Читать книгу Little Christmas Miracles: Her Christmas Wedding Wish / Christmas Gift: A Family / Christmas on the Children's Ward - Carol Marinelli - Страница 8

MOLLY pressed her lips together. She knew she had done all she could to protect Elizabeth. The lady was talking more and taking more interest in her grandson. If Richard thought that was going to damage his mother, well, he was dead wrong.

Molly knew then and there the only way she’d survive this assignment was to avoid the man altogether. That conviction lasted until she got to the car and saw Elizabeth had left the front seat for her—next to Richard.

Elizabeth must have seen her disgruntled expression, because she said, “I’m going to ride back here with Toby so we can discuss the tree he wants to buy.”

Richard slanted at look at Molly. “Join me, won’t you, Molly?” he said, sarcasm in his voice.

Okay, so he’d seen her reluctance. It didn’t matter. She wasn’t here for him. “Thanks,” she muttered and circled the vehicle to climb in the front passenger seat.

Molly stared straight ahead. After last night, and again just now with Richard, she intended to keep her distance from this man.

“What kind of tree do you want us to buy?” Richard asked his mother.

“One that pleases Toby,” she said.

“Do you have any preferences, Molly?” Richard asked.

“Not in regard to trees,” she muttered, hoping that would be the end of any conversation.

“Do you always decorate a tree in Florida?” he persisted.

“A small one.” She didn’t want to talk to him about her life. It had nothing to do with him. He’d probably think her simple life was pitiful, but she’d created a happy life for herself. It hadn’t been easy.

“Why?”

That got her attention. She turned to stare at the handsome man. What was wrong with him? “Because I enjoy Christmas, of course. Don’t you?”

“Not particularly.”

“Is your middle name Scrooge?”

His lips twitched at the corners. “No, not exactly.”

“Well, I hope you’ll make an effort for Toby.”

“I won’t need to. My mother seems to have the bit in her teeth. She’ll probably hire someone to play Santa since she wants this Christmas to be special for him.”

“Good for her.”

“What do you want Santa to bring you for Christmas?”

The man was crazy. He didn’t enjoy Christmas and yet he asked about Santa? Molly shrugged. “Nothing.”

“Aha! So you’re not a fan of Christmas, either!”

Molly scowled at him. “I love Christmas! But that doesn’t mean I believe in Santa Claus,” she added in a lower voice.

“Then why do you love Christmas if you don’t expect to get something special?”

Molly shifted in her seat to look at him squarely. “Christmas isn’t about getting something. It’s about giving. That’s the true meaning of Christmas!”

Or couldn’t someone as handsome, rich and successful as Richard Anderson understand that?

Richard drove silently the rest of the way to the Christmas tree lot. The nurse had put him in his place.

Maybe he deserved it. He’d lost his enthusiasm for Christmas the last few years. Or maybe his enthusiasm for life. He wasn’t certain.

But he sure didn’t want to get into a spitting match with Molly. She seemed well-armed and he didn’t like to lose.

He pulled to a stop beside the tree lot. “We’re here. Mom, be sure you’re wrapped up warmly. We’re having a cold December this year. Toby, do you have your coat on?”

“Yeah,” he called over his shoulder as he grabbed Eliz-abeth’s hand and off they went toward the trees.

Left alone with Molly, he didn’t know what to say. “I guess we should go find a tree,” he ventured.

Molly nodded and set off after her charge.

“This one looks nice,” he heard her say as he walked toward the trio weaving among the evergreens.

“Oh, no, it’s much too short,” Elizabeth said. “We need a bigger tree because our ceilings are high.” She pointed to a tall one. “What about this one, Toby?”

“It’s kind of skinny, isn’t it, Grandma?”

“Absolutely right. Let’s go look at that one over there.” The two hurried eagerly in the direction Elizabeth had pointed. But Molly stayed behind, he noticed. He also noticed her shiver.

“Are you cold?” Richard asked, stepping closer to her.

She backed up. “No. I’m just adjusting to the change in the weather.”

Richard nodded. He said nothing for another few minutes, just standing there amongst the trees. Finally he turned again to Molly. “Don’t you want to go see the other trees?”

“Whatever they choose will be fine.”

More silence. Then, after another few minutes, when Elizabeth and Toby were still darting around the lot, where each tree was staked to the ground like a mini forest, Richard was getting irritated.

“Mom, you and Toby need to choose one. It’s too cold to remain out much longer.”

He shot a look at Molly, expecting to find disapproval on her face, but she didn’t look perturbed by his demand.

“Are you frozen, Molly?”

“N-no, I’m f-fine.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were cold?” he asked in irritation. Grabbing her arm, he headed back to the SUV.

“What are you doing?” she demanded, resisting.

“I’m going to warm you up.”

The look of horror on her face brought some interesting thoughts to Richard, but he hastily shut them out. “I’m going to start the engine and turn on the heater,” he explained with a grin.

“O-Oh.”

Once he got her in the front seat, he circled the vehicle and got in to start the engine. “Give me your hands,” he said.

Molly stared at him again. “Why?”

“I’m going to hold them in mine. You should’ve bought some good gloves today when you bought your coat.”

“I didn’t think I’d be outside this long,” she muttered. She finally extended her hands to him. He’d removed his gloves and the warmth of his skin began to penetrate hers.

He did nothing, just held her hands in his larger ones. Still, Molly could feel the heat all the way from her head to her toes. Under her coat she felt flushed. Being in this enclosed space, alone with Richard, was an amazingly intimate exchange with a man she didn’t even like two days ago.

Too intimate.

She pulled her hands free. “I think they’re warm enough now, thank you.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, staring at her.

She felt her cheeks heat and she knew she had to have some distance. “Yes, thank you.” She looked over her shoulder. “How—how is the tree search going?”

After telling her to stay inside so she’d be warm, he added, “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Then he located the two tree-hunters. “Molly is half-frozen. You’ve got to make a decision.”

“We have, Richard. We just decided on this one,” Elizabeth said, pointing to a nine-foot Douglas fir.

“Fine, go get in the car and I’ll buy it.”

“We need to stay here until you get the man’s attention. You might buy the wrong tree.”

Richard glared at his mother. What had happened to the gentle, indecisive lady he’d lived with for the past eighteen months? “Fine, Mom, I’ll be right back.”

He went back to the hut where the operators stood around a glowing fire in a half drum. Quickly indicating he was ready to buy his tree, he led one of the men to his mother’s side. “This is the tree we want to buy.”

“Well, now, you picked a fine one!” the man said with enthusiasm, which in Richard’s experience meant that they’d picked an expensive one.

“Mom, take Toby back to the car so he won’t catch cold,” Richard urged. He handed his credit card to the man to move the process along.

Elizabeth and an excited Toby hurried to the car.

Ten minutes later, Richard had the tree strapped to the top of the SUV and they were on their way.

That was when Toby barraged him with questions, volleying one after the other.

“Did you see the tree?” the boy asked. “Isn’t it great?”

“Yes,” Richard replied. “You picked a nice one.”

“Is it tied on good?”

“Trust me, it’s not going anywhere.”

“Will we be able to get it down?”

“Albert will help me.” Richard couldn’t stop smiling at his nephew’s enthusiasm. He turned the tables and asked a question. “Do you think you bought enough ornaments for such a big tree?”

“We bought lots. Grandma told me we’d need that many.”

“I wanted to be prepared,” Elizabeth said.

“Yes, Mom, that was good thinking. I wouldn’t want to have to shop for ornaments now. I’m hungry.”

“Me, too!” Toby called. “I didn’t get a snack today.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll have to speak to Delores about that,” Richard said.

That remark brought Molly to life. “There’s no need to speak to Delores. It’s my fault we didn’t have a snack.”

“Why is it your fault?”

“I didn’t ask for it. I forgot.”

“I see.”

He noted her anxious expression. Apparently he hadn’t convinced her he wouldn’t chew Delores out. The fact that he had never done such a thing hadn’t occurred to her.

Elizabeth leaned forward. “Molly, don’t worry. He’s never said a harsh word to Delores. She might burn the next roast she cooks and that’s his favorite meal.”

Molly glared at him. “Oh, thank you, Elizabeth.”

Richard grinned at her and she looked away.

Obviously Molly wasn’t a forgiving woman. At least not to him. He figured Toby was easily forgiven. Even his mother seemed to be in Molly’s good graces.

When they reached home, he sent the other three into the house and asked his mother to send Albert out. Together they’d unload the tree and put it right into the stand he’d purchased. They could take it right into the garden room.

A few minutes later, after the tree was standing tall in the garden room, water in its basin, he removed his overcoat and gloves and entered the dining room. It appeared the others were waiting for his arrival.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting,” he said as he entered.

“We had a cup of hot chocolate while we were waiting,” his mother said. She rang the bell to let Delores know they were ready.

Dinner began with tortilla soup. Toby seemed even more skeptical this evening, but Molly encouraged him to give it a try.

“It’s okay,” Toby said with a shrug.

“It will warm you up faster than last night’s soup,” Richard said. “It’s a little spicier.”

“It’s delicious, Toby,” Molly said with a smile.

So the nurse had a stomach for Mexican food? “Have you had tortilla soup before, Molly?”

“Yes, of course. Florida has many Mexican restaurants.”

“Oh, really? I would have expected Cuban restaurants, but not Mexican.”

“They have both,” she answered briefly and continued to eat her soup.

“How does the tree look?” Toby asked.

“Tall. It almost touches the ceiling.”

“Do you have a ladder? We’ll need one to put the angel on top.”

“Yes, I have a ladder,” Richard said, sighing, “but you may be too small to climb to the top.”

“Richard!” Elizabeth protested.

“That’s okay,” Toby said calmly. “That’s the daddy’s job, anyway.”

Richard smiled at the little boy. “You know, Toby, I may have to get a list of the daddy jobs. I’m not sure I know all of them.”

“It’s okay, Uncle Richard. I’ll help you.”

Uncle Richard?

He couldn’t stop the smile that lit his face. This was the first time Toby had called him that. The first time anyone had ever called him that. He knew enough to not make a big deal about it and embarrass Toby, but he liked it. A lot.

Molly, however, leaned over to the boy and said, “You don’t really have to make a list. He’s just teasing you.”

“No, I wasn’t, Molly. Not having been a daddy, I don’t know all the jobs a dad must do.” He certainly hadn’t learned the list from his father. The man hadn’t spent a lot of time with his family, and when he did, he tended to control them, not be a role model for them. His mother had done the best she could for both him and Susan under the circumstances.

Molly gave him a quick, disbelieving look and turned her attention back to her soup.

“Richard, do you think we can decorate the tree this evening?” Elizabeth asked.

“No, Mom, it’s already eight o’clock and Toby will need to go to bed after dinner. Besides, the limbs will look better in the morning. The man at the lot told me they had just put that tree up today.”

“Right. Yes, we’ll wait until tomorrow to decorate it. But you’ll need to be here.”

“Tomorrow’s the last day before Christmas vacation, Mom. We close at noon.”

“Oh, that’s right. I’m so glad.”

Molly stared at him. “You close tomorrow for Christmas?”

Elizabeth answered her. “It’s a trend in Dallas. A lot of businesses close for the two weeks including Christmas and New Year’s because so little work gets done. It’s mostly parties.”

“I see. But it’s still a week and a half until Christmas.”

“I decided to close tomorrow because it’s Friday. Already work has slowed down, so there’s not much point in holding everyone there when they want to go shopping and to parties.”

“Ah. So you’re not taking the vacation out of the goodness of your heart?” Molly asked.

Elizabeth rushed to his defense. “Yes, Molly, he is. His father never let his people have even one day off. They worked all the way through the holidays except for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.”

Molly smiled at her hostess. “Of course, Elizabeth, it is generous of Richard.”

Richard noticed he didn’t get a share of her smile. Which meant, of course, that she didn’t really believe he was being generous. Not that he could blame her after his remarks in the car earlier.

When dinner was done, Molly led a sleepy Toby up to his bed, after the good-night hugs and kisses he gave both Richard and his mother.

Elizabeth looked at her son once the other two were gone. “What did you say to Molly earlier about Christmas?”

“What do you mean?”

“I noticed you two talking in the front of the car when we were on our way to the tree lot. She got upset. Which, I think, led to that comment about your generosity.”

“I told her I wasn’t excited about Christmas.”

“I was afraid of that. Don’t you think it had something to do with your dad’s death and then Susan’s?”

Richard sighed. “I don’t know, Mom. Christmas hasn’t been very exciting since I was still a boy. There’s a lot of rushing around and drinking and partying, but it seems kind of empty to me.”

“I don’t intend to go to many of the society parties this season, and I recommend you don’t, either. I feel I have a second chance to make a life for Toby. I know I failed both you and Susan because I wasn’t strong enough to stand up to your father. After his death, I was too despondent to make reparations. But Toby needs me now. And he needs you.”

“I know, Mom. And I’ll try to remember that I’m as close to a daddy as he’s going to get now.”

“I want to find things to do with Toby. Could you drive us around to see the Christmas lights one night?”

“Of course. Or if it’s not too cold, we could take one of the horse and buggy rides around Highland Park.”

“That’s a wonderful idea, Richard.”

“Do you think Toby would enjoy seeing A Christmas Carol? Or do you think he’d be afraid of Scrooge?” He could just imagine Molly’s reaction to his suggestion.

“I think he’d love it. Are they doing that at the Theater Center?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Wait! I need to get a pen and paper so I can make a list. Then tomorrow I’ll discover times and dates and can buy the tickets.”

She rushed away from the table. Richard was surprised to find some enthusiasm growing in him for the holiday traditions. It helped that his mother was excited about them.

When she got back to the table, she wrote down his suggestions. He added a few more and decided Toby would be bored once Christmas passed.

“These are wonderful suggestions, Richard, and Toby will love them. He’s such a wonderful little boy…and he reminds me so much of Susan.”

“Yes, he does, doesn’t he? She always demanded the biggest Christmas tree, too.” Richard couldn’t hold back a smile, thinking of his little sister.

“Yes,” Elizabeth said with a sigh.

“But, Mom, you’re not used to all this running around. You have to be sure you don’t overdo it.”

“I will, dear. Molly is very good about that. Right now, Toby needs a nap every day because of the accident and his recovery. She’s sending me to bed for a nap, too.”

“Good. I like that.”

“She’s such a nice young woman. I know the doctor told us she didn’t have any family in Florida, but does she have any family anywhere?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t asked her.”

“I’ll ask her. She shouldn’t be completely alone in the world.”

“A lot of people are, Mom. They survive.”

“I know, but Molly deserves better.”

Richard couldn’t argue with that.

“Do you like our tree, Molly?” Toby asked her the next morning at breakfast.

“Very much, Toby. It’s huge.”

“Did you have big ones when you were little?” he asked.

“Not that big.”

Elizabeth looked up. “Do you have brothers and sisters, Molly?”

“No, I was an only child, like Toby.”

“Are your parents alive?”

“No,” Molly said and smiled at Elizabeth. She appreciated that lady’s interest, but she didn’t want to tell her life story. There was no need for that.

“Molly’s parents died when she was seven,” Toby informed his grandmother.

“Oh, no! I’m so sorry!”

“It was a long time ago, Elizabeth. I’m fine.”

“Did you go to live with family?”

“No, she lived in a—a what, Molly?”

“A foster home, Toby,” Molly said with a sigh. Now she regretted telling Toby about her past.

“But I’ve heard being in a foster home is awful. Was it bad, Molly?”

“Not bad, Elizabeth. It—it was just not as nice as being with family.”

“Well, this Christmas, we’re going to be your family!” Elizabeth said with a big smile.

Molly silently groaned. She knew Richard would think she’d put his mother up to that idea. “Really, Elizabeth, that’s not necessary. And please don’t buy me gifts. I wouldn’t be able to reciprocate in kind. I have a small budget.”

“Money doesn’t matter, Molly. But we’ve thought of all kinds of ways to celebrate Christmas. I’m supposed to check the times and dates of things Richard thought of last night. He was wonderful.”

“How nice. What did he suggest?”

Elizabeth filled her in on all the plans. “And last but not least, we’re taking you both to see Scrooge. Would you like that, Toby?”

“I don’t know what that is, Grandma,” Toby said.

“Oh, of course not, dear. But you’ll like it. It’s the story of a man who gets a second chance to be good at Christmas, like me.”

“You’re very good, Grandma,” Toby said earnestly.

“Thank you, my angel,” Elizabeth said with a big smile. “Oh, do you have a suit?”

“No. My daddy had suits, but Mommy said I shouldn’t have one because I would outgrow it so soon.”

“Well, I think we should get you a suit for Christmas. We can buy you another one when you outgrow it. Would you like that?”

“I guess so,” Toby said doubtfully.

“That won’t be your only present, Toby, I promise.”

“You mean I might still get a puppy?” The boy couldn’t hide his excitement.

“No, Toby, I don’t think that’s what your grandmother meant,” Molly said hurriedly, trying to erase that image from his mind at once.

“Oh.”

“Toby, your grandmother is being very nice to you,” Molly said softly.

The boy responded by straightening his shoulders and smiling at his grandmother.

“Oh, Toby, you are such a dear boy,” Elizabeth said.

“You’re a good grandma, too.”

Molly encouraged him to finish his breakfast. After he had done so, she sent him upstairs to wash his face and hands.

As soon as he left the room, Elizabeth said, “I know just what to get Toby for Christmas. A puppy!”