Free Sleigh of Hope by Wendy Lindstrom Page A

of the crew could help rebuild Cavneys’ house before the holiday. They would begin today and finish the day before Christmas Eve.
    Adam thought Leo might ride with him to Cavneys’, but he climbed onto the seat beside Cyrus, who was driving one of the wagons. Before Leo’s backside hit the seat they were engrossed in conversation.
    As the wagons rolled out of the lumberyard, Adam sat beside his father feeling like he’d lost a leg.
    “You unwell, son?” his dad asked, his eyes full of concern.
    “No, sir.”
    “Something on your mind?”
    “No, sir.”
    “You sure?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “All right then.” With an exaggerated yawn he inhaled deeply and put his arm around Adam’s shoulders. “When you’re ready to talk about what isn’t bothering you, let me know.”
    Adam snorted at his father’s perceptive teasing. At fourteen he should be embarrassed by his father’s hugs, but having spent most of his life without a dad, he savored these moments.
    “Have you ever made a mistake you wish you could undo?” he asked, knowing his father wouldn’t pry or push the conversation to a place he didn’t want to go.
    “More than I care to remember.”
    “Really?” He met his father’s eyes, surprised to see that he was serious. “Like what?”
    “Like the time I decided to ride my toboggan off the barn roof. That was definitely a mistake.”
    Normally, Adam would have appreciated his dad’s humor, but today he needed a serious man-to-man talk. “I guess I meant a mistake that hurt someone else.”
    “I see.” His father clucked to the team and headed out Webster Road behind the other two wagons. “Yes, Adam. I wish I hadn’t hurt your sister when she needed me to stand by her. I wish I hadn’t questioned your integrity and accused you unfairly out of my own frustration. If I could, I would undo those mistakes.”
    It was the first time his father had mentioned their past and their journey to becoming a family. Duke had been the solid one, the man of integrity, the one they had all depended on. To think he made mistakes and had regrets was shocking.
    And oddly comforting.
    His father’s one moment of unfairness was but a single snowflake in the flurry of love and kindness he showered on them daily. Adam barely remembered that instance, and had long forgiven his dad for being unyielding while trying to hold their family together.
    “I guess everyone can mess up,” he said, realizing that making a mistake didn’t necessarily make a person bad.
    “That’s right. But we need to learn from our mistakes and not repeat them.”
    “I won’t, sir. Not ever,” Adam said, meaning it to his bones. He would never again turn his back on someone in need. If he could be a true friend to Leo every day, maybe those hours would add up and someday obliterate his one moment of selfishness. Maybe then they could rebuild their friendship – the best friendship Adam ever had.
    “Look, son.” His dad pointed to the wagon in front of them. “Your uncle Cyrus sure is enjoying that boy. I’d wager they’re talking about music and guitars.”
    Adam nodded, his throat too tight with emotion to answer. Leo would make the best of his situation – for Benny’s sake. But what did Leo want? Was he genuinely happy with Cyrus and Tansy? Or did he want Duke Grayson for a father?
    Either man would make a great dad. Both men were of a caliber Adam hoped to one day become himself. But even thinking about his high hopes and dismal failures made his head ache.
    He wished he could be alone with Rebecca beneath their willow tree and share his thoughts with her. Being with her was like coming home to a warm woodstove after a day of working in the frigid winter wind. He loved her warmth and couldn’t wait for the day he could marry her and hold her beside a slow burning fire in their own parlor.
    His father’s gentle nudge brought him back to his fourteen-year-old self and the painful reality that it would be years before he and