Free Holiday Homecoming by Jean C. Gordon

wouldn’t have to get married or anything,” Aimee protested.
    â€œMarried! Where did that come from?” Andie asked.
    â€œApparently from a Regency romance one of their friends lent them,” Natalie explained.
    â€œIt was a Christian romance,” Amelia said.
    Natalie bit her lip to stop herself from smiling.
    â€œEveryone says Pastor Connor should get married,” Amelia said. “Even you, Mom. We heard you tell Dad so, and that Pastor Connor and Aunt Natalie used to go out. You said Aunt Natalie seemed to be getting her act together and maybe she’d know a good thing when she saw it now.”
    Andie winced and all the humor Natalie had felt disappeared. She’d always known Connor was a good thing. That was all the more reason she didn’t need her nieces, sister or anyone else pushing her and Connor together. He deserved better.
    Andie raised her hands, fingers spread. “Enough. Go to your room.”
    The twins stomped out.
    â€œSorry about that,” Andie said. “I’ve been a mother long enough to know I should watch what I say when little ears may be listening.”
    That was it? No apology for what she’d said, only regrets that the twins had heard it?
    â€œI don’t know what gets into those two. I can’t understand them,” Andie said.
    â€œDon’t be too hard on yourself,” Natalie said. “The preteen years aren’t easy ages for girls or their mothers.”
    â€œNo.” Andie shook her head. “They’re like you. They do whatever pops in their heads without thinking about how their actions might affect others. I couldn’t understand how you could do half the things you’ve done to Mom, nor do I understand the twins’ actions. I’m working on them to be sure the worst doesn’t happen.”
    But she was a lost cause? Natalie swallowed. “That’s what you think of me?”
    â€œHonestly? I don’t mean to hurt you, but kind of. You dumped Connor and rushed off to Chicago to take that job. And how long did you stay there before you were off to a different job and then another?”
    â€œIt’s called building a career,” Natalie countered. Or in her case, trying to hang on to one.
    â€œAnd is being too busy to come home and see Mom and Dad part of building a career, too?”
    Natalie pushed away from the table. “No, that was finances. Living in the Chicago area was—is—expensive.”
    The way Andie’s eyes narrowed when she corrected
was
to
is
made Natalie’s throat constrict. Andie didn’t need to know she’d lost her job. She stood. “I’m going to go now. I can’t do this.”
    â€œNeither can I. I don’t have time for your drama.”
    â€œFine, I’ll stay—” The weary look in her sister’s eyes stopped Natalie from finishing with “out of your way.” “I’ll stay with Robbie on Thursday. I’m sure Mom will be okay with it.”
    â€œOnly if you want to,” Andie said, “and for the record, you’re probably still too selfish to appreciate a good man like Connor.”
    Pain banded her chest. Andie had to get the last word. No, she wasn’t too selfish to appreciate it. She could appreciate it all too well. Nor was she foolish enough to pursue the attraction to him she still felt, no matter how much her memories were pushing her to.

Chapter Five
    C onnor paced the front of the conference center auditorium, silently practicing his words as he often did with his sermons.
    He’d texted Natalie and asked her to meet with him forty-five minutes before the pageant choir practice to work out a way to choose the soloists for “O Holy Night.” Before her surgery, Natalie’s mother, Terry, had found an arrangement that had male and female solo parts. Today, Terry had emailed him the names of potential soloists she and the choir directors of the other