Clara turned back to Eleanor. “Why do you ask?”
Eleanor and Libby shared a secretive look.
“Can you get married before Christmas?” Eleanor asked.
Blue studied the three females who were about to become his family. He sensed the girls had a wish.
“I’m agreeable if your mama is.”
Clara smiled, warmth and love and a hundred promises brimming from her eyes. “I’m most agreeable. No need for rush but no need for delay, either.”
He knew his eyes must surely speak from the overflow of a grateful, happy heart.
“Will we have our own home for Christmas?” Eleanor asked, her voice revealing a mixture of caution and hope. Then she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. We can stay in the shack.”
Blue smiled. “We already have a home picked out. Did you notice the house near the river behind the store?” He wasn’t sure they would know which one he meant.
“Is that where we’re going to live?” Eleanor didn’t wait for an answer. “Can we put up a Christmas tree?” Eleanor seemed to think it was important they do so.
Considering the abundance of pine and spruce to the west, Blue thought a Christmas tree would be a simple thing to find and said so.
“Good. Now we can tell.” Libby bounced up and down so hard Blue could hardly hold her. “We asked God to send us a special Christmas present.”
Eleanor nodded and slid in a few words as Libby paused to catch her breath. “We asked for a new papa for Christmas.”
“And a new family,” Libby added.
“And we got Mr. Blue.” The girls spoke the words in unison and turned to wrap their arms around his neck.
Blue felt the tears gather in his eyes, but he didn’t bother to hide them. He had never thought to know such love and joy. He signaled for Clara to join them. She sat beside him and pressed her head to his shoulder.
He kissed the top of her head, then pressed a kiss atop each girl’s head.
“I am a very blessed man.”
“God has led us together, and I will never cease to be grateful.” Clara sounded as if she was close to tears.
“This is going to be the best Christmas ever,” Libby crowed. Unable to sit still, she leaped to her feet, grabbed her sister’s hands and the pair swung about in joyful abandon. “The best Christmas ever,” they sang over and over.
Clara tipped her face to Blue.
“It will be a Christmas to remember,” he said before he kissed her lips gently.
* * * * *
Dear Reader,
I love Christmas. I love sharing it with family. When I think of those who are alone at this time of year, I want to draw my family closer and hold them tight. I thank God for each of them. They fill my life with joy. So it saddened me to think of two little girls longing for a new daddy. I like to think, too, that they were far less interested in material gifts than in the joy of finding a papa who loved them. Even that pales in comparison to the greatest gift of all—God’s holy son coming to earth to redeem fallen mankind. Jesus is the reason for the season. May you enjoy the season and celebrate the reason.
I love to hear from my readers. You can contact me at www.lindaford.org where you’ll find my email address and where you can find out more about me and my books.
Blessings,