LITMIR.BIZ

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more. He wore jeans and a dark flannel shirt. He looked foreboding. A chill slid through her that had nothing to do with the temperature. His hair was long and his face unshaven, as if he didn’t care, which Lacey knew he didn’t. His jeans and shirt seemed to hang on his thin body. He probably ate very little, but he still was a very handsome man in roguish sort of way.

      “Would you please keep your sister out of my yard?” The words were cold and sharp, just as he’d intended, she was sure.

      She stepped around his dark presence and went to Emma, who was kneeling by Pepper. The black lab was lying in a dog bed and Emma was stroking her.

      She reached for Emma’s arm. “Let’s go. You’re not supposed to be here.”

      Emma looked at her with beseeching eyes. “But Pepper wants me here.”

      The dog whimpered as if it were in pain. Was the dog sick? It was none of her business, she had to remind herself. She tugged on Emma’s arm and half dragged her back toward the gate.

      It was a chilly winter night and Emma just had on her PJs. “Run to the house. I’ll be right there.”

      Emma glanced at Gabe and then raced for the back door.

      Lacey faced the dark knight, not sure what to say, but she knew she had to say something.

      Gabe didn’t give her time to voice her feelings. “If she comes into my yard one more time, I’m nailing the gate shut.”

      Lacey looked into his eyes. If she had never known or felt pain, she would know what it was by that one glance. The crevices around his eyes were permanently etched in place as if forged by fire. His eyes were hollow, dark pits, and the only emotion he showed was the anger that flared from their depths. Normally, when she saw all the angst on his face, her retorts died on her lips. The man had been hurt enough. But today she didn’t back down.

      “That gate is half mine, and if you nail it shut, I will un-nail it.” She was ready for battle, but then he did his usual thing. He turned and walked away.

Chapter Two

      Gabe tuned out the woman. He had no desire to talk to her or anyone. He didn’t understand why she couldn’t respect his privacy. When Jack was alive, Gabe had had no problems. Now the kid was out of control and the woman had no idea how to handle her. Both of them had tried his patience for the last time. He would nail the gate shut without a second thought.

      He opened the back door and then picked up Pepper, bed and all, and carried her inside. She was getting too weak to walk. As he placed her by the sofa he noticed she was trembling in pain. Gritting his teeth, he knew he had to give her another shot. He went into the kitchen and got the medication the vet had given him. After giving her an injection, he stroked her until she drifted into sleep.

      Sinking back onto the sofa, he drew a long breath. The vet had said it was time to put Pepper down. She was in too much pain from cancer, but she had been Zack’s dog and he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He looked at all the pictures of Zack he had hung on the walls. His son was in this room. He was everywhere. And Gabe had to take care of the dog his son had loved.

      He rested his head on the back of the sofa and closed his eyes. The moment he did he saw his laughing, happy son and pain pierced his heart. Pain was all he felt these days. Life meant nothing to him. He couldn’t understand how fate could be so cruel as to take a child from his parents. Gabe didn’t know right from wrong anymore, and it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he remembered his son every moment of every day.

      That was the only thing that kept him going.

      * * *

      THE NEXT MORNING Lacey let Emma sleep in. Last night, they hadn’t talked because Lacey was too upset. She had scolded Emma and put her to bed early.

      Lacey was making breakfast when Emma trudged in and climbed onto the bar stool. Smoke spiraled from the toaster and the alarm went off, shrilling loud enough to wake the neighborhood.

      “Not again.” Emma buried her face in her hands.

      Lacey pulled off her sneaker and threw it at the smoke alarm. The device flew off and landed in the kitchen sink, causing the deafening sound to stop. The blackened toast popped up at the same time.

      Emma looked through her fingers. “You’re gonna kill us, Lacey.”

      She opened the window to let the smoke out. “I have everything under control,” she said, hoping she sounded convincing. Inside, she was shaking and wondering how a twenty-eight-year-old woman could be so hopeless in the kitchen.

      She threw the burned slices of bread in the garbage and put four more in the toaster. Stupid smoke alarm wasn’t stopping her.

      “You have to know when to push up the lever,” Emma told her. “Daddy knew.”

      Next trip to town Lacey was buying a new toaster. She was tired of fooling with this relic. While she watched the bread, she slipped her sneaker back on. Just as the slices were starting to burn, she pushed up the lever, and then buttered the toast, added grape jelly and placed it on the plate with the scrambled eggs.

      “Breakfast,” she said, sliding it in front of Emma with a smile.

      Emma rolled her eyes. “Now we don’t have a smoke alarm.”

      “I’ll get the ladder and put it back after breakfast. Nothing I can’t handle.”

      Emma ate her breakfast and Lacey munched on a piece of toast. Nothing like starting the day with a little excitement. She hoped Gabe hadn’t heard the alarm. She had a feeling he didn’t hear much of anything besides the demons in his head.

      Brushing hair from her face, Emma asked, “Are you mad at me?”

      Lacey knew Emma was talking about last night. “You disobeyed me.”

      Emma swallowed a mouthful of egg. “Mr. Gabe doesn’t mean it when he says for me not to come into his yard.”

      “Emma, sweetie, yes, he does.”

      “But I hear Pepper and I have to go.”

      Lacey sighed. “Pepper is not our dog, and we have to respect Mr. Gabe’s privacy. Do you understand that?”

      Emma shook her head.

      Lacey was all out of options. She’d just have to watch Emma more closely. She clapped her hands to brighten the moment. “Today we get the Christmas tree. Daddy always got it the Saturday after Thanksgiving.”

      “There’s no Santa Claus, Lacey!” Emma shouted. “We don’t need a Christmas tree!”

      “Well, I still believe in Christmas, and I’m putting up a tree right in front of the windows in the living room.”

      “I’m not looking at it.” Emma jumped off the bar stool.

      “You don’t have to.” It broke Lacey’s heart that Emma was being so adamant about this. Maybe if she kept pushing, Emma would start to believe again. There was no Christmas without the magic of belief. Somehow, Lacey had to find a way to put a little more of that good stuff in their lives. “Go get dressed while I put our dishes in the dishwasher.”

      Lacey managed to reattach the smoke alarm. The green light came on, so she felt sure it was working and ready for the next round.

      * * *

      THE CHRISTMAS TREE lot was off the square in Horseshoe. People were out and about searching for the perfect tree.

      “I’m not looking,” Emma told her.

      Lacey didn’t say anything. She got out of the car and walked around, inspecting the trees. Soon Emma was right beside her. It was taking a while, but Lacey was learning parenting tricks.

      She picked out a seven-foot Douglas fir and had the man put a stand on it. Then he tied it on to the top of her

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