LITMIR.BIZ

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to insinuate her furry self against his legs, almost knocking him into the row of linked-together stakes.

      Squatting, he took refuge in the dog, scuffing her ears with both hands. “Did I remember to thank you last night?”

      “You just changed the subject.”

      He gave a little shrug. “So I did.”

      “Okay, I’ll let you off the hook—for now.” She lifted the hair off her neck, a habit of hers that Jesse liked. The movement was so utterly female. Erin had done that. Jade did it sometimes too.

      “What are you thanking me for? Or was that just a ruse you use to avoid answering my question?

      He shook his head. “No ruse. I owe you big-time.”

      “For what?”

      She really didn’t know?

      “About a dozen things. Looking after Jade until I got here. For supper.”

      “Such as it was.” She laughed, letting her hair tumble down. Even without the sunlight, her hair looked shiny and clean.

      “I’ve eaten worse than baloney sandwiches and sugar cookies.”

      “Don’t forget the fruit.” She tilted a wise man backwards and washed his ancient face. “Last night was fun, Jesse.”

      “Yeah.” No point in denying the truth. Rising, he gave Sushi one final stroke. “Most of all, I appreciate your patience with Jade about the dog. I know leaving her outside is a pain.”

      Lindsey captured him with her gaze. “I don’t want thanks for that, Jesse. I just want to see Jade confident and unafraid.”

      Taking up the next strand of lights waiting to be hung, he sighed. “Me, too.”

      “She’ll get there.” The wise man satisfactorily cleaned, she left him and the rest of the nativity. Coming up beside Jesse, she took one end of the lights, holding them in place while he secured them to the poles. “She’s already less fearful than when she first came.”

      “I noticed. She didn’t even fuss when I put her to bed last night. She said her guarding angel would watch her sleep.” He glanced toward her, noticed the curve of her cheek and the tilt of her lips, then quickly looked away. “She talked a lot about that.”

      “I hope you didn’t mind me telling her.”

      He hitched a shoulder, not wanting to go there. “It’s okay. Whatever works.”

      Lindsey laid a hand on his arm. “The Bible works because it’s true, Jesse,” she said, her smoky voice soft. “Aren’t you comforted knowing your own special angel watches over you?”

      The warmth of her fingers spread through his shirt sleeve. He tried to concentrate on twisting plastic fasteners.

      “Can’t say I’ve given it much thought.”

      “Maybe you should.” She dropped her hand and went back to straightening the tangle of lights, but her touch stayed with him like a promise made.

      Could Lindsey be right? Was there more to this Christian thing than he’d ever realized? Being around her and her church friends, witnessing her steadfast faith and the way she handled the bumps in her life with a certain assurance had him thinking about God with a fresh perspective. As a boy he’d believed, had even accepted Jesus as his savior at church camp when he was twelve. And then life had turned him upside down, and the God of the universe had seemed so far away.

      But why would a caring God, a God who assigned each person an angel, take a man’s wife and leave a little girl motherless? Why would He allow a vicious drunk to steal a boy’s home and toss him out on the streets to fend for himself? Where was God in that?

      He didn’t know. But more and more lately, he wanted to reconcile Lindsey’s God with the one in his head.

      “Silent Night” drifted into his awareness. Lindsey moved away, back to the nativity. Other than the floodlights she’d asked him to rig up, the set looked ready to him. As she adjusted the sheep and fluffed the hay inside the manger, joy practically oozed from her.

      Sure she was happy. Why shouldn’t she be? Other than losing her elderly grandparents, Lindsey had probably never had a moment’s heartache in her life. Loving God and exuding tranquility was easy for her.

      Frustrated at his line of depressive thinking, he yanked hard on a tangled cord, and turned his mind to more important matters—his search.

      They had trees to haul this week which would give him the time and opportunity to ask questions in town. Yesterday at the courthouse he’d slipped up once, expressing to the clerk his interest in the transaction that gave Lindsey’s grandfather ownership of the Christmas Tree Farm. When the woman had looked at him curiously, he’d covered his tracks with vague remarks about Lindsey’s plans for expansion. If only he could talk freely with someone like Clarence or Loraine Stone, the couple who claimed to have known Charlie Mitchell so well. Sooner or later, by biding his time and listening, he’d have his opportunity.

      After dusting and organizing the main pieces of the nativity, Lindsey went back to the storage shed for the final figure—the eight-foot-tall animated camel who blinked long-lashed eyes and mooed. She tugged and pulled, careful not to damage the heavy object in the journey across the rough field. Stopping to readjust, she saw Jesse leap the fence and trot in her direction.

      “Why didn’t you say something?”

      “I can get it.”

      With a look of exasperation, he hoisted the camel into his strong arms. “You shouldn’t have to. That’s why you hired me.”

      Oddly touched and feeling more like a helpless female than she’d ever felt in her life, Lindsey traipsed along beside him. How could she not admire this man? Every time she turned around, he was lifting work from her shoulders, both literally and figuratively. She’d never seen anyone work so hard for so little pay. And for all his silences and secrets, Jesse had a way of making her feel special.

      Lindsey wasn’t sure if that was such a good idea, given the spiritual differences between them, but she liked Jesse Slater. And she loved his little girl.

      As if he’d heard her thoughts of Jade, Jesse spoke. His voice came from the opposite side of the camel’s hump.

      “Jade will be excited when she sees all this.”

      “You don’t think she’ll be disappointed that we did so much without her?” She’d worried about that all day. After the way Jade had begged to take part, Lindsey didn’t want her hurt. But setting up the farm for Christmas took time.

      “I explained to her last night that we’d have to do most of the work today. She was okay with it as long as she gets to do something.”

      A jingle bell came loose from the saddle and Lindsey ducked beneath the camel’s neck to retrieve it.

      “I promised to save the ‘best stuff’ until she gets here. She and I are going to put up the wreaths and decorate that tree up front.” She pointed toward the entrance, the bell in hand jingling merrily. “And she can flip on the lights as soon as the sun sets. I hope that’s enough.”

      Jesse’s silver eyes, lit by an inner smile, slanted toward her. “You’re amazing with her, you know it?”

      Buoyed by the compliment, Lindsey shook the bell at him and grinned. “I cheat. I use Christmas.”

      The teasing admission moved the smile from Jesse’s eyes to his lips, changing his rugged, bad-boy expression into a breathtaking sight. That solitary action shot a thrill stronger than adrenaline through Lindsey. Someday, she’d break all the way through the ice he’d built around himself and make him smile all the time.

      Startled at such thinking, Lindsey rushed ahead to open the gate. Where had that come from? Jesse was her employee and maybe her friend. But that was all he could be.

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