Christmas With An Alaskan Man (An Alaskan Romance Series Book 3)

by Evangeline Kelly

  Sabrina and Callie continued to talk, and I glanced behind us, looking for Clay, but he was already gone. He’d left without saying goodbye, and my chest ached with longing and disappointment. I’d made it clear I only wanted to be friends with him and now he was giving me space. I couldn’t have it both ways, but I regretted having that conversation with him.

  Lord, should I take it all back? Is he the man you want me to be with? My heart says yes but maybe I’m just high on emotion. The question lingered and there was no straight answer, but God wanted me to trust Him with the unknown. I knew that much.

  A few minutes later, we were all walking out to the parking lot. The plan was for me to go with Callie, and she promised to drop me off at Hunter’s house when we were done so I could pick up his truck. Derek hitched a ride with Hunter since he had a few things he needed to do at home and wouldn’t be able to join us. We said goodbye to everyone, and I hopped in the car with Callie.

  We drove about fifteen miles to a town called Homer. Callie stopped at a local restaurant where we ate a quick meal and she told me about the Johnson family. I learned that Amy was an only child, and her parents were in their early fifties.

  “From what I’ve heard,” Callie said, “Don and Christy prayed for a child for many years, and God blessed them with Amy. She’s such a good kid.”

  “Has she had problems with asthma before?”

  “I’m not sure. I don’t remember them talking about it.”

  When we arrived at the hospital, we picked up a teddy bear at the gift shop and stopped at an information booth to get the room number. Once we had it, we made our way to the pediatric unit and strode down a long hallway until we came to the correct spot.

  “Hi, there,” Callie said quietly as we walked into the room. A man and woman sat in chairs on the left side of a hospital bed, and a young girl with blonde pigtails smiled at us.

  My eyes followed her gaze to the other side of the bed where a puppet sat on top of a hand, and my eyes slid upward to see the man holding the puppet. It was Clay, and my heart immediately did a flip when he glanced my way.

  “Clay, I didn’t know you’d be here,” I said.

  A muscle pulsed in his jaw, and he swallowed. “Just thought I’d come by for a few minutes, but I should get going. There isn’t a lot of room for all of us.” He stood and slid the puppet off his hand. It was a green dinosaur with a huge grin and a long tongue hanging out.

  “Please don’t leave,” I said. “I’m sure we can all make room.”

  He hesitated and looked at me carefully as if trying to gauge my sincerity. I smiled, and he nodded. “Okay, but only if you help me with the puppet show.”

  I laughed. “I would, but it appears there’s only one puppet.”

  “Nope, there’s another one,” Mrs. Johnson said, snickering. She held up a fluffy lamb, and I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face.

  “A lamb and a dinosaur? Now that should make for an interesting show.” I reached across the bed to accept the puppet from her and then slid it over my left hand. “I’m Jazmin, by the way.”

  “Kate and Evan,” the woman said, gesturing to herself and her husband. “And this is Amy as I’m sure you’ve figured out already.”

  “Hi, Amy.” I waved, and she smiled and waved back.

  “I’m sorry,” Callie said, “I should have done introductions when we first walked in the room.”

  I patted her on the arm. “No problem. I think we were all distracted by the puppets.”

  Clay disappeared to the hallway and returned a few minutes later with two extra chairs. He gave one to Callie and then gestured for me to sit next to him. “Now, for that puppet show.” His voice was already deep, but he began speaking in an even deeper tone. “Hi, Amy. How are you doing today?” He wiggled his hand a little so the dinosaur bobbed up and down.

  “You’re not a real dinosaur,” she said, giggling.

  “What makes you say that?” he asked, staying in character. “I think I look real.” He turned to my puppet and asked, “Do I look real?”

  “Well, of course, you do.” I raised my voice to a higher pitch and bobbed my arm the same way he was doing it. “What about me? How do I look?”

  “You look beautiful today. Did I tell you that already?”

  I made my lamb look bashful by ducking the head and turning away. I did it in an exaggerated manner several times so she was almost playing peek-a-boo. “That’s so sweet, but now I’m embarrassed.”

  “You don’t have to be embarrassed,” he said. “Just say thank you.”

  “Thank you.” I opened my puppet’s mouth, and it appeared as if she were grinning.

  Amy laughed. “Do you like Mr. Dinosaur?”

  I moved the lamb’s head slowly and made it seem like she was giving the dinosaur an appraising look. “I’d say he’s a pretty cool guy.”

  “Do you love Mr. Dinosaur?” she asked.

  The others in the room all chuckled quietly and then I heard Callie engaging Kate and Evan in conversation. I turned back to Amy and Clay. “As long as he doesn’t try to eat me. He’s a scary predator, and I’m a sweet little lamb.”

  Amy pointed at Clay’s puppet and said in an authoritative voice, “Don’t you dare eat her.”

  “I wouldn’t think of it. She’s my friend.” He made his puppet snuggle up to mine, and I laughed.

  We continued playing around with the puppets for at least ten more minutes and then one of the medical staff walked in and announced it was time for Amy’s breathing treatment. Clay, Callie and I waved goodbye to Amy and left the puppets with Linda.

  “We’ll be praying Amy makes a quick recovery,” Callie said.

  Linda followed us into the hallway, her shoulder-length brown and gray hair brushing across her shoulders. “Thank you for coming. Your puppet show really boosted Amy’s spirits.”

  “We didn’t do much, but I’m glad it helped,” I said.

  “Speak for yourself,” Clay said, humor flickering in his eyes. “I did a pretty great dinosaur impression.”

  “You absolutely did.” I bumped my shoulder playfully against his solid arm. “Best dinosaur impression I’ve ever seen.”

  “You weren’t so bad yourself, my little lamb.” He winked, and my heart did a somersault.

  I glanced over to find Callie watching us with a curious expression. She tore her eyes away from us and turned to Linda. “When do you expect them to release Amy?”

  “The doctor said she can go home tomorrow if her breathing continues to improve.”

  “How long has she had asthma?” I asked.

  “She was diagnosed a year ago. She has an inhaler but they’re reassessing which inhalers will work best for her.”

  “Well, keep us updated,” Callie said.

  Linda smiled. “Will do. We’re so thankful for your prayers. She’s our miracle baby.”

  “Oh, did you have her late in life?” I asked.

  “No, we adopted, but God brought her into our lives at the right time.”

  My eyes widened. “That’s awesome.” It almost seemed like a sign since I’d been thinking about adoption earlier at church. Most likely, it was just a coincidence, but I also knew there was no such thing as coincidences when the Lord was involved.

  The three of us walked out to the hospital parking lot together. Clay had been quiet the entire time, content to listen to Callie and I talk.

  “See you later,” I said, glancing at Clay. “I drove with Callie and her car is right over there.” I pointed to a spot not far away.

  Clay rocked back on his heels and smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “We were a pretty good team today.”

  “Pretty good?” Callie asked. “You were excellent together.”

  I felt my face warm and was glad the afternoon air was crisp. “I agree.”

  Clay cleared his throat and shoved his hands in his pockets. “What are you two doing next?”

  “Callie is dropping me off at Hunter’s pl
ace. He said I could use his truck, remember?”

  Clay nodded. “Right. I could drop you off if you want.”

  I opened my mouth and then closed it. I hadn’t expected him to offer, and I wanted to go with him, but I also didn’t want to be rude to Callie by ditching her.

  “You should go,” Callie said, appearing to sense my hesitation. “I have a few errands I need to do, anyway.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She smiled. “Of course, I’m sure.” She gave me a side hug. “Thank you for coming with me. I think our visit cheered them up.”

  “I’m glad we were able to go.”

  We said our goodbyes, and I followed Clay to his vehicle. Once inside, I buckled up and then glanced over to find him watching me. “What?” I asked, half laughing.

  “Are you in a hurry to get to Hunter’s place?”

  “Not in particular. Why? What do you have in mind?”

  “There’s an elderly man who used to go to our church. He’s homebound now because of his health, but a few of us from the church visit him on a regular basis. I promised I’d set up his Christmas tree and help decorate it.” He shrugged. “You can tag along if you want.” He glanced away, appearing uncertain. “But if you’d rather not I can take you to Hunter’s first.”

  I swallowed hard. It wasn’t a good idea to spend the rest of the afternoon with him, but on the other hand, I wanted to help someone else. “I would love to. That’s generous of you to be of assistance to him.”

  He shrugged. “It’s nothing.”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “You’re a kind man, Clay. The more I get to know you, the more I see it.”

  Chapter 5

  Clay

  I wanted so badly to reach over and take her hand as we drove to Ed Green’s house, but I resisted the urge. She’d made it clear she only wanted to be friends, and I had to respect that.

  I was honoring her request, but that didn’t mean I’d given up. Jazmin liked me. It was there in her expression when I’d offered to bring her with me. My eyes weren’t playing tricks on me—I knew that much. Now I just had to figure out why she felt the need to pull away. Suddenly, it occurred to me that maybe she preferred her independence and didn’t want to change that anytime soon. An uneasy sensation made its way up my throat.

  “Hey, Jaz, do you want to get married one day? I’m asking in general terms.”

  One side of her mouth quirked up. “Jaz? You gave me a nickname?”

  “If you don’t like it, I’ll just go back to calling you, Jazmin.”

  “No, I like it. No one else calls me that, but it sounds nice coming from you.”

  I glanced at her and then turned straight ahead towards the road. “That’s surprising that no one else has ever called you that. It’s common for people to shorten their names.”

  “It’s not the first time someone has called me that.”

  I frowned. “I thought—”

  “It’s just the first time I’ve allowed it.” She smiled meaningfully. “You should feel special.”

  My heart expanded in my chest. “Thank you for giving me that privilege.”

  She hesitated for a long moment. “Guess I just like the way it sounds coming from you.”

  I grinned and stared straight ahead. Yep, she definitely liked me. She might not be fully aware of how much, but I was willing to bet I’d win her over by the end of her two-week stay. “You didn’t answer my question. Do you want to get married one day?”

  She fiddled with a piece of her hair, holding up the ends like they were the most fascinating thing in the car. “Yes, eventually.”

  “What about kids? Are you hoping to have some?”

  She pressed her lips together and paused as if choosing her words carefully. “I’d like to be a mother if God blesses me in that way. But at my age—”

  “Women in your age bracket have babies all the time. It’s not impossible. You look healthy to me. I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”

  There was silence, and it filled the vehicle like a cloud deftly moving through a canyon.

  “I might adopt one day,” she said, slowly, as if unsure how I would respond to that.

  I wouldn’t mind adopting a child if that was what she wanted. In my book, the more the merrier, as long as we had biological children as well. “I think that’s great.”

  “You do?” There was so much hope in her voice, I did a double-take.

  “Yes,” I said, nodding. “It speaks to the kindness in your heart. I fully support anyone who wants to care for a child.”

  I made a left turn and drove down the block, stopping next to a small house. After parking, we got out of the vehicle and walked to the front door. I stared at her hand, desperately wanting to hold it, and it was taking every ounce of discipline I had not to do it.

  “What are you staring at?” she asked, laughing.

  “Your hand. I really want to hold it, but…” I didn’t get a chance to finish that statement because she laced her fingers through mine, and the moment we made contact, all was right with the world. “That feels nice.”

  “It does.”

  The door suddenly swung open, and Ed Green stood there squinting at us as if we were a couple of crazy kids instead of two grown adults. “Were you going to knock? Or did you plan on standing there all day?” He glanced down at our joined hands. “Well, I’ll be. Looks like you finally got yourself a girlfriend.”

  I chuckled. “We’re not—”

  “That’s right,” Jazmin cut in, “I’m his girlfriend.”

  I stared at her dumbfounded and decided to just go with it. She was humoring the old guy, and while it gave me hope, I didn’t want to read too much into it since she probably didn’t mean it. “Yep. I’ve got myself a keeper.”

  Ed slapped his hand on his thigh and smiled from ear-to-ear. “I knew you’d do it one day, and ain’t she pretty?”

  “She sure is.”

  Jazmin blushed and glanced away, unable to meet my gaze. Maybe it was guilt for lying to the old man about us being in a relationship.

  “Well don’t just stand there,” Ed bellowed. “Come on in.”

  We followed him inside, and he led us to the back where a rectangular box sat in the middle of the room, looking like it was about to fall apart.

  “Is that the tree?” I asked.

  “Yep. That’s it. I’d put it together myself, but my arthritis is bad in my fingers.”

  “Don’t worry yourself. That’s why I’m here.” I got busy opening up the box and pulling out the fake tree. I took out the base and added the trunk on top of that. The branches were all pushed down so the tree would fit in the box, and I lifted them, fluffing them so it appeared like a real tree.

  “Wonderful.” Ed motioned to another box sitting on the coffee table. “Here’s all the ornaments.”

  Jazmin walked over and began sorting through the pile inside the box. “These are so cool. They’re all vintage ornaments.” She pulled out a Santa Claus that looked like it was made in the nineteen fifties or sixties.

  “Yep. I bought those for my wife, Anne, when we first got married. She loved them so much she never saw a need to buy new ones.”

  “These are charming,” Jazmin said. She pulled out a reindeer and held it up to the light.

  “You two get started,” he said, “and I’ll be back in a few minutes with a snack.”

  Jazmin placed the ornament she was holding on a tree branch and glanced at Ed. “Oh, you don’t have to do that.”

  “I know, but my wife was very particular about serving guests when she was alive, especially during the holiday season. I plan to continue her tradition.”

  Jazmin’s eyes softened. “When you put it like that… We’d love a snack.”

  Ed nodded and then hobbled in the direction of the kitchen.

  Once he was gone, she turned to me. “He’s cute.”

  “Should I be jealous?”

  She laughed and playfully shoved me on the shoulder. “
Of course not.”

  “I don’t know,” I said, a hint of challenge in my voice. “I saw you eyeing him a moment ago.”

  She smiled and bit down on her bottom lip, apparently deciding it was best not to respond to my antics. She took two bright red oval ornaments and hooked them on separate branches.

  I watched the graceful movement of her figure as she took another ornament and found a place for it on the tree. It was moments like these that sent my heart racing, made me have to stop and catch my breath. She was so beautiful it almost hurt to look at her, and it was a little scary how easily I could picture a future with her. I wasn’t terrible-looking, but she was way out of my league so she might not be able to say the same on her end.

  She glanced up at me, a slight smile on her face. “What? You’re staring.”

  “I’m always staring when I’m with you. Can’t seem to help myself.”

  I thought she’d respond with a sarcastic quip, but, instead, she grew solemn. “You have a way of making me feel special when you’re around. Thank you for that.”

  My eyebrows flew up, surprised at the seriousness in her tone. “I’ll always make you feel special because you are. In fact, I’ve never met anyone like you before.” I paused to take a breath. “You were joking earlier, weren’t you?”

  She tilted her head to the side and appeared to consider the statement. “About what?”

  “When you told Ed you were my girlfriend.”

  “Oh, that. Yeah, I was teasing.”

  Disappointment sucked the air out of my lungs, but I reminded myself not to have expectations. Honestly, what had I been thinking? That she was suddenly willing to put aside whatever issues held her back? No, she wasn’t ready for that yet.

  “I knew you were joking, but I guess I was hoping you meant it.”

  She looked at me then. Really looked at me as trying to gauge where I was coming from. “Would it make you happy if I said I wanted to be with you?”

  “Yes.” There was no hesitation in my voice at all.

  She stared at me for a long moment, her lips curling up on one side in a lopsided grin, endearing and sweet. “I do, you know…want to be with you.”