Free 1420135090 (R) by Janet Dailey

table; they looked even gloomier than they had the night before.
    “So, what’s with you two?” Shane poured coffee for himself and Henry and set the cups on the table, then pulled out a chair and sat down. “You look like you just missed the last flight to Disney World.”
    His attempt at humor fell flat. The children glanced at each other and rolled their eyes. “We can’t go out in the snow,” Hunter said. “Mom ordered winter coats and gloves and boots for us online. She had them sent here so we wouldn’t have to take them in the move. They haven’t come. Neither have our Christmas presents.”
    Kylie glanced around. Only now did Shane notice the strain that tightened her lovely mouth and etched shadows beneath her eyes. “I checked the Internet on my phone this morning. The shipper guaranteed to have the packages here before Christmas, but evidently the storm’s covered most of the Midwest. There’s a notice up that everything’s been delayed.”
    Amy’s big blue eyes, a match to her mother’s, brimmed with tears. “It’s not fair!” she stormed. “This is going to be the worst Christmas ever!”
    Kylie looked stricken. “It’s my fault. If I’d ordered everything sooner, the packages would have arrived days ago.”
    “Don’t blame yourself, dear.” Muriel patted her arm. “You were dealing with the move, doing the best you could. And you certainly didn’t cause the storm. Sooner or later, the packages will arrive, and when they do, it’ll be like having a second Christmas.”
    “That doesn’t help us much, right now,” Hunter said. “I’ve never seen so much snow. And I can’t even go outside to make a snowball.”
    “I’ve got an idea, Hunter.” Muriel put the plate of buttered toast on the table. “You’re a big boy for your age, and my father was small for a man. I put his winter clothes and boots in the attic. Maybe some of his things will fit you.”
    Hunter hesitated. His sister wrinkled her nose. “Gross! That would be creepy, wearing some dead person’s clothes!”
    “Amy, that’s enough,” Kylie said. “You know, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea, Hunter. Those old clothes might not be the latest style, but at least they’d be warm—unless you’d rather stay in the house.”
    Hunter reached for a slice of toast. “Okay. I’ll take a look after breakfast. At least maybe I’ll get to go outside.”
    Kylie set the bacon and scrambled eggs on the table. “Fine, and as long as you’re out there, you can take your turn at shoveling snow.”
    “What about me?” Amy demanded. “I want to go outside, too.”
    Kylie and Muriel exchanged glances and shook their heads. Shane guessed that nothing in the house would come close to fitting Amy’s small frame.
    “We’ll find something fun to do inside,” Kylie said. “How would you like to help me make some Christmas cookies?”
    Amy sighed, saying nothing. She and Hunter weren’t bad kids, Shane reflected as he downed his bacon and eggs. They’d had their young lives cruelly uprooted and were doing an honest job of expressing how they felt about it. It was Kylie, holding it all in and trying to make everything fine, who made him worry.
    But this was no time to get involved—especially with a curvy blond bundle of spunk whose lips tasted like springtime, and whose kiss had made him ache for more. She was wearing a ring, and he already had enough problems of his own.
    “What will you need my help with this morning, Henry?” he asked.
    “Nothing that can’t wait.” The old man poured more coffee. “You might as well go tend your own place—or at least try to get there.”
    “I figured you’d say that,” Shane said. “I don’t know if my truck can make it through the snow, but I’ve got to try. Can I borrow a shovel to use in case I get stuck?”
    “Sure,” Henry said. “But hold on, I just remembered something that might work better. Come out to the shed when you’ve had your fill and I’ll show