No Home for the Holidays by Lillian Duncan

Author:Lillian Duncan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: christian Fiction
Publisher: Pelican Book Group
Published: 2015-08-29T04:00:00+00:00

11

Colton walked outside, breathing in the fresh air. He shivered as he stared at Chloe’s motel door, tempted to go back in. Spend the night with her so she could relax and get some sleep.

There were two beds in the room, and it would make her feel so much safer. Don’t kid yourself, Colton. You aren’t thinking about her safety at all.

He opened the door to his own room.

~*~

Chloe sat on her bed. She needed to simply disappear and start over—again. The past few days seemed to have drained her of that resolve.

Colton kept promising her she’d be home for Christmas.

Her heart wanted that…so much, but her head knew it was impossible. Being with Colton was putting him in danger as well. The longer she stayed with him, the more she enjoyed having…a friend…a companion…someone to share her life.

Whoa. Getting emotionally involved would be a mistake—with him or with anyone. She wondered if he was this kind, this giving to everyone. Probably. After all, he was a preacher. He’d do this for anyone.

She wasn’t special.

But he made her feel special, safe, and protected.

Definitely time to leave.

Chloe gathered up her things. She ran her fingers over the tweed of the satchel. It was the only thing she had left from home. Taking a deep breath, she walked toward the door. Should she leave Colton a note? Yes. He deserved an explanation.

She opened the middle drawer of the desk. She picked up a notepad and saw a book. Chloe traced the letters. THE HOLY BIBLE. Tears filled her eyes. “I’m sorry I messed everything up.”

Colton would be upset no matter what she wrote so no reason to write anything. For a short time, she’d been blessed to have him in her life. Now who sounded like a preacher? Placing the notepad on the desk, she picked up her satchel. Her hand reached for the doorknob.

“Hey, Pink. You still awake?” Colton’s voice called through the adjoining door.

He really must be psychic.

“I’m awake.” She hoped he didn’t hear guilt in her voice.

“I just came across this verse. Made me think of you. Want to hear it?”

Not really. “Sure.”

“It says unless you become like children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that one before. Jesus loved the little children.”

“But what do you think it means?” His voice was insistent.

She leaned against the door, suddenly so tired she could barely stand. “I don’t know. What do you think it means?”

“It’s all about trust and faith. The kind children have. Especially the kind they have at Christmas. Think about it—kids believe in Santa because their parents tell them he exists. Even though it makes no sense, they believe.”

Chloe slid down to the floor with her back against the door. “And you want me to have that kind of faith in you?”

“No—not in me. In God.”

Tears leaked out. She used to believe. Still believed, but she also thought God had lost his patience with her. That she’d used up her quota of mistakes—sins, whatever one wanted to call them.

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