The Secret Christmas Child

He looked skeptical as they meandered through the shop.

“The alternative is having them sneer through a kid-like program they hate.” She was thinking of Jacob now.

“You have a good point,” he admitted. “At the same time, this is really important to me. The show is like a test. Do we really want to leave it in the hands of a small group of troubled boys?”

She bit her lip. “It’s scary. But if we explain how high the stakes are...”

“Let me think about it,” he said as they reached the door again and headed out of the shop. “That’s going to take an awful lot of trust.”

“In the boys?”

“In God,” he said.

She tilted her head, looking at him. That wasn’t something the younger Reese would have said.

“How about we ask Jacob his opinion? That’ll give us a test run of what the boys might think of, and also draw him into the program.” He met her eyes, his own crinkling in the now bright sunlight.

She drew in a sharp breath. Reese was so handsome. Tall, muscular and athletic, with those rare blue eyes that stood out against his dark complexion and hair.

Add a sincere faith and compassion into the mix, and he was almost irresistible.

Except she had to resist him. Because he was inevitably going to find out about Izzy, and she knew intuitively how much that would upset him. They’d both valued saving intimacy for marriage.

That choice had been taken away from Gabby.

Reese could never, ever find out about the circumstances of Izzy’s conception. That would devastate him and his whole family. And even though she knew better intellectually, it would cause her shame.

So she needed to flip the switch on this attraction to Reese. Unfortunately, she had the feeling it wasn’t going to be easy to do.

That night, Reese looked down at the big, drooling dog beside him and took a deep breath. “I don’t know if this’ll work, Biff. You’ll have to be on good behavior.”

The dog ignored him, lifting his leg in the light of the streetlamp in front of Nana’s house.

So much for making a good impression. He urged the dog up the porch steps, brushed a hand over his hair and reached down to adjust Biff’s floppy ear before ringing Nana’s doorbell.

Jacob opened the door, which Reese figured was a good sign. At least the teen wasn’t sulking in his room.

In fact, when he looked past Jacob, he saw a puzzle on a card table in the middle of the living room. Gabby and Nana were sitting at the table, and a soda by a third chair suggested that Jacob had been working on the puzzle, too. A Christmas movie was on the old-fashioned TV in the corner. Evergreen garlands looped up the stair railing, and a small, lopsided tree stood in the corner, half-decorated.

The house was shabby, but Reese had always appreciated how homey it was.

“I was hoping I could come in and talk to you for a few minutes,” he said to Jacob. “Problem is, I have someone with me. Would your grandmother mind if I brought in a dog?”

Jacob looked down, and his eyes widened. “Come on in,” he said, and pulled the door wide open.

“Sit,” Reese commanded, keeping the dog in the entryway.

Biff cocked his enormous head as if he was trying to understand.

Reese gave up and looked past Jacob to Nana. “Biff is big, but gentle,” he said. “I was hoping to talk to Jacob for a few minutes about him, but I know not everyone likes dogs in the house. Should I take him back outside?”

“Come in, come in,” she said in her raspy voice. “We’d love to have a visit. Gabby, could you take his coat and get him something to drink?”

“Um, sure.” There was a pause, and then Gabby stood. She seemed to swallow before walking across the room and then holding out a hand for his coat. Her smile looked forced, and it seemed as if she was dragging her feet with every step. She didn’t even seem to notice the dog.

Reese must have misread her signals this afternoon. He had gotten the feeling that maybe Gabby still had some of the old feelings. But now she looked like she’d rather see anyone else than him.

Focus on the boy and dog, he counseled himself.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Her words were wooden.

“No. I won’t be staying long.” Since you’re obviously not happy to see me. “I just wanted to get a little input from Jacob before we talk to the rest of the boys about the show tomorrow. And introduce him to Biff.”

Jacob was standing a few feet away from the dog, staring at him. “Why do you want to introduce me to this dog?”

“Because I’m hoping you’ll take him on as your project,” he said, “if you decide to do our program. He’s a little much for the other boys to handle, but since you’re bigger and older than most of them, I think you’d be good at it. Up to you, though.”

Gabby gave him a quick glance, looking much more friendly. Thank you, she mouthed to him.

Warmth suffused his chest. He was glad he’d come.

“I don’t know much about dogs,” Jacob said, “but I’d like to learn.”

Now Gabby and Nana stared at each other, eyebrows raised in identical expressions. Reese was guessing that Jacob’s attitude hadn’t been consistently upbeat and eager to learn thus far.

“Terrific.” Reese kept his voice casual. You didn’t want to show too much enthusiasm around teenagers or they’d balk. “Maybe you could get to know him a little. And would you mind talking to Gabby and me about this show we’re being asked to put on?”

“Sure.”

They walked into the front room, and Gabby turned down the sound on the television. Quickly, Reese explained about the show and how important it was. “So we were thinking the boys could plan the show, but I’m wondering whether they’ll be up to it. Wanted to get a teenager’s perspective.”

“We watch videos all the time,” Jacob said with a shrug. “Probably could make a show like some of those.”

“Those music videos are full of bad language,” Nana said. “Why, I’ve learned words I never heard in my life, volunteering down at the mission for families.”

“The show’s going to be in a church. There can’t be any bad language.” Gabby looked at Jacob. “Do you think the boys will be able to do that?”

“How would I know?” Jacob stuffed his hands into his pockets, still staring at the dog. “I don’t even know these kids.”

Reese accepted Jacob’s mood shift with equanimity. He’d learned a ton about kids in a few short months, and that went with the territory. “What would make a project like that fun for you?”

“Being able to do whatever we wanted,” Jacob said. “And music.”

“Like Christmas carols?” Gabby asked.

“No way!” Jacob said. “But...”

“Yeah?” Reese dangled a treat in front of Biff’s nose, trying to get him to lie down. It didn’t work.