Christmas Gifts: Small Town Christmas / Her Christmas Cowboy. Brenda Minton

gazed at them for a moment. “You know it’s not necessary to tell everything about me, right?” He raked his hair with his fingers

      “How come you don’t ever sing for us, Daddy?”

      He gazed at Holly, and Amy noticed a somber look sneak to his face. “I will.” He drew her closer and then reached for Ivy. “And I’ll tell you later the story about the holly and ivy so you understand why the holly wears the crown, okay?”

      The twins faces glowed.

      Hope slid through Amy’s veins. Somewhere inside the two children lived joy, and if she could find the secret to what else was going on, maybe the troublesome two could become the treasured twins.

      Her task settled in her mind. She’d do everything in her power to keep those girls in her class.

      Mike watched Amy cross the street, her rake like a shepherd’s crook. He shuffled the girls inside wondering how he could ever explain where his heart had been for so long. Holly’s blunt question about his singing had stirred up his emotions, as did Amy’s compliment. You have an astounding voice. The words could have been Laura’s. But she’d gone to heaven, and even though he didn’t understand why the Lord wanted her, God saw the big picture. He didn’t. She’d been the motor that revved his love of singing.

      Learning the girls had heard him playing the guitar served the same purpose. And Amy, too. His heart constricted. Her caring smile hovered in his mind like a melody. Just as Amy lingered in his thoughts, music couldn’t be forgotten either. It revived his spirit. Amy’s presence had done the same.

      “You said you’d tell us, Daddy.”

      Ivy’s voice broke his train of thought. He gazed at her sweet face and knelt on the kitchen floor, drawing the two girls into his arms. “Your mom always nagged me about singing and playing the guitar. Because she’s not here, I guess it left my thoughts.”

      “Did Mom leave your thoughts?”

      Holly’s troubled expression caused him dismay. “Never. I promised God to love her always, and I will, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have lots of love to share.”

      “With us?”

      “With you.” He paused, trying to word his next statement. “And maybe someday, I might meet someone who could be in our lives, too.”

      “Like Amy?”

      Ivy’s question tripped through his veins. “Someone like that. Someone who’s nice and likes both of you.”

      Holly’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe Miss Carroll doesn’t like us?”

      “I think she does, don’t you, Daddy?” Ivy’s response gave his answer. “Yes. She wants to keep you together in class.”

      “She does?” Their eyes widened.

      “Unless you cause her trouble, and then she won’t want to deal with your antics.”

      Holly scrutinized him again. “What’s antics?” “Your behavior. You know, how you act up sometimes.” Ivy gave her a poke. “Like choking me.” “Or tripping me.”

      “You both do things to each other. I know you still love each other, but sometimes it doesn’t seem that way to other people.” He drew the girls in closer. “Remember what you said the other day? You told me you were all you had?”

      They nodded. “You need to let people see how much you mean to each other. Hurting each other and misbehaving isn’t the way to do that.”

      Ivy straightened. “It’s Holly’s fault.”

      He tightened his grip before a new argument began. “It’s both of your faults. And that’s enough about it. I don’t want to hear another word.”

      They quieted, but he suspected each girl was working on a comeback. “Now, I’ll hand you a rake, Ivy, and I’ll get another one for Holly. Because you two were the first ones to spread the leaf pile, it’s your job to clean it up.”

      “But—”

      Without listening further, he handed Ivy the rake and headed to his shed. He didn’t turn around until he arrived at the storage unit and pulled out the rake. When he looked back, Holly had gotten on her knees and was dragging the leaves into the pile with her arms. Elation rippled over him. He loved seeing the girls work or play without arguing. Diving into the leaves had brightened everyone’s spirits. He hadn’t felt like that in years.

      “Here you go.” He handed Holly the rake, then relieved Ivy of hers.

      She didn’t argue but followed Holly’s example and tossed the leaves back into the pile. “Can we burn them?” She gazed up at him with a smile in her eyes.

      “Maybe later tonight.”

      “Can we make s’mores?”

      He chuckled. “Not over the leaves, Holly, but maybe we can make some inside.”

      Ivy licked her lips. “Can we invite Miss Carroll? I bet she likes s’mores.”

      His chest tightened. “Not tonight.” He looked across the yard to Ellie’s house, wanting to include Amy in everything but cautioning himself to move slowly. To be certain. To understand his feelings and the ramifications.

      He started preparing their dinner, but his mind dwelt on Amy and the delicate situation. He really liked her, but it unsettled him. Having feelings for a woman other than Laura dragged him back to his dating days. But when he’d met Laura, his interest for any other woman had faded.

      After all those years, he wasn’t sure he could handle another relationship without feeling guilty. And what about the girls? Would familiarity with Amy make them too forward in school? That would never work. He pondered the idea for a moment before making a decisive decision.

      He had to cool it.

      Chapter Four

      Amy erased the blackboard and eyed the clock. She’d noticed buses arriving, and soon the halls would be quiet. Her first day on the job had been exciting. After her layoff in Chicago, teaching again so soon had seemed a hopeless dream. Yet here she was. She settled into her desk chair and breathed in the scent of chalk, floor polish and the beguiling scent of textbooks. She grinned.

      When she gazed at the empty rows of chairs, she had pictured the twins sitting close together, eyeing each other while temptation crooked a finger, but they’d been perfect. But Amy faced reality. Thinking the girls would remain perfect was definitely a lofty goal.

      Grams had a way with Ivy and Holly, but her only recommendation to Amy was to love them. She heaved a sigh. Mike loved them, but that didn’t work for him.

      The sound of quiet echoed in the halls—the hum of fluorescent lighting and the yawn of a distant door. She eyed the stack of papers on her desk and drew them toward her, wanting to grade them by tomorrow. She’d asked the children to write a paragraph on how they would spend Thanksgiving.

      Hearing how they would celebrate the holiday could give her an inside look at their families and their traditions. Coming into the semester late meant she needed a quick way to gain insight into her students’ lives. “Miss Carroll.”

      Amy jerked at the familiar voice. She eyed her watch. “Ivy, shouldn’t you be on the bus?”

      Holly slipped past her sister into the room. “We missed it.”

      “Missed it?” She studied both of the girls. “How did you do that?”

      “Ivy went to the bathroom.”

      Ivy strutted forward shaking her head at Holly. “Uh-uh. You went and I followed.”

      Now what? She studied their faces, aware of what they expected. “Maybe there’s another bus going your way. Let’s go down to the office.”

      “There’s