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A Family for Christmas
Kate Welsh
THE CHILDREN OF HIS HEARTTrenton Osborne knew that his beloved wife, Maggie, was made for raising little ones. But Trent secretly, desperately, feared failing at fatherhood. So even with Christmas coming and ten years of marriage at stake, he had to let Maggie go….But on the brink of their divorce, like a gift from God, four orphaned children entered their lives and their hearts. Watching Maggie instantly open her arms to his nieces and nephews, Trent himself couldn't turn away. But could he triumph over his terror and make his marriage whole once more? Could he finally give Maggie a family for Christmas?
Table of Contents
Cover Page (#ua3b6058d-0f17-54e0-a621-9e5508911ae1)
Excerpt (#u812226af-4b48-5854-8497-9e128e978c2a)
About the Author (#u124d510a-a9eb-5ea9-8352-b6423f84cd48)
Title Page (#u5edd0ae6-0cd9-5969-97b1-2590fc53a63a)
Epigraph (#u93d8dc97-f73e-5ef8-81e2-8605980a166a)
Acknowledgments (#u7f316b48-67d4-576e-8e25-419256e347b4)
Chapter One (#ufa082d9f-b0c6-5dff-b1ae-49ed3d3d1978)
Chapter Two (#uc58b28de-1e9f-54cc-a82f-984adfc5ff8f)
Chapter Three (#ua9a1508e-72c5-5064-84ca-2c195e9077dd)
Chapter Four (#u1d0a18d3-2754-5fc9-813c-343e3e7cfe31)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Dear Reader (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
It was decided.
He and Maggie would be guardians to his orphaned nieces and nephews.
But doubt assailed Trent once again. How would he deal with Maggie?
He’d loved his wife so deeply, and yet he’d been unable to give her what she wanted most children. And that dream had proved more important than their love.
But now she’ll have both, a voice within him whispered. And you can have her back.
Trent ached to be able to forget his anguish in Maggie’s arms. But the day she’d left with tears in her eyes, he’d sworn never again to open his heart to that kind of pain. And never to inflict it on Maggie, either.
Because Trent was afraid.
And he was right to be.
Because now he found he had no idea how to be a loving parent.…
KATE WELSH
A two-time winner of Romance Writers of America’s coveted Golden Heart Award, Kate lives in suburban Philadelphia with her husband of twenty-six years. She has two daughters whose childhood antics often wind up in her stories. Besides her writing career, Kate works part-time as a graphic artist and does administrative work for an international manufacturer.
As a child she was often the “script writer” in neighborhood games of make-believe. Kate turned back to storytelling when her husband challenged her to write down the stories in her head. With Jesus so much a part of her life, Kate found it natural to incorporate Him into her writing. Her goal is to entertain her readers with wholesome stories of the love between two people the Lord has brought together and to teach His truths while she entertains.
A Family for Christmas
Kate Welsh
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world
to condemn the world; but that the world
through him might be saved.
—John 3:16-17
Leona, I couldn’t write a Christmas book and not
think of you. Thank you for all those extra years
you kept me believing in Santa, for the camaraderie
during the Great Tree Hunts and on Christmas Eves
when we couldn’t get to sleep, and for all the years
when making Christmas special for the whole
family couldn’t have been easy but you did it
anyway. Most of all, thanks for being my big sister.
Oh, and I hope you appreciate that the painting gets
finished before Thanksgiving. Ain’t fiction great!
Chapter One (#ulink_082f1266-3af2-565b-b6fc-c8320b0126fb)
“There’s a Mr. Edward Hanson to see you, Mrs. Osborne. He says it’s urgent that he speak to you.”
Maggie stared at her secretary. What could Trent’s lawyer have to say that would be urgent? Hope flared to life in her heart. Could this be the Lord’s answer to prayer? she wondered. Had Trent rethought the idea of divorce as she’d begged him to do?
The flame of hope flickered and dimmed a bit. Were that the case, Trent would have come himself. Just last week hadn’t he said he wouldn’t change his mind? He’d even asked her not to contact him again. He’d reminded her that he was dating. He was marvelously happy with his life the way it was. The past was past, he’d said. His future lay ahead.
Without her.
And losing him was all her fault.
“Show him in, Connie.” She forced a smile, her heartache too personal to share with a co-worker.
“Oh…okay,” Connie said, clearly surprised at the break in policy.
Having cut her hours, Maggie’s appointments were carefully scheduled now. Forty to forty-five hours a week. That was all she’d ever give to a career again.
Maggie watched Connie’s wide retreating back for a few short seconds, then she closed her eyes. Please Lord. Let this be good news. Bless my marriage. Bring Trent back to me.
Maggie stood to greet Ed Hanson. His sandy hair was in its usual disarray, his jacket wrinkled as always. He was a man she’d once considered a friend, though he’d been Trent’s friend since childhood. And like most of their friends, he had chosen sides in the divorce—Trent’s side.
“Ed, good to see you. Won’t you have a seat? Can Connie get you something? A cup of coffee? Iced tea or a soft dri—” Maggie’s breath hitched in her throat when she saw the desolate expression in Ed’s pale blue eyes. Her hand came up to cover her heart. “What’s wrong? Is it Trent? Has something happened to him?”
Ed shook his head. “It’s Sarah and Michael. And the kids. They were on vacation.”
“Yes, I know. Sarah and Michael have remained friends. We attend the same church now. In fact, they—” She stopped. She was babbling. Her heart clenched with fear. “What’s happened?”
This time Ed’s eyes clouded with tears that he blinked back. Maggie instinctively sank into her chair as Ed began his explanation. “They apparently almost made it to their destination. Two more exits and they’d have been fine. But they didn’t make it. Their van was hit by an eighteen-wheeler. The police say the driver fell asleep at the wheel.”
“How badly are they hurt?” Maggie demanded, on her feet once again.
“Sit down, Maggie,” Ed said, his tone sad and frighteningly kind.
“Why?” Her voice shook. “Why must I sit down?”
“Because it isn’t good. Not good at all.” Ed took a slow deep breath. “There’s no easy way to say this. Sarah was killed instantly. Michael only lasted an hour.”
“Lord, give me strength,” Maggie prayed, and once again her fledgling faith did give her the strength she needed. She found she could breathe after all, and her heart settled back into her chest as she settled back into her chair. The children. She needed to think of the children and the loss they had suffered. “The children!”
“Calm down. The kids are all alive. Michael even managed to stay conscious long enough to give permission to the hospital to treat them, so there’s no worry there. Mickey has a spinal injury. They won’t know the full extent of it until they finish tests on him. He’s the worst off. Daniel suffered a concussion but he’s conscious and seems to be out of danger. Grace has cuts and bruises and is under observation. Rachel was in the rear of the van and wasn’t even hurt badly enough to be hospitalized. She’s with an emergency care family.”
“Thank you for letting me know in person,” Maggie said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Who did Sarah and Michael appoint guardians after Trent and I separated? She never said.”
Ed grimaced. “Actually, that’s why I’m here. They never did change that. You and Trent are still the guardians.”
“But Trent and I—”
“Will be divorced by the end of the year. But Sarah never believed it would happen. She said she was praying Trent would change his mind. I tried to convince her but—”
“Sarah is nothing if not stubborn.” Maggie felt her stomach bottom out. “Oh…was. She was.” Maggie bit back tears and pressed her fingertips tightly against her lips. If she started to cry now she might not be able to stop.
“There are going to be a lot of adjustments for you, Maggie.”
“But Trent isn’t going to change his mind. He doesn’t even want any contact with me.”
“Maggie, you left him.”
“And no one regrets that more than I do. I was wrong, but at the time I saw no other way. I guess I was trying to force him to change his mind about an adoption. But he didn’t, and I doubt he ever will.”
“It isn’t all that unusual,” Ed said, defending Trent. “He doesn’t want to raise someone else’s kids. But Michael believed that if something happened to them, Trent would feel differently about raising his own nieces and nephews. And you know as well as I do that Trent agreed to the guardianship without giving it any thought at all. The chance of something happening to both of them was one in a million. And Trent thought Michael led a charmed life, that nothing bad would ever happen to him.”
Maggie just stared at him, still stunned. She and Trent were still their guardians? It was all too much to take in. “Where is Trent, and how did he take the news?”
“He’s in Toronto on business. I called him before I came here. He sounded as if he was in shock at first. He’s utterly devastated, Maggie. You know how important Michael was to him. He’s flying to Florida as soon as he can get a flight. I don’t know when that will be.”
She thought of Sarah and Michael’s parents, of their loss. “Have Nancy and Albertine and Royce Osborne been told?”
Ed’s eyes shifted away. “No. I’ll tell them on my way to the airport. I’ve got us booked on a flight at six. That gives you about an hour-and-a-half to pack a bag and get to the airport.” Ed stood. “Meet me at Southern Air’s terminal entrance no later than five. Okay?”
Maggie’s first glimpse of Trent was at Mickey’s bedside the next morning. He was holding his eight-year-old nephew’s hand. Trent’s face was in profile, his black hair glinted with blue highlights in the sunlight from a nearby window. She stood there just feasting on his face, remembering the wonder and excitement of being held in his arms. Then Mickey’s ragged breath drew her attention.
He had tears in his eyes, and, when one fell, Trent reached up with a tissue to dry it before it ran into the boy’s blond hair. “Everything’s going to be all right, Mickey,” Trent was saying. “The doctors said not being able to feel your legs is normal right now. It doesn’t mean anything bad, yet.”
Last night when she’d arrived Mickey had been asleep, and it had seemed cruel to wake him with news of his parents’ deaths. With Trent not yet there, she had elected to wait to tell Mickey the bad news. Rachel had been another story. She’d been released to a foster family and was apparently inconsolable, having seen her mother dead at the scene and her father and brothers and sister taken off in ambulances.
Ed had remained at the hospital, and Maggie had gone to Rachel. Though the woman taking care of the six-year-old had been kind, she’d also been out of her depth trying to console a grief-stricken child. Maggie had calmed Rachel and reassured her. She’d finally lulled her into an exhausted sleep, but it had been a rough night as nightmares of the crash and its aftermath had haunted the small girl. Maggie had only gotten what little sleep she’d had by lying in the tiny twin bed with her.
