The Christmas Promise (Heartsong Presents)

by Kimberly Rose Johnson

  Christmas music piped through nearby speakers and rosy-cheeked shoppers strolled along the sidewalks. Ah, Christmas in Leavenworth couldn’t be beat.

  “Mr. Pete!” Cody ran toward him.

  Max barked and pulled at his leash.

  “Slow down, Cody. Remember never to run toward a dog.”

  The child slowed to a walk. “Sorry. I forgot.”

  Pete looked for Keira but didn’t see her. “Where’s your mom?”

  Cody pointed toward the gazebo. “May I hold Max’s leash?”

  “Sure.” Walking beside the boy, he imagined this was what it would’ve felt like if Jack had still been in his life. His shoulders slumped. He missed the child. It’d been a year since he’d seen him, but he still loved him and imagined Jack would always hold a place in his heart. But maybe it was time to let go of the past.

  Cody slipped a small hand into his. “Yesterday I helped decorate Grandma and Grandpa’s tree. It was so cool.”

  “Really? Did your mom help?”

  Cody frowned. “No. She worked at the store.” He tugged on Pete’s hand and motioned for him to come down to his level. “I think Mom’s afraid of snow.”

  Pete squatted beside the child. “Why do you say that? I saw her playing in it with you just last week.”

  He shook his head. “I meant driving in it. She never goes anywhere unless we walk, not even on Thanksgiving. She gets a scared look on her face whenever she looks at our car. Grandma says it’s because my dad was killed driving on a snowy road.”

  “I see. I’m sorry about your dad.”

  Cody shrugged. “I don’t remember him.”

  He patted the boy’s shoulder and stood. Keira waited on the edge of the snow-covered grass with her hands tucked into her jacket pockets. She got closer with each step. Pete slowed. He needed to know just how severe this phobia was and if it applied to all modes of transportation, because if it did, his plans for the ball were ruined.

  He released the leash from Max’s collar and let the child and dog play.

  “Hey there.” Keira smiled up at him.

  He sat beside her on the bench. “Hi.” He wasn’t sure how she’d take his meddling, especially after Friday night. In fact he was a little surprised she’d shown up here at all.

  “No Molly today?”

  “I thought it best to leave her at the clinic. Max needs time alone with Cody.”

  Keira nodded and sat silently beside him.

  He crossed his arms, suspecting he knew the reason for Keira’s unusual quiet. “About Friday night.” He sensed her shift his direction and felt his face warm. He didn’t want to have this conversation. It wasn’t as if he’d kissed her. They’d shared a moment—that was it.

  “Yes?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at her. “I’m not good at this.”

  She gave him an encouraging smile. “Try.”

  He focused on Cody and Max as they slid down the hill on the child’s snow saucer. “I’m sorry about crossing the line.” There, he’d said it.

  “You mean when you almost kissed me?”

  Did she really say it? “Ah. Yes.”

  “I’m confused by whatever is going on between us.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’d like to understand your intentions. I hear what you say, but you’re sending mixed signals.” Her voice was tight.

  Oh, boy, he’d done it now. He took a deep breath of cold air and let it out slowly while gathering his thoughts. They say honesty is the best policy and he was too old to play games. Keira seemed like a woman he could be straight with. “It’s like this—the first time I met you I was attracted to you.” He glanced at her and saw the surprise and pleasure in her eyes. “I actually wished I could get out of my blind date and take you instead.” He smirked. “Of course, I didn’t know you were my date. Then, when we had coffee, I was even more attracted to you.” He paused.

  “Go on,” she encouraged softly.

  “When you mentioned your son, I panicked.” He shrugged. “I’d planned to stay out of your life, but then Josh said his sister asked for help finding a puppy for Cody. I have a soft spot for animals and couldn’t resist helping. I really like you, Keira. I enjoy being with you.”

  “What does that mean for us?”

  He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “For now, I’m still not willing to commit to anything more than friendship. I got caught up in the moment and was out of line. I’m very sorry.” He spoke the words softly. The pain etched on her face nearly did him in, but she quickly shuttered her feelings.

  She looked toward Cody. “Okay, friends it is. But no more almost-kisses.”

  He ached to draw her close, but common sense ruled. “Got it.” Pete shifted, leaning forward, and rested his elbows on his knees. “Cody is doing well with Max.”

  “Yes, he is, isn’t he?” Pride filled her voice. “I can’t thank you enough for your help, and for the record, I appreciate your honesty regarding—” she hesitated “—us.”

  “Sure.” But was he being completely honest? His brain said he only wanted friendship, but his heart wanted more. Ugh, what a mess.

  “Um. Do you still want to take me to the ball? Susan decided not to go.”

  He raised a brow. “Of course.”

  “Oh, good. I’m so intrigued by the idea of an old-fashioned ball that I can’t stay away, but I really don’t want to go alone.”

  Pete leaned back and relaxed. It seemed things were normal again, and normal he could deal with. No more awkward conversations! “I saw the weather forecast and other than tomorrow it’s not supposed to snow.”

  She started. “That’s great news. I noticed the roads are clear, too. Maybe I’ll even be able to get to the grocery store.”

  He raised his brows. This driving-in-snow phobia was a serious problem.

  “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a bit of a mess when it comes to winter driving.”

  “I’ve noticed. If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.”

  “Thanks, I think this is something I need to deal with on my own.” She waved Cody over. “Time to go, kiddo.”

  “Wait. Before you leave I was wondering if you’d be able to pet sit for me. Every now and then I like to attend a conference and there is one in Seattle tomorrow. Sorry about the short notice, but I wasn’t sure it would work for me to attend until today.”

  Cody jumped up and down. “Please say yes!”

  She looked from one hopeful face to the other. “Okay.”

  “Yay!” Cody wrapped his arms around her legs.

  “Thanks. I thought I’d head out this evening if you are okay with that. I’d like to try to beat the weather that’s heading our way.”

  She shrugged. “Okay. Are you sure about going? The roads will be a mess.”

  “That’s why I’m leaving early. I’ll bring the dogs by when I’m off work. I can’t thank you enough.”

  “Don’t mention it.” She shot him a nervous smile.

  He ignored Keira’s obvious discomfort with the situation. It would be good for her to have the puppies—a trial run of sorts. Better for her to find out sooner than later if owning a dog would work.

  * * *

  Keira rushed through the store toward the stairs that led to her apartment. It was time to let the pups out. “I’ll be back in five minutes.”

  “No problem.” Holly waved her off.

  Who would’ve thought taking care of dogs could be so exhausting? Every two hours she ran up the stairs, took them out of their crate and down the back stairs. Of course they wanted to play besides doing their business, which took time she didn’t have. What was she thinking, agreeing to a dog for Cody? This was only temporary, and she could barely h
andle it.

  How would she handle Max once Holly left after Christmas? She couldn’t just close up the shop every few hours and she couldn’t bring the dog into the store. She charged into the apartment.

  The puppies yipped at her.

  “Oh, I know. You need attention, don’t you?” She opened the gate and clipped on their leashes. “Come on. If you go fast we can play a little.” She led the dogs outside and in no time they were tugging her forward. “Okay. Just a short walk up the street and back, but we need to hurry.” She allowed them to pull her along and investigate all the foreign smells their sniffers were picking up on. Too soon she had to turn them around and head back to the apartment.

  The dogs whined when she closed the crate door.

  “I know, little ones, but it won’t be much longer. Be good.” She quickly washed her hands and dashed down the stairs. “You miss me?”

  Holly rolled her eyes. “Hardly. It’s quiet today.”

  “I noticed. If I didn’t need to step out to take care of the puppies I’d send you home. Of course the moment I did, this place would be hopping with customers.”

  Holly chuckled. “You’re probably right. What you need is a dog walker.”

  “Hire someone to come and take them out for me?”

  “Exactly.”

  “That’s a great idea.” Surely a dog walker wasn’t too expensive. It had to be cheaper than paying Holly to stick around when things were slow.

  “I have a friend who’d be perfect.”

  “Wonderful.” Keira took the contact information. A smile tugged at her lips. She could do this. It just took a little planning, which Pete’s spontaneous trip didn’t allow. It had snowed pretty hard last night. She wished he’d at least called to let her know he’d made it safely across the pass. She worried her bottom lip.

  “You all right?” Holly touched her arm.

  “I’m just thinking about Pete. He was trying to beat the storm and left last night, but since it hit early he ended up in the middle of it.” She shrugged. “I just worry. I wish he had waited until today to leave, or better yet, not gone.”

  “Sometimes it’s hard not to worry, but no matter how hard we try to protect those we love, things happen that are out of our control.”

  The truth of the words slammed her gut. “That’s pretty deep.”

  “Hey, don’t make fun.”

  “I wasn’t.” Was all her caution for nothing? Holly’s words made so much sense she was embarrassed to even think about all the times she’d avoided getting behind the wheel of a car. Not to mention being scared of allowing Cody to go out when the road conditions weren’t ideal. Yet her fear was useless. There were some things she had no control over.

  Holly spoke, pulling Keira from her thoughts. “I guess that’s why the Bible talks about faith so much. We have to believe that God will take care of us and those we love. Even when bad things happen.”

  Suddenly Keira’s stomach knotted and her throat thickened with unshed tears. She blinked rapidly. What was wrong with her? “I’m not feeling well, Holly.” Her voice caught. “Will you lock up at six for me? I’m going to go upstairs to lie down.”

  “Of course. Do you need anything?”

  “No, thanks. When Susan gets here with Cody, will you send them up?”

  “Sure.”

  Keira nodded and slowly climbed the stairs. She almost never got sick and this had come on so fast. Maybe it was emotions making her feel ill. She opened the crate door for the dogs, then lay on the chaise. Holly’s words echoed in her mind.

  Faith.

  Keira believed she had faith in God, but realized ever since Michael was killed she’d tried to control everything. Gradually the faith she’d placed in God had transferred to herself.

  All the what-ifs of life bombarded her imagination. She squeezed her eyes shut as tears streamed down her cheeks. It was too much. She couldn’t stop bad things from happening and she didn’t have the energy to worry about the what-ifs anymore.

  Her hands shook and she wrapped her arms around her stomach as sobs wracked her body. After a bit, the surge of tears dried up with a hiccup. Sniffing, she wiped her nose and tucked her arm under her head, exhaustion draining the energy from every muscle.

  “Keira?” Gentle hands shook her awake.

  “Susan.” Keira sat up and looked around the room. “Where’s Cody?”

  “In his bedroom playing with the dogs.”

  “The dogs! What time is it? They didn’t make a mess, did they?”

  “Everything is fine. Cody and I took them out when we got here about thirty minutes ago. You’ve been sleeping for a while. Are you sick?” Susan felt her forehead. “You don’t feel feverish.”

  “I’ll be fine. Let’s just say I had an awakening and I’m not proud of myself. I don’t know why I felt so awful. I’m much better now.” But her stomach was queasy and all she wanted to do was sleep.

  “What’s this about, Keira? Holly told me that the two of you were talking and you turned white as a sheet and looked ready to get sick. It must be something pretty big.”

  “It’s nothing I want to talk about right now.”

  “If you change your mind, call me. You know I’m a good listener.”

  “Okay.”

  “Promise?”

  “Yes. I imagine you have someplace to be.”

  “No. Thought I’d make some soup and sandwiches for you and Cody and hang out here tonight.”

  Keira held in a groan. The last thing she wanted was Susan hovering.

  “I’ll take care of everything. You can take a nice hot bath and I’ll bring dinner to your room when you get out.”

  Being pampered sounded nice, but not necessary. “Thanks, but you don’t need to do that. I’ll be fine.” She stood. “Look, I’m already feeling better. I just needed a little catnap.”

  Susan narrowed her eyes. “Your color does look good.” She pushed up. “Well, if you’re sure, I guess I’ll head home.”

  “Thanks for taking Cody out this afternoon. He was so excited when Pete asked us to watch the dogs. I knew I’d never be able to contain him in the back room.”

  “No problem. He had fun making your Christmas present.”

  “He made me something?” When Susan wasn’t working or socializing, she could usually be found in her art studio either painting or making pottery. She had quite a reputation around town with the locals, too. It wouldn’t be much longer and she’d be able to quit her day job and open her own shop. Too bad the candy store wasn’t larger or she’d share the space with her. Of course, Susan already owned her own CPA business, so she could display her work there if she wanted to.

  Susan’s eyes twinkled with the “I know something you don’t know” gleam. “Remember I’m only a phone call away if you need anything.”

  “I know. Thanks again.” Keira walked her friend to the door and let her out.

  “Mom?” Cody stood in his bedroom doorway with Max cradled in his arms.

  “Hmm?”

  “When’s Mr. Pete coming back?”

  “I’m not sure. Why?”

  “Just wondering. I like taking care of his dogs.”

  “I’m glad, sweetie.”

  The phone rang and she checked the caller ID. Her stomach flip-flopped.

  Pete.

  Chapter 10

  “How’s the conference, Pete?” Keira held the phone to her ear as she leaned against the window frame and took in the Christmas scene outside. Wreaths adorned the lampposts and tiny snowflakes fell from the sky.

  “Going well. I plan to head home Thursday. Is everything okay there? The dogs doing well?”

  “Just fine. Don’t worry about Max and Molly.” She couldn’t help the smile that touched her lips at his protective attit
ude toward the puppies.

  “I was only partially talking about the dogs. I was thinking of you and Cody, too.”

  “You were?” She heard the surprise in her voice. Pete had never expressed concern for their well-being. “I have a touch of something, but I’m fine. Cody’s thrilled to have the puppies here.”

  “Maybe I should come back sooner if you’re not feeling well. I don’t have to stay for the whole thing.”

  Keira chuckled. “Relax, Pete. I’m fine, and the dogs are in good hands. We’ll see you when you return.”

  “If you’re sure.”

  “I am. Thanks for the call.” She hung up and caught her reflection in the window. Large sad eyes stared back at her. “Knock it off, Keira.” She had to stop this melancholy. It wasn’t healthy and there was no reason for it. Except she couldn’t escape the feeling that haunted her earlier. The word trust nagged her. Hmm. Seemed like faith and trust were synonymous.

  She wanted to trust God, but it was so hard. Clearly bad things happened even on God’s watch, or Michael wouldn’t be dead. But it seemed God was trying to get her attention and He’d done a good job of it. A verse she’d memorized as a child popped into her mind.

  The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. Nahum 1:7.

  She should try harder to let go of her fear. Driving was out of the question, but perhaps she’d let Susan take her to church this Sunday. After all, it was less than a mile away. Baby steps.

  “Mom?” Cody tugged on the hem of her shirt.

  She started. “I didn’t see you there. What do you need?”

  “I’m hungry.”

  Keira sighed and moved to the kitchen. Maybe she should’ve taken Susan up on her offer to make dinner. Before long, scrambled eggs sizzled in a pan. She warmed a tortilla shell sprinkled with cheese and placed a scoop of eggs on top. “Here you go, Cody. One scrambled-egg burrito.”

  “Yum!” He gingerly carried the plate to the table and climbed onto the chair.

  She stacked her plate with food and joined him. “Did you have fun with Aunt Susan today?”

  “Yep.” He stuffed his mouth.