Silent Night, Star-Lit Night (Second Chance at Star Inn)(15)

Mia didn’t know, but she could ask that question later. Right now, playing a game to relax the concern in their eyes was the most pressing thing of all.

*

The sight of a very pregnant Mia playing checkers with two cute kids made Jed forget his frozen nose and ice-burnt toes.

A kid-friendly Nativity sat atop a thick wooden table in the background. The foreground image of Mia, surrounded by kids and so close to delivery, inspired his protective instincts to jump straight to “high.”

She’d cried in the car because he was nice to her. She’d blamed it on hormones.

Was that the whole story, though? Suspicion niggled him as he tugged off his thick gloves.

What if Daniel hadn’t been a good husband to her? What if he never truly reformed from the jerk he’d become in high school?

Jed tried to push the thought aside, but it refused to remain in abeyance.

How could he think ill of the dead?

His mother would be ashamed of him.

But as Mia laughed at something the little girl said, then laid her cheek against the preschooler’s soft brown curls, sadness weighted her features.

Childhood stuff, lingering?

It could be. Her father had intentionally made trouble regularly. He strove to keep Mia away from Auntie P., Pauline’s husband Si, and Grandpa Joe whenever he felt slighted. And Ray Folsom was a needy soul who felt slighted fairly often.

Jed undid his boots and started forward.

Both kids looked up, expectant. When they saw him, disappointment darkened their faces.

Mia had the opposite reaction.

Her smile went wide. Her eyes met his, and she twinkled up at him in a way that made the storm seem insignificant. “I have found my disaster relief niche.”

“I see that.” He sat a little distance away so the kids wouldn’t be spooked, and smiled at them in turn. “I’m Jed. I’m with her.” He pointed to Mia and was glad when she smiled again. “Who are you guys?”

Mia didn’t wait for them to answer. She pointed across the board. “My opponent and the most recent champion of the Emergency Center Christmas Checkers Tournament is Brad!”

The boy beamed, as if suddenly king of the world.

“And riding shotgun on my knee with baby is the First Assistant to the Challenger; may I present . . .” She paused to drive anticipation up. “Miss Ivy!”

“Ivy, you’re a real, true helper!” Brad reached over and bumped knuckles with his little sister. “You’re doing great!”

“I don’t know if you guys are ready for a break in the game action,” Jed advised, “but I did see Miss Angel heading this way with a box.”

“A cookie box?” Brad jumped up, excited.

“A pwesent, maybe?” Ivy’s cheeks rounded with a smile at the thought of a present. “Wif wibbons?”

“I didn’t see ribbons,” Jed told her, “but I did smell cookies baking at the inn, earlier. So my guess is—”

Brad did a victory jump, triumphant. “Cookies! Yes!”

“Miss Mia?” Ivy reached two little hands around to Mia’s pretty cheeks and implored, “’Member I don’t weally wike spearmints, okay?”

Mia winked at Jed, then nodded more soberly to the little girl. “Cross my heart, Ivy. Shall we go see what Miss Angel brought?”

“Yes!” Brad hurried to the door, then turned toward the gathering room.

Ivy looked around, uncertain. She tugged Mia’s hand. “Can you carry me, pwease? Pwetty pwease?”

Jed bent low. “Miss Mia can’t because she’s going to have a baby really soon, but I can carry you to the cookies, Miss Ivy. If that’s all right with you?”

She studied him with far more intent than a small child should have, then reached out her arms.

He gathered her in, lifted her, and watched Mia’s reaction.

She was studying him, just like he’d studied her. Did her mind jump to similar what-ifs?

Was he absolutely crazy to be thinking like this, because they’d only been together for two days? And yet they’d known each other for a long time.

A future had to begin somewhere, right? Why not here? Why not now?

Mia reached out a hand to the little girl’s cheek. “You’ve gotten yourself a mighty handsome escort there, little lady. Let’s see if this handsome cowboy can find us some cookies. Sound good?”

Ivy giggled near his ear, a happy sound

He should be worried about getting home. The ranch would be fine without him as long as they didn’t get blasted with blizzard snow. The cows were six weeks pre-calving, but the store would be shorthanded, making Uncle Pete’s reaction more foreboding for the staff. Jed had to grab hold of the reins and fix that, but short of forcing the aging man’s retirement, what choice did he have?

Ivy gasped in delight when she saw not one, but two festive boxes of frosted sugar cookies. Two hands flew to her little mouth, and Jed Taylor was pretty sure that the phrase “stars in her eyes” came to life before him as Ivy turned his way. “Those are not spearmints! Those are my most favowite ones of all!”

Holding Ivy and hearing her joyful laugh felt like the true meaning of the season, a spirit of faith, hope, and love.

He’d handle Uncle Pete once he got home, and when a text came in from Uncle Pete about a minute later he ignored it.