Читать книгу Little Christmas Miracles - Barbara Hannay - Страница 12

IN SPITE of Richard’s protest, the mistletoe went up all over the downstairs.

Molly made a mental note not to linger in any doorways. She didn’t expect Richard to want to kiss her, but she didn’t want to tempt fate. Not that she wasn’t attracted to the man. That was part of the problem. She was. But she had no place in their world. Once Toby was settled in, she’d be back in Florida.

She released an unconscious sigh, thinking about the time she had to leave.

“Molly? Is anything wrong?” Richard asked.

They were all having lunch together, again in the breakfast room. Louisa was off for the day to be with her family, and it made things easier for Delores and Albert if they ate there.

“No, what made you think that?”

“You sighed,” he said, watching her closely.

“Oh, I was thinking about a friend back home,” she hurriedly said.

“A boyfriend?”

Molly shot him a puzzled look. “No.”

“No boyfriend waiting for you in Florida? I find that hard to believe.”

“A nurse doesn’t have a lot of free time, or the energy to do much when she does,” Molly said. She took a sip of tea, hoping that would end this ridiculous conversation.

“That sounds like my life. Since my dad died, I’ve been reworking our law firm, trying to bring it up-to-date and get back on top of the legal world in Dallas. I don’t have much free time, and no energy when I do.”

“Dear, I knew you were working long hours, but I didn’t realize how hard it was for you,” Elizabeth said. “I should’ve paid more attention.”

“No, Mom, I’m fine. We’re about to get to the point where I can take it a little easier.”

“You should take a vacation as soon as you can,” Elizabeth said. “I’ll be here with Toby, so we’ll manage just fine.”

“I’m not sure, Mom. You might need me.”

“Maybe we could get Molly to come back for a couple of weeks,” Elizabeth suggested, looking at Molly expectantly.

“I doubt I’ll get any more time off once I get back. My vacation is scheduled for July.”

“Oh, dear, that’s a long time away. You’re not having any fun at all during Christmas,” Elizabeth said.

“Yes, I am, Elizabeth. I’m enjoying myself immensely, I promise.” Molly gave the woman her best smile. She couldn’t let her think she was suffering. In truth, she wasn’t. She was getting to do things she’d always wanted to do. Most of all, she was getting to spend time with Toby and know she was helping him adjust to his new family.

“All right, dear. Oh, I know what we should do, Richard. We should all go to lunch at Antares, in the ball.”

“Mom is talking about the restaurant located in the ball on the Dallas skyline. You can see the entire area because the restaurant rotates while you’re eating.”

Molly swallowed. Her fear of heights made that prospect turn her stomach.

“Mom, I’m not sure—” Richard began.

Toby, however, was excited. “That sounds neat. Can we go, Grandma?”

“Yes, dear. I think we could do that Monday and then you three could do your shopping on Tuesday. Yes, that’s what we’ll do.”

Molly said nothing, hoping either she would work up enough nerve to go, or she could plead a temporary illness that would keep her at home.

Richard caught her eye, silently asking if she wanted him to halt the plans. She shook her head. She’d deal with it on Monday.

“I think you need to take Toby to buy a suit today, Richard. Maybe they have something that would fit him, with his casts on. We can have it tailored after he gets his casts off.”

Richard agreed. “What are you and Molly going to do?”

“Oh, we’ll make some plans, organize our shopping, that kind of thing. We might even go to some stores, if you’re not taking Albert.”

“No, I’ll drive my car. Is that okay with you, Toby?”

“Yeah. I like your car.”

“Okay. Then, if you’ve finished your lunch, let’s head out.”

Molly and Elizabeth sat there in silence for several minutes. Then Elizabeth said, “It’s a lot quieter when they’re both gone, isn’t it?”

Molly laughed. “It is, but honestly I miss the noise. Richard is being very good to Toby.”

“I think he loves him very much. He loved his sister and missed her when she…left the family. I know they talked once or twice, but he hated his father’s behavior. In Florida, you didn’t see him at his best. He was mourning Susan’s death and trying to take care of me. I’m afraid I’d become quite a burden.”

“But you seem to be doing very well now,” Molly said, not sure what had brought on the change.

“Yes, I changed my attitude. I had something to live for. Toby needs me. Richard didn’t need me, even though he would say differently, but I knew better.”

“Then, in spite of the tragedy, I’m glad Toby has come to you and Richard. I know he’s going to be happy here with you.”

“I hope so. But you’ve made a big difference, easing him into a role in our home. I know Richard is paying you a lot, but what you’ve given Toby is priceless.”

“Thank you, Elizabeth. Now, you need to rest for a while so I won’t have to lie to Richard when he returns.”

“I think I will, if you don’t mind.”

Molly stood as Elizabeth left the room. Then she gathered their dishes and took them to the kitchen so Delores wouldn’t have to come get them. She made several trips, before Delores returned to the kitchen.

“What are you doing, child?” the cook demanded.

“I’m helping out. I’m going to load the dishwasher so you have time to do other things.”

“Bless you, Molly. With Louisa not here, I’ll admit it’s a little difficult.”

“Well, Elizabeth sent the two men to get Toby a suit and she’s gone up to lie down, so I’m free. I’ll do anything I can to help you.”

“In exchange, I’ll give you my recipe for pancakes.”

“That’s a deal, Delores. I’ll be the belle of the ball in Florida if they taste your pancakes.”

The rest of the afternoon, Molly worked in the kitchen alongside Delores, helping her prepare dinner for that evening. When Richard and Toby came in, they discovered Molly sharing a cup of coffee with Delores, laughing together at some of the cook’s stories about Richard and Susan as children.

“What’s going on here?” Richard asked.

Molly smiled at him. “I’m getting some good blackmail material from Delores.”

“Delores, you wouldn’t betray me, would you?”

“This little girl worked with me all afternoon. I’m giving her my pancake recipe!”

“You wouldn’t give it to Mom, but you’re giving it to Molly? And what do you mean, she worked in here all afternoon?”

“You know it’s hard with Louisa gone. Molly helped me out.”

“I thought you were going to make lists with Mom. What happened to that plan?”

“I sent her up to have a nap, and she hasn’t come down. Maybe I should go check on her.”

As if on cue, Elizabeth asked from the doorway, “What’s everyone doing in the kitchen?”

“I was just coming to check on you,” Molly said.

“No need. I’m here. But I didn’t expect to find all of you in the kitchen.”

“You’re right, Elizabeth. I can’t work with a crowd in here,” Delores said.

“My fault. I was hoping I could learn some cooking tricks from Delores. Thanks for letting me visit with you, Delores,” Molly said and slipped from the room. “Toby,” she called over her shoulder, “come show me and your grandma what you bought.”

That quickly cleared the kitchen, except for Richard. He looked at Delores. “She was helping you?”

“Yes. She said she had the afternoon free and knew Louisa was gone. She did the lunch dishes and then helped with the preparation for dinner.”

“That was nice of her.”

“Nice? That was really sweet of her. You can’t find a sweeter person than Molly. Richard, you shouldn’t let her get away!”

“Now, Delores, you know I’m kind of busy right now.”

“Yes, but that’s not important. Molly is what’s important.”

Richard just smiled and shook his head. Then he excused himself to find the ladies and get their compliments on his job of shopping with Toby. He’d gotten the boy a couple of pairs of slacks, a belt and several dress shirts to go with his suit. And he’d bought him his first tie, and a sweater to wear until his cast was off. It looked better than a jacket that was too big for him.

“Molly, can you tie a man’s tie?” Richard asked.

“No, I can’t. You’ll have to teach Toby that particular skill,” she told him.

Richard nodded. “I can do that. When he gets dressed in the morning, I’ll tie his tie after breakfast.”

“All right. Is he wearing his suit in the morning?”

“We’re going to church in the morning. He’ll wear his sweater, dress shirt and tie, with one of his new pairs of slacks. Will you join us?”

“Yes, I’d like that.”

Richard smiled at her. “Good.”

“Would anyone like to go to the movies tonight?” Elizabeth asked. “They’re showing a film I’d like to see.”

“What is it, Elizabeth?” Molly asked.

She named a current movie. “It’s supposed to be quite funny and romantic.”

Toby made a face that made Richard laugh. “Sometimes, buddy, we have to go to movies we aren’t crazy about to keep the ladies happy. But we can always eat a lot of popcorn.”

“I like popcorn!”

“Okay, we’ll escort you ladies to the movies tonight. What time does it start?”

Elizabeth told him the time and he went back to the kitchen to make sure Delores could have dinner ready on time.

When he got back in the den, he heard Molly suggest that she and Toby stay home.

“No way. Toby shouldn’t have to give up his popcorn, and you need some reward for helping Delores this afternoon.”

“She helped Delores? You didn’t have to do that, Molly,” Elizabeth protested.

“It wasn’t much. I enjoyed it.”

“We’re all going to the movies, Molly,” Richard said firmly. “No arguments.”

“You’d best go along with him when he uses that tone, dear. It means he’s determined.” Elizabeth smiled at Molly.

Richard held his breath. He thought she was tempted to challenge him, but he wanted her to go. When she nodded, he silently let out the breath he’d been holding.

When they reached the theater, it was already crowded. To get four seats together, they would have to sit down front. Elizabeth turned to Richard. “Toby and I will take one of the popcorns, and you and Molly take the other one. We’re going to take these two seats.”

Richard didn’t know if his mother was trying to matchmake or didn’t really want to sit so close to the screen. Whichever the case, the result was the same. He was going to sit with Molly and share a bucket of popcorn. He couldn’t admit to himself the reason his pulse was racing.

They settled into their seats just as the movie started. Richard put the popcorn between them, encouraging Molly to have some. Just then, a big man, weighing at least three hundred pounds, pushed past them to sit in the seat next to Richard.

Richard, uncomfortable, leaned toward Molly.

He whispered, “Sorry but I’ve got to move closer.” Then he raised his arm and put it on the back of her chair.

When Molly saw the man on the other side of Richard, she scooted over as much as she could. Richard lifted the arm of the chair between them and moved even closer.

He told himself it was the only practical thing to do, but as the movie started, he found himself distracted by Molly’s warmth and scent. When something funny happened on screen Molly laughed, and her low, sexy chuckle riveted through him.

Damn! He should’ve taken more time off the past year so he wouldn’t leave himself vulnerable to the first woman who walked into his life in two years. This was ridiculous. He wanted to draw back, to remove his arm from around her, but there was no room.

A moment later, she leaned into him. “Don’t you want some of the popcorn?”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” he said and reached into the tub for a handful of popcorn. Molly got some after him and munched on the popcorn as if totally unaware of him. And he was practically a blithering idiot because he was pressed up against her.

After a while, he relaxed, out of necessity, and began watching the movie. It was funny and not too sappy. When it was over, he stood, along with Molly, and moved out of the auditorium.

The sensation of loss amazed him. He wanted to pull Molly against him and hold her there, but he couldn’t do that. They moved out into the lobby and waited for Elizabeth and Toby.

“That was fun,” Molly said.

“Yeah, it was.” Richard took a deep breath, drawing in Molly’s scent. It was a good thing they were getting out of this place.

Elizabeth came out with a sleepy Toby.

Richard moved forward and picked up the little boy. “I think this little guy is just about asleep on his feet.”

“Yes, it’s quite late for Toby,” Molly said. “How did he do, Elizabeth?”

“He enjoyed it until we got about halfway through. I looked over and he was slumped down in his chair. I put his head on my shoulder and let him sleep.”

“Next time we’ll have to go to an earlier movie,” Molly said.

So there’d be a next time? Richard thought. But he said nothing.

As soon as they got home, he carried Toby up to his room, closely followed by Molly and Elizabeth. Elizabeth parted with the others at the top of the stairs.

Molly opened the door to Toby’s room and hurried ahead of Richard to turn down the covers. When he lay Toby down, she slipped off his shoes and then his pants. Richard slid down the zipper on his coat and managed to get it off. His shirt was knit and short-sleeved and Richard quickly got it off. Together, they’d managed to undress him in two minutes. The big T-shirt only took seconds.

“We did a pretty good job, didn’t we?” Richard whispered with a grin.

Molly smiled back but she was busy covering the little boy up and kissing his forehead.

Richard was jealous. When that thought struck him, he took a step back. What was wrong with him?

“He was exhausted,” Molly whispered. “Thank you for carrying him upstairs, Richard.”

“No problem. Are—are you going to bed now?”

“Yes, I think I will. Good night,” she said softly and stood there waiting for him to leave.

Damn it, where was the mistletoe when he needed it? “Good night. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He backed out of the room, finally breathing when he closed the door. He took the long walk down the hall to his bedroom. He obviously needed some time to think. He’d been too close to Molly tonight and it had screwed up his defenses.

He just needed some time alone to resurrect his defenses. He didn’t need a woman intruding into his life right now.

Molly had watched Richard’s entry into his bedroom. Once he was out of sight, she slid out of Toby’s room and tiptoed down the hall to the stairs. She wanted to see the Christmas tree in the darkened room, the lights shining like stars in the sky.

When she entered the garden room, she found the plug and turned on the lights. With a deep sigh, she sat down at the glass table, staring at the tree, perfect in her mind, and the lights glowing around the walls. The entire room seemed magical, as Elizabeth had predicted.

Molly sat there, soaking in that magic, the ephemeral lightness filling her soul. Maybe next year she would get a big tree, though not this big, so she could sit at night and enjoy the gleaming lights. Then she wouldn’t have to sneak down to enjoy Christmas.

A slight noise awakened her from her dreams. She whirled around to discover Richard approaching. “What—what are you doing here? You went to bed!”

“You said you were going to bed, too.”

“So you’re spying on me? Do you want me to pay for the electricity I’m using?” She regretted her words as soon as she spoke. Richard and his mom had been more than generous to her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t—”

“No, you shouldn’t have. I came down to make some coffee and saw the lights on. I thought maybe Albert had forgotten to turn them off.”

“I’ll turn them off now,” she said, jumping up from her chair.

“I have a better idea,” he said. “I’ll go make some decaf coffee for both of us and we can enjoy it in here.”

“Really, I should go to bed. There’s no need—”

Instead of answering her, he bent down and brushed her lips with his. “Watch the lights,” he said and walked out of the room.

Molly was completely flustered by that brief kiss. Why had he done that? Had he thought she’d flirted with him at the movies? She’d worked hard to make sure her voice sounded normal, even though he was pressed against her. She knew one thing. For all his complaints about lack of time, he’d found some time to work out somewhere. He was solid muscle.

She flushed from her head to her toes, glad he wasn’t in the room. Even in the darkness, he might’ve noticed her blush.

Within minutes Richard appeared in the doorway, carrying two mugs of coffee. He set one in front of Molly and he took the seat next to her, pulling it even with hers. “We did a good job, didn’t we?”

“Yes! The tree is beautiful,” she said breathlessly.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, of course. I just wanted—I enjoy seeing the tree at night. As your mother said, it’s magical.”

“I realized that when I saw you staring at it today. You were remembering trees in the past, weren’t you?”

All she could do was nod.

“When did your parents die?”

She turned to stare at him. “You believe me now?”

“Yeah, I believe you. I’m not sure why you lied to me, but I believe you.”

Abruptly she said, “I was seven.”

“And you went to a foster home?”

“Several foster homes,” she muttered.

Richard frowned. “Why did you change?”

“Well, let’s see, in the first foster home, the dad was caught forcing himself on a couple of the older girls. So we were all moved to different homes. It’s like starting all over again. The second foster home closed down because the mom won the lottery and didn’t need the money she got from the state.”

“She didn’t mind letting you go?”

Molly gave a cynical laugh. “She dumped us so fast it made our heads spin.”

“Then what happened?”

“My third foster home I stayed in until I was eighteen. By then I’d worked for three years and had saved as much as I could.”

“What kind of work?”

“I was a telephone operator, part-time.”

“How did you get into nursing?”

She shrugged a shoulder. “I got a scholarship. It didn’t pay for everything, but most of it. I paid for the rest.”

“And how—”

“No more questions about me. It’s your turn. Was your dad as awful as he seems?”

“He was difficult. I try not to say too much, because I think Mom loved him, but he was controlling, self-centered. I managed to get along with him, but he considered females to be second-class citizens. Susan wouldn’t buy that attitude. She fought him all the way.”

“Good for her,” Molly whispered.

“When my father tried to tell her who to love, that was the last straw. She moved to Florida with Kevin, Toby’s father, and never came back. My father disowned her after that.”

“I’m sorry, Richard.” Sympathy was audible in her voice. “That must have been hard on you.”

“Yeah. I called her a couple of times, but she obviously wouldn’t come home for a visit, after Dad cut her out of his life. It was stupid on his part.”

“Yes, it was.” She sat there for a minute staring at the Christmas tree. Then she said, “Life’s too short for such silliness.”

“As we both know,” he said softly. Then he stretched his arm on the back of her chair.

She thought about moving away, but the warmth of his arm felt good. They sat there in silence, looking at the tree. Molly had enjoyed the lights before he came down, but they were always better when shared.

After a few minutes, he pulled her a little closer and her head rested on his shoulder. They remained there for a long time. Somehow, in the darkness, she didn’t feel like it mattered.

Molly enjoyed his closeness, but she knew when daylight came, the magic would end.

Molly enjoyed the visit to their church the next morning. They only went to the main service in the large auditorium, where the minister gave an intelligent and entertaining sermon.

The only thing that bothered Molly was that Elizabeth again took Toby’s hand and led him into the pew first. Which left her between Toby and Richard. At least they didn’t have to separate, leaving her with Richard. And they had plenty of room in their pew.

They went out to lunch after the church service since Delores had the day off.

“We should’ve gone to Antares today,” Elizabeth said as they ate lunch at a local restaurant. “But I made the reservations for Monday.”

“That’s okay, Mom. I like the pies here.”

“Richard, I don’t know how you stay so lean, with all the desserts you eat. It’s disgusting!”

Molly thought so, too, but she wasn’t going to make any comments.

“I went to the gym every morning this past year, Mom. That’s how I can eat all those desserts. And I enjoy every one of them.”

“Maybe I should get up and go with you,” Elizabeth muttered.

“You look lovely, Elizabeth. You have nothing to worry about,” Molly assured her.

“Yes, but I pass up the desserts most of the time.”

“It’s probably better for you,” Molly said, smiling in sympathy.

“So you’re both going to pass up dessert?” Richard asked incredulously.

Molly looked at Elizabeth and at the same time they said, “No way!”

Richard grinned. “Looks like we’re all having pie, right, Toby?”

“Can I have ice cream instead?”

“Sure, buddy, if that’s what you want.”

Toby nodded enthusiastically.

Molly again realized how close Richard and Toby were becoming. By the time she left, she thought Richard would be regarding Toby as his own son.

Toby would scarcely miss her.

She chastised herself for that thought. That was what she should hope for. And she should hope that she wouldn’t miss Toby…or anyone else when she went back to Florida.

Maybe she should look for a job here in Dallas? No, no, that wouldn’t be a good idea. She needed to cut her emotional ties to Toby at once. It would be easier that way.

“Hey, they have a Christmas tree here!” Toby called out.

“Yeah, they do, but it’s not as pretty as ours, is it, Toby?” Richard asked.

“Ours is the best! Do they have one at the mall?”

“They always have at least one,” Richard said, looking at Molly.

She knew he was thinking she should’ve answered the question since she’d been to the mall. “Didn’t you go to the mall to get Toby’s new clothes?”

“No, we went to a men’s store at Highland Park Village, where we went to the movies last night.”

“We’re fortunate that we have a lot of specialty shops around here,” Elizabeth said with a smile. “Whatever we’re looking for, we can find nearby.”

“How nice,” Molly said. In her mind, she was thinking, “If you can afford it!”

Then, at Elizabeth’s horrified glance and Richard’s grin, she realized she’d spoken her thoughts aloud.