Not Until Christmas Morning (Hope Springs Book 5)

by Valerie M. Bodden

  She swallowed but nodded. There was no point in denying it.

  “You know I would never hurt you, right?”

  But Leah couldn’t answer. It was what Gavin had said too. And she believed he’d meant it. No one ever wanted to hurt someone. It was just what happened.

  “Look, I’m not asking you to kiss me again.”

  Leah couldn’t help but laugh at that. She glanced over her shoulder at him. He looked completely earnest and slightly vulnerable―and entirely adorable.

  “All I’m asking―” He reached for her, and she let him wrap his hand around hers. “Is if we can do something together sometime. Go somewhere.”

  “I was going to take Jackson―”

  “Without Jackson.” His voice was firm, and he spun her to face him. “Peyton said I had to be absolutely clear about this, so― I want to go as more than friends, Leah. I want to take you on a date.”

  Coming from him, the word had a pleasant undertone that made her feel warm and kind of melty inside.

  She bit her lip, and his eyes tracked to that spot.

  Did he suddenly want another kiss as much as she did?

  “Okay.” Her whisper came out sounding uncertain, and she cleared her throat and tried again. “Okay.”

  “Yeah?” The smile that spread across his face was so wide it brought out a dimple she’d never noticed before. “Are you sure?”

  She swatted at him with a laugh. “Are you trying to unconvince me now?”

  “No, absolutely not. In fact, just in case you need a little more convincing . . .” He bent his head closer, moving slowly, as if giving her time to change her mind.

  But she lifted her face to his, closing her eyes. She had no desire to move away.

  The instant his lips fell on hers, she knew.

  They’d gone way past the line of friendship.

  And she couldn’t be happier.

  Chapter 25

  Austin couldn’t believe he’d managed to wait an entire week for this day.

  Although he’d continued to have dinner with Leah and Jackson every night―and although he and Leah had exchanged more than one goodnight kiss―he’d been half waiting all week for her to cancel their date.

  He finished ironing his blue and white dress shirt, then pulled it on. As he buttoned it, his mind hooked on his physical earlier today. He’d already analyzed it from every angle three dozen times. But no matter how he looked at it, the exam felt . . . anticlimactic. And disconcerting.

  The doctor had asked a few questions, performed a regular physical exam on him, and then dismissed him. When Austin had asked whether the doctor could tell him if he qualified for reinstatement to active duty, all the bushy-eyebrowed man had said was, “You’ll get a letter in the mail in the near future.” He hadn’t been able to give Austin a date or a time frame.

  Which meant Austin was left with more waiting. More worrying about Chad, whom he still hadn’t heard from.

  He fastened the final button and shook off the thought. There was nothing he could do for Chad right now. All he could do was trust that his brother was safe.

  Chad’s words from the last time they’d spoken rang in his head yet again. I wouldn’t mind a prayer or two.

  Austin sighed and lifted his chin toward the ceiling. He’d gone to church with Leah and Jackson again on Sunday―and this time he’d managed to stay in his seat for the whole service. He even had to admit that some of the things Dan said―like about how this world was a bleak place full of man’s corruption―made sense. No one had to tell Austin that twice. He was living proof. What he wasn’t sure of yet was what Dan had said after that: That despite the evil in this world, people could know peace because Jesus promised he had overcome the world. That one day, those who believe in him would be called from this world of pain and sorrow to be with him forever in heaven.

  “If there really is a heaven,” he muttered now to his ceiling. Please keep Chad safe. It was the fullest extent of a prayer he could offer, but if God was real, it would have to be enough.

  He pulled on his jacket and stocking cap, picking up the flowers he’d bought this afternoon.

  A shot of adrenaline coursed through him as he opened the door and the night air hit him. A fresh layer of snow blanketed the grass. That would make tonight even more perfect.

  With Peyton’s help, he’d found a place so perfectly Leah, she could have created it herself.

  At her door, he considered letting himself in, as he’d started doing lately. But this wasn’t just dinner with a friend. It was a date with someone he hoped was becoming much more than that.

  He rang the doorbell, examining the lights they’d hung together as he waited. But the door remained closed.

  She wasn’t going to stand him up, was she? Her car was in the driveway, and the lights inside were on. If she was trying to pretend she wasn’t home, she was doing a pretty poor job of it.

  He was reconsidering letting himself in when the door opened.

  Austin gasped as his eyes fell on Jackson. The boy’s nose was swollen to twice its normal size, and ugly black and purple bruises extended from the bridge of his nose down the sides and under his eyes.

  “What happened?”

  “She says she’ll be ready in five minutes.” Jackson turned and shuffled into the house.

  “Seriously, dude. Did you get in another fight? I thought you were done with that.” Austin followed the boy to the kitchen and laid a hand on his shoulder.

  But Jackson shrugged him off. “What’s it to you?”

  “It’s a lot to me, actually.” Austin blocked the boy’s exit from the room, and Jackson’s eyes darted past him. “I care about you. And your mom.”

  “Whatever.” Jackson grabbed a plate stacked with a PBJ off the counter and shoved around Austin.

  Austin watched the boy march toward his room, debating whether to follow. But he decided to let it go for now. Instead, he moved to the cabinets and found a vase for the flowers, placing them in the middle of the counter. Then he went to the sink and started putting away the clean dishes. After so many meals here, this kitchen was more familiar to him than the one in his own rental house.

  His back was to the kitchen entryway, but still he knew the moment Leah was there. He set down the plates he’d been stacking and crossed the room to wrap her in his arms.

  “The flowers are beautiful. Thank you.” She sighed and leaned into him, and he pressed his lips to the top of her head.

  “I saw Jackson. I understand if you need to cancel tonight. We can stay here and watch a movie or something.”

  Leah leaned back far enough that he could see her eyes. She looked tired, but that familiar light still shone in them. “There’s nothing else I can do at this point. I’ve talked and talked and talked. And I’m not sure if I’m getting through to him at all. I think I need a little space from him right now, to be honest.”

  Austin smiled at her. “In that case, grab your coat. And a hat. And gloves. Maybe a scarf. Oh, and make sure to wear boots.”

  She gave him a startled look. “Where are we going? Sledding?”

  He grinned as he waited for her to bundle up. “Not exactly.”

  He wouldn’t ruin this surprise for anything.

  Not even for the adorable pout she was giving him right now.

  Chapter 26

  She’d tried pouting. She’d tried cajoling. She’d even tried kissing.

  But Austin wasn’t budging. The man could keep a secret.

  A ripple of anticipation winged through Leah as Austin squeezed her hand and looked over with a smile. “Almost there.”

  After the way her day had gone, this was exactly what she needed.

  Just when she’d thought she was making progress with Jackson―or, to be more specific, that she and Austin were making progress with him―he went and punched a kid again. For no apparent reason, according to Mrs. Rice. She’d have to take the principal’s word for it, since Jackson hadn’t said a thing to her since she�
��d left work early to bring him home from school.

  She didn’t understand why every step forward with him brought forty steps back.

  “Here we are.” Excitement crept into Austin’s voice as he pulled into a narrow gravel driveway. Leah worked to force out thoughts of Jackson. Tonight was about her and Austin.

  “Where is here?” She peered out the window. There was a small handmade sign near the entrance, but in the dark, it was impossible to read what it said. As far as she could tell, they were in the middle of nowhere.

  “You’ll see.” Austin’s grin lit up the inside of the truck, and she couldn’t help but return it.

  He drove toward a large barn and parked the car behind it.

  “Are we milking cows?”

  Austin’s chuckle warmed her. He jumped out of the truck and jogged around to open her door for her, holding out a hand to help her down.

  “Come on.” He tugged her toward the far side of the barn. A jingling reached her ears before they got there, followed by the soft nickering of a horse.

  “Is this― Are there―” Leah’s mouth fell open. He couldn’t possibly have known. She swiped a gloved finger under her eyes.

  “I’m sorry.” Austin’s face fell. “I should have asked if you liked― I wanted it to be a surprise, but we can leave if you don’t want―”

  She tightened her grip on his hand. “It’s not that. I love sleigh rides. When I was a little girl, my dad started taking me on one every year, just me and him. Last year was the first year I hadn’t been on one in probably twenty-five years. I really missed it, and . . .” She swiveled to take in the trees, the velvet of the night sky, and the man standing next to her. “And it’s perfect. Thank you.”

  He let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders instead, hugging her close to his warmth. “I’m glad you like it.”

  She could only nod, breathing in that warm scent that always said Austin to her.

  A sleigh pulled by two beautiful black horses―one with a white patch over its eye―stopped alongside them, and the woman driving it invited them to step up.

  Austin’s hand moved to the small of her back as he helped her into the sleigh, then followed her up and slid onto the seat next to her. He unzipped his jacket to reveal a red plaid blanket, and she laughed as he tucked it around them.

  “What other surprises do you have in store?”

  But he only smiled and held her closer as the horses set off, their bells jingling merrily.

  She relaxed in Austin’s arms as the sleigh slid into a wooded area. With the tree branches glittering above them, the snow shushing beneath them, and a few snowflakes dancing around them, it was like a scene from a painting.

  A very romantic painting.

  When Austin had asked her on a date, she’d pictured dinner at the Hidden Cafe. Not a moonlit sleigh ride. Thank goodness Austin had a more romantic imagination than she did.

  She sighed, completely content, and he leaned over and pressed a kiss onto the top of her head. “You like it?”

  She nodded, her head rocking against the firm muscles of his arm.

  Too soon, the sleigh slowed, and Austin helped her down. She tried not to show her disappointment that the ride was over already.

  But as her feet hit the ground, she realized they weren’t in the same place they’d started. “Wait. Where are we? Where’s the barn?”

  Austin steered her toward a trail lined with small lanterns. “Let’s take a hike. There’s a surprise at the end.”

  “Another surprise?” Leah let herself be led along, her gloved hand tucked into his. In spite of the cold, she’d be happy to stay out here all night.

  But after a few minutes, they came to a bend in the trail.

  Austin pulled her to a stop. “Close your eyes.”

  “What?” She spun in a circle, but there was nothing to see here aside from more trees. “Why?”

  “Trust me.”

  She nodded and closed her eyes. She did trust him.

  He wrapped a hand around her elbow, leading her forward. They walked like that for maybe fifty yards―it was hard to judge with her eyes closed―before Austin told her to open them.

  “What was that all― Oh.” She pressed her hands to her cheeks.

  She’d never seen anything like this.

  In front of them was a small village of glass-enclosed gazebos, each lit by strings of Christmas lights, each with smoke puffing out of a chimney on top, each with a single couple inside, seated at a candlelit table.

  “We’re in that one.” Austin pointed to the left, toward an empty gazebo with white fairy lights strung across the ceiling and a flame dancing in the fireplace.

  “What is this place?” Leah gazed around in wonder. It was like they’d been transported to some sort of winter wonderland. “How’d you find it?”

  “I have my sources.” He pulled her toward the gazebo and opened the door for her. A heady mix of wood smoke and savory herbs―thyme and rosemary, if she had to guess―drew her inside. The small space was warmer than she’d expected, and she pulled off her hat and gloves, running a finger through her locks to combat the hat head she was undoubtedly sporting.

  As if reading the self-consciousness in the action, Austin stepped closer and caught her hands in his. “You look beautiful.” He ducked his head and lowered his lips to hers.

  She let herself be drawn into the kiss, but he pulled away much too soon.

  “Sorry.” He took a step back. “I promised myself I wouldn’t do that until the end of the date.” His eyes danced in the firelight, and Leah couldn’t resist closing the space between them.

  “Maybe we should call this the end of the date then.”

  His eyes widened, and she offered a smile. Where had those words come from? She wasn’t the flirty type. Couldn’t remember a time in her life she’d ever flirted, actually.

  But right now, she was feeling playful, and the room made everything slightly magical, slightly unreal―or better than real.

  “I guess we could do that.” Austin’s throaty response drew her closer, and before she could overthink it, she rose onto her toes and brought her arms around his neck, drawing him in until their lips met in a long, slow kiss.

  Before Austin, she’d never known a kiss could make her feel like this. That it could make her feel precious and safe and beautiful and cared for and―

  She refused to let herself think the last word that hovered at the edge of her thoughts. It was much too soon for that.

  When they at last pulled apart, Austin ran a hand over her cheek. “Looks like you’re full of your own surprises.”

  “I guess I am.” She led the way to the table at the center of the gazebo, where candles flickered on either side of a covered platter.

  She pulled off the lid.

  “Oh my goodness. Seared scallops. My favorite. How did you know?”

  He gave her a mysterious grin. “I told you―”

  “It was Peyton.” Leah laughed. She should have known. “Peyton helped you set this up, didn’t she?”

  Austin’s expression turned sheepish, and he lifted his hands in surrender. “Sorry, I―”

  But she shook her head. “Don’t apologize. I think it’s sweet that you went out of your way to make this special.” She stepped around the table to kiss him again.

  When she pulled back, she could not stop smiling. Goodness, she liked kissing this man.

  Austin smiled too and reached for her plate to serve her a generous helping.

  Leah took it from him with a grateful sigh and sat at the cozy table as he filled his own plate.

  When he was seated, she folded her hands and bowed her head to offer a silent prayer.

  “You can pray out loud if you’d like.” Austin’s voice was low and guarded, and she looked up to find him watching her.

  “Do you want me to?” She wasn’t going to force it. If praying with her made him uncomfortable, she wouldn’t do it. Though she’d pray for a time when h
e might want to join her.

  But he nodded. “I think so.”

  She gave him a gentle smile, then took a deep breath, sending up a quick silent prayer before she began. Guide my words, Lord. “Heavenly Father, thank you for this beautiful night you have given us together. Thank you for Austin, who is a thoughtful and giving man who has sacrificed so much for people who will never know what he’s done for them.” She swallowed back the emotion at the thought. If there were a way for her to tell the whole country what Austin had given up for them, she would. But she knew that wasn’t what he was looking for. “Thank you for everything he has done for me and for Jackson. We ask, Lord, that you would touch Jackson’s heart and help him to know not only how much we care about him, but how much you do. How you love him more than anyone on this earth ever could. Thank you that you love us so much that you sent your son to die for our sins. Even after Jackson has only been with me for such a short time, I can’t imagine giving him up to save someone else. And yet you did that, Lord. You gave up your perfect son to save us, though we were anything but deserving. Help the knowledge of that guide everything we think, say, and do every day. Amen.”

  She kept her eyes closed for a moment after ending the prayer. She was afraid to lift her gaze to Austin’s. Had she gone on too long? Had she scared him off?

  But when she made herself meet his eyes, the look he was giving her wasn’t one of anger or fear.

  If she wasn’t mistaken, it was one of hope.

  Chapter 27

  The truck’s heater purred, pouring warmth from the vents and thawing their toes and fingers. Despite the frigid temperatures, the sleigh ride back to the truck had been much too short for Austin’s liking.

  If he could have, he would have stayed in that gazebo with Leah all night. After they’d finished eating, they’d sat and talked for an hour, and he’d even convinced her to dance with him. In spite of his bad leg, he hadn’t moved too badly, if he did say so himself.

  The gazebo had felt like a separate world. Like none of the cares and concerns that weighed on them out here existed in there. Leah had been carefree and happy and even―dare he say it?―slightly flirtatious. And he hadn’t thought once about his physical or Afghanistan or Chad.