Chapter 2
RIVER
River Young stood at the peak of the hill, looking out over his new farm.
In the fields below, golden stalks reached up through a blanket of snow toward the gray sky as far as the eye could see. In the growing season, the farm would be bustling, but right now, it was quiet as the peaceful vista of sleeping corn and soybeans spread out in front of him.
It made River think back to his first training jump in the Army—the noise in the plane and the close quarters with the other troopers, his chest pressed against the parachute of the man in front of him, and the sounds of harsh breathing and murmured prayers all around.
It was the opposite of peaceful, but once he had jumped and opened his own chute, all the noises and bodies were suddenly gone, and River was alone in the sky, drifting slowly toward the green fields below.
That moment of quiet calm between the jumping and the landing had reminded him of his goal to one day be standing where he was right now. All his fear had vanished, replaced by a sure sense that he was doing the right thing.
While his time in the military had been filled with challenges, he had managed to hold onto that kernel of faith through it all.
And now, years later, this little piece of Trinity Falls finally belonged to him, and the sense of peace that had sustained him once could extend for a lifetime.
He breathed in the sweet, cold air, enjoying the feeling of solid ground beneath his boots, but wondering why he still felt a shiver of restlessness.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out as his mom’s contact info popped up. River smiled and slid his thumb across the screen to accept the call.
“Hey, Ma,” he said.
“River,” she said. “Glad you picked up. I wanted to check in and make sure you were going to bring those nice chocolates your father likes for Christmas.”
“Of course,” he told her. “I’ll definitely pick some up. Should I grab one box or two? Will Edward and Nora be there, or are they jetting off to Paris or something?”
River’s older brother and his wife lived in a fancy condo in the city. The two of them missed out on family gatherings from time to time because they liked to travel.
“Oh dear,” Mom said. “He didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?” River asked.
“Well,” she sighed. “You know they decided not to have children.”
River hadn’t known, though he had suspected that they either didn’t want kids or that they couldn’t have them. They had been married a few years now, and he couldn’t imagine a less child-friendly environment than their tiny glass and marble condo.
He made a general sound of agreement, not wanting to start a whole conversation around whatever their mom thought about such a decision.
“Well, her sister passed away,” she went on, not sounding too sad about it. “And she left those two kids of hers with Nora. It wasn’t part of their plan, and so the two of them decided it was best to separate. He let her keep the condo.”
“What?” River asked, truly stunned.
“These things happen sometimes,” Mom said lightly. “Not every marriage works out, River, and it’s really none of our business. The point is, yes, your brother will be here. Nora will not.”
“I’ve got to go,” River told her.
“But I can put you down for the chocolates?” Mom asked. “Right?”
“Sure,” River said, hanging up before he exploded and said something he regretted.
Shoving the phone in his pocket, he took off for the farmhouse at a jog, his heart thundering in his chest.
Edward was the oldest, and had always been the unspoken favorite.
River was a little on the rambunctious side, but Edward was always focused—on schoolwork when they were kids, and on his career now.
From their few phone calls and emails over the years while River was serving, he knew that his brother expected a lot from himself.
He figured it made sense that Edward hadn’t wanted to muddy his perfect life with the chaos of children.
But River couldn’t believe Edward would actually abandon his wife when she became a caregiver under such sad circumstances.
Poor Nora…
And the idea that Mom and Dad hadn’t pushed Edward to make a better choice was shocking. They had told Edward and River that family was everything no less than a thousand times, so he just didn’t understand how his mom could be so unbothered about this.
He didn’t have a plan as he approached the farmhouse, but he found himself hopping in his truck. The engine roared to life, and as he took off down the gravel drive, past the sleeping fields and toward the main road, a single idea made itself clear.
I’m going to see Nora.
The radio had come on with the engine. WCCR was playing all Christmas music, and the sweet sound of a local children’s choir singing “Silent Night” was at odds with the furious pounding of his heart in his ears.
Breathe, he reminded himself.
As the ribbon of Route One carried him past the patchwork quilt of farmland, he realized he didn’t want to show up empty-handed.
He tried desperately to remember the kids’ ages.
He’d gotten a holiday letter from Nora and his brother two years ago, and he seemed to remember photos of her sister, Alma, and a niece and nephew among the shots of vacations and sunsets over the condo balcony.
The children had been pretty little at the time, a preschooler and a baby maybe.
So would that mean the girl was school age now and the baby boy was around the age the girl had been?
He turned onto Ambler Road and drove under the canopy of bare tree branches, past the beautiful Victorians that lined the way leading down to the village.
Icicle lights hung from roofs, and there were decorations in most front yards and a wreath on nearly every door. Trinity Falls might be a sleepy little town, but it meant that townsfolk really enjoyed their traditions.
If things were the same as when he was a kid, there would be a huge town holiday celebration coming up. And he knew from his contact there that the veterans center was going to be hosting a big event this year too.
Finally, he reached the little town center and parked on Ambler in front of the toy store.
He hopped out of his truck and put a few coins in the meter, noticing how many people were out walking around town with their reusable shopping bags, smiling and waving to each other like characters in a movie or something.
He realized suddenly that he could easily bump into someone he knew from growing up here, and panic started to creep in.
It’s okay. Breathe.
He pushed open the door to the toy store, relieved to step into the smaller space before he bumped into anyone and had to try and have a friendly conversation while his mind was reeling and his blood was boiling.
“How can I help you?” a pretty lady all in pink asked him.
He recognized her right away as Lily Hathaway. She had been so popular in high school, and she always wore pink back then too.
Mercifully, if she recognized him, she didn’t make a thing out of it. Which made sense—they hadn’t been close or anything.
“I’m looking for toys for little kids,” he told her.
“That’s great,” she told him. “Did you have anything particular in mind?”
That stopped him short for a minute as he thought back to when he and Edward were little and what they liked to play with.
“Water pistols,” he said. “Or maybe bubbles, or Frisbees? Do you have hula hoops?”
“I have all that stuff,” she told him with a big smile.
She showed him around, pointing out each of the items he had mentioned. River couldn’t decide, so he just bought two of each.
“Getting your Christmas shopping done early?” Lily asked with a smile as she rang him up.
He realized he was tapping his foot impatiently and forced himself to take a breath.
“I’m just going to see my niece and nephew,” he said.
Though that wasn’t really true. Edward wasn’t their father, and never would be.
Anger bubbled up in his chest again.
Breathe.
“That’s really nice,” Lily said. “You have a great visit.”
He left the toy store with a bag in each hand and the hula hoops over his shoulder.
Jonah and Martha Kahn smiled at him as he was loading his purchases into the back seat of the truck. The Kahns had been an older couple going for walks through town back when River was a little boy. They looked just the same now, though their hair was a little whiter than before.
“Good to see you home, son,” Jonah said as they passed without stopping to chat.
River suddenly felt a little calmer, though he wasn’t sure why.
He got back in the truck and managed to keep his mind on the road all the way to Philadelphia.
By the time he arrived in the city, the sun was setting, its flaming reds and golds reflecting in the glass of the tall buildings. He parked in a shockingly pricey lot just down the block from the fancy condo building where Edward and Nora lived.
Just Nora, he corrected himself. And two little kids.
Carrying his bags and hula hoops down the street, he got some funny looks from the passersby in their long woolen coats and leather gloves.
He glanced down at himself and realized it might have been better to change out of his muddy work boots and lined flannel before coming out here. But he’d been too upset to worry about it then, and he wasn’t going to worry about it now.
The building had a doorman, but he appeared to be giving walking directions to tourists, so River just slipped inside and stalked over to the elevator banks. He tapped the call button and the doors slid right open on the nearest elevator.
Stepping inside, he pressed PH for the penthouse floor, and was relieved when no one else got into the small space with him.
It was only as the elevator began to rise that he let himself face his past feelings.
That’s all they were, he reminded himself. Feelings from the past.
He certainly wasn’t the dumb kid he’d been before joining the Army. And Nora would have changed by now, too. Losing her sister and Edward, and taking on these children would have left its mark, and there had been plenty of years in between, even before those sad events.
She wouldn’t be the happy young girl who had him infatuated the first time he met her.
I’m here because we’re family, he told himself. Even if Edward doesn’t honor that anymore. And I’m here for someone in need.
The elevator chimed and he stepped out, jogging up to knock on her door before he lost his nerve.
A moment later, he heard soft footsteps and little voices, then the door opened.
Light from the sunset spilled in through the glassy walls of the condo, putting a fiery halo around Nora’s dark hair.
She was wearing worn flannel pajamas that appeared to be dusted with flour, and her face was bare of makeup, the dark circles under her eyes telling him instantly that worry was robbing her of sleep.
And River was gutted to find that she somehow looked even more beautiful to him than she ever had before.