Shenandoah Christmas. Lynnette Kent

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СКАЧАТЬ stuck out her lower lip. “Apple juice, I guess, Grandma.”

      “Excuse me?” Her father’s voice was stern.

      The little girl got the message. “Please could I have apple juice, Grandma?” She glanced at her brother, who nodded without looking up. “And for Shep, too.”

      “Right away. Ben, what can I get you?”

      “Nothing, thanks. I need to get back to the house.”

      “Oh, but—” To her husband’s surprise, Peggy actually blushed. “I thought you might stay for dinner tonight. I made a big pot roast and…invited some extra people.”

      That was a surprise. Friday nights were supposed to be just for the grandkids.

      Ben evidently had similar ideas. “Thanks, Peggy, but some other time.” Backing up, he reached for the door handle. As he touched it, the bell rang. He gave his usual half grin. “I’ll get it.”

      The grin widened when he glanced outside. “Hi, Anna. How are you? You’re looking great, as usual.” He drew Anna Remington into the house with his left hand and extended his right to her husband. “Hey, Pastor Dave. What’s going on?”

      In the midst of giving Anna a kiss on the cheek, Harry saw Ben’s jaw drop for a second, saw him swallow hard. “Come in. Please.”

      Harry understood Ben’s shock when Caitlyn Gregory stepped across the threshold. Anna was a sweet and pretty woman, but her sister…well. Caitlyn wasn’t wearing anything fancy, just a gold sweater and a long, narrow black skirt. But she lit up the room like a Roman candle.

      He cleared his throat. “Ms. Gregory, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Harry Shepherd.”

      “I’m pleased to meet you, Mr. Shepherd.” She crossed the front hall to shake his hand. That voice alone would scramble a man’s brains. Which might be why Ben was still standing by the open door, letting in the October chill.

      “Cait, this is Peggy.” Anna brought her sister farther into the living room. “And I think you know Maddie and Shep.”

      “I certainly do. Two of my favorite choir members.” She smiled at Peggy. “Thanks for inviting me, Mrs. Shepherd.”

      Peg waved away the formality, as she always did. “Harry and Peggy will do just fine, Caitlyn. And this is Ben Tremaine. Our son-in-law.”

      The singer turned back toward Ben with what looked like reluctance. She put out a hand. “How do you do?”

      Ben barely brushed her palm with his. “Good to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Their eyes locked for a second, then each looked away. Ben finally shut the front door.

      Harry stared at his wife, a suspicion forming in his brain. Was there more to this dinner than just friends getting together?

      But Peg was immersed in her hostess role, not open to receiving unspoken messages. “Harry will take your coats. Anna, you sit yourself down on the sofa. I’ll bring some juice for you and the children. David, Caitlyn, will you have something? A glass of wine, perhaps?”

      The younger woman smiled. “Wine, please.”

      The minister took a seat next to his wife. “That would be great, Peggy.”

      She looked at Ben. “You’ll be staying, of course. What can I get you?”

      Taking Ben’s jacket as he shrugged it off, Harry heard him sigh. Then he said, “A glass of wine sounds good. Can I help?”

      “No, no. Y’all just sit and talk. I’ll be right back.” Peg disappeared toward the kitchen. Harry shut the front door, then went to lay the coats on the bed in the guest room. When he returned to the living room, only Maddie was attempting conversation. Shep was busy landing his supersonic aircraft under the coffee table.

      “My friend Brenna says you’re a big star.” The little girl bit into a cracker and chewed for a second, staring seriously at Caitlyn Gregory, then swallowed. “Do you like singing for people?”

      “All I wanted to be—when I grew up—was a singer.” Cait sat in the armchair closest to the children, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. She wore a column of thin gold bracelets on each wrist, which drew attention to her pretty hands.

      “Our dad used to say Cait sang before she could talk,” Anna told Maddie.

      Harry, watching closely, saw the singer’s mouth tighten, then relax. “That might be true. I sang at church a lot, when I was young.”

      “I like to sing,” Maddie confided, as a cracker crumbled through her fingers onto the carpet.

      Caitlyn nodded, which set her long gold earrings to swaying. “And you have a very good voice. You help the other children learn the songs.”

      “My daddy sings, too.”

      “I’m sure he does.” Caitlyn lifted her chin, almost defiantly, and gazed at Ben. “I could tell when we talked that he would have a nice singing voice.”

      “You’ve already met?” Peg returned with a tray of drinks. “I didn’t know that.” She looked a little put out.

      Oh, Peg, Harry groaned silently. What are you trying to pull off this time?

      “We ran into each other only this afternoon, as a matter of fact,” Ben drawled, his voice dry. “In the meat department at Food Depot. Over pot roast.”

      HE COULD HAVE introduced himself. Cait took the glass of white wine Peggy offered and held the cool bowl between her palms. Her face felt hot, which probably meant she was blushing.

      Why had Ben Tremaine pretended not to recognize her? She’d been teaching his children in choir for three weeks. Maybe he’d never heard a single one of her recordings, but she and Anna looked enough alike that he would have known right away whom he was talking to. This was a small town. So far, Cait hadn’t met a single person who didn’t already know who she was and why she was here.

      But Ben Tremaine hadn’t even bothered to make her acquaintance through a simple exchange of names. If he’d been married, that would have been a reason, she supposed, for him to steer clear of a single woman who’d made it clear she found him attractive.

      That was not quite the case, however. Anna had explained the situation during the drive to the Shepherds’ house tonight. Ben’s wife—Harry and Peggy’s daughter—had been killed in a car wreck. Shep had been in the car with her, and though his physical injuries were minor, he hadn’t spoken a word since. That accounted for why he was attentive, but completely silent, during choir practice. As for Maddie—losing her mother’s love and attention in such a tragic way had caused the little girl to hoard every bit of affection or praise she received.

      And Ben must still be in deep mourning for his wife. Did that absolve him from simple friendliness?

      Evidently. “Dinner’s ready,” Peggy Shepherd announced, waving through a wide doorway toward the table. Anna had mentioned that this house was one of the town’s oldest, dating back to the early 1800s; beautiful wainscoting and woodwork СКАЧАТЬ