Love Inspired December 2013 - Bundle 2 of 2: Cozy ChristmasHer Holiday HeroJingle Bell Romance

by Valerie Hansen

  As she painted her side of the porch, Josh kept glancing at her until she asked, “What’s the problem?”

  He giggled. “Nothing. In fact, everything’s great. Jake’s a good man.”

  Emma averted her face, not wanting her son to see her shocked expression. “Yeah, he is.”

  “I know you were scared for him to get on the ladder because of what happened to Dad. He doesn’t have seizures.”

  But he does have panic attacks. “I know.”

  “Then don’t worry. He isn’t walking around with his cane anymore. His leg’s getting better.”

  She couldn’t answer her son without revealing fears and concerns she didn’t want to voice to him or Jake—or even to her best friend. To her relief her son didn’t pursue the conversation.

  An hour later Emma stood back at the porch to examine the finished paint job. The cream color managed to cover up the black spray paint effectively.

  “Not a bad job, you two.” Jake finished putting the last trash bags of the refuse from the night before in the trunks of their cars.

  Josh grinned from ear to ear, highlighting the slash of cream color across his left cheek. “They aren’t gonna win.”

  Jake settled his hand on Josh’s shoulder. “That’s right, kiddo. We can clean up messes and paint over graffiti.”

  The boy gave a thoughtful look. “We should return the trash to Liam and Sean.”

  Emma glanced at the PT Cruiser she would drive out to the landfill with Jake following her in his car. “I’ll be glad when we don’t have to smell those anymore, but we can’t resort to what they do. When we do, we stoop to their low level.”

  “But, Mom, they deserve it.”

  “She’s right. They’ll get their due one day.”

  “I want it to be today.”

  “Yeah, it would be nice, but we have to learn patience. As a soldier, I often had to. Rushing to do something isn’t always the answer.”

  Josh frowned. “I guess so.” He peered at the road. “Mom, Carson and his mother are pulling up.”

  Emma swept around, greeting the two with a smile. Neither had been at church that day. She’d thought someone might be sick in the family. As they stepped from the car, she said, “Hi, what brings you by here?”

  “I wanted to tell you our house got trashed last night,” Sandy said. “We’ve been cleaning up today. I tried calling you earlier to let you know.” Sandy scanned the front of Emma’s house. “What have you been doing?”

  “Cleaning up, too. We just got through with painting the porch to—”

  “Cover up nasty words,” Sandy interrupted Emma.

  She nodded. “Did you call the police?”

  “We didn’t see it until this morning and yes, we did.”

  “I did, too.”

  “Good. If enough people complain, something will be done about those boys.”

  “I’m going to call Craig’s and Zach’s mothers and see if anything happened to them and let them know to be on the lookout. We need to pray for Liam and his buddies. Something must be wrong for them to feel the need to do something like this.”

  “Mom,” Josh said in a voice full of disbelief. “We should be praying they get caught and punished.”

  Carson said, “Yeah. They’re mean.”

  Sandy placed her arm around Carson’s shoulder. “I agree they aren’t being nice, but Mrs. Langford’s right. God wants us to forgive.”

  “How can we forget what they’ve done to us?” Josh scowled.

  “You don’t have to forget, hon. Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting. Nor does it mean they shouldn’t be held accountable.”

  Sandy headed toward her car, nodding toward Jake. “See you on Tuesday. Carson has been enjoying the self-defense classes.”

  When Sandy and Carson left, Josh went to Emma’s side. “I don’t know how I’ll be able to forgive Liam. This all started when he moved here.”

  “I know it’s hard, but I hope you’ll try.” Can I forgive myself concerning Sam’s accident? How can I expect my son to forgive if I can’t?

  “Let’s go out to the dump and get rid of the last of this,” Jake said, cutting into her thoughts.

  Josh ran toward Jake’s car. “I’m riding with Jake and Shep.”

  “Is that okay? He’d asked me earlier and I forgot to ask you.”

  No, I don’t want to be alone in the car with the direction of my thoughts lately. Emma faced Jake and couldn’t say that. “Sure. You two just follow me.” As she walked toward her car, she decided she would turn up her music loud to drown out anything threatening to invade her mind. Forgiving another was different from forgiving yourself.

  Chapter Ten

  “You’ve totally impressed me with this dinner.” Sunday evening Jake relaxed in his chair in Emma’s dining room. “I love pork chops, but they are even better stuffed with cranberries and apples.”

  “Did you get enough? I fixed extra in case you would like to take one home with you for later in the week.” Emma relished the smile of satisfaction on his face. “This was the first time I prepared the side dish.”

  “What’s in it? I know feta cheese, tomatoes and spinach but what else?”

  “Orzo and pine nuts. It could be a meal by itself. A nice lunch.”

  “It went well with the meat, but I understand why Josh wouldn’t necessarily want it.”

  Emma laughed. “Yeah, it isn’t pizza, junk food or spaghetti.”

  “Best suggestion you made was asking me to Sunday dinner. I enjoyed last week’s meal and this one is great, too.”

  “Since last Sunday we were cleaning up the porch, I had to throw something together.”

  “You call making chicken cordon bleu throwing something together? You could open your own restaurant.”

  “No, I couldn’t. I don’t have a head for the financial aspects that go with a business. I hold my breath each month, hoping that my checkbook will balance within a few dollars. If it does, then I’m happy.” Emma put her cloth napkin on the table and rose.

  “You don’t look for the mistake so it reconciles with your bank statement?”

  “Nope. I guess you do.”

  “Yep. It would drive me crazy if I was off.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. You like order.” She took his plate and stacked it on hers.

  “And you like chaos? I haven’t seen that. Let me help you clear the table.” He started to stand.

  Emma waved him back. “I have crème brûlée. I don’t always make dessert, but I had some extra time. I promised Josh I would save him some. This he does like. Stay right there. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  She walked into the kitchen and scanned the room. Pans and pots were still sitting on the stove. Ingredients were left on the countertop. She’d even forgotten to shut a cabinet door.

  “Is this what you mean by chaos?” Jake asked behind her, amusement sprinkling his words.

  She gave him a smile over her shoulder. “You were supposed to stay seated then you would never find out about my deep, dark secret. It’ll all get cleaned up afterward, but when I’m in my creative mode, I let everything go until later.”

  “Then the very least I can do is help you later.”

  She swung around and gently nudged him back into the dining room. “Sit.”

  Jake glanced at Shep nearby. “Is this how she trained you?”

  The dog’s ears perked forward, his tail wagging.

  She closed the door between the kitchen and dining room, hurried toward the refrigerator and retrieved the dessert. After she presented the crème brûlée to Jake, she sat and waited for him to take a bite.

  “Mmm. I think this is the best crème brûlée I’ve ever had.”

  “This is one of my specialties. I’m glad you like it.”

  “I can certainly understand why Josh wanted you to save him some. Smooth. Rich.” When he’d finished half his dessert, he cleared his throat. “I have a favor to ask.”

  “I have some extra desser
t you can take home, too.”

  “That’s good, but that isn’t the favor.” He swallowed hard, his jaw line tensing. “It’s about tomorrow evening. Is it possible you can go to Caring Canines when I go for the therapy group? I know I’ve been getting out more and driving some, but I don’t know what to expect tomorrow night.”

  “Yes and I’ll ask Miss Baker to watch Josh.”

  “In case there’s a problem?”

  “Yes. I know you don’t want him to know about your PTSD. He’d figure it out if he went with us.”

  Jake exhaled a deep breath. “Thank you. I feel like I’m saying that to you all the time.”

  “It’s a two-way street. This week has been quiet. Maybe the police visiting Sean and Liam was exactly what was needed to make them back off.”

  He slid the last bite of his dessert into his mouth, frowning.

  “You don’t think so?”

  “Usually it isn’t that easy.”

  “Josh heard that Sean was grounded for a week.”

  “How about Liam?” The frown remained on Jake’s face.

  “I don’t know about him.”

  “He hasn’t said anything to Josh at school?”

  “I made Josh promise to tell me if he did, and I’ve asked every day. He said no. And there hasn’t been any retaliation on Craig, Zach or Carson, either.”

  “Then we wait and see.”

  She loved hearing him say we, but she didn’t want him to feel obligated to help them. He had enough to deal with, and she felt more and more indebted. It was harder to fight her growing feelings for Jake when she felt she owed him so much. Last week when she’d seen him with the ladder, she remembered all the reasons she could not fall in love with the man. “This really isn’t your battle.”

  “Yes, it is. Remember the window. That makes it my business. I’m sure Liam and Sean aren’t happy I’m working with the boys.” Jake pushed to his feet. “Let’s clean up.”

  Emma rinsed the dishes and he put them in the dishwasher. She passed him a plate. “Have you decided about the Veterans Day celebration?”

  “Not yet. I haven’t told them no, but I want to see how the therapy sessions go. I have to feel I can do it. If I don’t, I won’t.”

  “I understand. You’ve got some time.”

  “Not much. Dad phoned today and left a message about the ceremony and medal. I need to return his call soon.”

  “Would he come to the celebration?”

  “I hope not. I don’t want him to.”

  Emma realized that one of Jake’s problems was his relationship with his father. The man should have supported him rather than act as if Jake should be able to overcome PTSD as quickly as snapping his fingers. The general should know better because Jake certainly wasn’t the first soldier to come back from combat facing PTSD. Either way, she would back his decision.

  Then a thought struck her. “Does your father know about the PTSD?”

  “No. I don’t want him to know.”

  “Why? He’s a soldier. Surely he knows others dealing with it. Maybe he could help.”

  “You don’t know the general. No good would come from his knowing.” The finality in his voice declared the conversation over.

  Emma’s heart hurt for Jake. At least Ben had their mother and father supporting him. That only reinforced her determination to be there for Jake. He needed it.

  *

  Jake observed the four boys practicing, each pair trading turns throwing the punch and blocking it. “That’s a great block, Craig. The more you do it the more natural it will feel, and you’ll automatically block the hit before it lands on you. Okay, I want you all to do some curls and push-ups then cool down. Class is almost over.”

  “It can’t have been an hour,” Josh said as he lay on the hardwood floor in the dining room that Jake had turned into a minigym for the boys.

  Jake glanced out the picture window. “Afraid so. I see your mom pulling up in front.”

  “She must be early.” Josh worked on his tenth curl.

  “Keep going. I have to get the door.” Jake made his way to the foyer and let Emma into his house. “Why the frown? Something wrong?”

  “I heard back from Craig’s mother, Kim, about what the mechanic said was wrong with her car this morning. Sugar in the gas tank.”

  “Did it happen to anyone else’s?”

  “No. I called to check, but Kim’s car sits out in the driveway at night. The others park theirs in the garage.”

  Jake hung back from the dining room and lowered his voice. “Did Kim report it to the police?”

  “Yes and her suspicions about Liam and his buddies. But that’s just it. That’s all it is—conjecture.”

  “Has anything happened at Zach’s house?”

  “So far nothing. We’re going to keep each other informed of what’s going on and be on the lookout, especially at night.”

  He took her hands and pulled her close. “They’ll mess up. They’re getting bolder. That’ll be their downfall.”

  “I hope before someone gets hurt.”

  He moved her a few steps out of view of the boys in the dining room. “Have I told you thank you for going with me to Caring Canines for the PTSD therapy group?”

  “Yes. A couple of times last night. I’m glad your first session went well.”

  “Listening to what others are coping with makes me able to put my experiences in perspective. When it’s happening to you, you think you’re the only one dealing with it.” When she started to say something, he grinned. “I know Ben and other soldiers have gone through PTSD. But knowing it and really believing it are two different things. Sometimes I think I’m the only one suffering from the same nightmare or getting a panic attack because something out of the blue reminds me of the ambush.”

  “Yesterday I was your chauffeur. That’s all. You did all the hard work.”

  “I slept better last night than I have in weeks—months. Shep’s getting so good at detecting when my nightmares begin and stopping them. I have you to thank for that, too.” Sounds from the dining room indicated the boys were finished. Jake squeezed her hands gently. “I’m glad you’re stubborn and talked me into taking Shep.” He backed away as Josh and his friends appeared in the doorway. “Don’t forget to practice between lessons.”

  They all nodded.

  “Thanks, Jake.” Emma smiled and left with the boys trailing after her.

  Jake went out on the porch to watch them walk to Emma’s car. He caught sight of three kids across the street in the park, standing around, their stares trained on Josh, Craig, Zach and Carson. Jake didn’t know one of the guys, but the other two were Sean and Liam. Their body language and expressions shouted intimidation.

  Jake moved to the top of his steps and crossed his arms, glaring at the trio standing in the park at the exact spot where they had beaten up Josh. For a few seconds Josh reacted—fear swept down his body. Josh glanced back at Jake. He nodded his encouragement. Josh straightened, his chin lifting, his stare directed at the three guys across the street.

  Emma hustled the four boys into her car and stomped on the gas, leaving the trio behind. As much as Jake wanted to go back into his house, he stayed where he was with his feet apart, his muscled arms folded over his chest. In every line of his body he conveyed a warrior stance. They stayed for only a moment more then hurried away deep into the wooded area of the park.

  Jake waited another couple of minutes, then with the release of a deep breath, relaxed his tense posture. He and Shep went back inside and strode to the dining room window to look out. No sign of the trio. He didn’t like the bold gesture—a taunt, really—they’d made a while ago. This wasn’t over.

  Lord, I know what Josh is going through. Give me the right words to say to him, to help him deal with these bullies. I haven’t felt You around much lately, but please answer this request for Josh’s sake, not mine.

  As Jake walked toward his bedroom, his phone rang. Thinking it might be Emma, he snatched u
p the receiver without looking at the caller’s number on the display. When he heard the general’s gruff voice, he fought the urge to slam the phone back into its cradle.

  “Jake? Are you there?”

  “Yes, sir.” He sank onto his bed.

  “Why haven’t you returned my last few calls?”

  “I’ve been busy.”

  “Doing what? Do you have a job now?” The skepticism in his father’s voice came across loud and clear.

  “I’m working on getting my Ph.D. I want to finish within the year.”

  There was a long silence on the other end, and Jake was tempted to hang up.

  “I got a call from General Hatchback. You’re going to accept the medal on Veterans Day.”

  “Yes, I called him this morning.” After the improvement the past month, he felt he could do it with Shep’s support and the fact he would accept the medal for every man in his unit.

  “Then I’ll be there. I can only stay overnight, but I want to attend.”

  “You don’t have to. It isn’t a big deal. General Hatchback will give me a medal, and I’ll sit down.”

  “Not a big deal?!”

  Jake pulled the receiver away from his ear and could still hear his father. “It’s an honor few soldiers receive. I will be there. That’s not up for discussion.”

  Jake grew taut as if he had been flash-frozen. His teeth dug into his lower lip until a metallic taste coated his tongue.

  “You could have gone far, son. This medal is an indication of the type of soldier you were.”

  “I’ll see you at the ceremony.” If I go. “Goodbye, sir.”

  “Jake—”

  He returned the phone to its resting place before he lost his temper. He’d been taught to honor and obey the man as his father and superior in the service, but right now all he could remember was the barrier that had been between himself and the general for his whole life.

  Shep jumped up on the bed and nuzzled Jake’s face and neck. He put his arms around the German shepherd and thought of a childhood memory. One time his father swung him around and around. When he’d stopped, Jake had giggled and staggered, trying to catch his dad. His dad had always let him. Where was that man now?