Little Christmas Miracles: Her Christmas Wedding Wish / Christmas Gift: A Family / Christmas on the Children's Ward

“I like popcorn!”

“Okay, we’ll escort you ladies to the movies tonight. What time does it start?”

Elizabeth told him the time and he went back to the kitchen to make sure Delores could have dinner ready on time.

When he got back in the den, he heard Molly suggest that she and Toby stay home.

“No way. Toby shouldn’t have to give up his popcorn, and you need some reward for helping Delores this afternoon.”

“She helped Delores? You didn’t have to do that, Molly,” Elizabeth protested.

“It wasn’t much. I enjoyed it.”

“We’re all going to the movies, Molly,” Richard said firmly. “No arguments.”

“You’d best go along with him when he uses that tone, dear. It means he’s determined.” Elizabeth smiled at Molly.

Richard held his breath. He thought she was tempted to challenge him, but he wanted her to go. When she nodded, he silently let out the breath he’d been holding.

When they reached the theater, it was already crowded. To get four seats together, they would have to sit down front. Elizabeth turned to Richard. “Toby and I will take one of the popcorns, and you and Molly take the other one. We’re going to take these two seats.”

Richard didn’t know if his mother was trying to matchmake or didn’t really want to sit so close to the screen. Whichever the case, the result was the same. He was going to sit with Molly and share a bucket of popcorn. He couldn’t admit to himself the reason his pulse was racing.

They settled into their seats just as the movie started. Richard put the popcorn between them, encouraging Molly to have some. Just then, a big man, weighing at least three hundred pounds, pushed past them to sit in the seat next to Richard.

Richard, uncomfortable, leaned toward Molly.

He whispered, “Sorry but I’ve got to move closer.” Then he raised his arm and put it on the back of her chair.

When Molly saw the man on the other side of Richard, she scooted over as much as she could. Richard lifted the arm of the chair between them and moved even closer.

He told himself it was the only practical thing to do, but as the movie started, he found himself distracted by Molly’s warmth and scent. When something funny happened on screen Molly laughed, and her low, sexy chuckle riveted through him.

Damn! He should’ve taken more time off the past year so he wouldn’t leave himself vulnerable to the first woman who walked into his life in two years. This was ridiculous. He wanted to draw back, to remove his arm from around her, but there was no room.

A moment later, she leaned into him. “Don’t you want some of the popcorn?”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” he said and reached into the tub for a handful of popcorn. Molly got some after him and munched on the popcorn as if totally unaware of him. And he was practically a blithering idiot because he was pressed up against her.

After a while, he relaxed, out of necessity, and began watching the movie. It was funny and not too sappy. When it was over, he stood, along with Molly, and moved out of the auditorium.

The sensation of loss amazed him. He wanted to pull Molly against him and hold her there, but he couldn’t do that. They moved out into the lobby and waited for Elizabeth and Toby.

“That was fun,” Molly said.

“Yeah, it was.” Richard took a deep breath, drawing in Molly’s scent. It was a good thing they were getting out of this place.

Elizabeth came out with a sleepy Toby.

Richard moved forward and picked up the little boy. “I think this little guy is just about asleep on his feet.”

“Yes, it’s quite late for Toby,” Molly said. “How did he do, Elizabeth?”

“He enjoyed it until we got about halfway through. I looked over and he was slumped down in his chair. I put his head on my shoulder and let him sleep.”

“Next time we’ll have to go to an earlier movie,” Molly said.

So there’d be a next time? Richard thought. But he said nothing.

As soon as they got home, he carried Toby up to his room, closely followed by Molly and Elizabeth. Elizabeth parted with the others at the top of the stairs.

Molly opened the door to Toby’s room and hurried ahead of Richard to turn down the covers. When he lay Toby down, she slipped off his shoes and then his pants. Richard slid down the zipper on his coat and managed to get it off. His shirt was knit and short-sleeved and Richard quickly got it off. Together, they’d managed to undress him in two minutes. The big T-shirt only took seconds.

“We did a pretty good job, didn’t we?” Richard whispered with a grin.

Molly smiled back but she was busy covering the little boy up and kissing his forehead.

Richard was jealous. When that thought struck him, he took a step back. What was wrong with him?

“He was exhausted,” Molly whispered. “Thank you for carrying him upstairs, Richard.”

“No problem. Are—are you going to bed now?”

“Yes, I think I will. Good night,” she said softly and stood there waiting for him to leave.

Damn it, where was the mistletoe when he needed it? “Good night. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He backed out of the room, finally breathing when he closed the door. He took the long walk down the hall to his bedroom. He obviously needed some time to think. He’d been too close to Molly tonight and it had screwed up his defenses.

He just needed some time alone to resurrect his defenses. He didn’t need a woman intruding into his life right now.

Molly had watched Richard’s entry into his bedroom. Once he was out of sight, she slid out of Toby’s room and tiptoed down the hall to the stairs. She wanted to see the Christmas tree in the darkened room, the lights shining like stars in the sky.

When she entered the garden room, she found the plug and turned on the lights. With a deep sigh, she sat down at the glass table, staring at the tree, perfect in her mind, and the lights glowing around the walls. The entire room seemed magical, as Elizabeth had predicted.

Molly sat there, soaking in that magic, the ephemeral lightness filling her soul. Maybe next year she would get a big tree, though not this big, so she could sit at night and enjoy the gleaming lights. Then she wouldn’t have to sneak down to enjoy Christmas.

A slight noise awakened her from her dreams. She whirled around to discover Richard approaching. “What—what are you doing here? You went to bed!”

“You said you were going to bed, too.”

“So you’re spying on me? Do you want me to pay for the electricity I’m using?” She regretted her words as soon as she spoke. Richard and his mom had been more than generous to her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t—”

“No, you shouldn’t have. I came down to make some coffee and saw the lights on. I thought maybe Albert had forgotten to turn them off.”

“I’ll turn them off now,” she said, jumping up from her chair.

“I have a better idea,” he said. “I’ll go make some decaf coffee for both of us and we can enjoy it in here.”

“Really, I should go to bed. There’s no need—”

Instead of answering her, he bent down and brushed her lips with his. “Watch the lights,” he said and walked out of the room.

Molly was completely flustered by that brief kiss. Why had he done that? Had he thought she’d flirted with him at the movies? She’d worked hard to make sure her voice sounded normal, even though he was pressed against her. She knew one thing. For all his complaints about lack of time, he’d found some time to work out somewhere. He was solid muscle.

She flushed from her head to her toes, glad he wasn’t in the room. Even in the darkness, he might’ve noticed her blush.

Within minutes Richard appeared in the doorway, carrying two mugs of coffee. He set one in front of Molly and he took the seat next to her, pulling it even with hers. “We did a good job, didn’t we?”

“Yes! The tree is beautiful,” she said breathlessly.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, of course. I just wanted—I enjoy seeing the tree at night. As your mother said, it’s magical.”

“I realized that when I saw you staring at it today. You were remembering trees in the past, weren’t you?”

All she could do was nod.

“When did your parents die?”

She turned to stare at him. “You believe me now?”

“Yeah, I believe you. I’m not sure why you lied to me, but I believe you.”

Abruptly she said, “I was seven.”

“And you went to a foster home?”

“Several foster homes,” she muttered.

Richard frowned. “Why did you change?”

“Well, let’s see, in the first foster home, the dad was caught forcing himself on a couple of the older girls. So we were all moved to different homes. It’s like starting all over again. The second foster home closed down because the mom won the lottery and didn’t need the money she got from the state.”

“She didn’t mind letting you go?”

Molly gave a cynical laugh. “She dumped us so fast it made our heads spin.”

“Then what happened?”

“My third foster home I stayed in until I was eighteen. By then I’d worked for three years and had saved as much as I could.”

“What kind of work?”

“I was a telephone operator, part-time.”

“How did you get into nursing?”

She shrugged a shoulder. “I got a scholarship. It didn’t pay for everything, but most of it. I paid for the rest.”

“And how—”

“No more questions about me. It’s your turn. Was your dad as awful as he seems?”

“He was difficult. I try not to say too much, because I think Mom loved him, but he was controlling, self-centered. I managed to get along with him, but he considered females to be second-class citizens. Susan wouldn’t buy that attitude. She fought him all the way.”

“Good for her,” Molly whispered.

“When my father tried to tell her who to love, that was the last straw. She moved to Florida with Kevin, Toby’s father, and never came back. My father disowned her after that.”

“I’m sorry, Richard.” Sympathy was audible in her voice. “That must have been hard on you.”

“Yeah. I called her a couple of times, but she obviously wouldn’t come home for a visit, after Dad cut her out of his life. It was stupid on his part.”

“Yes, it was.” She sat there for a minute staring at the Christmas tree. Then she said, “Life’s too short for such silliness.”

“As we both know,” he said softly. Then he stretched his arm on the back of her chair.

She thought about moving away, but the warmth of his arm felt good. They sat there in silence, looking at the tree. Molly had enjoyed the lights before he came down, but they were always better when shared.

After a few minutes, he pulled her a little closer and her head rested on his shoulder. They remained there for a long time. Somehow, in the darkness, she didn’t feel like it mattered.

Molly enjoyed his closeness, but she knew when daylight came, the magic would end.

Molly enjoyed the visit to their church the next morning. They only went to the main service in the large auditorium, where the minister gave an intelligent and entertaining sermon.

The only thing that bothered Molly was that Elizabeth again took Toby’s hand and led him into the pew first. Which left her between Toby and Richard. At least they didn’t have to separate, leaving her with Richard. And they had plenty of room in their pew.

They went out to lunch after the church service since Delores had the day off.

“We should’ve gone to Antares today,” Elizabeth said as they ate lunch at a local restaurant. “But I made the reservations for Monday.”

“That’s okay, Mom. I like the pies here.”

“Richard, I don’t know how you stay so lean, with all the desserts you eat. It’s disgusting!”

Molly thought so, too, but she wasn’t going to make any comments.

“I went to the gym every morning this past year, Mom. That’s how I can eat all those desserts. And I enjoy every one of them.”

“Maybe I should get up and go with you,” Elizabeth muttered.

“You look lovely, Elizabeth. You have nothing to worry about,” Molly assured her.

“Yes, but I pass up the desserts most of the time.”

“It’s probably better for you,” Molly said, smiling in sympathy.

“So you’re both going to pass up dessert?” Richard asked incredulously.

Molly looked at Elizabeth and at the same time they said, “No way!”

Richard grinned. “Looks like we’re all having pie, right, Toby?”

“Can I have ice cream instead?”

“Sure, buddy, if that’s what you want.”

Toby nodded enthusiastically.

Molly again realized how close Richard and Toby were becoming. By the time she left, she thought Richard would be regarding Toby as his own son.

Toby would scarcely miss her.

She chastised herself for that thought. That was what she should hope for. And she should hope that she wouldn’t miss Toby…or anyone else when she went back to Florida.

Maybe she should look for a job here in Dallas? No, no, that wouldn’t be a good idea. She needed to cut her emotional ties to Toby at once. It would be easier that way.

“Hey, they have a Christmas tree here!” Toby called out.

“Yeah, they do, but it’s not as pretty as ours, is it, Toby?” Richard asked.

“Ours is the best! Do they have one at the mall?”

“They always have at least one,” Richard said, looking at Molly.

She knew he was thinking she should’ve answered the question since she’d been to the mall. “Didn’t you go to the mall to get Toby’s new clothes?”

“No, we went to a men’s store at Highland Park Village, where we went to the movies last night.”

“We’re fortunate that we have a lot of specialty shops around here,” Elizabeth said with a smile. “Whatever we’re looking for, we can find nearby.”

“How nice,” Molly said. In her mind, she was thinking, “If you can afford it!”

Then, at Elizabeth’s horrified glance and Richard’s grin, she realized she’d spoken her thoughts aloud.

Chapter Eight

“OH,I’M so sorry. I didn’t mean to say that out loud!” Molly said, her voice filled with anguish. “You’ve both been so good to me, treating me like family, and I have no reason—”

Richard reached over and touched her hand. “It’s okay, Molly. Mom didn’t think about the fact that you might not be able to afford the shops around here.”

“I don’t have to be able to afford them. I’m not shopping for anything. I shouldn’t have been so rude.”

Elizabeth smiled at her. “Don’t worry about that, Molly. I’m very fortunate and sometimes I forget that others don’t live like I do. It’s a good reminder to me.”

“But I shouldn’t have reminded you of that, Elizabeth.”

“Let’s call it quits on that subject, dear. Toby is ready for his ice cream and I’m going to choose my pie. What kind do you want?”

“I love apple, especially if it has a scoop of ice cream on it,” Molly said, smiling.

“Hey, I didn’t volunteer to pay for ice cream for you, young lady,” Richard said, laughing at her.

“Richard!” Elizabeth exclaimed.

“Just teasing, Mom. I’ll even pay for you to have ice cream. It’s all Toby’s fault, of course. He’s the one who mentioned ice cream first.”

“But I didn’t want pie!” Toby protested.

They all burst into laughter, which confused both Toby and their waiter.

“Come along, everyone. We don’t want to be late for lunch at Antares,” Elizabeth called.

Molly looked at Toby, dressed in some of his new clothes. “You look very nice, honey, but I think I’m going to stay home today.”

“No, Molly, I don’t want to go without you.”

“You’ll be fine. Richard will be there.”

“No. I won’t go if you don’t.”

Molly swallowed. She’d gotten ready for the lunch trip to downtown Dallas, but at the last minute, she didn’t think she could go. “Toby—”

“Molly, Toby, come on. Richard is waiting.”

“Come on, Molly,” Toby said, pulling her hand as he headed toward the door of his bedroom. “We’ve got to hurry.”

Molly gave up and followed him into the hallway. They reached the head of the stairs when Elizabeth came into view.

“Oh, there you are! Richard is waiting in the car. It’s much warmer today than it was, but still, we don’t want him to get impatient.”

“No, of course not,” Molly said, trying to forget their destination.

They hurried outside and got into Richard’s SUV.

“I was beginning to think I was going by myself,” Richard said as he backed out of the driveway.

Molly, sitting in the front seat, said nothing.

Elizabeth said, “Toby wasn’t quite ready.”

“I wasn’t?” Toby asked.

“Actually, I was the slow one,” Molly said in a hurry.

Richard looked at Molly. “No problem. It won’t take us long to get there.”

“Oh, good,” she said faintly.

“You’ll just love the restaurant, Molly. It’s part of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Very stylish,” Elizabeth commented.

“I’m sure it’s lovely, Elizabeth.”

“Can we see our house from there, Uncle Richard?”

“With all the trees, probably not. But we can see the American Airlines Center where our pro basketball team plays. And we’ll see the Trinity River, and the rest of downtown. We might even be able to see Six Flags Over Texas. I can’t remember ever looking for it, but we’ll try today.”

“What is Six Flags Over Texas?”

“It’s an amusement park, Toby,” Elizabeth explained.

“Can we go there, too?” he asked.

“It’s closed during the winter. You might get to go next summer.”

“Molly, will you want to go, too?” Toby asked.

“No, probably not, Toby.”

“Why not?”

Molly pasted on a smile as she looked over her shoulder. “Because I’ll be back in Florida by then, Toby.”

“Uncle Richard, does Molly have to go back?”

“Toby!” Molly exclaimed before Richard could answer. “I have to go back. There will be other children who are hurt and need me.”

“But I need you.”

“No, you have Richard and your grandmother, Toby. Remember?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” he said sadly.

“Your grandma has planned a nice day for you, Toby. Don’t ruin it for her,” Molly said gently.

“No, I won’t. Thank you, Grandma.”

“Toby, look, there’s where we’re going,” Richard said, pointing out a large ball up in the air, sitting on concrete pillars.

“Do we have to walk up there, Uncle Richard?”

“No, there’s an elevator.” He pulled the car into the driveway of the Hyatt Regency Hotel and stopped. “We’re doing valet parking, so hop out, everyone.”

Molly got out, but she didn’t want to. She wanted to offer to drive around the block a couple hundred times until they came back down, but she knew Richard wouldn’t allow that.

He led the way down a long escalator and Molly wondered why they were going down when the restaurant was up on top. But then they reached a bank of elevators. When the doors opened, Richard led them in.

Molly faced forward, prepared to close her eyes until they reached their destination. Behind her, Toby was chatting with Elizabeth.

Suddenly he said, “Look, Molly!”

Immediately Molly turned around only to see that what she’d thought would be the back of the elevator was actually a bank of windows that looked down on the quickly disappearing ground.

Just as her knees buckled, Richard’s arms went around her and he pressed her face into his chest. “Don’t look, Molly. Just stay here with me. We’ll be there in a minute.”

“I’m sorry to be such a coward,” she whispered, on the verge of tears.

“It’s not a problem. Toby doesn’t understand. Neither does Mom.”

“Why do you?”

“I’ve had an illogical fear or two. My dad insisted I get over them. As much as I tried, I couldn’t.”

“No, it’s not something you can control.”

“I was watching you, afraid you’d get upset, so I knew at once when you turned around, you weren’t going to make it.”

“Can I go back down?”

“Not now. We have to eat first. But don’t worry, you won’t have to sit by the window. I’ll sit there, and I’ll keep you safe.”

“Thank you.” Just as she said that, she heard the elevator door open. She raised her head and looked over her shoulder just as he eased her forward and out the elevator door.

Richard gave their name to the hostess who took them to their table. Richard held Molly back and let his mother and Toby go first.

When they stepped down on the lower level of the restaurant floor, Richard kept his arm around her and he steadied her with his other hand when she realized the floor was moving.

“Easy,” he whispered. “We’ll be at the table in a minute.”

When they reached the table, Richard went in first so he had the window seat opposite Toby, and he pulled out the chair next to him for Molly.

“Richard, you should give Molly the window seat. She’ll want to see everything,” Elizabeth told him.

“Mom, Molly is afraid of heights. She’ll be all right in the chair she’s in. If she wants to see anything closer, all she has to do is tell me.”

“Oh, Molly, why didn’t you say anything?”

“I—I didn’t want to spoil everyone’s fun,” Molly said.

“Poor dear. Do you want us to leave now?”

“No, it’s all right. Richard has promised to make it easier for me when we go down, so we might as well eat before we do that.”

“You’re being very brave. Isn’t she, Toby?”

“Yes, but it’s my fault,” Toby said, tears forming in his eyes. “I told her I wouldn’t come without her.”

“Toby, it’s okay,” Molly said, reaching across the table to touch his hand.

Richard looked at the boy. “You need to be more thoughtful of others, Toby.

“Richard, don’t. He’s just a little boy!”

“Yes, but I don’t think he realized how difficult it would be for you.” He stretched his arm around her chair, as he had the night they’d watched the lights together.

“He’s just come through a terrible ordeal. He’ll be more thoughtful in the future.”

“Okay, buddy,” Richard said, reaching over and patting Toby’s arm. “I know you’re just a little boy. But part of growing up is learning to think about others.”

“Okay,” Toby whispered.

“Good, now we need to order,” Elizabeth said. “Toby, what do you think you would like?”

“A cheeseburger,” he replied without hesitation.

“You know what, Toby?” Molly asked. “I’m going to have the same.” She smiled at the little boy.

The waiter came and they placed their orders. He brought their drinks at once and Molly took a sip of her Diet Coke. It helped her feel a little better.

“Uncle Richard, did you look for the amusement park?”

“Not yet. Let’s see, there’s the Trinity River, so we’re facing south right now. When we rotate west, we can look for it.”

“How will we know?” Toby asked.

“There’ll be a sign painted on the wall that says West.”

“Okay, I’ll watch for it.”

Now that Toby’s attention was off her, Molly slumped in her chair.

“You okay?” Richard whispered, leaning closer, his breath warm on her skin.

“Yes, but you shouldn’t have blamed Toby,” Molly returned.

“I won’t have him spoiled by you and my mother. He has to learn to be responsible for his actions.”

“I agree, but it seems a little harsh so soon after he lost his parents.” She should know; she’d experienced that first-hand.

“I didn’t beat him, honey. I just pointed out what he had done. I don’t think that’s too harsh.”

“Well, I do, honey!”

“But you’re not in charge of him. My mother and I are.”

Molly’s gaze fell to the table. She refused to look at him. She knew she wasn’t in charge of Toby, but she cared for the boy. Surely Richard knew that. At the moment, she disliked Richard. And truthfully she didn’t want to leave Toby with him.

“Was that truth too harsh, too?” Richard asked, watching her response.

She nodded, trying to hold back tears. She knew she was too emotionally involved with Toby. Even with Elizabeth and Richard. Especially with Richard if she were honest. It seemed they shared a lot recently. So much for her vow to avoid him. She was used to being alone, and it was going to be difficult to forget her visit to Texas.