Christmas Roses by Amanda Cabot

Author:Amanda Cabot [Cabot, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC042040, FIC042030, FIC027050, Christmas stories
ISBN: 9781441237569
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2012-08-31T16:00:00+00:00

7

“It’s too nice a day to be cooped up indoors.” Celia slid Aaron’s hands into the mittens, tugging until the cuffs covered his wrists. In just a few minutes, she’d have both children bundled into their winter clothes. While it was true that Emma and Aaron would enjoy the outing, Celia’s motives were purely selfish. With Emma ensconced in the high-sided wagon and Aaron trotting alongside it, she hoped she would be able to breathe again. When the door had closed behind Mark this morning, a lump had lodged in her throat, making breathing and swallowing painful. She hoped fresh air would dissolve it.

“Cold.” Aaron swung his arms back and forth, seemingly entertained by his frosty breath. Though the day was cold, the clear sky told Celia that the sun would soon warm the air. Aaron would do what he always did when they took an excursion: run as fast as his short legs would permit, then race back, bend over the wagon, and tell Emma everything he’d seen. For her part, Emma would coo at him, occasionally punctuating her gibberish with pumps of her mittened fists, all the while staring at Aaron, as if to ensure that he understood her.

The children were carefree; Celia was not. She was worried, and so was Mark. He’d attempted to make light of it this morning, but he had been unable to hide the concern in his eyes. Today he’d meet the hermit. Today he’d learn whether the old man was his father or simply an eccentric former miner. And, if Celia’s prayers were answered, today Mark would relinquish his anger at his parents and—more importantly—at God. Though she’d been praying almost constantly since she had wakened, Celia still worried that Mark was not ready to open his heart. It was in the Lord’s hands now. Celia knew that. That was one of the reasons she had brought the children outside, so she would be surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation.

“I pull.” Aaron tugged at her skirt to get her attention. When she nodded, he engaged in another of his routines, gripping the wagon’s handle and yanking. Though he accomplished little, Aaron seemed to enjoy the exercise, and Emma never failed to giggle at the sight of her playmate pretending to be a horse.

Celia smiled indulgently at the children. She had been right in coming outside. The fresh air and Aaron’s antics had helped her put aside her worries, leaving her able to breathe freely.

She glanced down the street, smiling again when she saw Bertha emerging from the parsonage. “Good morning.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Bertha tickled Emma’s chin, then reached out to give Aaron a hug. When he took a step backward before extending his right hand, the minister’s wife raised an eyebrow. “What’s this?”

“I’m afraid it’s something he learned from Mark. Ever since he saw him shake Doc’s hand, Aaron wants to shake hands with everyone.”

“How sweet.” Solemnly, Bertha let the boy shake her hand, her lips twitching ever so slightly when he gave her hand a vigorous pumping.

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