by Lois Richer
“Merry Christmas, Daddy.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.” Wade took the package from her small hands and began unfolding the masses of tissue until he came to a piece of paper. He sucked in his breath. Then the proud man who’d guarded his heart for so long blinked away tears.
“Don’t you like it?” Silver asked with a frown.
“I love it,” he said setting the picture aside so he could wrap her in his arms. “I love you.”
Connie leaned over to study Silver’s drawing.
A little girl stood in what seemed to be a desert. There was a big black bird in the sky overhead, perhaps a vulture. An animal—maybe a coyote? hid behind a cactus, waiting. The sun was sinking behind the craggy mountains in the distance. But the little girl didn’t seem afraid. She was smiling. Because coming toward her was a big strong man, and he held out one hand, asking her to take it.
“It’s me and Daddy,” Silver explained from her current perch on Wade’s lap.
“It certainly is.” Connie smiled, her heart full.
The rest of Christmas day passed in a blur of joy. David and Darla arrived with more gifts. Amanda announced she was giving Silver a pony, and Jared and Hornby showed up in time for dinner, which Amanda had taken over so Cora could be with her own family.
Much, much later when the guests had gone, after Silver had been tucked in and Max settled in a room on the main floor, Wade led Connie into the courtyard, by the pool. They stood in each other’s arms and stared at the glittering stars twinkling against the inky blackness of the night.
“‘For God so loved the world,’” Wade recited, “‘that He gave his only son.’ That was quite a gift.”
“The very best gift,” Connie agreed. “It’s been a wonderful day. I can’t thank you enough for finding my dad and getting him to come here. Or for my lovely ring.” She held out her hand so the lantern reflected the dazzling sparkle of the diamond. “I love you,” she whispered. “And I trust you—with my life.”
“Me, too.”
They stayed there until the soft, peach-colored light of dawn painted the eastern horizon and a melodic chorus of mourning doves, curve-billed thrashers and Gambel’s quail melted into the air while raucous cactus wrens rat-a-tat-tats chimed in from a spiny cholla nearby.
“We should get some rest,” Wade finally murmured.
“Yes.” Connie frowned. “I forgot to ask you something.”
“Oh?” He pushed the curls off her face and pressed a kiss against her forehead. “Ask away, my darling.”
“What was in that letter?” Connie braced herself and whispered a prayer for courage.
“Let’s find out.” Wade pulled the envelope from his pocket. He hesitated before tearing it open. “Trust,” he said out loud.
“Trust,” Connie agreed.
Then he read the contents, his expression unreadable.
He was silent a long time.
“Wade?” Connie gripped his fingers. “Whatever it says doesn’t matter. We’ll deal with it together.”
He folded the letter, shoved it back in his pocket and then turned to face her, his fingers spread through her hair, smoothing the strands. At last he spoke.
“The letter is a report about the man Bella ran away with. He couldn’t be Silver’s father. He wasn’t able to have children.” Wade stared into her eyes, his own shining with happiness.
“Thank God,” Connie whispered.
“Thank God, indeed. God had it all worked out before I even started worrying about it,” he marveled. “Isn’t that amazing?”
“And just like our Heavenly Father,” Connie agreed. She hugged him fiercely. “So you are Silver’s father.”
“Well, the DNA tests aren’t back,” Wade reminded her.
“But it really doesn’t matter what they say because, yes, I am Silver’s father.” He grinned proudly, the shadows completely gone from his eyes. “Do you think she could be our flower girl?”
“You want to talk about our wedding already?” she asked in surprise.
“Our wedding can’t come soon enough,” Wade assured her. “Haven’t you heard? My daughter and I are in love with our nanny.”
Hello again!
I adore Christmas. Somehow the joy and hope of celebrating the Messiah’s coming birth glows brighter every year. The happy carols, the wondrous gifts and the love of family and friends never grows old. I guess I’m a lot like Connie.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this first story in my new series, Love For All Seasons. Isn’t it curious how we often allow fear and worry to steal the joy and peace we could have? Connie wants to find her dad, but her hopes stumble at the hurdles she comes to, as do Wade’s when he faces up to his biggest fears. How great to know that this God of ours is big enough to handle any problems we encounter. Look for book 2 in this new series, coming in April.
During this blessed Christmas season, I’d love to hear from you. Contact me on my website: www.loisricher.com, or at Box 639, Nipawin, SK, Canada S0E 1E0. In the meantime, I wish you inner joy to carry you above the stressful moments. I wish you peace that can’t be shattered. And I wish you love—the ageless, endless love of God that fills your heart just as fast as you give it away.
Merry Christmas to all!
Blessings,
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
Connie felt God led her to Tucson to find her father. Comment on ways we can discern God’s leading in our own lives.
Consider Wade’s situation. How should we as Christians react to such deep betrayal?
Amanda blamed Wade for her family’s deaths. Suggest ways we may fault others as a means to lessening our own sense of loss or betrayal. What are some alternative ways to deal with our feelings of grief and loss?
Connie felt Wade needed to act as if Silver was his daughter until he learned differently. Do you agree? What suggestions would you have for someone in Wade’s situation? Is blood truly thicker than water?
Connie used the internet as a resource for locating information about her father. Many adopted people do the same to find their birth parents. Discuss pros and cons of this approach and how it may impact the parent, who may be unprepared for a reunion with the child they left behind.
Eleven-year-old Connie felt abandoned by her father, Max, yet he had prepared a place for her to be cared for. Do you condone his actions? Suggest ways Christians can help people like Max who might need support but will not ask for it.
Silver desperately craved her father’s love. List ways we can ensure our own children know they are loved and cherished, besides our actually telling them.
Connie desperately wanted the Abbots to find joy together at Christmas. Do you feel we sometimes place too much emphasis on having the perfect Christmas? List ways we can de-stress the holidays for family, friends and those we don’t know.
Wade found a dinner at the center for the family to help with. At this dinner, Amanda discovered a measure of joy she hadn’t realized she could share. Suggest some things we can do to assist those who find the Christmas season difficult and even painful.
Wade’s friends were a great help in finding Connie’s father. Discuss the importance of friends and the roles you expect your friends to play in your own life.
Max did not want a reunion with Connie. He felt diminished—as if he’d failed her because he’d lost so much to cancer. Comment on ways we skew the truths in our own lives when reality becomes painful.
Connie withheld Wade’s letter in hopes of saving the Abbots’ Christmas. Wade didn’t tell Connie about her father, because he wanted to surprise her. Discuss how good intentions can go awry and cause pain to those we love.
Wade’s issue of trust took a long time to resolve. Consider how our actions can cause deep hurts in others.
Connie worked hard to create a wonderful Christmas for everyone. In the end she, too, experienced a joyful Christmas. Think about ways we can make Christmas more meaningful for ourselves and others by adjusting our attitudes.
Connie’s mother passed on the Christmas spirit to her daughter through her actions. Take a few moments to dwell on your Christmas habits and traditions. Consider the future. Will your children have a legacy they will carry on, one you’ve established? Is it too late to start one?
ISBN: 978-1-4268-7657-8
THE HOLIDAY NANNY
Copyright © 2010 by Lois M. Richer
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.
® and TM are trademarks of Steeple Hill Books, used under license. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
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*Brides of the Seasons
‡If Wishes Were Weddings
†Blessings in Disguise
††Finders Inc.
‡‡Serenity Bay
§Pennies from Heaven
§§Weddings by Woodwards
**Love for All Seasons
