Behind Frosted Lace by Mercy Celeste

Author:Mercy Celeste [Celeste, Mercy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MJC Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Caleb sat under the tree he and Darcy had decorated earlier that week. There weren't many decorations on the branches. Nothing from his life had migrated with him when he'd come to Oregon. They'd strung fake popcorn and cranberry garland around a fresh fir and set a Capiz shell star on top. Their first Christmas together and it very nearly hadn't happened.

"Papa Noel comes tonight, yes." He told Darcy's little nephew as he helped him figure out the controls on the toddler remote control car.

"Who is Papa No… Uncle Caleb?" The little boy, Jared, asked in his child's voice, giving him a look that said Caleb was one skid shy of a full rocker. Caleb smiled at the honorific that he didn't deserve. He wasn't legally anything to Darcy, but he felt the glow of acceptance even if it was from a four-year-old.

"Papa Noel is what we call Santa Claus in New Orleans, p'tit boug. In New Orleans, because there is no snow, Papa Noel, brings toys to the little children in a pirogue pulled by eight alligators." Caleb told the little boy as he raced his car under the wrapping paper littering the floor. He looked up to find Darcy watching him from the dining room table they'd found the day before they brought up the tree. The sectional and the new table was their only real furniture still, but the place was starting to look like home.

"Will Papa Noel bring the alligators to my house tonight?" Jared wrecked his car and handed the remote over to Caleb for help.

"It's a long way from the bayou, but maybe." Caleb cast a helpless glance up to the kid's mama. He'd have to remember to run down to the bookstore to see if they had a copy of any Papa Noel story. Maybe Cajun Night Before Christmas. "What do you think Santa will bring you?"

"A pony," Jared said with a laugh as if it was something Caleb should have known.

"Oh, really, I had a pony, what are you going to name it?" He asked just as Darcy laughed and the kid's mother started shaking her head; she looked horrified. Caleb had to backpedal fast. "Ponies take up a lot of room. He'll need a big field to run in."

"Oh, well, we have a back yard. I haven't thought about a name yet." The car was working again and the boy seemed to have forgotten the topic. He ran off chasing the car, barely missing his little brother as he passed.

Caleb climbed off the floor with a grunt and went to join Darcy and Darcy's brother at the table. The remains of breakfast still lingered, but Caleb wasn't hungry. "Sorry Damien, I didn't mean to get his hopes up like that."

"Don't worry about it, he's four. Tomorrow he'll want a race car or to be Thor," Damien replied as the boy came barreling into his lap. "And who knows, maybe that Papa Noel fella might just have something special in his boat after all.

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