Page 73 of Lone Wolf in Lights
Just then, the sound of small footsteps drew Eli’s attention downward. A group of children had gathered around them.
“Are you the ones bringing Christmas?” a little girl asked, tugging on the hem of Willow’s sweater.
“Santa is coming tomorrow, yes,” Willow confirmed, kneeling down so she was eye level with her.
“Will Santa find us here?” another child piped up, his question laced with concern.
“Santa always knows where to find good boys and girls,” Eli assured him.
“Really?” the little girl asked, her voice tinged with excitement.
“Really,” Willow echoed, smiling softly.
A chorus of giggles erupted from the children, and Eli fought back his emotion. He watched another little girl, no more than six, twirl near the Christmas tree, her laughter a bright chime cutting through the weight of the world. Her mother, with lines of hardship etched into her face, looked on, a tentative smile blossoming as she observed her child’s carefree spirit.
“Look at them,” Willow murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. “It’s just so sweet.”
He wrapped an arm around her, pressing his lips to the top of her head. “I wish Miranda had known about this place.”
Willow wrapped her arms around him tight. “In her honor, we help. Always.”
Gratitude filled him as he watched the children playing. He imagined his sister as one of them, her laughter mingling with theirs, safe and sound in a haven much like this one. “Thank you,” he said, his voice thick, glancing down at her. “For everything you’ve done here. For bringing me into this. For showing me another way.”
Willow stared softly up at him. “We did this together, Eli. And it’s only the beginning.” She gestured around the room, to the smiling faces, where hope seemed to hang in the air with Christmas magic.
Twenty-Four
“Strange way to head to the ranch,” Willow murmured, more to herself than to Eli, as they drove home. She was still reeling from his having told her he was quitting the ranch to become a coach for young bull riders, but she saw the sparkle in his eyes. The choice was the right one.
“Thought we’d take the scenic route today,” Eli replied. He flashed a quick, enigmatic smile.
Willow shifted her attention back outside, her curiosity gnawing at her. Before they had left the shelter, she’d caught Eli in a hushed conversation over the phone.
“Does this have something to do with the phone call before we left?” she asked casually, though the question felt anything but casual in her chest.
“You’ll see,” Eli said with a laugh.
“Okay,” she conceded.
Silence settled once more, but it was a living thing, pulsing with the heartbeat of questions left unanswered. Willow searched the passing scenery, looking for clues, for signs, for anything that might reveal where he was going.
Until the truck slowed. Her breath hitched as they approached the wrought iron gates of the Timber Falls Cemetery.
The truck’s engine hushed to a low purr as Eli shifted into Park, the silence of the cemetery wrapping around her. Willow’s gaze was drawn to the lone figure of the woman. “Betty?”
“I asked her to meet us here.” Eli’s door creaked open and shut with a soft thud.
She followed him out of the truck, her heart catching as he circled to the truck’s bed and withdrew something large and obscured by a tarp. With careful hands, he unveiled the object—a bench of rich cedar, its surface sanded to a satiny finish.
Willow put two and two together. “Did you make that for Betty?” she managed, emotions lodged in her throat.
A nod. “When I didn’t have you,” he said softly.
“Betty doesn’t know...” Willow asked.
Eli shook his head. “Not yet.”
“Oh, Eli,” Willow said, dropping a kiss on his lips. “You’re a good man.”
