Twilight Christmas: A Carolina Coast Novella (Carolina Coast Novels Book 3) by Fischer Normandie

Author:Fischer, Normandie [Fischer, Normandie]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9780986141683
Publisher: Sleepy Creek Press
Published: 2016-11-27T05:00:00+00:00

* * *

Clay was coming out of the bathroom when he spotted Ty heading toward him wearing his shepherd garb. “What d’you think?” the boy asked, hooking his fingers in the rope at his waist.

They were alone in the hallway. Clay braced one hand on the wall and cocked his head to check out the newly constructed costume. “Yep, you look exactly like a shepherd. Just need a few sheep.”

Ty mimicked his position, but he couldn’t hold it—or stand still. “And a dog. Dogs are good with sheep. Do you think the shepherds back then used dogs?”

Clay pretended to consider that. “That’s a great question. I wonder if there’s a way we could find out?”

“You never see dogs in the pictures, do you? But why not? Didn’t they have dogs?”

“I bet they did. Why don’t you do some research and let me know?”

Ty grinned. “I could. We have that computer you gave us last year.”

“Glad it’s getting used, but I’m not going to sleep easily until you find out about Holy Land dogs and fill me in.”

“You think they were holy dogs?” At first Ty only grinned, but he found his own joke so funny, he broke into a full-on laugh, falling back against the wall.

Clay waited for the laughter to die. “That was a good one.”

“Holy dogs…”

“You find any, you let me know.”

When he finally sobered, the boy said, “Sir?”

Clay’d been about to turn away, but that stopped him. “Yes, son?” Using the word brought about the same quick heart twist it always did.

“You still going to Raleigh on Christmas?”

“I told them I would. What about you? What are you and your mama and Katie going to do?”

“I don’t know. Mama hasn’t talked about it much since she got the letter about having to move.”

“Has Miss Rita been helping her with that?”

“Yeah. She said she’d write the man a letter. I don’t know what happened then.”

“Are you worried about it? About where you’ll live?”

“Kinda.” Ty balanced one foot against the wall and hung his head. When he looked up, his eyes were damp. “I wish we could live with you.”

Clay laid a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “I know. I do too. But your mama doesn’t want to.”

Ty cleared his throat. “You know she wakes up screaming some nights?”

That got Clay’s attention. Screaming? “You think she’s having nightmares?”

Ty nodded. “Yeah. Sometimes she talks in her sleep. And she’s not so quiet, so I know. She’s thinking about Roy.”

Clay released a huge sigh. Maybe that was the root of it. Her inability to let it all go.

Could it be that simple?

“Thank you for telling me.” He straightened and pulled the boy close. He could hear voices coming from the main room, so he made the hug quick and hard.

This new information made him take another look at his own motivations. Hadn’t he wanted to give up on loving her? Thought about it, because it seemed she’d never get past her fears to let him in? Even imagined that his love for her might stem from her neediness and his desire to fix things?

He had.

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