Red and green lights shone softly on the Reed family tree, casting a gentle glow over Drew and Lizzy as they lay on their stomachs on the living room floor, surrounded by the remnants of wrapping paper, and carefully assembled the train set Caleb had gotten Lizzy for Christmas. Noah sat in the overstuffed armchair by the fire and looked out at the snow gently buffeting the world outside.
Carols flowed from the refurbished record player on the mantel and mostly succeeded in blocking out Anne’s and Caleb’s voices coming from the kitchen, where they were putting the finishing touches on Christmas dinner. Seemed like the two of them had been talking nonstop ever since Anne and the kids had returned to the house the afternoon before. Sometimes they’d sat quietly, talking in hushed voices and holding each other’s hands. Other times they’d argued so loudly that Noah, Drew and Lizzy had thrown their boots and coats on and gone sledding until the conversation had died down. But at least Caleb had stayed, and he and Anne were talking. And Noah thanked God for that.
Whatever the story of Caleb and Anne’s love would end up being, it seemed this Christmas wasn’t the day they’d have all the answers. But Noah had agreed to let Caleb and the gym go, and trust that whatever he did with his share of the money, and whatever roads his foster brother went down, those were his choices to make. The three of them had come to a compromise. They’d sell the gym to the buyer Anne had found. Caleb’s share of the money would be split into four equal parts, providing Anne with a quarter for herself and a quarter in trust for each of Drew’s and Lizzy’s future education. Noah prayed that one day the rift between him and Caleb would be healed, and that God would continue to work in all their lives. But Holly had been right. It was time to stop trying to save Caleb.
Noah had no idea how long it would take his own heart to heal from saying goodbye to Holly. They’d spoken again briefly and politely, surrounded by law enforcement officers, before she’d finally gotten into a waiting car and driven out of his life.
Since then, thanks to General Bertie’s cooperation, Seth had confirmed that Elias Crane had been Snitch5751, by uncovered emails and even a money trail, proving Elias had hired the attackers who terrorized Holly into accepting witness protection, and then pulled strings to make sure he was assigned to her case. Seth had also uncovered proof that Elias had been working with the Imposters in exchange for a large cash payout to soften his imminent retirement and the promise that Holly would disappear. But there was no indication Elias knew what they were going to use the data they collected for, or that they would kill him to cover their tracks. Both Imposters had died from their wounds and their true identities had been revealed as a pair of fraternal twins from Squamish, British Columbia. And although he now knew who they were, Noah and his colleagues had agreed not to speak or even think their names and were pushing media outlets not to provide them with the notoriety they might’ve craved. People like that didn’t deserve infamy for their crimes. They deserved to be forgotten. Especially as RCMP officers were still working around the clock at Christmas to protect, reassure and rehouse all those whose lives and identities had been stolen.
Maybe Caleb had been partly right that Noah had used helping him as an excuse for not stepping up to live his own life. And now, for the first time he could remember, his life lay ahead of him like an open road, with endless possibilities. And while he was excited to take them and see where they might lead, he couldn’t get past the feeling that something was missing.
That the most important piece of the puzzle was absent.
The sound of tires crunched on the snow outside. He glanced out. The vehicle was military. The young man behind the wheel was uniformed and sat straight. But it was the woman in the passenger seat who had him leaping from his seat, shoving his feet into boots, flinging the door wide and running outside without waiting to do up his coat.
Holly wore military fatigues. Her hair had been cut short in a pixie cut that highlighted her cheekbones and the lines of her face. Her skin was free of makeup and the light that shone in her eyes was more beautiful than any sight he’d seen in his life.
“Holly!” Noah ran to her, arms outstretched to welcome her as she rushed into them, and for a long moment he just held her there, lost in the feeling of her in his arms. “I’m so sorry for what I said yesterday, if I offended you or spoke out of turn...”
“No, it’s okay.” She pulled back and looked in his face but kept her arms around his body. “We’re different people. We say and feel things in different ways. And the fact that you want to love me is the most incredible thing that’s ever happened to me.”
What was she saying?
She swallowed hard. “I’ve decided not to deploy back overseas and applied for a transfer for a position training new recruits outside Ottawa. I still feel served to call my country, but everything I’ve gone through in the past few days—getting to know Seth, Anne and Drew, thinking about the people whose lives the Imposters threatened, and what you’ve told me about growing up in a fostering home—has given me this desire to make a difference here, back home in Canada. There’s a lot of hurt and a lot of need here. The military will always be my family, one of them anyway, and I think I want to make a difference by helping other kids who need a family find belonging and purpose there, and to encourage the military to be more welcoming and inclusive to people who want to serve their country. Plus, like it or not, thanks to Bertie’s press conference I’m a bit of a celebrity now, at least for a few weeks until the news move on to something else. And I’m going to use that platform to stand up for what I believe in.”
Something swelled in his heart. Did she have any idea how incredible she was? Not just in terms of outside, surface beauty, but in how passionately she cared and how deep her desire and drive was to serve others?
“That sounds amazing,” he said. “I think you’ll be incredible at that, and anyone would be a fool not to listen to you.”
Happy tears gleamed in her eyes.
“Thank you,” she said. “Also, that means I’m relocating to Ottawa, which means we have time to grow together. I told you yesterday that I didn’t believe a week-long relationship was enough to promise forever on. But I was wrong if I implied I hadn’t seen enough to know how much I really want to.”
Her hands slid up into his hair. His breath caught in his chest.
“What are you saying, Holly?”
“I’ve seen how you treat people and how you treat me,” she said. “I’ve seen how you admit when you’re wrong, stand up for what you believe in, deal with people who disagree with you and ask when you need help. I’ve seen how brave, loving, courageous, compassionate and strong you are. I know you well enough to know I want to get to know you better, slowly, deeply and forever. I’m in love for the first time in my life, and it’s with you, Noah. And while I want to take it slow, I’m really hoping that we’re going to be side by side, loving each other and having each other’s backs for the rest of our lives.”
Joy filled his heart, spilling a smile across his face. “I think we will.”
“Me, too.”
“Happy Birthday, Holly. I love you so much.”
“Merry Christmas, Noah. I love you, too.”
And he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the woman he knew without a doubt that he was going to love forever.
If you enjoyed this story, look for these other titles by Maggie K. Black from Love Inspired Suspense:
The Littlest Target
Undercover Holiday Fiancé
Rescuing His Secret Child
Keep reading for an excerpt from Covert Christmas Twin by Heather Woodhaven.
Join Harlequin My Rewards today and earn a FREE ebook!
Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003