Sara's Gift (Small-Town Christmas Wishes Book 4)

by Kimberly Rose Johnson

  “Still sounds like a hand out to me. Thank you for the welcome.” She moved to close the door.

  “Mrs. Smith, wait. Having help with my dog is a big deal. Annabelle needs more exercise. I’m stuck in the shop all day and can’t take her out except for a few minutes here and there.”

  April pressed her lips together then looked down at her son. “Go make sure the twins have brushed their teeth. The bus will be here soon, and you can’t miss it.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Twins? You have your hands full.”

  “Yes. Now if you will excuse me Emily’s school starts early, so I don’t have her help with the kids in the morning.” She moved to close the door again.

  Sara didn’t stop her this time. She’d have to find another way to connect with the overworked mom. She headed down the stairwell that led to the street-level entrance. If she were a mom, what would she want most in the world?

  Quiet time.

  She bypassed her shop and headed to Cozy Coffee Shop. She glanced through the large glass window of the shop—it wasn’t too crowded. She went inside and waved to Annie, the manager.

  “How’s it going?” Annie asked as she prepared a coffee drink.

  “Busy.”

  “’Tis the season.” Annie placed a completed drink on the counter.

  Sara stepped up to the cash register and smiled at the college-age-barista. “I’d like a large peppermint mocha please.” She handed the girl a ten-dollar bill and waited for her change. “How was your Thanksgiving?”

  “Great. We ate until we couldn’t walk.” She handed Sara her change.

  Sara dropped a dollar in the tip jar and walked to the pick-up spot at the other end where Annie worked.

  “I heard you’re holding a wreath-making workshop on Saturday. Do you have any spots left?” Annie asked.

  “I’m sorry. It’s full. Were you hoping to attend?” Maybe she should do another one.

  “I was, but I’ve been so busy here, I never got over to sign up.”

  “If I do another one, I’ll let you know.”

  “Perfect. Here’s your peppermint mocha.”

  “Thanks.” Sara slid a sleeve over the cup to keep from burning her hand. “See you.” She walked toward the door and spotted Mia, one of her old Bible club friends. “Hey, there.”

  Mia smiled and motioned to the seat across from her. “Join me.”

  “Sure, but just for a few minutes.” She sat and sipped her drink.

  “How are you doing? Have you come up with that thing Charity asked—?”

  “Not exactly.” Sara didn’t want anyone to overhear about the money. Not that anyone was paying them special attention, but she wanted to be extra cautious. “How about you?”

  Mia smiled and nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

  “Good for you. I have an idea, but I’m not sure how to pull it off.”

  “That’s the challenging part,” Mia said.

  “Exactly.” Sara stood. “I need to get Annabelle from my Jeep then get to my shop. I have some inventory to sort through before I open.”

  Mia stood and hugged her. “God will help you figure out the what and how. Don’t forget to pray.”

  “Thanks for the reminder.” She hugged her friend back.

  Later that day, Emily bolted into the shop. “Sorry I’m late. I had to stay after school to retake a test. Is Annabelle in her crate?” She rushed through the shop.

  “Whoa. Time out.” Sara held up her hands, forming a capital T.

  Emily pulled up short and shot a look of confusion at Sara. “What?”

  “That’s what I’d like to know. Why are you in such a hurry?”

  “I’m late, and I have to be done in time to meet the kids’ bus.”

  “Oh.” Now she understood. When Emily came here straight from school, she had an hour of free time, but as it stood now, she only had about fifteen minutes. “Annabelle loves kids. Why not take her to the bus stop? I bet your siblings would enjoy that.”

  “Maybe, but there are several kids at that stop, and it’d be too much for me to keep them from smothering Annabelle in their enthusiasm.” She moved to Annabelle’s crate and let her out. “We won’t be long. Sorry, girl. Two short walks in a row. I’ll do better. I promise.” She patted the dog’s side, clipped on the leash, then left.

  “Talk about a storm blowing through.” Sara frowned and spoke to the empty shop. Lord, I should’ve asked sooner, but will You show me how to help this family? I think they’re the ones I’m supposed to play secret angel for, but not only am I afraid their mom won’t accept anything from me, I don’t know where to begin. Their needs seem so great.

  The bells on the door jingled as a lone woman entered. Sara did a double take. “April?”

  The haggard woman nodded. “I’m looking for Emily.”

  “She’s out with my dog. I’m surprised you didn’t see her. She literally just walked out the door.” Ran out was more like it, which was probably why April missed her. More than likely her daughter was running with Annabelle. “Is everything okay?”

  “No. I had to pick the twins up from school early. They’re sick, and I need to get back to work to make up for the time I lost. I thought she’d be home by now.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Emily’s running late today. She had to stay after to take a test.”

  “It figures that you’d know my daughter’s schedule better than me.” April crossed her arms over her worn, tan coat. She would add that to her list of things to get the family—warm coats.

  “If it makes you feel better, I only know because she explained why she was in such a rush. She plans to meet the kids at their bus stop.”

  With a sigh, April turned. “I guess I’d better get back to the twins until she gets there to relieve me. When she returns, will you let her know the twins are with me?”

  “Of course. Is there anything else I can do? If you won’t be home from work until late, I can make sure your family is fed.”

  “That’s nice of you, but Emily will see to their dinner.” A gust of wind blew in as she left.

  The mother and daughter needed to communicate better. Even if they didn’t have smartphones, which they probably did, April could have called the school and left a message for Emily to come straight home.

  No doubt remained. This family would be blessed by a secret angel this year. Now to determine their greatest needs. One thing was certain—they all needed warm winter coats, and April needed time to herself—maybe she could offer to watch the kids on a Sunday afternoon.

  Gabe handed each of the three women headphones. He was glad they were experienced backcountry skiers, because he’d hate to be responsible for leaving rookies up on the mountain. He didn’t understand the thrill of the sport, but to each their own.

  “So, Gabe,” Tracy said, “the girls and I are going to have dinner at that barbecue place on Main Street. Would you care to join us? Our treat.”

  He ignored the question while he took the chopper up and headed for the peak where the women had requested to be dropped. He loved Sam’s Barbecue but generally didn’t socialize with clients. However, in this case he’d make an exception. The women had turned out to be nice, and he had nothing better to do, other than helping Sara give away a bunch of money. “I can’t turn down a meal at Sam’s. The food there is amazing.”

  “That’s what we heard too,” Tracy said.

  The weather couldn’t be more perfect for a day of skiing. The ladies were in for lots of fun for sure. Even though he’d never taken to skiing, he didn’t mind profiting from those who had a passion for the sport.

  “Oh look,” Krista said. “That’s the peak.”

  Five minutes later they were on the ground, such as it was, and the women unpacked their gear. They each wore a backpack, presumably holding emergency gear. He stood at the door where they’d exited and looked out at them. “All set?”

  Tracy nodded. “The snow looks good. We’ll wait until you leave before goin
g down in case you set off an avalanche.”

  He nodded. “I’ll be on my way. You have a satellite phone in case of trouble?”

  “Always.” Tracy patted her pack.

  “Okay then, I’ll see you ladies this evening. What time?”

  “Is six too early?” Krista asked. “I don’t like to eat late.”

  “Works for me. Be safe.” He closed the chopper door then got situated and took off. The weather couldn’t have been better. Blue sky shone overhead. The wind was calm, and there were no storms in the forecast. They’d chosen the perfect day to ski.

  He headed back to the airfield, his thoughts on the women as he said a prayer for them. Ideal conditions or not, what they were doing was dangerous. A short while later, he landed then hopped out. Next he had a tour on his docket, but first he wanted to grab some of Sara’s irresistible cookies.

  He strode into the hanger, yanked open the office door, and went inside.

  Forrest looked up from whatever he was doing. “How’d it go?”

  “Smooth.”

  “You have a message.” Forrest held it out to him. Though Forrest owned the hanger and managed the place, Gabe had his own phone line in his office and managed his own appointments.

  “Why’d they call you?”

  “Your voicemail is full.”

  “Right. I forgot about that. Thanks. I’ll take care of it right away.” He strode into the space he rented from Forrest, grabbed a cookie, stuffed it into his mouth then reached for the phone. He should have taken care of this yesterday when his computer had frozen.

  His cell vibrated. “What’s up, Sara?”

  “I figured out what I’m going to do for my secret angel assignment.”

  “Oh yeah? Tell me about it.” He hung up the desk phone and propped his legs onto his desk, crossing them at his ankles.

  “Remember that new family I told you about?”

  “The one who lives in the apartment upstairs?”

  “Yes. They need more help than I can give them. Want to come over tonight and help me prioritize what’s most important?”

  Unease filled him. “I actually have plans, believe it or not.”

  “I don’t believe it. You never do anything after work.”

  “Unless it’s with you.” He really needed to get a life, which was another reason why he’d said yes to the invite. He loved Sara, but they were firmly rooted in the friend zone, and he wanted a family. It wasn’t like he was in his twenties and had all the time in the world. Thirty-five was knocking on his door.

  “Exactly. So, what are you doing?”

  He sat up, pulling his feet off his desk. “I’m having dinner with my clients from earlier.”

  “Three women?” Her voice lowered an octave.

  “Yes. How’d you know?”

  “Tracy, Krista, and Beth were in my shop yesterday, remember? They mentioned they’re extreme skiers.”

  “I’m surprised you remembered their names.” Sure, she was good with names, but to remember three random customers seemed exceptional.

  “They signed up for the workshop I’m doing this weekend.”

  “Now I understand.”

  “Understand what?” Impatience clouded her tone.

  “It doesn’t matter. Can we figure out your secret angel thing tomorrow night?”

  “I guess so. ’Bye.”

  He looked at the phone, frowning before setting it on his desk. If he didn’t know better, he’d say Sara was jealous, but that wasn’t possible. She’d never shown any interest in him other than friendship, and she wasn’t the possessive type.

  At six o’clock, Gabe walked into Sam’s Barbecue and quickly spotted the women at a table. Krista had her leg propped up on an extra chair. He frowned and walked over. “What happened?” He motioned toward her leg, which he now realized was in a brace.

  “Sprained my knee.” Krista grimaced and gasped at what must have been a shooting pain. “Let’s order. I want to go back to the hotel and lay down.”

  Tracy furrowed her brows as she looked toward her friend. “Maybe we should get this to go.”

  “I’d like that.” Relief covered Krista’s face.

  “I’m sorry, Gabe,” Tracy said. “How about a rain check on dinner?”

  Their waiter walked over to them to take their order before he could reply.

  “I’d like two orders of your brisket to go, and please put all their orders on my ticket.”

  “Oh, no. We invited you,” Tracy said.

  “Circumstances have changed. Let me treat. I feel bad that one of you got hurt.”

  “You’re sweet.” Tracy placed her order, and then the other ladies followed. “We can at least visit while we wait for our food. You must be starving. Two orders of brisket?”

  “It’s for a friend.”

  Krista raised a brow. “Must be someone special.”

  “Actually, you’ve met. She owns Gifts N’ More.”

  Tracy’s face brightened. “I love her shop. We’re going back tomorrow to do some Christmas shopping.” She glanced at Krista. “Well, Beth and I are, at least.”

  “If we park close, I’ll tag along.” Krista sounded sincere but based on the amount of pain she looked to be in, he doubted she’d be doing any shopping unless it was online.

  Tracy flashed him a perfect smile. She was a beautiful woman, but if he were honest, she simply didn’t interest him—none of them did.

  The orders arrived in large bags. The women thanked him and left. For the first time since walking in, he breathed easy. He hadn’t realized how tense he was until they were gone. He paid for everything then headed out. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Sara’s face when he showed up with barbecue brisket. It happened to be one of her favorites too.

  Chapter Four

  Sara locked up her shop and hesitated. Emily was a good kid and seemed responsible, but what if two sick kids in addition to her brother and whatever homework she had was too much for her to manage on her own. Her mom said they didn’t need Sara’s help, but she couldn’t get them out of her mind. Surely, it wouldn’t hurt to run up and check on the kids.

  She locked Annabelle in her Jeep then headed back to the building, trotted up the stairs to the apartment above, and knocked.

  Nolan pulled open the door a few inches. “Sara?”

  “Hi, Nolan. I talked to your mom earlier, and she said she has to work late. Do you kids need anything?”

  “Who is it, Nolan?” Emily asked from out of view.

  “Sara.”

  “Mind if I come in, Nolan?” Sara asked.

  “I don’t think so. My mom wouldn’t like that.”

  “Oh. I understand.” Disappointment washed over her. “Are the twins feeling any better?”

  “They’re watching TV and eating chicken noodle soup.”

  Emily came beside her brother, who opened the door a tiny bit more, but not enough for Sara to see inside to the twins. “Hi, Sara, is everything okay? Where’s Annabelle?”

  “She’s in my Jeep. I wanted to check on all of you before I head home. Your mom indicated she’d be working late.”

  “Yes. Would you like to come in?”

  Nolan shot a startled look at his sister.

  “Maybe another time. It sounds like you have everything under control. Is there anything you need?”

  “We’re good. Thanks for checking on us. Ian and Stephanie only have the crud. They’re happy to lie on the couch and watch TV, so it’s actually a nice, quiet evening. I might even get my homework done before bedtime.”

  Sara grinned. “Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Even though they didn’t need her, she was glad she’d taken the time to check on the kids. She’d sleep better knowing Emily was actually relishing the calmer evening. The twins must be spitfires. Sara chuckled, recalling the antics of her and her sister when they were young. Their poor parents might have rethought having kids if they’d known what they were getting themselves into.

  Sara pushed out
the door at the bottom of the stairs. A blast of cold air smacked her in the face. She pulled up her hood and rushed to her vehicle.

  Annabelle barked when she spotted Sara.

  She opened the door and slid behind the wheel. “Hey, girl. We’ll be home soon.”

  Fifteen minutes later, she pulled into her garage and pressed the remote button to close it before she got out. The wind chill tonight felt below freezing. “Come on, girl. Let’s get dinner.”

  Annabelle barked and stood on the seat, panting and wagging her tail.

  Sara laughed as she opened the door and patted her leg to signal her dog to come. Annabelle hopped out and pranced to the door that led directly into the mudroom. Sara let her in then wiped her feet. She hung her keys on the hook, kicked off her boots, and then went straight to the kitchen. Annabelle was a great dog, but she had a special relationship with food and had little patience once they got home at night. Sara scooped out the kibbles and placed them in the bowl situated in a raised stand.

  “Now to figure out what I’m going to eat.” She had never been good about planning meals, which was one of the reasons she did pizza once a week with Gabe. There were usually leftovers, and she’d get a second meal out of it. Not so this time, since she hadn’t wanted the deep dish from last night and all its extra grease.

  She washed her hands then pulled open the fridge and stared at a carton of yogurt, a bagged salad, and eggs. The yogurt was for lunch tomorrow so that was out. She reached for the eggs as her phone rang. She checked the caller ID. “Hi, Mom. What’s up?”

  “Just saying hi. How was your day?”

  “Pretty good. I’ve been doing some extra workshops, so I’ve been busier than normal.”

  “Good for you. But don’t overdo. I want you home on Christmas and not stuck, sick in bed.”

  Sara grinned. Her mom was a bit obsessive about Christmas. It had to be the single most important day of the year to her. “I promise to take care of myself.”

  “Good. I also wanted to let you know you’re free to bring along a friend.”