust from the artwork and put the ladder away. Standing in the aisle, he admired the sunlight streaming through the multicolored glass. It threw bits of color onto the new pews, accenting the carvings and color he and Lisa had so painstakingly matched to the old.

  They’d made a good team, he thought with a frown. Beyond that, she’d found things in him that he’d thought were lost forever. Confidence, warmth, happiness. From her kind and generous heart, she’d given him the most precious gift he could imagine.

  She’d given him back himself.

  She’d stepped over a very personal line calling Mom that way, but he hadn’t taken it well, either. Their tiff wasn’t entirely Lisa’s fault, he realized now. Maybe he should have just sucked it up and swallowed his frustration the way he usually did.

  No, that wouldn’t have been right, either. And furious as she might be with him, he suspected Lisa would tell him the same. His impression that first day turned out to be accurate: she was a handful. More than he could manage right now, maybe ever. Grudgingly, he admitted that was one of the things he liked most about her.

  She wasn’t afraid to be exactly who she was. That was the most valuable lesson she’d taught him, and he had no intention of setting it aside just to make his life easier. Sliding his hand into his front pocket, he fingered the key chain she’d given him.

  He’d known plenty of brave men and women, soldiers who put aside their fear and did what had to be done. In her own way, Lisa was one of the strongest, most courageous people he’d ever met.

  As that thought floated through his mind, a particularly bright shaft of sunlight burst through the altar window, making Jesus look as if He might come to life and step out of the frame. That unsettling feeling came over Seth the way it had the last time he saw that window, as if someone were trying to tell him something.

  A month ago, he would have dismissed the concept as slightly insane, but now he recognized it for what it was. Gratitude. Busy as He must be with crises all over the world, God was thanking Seth for helping to restore this tiny North Carolina church in time to celebrate His son’s birth.

  Feeling his heart open to the faith he’d abandoned years ago, Seth smiled. “You’re welcome.”

  When he heard one of the main doors creak open, he turned to find Pastor Charles framed in the doorway. Dressed in his usual gray suit, today he was wearing a red-and-green polka-dot version of his customary bow tie. As he strolled down the aisle, his head swept back and forth slowly and he smiled in approval.

  “You like it?” Seth asked.

  “It’s more than beautiful,” he replied softly. “It’s a Christmas miracle.”

  Seth couldn’t keep back a grin. “Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing. All those people, busy as they were, working together to make this happen. That’s pretty impressive.”

  “It certainly is,” the pastor said, taking a seat in one of the new pews. Running a hand over the back, he twisted to look behind him and then across the aisle. “They look exactly the same as the old ones.” He swiveled to look at Seth with an I-told-you-so twinkle in his eyes. “I knew you could do it.”

  He hadn’t done it alone, and Seth felt compelled to share the credit. “Lisa helped with that, matching the old stain so the new finish would be the same on all the wood.”

  Chuckling, the fatherly man cocked his head in mild scolding. “Do you even know how to take a compliment, son?”

  “Not really. Not used to them, I guess.”

  “Praise comes rarely to some of us,” Pastor Charles said gently. “When it’s offered honestly, we should learn to accept it.”

  “I’ll work on that.”

  Suddenly, Seth felt himself tensing up, as if he’d hung around just a little too long. He hadn’t meant for anyone to find him in the church, and despite all his efforts, his old habits hadn’t quite died out yet.

  “Well, I’d best be going,” he said, offering his hand to the preacher. “Thanks again for everything.”

  The man stood and held his arms open. After hesitating, Seth decided it would be rude to refuse the gesture. He stepped into the hug, stiffly returning it.

  As if sensing Seth’s discomfort, Pastor Charles quickly pulled away and beamed up at him. “You’ll always be welcome in this house, Seth. We’ll be here whenever you decide to come back.”

  “We, meaning you and God?”

  “Yes, and Harland, too.” Sweeping a hand through the air, he added, “You’ve worked your way into their hearts, and they’d be happy to make you one of them. If that’s what you want.”

  The backpedaling comment made Seth laugh. “You learned that from your kids, didn’t you?”

  “I’ve found that when you force-feed things to people, they tend to fling them back at you.”

  “Like strained peas?”

  Smiling, the man nodded. “But if you offer them something they want and invite them to the table, eventually they’ll sit down and help themselves.”

  “You’re really good with those religious metaphors, aren’t you?”

  He met Seth’s teasing with a good-natured grin. “Just because it’s a metaphor doesn’t mean i
t’s not true. Wrapping a lesson in a story goes back a lot farther than I do.”

  “Got me there,” Seth allowed with a grin of his own. “Merry Christmas, sir.”

  “And to you, Seth. May God bless you and your family.”

  * * *

  During his long drive to Fayetteville, Seth could only think about one thing.

  Lisa.

  She kept creeping into his thoughts, and he’d push her away, only to have her pop in again. He’d pass a car full of kids and think about last night at the Sawyer farm, sharing those family moments with her. When he glanced over at the clock on the dashboard, the pewter key chain she’d given him glowed warmly in the sunlight.

  When “All I Want for Christmas Is You” came on the radio, he decided fate was out to get him. He had a feeling that from now on, whenever he heard that song, he’d think of the day he met her and their first kiss under the mistletoe at the diner. No doubt, Aunt Ruth would tuck that photo away and look at it in the future, shaking her head over what might have been.

  That thought brought up another one that shocked him. He could have had everything he’d ever wanted, if he’d just been smart enough to reach out and grab what Lisa had offered him. Stupid, stubborn pride, he groaned silently. Not long ago, he would have skulked away with his head down because he didn’t know how to remedy his mistake. The man he was now simply couldn’t leave things the way they were.

  After Christmas, he’d go back to Harland and apologize to Lisa the way he should have this morning. It might not get him a mushy happily-ever-after ending, but at least they could break even as friends. He owed her that much.

  By his halfway mark, it dawned on Seth that it wasn’t just Lisa calling him back to Harland. It was the town itself, the folks who lived there who’d opened their hearts to a disillusioned soldier and made him feel welcome. People who saw him hurting and went out of their way to help him recover what he’d lost.

  And it was the church. Battered and broken but still standing, it reminded him of himself when he’d first arrived. Struggling to stand, needing to be shored up until it could be brought back to what it used to be. The pastor had gotten to him, he thought with a grin. Offering him something he wanted so he’d come back. Sneaky.