Winter Rescue (I'll Be Home for Christmas) (6 page)

Winter Rescue • Dawn Kimberly Johnson

“Get your”—someone, likely Gina, cleared her throat—

“behind out here, right now!” Randy shouted. The boy

shoved his glass and plate into Oscar’s hands and ran off.

“Curt, I’d like to help out at the shelter, if you don’t

mind me tagging along.”

“Be here at nine.” Curt smiled, and then they walked

into the great room to face a whole heap of awkward.

fter Oscar drove away, whichever adults were sober

enough, willing, and not engaged in entertaining the

A children helped construct a massive snowman in the

Knutzen’s front yard. When it was ready—top hat,

coal, carrot, buttons, scarf, and broom in place—the children

were bundled up and brought out into the yard to watch

Grandpa Aaron light the Christmas lights strung all over the

house. Even Jerry, having produced a fresh supply of snark,

stood between his mother and father, holding his little

sister’s hand.

Surprisingly, there had been very little awkwardness

when Curt and Oscar entered the great room. Randy had

Jerry over by the door and was whispering fiercely at the

boy. Curt couldn’t hear what was being said, but he could

guess, just as he could guess who the boy had heard “fag”

from.
Little pitchers do have big ears
. His mother and his

sisters were blushing brightly and trying to smile, while

those brothers still remaining averted their eyes.

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Winter Rescue • Dawn Kimberly Johnson

But rather than comment on it, Oscar had piped up

with, “Thanks so much for that fantastic dinner. I really

appreciate you all making me feel so welcome.” Everyone

began speaking at once, or smiling or laughing or shaking

his hand, and the tension had been banished.

Now, out in the freezing front yard, Curt snuggled close

to his mother, his arm around her, waiting.

“Are you seeing anyone in San Diego, dear?” she asked

quietly.

He didn’t take his eyes off the house. “There was

someone.”

“Was?” she asked, looking up at him.

“This would have been our first Christmas, but I wanted

to come home.” Curt looked down at her. “Spend it with

you.”

She beamed up at him and patted his tummy. “You

could have brought your young man.”

“Thanks, Mom, but he’s not big on family. His tossed

him out when he was fourteen.” Curt sighed.

“Tossed him out? At fourteen?” He smiled at his

mother’s expression. She looked as if she wanted to slap

someone. “That’s horrible!”

“It was rough on him, and he’s not interested in

becoming part of another family. Too many expectations,

responsibilities, and… what did he say? Ah… ‘hoops to hop

through’.”

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Winter Rescue • Dawn Kimberly Johnson

“That’s a shame, dear.” She squeezed him against her.

“You… you don’t feel that way, do you?”

Aaron stood in the doorway and flipped a switch,

shouting, “Ta-da!” but nothing happened and he frowned.

“Hang on, everyone.” He rushed back inside, George hot on

his heels.

“Mom,” Curt sighed, “I am so happy to be here….” He

tugged her polka-dot knit cap down tighter on her head to

cover her ears properly. “You have no idea.”

“Okay,” George said, exiting the house and taking up his

position next to his wife and kids. “We think we’ve got it this

time.”

Standing in the doorway once again, Aaron gave a

thumbs-up and said, “Everybody ready? Three, two, one—

Ah
!”

The tiny white lights framing the farmhouse came on,

and Curt couldn’t help but smile at the glow bathing the

upturned, smiling faces of his family. Angelica said

something, but she spoke so softly that Curt couldn’t make

it out. “What, Mom?”

“I’m so sorry for the way we handled your… your news,

dear.” She shook her head and gripped his hand tightly.

“It’s okay, Mom.”

“No. Three years you were gone. It’s not okay.” She

hugged him and patted his face. “You’re my baby boy.”

“I wish I’d handled things better, too, but I’m here now.”

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Winter Rescue • Dawn Kimberly Johnson

“Pretty!” Tobin shouted, then yawned, rubbing his right

eye roughly.

“Okay,” Arianna said to her husband, “that’s the signal,

Kyle.” To her son, she said, “Let’s get you home, honey.

Whaddya say?”

“Uh-huh,” Tobin said, nodding and resting his little red

head on his mother’s shoulder.

Angelica took Curt’s arm, and they walked toward the

house together, stopping on the way to kiss and hug

relatives heading in the opposite direction, on their way

home where their little ones would be tucked in before Santa

arrived. Once inside, the door locked behind them, Angelica

turned to her son and said, “That Oscar seems like a very

nice young man.”

Curt froze in place and watched his parents walk up the

stairs to bed, hand in hand.

he next day, Oscar showed up just as Curt was

helping his mother up into his father’s extend-cab

T

Chevy. He smiled as Oscar’s truck pulled in. “Uh,

Pop, I think I’ll ride into town with Oscar.” The elder

Knutzen glanced between his son and Oscar and simply

nodded before climbing behind the wheel.

“Merry Christmas,” Oscar said as Curt slid in next to

him.

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Winter Rescue • Dawn Kimberly Johnson

“Same to you. Did you talk to your parents this

morning?”

Oscar frowned slightly before saying, “No. I guess they’re

busy on that cruise. They’ll probably call later today.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want to talk about them.” Oscar glanced at the

Knutzen’s truck ahead of them. “I’d like to talk about that

kiss.”

Curt grinned and sighed. “That
was
very nice, if

unexpected.”

Oscar chuckled and looked at him. “I’m not usually that

spontaneous, but….”

“But what?”

“I couldn’t resist, I guess.”

“Hang on, Mr. Nylund,” Curt said, laughing. “Are you

saying I’m irresistible?”

Oscar looked Curt in the eyes for a dangerously long

amount of time, considering he was driving. “Maybe I’m

saying I don’t want to resist anymore.”

Curt felt his heart stutter as he looked into those

earnest green eyes. “H-how long are you going to be here?”

“At least until after the holidays… until the house is set

up for sale and securely in the hands of the Realtor. Then

I’m headed back to California. How about you?”

“I’m flying back tomorrow night.”

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Winter Rescue • Dawn Kimberly Johnson

“Oh.” Oscar focused on the road and frowned. “I guess

you’ll be spending all that time with your family, huh?”

“You’ll be coming to Christmas dinner, right? And… and

I should—”

“I understand.”

“Oscar, I’ve been away so long, and I shouldn’t have

been.” Curt looked out his window as Oscar pulled into a

parking lot beside the elder Knutzens and shut off his truck.

“It all seems so silly now.” He watched his father rush

around to the passenger side of his truck to help Curt’s

mother climb down. “I was so angry and hurt, and they were

upset and just… sad, sorry… for
me
. They couldn’t imagine

me being happy, having love in my life.”

He looked at Oscar, who was nodding. “Yeah, I got that

from my parents too.”

“Then I got busy with work, and we just let the time get

away from us. We can’t get that back.”

Oscar reached out and took Curt’s hand. “I

understand.”

Curt squeezed his hand. “I wish I had taken more time

off, but… I wasn’t sure how this visit was going to go. And

now I’ve met you and want to know you better—”

“Do you… do you have love in your life, Curt?”

“There was one man, but it didn’t work out, I’m afraid.

We wanted different things.”

“I probably shouldn’t be happy about that, huh?” Oscar

reached for him. Their lips met, their tongues touched,

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