A Love Inspired Christmas Bundle. Линда Гуднайт

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      When Lindsey and Jade returned sometime later, Jesse had shed his jacket and rolled back his shirtsleeves. The work felt good, cleansing somehow, and he wanted to stay right here until nightfall.

      “That was fun, Daddy.” Jade pranced toward him with a strand of shiny silver garland thrown around her neck like a boa. “Lindsey let me bring this to decorate a tree.”

      “Little early for that isn’t it?” He tried not to react, tried to pretend the sight of anything Christmassy didn’t send a spear right through his heart. But visions of gaily-wrapped gifts spilled out around a crushed blue car still haunted him.

      Lindsey shrugged. “It’s never too early for Christmas. Looks like you’ve been busy.”

      He’d filled and emptied the wheelbarrow several times, clearing all the rows she’d trimmed today.

      “Impressed?”

      She rested her hands on her hipbones and smiled. “As a matter of fact, I am.”

      “Good.” Yanking off his gloves, he resisted returning the smile. “What’s next?”

      “Nothing for now. It will be dark soon.”

      She was right. Already the sun bled onto the trees atop the mountain. Darkness would fall like a rock, hard and fast. He’d run away once into the woods behind the farm and darkness had caught him unaware. He’d spent that night curled beneath a tree, praying for help that never came.

      “Guess Jade and I should be heading home then.”

      Knocking the dust off his gloves, he stuffed them into a back pocket, letting the cloth fingers dangle against his jeans.

      “Did you find a house to rent today?”

      “Your friend Debbie hooked me up. Sent me to the mobile-home park on the edge of town.”

      She picked up his jacket, swatted the pine needles away and handed him the faded denim. “Is it a nice place?”

      He repressed a bitter laugh and tossed the jacket over one shoulder. Anything was nice after living in your truck. When Jade had seen the tiny space, she’d been ecstatic.

      “The trailer will do until something better comes along.” He couldn’t tell her that the something better was the farm she called home.

      By mutual consent they fell in step and left the tree lot, Jade scampering along between them, deliberately crunching as many leaves as possible.

      Before they reached his truck, Lindsey said, “I have extra linens, dishes and such if you could use them.”

      Don’t be so nice. Don’t make me like you.

      He opened the door and boosted Jade into the cab. “We’re all right for now.”

      “But you will let me know if you discover something you need, won’t you?”

      Grabbing the door frame, he swung himself into the driver’s seat.

      “Sure.” Not in a hundred years. What he needed was somewhere in the courthouse in Winding Stair and she didn’t need to know a thing about it—yet. He’d planned to start his investigation today, but finding a place to live had eaten up all his time. Soon though. Very soon he would have the farm he’d coveted for the past eighteen years.