Hearts Evergreen: A Cloud Mountain Christmas\A Match Made for Christmas (20 page)

An oversight? Not if he knew Sarah. And he did. But he wanted to know her more. Another complication.

Connor scraped his fingertips down his face. And picked up the thread of the conversation he'd been having with God when Carl called.

I have no idea what to do.

The answer came back as swift and as real as if God were sitting in the leather chair across from him.

Now we're getting somewhere.

H
e was leaving.

All evening long, the truth chipped away at Sarah's heart. And she realized she'd been hoping Connor would find a reason to stay.

“Sarah?” Jennifer, her arms linked with the rest of the girls, skated up to the wooden bench where she sat. “Can we talk to you for a minute?”

“Of course.” That Jennifer even felt she had to ask made Sarah feel worse. Wrapped up in her own emotions, she hadn't been a very attentive leader. It was the last time they'd meet before Christmas and she needed to get out of her funk for the girls' sake.

Jennifer sat down on the bench beside her. “We have a confession to make.”

Mandi nodded in agreement while Alyssa chewed on the end of her mitten and Emma sidled closer.

“What's going on?”

“We…we kind of tried to get you and Connor together. And we're sorry. Because you're sad he isn't here tonight. I invited him and I really thought he'd come.”

Emma nodded miserably. “You wouldn't look at each other and we thought you
liked
each other and we don't want you to be lonely so we thought he'd be a nice Christmas present.”

Sarah blinked. Connor? A Christmas present? What on earth were they talking about?

“We won't try to play matchmaker any more. We promise,” Jennifer said in a rush.

The rest of the girls nodded in agreement.

Sarah pieced the disjointed conversation together and stared at them in amazement. “You thought Connor and I…” She choked on the rest of the words and tried again. “You tried to get us
together
?”

The girls exchanged guilty looks.

“Uh-huh.”

“At Francine's.”

“And the live nativity.”

“And tonight,” Jennifer added with a sigh.

Sarah didn't know whether to laugh or burst into tears. She'd been completely clueless to the plot going on right under her nose. “Connor doesn't live in Jackson Lake. He only came to visit his dad.” Maybe it was good to say the words out loud. They'd sink in and force her to move on.

“But he could change his mind.” Mandi's chin lifted stubbornly. “He likes it here. I know he does.”

“We're sorry, Sarah,” Emma said. “We didn't mean to make you sad.”

“Yeah. We only did it because we love you and you won't always have us around,” Mandi said.

Sarah wrapped her arms around the girls and pulled them against her. “You guys are the best,” she murmured. “I'll be fine. But if God wants me to be married, He's got the right man all picked out, okay?”

“Okay.” Jennifer exhaled and her breath came out in a puff of frost. “We get it.”

“You do like him, though, don't you, Sarah?” Mandi persisted.

Sarah gave a helpless laugh. She wanted the girls to think about others but this wasn't quite what she had in mind!

“Yes, I like him,” she said truthfully. “But some things aren't meant to be. We have to trust that God knows what's best for us.”

As she said the words, she tucked them into a corner of her heart, knowing they were the only thing that would ease the pain of Connor leaving.

Jackson Lake was going to have a white Christmas.

The snow started falling just past midnight and showed no signs of stopping.

Sarah slipped her coat on and searched the pocket for her keys. All she had to do now was turn the open sign around and lock the door. On Christmas Eve, she always closed the shop early so she could attend the special worship service at Lakeshore Community.

Her cell phone rang and a number that Sarah didn't recognize came up. “Hello?”

“Sarah? This is Francine. Listen, I'm at Roscoe's and I wondered if you could swing by for a few minutes.”

“Sure. Is everything all right? Are the kids okay?”

Francine's chuckle put her fears to rest. “They're fine. I just need your help with something.”

“I'll be right there.” She decided to walk the short distance from the shop to the diner. Her car looked like a snowbank and it would take longer to scrape it off than it would to walk. She pushed her nose into her scarf and ducked her head against the swirling flakes.

Even the beauty of the town cloaked in sparkling white didn't cheer her up.

She hadn't seen or heard from Connor over the weekend and since she'd overheard him saying he'd try to catch a flight out on Sunday, she knew he must have left. And he hadn't even bothered to say goodbye.

“Sarah!” The owner of the flower shop across the street waved to her. “Loved Connor's article in
The News
. Next year I'm sending a Good News-gram to my grandmother.”

Sarah waved back but didn't stop to continue the conversation.

An issue of
The News
had mysteriously ended up lodged between the doors of her shop on Saturday morning. On the front page, complete with pictures, was the story Connor had written about the girls. It had taken her several hours to gather the courage to read it. When she compared it to the articles she'd read online, she couldn't believe the same man had written it.

With warmth and humor, he focused on the commitment the girls had made to the project and how they'd gone beyond simply delivering a message. They hadn't just talked about God's love, they showed it.

She tried to read between the lines. Was it possible he finally understood that his view of the world had been colored by his resistance to God? If that was the case, if Connor was allowing God to work in his life, then Sarah knew it didn't matter that he'd left. As long as he found his way back to the roots of his faith. The ones started by Natalie before she died. That was the most important thing and the one she committed to pray for.

There was a closed sign in the window of the diner and Sarah tried the door. It wasn't locked. There was no sign of Bev or Francine when she stepped inside.

“Francine? It's Sarah.”

She took a step toward the kitchen but a trumpet blast stopped her in her tracks.

“Behold!” Jennifer, Alyssa, Emma and Mandi stumbled out of the kitchen and stood there grinning at her, dressed in their angel costumes.

Right behind them were Francine and Bev.

And Connor.

Sarah could only stare at him in disbelief as Jennifer lifted her arms and recited the familiar verse.

“This is a Good News-gram,” Jennifer intoned. “From Connor Lawe. Because God loves you and—”

“So does he!” Alyssa, Emma and Mandi shouted together.

Jennifer gave them a disapproving look and nodded at Sarah. “That's right. He does love you.”

Sarah couldn't move. So Connor did. Two long-legged strides put him right next to her. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

“I thought you left,” she whispered.

“I couldn't leave. Not when I'm currently the proud owner of a hundred-year-old house and a newspaper.”

Connor had decided to stay in Jackson Lake? Wait a second. He
loved
her?

“I don't understand. Your career…you don't like small towns.”

“I didn't understand it myself. It happened after I took your advice and talked to God. I realized there were more reasons for me to stay than there were to go.”

Sarah's eyes began to burn. This wasn't a small thing. Walking away from a job he loved. Staying in one place instead of traveling the world. “What if you get…bored?”

“Bored?” Connor raised an eyebrow at the girls, who'd unashamedly inched closer to eavesdrop. “With this crew hanging around? Not a chance.”

“Are we celebrating or not?” Roscoe bellowed from the kitchen. “The hot chocolate is getting cold.”

“Don't rush him, Mr. Roscoe,” Jennifer called back. “He's slow at this kind of stuff.”

The laughter died in Sarah's throat when Connor looked down at her again.

“We haven't known each other very long but I want to change that. Trust me. I'm not going anywhere.”

Sarah didn't know what to say. She thought she'd never see Connor again and he was here. For good. For
her.

“I told you you have to say the words,” Jennifer coached him. “It can't come from us.”

Connor groaned.

“They need some help. Again.” Mandi rolled her eyes.

Emma ducked into the kitchen and returned with Roscoe, who stomped over and held something green over Sarah and Connor's heads.

“Mistletoe.” Alyssa grinned.

“
Girls
.” Sarah felt the blush down to her toes.

Connor pulled her close and Sarah gave a squeak.

“They haven't been wrong yet,” he murmured.

She looked up. “That's
parsley
…”

Connor smiled. “Use your imagination.”

The room and everyone in it disappeared as Connor kissed her. In the background, the girls started to hum. Not a traditional Christmas carol but a cheerful rendition of “Here Comes the Bride.”

Connor's arms tightened around her and he lifted his head. The promise in his eyes took her breath away. Then he whispered in her ear.

“What are you doing next Christmas?”