Page 58 of Wrapped Up in Christmas Hope
“I appreciated that,” Morgan said. “And, I’ll also grant that the reindeer were great until you and Frank were loading them. Up until then, they didn’t seem to understand what was happening.” If reindeer could look sad, those eight had as they’d peered out through the slots in the trailer. Frank had seemed a bit heartbroken when he’d said goodbye to them, as well. “I hope they’ll be happy at Harvey Farms.”
“The Harveys are good people, so I suspect they will. Frank said the reindeer were all rescues. They grew up at the village so they have always been around crowds. He thinks they’ve been missing the attention they were used to getting when visitors were coming through his place. Once they adjust to the change of scenery, they should be fine.”
“I hope so. They came across as nothing more than big pets. I do think Rosie is going to love them for her wedding.”
“Maybe.” Andrew sighed, then expelled a long breath. “Or she may decide to call the whole wedding off again since we weren’t able to come up with a Rudolph. Or maybe she’ll come up with some other reason to delay again.”
Morgan cut her gaze to his profile silhouetted in the truck’s cab. “I don’t understand why she’d do that. It’s obvious she loves Lou and I’ve never seen a man look at a woman with more love than when Lou’s gaze is on Rosie. He adores her.”
“I asked him about it once. He told me it was the blue hair that had him head over heels.”
“You’re joking,” Morgan said, laughing.
Andrew grinned. “You’re right. I am.”
Morgan shook her head. “That was bad.”
“Maybe,” he agreed. “But it made you smile.”
That it had.
“I’d imagine you’d understand Rosie’s runaway bride antics more than most.” His tone had grown serious and Morgan wished the glowing dashboard lights were brighter so she could better read his expression.
“Why?”
He tapped his fingers along the steering wheel. “Rosie’s been married three times and lost all three husbands to various illnesses. It’s only natural she’s hesitant to commit again.”
Morgan hadn’t realized. She couldn’t imagine losing another husband, much less two more, and then risk a fourth. No wonder Rosie kept finding reasons to postpone her wedding.
His gaze glued to the road and his voice as gentle and serious as she’d ever heard, Andrew said, “Risking one’s heart after suffering such a great loss can’t be easy. Lou knows that. It’s why he continues to be patient with her no matter what outlandish reason she comes up with for putting off their big day yet again.”
Tears prickled Morgan’s eyes. She wasn’t sure if they were for Rosie, who’d risked and lost her heart three times, or if they were for herself, who’d lost Trey when they were just beginning their life together.
She may have made a noise. She’d never be quite sure what prompted Andrew’s hand to leave the steering wheel and clasp hers, but even as his gaze remained glued to the road, the fingers of his right intertwined with hers, enveloping her hand within his bigger one.
Strong, warm, firm, and yet gentle.
Heart pounding, Morgan stared at their joined hands in the dim glow of the truck’s dashboard lights.
Could he feel the tremble in her fingers?
The tremble in her body?
The fear in her heart?
Yeah, risking one’s heart after a great loss definitely wasn’t easy even when that heart seemed—in spite of everything—so very eager to fall.
“You’re humming again.”
“Maybe,” Morgan admitted, handing over the medicine cup to John as he scooted up a little further in his hospital bed.
Curling his nose at the cup, he took it then asked, “Saw your firefighter feller this weekend, did you?”
Morgan’s breath caught at the mention of Andrew. Taking the empty cup from John, she tossed it into the trash bin. “He didn’t come to church again, if that’s what you’re asking.”
On Saturday, Andrew had carried Greyson into the house and helped her get him into bed. Her son had barely stirred so he’d not gotten a chance to ask Andrew to join them again. But as she’d been changing Greyson out of his clothes and into his pajamas, Andrew had volunteered that he had to be at the fire hall the following morning so he wouldn’t be at church. Had that meant he would have come if he’d not been scheduled to work?
“Nope. That’s not what I meant. I asked if you saw him.”
