Mistletoe and Miracles. Marie Ferrarella

      If only, Trent thought.

      He began by giving his sister the positive side first. “Cody’s really very bright.” During an extended lunch, he’d gone to Cody’s school to talk to his teachers. The ones who had taught him before the accident. Once Trent had made the teachers comfortable with his reasons for asking—and his credentials—he had gotten what he was after. Confirmation.

      If anything, Laurel had downplayed the boy’s abilities. Before his father’s death, Cody’d had read at a fourth-grade level while still in the first grade and, according to his teacher, Mrs. Bayon, he had been articulate, outgoing and happy.

      “But his father died a year ago and Cody withdrew from everyone,” Trent told her. “His grades are all down. He’s on the way to failing everything but sandbox one-o-one.” He knew that would elicit pity from Kelsey and, judging from the look in her eyes, he was right.

      “Why?” she asked. “Lots of kids lose a parent early in life. They don’t all respond like this. You didn’t. Trevor, Travis and Mike didn’t. Dad told me,” she added when he looked at her, mildly curious. “What makes Cody different?”

      “Well, for one thing, he was with his father when he was killed in a car accident.”

      “Oh.” Incredibly empathetic, Kelsey instantly thought how she would have felt if she’d been in that situation. Her heart twisted and went out to the boy she hadn’t even met. That made up her mind for her. “When would you want me to get started?”

      He had known he could count on her. “As soon as possible.” And then a stab of guilt made him ask, “Can you?”

      She shrugged. “I could eke out a few hours on Saturday and Sunday,” she speculated. “Maybe an hour or two during the week.”

      He didn’t want to put her out, but he also knew in his gut that she was the right one for the job. “Anything would be great, really.”

      He sounded so enthused. A red light went off in her head. This was, after all, her brother, the one who used to plant crickets in her bed. Was this some kind of setup?

      At the very least, she needed reasons. “Why come to me?”

      Trent’s answer was simple. “Because you’re good at it.”

      She thought that herself. But there was a flaw in his answer. “You’ve never seen me work with kids.”

      He smiled at her. He didn’t blame her for being leery. He’d done his share of teasing when it came to Kelsey. They all had. But Kelsey could hold her own with the best of them, which was why he knew he had been right to come to her.

      “Call it instinct,” he answered. “I know when you do something, you don’t do it by half measures. And you’ve had experience, student teaching. You don’t get the kind of grades you do by slacking off.” Kate had told him all the effort Kelsey put into her projects with the children. Only a completely dedicated person would go those extra miles.

      Kelsey looked at him for a long moment, stunned. “That is probably the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

      He grinned, nodding. “Yeah, it probably is,” Trent agreed. “Don’t let it go to your head. By the way, I don’t expect you to do this for free. I’m going to pay you.”

      “You couldn’t afford me,” she informed him. She didn’t want his money—she wanted his soul, she thought, swallowing a chuckle. “I’ll figure out some way for you to pay me back.”

      “Should I be afraid?” Trent deadpanned.

      Kelsey paused for a moment, pretending to think about it. And then she nodded. “Yeah.”

      He had to get going. Rising from the bed, he kissed the top of her head. “You’re the best.”

      “About time you noticed that,” she sniffed, pretending that the comment didn’t get to her.

      “I’ll get back to you and fill you in on the details,” he promised, beginning to leave. And then he remembered that he’d left out something. “Oh, one more thing. Cody doesn’t talk.”

      Her eyes widened in surprise. “Doesn’t talk?” she echoed in surprise.

      Trent took a couple of steps back toward the bed. “Not a word since the accident.” He watched Kelsey for a moment. Was she going to back out? He didn’t think so, but there was always that chance.

      And then she sighed as she shook her head. “You do like giving me a challenge, don’t you?”

      He let go of the breath he’d been holding. “Nothing I don’t think you’re up to.”

      Her mouth dropped open for a beat, and then she rallied. “Damn, two compliments in one session and me without my recorder.”

      His hand on the door, Trent winked at her. “Next time.”

      “Yeah, like there’s going to be one,” she murmured, getting back to her studies.

      Trent closed the door behind him, grinning.

      It was early evening and Laurel almost ignored the doorbell when it rang. She wasn’t expecting anyone and she didn’t like unexpected visits these days. But the doorbell rang again and she had a feeling that whoever was on the other side wasn’t about to go away until she sent them on that route.

      One glance through the peephole made her quickly pull the door open.

      Laurel stared wide-eyed at the man on her doorstep. What was he doing here? How did he know where she lived? And then she remembered that she’d had to fill out all those forms at his office.

      Idiot. She upbraided herself for being so naive.

      She didn’t bother trying to force a smile to her lips. “Did I forget something?”