Free Silent Night by Colleen Coble Page B

Bree’s face, then moved to the infants in her arms. Tears sprang to her eyes and coursed down her cheeks. “Oh, kulta , ” she breathed. “God has blessed us with two.”
    “Come here, Grammy, and kiss those babies,” Kade said. “They smell so good. They’re still a little gooey, and they have sticky stuff in their eyes, but they’re beautiful. And so’s their mommy.” His gaze locked with Bree’s.
    Naomi stepped into the room behind Anu. Her gaze took in both babies. “Girl, you never do anything halfway.” She wiped her eyes and approached the bed behind Anu, who was pressing kisses against the pudgy cheeks of the tiny girl in her arms.
    Anu laid Bree’s daughter in Naomi’s arms, then lifted the baby boy. “Do we have names?”
    “We had a name for each, just in case.” Neither of them had wanted to know the baby’s sex. “Her name is Hannah, after you, Anu. Ann is the variation of Hannah. And our son is Hunter. For Samson.”
    Naomi rushed for the door. “I’m bringing Samson in. He needs to meet his new charges.”
    “They won’t let you,” Bree called. But she was talking to the wind. She and Kade exchanged rueful glances. She watched Anu settle into a chair with both babies in her arms. Davy hung over his siblings with rapt attention.
    She heard the click of Samson’s nails on the floor before she saw him. His broken leg had quickly healed and hadn’t left a trace of a limp. With the dog on his leash and wearing his search vest, Naomi came rushing in, her cheeks pink and her eyes sparkling.
    She released him from his leash. “I had to do some talking, but turns out Samson found the receptionist’s grandson when he wandered off. Remember that, Bree? Samson is the star in this town. He gets special privileges.”
    Samson’s dark, intelligent eyes went from Bree to the babies, who were still sleeping in Anu’s arms. He whined, then went to sniff one baby then the other before turning to stare at Bree as if to say, What have you done now? Then he curled at the foot of her bed. His gaze dared anyone to hurt his family.
    Kade eased onto the mattress beside Bree. He slipped his arm under her head, and she curled up next to him. Anu brought the babies to them, and they parted enough to settle the tiny forms between them.
    “Me too!” Davy climbed onto the bed on Bree’s other side.
    She slipped her arm around him, then turned her gaze to lock with Kade’s. The intensity in his eyes warmed her, made her forget the pain still slowing her movements.
    “We have a full house,” he whispered.
    “And even fuller hearts,” she said, leaning over to kiss him.

Dea r Reader,
    W e are back in Rock Harbor together! It has been so gratifying to see how much you have loved Bree and Samson. I love them too. And there’s quite a lot of me in Bree, so it feels like your love extends to me personally. :)
    I hope you enjoyed catching up with Bree and the gang. I smiled all the way through the ending myself!
    As always, I love to hear from you! E-mail me anytime at [email protected]
    Your friend
    Colleen

Reading Group Guide
    1.Have you ever dealt with an ungrateful person? How did you deal with him or her?
    2. Bree wanted a baby more than anything. Have you ever struggled with God saying, “Wait”? How did you handle it?
    3.Kade was hard on his sister because he didn’t want to fail his parents. What can make a parent cling too hard?
    4.Lauri realized that every day is a gift. What do you think that means?
    5.Lauri was looking for a purpose in life. Do you know what your purpose is?
    6.How do you feel about adoption? Would you ever adopt a child of a different race or one with health problems?
    7.Our families can often be a mishmash of members. Do you have an unusual member in your family?
    8.Has God ever given you something over and above anything you’ve dreamed of?
     

One
    L ibby Holladay fought her way through the brambles to the overgrown garden. She paused to wave a swarm of gnats away