The Secret Christmas Child. Lee McClain Tobin

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      Above and beyond. That didn’t surprise her; Reese had always gone the extra mile without thinking of his own convenience. “I’m here for my brother,” she told him, even though he hadn’t asked. But talking seemed to calm her nerves, at least a little. “He’s staying with me and Nana and...me and Nana. For the holidays.” She should have just casually mentioned Izzy—Oh, didn’t you know I have a baby?—but she didn’t, even though this would be Izzy’s first Christmas, and Gabby hoped to make it special. Keeping Izzy’s existence a secret from Reese was a cowardly thing, and fruitless—he’d find out soon enough—but she was pretty sure it would upset him, and at 6:00 a.m., she couldn’t handle that. “I thought there’d be coffee here. Didn’t the station used to be open, with a little concession area?”

      “Hard times.” He nodded at the steaming cup he was carrying. “I’d offer you some of mine, but...”

      He didn’t have to say it. There had been a time when sharing a beverage would have been as normal as breathing, but that time was past. “It’s okay,” she said. “Good for me. I’m too addicted.”

      “Where’s your brother coming from?” He frowned down at her. “Did I even know you had a brother?”

      “Probably not,” she said. “He’s my half brother, and I didn’t really know him, didn’t talk about him much. He grew up with Mom.” She was over her resentment about that, mostly. Mom had raised her son—well, she’d done the best she could—but she’d dumped her daughter on Nana without a backward glance. “He’s been at Smith Military Academy since September.”

      “That’s where the kid I’m picking up—” he gestured toward the tracks “—that’s where he’s coming from, too.”

      A whistle, high and mournful, blew their way on a gust of cold wind, and then a light appeared way down the track. A moment later the train’s engine was audible. Both Reese and Gabby stood.

      Dawn was just lightening the edge of the sky when two boys disembarked from the train, the only passengers to do so. As they put down their duffels, stretched and looked around, the train pulled away again.

      “Hey, Mr. Markowski!” The blond boy stuck out a hand in polite greeting.

      “Connor. Hope you had a good trip. This is Gabby Hanks.”

      “Hi,” Gabby said with a quick smile for the boy, but she was distracted with staring at her brother. He’d shot up several inches since she’d last seen him, and young as he was, it looked like he needed a shave. Dark circles beneath his eyes and a pallor to his skin made him look less than healthy.

      Maybe it was just that it was early. Teens didn’t do well with early.

      She opened her arms and pulled him into a hug. “It’s good to see you, Jacob.”

      He didn’t hug her back, but he submitted to her affection, probably the best you could expect from a fifteen-year-old boy.

      They all turned and walked toward the parking lot. Each of the boys carried a small duffel bag, and they wore khakis and heavy wool jackets, identical. Must have been some kind of civilian uniform from the military academy.

      “So you two know each other?” Reese asked, clearly trying to make conversation.

      “Yeah. Some. He’s a year ahead of me.” Connor looked more than a year younger than Jacob, but then, kids developed at such different rates.

      As Gabby walked along, half beside and half behind her silent brother, the reality of what the next few weeks would be like started to settle in.

      Nana was sick. She was insistent that she could take care of Izzy, but even if that turned out to be the case, she wouldn’t have much energy left to entertain Jacob. Gabby herself would be busy working full-time. And anyway, a fifteen-year-old boy didn’t want to hang out with his grandmother and his older half sister whom he barely knew.

      The wireless connection in Nana’s house was spotty at best, so the internet as entertainment couldn’t be counted on.

      Watching Reese talk easily with the other boy, Gabby got a brainstorm, the obvious solution. “Go ahead and get in the car,” she said to Jacob, tossing him the keys. “I’m going to talk to Reese for a minute.”

      She caught Reese’s eye and beckoned him over. “What’s the age range for boys in your kids’ program?” she asked.

      “We don’t have an official limit, but I think our youngest is eleven and our oldest, let’s see, he’s fifteen.” He clicked open his car for Connor. “Why do you ask?”

      “How do kids get into the program? Could Jacob participate?”

      “There’s paperwork to be done,” he said, frowning. “It’s based on financial need.”

      “Pretty sure he has that. He’s on scholarship at school, I know.”

      Reese’s brow wrinkled, and he started to shake his head. He was going to say no.

      “Please, Reese? It’s just for the Christmas break.” She lowered her voice. “He’ll go nuts with boredom at Nana’s, and that wouldn’t be good for a kid with his history.”

      Reese looked thoughtfully toward Gabby’s car, where Jacob was fiddling with the radio. His face softened. “I know what that’s like. I’ll see what I can do.”

      “Thank you.” She shot Reese a grateful smile and then hurried over to the passenger side of her car and opened the door. “Jacob, come out and talk to Reese a minute. He’s involved with a program that might be really good for you over this break.”

      Jacob didn’t look particularly thrilled, but he dutifully came out of the car, walked around to where Reese was standing, wiped his hand on his jeans and held it out to shake.

      Gabby did the introductions. “Reese Markowski, I’d like to present Jacob Hanks, my brother.”

      “Pleased to meet you,” Reese said.

      But Jacob’s lip curled and he pulled back his hand. “Markowski? As in, the Markowskis who live on Elder Lane?”

      Reese nodded. “That’s my aunt and uncle. Do you know them?”

      “Oh, I know them,” Jacob said. “I know them well enough to know that I don’t want anything to do with them, or any program they’re connected with.”

      “Jacob! Be polite!” Gabby knew the Markowskis could be hard to deal with, but she didn’t want Jacob to ruin his chances to do something constructive with his break. “I didn’t know you’d ever spent enough time here to meet Reese’s aunt and uncle.”

      “Last summer,” he growled, and then Gabby remembered. She’d been so overwhelmed over on the other side of the state, what with working and caring for Izzy, that she’d barely registered the fact that Jacob had visited Nana last summer. Now that she thought about it, Nana had told her the visit was going on a bit longer than scheduled.

      Reese’s eyes narrowed. “What happened?”

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