LITMIR.BIZ

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get here sometime, but it might not be before Christmas.”

      “But they have to! I think Mommy wrapped up my puppy!”

      Chapter Three

      ALL three adults stared at the little boy.

      “What?” Molly asked, not sure she’d heard correctly.

      “Oh, no!” Elizabeth said, covering her mouth with her hand.

      Richard drew a deep breath. “Toby, I don’t think that would’ve been possible. Puppies can’t live in a closedup box.”

      Once again tears formed in Toby’s eyes. “But my mommy promised me a puppy for Christmas!”

      Molly automatically put her arm around Toby. “Richard isn’t saying your mommy wasn’t getting you a puppy. He’s just saying it wasn’t wrapped up. She’d probably made arrangements for picking up the puppy on Christmas Eve.”

      “So I’ll still get my puppy?”

      Molly looked at Richard. She figured he should be the one to answer that question. She couldn’t imagine a dog in their elegant home.

      “Uh, no, I don’t think so. We don’t know where she’d purchased a dog.”

      Toby slumped back in his chair, devastation on his face.

      Molly squeezed his shoulder and said softly, “Finish your dinner like a big boy, Toby.”

      He sat up straighter and looked at Molly for approval. She managed a smile for him, hoping he wouldn’t realize how much she sympathized with him. It would only make him weaker.

      “I’m sure Santa will bring you some wonderful presents, Toby,” Elizabeth assured him.

      Toby managed a smile for his grandmother.

      Elizabeth immediately rang the bell. When Louisa entered, she said, “We’re ready for dessert now, Louisa, please.”

      Richard looked at his mother in surprise. “We are?”

      “Yes, I believe Toby has finished his meal and dessert will make him feel better.” Again she smiled at Toby, ignoring Richard’s half-filled plate.

      With a sigh and a regretful look as Louisa collected his plate, Richard said, “Dessert must be good tonight, Toby. We don’t always get any dessert.”

      “Me, neither. But I like dessert,” Toby added, again managing a smile for his grandmother.

      Molly hid her smile, afraid Richard would guess she was laughing inside about his consternation as his plate was taken from him. But he was being a good sport about it, which earned him marks in her book, in spite of his lack of warmth toward her.

      Dessert was chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream—Toby’s favorite. Molly ate some of it, but she didn’t clean her plate like the two males did.

      Elizabeth didn’t touch hers, seeming more engrossed in Toby’s enjoyment of the dessert.

      After dinner was over, Molly suggested Toby tell his relatives good-night and she’d take him up to bed. Since saying good-night at home had included kisses and hugs for his parents, Toby hugged his grandmother, much to her delight, and kissed her cheek. Then he moved on to Richard and did the same.

      To Molly’s relief, both of them appeared grateful for Toby’s nightly ritual. Molly took the boy’s hand and led him up the stairs to his room.

      “You did really well tonight, Toby,” Molly told him as he was preparing for his bath. She’d already run the bathwater as soon as they’d reached his room.

      He raised his head to stare at her. “What do you mean?”

      “Well, you used good table manners, and you behaved very well when you realized you might not get a dog for Christmas.”

      “Yeah. I want a puppy so much. But I guess a dog wouldn’t do so well in this big house. He might get lost.”

      “Yes, he might. After you have a bath, I’ll read you a story,” Molly said, trying to recall the books she’d packed. “I don’t know which books I packed. Is there one you want me to read?”

      “Any of the Berenstain Bear books. They’re a lot of fun. And I can read them myself.”

      “Ah. Good. Then I’ll let you read one to me tonight. And I might buy a copy of Charlotte’s Web. Have you ever read that book?”

      “No, but my mommy was going to read it to me if Santa brought me it.”

      “Okay. Well, tonight, we’ll stick to the Berenstain Bears. Go hop in and take your bath. I’ll go see if your uncle will loan you a T-shirt for the night. We should be able to get one of his over your casts.”

      “Do you think he’ll mind?” Toby asked hesitantly.

      “Why do you ask that?” She was afraid her attitude toward Richard might have been passed on to Toby without her realizing it.

      “He—he scares me a little bit.”

      “I think that’s just because you don’t know him well yet. I’ll be right back.” Molly smiled at Toby and left his room. She didn’t know how to avoid speaking to Richard. She wished she did. But she couldn’t make a big deal about it. Otherwise, she might think about him like Toby did. As the enemy.

      She ran downstairs, but she didn’t find Richard in the dining room. She went into the kitchen and asked Louisa if she knew where Richard had gone.

      “Yes, ma’am,” said the Mexican woman about her own age. “He went upstairs to his room.”

      She got directions from Louisa and ran back up the stairs, turning to the right until she reached the bedroom opposite Elizabeth’s. She tapped softly on the door and waited. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was like Daniel about to enter the lion’s den.

      Richard settled in a comfortable chair in front of his fireplace, warmed by the fire. He had some legal reading to catch up on.

      But his mind was filled with the evening he’d just spent downstairs. There was no question that Toby’s arrival had changed the dynamics of the household. He was rethinking his plan of turning the little boy over to his nurse and continuing on with his life. After all, he had just about completed his reworking of his father’s law firm. Instead of personal injury cases, he had changed the focus to corporate law.

      He thought he’d finally be able to return to the pleasant life he’d always led. For the past eighteen months, he’d dealt with the law firm and with his mother. While he and his father had not agreed in many things, he had truly mourned his death. And feared he’d soon lose his mother. Tonight, as she’d focused all her attention on Toby, she appeared to have grown younger before Richard’s very eyes.

      He wondered if Molly had come to that same conclusion. He’d noticed how closely she’d watched his mother. It would be nice to be able to talk to her about his mother. After all, she was a nurse.

      He shouldn’t be thinking about Molly as a friend. He was paying her salary. That would be like asking Delores for advice. Of course, he’d done that. After all, Delores had been with them for more than twenty years. And Molly didn’t look anything like the plump, dark-haired Delores, either. He immediately shut that thought away.

      But thoughts of Molly persisted in spite of his efforts to concentrate on other things. Her hair had glinted in the light from the chandelier in the dining room, sparking more red tonight than he’d noticed before. Concern had filled her green eyes when Toby had made his statement about the puppy he was expecting. Richard had been tempted to laugh until he’d seen Molly’s reaction.

      With a sigh, he tried again to put away all thoughts of Molly. As beautiful as she was, she had no place in his life. Unfortunately, for the last eighteen months no woman had had a place in his life, except his mother.

      Prior

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