A Season of Love & Somebody's Santa by Kim Watters

Author:Kim Watters
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-08-25T18:39:27+00:00

* * *

Stepping in behind Holly, Ethan wedged the door to the barn closed with his shoulder and shut out the biting wind. He knew Cameron was here; the footprints in the snow didn’t lie. He just had to find him. With a flick of his finger, the lone lightbulb in the center of the room illuminated all but the corners of the large space. He stomped his feet to remove the snow and rubbed his gloveless hands together. Despite being on the inside, he saw his breath. This place still wasn’t ready for the dogs—or the twelve-year-old boy hiding somewhere inside.

Cameron. This time his words had put another life in danger. But he could fix that when he found the boy.

As he thought of decorating the Christmas tree at Holly’s house yesterday, memories rushed through his mind—the laughter, the friendship, the love. All the times they’d spent together held special meaning for him. Ethan grasped the reality of the situation. He loved the boy like his own. He loved the boy’s mother.

Determination filled him. God had granted him a new day and another chance. This time he would seize the opportunity and not fail.

In the corner past the row of assembled dog kennels, Ethan saw the pile of blankets and towels that the church had donated. Amid the greens, browns and tans, he spotted an unusual lump in the center.

“This way.” He grabbed Holly’s hand and pulled her with him. With his heart beating a tad bit more than normal, Ethan made short work of the space between them. Cameron’s pale face was a sharp contrast to the black beanie hat and the dark brown blanket covering him.

“Cam.” Holly gasped in relief, sank to her knees and then reached out to touch her son.

At the same time, Ethan squatted and gently shook the boy’s shoulder. “Wake up, Cameron. Your mom is worried sick about you.”

After a few moments, Cameron woke up and glanced between them with a worried, nervous look. “Mr. P.? Mom? You’re here?” He tried to dig himself deeper into the pile, his scared gaze never leaving Ethan’s face. “My mom said you didn’t want me out here anymore. Did you mean it?”

The saliva fled Ethan’s mouth, making talking difficult. What could he say when the words were true? He stared at the stricken look etched into the boy’s features. In Ethan’s preoccupation with himself and his own feelings, he hadn’t thought about Cameron’s. Just like he’d only thought about himself and blaming himself for what happened in Afghanistan.

Let go, let God. It was about time he started not just listening to the words, but living them, too. “I’ve been saying and feeling a lot of things, and I thought it for the best after the accident yesterday. I’m sorry if I hurt you, but your mother spoke the truth.”

“Then you don’t want me out here? You don’t need my help anymore?” Cameron’s bottom lip shook as he clutched the blanket to his throat.

Ethan stilled. Help? He needed a lot of help.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.