A (kinda) Country Christmas: A Christian Holiday Romance

by Krista Phillips

  Sadie burst out laughing. “I’d forgotten about that. No worries. We were just joking. The part of Mary and Joseph have already been officially cast. No adults are allowed in the play anyway, per me.”

  Mari popped over beside Sadie, a silly grin on her face. “So Nate. I here you’re staying for a while and helping Mom with the play.”

  He folded his arms and brooded. “Gossip much?”

  She shrugged. “It’s a small church. I overheard. All I can say is, watch out for Jacob. He’s going through a biting stage and boy, the kid’s got some sharp chompers.”

  Nine

  The bell over the door at Bethlehem’s Boutique jingled shortly after Sadie flipped the sign to OPEN. She looked up from the display of candy cane ornaments she was fixing to see Kendra, cheeks rosy from the cold, all but dance into the shop. “Did you hear?”

  Sadie had been fearing this visit. “Be careful. I don’t need another Meyers sibling downing a tree.”

  Dropping into the gold and red-velvet chair usually reserved for the once-a-week visit from Santa, Kendra crossed her legs at the knees and sat back, looking very queenish. “You did a really good job on the replacement, by the way. It looks amazing.”

  Glancing at the tree that stood at the center of the shop, Sadie smiled. “That was Mari’s doing. She has a knack for design, and I’ll admit, it fits in a lot better than my tree had. Hers is a classic country Christmas, definitely more Gatlinburg style. I’m constantly having to restock the tree with ornaments.”

  “You always did have a more modern, chic style.”

  Much to her parents irritation. Maybe that’s why she’d been so adamant about that stupid tree. Last year was the first year without Mom and Dad at the store, and she’d gone out of her way to mimic what they would have done. But this year, she’d wanted to make it her own, add a little flare.

  Turning the striped canes so they were all the same direction, Sadie sighed.

  But what happened when her flare didn’t fit her surroundings?

  What happened when she didn’t fit them?

  Good grief. She was too young for an identity crisis. This was her life, and she liked it.

  She just needed to do a better job at convincing her heart of that.

  Kendra rapped her fingers against the arm of Santa’s chair. “Hello? Earth to Sadie?”

  Had she asked a question? “I’m sorry, I was—my brain’s a thousand places today. What did you need?”

  “Weren’t you even a little curious as to my news I came bouncing in here to tell you?”

  “Nate deciding to stay for Christmas, you mean?”

  Kendra stomped her foot in toddler-like fashion. “He told you already?”

  If Kendra didn’t know that she knew, then she probably didn’t know about the play either.

  An idea formed.

  Kendra hated the very mention of church. She’d laugh and change the subject every time Sadie said the word. But she loved her brother and loved everything to do with drama.

  Maybe—

  Sadie let the thought settle for a moment. Her friend had yet to attend church with her—but if it was a play—and for kids—and her brother was involved….

  Yes, it might just work. “Yeah, he actually took Mari and me to church yesterday and told me then.”

  Kendra shifted in her seat. “Oh?”

  “Mmmhmm. He’s going to help me out with the children’s Christmas play.”

  Her friend sat up, jaw dropped. “He’s what?”

  “Our theme is Christmas around the globe, so we thought, what better person to help than a guy who’s traveled the world, right?”

  “But Nate doesn’t know the slightest thing about acting or kids. He’s—no. I promise you, he’s a great big brother and all, but you do not want him around children.”

  Sadie bit her bottom lip. Maybe she should have thought this through more— “Is there something you need to tell me about your brother?”

  Kendra popped up from the chair. “Oh my goodness, no. Nothing like, sinister or anything. Nate’s a good guy. He’s just never been overly fond of kids, and he hated the idea of me going into theater. So a church play for kids doesn’t seem to be up his alley. However, if your finance team needs a few pointers, he’d be your guy.”

  “Well, that’s good. I was starting to wonder just what kind of guy you were trying to set me up with.”

  Kendra grabbed an elf hat off a display and tried it on. She looked more than a little ridiculous wearing the red and green striped hat with pale, pointy felt ears. “Speaking of setting you up, I find it interesting that you both got together yesterday morning without my knowledge. Is there something I should know about?”

  “Your brother seems like a really nice guy. But we’ve been over this before.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I know. Mari’s your life. No complications allowed.”

  “Exactly. And by the way, you’re wearing that all wrong.” She reached over and yanked the hat down a few inches over so her ears were covered. “There. Now you’re not some strange four-eared elf.”

  Kendra mock-saluted. “Yes, elf-Sergeant. And ring up the hat. I’m buying it and taking it with me. Oh, and a set of these peppermint things. I'm putting up my Christmas tree this week. They will go perfect with our all-red-and-white theme.”

  Sadie moved behind the cash register and rang up the purchase. As she made change for a twenty, she couldn’t help but ask the nagging question. “So, where is Nate staying for the month? I can’t imagine he’ll want to live out of that hotel.”

  “No, he wanted a place with a kitchen and whatnot, and better WIFI. I told him it’d be impossible to find a place already furnished that had the whole month available, but he already found a few options online. The man is crazy good at that kind of stuff.”

  “I wish him luck. He’s supposed to start helping with the play on Wednesday night.”

  Kendra picked up her sack containing her ornaments. “Well, I need to be off. I’m just so excited about having Nate here for Christmas I’m about to burst. He was never huge on celebrating Christmas, so this is the first time I’ll have been with family over the holidays in years. I’ve always hung out with friends, but there’s just something special about family, ya know?”

  She did know. Even though Christmas tended to mix in with the rest of the year growing up, some of her most special memories were sitting around the tree with Mom and Dad, and later, with Mari. She wouldn’t trade those for the world. The thought of spending Christmas without family was downright depressing. “Well, not this year. Nate will be here and it will be an amazing Christmas. And you’ll come to the Christmas Eve service, right? If Nate’s helping me…” She let the thought dangle, hoping Kendra would pick up where she left off.

  Kendra tugged on an ear of her hat. “I—I don’t know. I’ll think about it, okay?”

  Sadie couldn’t stop the smile that spread on her lips. That was the best response she’d ever gotten. In the past, it’d always been a laugh followed by an, “Um, yeah, NO.”

  “Well, I know Nate would love for you to be there, and of course, I would too.”

  Her friend smiled, the sentiment not quite reaching her eyes, and waved as she walked out the door, the bell ringing behind her.

  Sadie leaned against the counter and closed her eyes, her heart heavy. Lord, this is turning out to be a really odd Christmas season. I have no clue what you have in mind here and where all this is headed. All I know is that Kendra is the sweetest woman I know, and there is so much hurt in her eyes. I’m not naive enough to think that going to a church building will cure all of her pain, but it’d be a start, right? And this whole thing with Nate—yeah. I don’t even know how to pray for that, God. He’s handsome and all, I’ll give you that. But—

  The bell rang as the door ushered in a group of customers, their laughter filling the room.

  For the best, probably, as her prayer was headed in a direction she had not meant to take it.

  Be
st leave praying for Nate for another day.

  Ten

  Nate wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans as he stared at the little, white clapboard church, probably already bursting at the seams with the out-of-control tikes.

  You’re an idiot, Nate. They’re just kids.

  With at least one of them who liked to bite.

  Man up.

  Nate clenched his jaw. That’s right. He was a man. Lots of men were fathers and dealt with this all the time. No reason he couldn’t do the same. He would go in there, instill a little order, and teach them—

  “Nate?” The front door to the church opened, and Sadie stood there, tapping her foot, looking one part adorable with her hair in a high ponytail, another part sexy in her curve-hugging jeans, and a third part crazy with the most horrendous Christmas sweater he’d ever seen. “What are you doing standing out here in the cold? We’re waiting for you.”

  “I was just on my way in.” After sweating like a pig in twenty-degree weather for five minutes.

  She lifted her eyebrows as he walked past her into the foyer. “Come on. We’re meeting in the sanctuary today. The kids are really excited to meet you.”

  Too bad he couldn’t say the same.

  She gripped his arm and pulled him to face her. “Okay, spill it.”

  “What?”

  “You look like you’re about to face an executioner. What do you have against kids? I can’t tell if you’re the Grinch who hates kids or if you’re just plain terrified of them.”

  Beads of perspiration formed on the back of his neck again. Why hadn’t he worn a t-shirt instead of this long-sleeve button up? “I don’t hate kids.”

  “Then what is it? The truth.”

  “It’s a long story.” It had probably started at the age of, oh, one day old.

  “Give me the short, ten second version then.”

  “I’ve never been around a lot of kids.” That was putting it mildly. “But I’ve been around a lot of men who come to work and complain about them. It doesn’t leave the best impression on a guy.” He wouldn’t mention that he’d never been allowed to be a child himself. That his father had groomed him for business almost since the moment he exited his mother’s womb. Playing with toys was rare and only done the few times a year they visited his Grandma Perry’s house. His mom’s mother had an attic room full of toys that she let him have free reign of while he was there. It was a treat more tasty than any ice cream ever could have been.

  So yeah. The kids he had met, he couldn’t relate to. Imagination? He hadn’t even learned the meaning of the word until he was a teenager, and even then it was more making up stuff to get out of trouble. He’d had a pretty good knack for that.

  Sadie’s forehead dipped into a v-shape as her eyes drilled into his. She must have been okay with what she saw, because a moment later, the creases softened and a grin tugged on her lips. “Well, you’re in for a treat then. We have a great group of kids and while they aren’t always perfect, you won’t be able to help but fall in love with them. Just keep an open mind and don’t hyperventilate, okay?”

  “Not promising anything.”

  Following her into the sanctuary, Nate stopped at the back pew and took in the transformation since Sunday. Children’s voices vibrated off the walls, turning what was normally an orderly place of worship into a children’s version of a loud, noisy pool hall.

  Minus the smoke, alcohol and pool tables, of course.

  Sadie grabbed his hand, gave him a wink of encouragement, and tugged him down the aisle. “Listen up, boys and girls. We have a special guest here today.”

  Bolstered by her hand grasping his, even if she did let go the moment they stepped onto the small stage, Nate crossed his arms and surveyed the little munchkins.

  They didn’t look nearly as dangerous as he’d pictured in his head.

  In fact, most of them were smiling up at him with a look in their eyes he couldn’t quite place.

  Admiration? No, that couldn’t be it.

  Sadie clasped her hands together and addressed the group like an old pro. “This is Mr. Nate. He’s here today because he’s traveled all over the world for his job, so he knows quite a bit about how people in other countries celebrate Christmas. Isn’t that cool?”

  All the kids began talking at once, and one little boy who looked to maybe be six or seven popped up and shouted above the noise, “Hey, you ever been to Africa?”

  A few others stood and shouted various countries.

  Sadie flashed him an apologetic smile and clapped her hands in an odd rhythm. Like a magic spell had been cast in a church that definitely didn’t believe in such a thing, the kids hushed. “Thank you for listening. Now, I’ll let Mr. Nate say a few words and maybe give us a few examples of where he’s been, then we’ll get started.”

  Suddenly his mouth felt like it was stuffed full of cotton. If he wouldn’t look like an idiot, he’d stalk off the stage and out the back door immediately.

  They’re just kids, Nate. You talk to large groups of adults all the time. This is easy in comparison.

  But—for some reason, it wasn’t.

  He squinted and tried to picture the group of kids all in black business suits. Yeah, that actually helped a little. Clearing his throat, he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his khaki slacks and smiled. “Good evening. As Sadie mentioned, my name is Nate, and I travel more than my fair share. Show of hands, how many of you have ever been outside of the United States?”

  Not one hand moved except one of the adult helpers. The woman laughed as everyone looked at her, and she shrugged. “Cancun on my honeymoon and Niagara Falls for our tenth anniversary.”

  Nate smiled and nodded. “Well, what if I told you I’ve been to more than twenty-five different countries?”

  Little mouths flopped open all over the room.

  “My job takes me lots of places, so to answer your question—I’m sorry, little man, what was your name?”

  The boy who’d asked the original question piped up, his eyes glowing with excitement. “Peter, sir. Although Momma always says she regrets naming me after that apple guy because—well. Not sure why because but something ‘bout how I’m always doing crazy stuff.”

  Nate looked at Sadie for an explanation. Apple guy?

  She winked at him then addressed the boy. “The apostle Peter is a great namesake to have.”

  Ah. That made a little more sense. “Well, Peter, to answer your question, Africa is actually a continent and not a country, but I have been there, specifically to both Egypt and South Africa. I’m really excited to help you all out and can’t wait to get started on your play.” Laying it on a little thick, but surprisingly, it was more true than he would have imagined just a few short minutes ago.

  The kids didn’t seem to hate him. When he’d been younger, he’d been the quiet and boring kid who was fun to pick on. Now it seemed he was the cool world traveler they were in awe of.

  He could handle that.

  Sadie took back over and directed each kiddo into different groups. One section was kids with singing parts, another section had speaking parts, and the rest, the majority, were in the “angelic choir.”

  After the kids were in their areas, Sadie turned to him. “You’re doing great.”

  He shrugged. It was no big deal, all he’d done was say a few words, but then why did he want to throw a fist in the air like he’d just gotten a bonus for saving a Fortune 500 company? “Thanks. Where do you want me?”

  “How about with the older kids? They’re practicing their speaking parts and could use a little help.”

  “But I thought you needed help with the actual material, you know, around the world stuff.”

  Her mouth tipped into a smile, a glint of tease in her eye. “We’ll need your input, but that's more in set and costume design. Right now, kids need to memorize lines. Now, I need to scoot over to help our little angels with their songs. We have less than an hour before parents come to pick up their kiddos.”

/>   And with that, she disappeared into the sea of children.

  Nate looked from her to the group of preteens staring at him, then back to Sadie again. Something didn’t add up—

  “Hey, Mr. Nate. You coming or should we go ahead and start?”

  Stuffing his hands in his pockets again, he walked over. If you can’t beat ‘em, might as well join them.

  Eleven

  “Hey, Mom, you have plans for tonight?”

  Sadie looked up from the laptop where she’d been hoping to find a mistake in the most awful profit numbers she’d ever seen since Mom and Dad started letting her do the bookkeeping twelve years ago.

  Nate’s ten grand was certainly good timing, because the way things were looking, she wasn’t even sure she’d be able to take a salary this month.

  And December was supposed to be one of their best months.

  At least the truck had gotten fixed without costing nearly what she’d feared. She’d expected to have to spend a chunk of the money on a new vehicle, but the mechanic said it was a belt or something. She knew zip about cars, so he might as well have been talking in Latin as he rambled off everything he’d done. All she’d understood was the final cost, and a few hundred bucks was music to her ears.

  And she could still drive her dad’s truck. Yes, it almost qualified as an ancient relic. And it might fall apart around her ears at any point. But every time she slid onto that old, vinyl bench seat, it reminded her of him. Of squeezing between him and Mom on the way to church on Sundays. It even still had that baked in smell of the Old Spice he’d always used.

  “Um, hello? Earth to Mother?”

  Sadie blinked and shook the random memories from her head. “Sorry, I’m—distracted. What did you need, sweetie?”

  Mari stood over her, hands on her hips, her blond hair going to and fro as she shook her head. “I need to know your plans for the evening. It’s Tuesday, so the shop will be pretty slow, right?”

  Sitting back, Sadie tried not to laugh at this odd role reversal. What had gotten into her daughter? “Carla’s closing tonight, but I was going to stay and catch up on some of the books.” She had to have made a mistake somewhere. Things should not be this tight with Christmas a little over a week away.