Their Christmas Prayer

“Meddlesome little sisters and their fiancés are just as bad.” Shaun took a few steps toward Kent’s pickup, then turned and blew out a resigned sigh. “So, I guess we’re doing this?”

“If for no other reason than to prove Emily wrong. Should we decide on a time to talk one day soon?”

Offering a wry half smile, Shaun said, “I’m not the one keeping office hours. You name the time and place.”

“Things are a little crazy at the chamber right now while I get a handle on this new job. But maybe we could meet early one morning for coffee.”

“That works. Anyway, I’d say Diana owes you free coffee and doughnuts for life.”

Brooke snickered. “I’d have to agree.” She took out her cell phone and they traded numbers. “I’ll give you a call after I double-check my calendar at the office tomorrow.”

They said good-night, and Brooke slid behind the wheel of her metallic-red sedan. Passing the town square on her way home, she recalled her first two encounters with Shaun O’Grady. She still didn’t know what to make of the man. Although, thanks to Emily’s brief introductions of the other committee members, Brooke now knew Shaun was an ordained minister and former missionary—both of which made him much more qualified for a church outreach project. Maybe she could plead busyness and convince him to take the lead.

Besides, she’d been sorely dreading Christmas, her second since Mom died. Last year, she and Dad had been able to distract themselves with excitement over Tripp and Diana’s January wedding. This season, Brooke had planned to stay so busy at the chamber that she wouldn’t have time to think about the approaching holidays.

So much for that idea. At this rate, Christmas could be at the top of her priority list for weeks to come.

A few minutes later, she parked in the garage at home. She and her dad had rented a two-bedroom brick cottage down the block from Tripp and Diana’s house. For her dad’s sake, she couldn’t deny the advantages of living near family again, but being this close would take some getting used to. Especially if they insisted on micromanaging her personal life.

“How was the meeting?” Dad asked as she let herself in through the kitchen. He’d just poured himself a bowl of oat cereal as a bedtime snack.

Brooke tossed her purse onto a chair. “Fine, if you count getting roped into cochairing the Christmas outreach subcommittee. Tripp and Diana are so going to pay for this.”

Dad merely chuckled. “Not biting off more than you can chew, are you?”

“Probably.” After filling a cereal bowl for herself, Brooke plopped down at the table across from her father. “Hopefully my new partner in crime will carry most of the load.”

“And who might that be?”

“Guess I didn’t tell you about the guy I met at the coffee shop on Saturday. His name’s Shaun O’Grady, also new in town. He’s a minister taking a break from missionary work. That’s about the extent of what I know about him.”

“Old, young?” Dad swallowed a spoonful of cereal, then winked. “Married, single?”

Making a growling sound in her throat, Brooke glanced toward the ceiling. “Probably around my age and probably single. Happy now?”

“I’m plenty happy. The question is, are you?”

She let her father’s words hang in the air while she finished her cereal. But the question followed her even as she changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed. No doubt about it, the last couple of years had taken a toll, both emotionally and physically. Add her nonexistent romantic life into the mix and things looked even drearier. The life she’d always striven to keep perfectly under control had disintegrated beneath her. No matter how hard she tried to ignore it, the nagging sense of failure lingered.

Not even the move to Juniper Bluff had been entirely in her control. Struggling through her grief over Mom’s death, she’d had no other goal than to bolster her advertising clientele and strengthen her position at the advertising firm. Little did she realize her family had been working behind the scenes to bring her and Dad back to Texas.

Okay, yes, seeing Dad happier than he’d been since Mom had first developed kidney disease was definitely a blessing.

But being strong-armed into working with an almost-complete stranger on a project she had neither the time nor the experience for? This was a situation she needed to get under control ASAP.

After returning calls and replying to a few emails Tuesday morning, Brooke decided she couldn’t put off the inevitable. She found Shaun’s number in her phone and pressed the call button.

He answered with a breathy “Hello?”

“Hi, it’s Brooke. Is this a bad time?”

“Just caught me hauling a hay bale, one of the many delightful ranch chores I’ve been delegated.”

She chuckled. “I take it your future brother-in-law is still alive and kicking.”

“Yeah, my sister’s put a lot of effort into planning the wedding, so she’d be really miffed if I did him in.”

“Oh, the sacrifices we make for family.” No kidding. “So, about this Christmas project...”

“Right. Unless you’ve come up with a brilliant idea to get us out of it, we should probably start brainstorming.”

Brooke perused her computer calendar. “Shall we meet at the doughnut shop for coffee in the morning, say around seven—or is that too early for you?”

“I’m an early riser, or at least I’ve become one since moving in with Kent. See you then.”

Ending the call, Brooke typed in the appointment. A moment later, Inez Quick, the chamber president, tapped on Brooke’s open door. She carried an armful of file folders.

Brooke gave a mock groan. “More stuff I need to familiarize myself with?”

“No rush.” The slender fifty-something woman dropped the stack on Brooke’s desk, then tucked a strand of dark hair into her French twist. “These contain minutes and project reports from several of our committees. Speaking of which, how did your church meeting go last night?”

“Can you spell gullible? Seems the newest kids on the block are prime targets for getting volunteered.” She went on to explain about the Christmas outreach.

With a thoughtful smile, Inez perched on a chair across from Brooke. “Think of it this way. The more in tune you are with the pulse of Juniper Bluff, the more effective you’ll be at this job.”

Loath as she was to admit it, her boss had a point. At least it was easier to swallow than her family’s constant harassment about getting a life. “Problem is, I’m so new in town that I have no idea where to begin.”

Inez reached across the desk for a pen and scratchpad. After jotting some notes, she passed it back to Brooke. “Here’s a list off the top of my head of area agencies that support needy families. Contact a few of them and ask for ways your committee might help.”

Brooke perused the list. “Thanks, this is great.”

Rising, Inez turned to go. “Oh, and feel free to work on the project during office hours as your schedule permits. I meant what I said—this could help you build a few more inroads with the local business community.”

Having her boss’s approval alleviated a few of her concerns about spending time on the project. By the end of the day she’d called every organization on Inez’s list and had also contacted Pastor Terry at Shepherd of the Hills to ask about any particular needs he might be aware of. The responses she’d collected would give her and Shaun more than enough to kick off their planning session. The hard part would be narrowing down the options to what would best fit the abilities and interests of the service committee.

Armed with computer notes full of information from the agencies she’d called, Brooke arrived at Diana’s Donuts the next morning a few minutes before seven. She was surprised to find Shaun already holding a table for them.

“You really are an early bird,” she said as she set down her things.

Shaun smiled over the rim of his coffee mug. “Didn’t want to hold you up in case you were in a hurry to get to work.”

“No worries. I now officially have my boss’s go-ahead for this venture, which means we won’t have to meet at zero dark thirty next time.” She covered a yawn. “Be right back after I get some coffee.”

Diana greeted her at the counter. “Conspiring with the handsome new stranger, I see.”

“Conspiring—really?” Brooke rolled her eyes. Safer not to acknowledge the handsome new stranger remark at all—not that she hadn’t noticed. In fact, the more Shaun’s beard grew out, the more her gaze drifted to his manly chin. “We’re just working together on this church outreach thing.”

“So your dad told me when he and Tripp dropped by here yesterday.” Diana passed Brooke a mug of steaming coffee, then leaned closer, elbows resting on the counter. “I hear he’s a pastor who’s been serving on the mission field. What else have you found out about him?”