The Santa Express

by Leeanna Morgan

  Shelley was shocked. “Are you sure?”

  “Just say thank you,” John whispered from beside her.

  “You knew?”

  John nodded. “I had a call from the chairperson of the association the other day, but I wanted it to be a surprise. With the savings we’ll make on the tree, we should be able to build an entire tiny home from the money we raise tonight.”

  “That’s wonderful.” Shelley turned and hugged Ben. “Thank you for making this happen. Another family will be happy that they can live in the tiny home village.”

  “That’s okay. I know the difference every dollar makes when you’re fundraising. If you don’t need me for anything else, I’ll head home. I still have a lot of orders coming through for Christmas trees.”

  John held out his arms. “Thanks for everything you’ve done.”

  Ben hugged his friend. “You’ve helped me more than you’ll ever know. It was nice to be able to return the favor.”

  After Ben had gone, Shelley wiped her eyes. “I’ve cried more since I moved to Sapphire Bay than I have in years.”

  John wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “There must be something in the air.”

  “No,” Shelley said softly. “It’s something in everyone’s heart. The people who live in Sapphire Bay care about each other—and that’s more than a lot of communities can say.”

  Patrick walked toward them. “The ladders are going into place around the tree. Are you ready to tell us where you want the decorations?”

  Shelley held the clipboard close to her chest. Today was special in more ways than one. “I’m ready. Let’s create a little Christmas magic in Mr. Coleman’s barn.”

  There were two things that had given John sleepless nights all week. The first one was Shelley. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. She was everything he’d ever dreamed about, and that scared him more than knowing she could leave Sapphire Bay and never come back.

  The second and, just as unpredictable, was the weather. All week, a storm was forecasted to hit Flathead Lake on Saturday morning. Although the timing was slightly off, the storm had thundered across the bay last night, taking down trees and rattling the shingles on his roof.

  He’d stumbled out of bed early this morning and called Shelley. One of them needed to go to the Colemans’ ranch to make sure everything was all right. And he was that person.

  So, here he was, knee-deep in snow and hoping the weather didn’t change again.

  “We were lucky,” Jebediah Coleman said from beside him. “The trees protected us from the worst of the wind. But I’m not sure about the fence you built yesterday. It doesn’t look all that safe to me.”

  John had to agree. Snowdrifts had shouldered their way across the ground, leaving mounds of fresh snow against the heavy plastic fencing. Moving the fence would be impossible, so he had no alternative but to shovel the snow away from the barricade.

  He turned to Jebediah. “I’ll get my shovel out of the truck. You don’t feel like giving me a hand, do you?” Under normal circumstances, John wouldn’t dream of asking Jebediah for help. On the few occasions when he’d called him, his response was less than enthusiastic.

  “I can do better than that,” Jebediah said. “I’ll load the snowplow onto one of the tractors and scrape the ground in front of the fences. If I don’t, we’ll be here until next Sunday trying to dig everything out.”

  John took a moment to decide if he’d heard Jebediah correctly. “That’s generous of you.”

  “I’m turning over a new leaf,” Jebediah muttered. “But don’t expect miracles.”

  As Jebediah walked toward another large outbuilding, John’s cell phone rang. At least the cell phone coverage was still working. “Hi, Gordon. How can I help you?”

  “I’m not feeling all that great. I’ve got a temperature and my throat feels like it’s on fire.”

  Under normal circumstances, John would offer to take Mr. Jessop some Tylenol and drop off a container of Mabel’s honey, ginger, and lemon syrup. But today was anything but normal, and he was twenty minutes from town.

  “I won’t be able to be Santa,” Gordon said regretfully.

  John ran his hand around the back of his neck. Snowdrifts he could handle. A missing Santa couldn’t happen. “That’s okay. I’ll find someone else to help. Do you still have the costume?”

  “I do. And there’s one other thing. Mabel’s picking up Charlie and Andy and looking after them while they’re at tonight’s event. But could you keep an eye on them, too?”

  “I’ll make sure they’re okay.”

  “Thank you.”

  John tried to work out how long he’d be on the ranch. “I’m at the Colemans’ ranch at the moment. Can I pick up the Santa costume after lunch?”

  “That’s fine. I really am sorry that I can’t be Santa.”

  “Don’t worry about it. All you need to do is get well. I’ll give you a call when I arrive in town. If you need anything from the grocery store, I’ll pick it up for you.”

  “Thanks. I’ll see you later.”

  And just like that, John had a major problem on his hands. You couldn’t have The Santa Express or a Santa cave without the merry man in red.

  As the sound of Jebediah’s tractor rumbled across the ranch, John knew he had to think fast. Otherwise, he’d be the one wearing Santa’s red suit.

  Chapter 10

  When the last child boarded The Santa Express, Shelley breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone was excited, including the Christmas elves who were walking through each carriage with baskets of candy.

  She glanced at her watch, then at the clipboard in her hand. So far, they were on time—which in itself was a miracle.

  While she had a spare moment, Shelley texted John to tell him The Santa Express had left the station. His instant response calmed her nerves. It was important to her that tonight went well. It was the last fundraising event of the year and everyone was looking forward to it.

  Forcing a smile, she picked up her activity basket and opened the door to the back carriage. Her shoulders relaxed as a wave of excited chatter and Christmas music rushed toward her. With the fairy lights twinkling from the garlands, and red bows hanging from the back of each seat, it was a wonderful way to start a magical night—and it would only get better.

  As the steam train rolled to a stop, John rubbed his hands together to keep them warm, relieved that the storm that had threatened tonight’s event hadn’t returned.

  His gaze skimmed across the elves waiting in strategic points between the train and the barn. Everyone had been issued with a flashlight and whistle. If any passenger walked outside the marked path to the barn, an elf would blow their whistle, alerting everyone to the problem.

  No one was taking any of the passengers’ safety for granted, especially with so many children here tonight.

  The number one goal of the security elves was to get everyone off the train and into the warm barn as quickly as possible—even if it meant hurrying people along. And looking at the number of photos that were being taken, everyone needed some sort of encouragement to get them out of the cold.

  Holding his walkie-talkie to his mouth, he was about to tell the elves closest to the train to move everyone along when he heard the sound of bells.

  Everyone stopped and looked around the ranch.

  The trees surrounding three sides of the barn formed a natural amphitheater. Any noise ricocheted off the snow, bounced off the old wooden walls, and sent echoing notes of sound around the property. With the bells ringing in the still night air, Santa made an unexpected appearance on the back of a snowmobile.

  John had no idea which elf was driving, but they were doing well. Dodging temporary fencing, directional signs, and the mounds of snow they’d pushed away from the barn wasn’t easy when you were the center of attention.

  When Santa climbed off the snowmobile, the children rushed toward him, eager to say hello to the merry man in red. Santa, thank good
ness, wasted no time in gathering the children close and walking toward the barn. In half the time that John thought it would take, everyone was stomping the snow off their shoes and heading into the barn.

  He glanced back at the train and smiled.

  Shelley was walking toward him. “We made it!”

  “You certainly did. There are a lot of people here.” Another six elves hurried past them wearing long red coats. “You dressed for the weather.”

  Shelley pulled her coat close. “It was Mabel’s suggestion. We hired them from a theatrical company in Kalispell.”

  Another elf jogged up to Shelley. “Hi, Pastor John. I’ve checked the carriages, Shelley, and everyone’s gone from the train.”

  “Thanks, Benji. I’ll meet you inside.” Shelley took her cell phone out of her pocket and let the driver know he could leave. Within minutes, a plume of dense black smoke erupted from the funnel and the train’s wheels chugged into motion.

  In thirty minutes, the train would arrive at the turntable in Bigfork. After turning the engine around, it would make the return journey to the barn then, later tonight, take everyone back to Sapphire Bay.

  “That must be our cue to follow everyone else,” John said as he wrapped his arm around Shelley’s waist. “You look cute in your elf hat.”

  Shelley laughed. “It must be my red nose. I didn’t realize how cold it would be out here. I should have…oh, my goodness. Look at the stars.”

  John lifted his chin to the sky. For the last week, the stars were hidden behind layers of cloud. But tonight, the cloud had disappeared and a kaleidoscope of stars shone down on them. “It’s amazing, isn’t it? If you stand high in the mountains on a night like this, you feel as though you could reach out and touch the stars.”

  Shelley stretched her arm above her head. “I feel as though I could do that now.” She sighed as she dropped her hand. “I can see why people live here. When I was in Boston, I was lucky to see any stars.”

  John’s heart felt heavy as he remembered other nights, long ago, when the stars were his only connection to the world. “When I was in Afghanistan, the sky was so black that the stars looked like spotlights shining down on us. While I was there, Dad sent me a telescope. I used to spend hours looking at the sky, wondering if he was doing the same thing.”

  “It sounds as though you were lonely.”

  He blinked away his tears. “Only at night.”

  Shelley pulled his elf hat over his ears and hugged him close. “You don’t have to be lonely anymore. You have family and friends who love you. I love you.”

  John pushed the bleak memories aside and kissed the end of Shelley’s cold nose. “And I love you. But if we don’t go inside soon, we’ll never make it home without frostbite.”

  Hand-in-hand, they hurried toward the barn. As Shelley stomped her boots on the doormat, she smiled. “Whoever suggested that Santa ride a snowmobile out to the train was a genius.”

  “It must have been Santa’s idea. I didn’t even know there was a snowmobile on the property.”

  Shelley frowned. “Mr. Jessop must have asked a friend if he could borrow theirs. He definitely doesn’t have one in town.”

  John cleared his throat. He hadn’t told Shelley that Gordon Jessop was sitting in bed with the flu. “There’s something I should probably tell you…”

  An hour later, John’s gaze drifted across the children sitting on the floor in front of Santa. Andy and Charlie were leaning against each other, watching what was going on around them. Charlie was wearing his mom’s hat and Andy had her scarf wrapped around his neck.

  Shelley must have seen where he was looking. “Do you think they’ll ever feel comfortable in groups of people?”

  “I don’t know,” John said softly. “They’ve been through a lot.”

  “Are they enjoying living with Mr. Jessop?”

  John knew it was better than the alternative. “They like Gordon, but they’d prefer to live with their mom.”

  “I don’t blame them. Andrea has been the only constant thing in their lives for a long time.”

  From what Andrea had said, Charlie and Andy hadn’t lived a normal life since the day they were born. Learning to adapt to a life without violence would be difficult, but not impossible.

  “Look at Mr. Coleman,” Shelley whispered. “I didn’t think he liked children?”

  “Neither did I until he told me about his grandchildren. He isn’t as grumpy as he lets everyone believe.” When John told Jebediah they didn’t have a Santa Claus for tonight, he’d offered to help them. John hadn’t been sure it was a good idea, but Jebediah had told him about his grandchildren and how they enjoyed listening to his stories.

  With one of the elves making sure he knew what to do throughout the night, no one would have guessed that Jebediah was a last-minute addition.

  John smiled when Santa ended the first story with a rousing ho-ho-ho. “The snowmobile that Jebediah arrived on is his. He wanted to make an entrance.”

  Shelley chuckled. “He definitely did that.”

  As Santa’s second story started, John’s cell phone beeped. He checked the message and smiled. “I need to meet someone at the front of the barn. I’ll be back soon.”

  Shelley nodded. “If I’m not here, I’ll be in the kitchen helping Mabel.”

  As quietly as he could, John moved across the barn. The adults who’d come on the train were sitting in a semi-circle behind their children. He didn’t know whether it was Santa or the incredible tree that was holding their attention.

  When they’d turned on the lights even John was amazed at how spectacular the tree looked. It filled the room with Christmas spirit and made the cavernous space feel like home. Or, in this case, Santa’s Secret Cave.

  By the time he made it to the main doors, Zac was helping a woman take off her jacket.

  When Zac saw him, he smiled. “Sorry we’re late. It took a lot longer to drive back to Sapphire Bay than I thought it would.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’m glad you made it.”

  Andrea held out her hand. “Hi, Pastor John. Thank you for making this possible.”

  “You’re welcome, but I only asked if your doctor would consider it. You’re the one who made it a reality.” Andrea had been working really hard with her counselors and doctor. They were happy for her to spend the next two nights in Sapphire Bay before heading back to Polson. If this weekend went well, she’d be home for Christmas and then continue her treatment as an outpatient.

  “Do the boys know I’m here?”

  John shook his head. “They’re listening to a story at the moment. When Santa’s finished, I’ll bring them across to see you.”

  Andrea nodded and waited nervously beside Zac.

  “It won’t be too much longer.” John walked back to where he was standing before Zac and Andrea arrived.

  “Is that who I think it is?” Shelley asked.

  “It is. Andrea’s staying in Sapphire Bay for the weekend. The boys don’t know she’s here.”

  “They’ll be so excited.”

  John knew they would be, but he was more concerned about what would happen on Monday morning when their mom left.

  Shelley looked down at her phone. “It’s my time to leave. The food’s ready to be placed on the tables. Good luck with Andrea and the boys.”

  John took a deep breath. He didn’t want Charlie and Andy to feel overwhelmed when they saw their mom. He just hoped they were doing the right thing.

  A few minutes later, Santa closed the last storybook and invited everyone to join him at the activity tables.

  As more Christmas carols filled the barn, John made his way toward Andy and Charlie. “Did you enjoy the stories?” he asked.

  Charlie nodded. “The cat in the book reminded me of Mr. Whiskers.” He leaned closer to John. “Is that the real Santa Claus?”

  He wasn’t sure how to answer Charlie’s question without breaking his heart. So he thought of the next best thing and hoped it worked. �
�Santa can’t be everywhere in the world at once. Tonight, we have one of his special helpers.”

  Charlie sent his brother a knowing glance. “That’s why he doesn’t look like the Santa we saw last year.”

  Andy nodded and held his brother’s hand. “Do you want to make some Christmas crafts with us, Pastor John?”

  Charlie looked at the tables filled with colorful decorations, bottles of glue, and paint. “We could make mom a present.”

  “Before you do that,” John said quickly. “There’s someone who’d like to say hello to you.”

  Andy frowned. “Is it Mr. Jessop? Is he feeling better?”

  John sent them a reassuring smile. “It’s not Mr. Jessop, but it’s a good surprise. Come with me.”

  The boys followed him across the barn. Andrea was sitting on a chair beside Zac, looking nervously around the barn. When she saw Charlie and Andy, her eyes filled with tears.

  John didn’t get the chance to see the boys’ reaction. As soon as they saw their mom, they raced across the barn and launched themselves into her arms.

  A lump formed in John’s throat. It didn’t matter how old you were, being separated from your mom was hard.

  Even though he adored his foster parents, he would have given anything to have his birth mother hug him as tightly as Andrea was hugging her boys. He wouldn’t even have minded if she was drunk, just knowing she cared about him would have made a difference.

  Zac wrapped his arm around John’s shoulders. “It makes you believe in the power of love.”

  “And forgiveness.” John took a steadying breath. “Thanks for picking up Andrea.”