Crocuses for Christmas by Carol James

Author:Carol James [James, Carol]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian Fiction, inspirational fiction, Clean and Wholesome Novels, Religion and Spirituality
ISBN: 9781522305293
Publisher: White Rose Publishing
Published: 2025-12-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Hannah stood at the stove stirring a pot of chili. The autumn weather had escaped the heat of summer as it marched toward the cold freshness of winter. The little maple had lost some more of its leaves, dotting its red on the orange, brown, and yellow carpet around it. She loved watching the leaves float and twirl on their dance to the ground. She’d always found falling leaves soothing. Before long, she’d be wrapped in a cozy blanket in front of the fireplace.

“Hannah, Hannah, look at all my ormanents!” Emma clapped and then held up a beaded wreath.

Beads, glitter, sequins, and straw covered the kitchen floor under and around the table, but that was OK and a small price to pay for the amount of joy the mess had brought Emma. The sparkles were simply one more way of ushering in the season.

“Oh, Emma, your ornaments are very lovely. You’ve done a wonderful job.” And she had, if the amount of glitter on the floor and her hands and face meant anything. “Let’s clean up, and then we can set the table. Your Daddy should be home in a few minutes.”

This morning, while Emma was at school and Hannah had some free time, she’d called several inns and B&Bs in the Hill Country and found three that had rooms appropriate for them. She had put a twenty-four hour hold on them until Matt had a chance to look over the information and make a decision.

Just as they finished cleaning up, the front door swooshed open. “Anybody home?” The sound of Matt’s voice swept from the front door to the back of the house.

“Daddy!” Emma flew down the front hall to the door. She twirled. “I wanna show you some of the ormanents I made today.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hall, through the den, and to the kitchen table. “See!”

“Those are beautiful, sweetie! You did a great job.” He mouthed a quick, ‘Hi’ to Hannah.

Emma encircled one of his legs with her arms. “I love you, Daddy-Daddy. You’re my favoritest Daddy-Daddy.”

He brushed a kiss against the top of her head. “And you’re my favoritest Emma-Emma.” He glanced up at Hannah. “Let me take a quick shower, and I’ll be ready for dinner.”

~*~

Hannah relaxed on one of the couches in the den. The fire in the fireplace danced in the evening light. She held up the red and white sweater. It was pretty much done except for the final fitting.

Matt was upstairs putting Emma to bed. He was a good father. The kind she would have liked to have had. But she’d never known hers. She’d barely known her mother. For years she’d mourned what she never had. But then, after her mother died, Aunt Leslie had taken her in, and the Lord redeemed her loss. She would never understand how two sisters could be so completely different. And while Leslie’s actions were kind, and loving, and wonderful, it still wasn’t the same as having a mother.

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