Jingle Bell Romance. Mia Ross

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СКАЧАТЬ all that, and he crouched down to put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Lainie. I didn’t mean to open all that up again.”

      “It’s not your fault.” She sniffled, gazing at him with the loving little-sister look he’d missed all these years. “It was never your fault. Every night, I pray that someday you’ll believe that.”

      She meant well, and the thought of her praying for him should have made him feel better. Instead, it shoved his temper into high gear, and he fought to keep his voice calm. “Save your prayers for someone who really needs them. I’m fine.”

      “No, you’re not,” she insisted with the same trademark McHenry stubbornness she’d accused him of. “I don’t care how indestructible you think you are. No one’s strong enough to handle everything on their own.”

      “It’s a nice thought.” Standing, he kissed her forehead before stepping back. “But you’re wasting your time praying for me.”

      Gasping, she stared at him as if he’d slapped her. “How could you possibly think that?”

      “God only answers if He cares. He stopped caring about me a long time ago.”

      Because he’d had more than enough theology for one day, Nick pulled up his coat collar and headed outside. It would be cold out there, but at least it would be quiet.

      * * *

      After an enjoyable but exhausting Saturday at Toyland, Julia welcomed the quiet of Sunday morning. Walking to the small church across the square, she met up with several others doing the same thing. They all greeted her with a smile, and they chatted along the way. A weekly tradition for her, it was a very pleasant start to the day.

      Inside the old-fashioned chapel, Julia slid into her usual spot beside the Martins. After greeting everyone, she glimpsed the pastor’s wife, Ann McHenry, sitting with the choir and sent her a subtle wave. The woman beamed and nodded back, and Julia realized she was looking into the same eyes Nick had. The difference was that Ann’s had a permanent sparkle in them, as if she looked into the world and saw something amusing every day.

      Her son’s held barely restrained contempt, with the occasional glint of interest when something snared his attention. During her life in the diplomatic arena, Julia had met hundreds of people, and she’d developed a knack for reading them. None of that helped her with Nick, she thought with a frown as she opened her hymnal. From what she’d seen, the man was a mystery wrapped in an enigma.

      “Did Nick get to the airport all right?” she asked Lainie.

      “His flight got delayed ’til tomorrow. He stayed up late working last night, so he was still asleep when we left to come here. He probably wouldn’t have come anyway,” she added with a grimace. “Stubborn’s not the word for him sometimes.”

      Julia had no trouble believing that, but she suspected his challenging demeanor was his way of keeping people at a distance. Sadly, it was a strategy she understood all too well. Trusting by nature, she’d learned the hard way that when you let someone too close, they discovered all kinds of things about you. That kind of intimate knowledge gave them a chance to hurt you so deeply, it took all your strength just to put one foot in front of the other.

      The organ’s mellow chords pulled her from her dismal thoughts, and she gladly let them go. After their first hymn, Pastor Daniel McHenry moved out from behind his lectern and held his arms open wide. “Welcome, one and all, to the Safe Harbor Church. If you’re joining us for the first time this morning, feel free to introduce yourself.”

      It was a no-pressure way to bring them into the fold, and the few brave enough to stand were greeted warmly by the pastor. She’d never known Pastor McHenry to have a harsh word for anyone. His wife and daughter were the same way. So what had happened with Nick? It must have been something horrible to drive a wedge so firmly between him and his father.

      “Today’s sermon comes from Luke and is inspired by my very generous wife.” Pausing, he smiled back at Ann before facing the gathering again. “Give, and it will be given to you.”

      The line reminded Julia of her mother’s gentle advice, and she listened closely as he continued with a lesson about giving of yourself to make God’s world a better place. “Generosity isn’t only for the wealthy with money to spare,” he reminded them. “Share what you have—your time, your skills, your patience—to make someone else’s life better. That,” he assured them, “is Jesus’s enduring message, and the true spirit of Christmas.”

      Julia normally had no trouble following the pastor’s heartfelt sermons, but her mind kept drifting to the new impressions she’d gotten of his family since meeting Nick. Every family had their troubles, but the McHenrys’ seemed to run much deeper than most. From the sketchy details Lainie had shared about her brother, Julia gathered that she and her mom had given up on fixing the problem between the father and son and were settling for civility on the few occasions they were forced to be together.

      Throughout his distinguished career, Julia’s father had brought countless adversaries together to devise an acceptable truce between them. Some situations required more effort than others, but his remarkable success with sworn enemies spoke for itself. Over the years, she’d picked up some of those skills from observing him and often used them with people who seemed intent on making her life difficult. Could she use those skills here?

      Lainie nudged her, and Julia stood for the next hymn. When her friend gave her a puzzled look, Julia simply smiled back. Unlike so many others, the Martins and McHenrys hadn’t labeled her a spoiled rich girl based on her nice clothes and exotic jewelry. Instead, they’d taken the time to get to know her and had made her feel like part of their family. Grateful beyond words, she wanted to do something that would make this Christmas extra special for them.

      In that moment, it came to her. Of all the gifts she could give them, Julia knew which one would mean the most.

      She’d broker peace between Nick and his father.

      Nick himself had set the wheels in motion by coming home for Thanksgiving. To Julia, that proved the situation wasn’t entirely hopeless, but she recognized she couldn’t manage such a monumental task on her own.

      Looking up, she closed her eyes and silently prayed for help in mending the McHenrys’ broken family. After a few moments, a sense of calm settled over her, assuring her she’d been heard and an answer was on the way.

      Chapter Three

      When Nick stepped outside to check on the snowfall, he heard the chorus of “Rudolph” coming from across the yard and found his brother-in-law singing along with the radio while he shoveled the driveway. Todd Martin was new in town, which in Holiday Harbor meant he’d been around less than ten years, arriving after Nick had left for New York. While Todd must have had heard plenty of negative things about him, apparently he didn’t hold any of them against Nick.

      “You know that’s a losing cause around here, right?” Nick teased.

      Todd laughed. “Yeah, but someone’s gotta do it. Lainie’s with the kids, so I’m elected.”

      “In that case, do you have another shovel?”

      Glancing at Nick’s stylish leather boots, he grinned. “You’re not exactly dressed for manual labor.”

      “I’ll be fine.” Noticing a smaller shovel СКАЧАТЬ