Free The Christmas Journey by Winnie Griggs Page B

Josie stirred the broth before offering him another sip. “Ma never was one to fear dying. Always said she was just passing through this world to get to the next.”
    He eyed her over the spoon, his expression like Uncle Grover’s when he was studying a new kind of bug he’d stumbled on. “So,” he said after he’d swallowed, “in addition to running the livery, you take care of a household that includes Danny, and your sister and her two kids.”
    “Three kids. Cora Beth’s youngest turned out to be twins. Then there’s Uncle Grover.” She could feel the walls closing in on her just listing them all. She loved her family, but sometimes she wished they were a bit more able to fend for themselves.
    “Uncle Grover?”
    “He’s actually Philip’s great-uncle. A good man but kind of forgetful-like. Once Philip passed on, Uncle Grover didn’t have anyone else to watch out for him, so he just sort of tagged along with Cora Beth when she moved back here.”
    “And now he’s part of the family too.”
    “Family’s important. And it’s not just made up of blood kin. It’s like with Danny. When he was just a toddler, his family was passing through town and his pa got bad sick. They stayed here at the boardinghouse ’til he could get his strength back, but he never did. His ma passed two days after his pa.”
    “And your folks took him in.”
    “He didn’t have anyone else. And he’s as much my brother today as makes no never mind.”
    She thought she saw a shift in her patient’s expression, but it was there and gone so quickly she couldn’t be sure.
    “Mind if I ask a question?”
    She rolled her eyes. “Seems like you’ve done nothing but since you woke up.”
    He ignored her gibe. “Why did you come after me?”
    She ladled up another spoonful. “I saw Clete and Otis ride out after you and something about the way they were acting just didn’t smell right. I tried to get the sheriff to handle it but he wasn’t around.”
    “So you decided to come yourself.”
    “Two against one just didn’t seem fair.” She lifted her chin. “Sorta like when you came to Danny’s rescue.”
    He gave her a lopsided grin. “Not exactly the same thing. Even the Good Samaritan didn’t go chasing after trouble.”
    “But he didn’t shirk his duty, either.”
    “Even so, it was a brave, selfless act. You could have gotten yourself killed—very nearly did.”
    She shifted, uncomfortable with the direction this had taken. “But I didn’t, thanks mostly to you.”
    He brushed her words aside. Then he crooked his head. “That first shot, just before the ambush, that wasn’t a hunter, was it?”
    “It was supposed to be a warning, but I was too late.”
    “Not too late to save me.”
    His voice had taken on that deep timbre again—the one that seemed to set an echoing vibration inside her. And he was staring at her as if trying to see deep into her mind. Whatever it was he saw there, his expression made her all fidgety feeling.
    Time to change the subject. “So, with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, I suppose you’ll be spending time at Hawk’s Creek with your own family.”
    His expression closed off. “It depends on how long Belle needs me for.”
    She nodded sympathetically. “Nice of you to be willing tosacrifice your holiday to help a friend. But maybe it’ll work out so you can do both.”
    He waved a hand, dismissing her concern. “It’s not as if they’re expecting me. My family doesn’t do much to mark the holidays.”
    She fed him another spoonful of soup while she absorbed that surprising bit of information. “I guess every household has its own set of traditions. But holidays just seem sort of a natural time for gathering close to family.”
    His expression turned thoughtful. “Actually, it wasn’t that way when I was growing up. My mother loved the holidays and started decorating the house in late November. She always gathered family and friends around on Thanksgiving and