A Christmas Stolen (Christmas Holiday Extravaganza)

by Lillian Duncan

  “I’m praying that happens,” Mark said as he walked up to them.

  “Me and you both, brother. Plus, every law enforcement officer in the state is looking for that car. We’ll find her, Mark.”

  Mark nodded as he walked back to Leah.

  Will touched Danica’s arm. “We’re doing everything we can, Danica. It’s getting late. I suggest you try to get Mark and Leah to go to bed. There’s nothing more for them to do right now, but they need to rest. They’ll need to dig deep for the strength to get through this. Sleep will do them good.”

  “I’ll see what I can do, but it won’t be easy.” She turned to walk away but he grabbed her hand. She met his gaze.

  “You have every reason in the world to hate me, but I want you to know I’m not that person any more. God’s changed me in so many ways I can’t even begin to tell you.”

  He wanted her to say it was OK. That the past was the past. That all was forgiven. But it wasn’t. He’d ruined her life. She’d lost the only person she’d ever been in love with because of him. She pulled her hand away. “I’ll go talk to Leah.”

  He looked as if he wanted to say more. Instead, he nodded before he turned away.

  Danica went to Leah and Mark sitting on the sofa. “You guys did a great job. That’ll help. I’m sure of it. But it’s late. Leah, you need to go to bed. Get some rest.”

  “No. I can’t go to bed. My baby’s gone. I just can’t go to bed as though nothing’s happened. How can I sleep when she’s out there alone? She needs me.”

  “I know, but your body needs rest.”

  “I can’t believe you think I could sleep now.”

  “You have to keep up your strength, Leah. So you can take care of Angelica when she comes home.”

  “No.” Her sister was adamant.

  Danica sat down beside Mark and whispered, “Leah needs to get some rest, or she’ll collapse. She might go to bed if you go. I think you’re the only one who can convince her.”

  He nodded. “Sweetheart, she’s right. I’m so exhausted I can’t think straight. We need to get some rest.”

  “But—”

  “Even if we just lay in bed together and pray. I need to be away from all this. Just for a little while.”

  “Please, Leah. Go get some rest,” Danica pleaded. “I’ll wake you up the minute they hear anything. At least go lay down for a while. Even if you don’t sleep.”

  “No.”

  Mark looped his arm through his wife’s. “Come on, sweetheart. It’ll do us good. Plus, I just don’t want to be around all these people right now. Just you.”

  Danica gave a grateful smile to her brother-in-law.

  Mark led Leah down the hall toward their bedroom after a whispered conference with Will Schaeffer.

  Danica’s gaze fell on the Mothers’ Helpers pamphlet. She picked it up. It couldn’t hurt to talk to the preacher again. She put on a coat and walked out to her car. The snow was several inches higher since she’d arrived. Had it only been seven hours ago? She cleared the heap off her windshield with a bare hand. Should have bought some gloves, a hat, and a snow scraper. She huddled inside the car waiting for the heat to kick in, closed her eyes, and prayed as she clung to the steering wheel. “Please God, keep Angelica safe wherever she is and bring her back to us.” She wiped away a tear and put the car in reverse.

  The church was outside of town. Most churches had a parsonage on the church grounds or nearby. Hopefully that was the case with this one. The preacher had to be at home—nobody’d be out in this weather if they didn’t have to be.

  As she passed the high school, the familiar pain welled. Ridiculous. It had all happened years ago. Why couldn’t she let it go? She’d survived and had a life she loved now—far away from this place and Connor. But distance didn’t really matter. Anything could bring back the pain: a song, a TV show, or a long-forgotten memory that popped up for no reason. It was ridiculous. It wasn’t as if she was in love with Connor McDonald after all this time. She didn’t even know what kind of a person he was now.

  Forgive.

  The word popped up in her brain from nowhere. It wasn’t the first time she’d had the thought when thinking of Connor. But why should she? It wasn’t even as though he’d asked to be forgiven. If he had, maybe she would—could forgive. But he hadn’t.

  But Will had asked her forgiveness. As a Christian she was supposed to forgive others. Yet, she’d walked away from Will. Guilt nipped at her.

  It’s time.

  Now that was new. Time for what? To forgive them? Both of them. That wouldn’t happen. Maybe she could forgive Will. He seemed to have really changed, and he was working hard to bring Angelica home. His apology seemed sincere enough. And he wasn’t the one who’d betrayed her—hurt her—made it hard for her to trust another man.

  That was all on Connor.

  Danica pushed those thoughts out of her mind. Her focus needed to be only on Angelica. Hopefully, this preacher knew something that could help. She pulled into the snow-covered parking lot. An unseen floodlight lit up the cross, giving hope to those who needed it in the darkness. Leah and Mark. Never would she have thought this could happen to them.

  And only two days before Christmas.

  She rested her head on the steering wheel. “Please God, help us. Keep Angelica safe and help the police find her. Please.”

  Forgive.

  It’s time.

  Some would think it was a little weird to be having a conversation with God, but Danica didn’t. “I know I should, but what difference does it make? It’s all in the past. It doesn’t matter now. What matters now is finding Angelica.”

  Forgive.

  It’s time.

  She sighed. “Fine. I’ll forgive them. Finally. Truly and forever. If that’s what You want.” Nothing happened. She took a deep breath. “OK, I’m forgiving them.” She stared at the cross as she thought about sacrifice, about making things right, about the Gift offered to all. A sense of peace filled her. “Please bring Angelica back home…please,” she whispered from the deepest need in her heart.

  The cross disappeared in darkness for a second and then the light flickered back on.

  Her heart skipped a beat. In that moment, overwhelming love lifted her. Angelica would come back home—safe and sound.

  As soon as she returned to the house, she’d tell Will all was forgiven—and mean it. And if she ever saw Connor, she’d tell him the same.

  A house sat on the property. No lights. Maybe the preacher was in the church.

  She stepped out of the car and shivered from the cold. How could people live up here? She trudged her way through the snow and into the church. It was dark and quiet. It should have felt spooky, but instead it was like a blanket, warm and comforting. One quick trip through the church, and if the pastor wasn’t here, she’d walk over to the parsonage. If he knew something to find Angelica, Danica didn’t want to wait until morning.

  The hall was dark, but light shone out from one of the rooms. She came to an open door.

  A man stared out the window into the darkness.

  For a moment she couldn’t move. Impossible. It couldn’t be him. “Excuse me,” she croaked, heart bouncing in her chest and her thoughts going wild.

  The man turned toward her.

  They stared at each other.

  And then the anger came. “I can’t believe this. You’re the preacher?”

  “Dani, I’m so—”

  “You’re the preacher?”

  He nodded. “I—”

  “Willie is the chief of police, and you’re the preacher of the church where Mothers’ Helpers is from.”

  “I was coming to see you tomorrow, Dani.”

  “You don’t have the right to call me that. Danica. That’s my name.” Anger made her blunt. “What do you know about the woman who took Leah’s baby?”

  Connor McDonald stared at the pamphlet in her hand and then back at Danica. “The sheriff was already here. I’ve never seen the woman. I
already told him—”

  “Yeah, I know that the pamphlets aren’t just here at the church. I get it. I just thought you had to know something important but hadn’t connected the dots.”

  “I really don’t. If I did, I’d tell you. Poor Leah. And Mark. They must be completely devastated. She was so excited when she told me about the baby.”

  She stared at him. “You talk to Leah?”

  “Sure. It’s a small town, Dani…ca.” He grinned.

  She glared.

  “And I’m one of the preachers in town, and she’s very involved with her church so our paths cross from time to time on joint projects.”

  “Oh. I suppose that makes sense.”

  They were back to staring at each other.

  “I know this is a horrible time, but I have to say you’re just as beautiful as ev—”

  “Don’t even go there.” She held up a hand as if to ward off his words.

  “Can I at least apol—”

  “No you can’t.”

  Forgive.

  It’s time.

  Only been minutes before she’d told God she would forgive Connor if she ever saw him. But this wasn’t the right time. She’d think about it. Later. “Tell me about this Mothers’ Helpers group.”

  “No.”

  “What do you mean no?”

  “I want to…I will help in any and every way I can, but first you’ll have to listen to what I have to say. I’ve waited a long time to talk you.”

  “Oh, sure, I’m supposed to believe that. You just said you talk to Leah. If you really wanted to talk to me, you could have asked her where I was. I do have a phone.”

  “You’re right. And every time I talk with her, that’s exactly what I want to do, but…” He shook his head. “The truth is, I didn’t have the courage. I didn’t want to hear what she might tell me about you.”

  “That makes no sense.”

  “Sure, it does. I didn’t want to hear her tell me that you fell in love with a wonderful man and that you got married and are living your happily ever after.”

  Why should he care one way or the other about her life? It almost sounded as if…she blinked, refusing to even think the words. “I am not here to talk about me or you or the past. I want to talk about Mothers’ Helpers.”

  “And we will. As soon as you listen to what I have to say.”

  They were at an impasse. “Fine. Say what you want.”

  He motioned for her to sit.

  “No, thanks. I won’t be staying that long.”

  “Same old Dani girl. Stubborn.”

  “My name is Danica. And you just wanted to tell me about my character flaws? That’s what you wanted to talk about?”

  “Not at all. I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about that whole mess on graduation night. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I’m sorry. I’m sorry about all of it.”

  She stared at him, hardly able to breathe.

  “It was so long ago that you probably don’t even know what I’m talking about. You may have forgotten all about it, but I haven’t.”

  That night changed the path of her life. She’d never forget. And she didn’t want to admit that it still hurt. A vision of the blinking cross filled her mind. OK, God. But I can’t do it without You. She closed her eyes. Help me to do this. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. “Of course, I remember. More often than I care to admit, but it’s in the past. It’s over. It’s done.”

  “I know, but I wanted to say I’m sorry. It’s my biggest regret.” He gazed into her eyes.

  “What part exactly?” She tried for sarcasm, but her voice sounded sad—and wounded.

  “That I didn’t believe you. I have no idea why I believed Willie over you. It wasn’t as if you even liked him. I should have trusted you. I should have known you would never have betrayed me with anyone, let alone him.”

  Breaking down in front of Connor McDonald would not happen. She bit down on her lip—hard. “Yes, you should have, but I…if…I didn’t come here to discuss that. I didn’t even know you were the preacher.” She wouldn’t have come if she’d known.

  “Do you forgive me?”

  The cross blinked again, filling her mind.

  “It was a long time ago, Connor. It’s done and over with.”

  “I know, but I’d like to hear the words.”

  She could do this. For Angelica. She could say the words. She took a deep breath. Peace descended. “I forgive you, Connor.”

  They locked gazes once again.

  “Really?”

  “Really and truly.” As she said the words, something broke inside. The wall came down. Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I…I can’t believe you didn’t believe me. That you thought I would betray you with Willie, of all people.”

  “I know. It was so stupid of me. I’m so sorry I hurt you.” His arms were around her.

  A part of her wanted to not forgive—to make him hurt the way she’d hurt for so long. But it was time. She cried, and he held her. Time stood still as her tears washed away the past. When the tears slowed, she moved out of his arms, slightly embarrassed—actually more than slightly. Danica took a deep breath then smiled at him. “I didn’t expect that to happen. I’m sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “For all that emotion.” She touched the front of his shirt. “And for getting your shirt wet.”

  His gaze met hers. “Please don’t ever apologize for sharing your feelings. It’s one of the things that makes us human.”

  “I guess.” She forced a smile. “OK. Now can we talk about Mothers’ Helpers?”

  “For now, but we still have some things to talk about.” He walked behind the desk, motioned for her to sit, and then sat down. “There’s really not much to tell. It’s mostly a group of older ladies. They came to me about a year ago and said they wanted to help out new mothers in the community. They remembered how exhausting it is to be a new mother, especially that first month. The women help out in any way they can. Run a few errands, maybe cook dinner, things like that.”

  “Sounds like a nice thing to do.”

  “The women love it. It keeps them active and who doesn’t love babi—” He stopped. “Sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “I just can’t believe that it turned into something so evil. I don’t know if we’ll keep the program or shut it down after this.”

  “Are you sure there aren’t any young women involved?”

  “Nope. All the ladies are over fifty or so. Some probably even older. All of them have undergone background checks.”

  “But from what the woman told Leah, she seemed to know a lot about the program. More than what’s in the pamphlet.”

  “Such as?’

  “Well, Leah said Maria told her they help out a new mother for the first month. That’s not in the pamphlet. And she said something about an Anna Mae. Is she involved in the program?”

  “She is.” Connor picked up the pamphlet. “You’re right, that’s not in there. I know a few of the women formed deep bonds with some of the mothers and still help them after the first month. Especially some of the single mothers.”

  She closed her eyes…something…something. It was so close, but she couldn’t quite figure it out. Sighing, she opened her eyes.

  Connor was staring at her. Not in a preacherly way.

  “Sorry. I was thinking.”

  “About what?”

  “I can’t quite figure it out.”

  “When that happens to me, if I think about something else, it usually comes to me. So tell me about you.”

  “Not much to tell. I’m a teacher in Florida. This weather is a shock to my system.”

  “I bet. So…are you married?”

  She stared—maybe glared. “Really?”

  He shrugged. “Just curious, Dani.”

  “Danica. I go by Danica now.” She was so tired of telling people that.

  “You’ll always be Dani to me. My sweet Dan
i girl.”

  Emotions tugged at her. Forgiving was one thing. But there was no way, she’d walk down that path again with Connor. She didn’t want to be friends with him—or anything else, but she had to ask. “What about you? Are you married?”

  “Nope. Never even came close.”

  “Oh.”

  “I let the love of my life slip away because of my own stupidity.”

  He looked straight into her eyes without any guile that she could detect. She looked down, not sure how to react. She stood. “I have to go check on Leah and Mark. Thanks for your time.”

  “Can’t we talk a little more later, Dani…ca?”

  “I don’t think so.” She left the room, walked out of the warmth of the church, and back into the cold, dark night.

  7

  Twenty-four hours.

  Danica sat on the couch holding her sister’s hand.

  A parade of caring people had made their way here throughout the morning. Most brought food—for which all the law enforcement in the house seemed to be grateful. Hugs and words of comfort as well as promises of continued prayer were spoken. They genuinely cared about Leah and Mark and, of course, Baby Angelica. Leah seemed to draw strength from them.

  Danica guessed this was what her sister meant about having a church family.

  As the morning wore on, Leah became quieter. A doctor had prescribed medication for shock. Danica wasn’t sure if she’d taken it, but her silence was heartbreaking.

  Twenty-four hours.

  The words kept circling around Danica’s brain. According to the stories Danica read, both true crime and fictional suspense, in certain types of investigations, the first twenty-four hours were always crucial. Was it crucial in kidnappings?

  There’d been no ransom calls or demands, not that they’d expected any since Leah and Mark didn’t have that kind of money. The FBI, the state police, and Will assured them they were investigating every lead but…nothing seemed to be happening.

  The doorbell dinged.

  It had become Danica’s unofficial duty to answer it. She gently disengaged her hand from Leah’s and went to the door. As it swung open, she forced a smile. “What are you doing here?”