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so good---she had done it! She quickly wrapped the
gift and set it aside to put under the tree later,
when everything was in place.
As the day wore on, there was much laughter
and good humor; Able held Beth up to put a star on
the Christmas tree. Popcorn and cranberry strings
had been strung, and the homemade ornaments
Caroline had collected through the years had been
put on the tree.
Mistletoe had been hung over the doorways, and
the men rarely missed a chance to steal a kiss.
Even Harrison had cornered Caroline beneath it
more than once, and Maddie smiled as she watched
her parents share their love for each other.
Her mother was dressed in a burgundy, velvet
gown, her long hair wrapped smoothly around her
crown, the blonde tresses heavily laced with white
hair. Yes, she thought, her mother was getting
older, but she was still a pretty woman, in spite of
the wrinkles invading the corners of her eyes and
the smile on her mouth.
Harrison s dark blonde hair was also heavily
streaked with gray, his eyes a deeper, more electric
blue than the baby blue of his wife s. He wasn t as
tall as his son, but he still had to bend down to kiss
Caroline. They figured Able was a throwback to
Harrison s grandfather, who had been a giant of a
man, working on the railroads.
 Our family is growing, my dear, Harrison
murmured into Caroline s ear after he collected his
kiss.
 Yes, isn t it? she replied proudly, looking at her
children, their spouses, and her grandchildren.  I
wonder when Heath and Maddie are going to have a
baby, though?
 Give them time.
41
 They ve been married for over a year. How
much time do they need? She glanced up at him,
looking worried.  Do you suppose there is
something wrong?
 Stop worrying, darling. When the time is right,
they will have a baby. Harrison put his arm around
her and led her to the divan. It was time for Heath
to read the Christmas story from the Bible.
They all listened while Heath read from Luke,
the miracle of the baby Jesus, and then Maddie
played the piano and sang a beautiful song of the
Savior s birth. Her clear sweet soprano voice filled
the air, and Heath s heart swelled with pride and
love. Once again, he thanked the Lord for the
blessing of Maddie in his life.
Once the supper feast was finished, the family
gathered once again in the parlor around the
Christmas tree to exchange their gifts. They were
not extravagant gifts; many were homemade.
Caroline had made a beautiful quilt for each of the
girls and a child s quilt for Luke and Beth. For the
men, she had knitted them each a long warm scarf
and purchased a fur-lined hat to go with it.
And, so it went, each gift presented with love,
the feelings behind the gift more important than the
gift itself. Finally, Maddie picked up a small package
from behind her, and stood up.  I have a special gift
for Heath, that I d like to share with everyone. Her
eyes were shining, and her heart beat fast with
excitement as she handed the small flat parcel to
Heath.
Heath looked puzzled. They had planned on
sharing a special gift between them on Christmas
Day, just the two of them, so what was Maddie
doing? He took the gift and laid it on his lap. Taking
out his knife he gently cut the twine and laid back
the brown paper. What he saw almost brought tears
to his eyes.  Does this mean what I think it
42
means? His voice was husky and low as he stared
at her, his heart filling with joy.
 Yes, whispered Maddie, her eyes like stars.
 Show them.
Heath s trembling fingers picked up the small
white garment and the tiny cap. It looked
incongruous in his big hands, but he held it up for
everyone to see.  I believe we are going to have a
baby, he announced joyfully.
Laying the garment aside, he stood up and
enfolded Maddie in his warm embrace. The family
gathered around them, taking turns hugging Maddie
and shaking Heath s hand.
 I m so happy for you, Maddie, said Chrissie,
her eyes misty.  It s my turn to be an Aunt now.
 Thank you, Maddie replied.  And, it s my turn
to be a mother. The girls laughed and hugged each
other, until a small tug at Chrissie s elbow
interrupted them.
 Mama, it is time yet? Luke stood there, staring
earnestly up at her, his big eyes wide with
excitement.
 Time for what?
 You know& time to give Papa his train set!
 Oh---that. Cassie laughed weakly.  What you
saw is for everyone, Luke, and it s not a train set.
The lie tasted dirty as it came out of her mouth,
even though it was the truth, now. It just hadn t
been the truth when Luke saw it, and her deceit
wrapped around her insidiously, spoiling the beauty
of the evening.
 Can I open it? Luke asked eagerly, searching
beneath the tree for another package.
 Y& yes---of course. It s behind the tree.
Luke took the package and untied the string
holding the brown paper on it. Inside was the box
the train set had come in.  Mama, it IS a train set!
 No& no it s not, Chrissie replied, her face
coloring.  Go ahead and open it.
43
She sent a sideways glance at Able and saw a
funny look on his face. He caught her eyes for a
moment and stared enigmatically at her, then
turned back to his son. Chrissie s stomach did a flip-
flop. Was something wrong? Did he know what she
had done? But how could he?
Beth squatted down beside her brother as he
opened the box and took out the Chatarunga game.
She picked up the ivory rook and held it in her [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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