Homefront Holiday by Jillian Hart

Author:Jillian Hart [Hart, Jillian]
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2010-01-15T15:38:00+00:00

“I want this one!” Ali tilted his head all the way back to see to the very top of the giant spruce. He flung his arms wide. “It’s really big, Dr. Mike! I mean, Mike.”

What was he going to do with the kid? Mike shook his head. “That looks to be the biggest one in the whole lot. Trouble is, it won’t fit in Sarah’s living room.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.” He bit his tongue to keep from adding buddy. Whatever happened, this was nothing more than a rescue mission. He had come because the boy had been upset. He was the kind of man who did the right thing. This excursion with Ali was nothing more than a step away from the friends they used to be. He didn’t like it, not one bit, but that was the way life was sometimes. “Let’s look for something a little smaller.”

“Yep.” Ali blew out a breath of air, scrunching up his face, button-cute. The little guy tromped to the next grouping of trees, bright with wonder, as he studied each fir and spruce and pine imagining which would be his perfect Christmas tree.

“Not these two,” Mike pointed out, gesturing toward a pair of the Douglas firs. “Too tall.”

“How about this one?” Ali tugged on a lower branch of a spruce. “It’s almost as tall and it’s real soft. It’s got lots of arms.”

“Branches—” buddy. He bit off the word. “Let’s keep this one in mind and keep looking.”

“Someone else might get it.” A line of worry crinkled his forehead.

“I’ll take care of it.” Mike grabbed a sold tag from the kiosk and told the fellow there, “We’re still looking.”

“I get that all the time.” The older man winked. “You and your son take all the time looking you want.”

Your son.

“Thanks.” Not bothering to correct the man, he trailed after the little boy who darted from tree to tree. Protective urges roared to the surface.

What he felt was more than wanting to protect and provide for the boy. It was a soul-deep commitment to Ali’s life.

“Look at this, Mike!” The boy danced with excitement in front of a tall slender tree.

“I s-see.” The word stuck in his throat. He had to get his emotions under control.

“It’s not as good,” Ali decided after serious contemplation. “It’s too short and it’s pointy.”

“It’s a ponderosa pine. Their needles are stiffer.” Clinical, that was the way to handle this. “What else do you see?”

“Hmm.” Ali wandered off, staring up at the tops of the trees. “Is that one too tall?”

“You know it.” Mike winked. “We would have to cut a hole through Sarah’s attic and roof to get that tree to stand upright.”

Ali laughed, a happy, carefree sound. It was a tribute to Sarah and her loving heart that Ali was doing as well as he was. That he could set aside the hardships of his earlier life long enough to dance through a tree lot, imagining twinkle lights and Christmas angels hanging from branches.

What he couldn’t let himself admit was that he missed Sarah and her loving heart, too.

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