Soldier’s Chrismas Hope (Trinity Falls: Home for Christmas #5)

Chapter 1

NORA

Nora felt a jolt of real happiness as she stepped into the lobby of the Bedfordshire Grand.

Sure, she had a three-year-old on her hip who seemed to weigh as much as a baby elephant. And his big sister, a tiny six-year-old, had insisted on pushing the cart full of bags to the elevator, but was struggling so much that it zig-zagged across the plush carpet of the lobby floor.

And yes, Nora was getting some looks from other residents, possibly because of the zig-zagging cart, but more likely because the kids were in their pajamas and the Bedfordshire Grand was… well, grand.

But both kids had really enjoyed their trip to the grocery store, and now they had all the supplies they needed to be fed and comfortable for another week.

They just had to make it up to the condo without a meltdown and the day would be a total success.

As if on cue, Pixie suddenly abandoned the cart and scampered forward to push the call button on the elevator.

“I want to push the button,” John-John wailed from Nora’s shoulder.

Pixie paused, her finger extended in the air, and then pulled her hand back.

“Okay, John-John,” Pixie said softly.

Nora’s heart squeezed.

Most kids would have quickly pushed that button, not caring if they sent their little brother or sister into a spiral.

But Pixie worried about her brother these days.

She was protective of him, and that meant making sacrifices, which was honestly pretty impressive.

Pushing the elevator call button was kind of a big deal in Pixie and John-John’s world.

“That’s so kind of you, Pixie,” Nora said approvingly as she lowered John-John off her shoulder enough to push the button. “You can choose our book tonight.”

John-John whimpered lightly.

“Farmer Bear’s Christmas,” Pixie said immediately.

It was her brother’s favorite book.

“Pixie,” John-John said tenderly, reaching for his sister. “That’s nice.”

Pixie came up and kissed his chubby cheek, a fond smile on her face, and Nora felt her heart squeeze again, this time with gratitude that the kids still had each other.

Losing her sister hurt so much. She couldn’t imagine how they felt losing their mother.

Taking the two of them in after that happened had cost Nora her marriage, but it was worth it to know they were going to be okay—at least if she had anything to say about it.

Pixie ran back and grabbed the handles of the cart, pushing it carefully into the elevator without smashing it against the mirrored walls.

Nora pointed to the PH button for John-John to push.

“Pixie,” he announced firmly.

Pixie grinned and darted out from behind the cart to push the button. The elevator glided up, mercifully not stopping anywhere along the way to pick up more passengers, and finally opened on their floor.

With her free hand, Nora helped Pixie guide the cart, and managed to get them out of the elevator before the doors started to close.

The kids were used to the big, rented brownstone they had grown up in with their mom, and the elevator here at the Bedfordshire Grand was the source of a lot of drama, good and bad.

They both adored pushing the buttons and going up and down, but even though she’d demonstrated that it wasn’t really possible, the idea of the doors closing while they were trying to get out really spooked Pixie.

“Okay, John-John,” Nora said brightly once they were inside the apartment. “I have to get these groceries put away quickly, especially the cold ones since we don’t want them to melt.”

“My popsicles,” he agreed, his eyes widening a bit as he nodded.

“Would you like to play with toys while I work?” Nora asked. “Or would you rather keep me company in the kitchen and listen to music?”

“I’ll play with my toys,” he sang out.

She lowered him to the floor, and he was galloping around the apartment the moment his feet touched the marble tile.

Pixie laughed and joined him, and Nora allowed herself ten seconds to just watch and enjoy them. This kind of energy normally meant John-John was super sleepy and he was going to crash soon.

It’s good that we had dinner and bath time before we went shopping, she reminded herself. All I have to do is get these groceries away while he burns off a bit of energy and I’ll have them in bed while they’re still feeling happy.

She had just about all the cold stuff put away when John-John suddenly started to cry.

“What’s wrong?” Pixie asked, running right over to him and patting his back.

Nora felt a wave of gratitude for the little girl’s kindness, followed by another twinge of guilt. A six-year-old shouldn’t have to feel responsible for her little brother’s happiness.

Nora threw the last bag of cold things into the fridge, planning to unpack it properly once the kids were tucked in.

“Who’s ready to brush our teeth?” she asked calmly. “As soon as we do that, we can have a nice story. Which story did you choose again, Pixie?”

“Farmer Bear’s Christmas,” John-John said right away, his tears forgotten.

“Oh, that’s right,” Nora said with a smile. “I love that one. Let’s go get ready to read.”

Nora had put a mattress on the floor of the small office for herself, and replaced the king bed in the condo’s only bedroom with two twin beds for the kids.

But they always wound up in the same bed by the end of the night, and Nora couldn’t bring herself to mind.

She was sure that as they healed from losing their mom they would become more independent.

For now, it comforted them to be together, and that was just fine.

Once they were all ready, John-John scrambled into bed, and then Nora grabbed the book from the shelf and joined him. Pixie followed, snuggling into Nora’s other side.

“Aunt Nora sandwich,” John-John laughed, smushing himself against her.

“Aunt Nora sandwich,” Pixie agreed with a big smile on her face, also pressing against Nora, but more gently.

“Oh, that’s so cozy,” Nora said with a big smile of her own.

John-John patted the book, as if to remind her to stay on track.

“Okay,” Nora said. “Here we go.”

By the time the book was half-finished, John-John was asleep on his pillow. They had read it so many times before that she practically had it memorized.

It told a sweet but simple story about a family of bears who lived on a farm called Bear Haven. The bears were in a hurry to complete all their Christmas traditions before it was time to hibernate.

Most of the traditions on the bears’ farm were probably unfamiliar to the pair of city kids. But Nora figured that just made it all seem more exotic and interesting to them.

And of course, after a close call with failure, the bears did manage to finish their list of Christmas activities before falling fast asleep for the winter, so everyone was happy in the end when they managed to make it through the whole story.

“Thank you for being such a help today,” Nora whispered to Pixie when the book was done.

“You’re welcome,” Pixie said, looking proud.

“Is there anything special you’d like to do this weekend?” Nora asked.

Pixie hesitated, her eyes on the book.

“Can we go to the old park?” she asked after a moment.

“Of course,” Nora told her.

She made a mental note to check in with the mom of one of Pixie’s friends from her old neighborhood.

The kid was Sophie, but Nora wasn’t a hundred-percent sure on the name of the mom—something that started with “L” she thought.

Either way, she had the woman’s number, along with her assurance that they would “love to get the kids together sometime,” even though she seemed to have an excuse every time Nora reached out.

Maybe if you actually learned her name…

But Nora didn’t think that was it. It had been harder than she’d imagined getting anyone they knew to spend time with the kids.

She wasn’t sure if it was a natural aversion to tragedy, or something more.

At any rate, she wasn’t going to stop trying.

It wasn’t right for the kids to be isolated from their old life any more than they already were.

And besides, it would be nice to go to the other park, even if it was a bit of a hike.

The one they lived near now was more decorative than anything.

There wasn’t any play equipment, and it was small enough that any kids wanting to yell and play got mean looks from the adults sitting on the uncomfortable wrought iron benches.

She hadn’t worried about that when her ex insisted they spend a fortune on this tiny condo. Edward didn’t want children, so she hadn’t thought it would be an issue.

Don’t think about that.

“Good night,” Pixie said, kissing Nora’s cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Pixie girl,” Nora told her. “To the moon and back.”

That earned her a smile. She knew that Alma used to tell the kids she loved them all the way to infinity, and she didn’t want to step on that memory, but it was nice to have an I love you tradition of their own.

Pixie rested her little head on the pillow, and Nora climbed out of the bed and slipped out the door, closing it behind her but leaving the little angel nightlight on.

She felt good as she headed back to the kitchen, and she decided to put the kettle on before she finished up with the groceries. That way, she would have a nice cup of tea made and be ready to curl up with her own book when she was finished.

The radio was still on from earlier and she found herself missing the days when she’d lived in Tarker County and they played all Christmas music, all the time, during this part of the year.

Her parents had moved them around constantly growing up, but there was something about the Pennsylvania countryside that had stuck with Nora, even after years of living in the city.

Her phone rang before she could give it any more thought, and she pulled it out of her pocket to find that it was a familiar contact.

Raining Cats & Dogs Vet Clinic

She swiped the screen with her heart in her mouth. It wasn’t like her work would have many good reasons to be calling her.

“Hello?” she said.

“Nora,” said a male voice she recognized right away. “How are you? How are the kids?”

“Hi, Tony,” she said, touched that her boss would ask about the children before talking about work. “They’re holding up really well. I’m proud of them.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” he said. “They’re very lucky to have you.”

“Thanks,” she said, biting her lip afterward.

“Listen,” Tony said. “You know Margie and I care about you and we’re grateful to you. You’re the best vet tech we’ve ever had.”

“Thank you,” Nora said, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“We’re wondering if you’re ready to come back,” Tony said.

And there it was. Nora blew out a breath, unsure how to explain the situation. She had been taking leave without pay for almost six months now because the kids really needed her.

She was living on savings and the bit of money Edward had left her. Of course that wouldn’t last too much longer, and she knew she had to get back to work as soon as possible.

But John-John was still hurting so much that she couldn’t imagine trying to park him in some preschool all day, or disappearing on him by leaving him with a sitter. She knew in her heart that this time spent building back the little boy’s sense of security would pay off for the rest of his life.

But she also sensed that things were about to get a whole lot harder if she didn’t figure out some kind of solution.

“The thing is,” Tony went on. “We can’t go into the holiday season without a tech here to help out.

People have parties and their pets get into foods they shouldn’t, parents bring home puppies and kittens for Christmas that need their shots.

And we can’t afford to have two techs. So, if we hire someone else, we won’t be able to bring you back.

We can give you a week to think it over… ”

“No need,” Nora told him, forcing herself to remain calm.

She could let herself break the minute they were off the phone.

“You and Margie have been more than patient. I’m so sorry to have left you with an empty position for so long.

You need to have your staff back in time for the holidays.

When I’m able to get back to work, I’ll find something. ”

“Are you sure, honey?” Tony asked.

“I’m going to send you contact info for someone great that I went to school with,” she told him, thinking suddenly of her best friend, Leslie. “She’s really wonderful, and she’d be a great person to consider for the job if you’re interviewing now.”

“Think about it a little more,” Tony offered, his voice deep with concern.

“When I’m ready to start working again, I’ll check in with you,” she told him. “I promise. And if it’s meant to be, you’ll be between techs, and it will work out just fine.”

That was a pipe dream though, and she knew it. The little clinic paid well and their kindness to their employees was clear from the way they had handled Nora’s sudden family. The next tech lucky enough to be hired by them would never leave.

But she also knew that tenderhearted Tony felt terrible, and she wanted to leave him on an optimistic note.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” Tony told her. “You let us know if you need anything. Anything at all.”

“I sure will,” Nora told him before they hung up, knowing full well that she wouldn’t.

She had taken on these children, and they were her responsibility. She tried to keep what an honor that was at the front of her mind during times like this. When she was feeling overwhelmed, it helped to remember that Alma had trusted her implicitly with her precious children.

Tomorrow is not for today, she told herself. It was a quote from her inspirational calendar, but it felt like it had been written just for her, a woman trying to weigh a child’s best interests against how long the balance of her bank account would carry them.

She didn’t know what she was going to do about any of it yet. But right now, she was going to drink her tea, read her book, and try her best not to think about it anymore until tomorrow.