Love Finds You Under the Mistletoe

by Irene Brand

  “But, Lord, I don’t want to wait,” she whispered. “I want to move on with my life.” Why did the answers to her prayers leave her more unsettled than before she prayed?

  Detecting a motion to her right, she looked up quickly. David leaned against a tree several feet away, peering at her intently. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. The sun shone on his black hair, and he gave her an uneasy smile. Her eyes misted to know that she could never be a part of his life.

  He walked toward her. “I’ll leave if you say so, but I’d like to at least apologize.”

  She held out her hand. “I’m over my anger, hurt, frustration—whatever it was. I overreacted. But we can’t be neighbors for the next few days and ignore each other.”

  He walked toward her, and she moved over to make room for him on the rock.

  “I should have told you about my marriage,” he said in a thin and hollow voice. “Alice’s death was a terrible experience, and I don’t like to talk about it. I thought Granny might have told you. Alice’s family moved to Illinois soon after she died, so there are no reminders of her in Mistletoe, and I try to forget about the past.”

  Julia laid her hand on his arm. “You don’t have to tell me anything.”

  He covered her hand with his. “I want to talk now. It was the absolute truth when I told you that you’re the only woman I’ve ever loved with my heart and soul. Alice and I were childhood sweethearts, and it was always sort of understood that we’d get married someday. There wasn’t any great love between us. Still, she’d always been part of my life, and I blamed myself that she’d gotten pregnant. When I knew she was dying, I’d have done anything she asked. If she’d asked me to cut off my head, I might have done it. I made the promise willingly.”

  “David, it’s okay.”

  He shook his head. “It isn’t okay with me. I want to marry you, and hopefully you feel the same way about me. But I’ve been taught all my life to keep my word. What if we marry and I still feel guilty about breaking my promise? How would it affect our marriage?”

  “It isn’t an easy question to answer. Frankly, I don’t believe you should be held to a promise you made under such stress, but I can’t marry you anyway. Not even for you will I spend the rest of my life in this hollow.”

  He didn’t answer, and with a long sigh she continued. “I’ve committed to stay here until after Christmas. I’ve contacted many of my acquaintances, inviting them to send their Christmas cards to be postmarked at Mistletoe. I’m not going to leave the postmaster with all the extra work. I’ll plan to go back to Maryland between Christmas and New Year’s. Let’s at least be friends until then.”

  “It will be ‘least’ for me,” David said. “But a half-loaf is better than none.”

  Julia slid off the rock. “I have to go and rescue Nellie from Bobby. I declare, I’ve had an education in childhood behavior in the past few months. That child changes from day to day—always something new.”

  David took her hand and pulled her into the circle of his arms. “We’ll be ‘just friends’ in a few minutes.” His large, tender hands slipped up her arms and clasped her body tightly to his. Having no desire to move out of his embrace, Julia buried her face against his chest. He kissed the soft hair that tumbled over her forehead.

  “Look at me,” he whispered. She leaned back slightly in his arms, and he kissed the tip of her nose. Soon his lips were warm and sweet on hers, and as she responded to his caresses, Julia wondered how she would ever find the courage to leave this man.

  Sighing, he released her. “Thank you,” he said softly. “I’ll always have this moment to remember. When I’m lonely, I’ll come here and think about you.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Once she decided to delay her departure, Julia made plans to celebrate Christmas in Mistletoe. She used part of her royalty check to buy presents for Millard’s family as well as for Granny and David. Because she didn’t want extra baggage for the homeward journey, Julia ordered only one toy for Bobby. His other gifts were new clothes. He’d outgrown many of his garments, and she bought a few outfits that would last him until they returned to Maryland. She intended to make the day a festive occasion. If this was her only Christmas with David, she wanted it to be one both of them would remember.

  Julia had attended Christmas Eve services at home in Maryland for as long as she could remember. During the war years, chaplains had offered continuous communion on Christmas, and she’d attended those services too. But she had never anticipated any service more than she did the simple program planned by Reverend and Mrs. Brown in the Mistletoe church.

  Snow flurries swirled around their heads as Julia walked with Granny, Lance, and David to the church. Astride David’s shoulders, Bobby tried to catch the snowflakes in his tiny hands. Lance carried a lantern to light their way. The young man had adjusted quickly as a member of the family. Julia saw good qualities in him that would only improve under Granny’s tutelage.

  “I like a white Christmas,” Julia said, “but I hope we don’t have a big snow.”

  “Nothin’ to worry about,” Granny said. “We might have a dustin’ by mornin’,but the Farmers’ Almanac predicts that snowfall will be light in the Southern Appalachians till early spring.”

  Her comment settled Julia’s concern. Granny was always right!

  Most of the benches were crowded when they arrived, but Pastor Brown motioned them to a seat near the front.

  “Silent Night” had never been more meaningful to Julia than when she heard it played by David on his guitar, seconded by Millard on a fiddle. Several children presented recitations. David had persuaded Julia to sing “O Little Town of Bethlehem” with him. The applause was complimentary, and Julia herself thought their voices blended well. More and more it became apparent that their talents and interests made a good combination—an excellent basis for marriage. Resolutely, Julia shoved such thoughts out of her mind.

  Mrs. Brown had just finished telling the story of the poor cobbler who had welcomed strangers to his home on Christmas Eve when a blast of cold air indicated that someone had opened the door. Julia turned to see a tall, gaunt stranger step inside. A stunned silence swept through the room, finally broken when Nellie shouted, “Robert!” and ran to the newcomer. He hugged her close before holding her at arm’s length.

  “So you’ve finally grown up,” he said, leaning forward to kiss her.

  Pandemonium swept through the church, and David hurried to the man and embraced him.

  “Who is it?” Julia asked Granny, although she thought she already knew.

  A peaceful, loving look shone from Granny’s eyes. “It’s Robert Walden, returned from the dead. Praise the Lord for a Christmas miracle!”

  Julia eased down on the pew, because she didn’t think her legs would hold her any longer. Her first thought was that her guardianship of Bobby had ended. His father wasn’t dead. Her arms tightened about the sleeping child, and she suddenly realized how attached she’d become to Bobby. Could she hand him over to this stranger?

  David’s voice rose above the tumult of noise in the small building. “Hey, folks! We’re all happy about Robert’s return, and I know you want to greet him, but let’s give him some air. Please take your seats so he can tell us what we want to know.”

  It must have been ten minutes before there was any semblance of order, but when the aisle was cleared and everyone seated, David and Robert walked to the platform. Robert sat in a chair facing the audience, and David said, “Tell us anything you want to. We don’t aim to be nosy, but your parents got word that you’d been killed. It seems too good to be true that you’re back among us, looking a little peaked, but otherwise alive and well.”

  “I’ve got a lot to say, but first, tell me about Mom and Dad,” Robert said. “I came to Booneville on the afternoon bus and tried to hitch a ride to Mistletoe, but nobody was coming this way. I finally hired a taxi to bring me home, but the house looked vacant. I knocked and knocked on the door, and no one answered. H
ave my folks passed on?”

  “No, buddy,” David said, placing his hand on Robert’s shoulder. “They’re still alive. They took it hard when word came about your death, and they’ve never gotten over it. They won’t let anybody come in the house. The mail carrier brings them groceries now and then, and once in a while your dad goes into Booneville to pay the taxes and take care of business. They couldn’t cope with the world when they thought you were dead. You can spend the night with me, and when it’s daylight, I’ll go with you to see them. To know that you’re alive will be the best Christmas gift they’ve ever had. But in the meantime, tell us where you’ve been. The war ended months ago.”

  “It’ll take a long time to tell you all that’s happened to me, but give me some water, and I’ll give you the basic facts.” He looked at Nellie, and a tender smile erased some of the tension on his face. “I don’t intend to go far from Mistletoe for a long time, so we’ll have plenty of time to catch up.”

  Granny came up the aisle, carrying a cup of coffee. “You need this more than water.” She kissed his forehead. “Welcome home, Robert.”

  Tears filled his eyes, and he took a few swallows of the coffee before he could speak.

  “I was captured by the Japanese during the invasion of the Philippines. I escaped the Bataan Death March when the enemy took several of us to Japan to work in their coal mines. We were underground all of the time and had no news of what was going on. It was months after the war ended before the Americans found us. By that time, I weighed about eighty pounds and didn’t know who I was. I suppose, to block out the horror of my mistreatment, I’d developed amnesia. I couldn’t remember anything about my past. There weren’t any records, and it took a long time to find the names of thousands of us who were reported missing in action.”

  While the audience waited in anticipation, he took another sip of coffee.

  “It was a long time before I was physically strong enough for the doctors to deal with my amnesia. I finally remembered the name of a little girl named Nellie”—he flashed a fond smile toward her—“and a place called Mistletoe. Gradually I recalled events from my boyhood and my family life. By that time my service records had been found, and I learned I’d been married.”

  “But you don’t remember anything about it?” David asked.

  Robert shook his head. David motioned for Julia to come to him. She was trembling all over, and he took Bobby from her arms. “Then you don’t know that you have a son. This is Robert Walden, Jr.”

  Robert’s face blanched, and his blue eyes dulled with disbelief. Pastor Brown hurried to his side.

  “And you’re my wife?” Robert asked Julia incredulously.

  The evening’s activities had left her speechless. Julia shook her head.

  “No, Robert,” David said. “This is your sister-in-law, Julia Mayfield. Your wife, Margaret, died soon after the child was born, but she left a request for Julia to bring Bobby to meet his grandparents. She’s been here several months, and they’ve refused to see him.” He lifted Bobby’s hands. “See, he has the mark of the Waldens.”

  Tears flowed from Robert’s eyes, and Pastor Brown said, “Folks, I believe the kindest thing we can do is dismiss our services and go home. Tomorrow Robert can be reunited with his parents. This will be an emotional time for the Waldens, so let’s remember them in prayer. We have much to be thankful for this Christmas season. God go with you.”

  The church seemed strangely quiet once most of the congregation had departed. It was obvious that Nellie didn’t want to leave with her parents, and Julia asked Millard if Nellie could spend the night with her. He started to refuse, but Hattie intervened. “Yes, she can.”

  After they left Granny and Lance at her cabin, Robert turned to Julia. “I’m tired, but I won’t rest until I learn something about my marriage. Can I talk to you before I go with David?”

  “Julia and I are close neighbors,” David said, laughing slightly. “If she doesn’t mind, we can go to her cabin and talk.”

  She readily agreed. “I’d like that. I’m too excited to sleep.”

  When they entered the cabin, Julia took Bobby from David’s arms, sat down in a chair, and rocked him until she was sure he was asleep. Nellie stirred up the coals in the stove and filled a pot with water and coffee. Robert watched her intently.

  “Nellie, you’re the first one I remembered, but I thought about you as a little girl. You’ve changed a heap since then.”

  She flashed a smile toward him. “I haven’t changed in the things that matter.”

  “How old are you now?”

  “Eighteen.”

  His eyes brightened. “Then you’re old enough to make your own decisions.”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Robert wanted to court Nellie,” David explained to Julia,” but Millard threw a fit, saying she was too young. Robert got mad and volunteered in the army.”

  “But why did you marry Margaret after such a brief acquaintance?” Julia asked.

  Robert shook his head. “I may never know.”

  David took Bobby from Julia. “Robert, do you want to hold your son?” he asked.

  “Yes,” he said eagerly. “He looks like pictures of me when I was a baby.” He sat on the couch, and David placed Bobby on his lap. When Bobby whined a little, Robert held him close and patted his back. “Tell me more about my time with your sister.”

  “I know practically nothing of your courtship and marriage to Margaret, because I was in Europe during the time. She had a parttime job in Washington, D.C., and met you there. You were married only three days before you were shipped overseas. My parents didn’t meet you, but they knew that you were from Mistletoe, Kentucky.”

  David took up the explanation then. “Julia came to Kentucky to fulfill her sister’s deathbed request that she bring Bobby to meet his paternal grandparents. She caught a ride with Tom Morriston, and I took her to your parents’ house. Your father opened the door, but when she showed the baby to him, he went wild and threatened to kill her.”

  Robert’s mouth dropped open. “That doesn’t sound like Dad!”

  “He’s changed since they had news of your death. I need to warn you—they look terrible. I’ve only seen your mother a few times, but she’s skinny as a rail, and your father’s face is covered in a white beard. When it was warmer out, and Bobby would play outdoors, we’re sure that your mother came into the woods and watched him. When we tried to encourage her to come closer, she ran away.”

  “This isn’t the kind of homecoming I expected,” Robert said. “But it’s good to be home.”

  “I think your folks will snap out of their depression when they know you’re alive,” David said.

  “Do you live here?” Robert asked Julia.

  “No, my home is in Maryland. I’ve planned to leave Mistletoe a few times, but something has always prevented it. Now that you’re here, I suppose I can go home knowing that I fulfilled my sister’s request.”

  Robert’s brows drew together in an agonized expression. “Oh, don’t leave! I don’t know anything about raising kids. And if Dad and Mom ain’t up to par, what would I do with a little boy?”

  Smiling, Julia said, “Nellie can help you more than I can. She took care of Bobby for me while I was working on a writing assignment. My parents haven’t been at home, so I would have been alone in Maryland. I decided to stay here where I had some help. I didn’t know anything about children either, but I’ve learned a lot.” She smiled at Bobby’s sleeping profile. “You will too.”

  When the coffee perked, Nellie brought cups to all of them.

  “I feel pretty bad not to remember your sister,” Robert said.

  “Margaret tried to notify you about the baby. She had a few letters from you before your ship left San Francisco—nothing after that.”

  Nellie sat beside Robert, and Julia’s heart was smitten. The three of them looked like such a happy family, and she was pleased for them. Yet she felt sorry for Margaret. The man she married
had loved someone else.

  “I have a photo album with a picture of you and Margaret on your wedding day. I’ll show it to you. Perhaps that will help you remember.”

  “Let’s wait until tomorrow for that,” David said. “Robert, you look as if you’ve had enough stress for today. Let’s go to my cabin, and we’ll get up tomorrow and observe a Christmas Day that none of us will ever forget.”

  “Come over here for breakfast,” Julia invited as the two men prepared to leave.

  “Thanks,” David accepted. “Granny is too busy preparing a big dinner to bother with us, and I don’t have much to eat in the cabin.”

  “We’ll wait until you come for Bobby to open his gifts. He was too young last year to enjoy opening packages, so I’m glad you’re here to see it, Robert.”

  “I wish I had a gift for him.”

  “You gave him a father,” Julia said. “He needed that gift more than any other.”

  Bobby was awake before Robert and David came the next morning, but Julia stayed in the bedroom and played with him until they arrived. Nellie had gotten up early to prepare scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, and ham. Biscuit ingredients were measured and the oven was hot, so she could finish breakfast as soon as the gifts were opened.

  When Julia heard the men entering the cabin, she took Bobby from his playpen and let him walk into the living room. He ran toward David and held up his hands.

  “Dade!” he screamed. “Play with me!”

  David lifted him. “Here’s somebody else to play with you now. This is your daddy.”

  “Daddee?” he asked, mastering the new word at once. Robert held out his arms, and Bobby drew back.

  “Don’t be afraid,” David encouraged. “He’s a nice guy. You’ll like him.”

  With a little more coaxing, Bobby sat on his father’s lap.

  “I hope he can stay with you until I’m used to having a son,” he said to Julia.

  “I’d planned on returning to Maryland next week since I’d given up that your parents would accept Bobby.” Thinking of the new offer from her publisher, she said, “Your return has changed that. I won’t leave until you and Bobby get acquainted.”