Mistletoe Mommy

Anna Reyes is pregnant and widowed, and a Christmas homecoming isn’t so simple. Reuniting with her best friend, Ryan Savage, makes it easier—even though she knows he’ll soon be leaving their small coastal hometown. After putting his career on hold for his family’s business, Ryan’s finally ready to pursue his goals. But as he and Anna work to make the holidays special for a group of at-risk kids, Ryan wonders if he can give up one dream for another. They’re determined to make this a Christmas to remember, but can Ryan and Anna also make their holiday family last forever?

“There’s something else you can keep me from.” Ryan grinned.

Anna rested her hand on top of her basketball-size stomach. “What’s that?”

“You can keep me from another Friday night of eating alone.” He winked at her. “Dinner will give us a chance to catch up. Our Christmas reunion. A lot has happened since we last saw each other.”

“No kidding.” Her gaze fell to the wooden steps. “I’m sorry about your dad, Ryan.” She dropped her hand to her side. “Mateo was going through chemo and...”

“We lost touch. No problem. So...dinner?”

Her lashes feathered her skin. “I never could say no to you.”

Which wasn’t how he remembered high school. Though more often than not, he hadn’t given her a chance to say no. He’d been too scared to ask Anna to prom or on a date. He’d reckoned it best to be content being best friends. But how many times had he secretly wished for more...

Dear Reader,

Sometimes we find love. And sometimes, like an unexpected gift, love finds us.

In writing this story, I was forced to ask myself, how far was I willing to go for love? What would I sacrifice? What would I risk?

To risk much for love, like Anna, I have to be willing to come to the end of my pride and self-sufficiency if I am to discover God’s best, often unexpected, gift for me. Like Ryan, I, too, have grappled with what this kind of love will cost me. Sometimes I lacked the courage to love this way—feeling the cost too high. The price of obedience. The cost of laying down my plans. The death of self.

But love is a choice. An unconditional love with no expectation of return demands courage. My prayer—like Ryan’s—is for God’s love to be born in me so that I might love the way God loves us. And to persevere in loving, despite knowing the outcome may never be what I long for most—but trusting God anyway.

Bethlehem and Calvary are the greatest love story. God’s love story for all mankind when He chose to make our heart His home. Love is calling, and I pray you will answer love’s call.

I hope you have enjoyed taking this Christmas journey with me, Anna and Ryan. I would love to hear from you. You may email me at lisa@lisacarterauthor.com or visit www.lisacarterauthor.com.

Wishing you fair winds and following seas,

Lisa Carter

LISA CARTER and her family make their home in North Carolina. In addition to her Love Inspired novels, she writes romantic suspense for Abingdon Press. When she isn’t writing, Lisa enjoys traveling to romantic locales, teaching writing workshops and researching her next exotic adventure. She has strong opinions on barbecue and ACC basketball. She loves to hear from readers. Connect with Lisa at lisacarterauthor.com.

The Christmas Baby

Lisa Carter

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Now before the Feast of the Passover,

Jesus knew that His hour had come that

He would depart out of this world to the Father,

having loved His own who were in the world,

He loved them to the end.

—John 13:1

This book is dedicated to my late uncle, Hugh Adams.

You are missed. Thank you for sharing your family

with me. I will always treasure the memories of

fun, golf and barbecue chicken.

But most of all, thank you for Christmas.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

His footsteps echoing, Ryan Savage walked the first grader from the cafeteria toward the media center. The dismissal bell had released the rest of the students to buses and to car pool thirty minutes ago.

Oscar’s hand slipped into Ryan’s. “Mister Sabbage?” The child barely spoke above a whisper.

Biting back a smile, Ryan paused in the school corridor. “What is it, Oscar? Are you still hungry?”

Eligible students enrolled in the after-school tutoring program received a healthy snack. For some of them, it was the only food they’d receive until returning to school the next morning for a nutritious breakfast.

Small for his age, the little boy shook his head. “I jus’ wonnered if the new teacher in our group was as nice as Miz Thompson. I’m gonna miss her.”

There was something endearing about the child, which tugged at Ryan’s heart. “Perhaps Mrs. Thompson will return to school after she has her baby. But I think you’ll like the teacher who is taking her place.”

“What’s her name?”

“Mrs. Reyes is an old friend of mine.” Ryan smiled. “In fact, we became best friends when we were in first grade like you.”

This was Anna’s first day of teaching at the small elementary school outside Kiptohanock, Virginia, where they’d grown up. He was looking forward to seeing her again, but an unexpected nervousness opened in the pit of his stomach. Which was ridiculous. He wasn’t the gangly teenager who once had feelings for Anna Pruitt.

Oscar’s eyes widened. “You were in first grade like me?”

Ryan rolled his tongue in his cheek. “Hard to believe, I know. But true.”

Oscar shook his head as if he wasn’t quite sure he should believe Ryan. “Is she pwetty?”

Ryan pushed his glasses farther along the bridge of his nose. “I think so. You’ll have to tell me what you think.”

Oscar nodded. “We better go see.”

Anna was probably already inside the media center waiting with the other two students who would make up their group in the after-school enrichment program.

Pressing through the doors, Ryan steered Oscar past other clumps of students and supervising adults. The intervention teams were composed of teachers, professional counselors and trained community volunteers.

Due to a poor attendance record, Oscar was falling behind his classmates. His classroom teacher also reported that when Oscar managed to get to school, he often fell asleep. A six-year-old shouldn’t be so tired. Ryan needed to make a home visit to talk with Oscar’s mother.

Weaving past the computer lab and waist-high bookcases, Ryan waved to other kids he’d come to know during his short career as a fifth-grade teacher. Students entered the program due to behavioral issues and low academic performance in math or language. The goal was to help kids rise above difficult home circumstances and acquire the academic and lifestyle skills to achieve success far beyond their current situations.

Sighting Anna’s dark hair at one of the tables, he herded Oscar forward. But the knot of apprehension in Ryan’s gut tightened.

Until they went off-Shore to college and lost touch, they’d been best friends. While he’d pursued a research career, she eventually married someone else. A marine.

Now as a young military widow, Anna had just returned home. Hired by the school board to finish the term for a kindergarten teacher on maternity leave till after Christmas. And only this week, Principal Carden asked Ryan to head an additional support team for three newly identified at-risk kids.

On this late November afternoon, the light spilled milky sunshine through the blinds on the window and across the table where Anna and a little girl hunkered over a picture book.

Ryan stopped short, his hand on Oscar’s shoulder. His heart was in his throat—which as a scientist he knew to be an anatomical impossibility and yet at this moment it was proven true.

Anna’s long hair lay gathered across one shoulder, secured by a clip. Beneath the quilted, white vest, she wore a red-and-black-striped flannel plaid shirt. Red—like Christmas, he remembered—was her favorite.

Her finger skimmed underneath the line of words on the printed page. Her voice as soft and melodious as ever, as she occasionally prompted the little girl reading aloud.

But he couldn’t catch a glimpse of Anna’s dark brown eyes. His pulse ratcheted. When she glanced up, would she be pleased or indifferent to see him?

Oscar surged toward the cluster of chairs around the table. And when her eyes fastened onto Ryan, Anna gave a soft gasp.

Ryan held himself motionless. “Hello, Anna.”

The corners of her mouth curved. And a light appeared in those melted chocolate eyes of hers. Warming at the sight of him. “Ryan.”

Oscar’s blue eyes darted from Ryan to Anna. “I thought his name was Mister Sabbage.”

She laughed. Like the sound of tinkling wind chimes on a gentle ocean breeze.

“It is Mr. Savage, Oscar.” He ruffled the hair on top of the little boy’s head, and Oscar smiled. A cautious smile. As if unused to affection. Or trust. Ryan could relate.

Oscar plopped into a chair. “You’re right, Mister Sabbage. She is very pwetty.”

She blushed.

“Thank you, Oscar.” She extended her hand across the table. “I’m Mrs. Reyes. And I am so happy to meet you. I hope we’ll have fun together after school.”

Oscar gave her fingers a quick squeeze. Then laying his head on the table, he closed his eyes.

Ryan pulled out a chair across from Anna. He recognized the little girl, Maria Guzman. Overweight compared to her second-grade peers, she could speak and understand English according to her file, but her reading ability was below grade level.

Sixty-something Agnes Parks headed their way with the third student in tow, Zander Benoit. Mrs. Parks was the wife of Ryan’s pastor. Their daughter, Darcy, had once been Anna’s best girl friend in high school.

Throwing himself into one of the empty seats, third grader Zander held himself taut. But his black eyes never stopped moving, assessing the other children, the room and Ryan, too. He wasn’t sure why, but Zander reminded Ryan of his brother, Ethan, who’d just returned home from the army.

When the child’s gaze landed on the red Exit sign, Ryan understood the connection between his combat veteran brother and the third grader. Zander was formulating an exit strategy. Calculating the distance between the table and the door. The way Ryan was planning his own exit strategy after Christmas.

“What’s with the candy canes, man?”

Ryan’s attention snapped to Zander. A diversionary tactic? As if he sensed Ryan getting too close. Zander deserved a home visit, too.

Oscar’s eyes opened, and he lifted his head. Maria glanced around the media center walls, decorated with candy cane cutouts. The week after Thanksgiving, a few industrious colleagues had begun the holiday countdown to winter break.

Zander jutted his jaw. “Do we get candy after this boring school thing is done?” Behavioral issues had landed Zander in the program.

Ryan leaned back in his chair. “No candy. But—” he made sure he had everyone’s attention “—if each of you complete your weekly goals, we have a big reward planned for the group before winter break.”

Oscar’s face lit. “We get Chwistmas?”

“Don’t be stupid,” Zander responded before Ryan could. “Christmas isn’t real.”

Oscar’s face fell.

Maria stuck out her chin. “Estupido is a bad word. Isn’t it, Mrs. Reyes?”

Anna laid her palms on the tabletop. “We don’t say stupid, Zander.”

“Whatever.” Zander thrust out his chest. “But Christmas is for babies.”

Ryan shook his head. “That’s not true, Zander. Christmas is for everyone.”

He threw Anna an apologetic look. They hadn’t had time to confer. “Mrs. Parks and I were thinking about a field trip next week to the tree lighting in the Kiptohanock town square.”

Agnes Parks smiled. “With milkshakes and dinner beforehand. On us.”

“Milkshakes?” Zander’s dark eyes took on a gleam of interest.

Agnes nudged a math workbook toward him. “And the countdown to everyone reaching their goals begins right now.”

Ryan had his own private countdown. After Christmas, he was returning to the pharmaceutical position he’d abandoned to come home and help his family when his father died.

Yet surprisingly, Ryan had enjoyed the last three years as a fifth-grade teacher. A job far different from the technical work for which he’d trained. And even more of a surprise, he’d relished the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of at-risk kids like Maria, Oscar and Zander. Although with a tough kid like Zander, how much a difference he made remained to be seen.

Zander’s eyes slitted. “You mean them two—” his index finger jabbed the air “—got to meet their goals for me to get a chocolate milkshake?”

Mrs. Parks—whose team specialty included character building and cooperative learning—rested her slightly plump chin in her hand. “Exactly what we discussed earlier, Zander. We’re here to help each other succeed.”

Necessary in most endeavors, academic or otherwise. Crucial in life—as Ryan discovered when he and his siblings rallied to save the family business.

Mrs. Parks patted Zander’s hand. “Zander is fabulous on the computer. He has a lot he can teach us.”

Zander muttered under his breath. “How fun.”

Ignoring him, Anna laid the picture book on the table. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

Ryan’s pulse accelerated. And although he understood she was speaking to the children, her smile was for him.

* * *

Anna Pruitt Reyes inhaled the familiar and comforting scents of the elementary school media center. The musty smell of books. The faint leftover aroma of coffee from the teachers’ lounge.

It felt good to teach again. And after fourteen years, good to be home on the Eastern Shore, the narrow peninsula bordered by the Chesapeake Bay on the west and the Atlantic on the east.

Sweet, shy Maria headed off with Mrs. Parks to the computer lab. Zander feigned disinterest while Ryan attempted to show him how to subtract fractions.

Prodded awake, Oscar came over to Anna’s side of the table. And a tender spot grew in her heart for the little guy in clean but ill-fitting blue jeans. Zander’s ragged jacket was totally inadequate for the coming winter months. But though her clothes were from a discount store, Maria appeared cared for.

In her previous teaching post in Texas, Anna had enjoyed her after-school work with at-risk students. And now more than ever, she needed the salary supplement.

She worked with Oscar on sight words and phonetics. While he practiced writing the letters of the alphabet, she took the opportunity to get her first good look at Ryan.

He hadn’t changed much. The same light brown hair. The eyeglasses were new, though, since she’d last seen him. He’d switched to contact lenses their senior year. But apparently he’d gone back to wearing frames, which suited him.

A tie hung askew at the open collar of his blue Oxford dress shirt. In a pair of belted jeans and brown suede shoes, he looked very much like what he was—a schoolteacher. Except far too handsome compared to any schoolteacher she’d ever known.

Placing the textbook in Zander’s backpack, Ryan’s chest rippled with muscles beneath the brown blazer. No longer the endearing, if goofy, boy she remembered with such fondness.

She flushed when Ryan caught her staring. The awkward moment ended as another volunteer arrived to take the children to the transportation bus.

Ryan jumped to his feet. “Great work today, kids.” Lanky as ever, he high-fived Maria and Oscar. Zander moved out of reach.

She straightened the books. “Have a great weekend, everyone.”

Mrs. Parks gathered her handbag. “See you on Monday.” The media center slowly emptied until only Anna and Ryan remained.

“It’s good to see you, Anna. Welcome home.”

Renewing her friendship with Ryan had factored in her decision to finally return home. And because of their friendship, she couldn’t delay revealing the truth any longer. Scraping the chair across the carpet, she rose heavily to her feet.

His smile froze. Behind the brownish-black frames of his glasses, bewilderment dotted his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat. If her dearest friend in the world couldn’t understand, how would her parents react?

Almost without intending to, she placed her palm over her abdomen. And his eyes—the blue-green of so many in seaside Kiptohanock—flickered at the movement of her hand.

His features had become carved of stone, all chiseled bone and rugged angles. “I didn’t realize you’d remarried.”

She took a quick, indrawn breath. “I haven’t.” And with those simple words, it began.

His jaw tightened. “I see.” The stubble was new since high school. Giving him an attractive maturity. He looked away toward the window overlooking the playground.

She’d expected better from him. “What is it you think you see, Ryan?”

“I see a woman nine months preg—”

“Seven months.” Heat mounted above her collar. All too aware she resembled a beached whale.

A muscle ticked in that strong, square-cut jaw of his. “A woman seven months pregnant. A widow for the last two—”

“Mateo died nearly three years ago from cancer.”

“Who...?” Ryan cleared his throat. “Whose child is this?”

A child posthumously conceived from her late husband’s stored sperm before Mateo began chemotherapy. But Anna was tired of explaining herself.

“Mine.” She raised her chin. “The child is mine, Ryan.”

He scrubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know what to say to you, Anna.”

“Say that you’re my friend.” Her mouth trembled. “Say that you understand.”

“But I don’t understand, Anna. Why are you— What did your dad say when you got home?”

Her eyes dropped to the floor. But because of her protruding belly, she could no longer see her black flats. “Dad and Mom are still at the army base with Jaxon in Europe. They don’t know yet.”

“You haven’t told them?” He gestured at her stomach. “Not exactly something you can hide.”

“I’m not hiding.” She bit her lip. Not anymore.

His broad shoulders slumped. “I was sorry to hear about Jax’s wife.”

“Exactly why I haven’t told my parents. They’ll be home after New Year’s.”

Who could’ve foreseen that she and her older brother, Jaxon, would both be widowed? This first Christmas without his wife, Jax needed their parents’ support. Their undivided attention.

She wasn’t eager to face the disappointment in her beloved father’s eyes. A disappointment not unlike the look on Ryan’s face.

“How did Charlie take the news?”

Charlie was Anna’s youngest brother, a deputy sheriff in town.

She pursed her lips. “I haven’t told him yet. I drove straight across the Bay Bridge Tunnel to school this morning from Virginia Beach.”

“Did you stay overnight with Will?” Ryan’s brow creased. “What did he say?”

A year younger than Anna, her firefighter brother lived on the other side of the bay.

“I made him promise to let me tell the rest of the family in my own time.”

Ryan shook his head. “So you drove all the way from Texas? You must be exhausted, Anna.”

In more ways than he could possibly know. Yet she was compelled by an inexplicable need to come home and mend fences with her family.

She took a breath. “I called Charlie this morning to let him know I was driving straight to work.”

Ryan frowned. “As I recall, your ex–deputy sheriff father doesn’t like surprises. Are you sure springing the baby on them is the best way to handle the situation?”

She tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear. “I wish you’d trust I’ve made the best decision for me and my baby.”

His eyes locked onto hers. “I wish...”

Something fluttered inside her chest. What did he wish?

He pinched his lips together. “Never mind.” Pivoting, he exited the media center as suddenly as he’d reappeared in her life.

She blinked away tears. “Merry Christmas to you, too.”

Why had she believed it would be different here? Brushing aside every obstacle, she’d left everything behind to be home for Christmas. She’d so needed a new start.

If this was any indication of the reception she’d get from her hometown... Her gut wrenched. She’d hoped the people who knew her best and loved her the most would also love this child.

Had she made a mistake in coming home?

Chapter Two

Out in the school parking lot, Ryan regretted his abrupt departure. He wrenched open his car door. There were so many questions he should’ve asked Anna. But he’d been stunned by her pregnancy.

Where was the baby’s father? Why had he left Anna to face her family alone with the news? What kind of man—?

His gut tightened. What sort of friend was he to let her face her family alone? She’d only asked one thing of him. To be her friend. To trust her.

But the pregnancy made no sense. This wasn’t like Anna. Not the Anna Pruitt he remembered. After her husband’s death, had she succumbed to grief or loneliness? Had she changed so much from those long-ago childhood days?

Getting into his car, he drove toward town. He followed Highway 13, which bisected the Delmarva Peninsula of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia into bayside and seaside. The tiny fishing village of Kiptohanock—their hometown—hugged the Atlantic shoreline.

Entering the small hamlet, he looped around the village square. The Waterman’s Association had been busy. Christmas wreaths hung from the gas-powered lanterns on each corner of the green.

Anna’s sister-in-law, Evy, worked in the library on the west side. On the south end of the square stood the white brick volunteer fire department. Ryan parked in the empty parking lot of the Sandpiper Cafe, closed for the evening.

This time of year, he found himself missing his father more than usual. His dad had loved participating in community events.

On the nearby waterfront, commercial and recreational boats bobbed in the marina. The steeple of the white clapboard church pierced the winter sky above the harbor. At the Coast Guard station, flags fluttered in the stiff wind.

The wind off the water would be cold this time of year. Yet his oceanside home rarely saw snow nor, hopefully, none of the more usual ice storms.

What kind of Christmas did Oscar, Maria or Zander look forward to? In less than a month, he’d say goodbye to his classroom and the kids forever.

His hands clenched around the wheel. Which was what he’d worked for—to leave the family on a better financial footing and return to the research he loved.

But the children he’d leave behind tugged at his heart. Even Zander, despite the third grader’s determination to keep everyone at arm’s length. Ryan blew out a breath of air. He’d not foreseen that when he tendered his resignation.

Arm’s length. He’d done the same since changing careers and coming home to help his family. As for seeing Anna again? The rush of emotion had caught Ryan by surprise.

What would happen to kids like Oscar, Maria and Zander after Ryan left the Shore for good?

He throttled the steering column. “This isn’t my problem, God.” But saying that out loud didn’t ease his conscience as he’d hoped.

Ryan released his grip on the wheel and leaned against the seat. The replacement teacher would be fine. The children would be fine. Anna and her baby would be fine.

Would they? Would Ryan? Was there a reason Anna had come into his life now?

Only the sound of shorebirds wheeling above the glittering water of the inlet broke the silence. But he couldn’t shake the memory of the unspoken plea in Anna’s beautiful eyes. To trust her. To understand. To be her friend.

She seemed so sad and alone. First losing her husband and now being a single parent. He shouldn’t have walked away. He needed to apologize. No one should feel that sad or alone, especially at Christmas.

And when her very intimidating ex-deputy dad found out about the baby... Ryan winced. He didn’t envy Anna that conversation.

He spied Seth Duer stuffing something fur-lined and red into the cab of his truck, and Ryan got an idea. He grinned. A surprise not only for the children, but for Anna, too.

* * *

So like their deputy sheriff father, Charlie’s uniformed shoulders hunched in the overstuffed armchair. “Why didn’t you tell us about the baby, Anna?”

Sitting on the sofa in her childhood home, Anna fidgeted. “Because you would’ve tried to talk me out of it.”

Perched on the armrest, Evy dangled her trademark high heels. “And your due date is January 6?” Her smile made her cheeks brush her retro horn-rimmed eyeglasses. “An Old Christmas baby. The Epiphany.”

The glasses reminded Anna of Ryan. She’d expected too much from a childhood friend she hadn’t seen in years. She’d underestimated the distance time and geography had created between them.

Just before high school graduation, she’d actually thought—hoped—Ryan might care for her as more than a friend. But he never said anything. And she chalked it up to wishful thinking. The road not taken. At this point, a road she couldn’t afford to take.

She steeled herself against the ache Ryan’s rejection evoked. “Mateo’s people call it the Día de Los Reyes.”

“Reyes. ‘Kings’ in Spanish.” Evy’s blond ponytail swished. “The Magi. Three Kings’ Day.”

“A day of gifts.” Anna locked eyes with her scowling brother. “And this child is his last, best gift to me.”

His elbows on his knees, Charlie steepled his hands under his chin. “With the rest of the Pruitts scattered far and wide this Christmas, there’s plenty of room for you at the house.”

She looked at her brother with his Clark Kent good looks. “I appreciate the offer, but I rented a house on Quayside Lane before I left Texas.”

His brow furrowed. “This is your home, Anna.”

With her older brothers, Jaxon and Ben, on active military duty and firefighter Will on the mainland, it had fallen to Charlie to keep the home fires burning. A home where she’d spent a happy childhood.

Charlie frowned. “You don’t have to do everything by yourself, Anna.”

Evy slid onto the sofa beside Anna. “We want to be here for you.”

Anna’s gaze darted between them. “I love you both for your support, but it’s better this way.”

“Quayside is so remote.” He lifted his chin, the cleft clearly visible. “It’s not good for you to be out there alone. Especially with winter upon us.”

“I’m the big sister, remember, Charlie? I’ll be fine.”

Anna glanced out the picture window at the maples lining the street. Having dropped the last of their leaves, the bare branches revealed the stark beauty of winter. Christmas used to be her favorite time of year.

She hardly remembered the girl she’d once been. Full of optimism as she headed off to college. Surprised by love’s possibilities after meeting handsome Marine Corps PFC Reyes. And because of Mateo’s deployment, a whirlwind wedding. The girl she’d been before death and fear took their toll.

“Why did you do this, Anna?” Her brother’s pensive tone pulled her away from her memories. “Why not start a new family with someone else?”

She stiffened. “I want Mateo’s child.”

“His child keeps you mired in the past.” Charlie’s lips tightened. “You lost your teaching job over this, didn’t you?”

She knotted her hands in her lap. “There were side effects with the fertility drugs. I was absent a lot.” It was the understatement of the century. “The school district chose not to renew my contract. But I have to do this. This child is Mateo’s legacy preserved forever.”

“Do you hear yourself, Anna?” His eyes widened. “What kind of burden is that for a kid to bear? Being someone’s memorial candle. How dare Mateo Reyes ask you to do this.”

She stood so fast she swayed. “That’s not how it was. I want to do this. I need to do this.” She squared her shoulders. “I didn’t go into this lightly.”

“Help us to understand.” Evy caught Anna’s arm. “Please sit down.”

She allowed Evy to pull her onto the sofa again. “Neither Mateo or I ever believed he wouldn’t win the war against the cancer. He was so young. So strong. So full of life...” Her voice broke. “Don’t you think I’ve considered what it will mean to bring a fatherless child into the world?”

Charlie came out of his chair and crouched in front of her. “Raising a child as a single mother is going to be so hard, sis.” He reached for her hand.

“This was Mateo’s greatest desire—to have a child.”

Her brother’s hazel eyes bored into hers. “There was a court case a few years ago, which made national headlines. Posthumous children aren’t entitled to Social Security or military benefits. They have few legal rights.” He blew out a breath.

Charlie didn’t know the half of it. The procedure hadn’t been covered by the VA. She didn’t want her family to know how she’d depleted her savings.

“At first, I tried artificial insemination. But after three failed attempts—”

“You weren’t pregnant at our wedding a year ago.” Evy put her hand to her throat. “How long have you been trying to conceive, Anna?”

A question she preferred not to answer. “The good news is that the in vitro finally worked.” After two failed procedures.

She’d sold anything she could live without. Everything she owned in the world sat in her VW Beetle parked in front of the house.

Charlie rocked on his heels. “Stay here, Anna. With people who love you.”

She shook her head. “I need to do this on my own.”

Evy’s expressive blue eyes clouded. “Need or want?”

Anna chewed her bottom lip. “When Mrs. Savage forwarded the notice of the interim position so close to Christmas, I thought...”

Thanks to pregnancy hormones, she’d been weepy the day the email arrived. She’d given in to the growing desire to come home. To spend Christmas with those near and dear to her heart. But above all, to make a new life for her child.

And the kindergarten opening offered a small financial cushion to take the edge off her empty bank account. As she was learning, babies were expensive.

Charlie glanced at the mantel clock. “It’s the middle of the night in Europe, but we can call Mom and Dad first thing—”

“I’m not ready to tell them yet.” She fisted the hem of her vest.

“They deserve to know the truth.”

“Please, Charlie. A few more weeks.” She opened her palms on her lap. “Let me be the one to tell them.”

Single parenting would be the ultimate and final letdown of everything they once hoped and dreamed for her.

He sighed. “But in the meantime, what will you say to people in town?”

In Kiptohanock, everybody was always up in everybody else’s business.

She sniffed. “Why should I have to say anything?”

He frowned. “Their accent may be slow, but their minds aren’t. People in Kiptohanock can count. They know your husband’s been dead for three years. You don’t want people thinking the worst.”

“The worst?” She gestured at her belly. “You think this is the worst? Let me tell you about worst, little brother.”

“I’m thinking of your reputation, Anna.”

“By the time I was twenty-eight, I’d already suffered the worst day of my life. Holding the hand of my husband as he breathed his last breath.” Her lips twisted. “People need to mind their own business.”

“It’s not that simple, Anna.” He flexed his jaw. “And you know it.”

Evy touched Anna’s hand. “I don’t think you’re giving people enough credit. They will want to help.”

Like Ryan? Except for God, she’d felt alone for a long time. She wouldn’t have survived without His help. She believed in the deepest part of her being this baby was part of God’s plan for her.

“I have to do this, Charlie,” she whispered.

Her brother rose with a groan. “I guess I have no choice but to let you do this your way.”

Evy helped her off the couch. “Don’t forget how much we love you and want to be here for you, Anna.”

She hugged the petite woman who’d become the closest thing to a sister she’d ever known. Saying a quick goodbye before her resolve weakened, Anna lumbered out the door. And nearly fell off the wide-planked porch in disbelief.

Ankles crossed and arms folded, Ryan leaned against her car.

She had a hard time regaining her breath and not only because she walked the distance between the living room and veranda. “What’re you doing here?”

“You caught me by surprise before.” Behind the frames, his eyes flickered. “I wanted to apologize for walking away. Congratulations, Anna. You’ll be a wonderful mother.”

Sudden warmth flooded her chest. He had no idea how much his words meant.

“You asked me to trust you, Anna. So I do.” He ran his hand over his hair. “I don’t understand this situation at all, but I promise to never stop being your friend.”

Her throat constricted.

Pushing off from the car, he came forward to the bottom step. “Will you forgive me for being an idiot and give me another chance to be the friend you deserve?”

“I’d like that, Ryan.” Tears stung her eyes. “Very much.”

He gave her that crooked smile she remembered so well. Like a flash of lightning, momentarily sizzling her brain.

“I figured Charlie might need help unpacking your car.” He motioned to the packed-to-the-roof baby blue Beetle. “Looks like the day you headed off to college. Remember?”

She remembered.

A tender moment on a long-ago August morning when he helped pack her stuff into this same car. When she’d hoped for something more than friendship. But now? If he only understood how little of that girl remained.

“I’ve rented a small house on Quayside Lane.”

He shrugged. “Then I’ll follow and help you unpack.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“Or I won’t believe you’ve really forgiven me.” He cocked his head. “You don’t want me lying awake all night on your conscience, do you, Anna Banana?”

Her lips quirked.

No fair playing on his affectionate childhood nickname for her. Maybe this once, it wouldn’t hurt to let someone help carry the load. She glanced at the overloaded vehicle. Literally.

“If you want to.”

He laughed. “Perhaps the most begrudging acceptance I’ve ever heard.”

It wouldn’t do to become too dependent on anyone. Not even her dearest friend. “What I meant to say was thank you, Ryan. I’d appreciate your help.”

To show him her sincerity, she gave him a wide smile. But when she took hold of his hand to descend the steps, an unexpected tingle shot from his fingers to her elbow.

Ground level, she jerked free. Their gazes locked.

Something flamed in the blue-green depths of his eyes. “By the way, Anna, Merry Christmas.”

“Is it?” she rasped.

He broke eye contact long enough to push his glasses farther along the bridge of his nose. “I think, for the first time in a long while, it might just be a very merry Christmas.”

“Friends?” Something compelled her to add.

He scraped his hand over the beard stubble on his jaw. “Friends.”

Anna owed him the truth. Not everyone in Kiptohanock would understand her decision to carry this child. Would Ryan?

She exhaled, sending a puff of breath into the brisk air. “The baby is Mateo’s. Posthumously conceived. So a tiny part of the life we shared can live on.”

“I meant what I said. I’m here for you.” He swallowed. “For as long as you’ll let me.”

Good as his word, he wouldn’t let her down. Ryan Savage had never let her down. And somehow in the deep places of her heart, she knew he wouldn’t now.

He cleared his throat. “In fact, I’ve made some phone calls...”

She glanced at him.

“I’m going to be your own personal version of Santa. And I could use your help with an idea I have for Maria, Oscar and Zander.”

“Which means what?”

“I’m going to make it my mission to make this the best Kiptohanock Christmas ever.” He smiled, and her heart lurched. “For all of us.”

Chapter Three

Dusk fell as Ryan hauled the last box up the rickety, wooden steps into the run-down trailer. He placed the box on the peeling kitchen countertop. No wonder Anna hadn’t wanted her brother out here.

She raised her palm before he could speak. “It was cheap. It was furnished. It’s temporary and not any of your business.”

“You can’t stay here, Anna. The steps are an accident waiting to happen.”

She folded her arms. “I’ll be fine.”

“And that car you got as a high school graduation present is on its last legs. I can’t believe you drove from Texas in that bucket of bolts.”

“My car is fine.”

“You and I both know that at the crack of dawn, your brother is going to pay you a visit. And then he’s going to drag you out of here if he has to put you under house arrest—his house—to do it.”

In her defiant brown eyes, for a second he glimpsed the take-no-sass girl raised in a houseful of boys. “He can try.”

She wasn’t the only one who could do stubborn. “I’m fixing the steps, Anna.”

“I’ll fix the steps myself.”

He planted his hands on his hips. “Can you see your feet, Anna, much less crawl under the porch?”

She rocked back. Wrong thing to say to a pregnant woman.

“I didn’t mean that the way—” But she sidestepped his outstretched hand.

Frustration bubbled at her mile-wide independent streak. “I can’t in good conscience let you get hurt on those steps.”

“Conscience’s sake? Is that why you’re here?” Her lips flattened. “What am I, Ryan, this year’s Christmas project?”

He moved around the kitchen island toward her. “Absolutely not.”

She pressed her spine against the speckled counter. “Knock yourself out then. Don’t let me stop you.”

“Anna, I just—”

“By all means do what you have to do so you can sleep at night.” She inched past him, not an easy feat with the lack of square footage in the tiny galley kitchen.

As for the electric spark when he touched her hand on Charlie’s porch? He clamped down on his jaw.

Friends. They were friends. He drilled it into his brain. Just friends.

Retrieving the toolbox from the trunk of his car, he did what he could in the fading light to make the hand railing more secure. The steps needed a total overhaul. But in the meantime...

Poking her head out the door, Anna flicked a switch inside the house. An exterior light blinked to feeble life.

He glanced up. “I’m done for the night.”

“Thank you, Ryan. Don’t let me keep you from...” She fluttered her hand in the general direction of the mainland United States. “Wherever you go in the evenings.”

“From my wife and kids, you mean?”

The strangest look crossed her face, so quickly he almost believed he imagined it. “I didn’t realize you had a wife and children.”

“I don’t.”

“Oh.” She moistened her bottom lip with her tongue. “Good.”

He cocked his head. “Good I don’t have a wife and kids?”

“Yes—no...” She reddened. “I mean, good that I’m not keeping you from anything. Like supper.” She cleared her throat. “I should pay you.”

He frowned. “I don’t want you to pay me.”

Earning him a mulish look.

“On second thought, maybe you are keeping me from my supper.” He chucked the hammer. It clattered into the metallic toolbox. “And since you have to eat, too, we might as well keep each other company.”

She stiffened. “Why?”

He leaned against the railing, testing his weight against it. “You need to eat. I need to eat.” He glanced at her basketball-size belly. “The baby needs for you to eat. And there’s something else you can keep me from.”

She rested her hand on top of her stomach. “What’s that?”

“You can keep me from another Friday night of eating alone.” He grinned at her. “Dinner will give us a chance to catch up.”

“Long time no see?”

“Our Christmas reunion. A lot has happened since we last saw each other.”

“No kidding.” Her gaze fell to the wooden steps. “I’m sorry about your dad, Ryan.” She dropped her hand to her side. “Mateo was going through chemo and...”

“We lost touch. No problem. Dinner?”

Her lashes feathered her skin. “I never could say no to you.”

Which wasn’t how he remembered high school. Though more often than not, he hadn’t given her a chance to say no. He’d been too scared to ask Anna to prom. He reckoned it best to be content being best friends.

He made sure she locked the door. Another item on his To-Do list. Wouldn’t take much effort to break the lock on the wobbly doorknob. He’d feel better knowing Anna was safe at night out here alone. Ryan offered his arm as she descended the steps.

Instead, she gripped the bannister. “I got it. Thanks for making the railing sturdier.”

He stationed himself at ground level in case she needed him. Not that Anna Pruitt had ever needed him. He’d been the one who foolishly hoped their friendship might blossom into something more. “How ’bout Tammy and Johnny’s for burgers and fries?”

“Boot?” Her lips curved. “It’s been a long time since I’ve heard me some Shore talk.”

He rolled his tongue in his cheek. “Which simply means it’s been too long since you’ve been graced by our unique Tidewater dialect.”

She smiled as she crossed the oyster-shelled driveway to his car. “Dutch treat.”

He opened the passenger door. “I’m not going to argue with you about dinner. It’s my treat.”

“That doesn’t seem fair considering how much you’ve already helped me.”

He kept the door between them. “I insist. For old times’ sake.”

“Old times.” She backed into the seat. “Just let me stuff my beached whale self inside your car.” She swung her legs inside last.

He tucked her red wool coat out of the way of the door. “You look beautiful.”

It was true. She’d been a lovely girl. Pregnant, she glowed with a womanly luminescence.

She twisted at an awkward angle, reaching for the seat belt. “You’re being kind.”

“Let me.” Leaning over her, he clicked the seat belt in position. Unconsciously, he inhaled her scent. A delicious blend of vanilla, cloves and cinnamon. Like Christmas. So like the Anna he remembered.

The air suddenly felt close. Rising abruptly, he banged his head on the roof. “Ow.”

She took a ragged breath. “Are you okay?”

Grunting, he extricated himself and rubbed the top of his scalp. Rounding the hood, he slipped into the driver seat and concentrated on pulling out of her badly rutted driveway. He planned to give Charlie a call tonight. Between the two of them, they’d soon sort a few issues with her landlord.

She shifted in the seat. “How long was your father sick?”

“Mom called us home after his stroke four years ago. At rehab, Dad suffered another stroke two months later and died.”

“Why did you stay?”

He negotiated a bend in the road. “The bills had piled up. The business was in danger of going under. With Mom working at the high school, someone had to keep the business afloat. We all helped with the garden center and farm.”

She placed her palm atop her abdomen. “The Savage siblings rallied.” Her eyes flitted to his. “I’ve always loved how supportive y’all are to each other.”

“Y’all.” His lips twitched. “Glad to see you can take the girl out of the South, but you can’t take the South out of the girl.” He bypassed the turnoff for Kiptohanock.

She swatted his arm. Like old times.

He grinned. “Luke does the actual horticultural work. Justine gave up her art gallery to run the garden center. But Ethan had to finish his enlistment first. Once Tess completed her degree, she came home, too.”

“My mother tells me you gave up your career.”

He swallowed, touched that she’d gone to the trouble of keeping track of him over the years. “Once a science geek, always a science geek.”

“You were never a geek, Mr. Track Star. In fact, you were always too cool for school.” She patted the dashboard. “You’re still rocking the laid-back vibe.” A smile played across her lips.

He arched his eyebrow. “’Cause it doesn’t get cooler than a Saab?”

She laughed and pointed at the radio. “Harry Connick or Sinatra?”

Ryan smiled. “Probably their holiday CDs. As I recall, you start celebrating in October.”

“Not anymore.” She sighed. “Since Mateo died, Christmas is something to just get through.”

Pulling off the highway, he steered into the crowded roadside hangout. It pained him to hear her talk like that. “You have so much to look forward to. And next year will be the baby’s first Christmas.”

Her expression closed. “Did you see Oscar’s face when he mentioned Christmas?”

Ryan took the hint. Talk of the future made Anna uneasy. “Until Zander shot him down like an eight-year-old Grinch.”

“When I think back to the wonderful childhood memories I have, it hurts my heart to imagine what Christmas has been like for those kids.”

He turned off the engine. “After we eat, I could use your help on making this Christmas a happy one for them. But we’ll have to hurry to implement Phase One of Operation Christmas.”

* * *

Operation Christmas?

Perhaps Ryan was on to something. She could think of no one she’d rather see happy than those children. Spending time with the handsome teacher would be a plus.

Inside, he wouldn’t allow her to pay for her meal. “Pick a seat.” He motioned. “I’ll wait for the food.”

Not drifting far, she’d no sooner chosen a seat than two children ran over to him. Max and Izzie, two of his fifth graders.

“Are you coming tonight, Mr. Savage?”

“You gotta come, Mr. Savage.”

He grinned at them. “Since you’ve known me, have I ever missed the flotilla parade?”

Was that tonight? Anna would eat fast so as not to keep him from other commitments. The children rejoined a group of adults and younger children. Caroline and Amelia Duer. Their mother and Ryan’s father had been siblings. The sisters and Ryan were first cousins.

She was less pleased by the other women, who, one by one, sidled over to the bachelor teacher. With his lanky build and the swimming-pool eyes behind the frames, he was not merely popular with children.

No surprise, he remained a chick magnet. There was something irresistible about a man so not interested in becoming attached.

On second thought, he never said he wasn’t attached. She squirmed on the hard plastic seat. Only that he wasn’t married.

A line of women floated past Ryan at the drink dispensary. If he wasn’t already attached, it wasn’t from lack of trying on the part of the Shore’s female residents.

Carrying the tray, he sank into the seat opposite Anna. “Sorry it took so long.”

She pursed her lips. “The plight of a handsome heartthrob.”

He set the tray down. “What?”

Whether he was truly unattached or not really didn’t fall into the “just friends” category. But the itch to know wouldn’t leave her.

She reached for her milkshake. Babies needed dairy, right? “I find it hard to believe you haven’t been taken off the market by a girlfriend.” She bit into a french fry.

His blue eyes dropped to half-mast. “Actually, I was engaged when Dad got sick.”

The fry lodged in her throat. She choked. He thrust his water cup at her.

She took a quick gulp. A fiancée? Why had no one mentioned that detail over the years?

“Thanks.” She pushed away the fries, her appetite gone. “Was engaged?”

“I thought I was in love.” He looked away. “I believed she was in love with me. I was wrong on both counts.”

Someone hurt him. Badly. “What happened?”

His jaw tightened. “Karen was a research analyst at the same pharmaceutical company. When Dad got sick, I came home.” He combed his hand through the short hair on the nape of his neck. “Karen broke things off. She couldn’t envision herself living in this, and I quote, ‘beachside backwater.’”

Anna placed her hand over his on the table. “And after you sacrificed so much, you lost her, too.”

“I’m no hero, Anna.” He shook his head. “I was bitter for a long time. But stripped of everything I’d pursued so relentlessly, I rediscovered God. Dad’s death hit us hard. I needed to be there for the family so I took the only job for which I was remotely qualified. Teaching on a then-provisional license.”

She suspected he was adept at hiding his pain. “I’m sorry you had to give up your dream.”

He shrugged. “With an educator for a mother, maybe a teaching gene has always been part of my DNA.”

“Spoken like the scientist you are.” His hand felt warm and strong against hers. “Based on that theory, I should either be a nurse or a deputy sheriff.”

At the same moment, they both seemed to realize they were still touching. He withdrew his hand, and she dropped hers into her lap.

He handed her a wrapped burger. “You still faint at the sight of blood, Anna Banana?” The corners of his mouth curved. “Leastways, Charlie followed in your dad’s footsteps.”

“Like you followed in your mom’s.”

He toyed with the burger. “Only till Christmas.”

Anna’s stomach knotted. “I don’t understand.”

He crossed his arms. “This isn’t for public consumption. The family and Principal Carden know, but no one else.”

She swallowed. “Know what?”

“I’m leaving for my old pharmaceutical job in North Carolina after Christmas.”

“What about your family?” Her voice hitched. “What about your class? Our after-school group?” What about me? she wanted to ask but didn’t.

“Mom and the rest of the family are finally ready to move on with their lives. Mr. Carden has already found a teacher for my class.” He made a wry grimace. “Turns out I’m easily replaced.”

“I don’t think your fifth graders, Maria, Oscar or Zander would agree.”

“They’ll like the guy who’s taking my place. He has more experience working with at-risk kids, too.”

But no matter how great the new teacher proved to be, he’d never be Ryan.

“Sounds like you’ve thought of everything.”

He nodded. “It’s a done deal. It will be good to get back to the lab where I belong.”

Disappointment swelled within Anna.

His face became animated as he told her about the exciting research team he’d be joining. “The drug we’re developing has the potential to change the lives of thousands of people.”

She couldn’t believe he was leaving just when she’d come back. Their lives had always been at cross-purposes. She should be happy for him. It was obviously what he’d worked so hard to achieve.

“I’m happy for you, Ryan.” Maybe saying it would make it so. But she didn’t feel any better. She’d probably have to say it a dozen more times to make it real.

He ran his hand over his head, a sign of uncertainty with him. “Now that the business is stable, there’s nothing else to keep me here.” An expression she couldn’t decipher crisscrossed his face. “Is there?”

She laced her fingers together in her lap. “I guess some things don’t change. Like the difference between you and me.”

He tilted his head. “What difference?”

“When I left for college, I didn’t dream I’d be gone fourteen years.” She rested her hand on her abdomen. “I never planned or wanted to live anywhere else.”

He met her gaze head-on. “Whereas I always wanted to leave.”

“I remember.” Her voice softened. “And you can’t wait to leave again.”

“How much of the world did you see before Mateo—?” He scrubbed his hand over his beard stubble. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay to talk about Mateo, Ryan. I won’t fall apart. Restationed every few years, we managed to see a lot of the United States.” She placed her palms flat on either side of the tray. “But most of all, Mateo wanted to start a family.”

Ryan pushed the tray aside. “What did you want?”

“I wanted to be a mother, too, only—”

Only her selfishness had cost her husband the chance to know his child.

“I believed Mateo and I had plenty of time...” She worked to control the trembling of her chin. “Turns out I was wrong.”

“Then we’ll have to make the most of the time we have.”

She glanced at him. “What do you mean?”

“Operation Christmas. The number listed in the file for Zander has been disconnected.” Ryan propped his elbows on the table. “But I was able to reach Oscar’s mom and got permission to take him to the Flotilla of Lights tonight in the harbor. Wanna give the kid a little taste of Christmas?”

“But—”

“I didn’t forget about Maria. Her folks already plan to attend.”

It had been so long since she attended a Kiptohanock Christmas boat parade.

“Unless...” He deflated. “You’re tired. I can take you home first. Or if you think it’s a bad idea—”

“Are you kidding?” She lifted her chin. “I wouldn’t miss seeing Oscar’s face for the world.”

He smiled that slow, lopsided smile of his. Setting off an unfamiliar seismic reaction in her heart.

This was about the children, she reminded herself. Sternly. “Operation Christmas, Phase One, right?”

“Exactly.” He rubbed his palms together. “This is going to be fun. Get ready for the Christmas of your life.”

And she had the feeling that somehow it would be—maybe in more ways than she could yet imagine.

Chapter Four

Thirty minutes later, Ryan parked outside the seedy, run-down motel. Only the neon sign relieved the darkness of the night.

Anna’s frown reflected his own misgivings. “Oscar lives here?”

“No. At least, I don’t think so.” Ryan got out of the car. “But this is where his mother told me to pick him up.”

Anna unbuckled her seat belt.

He frowned. “I don’t want you going into a place like this, but I also don’t want to leave you here while I go inside.”

Anna got out of the car. “I’m not worried.” She smiled. “I feel safe with you.”

She’d always made him feel safe, too. Safe to be himself.

An inebriated couple lurched out of the entrance. Tensing, Ryan placed himself between Anna and them. But the pair headed deeper into the shadows of the parking lot, and Ryan slipped Anna inside the motel lobby.

Only a small lamp on the front desk relieved the gloominess. The carpet reeked of cigarette smoke and something else he preferred not to identify. Behind the desk, a young girl glared.

At a scuttling sound low to the floor, Anna shrank into him. Her grip on his arm became a stranglehold.

“Maybe it’s a good thing there’s not more lighting.”

Anna grimaced. “Because if we could see what was moving, we’d be really scared?”

The girl at the desk curled her stud-pierced lip. “Can I help you?”

She wasn’t as young as he’d first believed. Early twenties. His youngest sister Tessa’s age. But it was her eyes that snared his attention. Blue chips of hopelessness. Her ash-blond hair was his first clue she might be Oscar’s mother.

The woman’s hands gripped the edge of the counter. “You want the hourly rate?”

“No.” He stiffened. “We’re not—”

“Are you Oscar’s mother?” Anna stepped around him. “Mrs. Ericson?”

The woman’s features hardened. “Never been married. It’s Miz Ericson.” Her eyes narrowed. “Though nobody’s ever called me that, either.”

She didn’t offer her given name, but Anna smiled. “I’m Anna Reyes. One of Oscar’s teachers in the after-school program.”

He shouldn’t have brought Anna here. She didn’t belong in a place like this. Ryan’s gaze flickered. Nobody belonged in a place like this.

The young woman assessed him with laser sharpness. “You the teacher who called here?”

He cleared his throat. “I called the only number listed in Oscar’s file.”

“Yeah, well...” The young woman gave an elaborate shrug. Her shirt rose, revealing a navel ring.

“We hoped we might take Oscar to see the boat parade tonight,” Anna broke in. “If that’s okay with you?”

“I told you to come, didn’t I?”

At one time the young woman might’ve been pretty. But life had not been kind to her. And he was overcome with doubt.

What had he been thinking? Taking a kid to a Christmas parade was just a bandage on a larger problem. The issues facing this family were complex. He was in over his head.

Making an excuse was on the tip of his tongue. But the memory of Oscar’s pinched face wouldn’t leave him. And instead of exiting, Ryan found himself going in deeper. “We might also stop by McDonald’s afterward if you don’t mind, Ms. Ericson.”

In her eyes, a desperate gratitude battled with an overwhelming shame. “It’s Brittany. And that would be nice of you.” She blinked and looked away. “Oscar hasn’t had a Happy Meal in a long time.” She leaned behind the front desk. “Oscar? Wake up, son.”

Ryan and Anna exchanged glances. Oscar was sleeping behind the front desk on the filthy floor?

“Your teachers are here, Oscar. Wake up. Remember, I told you they were coming?”

His sleep-rumpled blond head emerged. A floppy-eared stuffed elephant that had seen better days was carefully tucked in the crook of his elbow. His mother drew him out from behind the counter.

She smoothed the cowlick on his head. “You’re gonna love the pretty lights.” Bending to his height, she fished a coin out of her jeans pocket and thrust a quarter at her son. “Take this. In case you need it. Don’t be no trouble for your teachers.”

Oscar hugged Anna’s knees so hard she staggered. “I’m so happy to see you, Miz Reyes.” Anna hugged him back.

His mother straightened. Red peppered her cheeks. “No need to hurry him home.” Her mouth thinned on the last word. “It gets busy around here when darkness falls.”

An awkward silence descended. That was their cue to leave.

“Bye, Mama.” Oscar waved.

Holding the door, Ryan cast one final glance over his shoulder. Just in time to see Brittany’s hard, brittle shell crack for a moment as a single tear ran down her cheek.

* * *

On the way to the holiday flotilla, Anna found herself singing alongside Bing Crosby’s rendition of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” on the radio.

From the back seat booster Ryan had borrowed, Oscar hummed along, not really knowing the words. “This is gonna be the funnest night ever, Mister Sabbage.”

Ryan’s eyes cut to the rearview mirror. “Yes, it is, Oscar. The best.”

As they drove into town, Kiptohanock did indeed look a lot like Christmas. Sitting high in the seat, Oscar made little sounds of happiness at the sight of the decorated homes. Anna glanced over at Ryan.

He was a special man to have taken on something like this to bring Christmas joy to a needy kid like Oscar. Her respect for her old friend grew.

Ryan pulled into an empty space in the cafe parking lot. “Let me unbuckle Oscar first, then I’ll come around for you.”

“Not necessary, Ryan.”

He gave her a teacher look over the rim of his glasses. “How about letting a guy be a gentleman, Anna Banana?”

Childish laughter erupted from the back seat. “She’s not a banana, Mister Sabbage.”

“Thanks for setting me straight, Oscar.” His mouth twitched. “What about it, Miz Reyes?”

“Fine.” She held up her palm. “Whatever you say, Mister Sabbage.”

He flashed her a quick grin—his hunky demeanor like a sucker punch to her gut. He and Oscar helped her unfold from the passenger side.

“Will your family be here tonight, Ryan?”

Ryan and Oscar each took one of her hands and tugged. “Probably not. Christmas Open House at the garden center tomorrow.”

She found her footing as Ryan and Oscar high-fived. “Teamwork!” Ryan smiled at her. “Let’s go have fun.”

Anna took Oscar’s hand as they crossed the parking lot to join the throng gathering around the seawall. The lanterns on the square pulsed with a warm glow. Holiday music blared from the loudspeakers at the Coast Guard station.

Many townsfolk stopped to welcome Anna home. Though she could see the questions on people’s faces at her rounded abdomen, their welcome was nonetheless genuine. And everyone proved kind to Oscar, as well.

Friends of her parents like Dixie, a waitress at the cafe, and her husband, Bernard. The Reverend Parks and Agnes. When their daughter, Darcy, came up and hugged her, she and Anna both squealed like the two teenage girls they’d been a long time ago.

“Lunch. Soon,” Anna promised as Oscar pulled her closer to the marina, where fishing vessels and pleasure boats were decked out in multicolored lights.

Chums of her absentee brothers said their hellos. Many of them were married and had children of their own now. Children, like Oscar, who waited with barely concealed anticipation for the arrival of Father Kiptohanock. Spotting her teachers, Maria dragged her family over to meet them.

Maria’s mother toted a baby on her hip. A toddler perched on her father’s shoulders. The Guzmans spoke very little English, but Maria and Oscar chatted easily. It was the most animated she’d seen Maria yet.

Standing next to her brother, Sawyer Kole, Evy waved from the edge of the town dock. On duty, Charlie was probably somewhere overseeing security.

“Would you like to join Evy?” Ryan’s breath made puffs of air.

“Let’s stay here so Maria and Oscar can enjoy the parade together.” She scanned the nearby church, open for potential emergencies. At least that’s what she hoped. “These days it’s best to never get too far from a bathroom.”

He laughed, the sound rumbling out of his chest.

She was reminded of how close he’d been in the car when he fastened her seat belt. And how he smelled of Old Spice and spearmint gum.

Her pulse did an unauthorized staccato step. “I’ll stay here with the kids and the Guzmans. But you can go.” A little distance might prove wise.

“I’m right where I want to be.” He settled in beside her.

Shoulder to shoulder at the seawall, she forced herself not to inhale too deeply. It wasn’t as if she were trying to capture his scent again in her nostrils. That would be too ridiculous. And pathetic. Despite the chilly temperature, her cheeks burned with an awareness of him.

Hands stuffed in the pockets of his coat, he smiled at her. For an instant, something blazed in his eyes. But before she could identify the emotion, he turned toward the water. “Think we’ll have a white Christmas?”

She gulped past the boat-size boulder lodged in her throat. “Has there ever been a white Christmas in Kiptohanock?”

Taking his hands out of his pockets, he leaned his elbows on top of the wall. “My gram used to tell us about one white Christmas when she was a girl.”

“Doesn’t seem fair, does it?” She shrugged. “The cold temperatures without the reward of snow.”

“Make it your Christmas wish, Anna.” The corner of his mouth lifted, zinging straight to her heart. “And tell it to Father Kiptohanock.” His gaze flicked toward the harbor. “It’s starting.”

Oscar and Maria strained forward as far as the seawall allowed. Vessels decorated like parade floats chugged past the judges on the dock. Charter boats with cutout cardboard Christmas trees glowed red and green.

Max and his dad, Chief Braeden Scott, waved to the crowd from one of the sailboats. A Star of Bethlehem on top of the mast and a blue string of lights festooned their entry.

Adorned with neon cats and dogs, the Santa Paws boat encouraged people to adopt a pet. Flags aflutter, the Coasties had embellished a rapid response boat in red, white and blue. Izzie Clark waved in a queenlike fashion from onboard the sea turtle hospital float.

Ryan chuckled. “Izzie and Max. Always a competition with those two. Yet the best of friends.”

She elbowed him. “Remind you of anyone?”

Ryan elbowed her back. “And here we are, the two of us, teaching the bright young minds of Kiptohanock. Full circle, huh?”

Her smile faded. Only temporarily. Ryan was leaving after Christmas.

Oscar tugged her arm. “Look, Miz Reyes.”

Decked out like a pirate ship, the high school float loaded with students maneuvered past the wharf. A tall, gangly boy lifted his imitation hook and whooped. A teenage girl with flowing dark hair and an eye patch brandished a fake sword. On the shoreline, a ruggedly handsome man and a blonde pregnant woman broke into cheers.

“Is that—?” Anna started to point but thought better of it.

Ryan clapped furiously as the students hammed it up for the judges. “Yes, it is,” he whispered. “One of the Colliers.”

She tried not to let her jaw drop. “Not the one who...?”

He shook his head. “That one’s still in jail. This is his older brother, Canyon. A respected agriculture pilot now. Lives in the family homeplace. The swashbuckling girl pirate is his. Canyon married the widowed mother of Captain Hook. She owns the florist shop.”

Anna smiled. “From the looks of things, it’s his, hers and theirs.”

Ryan folded his arms across his chest. “They found their happily-ever-after after much heartache. Kristina lost her first husband in Afghanistan.”

Anna’s heart stirred with sympathy for the woman who appeared to be in her first trimester. “I had friends on the base who lost their husbands that way, too. Sudden and horrific.”

“What you endured was as horrific as losing a husband to combat, Anna.” Ryan closed his eyes momentarily. “Perhaps worse.”

“Either way.” She sighed. “Goodbyes are never easy.”

“No.” He stared out over the color-dappled water. “They’re not.”

Did he pine for the woman who’d broken their engagement? The woman must’ve been an idiot to bail on a man like Ryan. Great guys weren’t a dime a dozen. She’d found one in Mateo. Ryan, her dear friend, was no less a prize for some woman to claim.

She inhaled sharply. Some woman, not her.

“Are you okay?” He made a move to touch her but let his hand fall to his side. “Do you need to sit down?”

“I’m fine. Got to get my teacher legs back. Anyway, I’m glad to see Canyon Collier and his lady got their happy ending.” She placed her hand on her abdomen, rubbing small circles on her belly.

“You were born to be a mother, Anna. You’ll be the best.”

“I hope so.” She patted his arm. “By the way, I like the scruffy look on you.”

He snorted. “Thank you, I think.”

“I mean it.” She nudged him with her shoulder. “You rock the intellectual vibe.”

He rolled his eyes. “You mean the geeky vibe.”

“I mean the too cool for school, good-looking—”

“You think I’m good-looking?”

She blushed.

“Thank you, Anna.”

And they shared a look from which she couldn’t turn away. Her pulse pounded.

* * *

Ryan gestured to the end of the pier, where the judges handed out the award for Best Powerboat to the Coasties. “Nobody does Christmas better than Kiptohanock.”

She gave him a sideways look. “And yet you’re leaving.”

He could hardly believe he was standing on the waterfront with Anna after all these years. How many times had he wished...? He shook himself. Best not to get too attached. She was right. He was leaving.

The excitement in the crowd ratcheted as the judges awarded the remaining prizes. Braeden Scott won best in the sailboat division. Ten-year-old Max smirked at his glowering archrival, Izzie.

But the sea turtle float scored People’s Choice. The little redheaded girl smirked right back at Max. Santa Paws garnered Best in Show. The high school captured the Best Costume and Best Crew Spirit award.

And finally what everyone had been waiting for. With electric reindeer mounted on the bow, one last vessel negotiated the waters between the anchored parade participants. Excited, Maria and Oscar bobbed like baited hooks in the water. Mrs. Guzman and Anna exchanged smiles.

Father Kiptohanock threw a mooring line to a Coastie, who tied the boat to the dock cleats. Applause ensued. Father Kiptohanock—like an old-time waterman but in a faux fur-trimmed red slicker and Wellingtons—stepped onto the wharf.

Anna’s mouth fell open. “Is that Seth Duer?”

“Not so loud.” Ryan laid his finger on his lips. “It’s Seth’s turn this year. Margaret Davenport made sure he didn’t weasel out of it.”

“Margaret’s still orchestrating Kiptohanock life?”

The sixty-something lady was as well-known and Shore-famous as the Sandpiper’s Long John doughnuts. In her case, though, it was for her meddling, autocratic ways and sharp tongue.

He did a half-hearted fist pump. “Long live the Queen.”

Released from parental restraints, Maria, Oscar and the other children swarmed Seth Duer—aka Father Kiptohanock—for the anticipated candy. And Ryan’s heart swelled when Oscar shared his candy with Maria’s little brother. Oscar was a good kid. A kid in need of a helping hand.

Anna giggled. “Is it my imagination, or does Father Kiptohanock resemble a Yuletide Gorton’s Fisherman?”

“Minus the beard.” Ryan grinned. “But I think the bushy mustache counts.”

She laughed so hard she braced against the seawall for support. “Only in Kiptohanock.”

He got the feeling it was the first time in a long while that she’d laughed—really laughed.

Then he spotted Margaret Davenport plowing her way through the onlookers. At the determined gleam in her eyes, he wondered who she had in her sights. And with dismay, realized it was none other than Anna.

He broadened his chest. If she’d come to criticize Anna, she’d have to go through him first. Nobody was dissing Anna on his watch.

Anna’s smile faded as she glanced at his face. “What’s—?”

“I’m so glad I caught the two of you.” Margaret’s gaze pinged from Ryan to Anna. “Nice to see you home again, Anna.”

Anna’s hand flew protectively over her stomach.

Margaret focused on Ryan. “Your brother promised me he’d have those animals for the Living Nativity by Christmas week.”

“If Luke said he’d have them, then—”

“Fine.” She fluttered an imperious hand. “Actually, I came over to talk with Anna.”

He widened his stance. “I don’t think—”

“I believe congratulations are in order, Anna.” Margaret’s face softened. “I’m sorry your husband will not be here to share in your joy.”

He probed the older woman’s expression for signs of derision but found none. Only a compassion he’d not expected in the usually acerbic grande dame of Kiptohanock.

“Forgive me for asking this of you, Anna.” Margaret’s voice hitched. “I was never blessed with children myself.” She fussed with the buttons on her coat. “The wonders of modern science. Not like when I was your age...”

He gaped at Margaret.

Somehow the grapevine of Kiptohanock knew the whole story about Anna’s baby. It had to be Evy. The young librarian and the town matriarch had become inexplicably close friends since Evy first came to town.

Margaret’s eyes became misty. “I always believed it would be so wonderful to carry a child at Christmas.”

Anna’s eyes were huge, like a fish caught in a spotlight.

Margaret fidgeted. “Would you consider playing the mother of Jesus in the Living Nativity...?” Her voice trailed away.

He’d never seen Margaret so...un-Margaretlike.

Eyes lowered to the ground, Margaret backpedaled. “Never mind, dear. I shouldn’t have—” Her voice choked. “It’s not as though this is your home anymore or—”

“Of course I’ll do it.”

Margaret halted, midstep.

“Kiptohanock will be my home from now on.” Anna rested her hand atop her belly. “I’d love to play Mary in the nativity, Margaret.”

He frowned. “Anna...”

She raised her gaze. “Just tell me when and where.”

Margaret blinked twice before recovering her usual aplomb. “There will be costume fittings. And the one night performance during Christmas week in the gazebo on the square.” She tapped her finger on her chin. “I still need to find a Joseph, of course.”

As if one entity, Anna and Margaret cut their eyes at him. He shuffled his feet. But surrounded and outnumbered, nothing less than unconditional surrender would suffice.

Besides, how could he resist the opportunity to play Anna’s husband, even if it was just pretend?

“Okay. My arm’s twisted. I’m in.”

Margaret clasped her hands together. “I can’t wait to tell the other ladies.” She moved away. “I’ll send you both the details. This is going to be the best Kiptohanock Christmas ever.”

He groaned. “Where have I heard that before?”

Anna poked him in his biceps. “Your famous last words, I believe. And your arm doesn’t look too twisted to me.” She laughed. “Where’s your Christmas spirit, Ryan Savage? It’ll be fun.”

He grunted. “This is Margaret we’re talking about.”

She stared after the older woman’s retreating figure. “She’s changed. The town has, too.” She heaved a sigh. “Or maybe it’s me that changed.”

He crinkled his eyes. “The more things change, the more they remain the same. I hate to end the fun, but we better get going if we’re going to buy Oscar a Happy Meal.”

Anna’s face shadowed. “I don’t want to take him back to the motel.”

He sighed. “Me, either, but she’s his mother.”

“Something needs to be done about his situation.”

Ryan’s life had suddenly gotten so much more complicated. He was supposed to be wrapping up his teaching career, not getting more involved.

“Does his mother work there every night? Is that why he can’t get a good night’s rest?”

He scrubbed his jaw. “I should make a home visit when she’s not at work. See what the school could do to connect them to one of the county programs.”

“You always know the right thing to do.”

He made a face. “That’s me. Mr. Dependability. Mr. Reliable. Mr. Boring.” He called to Oscar. Maria’s father and mother hugged Oscar goodbye and waved them off.

Strolling toward the parking lot, Anna took hold of Oscar’s hand. “You’re not boring, Ryan. You’re nice.”

“Nice...” Ryan clutched his heart. “Kill me now and be done with it, Anna Banana.”

Oscar ran over to the car.

“Nice is nothing to be ashamed of.” She tucked her hands into her coat pockets. “And that’s not how I see you. You’re also—” Her cheeks reddened.

Good-looking? That’s what she’d said earlier. And feeling as carefree as he’d felt in years, he opened the door for Oscar.

Oscar jumped inside. “It’s beginning to look like Christmas, Mister Sabbage.”

An unfamiliar excitement began to build inside Ryan. Yes, it certainly was.

Chapter Five

The next morning Anna arrived at the trailer from a long overdue grocery trip to find Ryan fixing the steps of her porch. Laying aside the nail gun, he rose as she parked next to his car.

When she reached for a grocery bag, he hurried over. “Let me help, Anna.”

“I’m pregnant, Ryan, not an invalid.”

Grabbing two bags, he ignored her. Resigning herself to his helpfulness, she escorted him to the door.

He waited while she fumbled inside her purse for the key. “You were out early for a Saturday morning.”

Inserting the key, she gave it a turn, but the doorknob twisted in her hand.

He handed her the lightest of the sacks. “Let me try.”

Jiggling the key, he lifted up on the knob and shoved the door with his shoulder. “Voilà!” He motioned as the door swept open.

She stepped over the threshold. “You are amazing.”

He carried the bags to the kitchen. “That’s what the kids tell me.”

She gave him a sideways glance. “Their moms, too.”

He pushed at his glasses with his forefinger. “What?”

“Never mind.” She unpacked the bread. “I didn’t expect to see you this morning.”

He unloaded another bag, handing her the items. “I told you I’d fix the steps.”

She put away the cereal. “Thank you.”

He placed the milk jug inside the harvest gold refrigerator. “The lock is next on my list.”

“Ryan, I appreciate your concern, but—”

“Where do you want the coffee?”

She gave him her best teacher glare. He grinned, unfazed.

Hand propped, she jutted her hip. “No matter what I say, you’re going to do the repairs anyway, aren’t you?”

Ryan shrugged. “I’m enjoying myself.”

“Enjoying yourself?” She shivered. “It’s freezing out there.”

“I like to keep busy.”

“Surely you can think of something more fun to do with your free time.” She brushed the pad of her thumb across his cheek.

His expression changed. Why had she touched him? Disconcerted, she dropped her hand.

“I enjoy doing things for you, Anna. Let somebody take care of you for once.”

She busied herself with a sudden interest in the nutritional data on a box of rice. “Christmas was always one of your busiest seasons at the garden center. Aren’t you needed there?”

“Despite the pride you take in being independent, helping around this place is a win-win for me.” His eyes sharpened. “I get to spend more time with you.”

Her mouth went dry. “Until you leave for your new job.”

Ryan’s gaze dropped to the floor. “Yes. Until then.”

She took a steadying breath. “Aren’t you helping with the open house?”

“My shift starts late afternoon.” He refolded the empty brown paper bags. “Luke’s got the Christmas tree stand under control. Trust me, Justine doesn’t want me near the wreath-making. Ethan and Tess have a system for the sleigh rides and petting farm.”

Anna leaned against the countertop. “I always thought it was so cool you lived on a farm.”

He rolled his eyes. “Dad liked to start the weekend mornings early. Get as much free labor out of us kids as he could.”

She crossed her arms over her belly. “Your dad was a wonderful man. You remind me of him.”

A gentle smile teased Ryan’s lips. “He was a great dad. Mom misses him a lot. We all do.”

“Which is why each of you gave up your own lives to help preserve his legacy. And now you’re helping Oscar, too.”

“I’m not the hero you make me out to be.” Ryan cocked his head. “Luke always loved the farm the most. But for me, Ethan, Justine and Tess, being here won’t be forever.”

Forever. Once, Anna believed she’d found her forever with Mateo. She laid her hand on top of her ever-expanding abdomen. But forever was turning out far different than she’d imagined. What did forever look like to Ryan?

She returned to putting away the last of the canned goods. Forever to Ryan probably looked like microscopes and test tubes.

“Oh, before I forget to tell you... I talked to your brother.”

She raised her eyebrow. “Which one?”

“Charlie had a chat with your absentee landlord. I’m keeping receipts on the repairs, and the cost will be deducted from your rent this month.”

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