His Holiday Family (19 page)

“I tried to get you to.”

“I know. I thought I was giving Jared and Kip what
they needed. Stability. When what they needed was here all along.”

“Go rest. You look beat. I'm going to make some brownies and divinity for your goodie plates. Then if you want to add anything besides the lemon bars you did last night, that's fine. The kitchen will be all yours.”

Kathleen dragged herself up the stairs to her room where she was sure she would go to sleep immediately after falling into bed. But fifteen minutes later, she punched the pillow and flipped over onto her back. As she stared at the ceiling, she turned to the Lord for guidance. She needed help untangling the mess her life was in. He was the only one who could help her.

 

“Gideon, a lady is here to see you,” Captain Fox at Station Two said as he came into the living area on Christmas Eve.

Through the open doorway, Gideon spied Kathleen standing in the bay where the fire trucks were parked. Wearing a red and green plaid dress, she looked beautiful. His heartbeat responded by kicking up a notch, and his stomach muscles cinched.

I don't want to see her. Who are you kidding? It's taken all you have to stay away from her. Not to storm down to Ruth's and demand she love you.

Gideon shoved to his feet and covered the distance to the exit, aware of his fellow firefighters looking on as he left, intense curiosity in their expressions. A woman didn't usually come to the fire station unless she was a wife of one of the firefighters on duty.

“Thanks, captain,” Gideon said as he passed him.

When he emerged into the large bay, a cool breeze blew through the large open doors. Beyond Kathleen,
Christmas lights shone in the darkness. He stopped a few feet from her.

Her smile transformed the tired lines of her face into a look of radiance. “I didn't realize you were working tonight. I'd gone down to your house to talk to you and see if you would go to Christmas Eve service and discovered you were working.”

“I'm filling in for a guy who has a young family. He should be home tonight and tomorrow. I don't have anyone.”

“Jared and Kip will be disappointed, but I can certainly understand.”

“I'll be off tomorrow night. I'll come and see them then. I have some gifts for them. Is that where you're going now—to church?”

“Yeah, I'm going to meet Mom and the boys there. I told them I needed to come see you first.”

“Why?”

She took a deep breath. “I had my speech all planned. That was why I had gone down to your house. But when you weren't home, it threw me off.”

“You don't go with the flow much, do you?”

“I'm still learning.” She turned toward a table to the side and picked up a plate with goodies covered in plastic wrap. “Merry Christmas. The boys decorated the plate, and Mom and I made the sweets.”

“Thanks.” He didn't know what else to say to her. He'd gotten her a heart-shaped necklace the day he'd gone to have his cast taken off. It still sat on his dresser, a constant reminder of the risk of falling in love. But he hadn't been able to bring himself to return it to the jewelry store. The couple of times he had tried he hadn't been able to do it.

Silence descended. Gideon took a step back. Kathleen looked out toward the street.

Seeing her only made him want to talk some sense into her. Or to drag her to him and kiss her senseless until she gave in to the feelings he knew she was beginning to have toward him.

“Well…” He searched for the right thing to say. “Tell the boys and your mom Merry Christmas for me. I'll be sure to drop by tomorrow evening.” He backed away some more.

“Don't leave yet.” Her chest rose and fell several times. “I—I was wrong with what I said the last time we saw each other. From the beginning I've been afraid of my feelings for you. After Derek's death I'd decided I didn't want to get married again. That I would focus on Jared and Kip. Then I met you and you changed everything. I love you, Gideon. I have no doubts about that.”

He clenched his hands at his sides. “Then why did you say what you did?”

“Because earlier that day I had found out the extent of money I would owe for Kip's accident. Thousands of dollars added on top of the debt my husband left me. It was too much to process. I still don't know exactly what I'm going to do, and I certainly didn't want you to be drawn into it.”

“Haven't you learned by now that it's okay to ask for help? The Lord didn't intend for us to go through life alone. It's taken me years to realize that. In fact, until I met you I didn't fully realize how alone I was. After my parents died, I lost hope of finding that connection I needed to fulfill my life. You and your family gave me that hope.”

“And then that night I shattered it. I'm so sorry. I
was afraid. Still am, but I had a long talk with God. I think He brought me here to Hope and to you because He wanted me to heal. I've been emotionally alone for many years, even before my husband died. I need you.”

He closed the space between them. “I can help you. Together as a team we'll work it out. As a firefighter I've learned to be a team member. It hasn't always been easy because I kept those walls up. But this town, these people have helped me to break those walls down.” He clasped her hands and drew her toward him. “You have. Let me be a part of your life. Fully. I'm in this relationship one hundred percent.”

She wound her arms around his neck and dragged him down for a kiss. “How can I turn down an offer like that?”

He smiled and hugged her close to him. “I'm hoping you won't.” He wouldn't be alone anymore. He had a family to care for and love.

T
he next evening Gideon arrived at Kathleen's mother's house with his arms full of presents. Jared and Kip were speechless as Gideon handed them their gifts. “Open them,” he said as he sat next to Kathleen on the couch and took her hand.

Both boys tore into the packages, unveiling clothes and other items they had lost in the hurricane.

Glimpsing the joy on Gideon's face, Kathleen leaned toward him. “You shouldn't have. But thank you.”

“They needed the clothes. I had so much fun shopping for them. And I threw in a couple of treats for them, too.”

Jared held up his rock tumbler. “Yay! I have some rocks I've found that I can put in here. Can I tonight?”

Kathleen chuckled. “Somehow I figured you would say that. We'll set it up in the garage so the noise doesn't drive us crazy.”

When Jared and Kip had finished, sitting among the boxes and wrapping paper, beaming, Gideon rose and drew Kathleen up next to him. “I have one more surprise for you two.”

Kip looked around. “Where?”

“On the porch.” Gideon started for the front door.

Jared and Kip peered at each other then went after Gideon. Kathleen took up the rear.

Out on the porch sat two boys bikes—one red and the other blue. Her sons' eyes bugged out, both Kip and Jared rooted to the cement.

“The red one is Kip's and the blue, Jared's,” Gideon finally said when they still hadn't moved.

Suddenly, they surged forward, clasping the handlebars of their bikes. “Thank you. Thank you,” Kip said, then Jared.

Kip swept around and hugged Gideon. “Mom, can we go for a ride?”

“Yes, but only on the sidewalk. You can ride down to the end of the block and back.”

Gideon helped Jared and Kip carry their bikes to the sidewalk, the Christmas lights from the neighbors giving off enough illumination for them to see where they were going.

When they took off, Gideon moved back next to Kathleen to watch, slipping his arm around her. “I haven't forgotten you.” He drew her toward the steps where the porch light glowed and handed her a wrapped box lying on the wicker chair. “This is for you.”

She carefully removed the paper then the lid, and lifted a gold chain with a heart dangling from it. “This is beautiful. I love it.”

“You have my heart. I wanted you to have one to wear close to yours.”

“Will you put this on for me?” She turned her back to him and lifted her hair so he could.

His fingers on her neck sent a thrill through her. After fastening the necklace, he bent forward and whispered, “That isn't the only surprise for you.”

She glanced over her shoulder. “You're spoiling me.”

“I want to spend the rest of my life doing that very thing.” He turned her around and kissed her. “The mayor heard about your medical bills and wants to help. A fund has been set up to help you pay for Kip's accident.”

Words refused to materialize in her mind. She stared at Gideon for a long moment, trying to comprehend what he told her.

Gideon shifted her toward him. “Are you all right?”

Thank You, Lord, for sending Gideon to me.
“I'm more than all right. After all, I'm in love with a wonderful man.”

Dear Reader,

His Holiday Family
is the first book in the A Town Called Hope series. Hope, Mississippi, is a small town on the Gulf Coast that faced a hurricane. The series is about how a town rebuilds after a hurricane and grows stronger from its trials. I lived for many years on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and faced several hurricanes that hit my town. This is a tribute to all the people who assist people back on their feet after a tragedy.

I love hearing from readers. You can contact me at [email protected] or at P.O. Box 2074 Tulsa, OK 74101. You can also learn more about my books at http://www.margaretdaley.com. I have a quarterly newsletter that you can sign up for on my website or you can enter my monthly drawings by signing my guest book on the website.

Best wishes,

1. When tragedy strikes, who do you turn to? What do you do to solve the problems that arise from the tragedy—ignore it, figure out what steps you need to do or wallow in self-pity?
   
2. Kathleen began to doubt that the Lord cared about her. She'd prayed for help and didn't think she was getting any from Him. Have you ever thought that? What did you do?
   
3. Gideon lost so many people important in his life that he became a loner. He felt if he didn't care about others, he couldn't be hurt. Have you ever dealt with someone who emotionally kept his distance? What, if anything, did you do to break down his walls?
   
4. Who is your favorite character? Why?
   
5. What would you do if a hurricane (or any other tragedy) struck your home and took all your possessions?
   
6. Gideon learned as a firefighter to be a team player. Do you prefer doing things solo or with a team? Why?
   
7. Both Kip and Jared were not happy being moved to Hope. They were angry with Kathleen because they missed their friends and home in Denver. Did you
   have to move as a child? How did you adjust? What helps a child adjust to a move to another town?
   
8. Kathleen didn't feel she could accept help from Gideon. After her bad marriage, she thought that would be saying she was weak. Is it easy for you to accept help from people? If not, why do you have trouble with that? What are some ways people can get over thinking they have to do everything themselves?
   
9. What is your favorite scene? Why?
   
10. Kathleen had to learn to believe in herself again. She was afraid to trust her feelings developing concerning Gideon. Instead of letting herself care, she pulled away. She denied her feelings, thinking she was better off by doing that. Have you done that? Did it work? Why or why not?
    
11. Kathleen felt guilty for causing Gideon's injury. She had been conditioned and didn't know how to work her way through her guilt. It was one of the reasons she had reached a crossroad in her life. How have you dealt with guilt?
    
12. Kathleen and her family had certain traditions they did at Christmas. Are traditions in your life important to you? What are some that you and your family do?
    
13. Kathleen had a large debt to pay because of her husband's spending. She felt overwhelmed and wasn't sure how to reduce the debt. Have you faced
    money problems? What are some steps that could help Kathleen get out of debt?
    
14. When Gideon's house burned down as a young boy, he grabbed his baseball card collection that he and his father had collected. He treasured it because it reminded him of his father who died in the fire. What would you grab if your house was burning and why?
    
15. Kathleen rejected Gideon's love and hurt him. Gideon had never told another woman he loved her. It took a lot for him to do that. Sometimes we can't avoid being around people who have hurt us. What are some things we can do to deal with people who have hurt us?