Free A Texas Legacy Christmas by DiAnn Mills

but she hadn’t considered the possibility of Zack ever being part of her life again.
    A moment later, she heard him mount the stairs and met him at the door. “Charlie hasn’t moved.” She reached out her arms. “I’ll take him. Go ahead and return the wagon.”
    “Thanks.” Zack disappeared, but she waited to hear the bell above the door before turning her attention to Curly.
    What a sweet face. Both of them. She sat on the side of the bed and watched their peaceful slumber. She hoped Zack understood these treasures. Once, a long time ago, when she was thirteen, she’d wakened and discovered Pa standing over her. At first she was afraid, but he touched her cheek and told her to go on back to sleep. It was the only time after her mother’s death that he ever showed any affection. Chloe treasured that memory.
    Within the half hour, Zack returned. “Thank you again,” he said between breaths.
    “You didn’t have to rush. I enjoyed watching the twins sleep.”
    “I didn’t want to take advantage of your kindness. And I didn’t want them to wake up and wonder what happened to me.”
    He was a loving father. “Do you want to tell me about the bull?”
    “Sure.” He motioned to the hallway. “We could talk out there.”
    Chloe joined him on the wooden floor outside the room. With the door cracked open, Zack leaned against the wall.
    “What a day.” He shook his head. “What a whirlwind these past few days have been.”
    “I’m sure the trip from New York was exhausting.”
    He chuckled. “The trip was only part of it.”
    “How long have you had the twins? I mean by yourself.”
    “Always by myself. I’ve had them about six days.”
    “Six days?” Surely she’d heard wrong.
    “Do you want to hear the whole story?”
    A parade filled with automobiles couldn’t have stopped her from listening to his every word.
    “It started last Thursday. That was the first time I laid eyes on Curly and Charlie. Two days before I left New York, I was walking home from the newspaper office and slipped on the ice. Suddenly one freckled-faced little boy offered to help me up. I politely refused but offered him a quarter for his trouble. He looked terribly thin, and his clothes were threadbare. I looked again, and there were two of them. I gave that one, who I thought was a boy, a quarter, too. They thanked me and took off down the street.”
    How generous.
    “It took only a moment to discover my wallet was missing. I forgot about slipping on any more ice and took out after the two.”
    A giggle escaped Chloe’s mouth. “I’m sorry. It’s not funny—”
    “Go ahead and laugh. They are a clever pair. Anyway, I caught them and retrieved my wallet. About that time, a police officer approached us. He knew the twins. I learned they’d run away from a Catholic Charities orphanage. This wasn’t the first time. Their mother had died in a factory fire some months before. I couldn’t get those two out of my mind. I kept seeing their thin arms and toeless shoes. The next morning, as soon as I said my good-byes to my friends at the newspaper office, I walked to the orphanage with the idea of making arrangements to send them money on a regular basis.” He shook his head. “Now, you will laugh.”
    “Go ahead. So far, it all sounds very heartwarming.” She blinked to disguise a stray tear.
    “The sister there thought I’d come to adopt them. I learned that sometimes the twins ran off and sold newspapers for a little money. Unfortunately, New York City is filled with children trying to earn a living that way. And before I knew it, I was convinced that this is what God wanted me to do. I appeared before a judge that afternoon, and here we are.” He took a breath. “During the evening, Curly told me Charlie was a girl.”
    Another giggle surfaced. “Any regrets, Mr. Kahler?”
    “No. There are times, however, when I think I must have lost my mind. Like this afternoon when the twins chased some kittens into the