Christmas Trio B. Debbie Macomber

wanted him to tell you before now, but Bill said it wasn’t really any of your business. I told him that sometimes we see each other at work and it would make things better for me if you knew.”

      “So the two of you are … dating?”

      “Actually we’re … talking about marriage.”

      Marriage. Bill was planning to marry Tiffani? This didn’t make sense. The model was about the least motherly woman Holly had ever met; she’d even told Holly she didn’t like children. And she’d demonstrated it, too. They’d had a shoot earlier in the year with a couple of child models and Tiffani had been difficult and cranky all day. She’d made it clear that she didn’t enjoy being around kids.

      Holly wondered if Bill had any idea of the other woman’s feelings. Probably not, she thought uncharitably. All he saw was Tiffani’s perfect body and how good she looked on his arm.

      In some ways, she had to concede, Bill and Tiffani were a good match. Bill had his own graphic design business and often hosted clients. Tiffani would do well entertaining, but Holly suspected she didn’t have a lot to offer as a stepmother to Billy.

      Yet that’d been the excuse Bill had used when he’d broken off their relationship.

      That was exactly what it’d been. An excuse, and a convenient one. He’d wanted Holly out of his life and he didn’t care how badly he hurt her to make that happen. Granted, the relationship would’ve ended anyway, but in the process of hastening its demise, he’d damaged her confidence—in herself and in her maternal instincts.

      Bill Carter was a jerk, no question about it. Tiffani was welcome to him.

      Chapter Twelve

       Be ye fishers of men. You catch ‘em and God’ll clean ‘em. —Mrs. Miracle

      Can I go see Telly the robot after school?” Gabe asked as Holly walked him to school Monday morning. “Not today,” she said, stepping up her speed so she’d make it to work on time. The last thing she needed was to show up late. As it was, Gabe would get out of school at eleven-thirty this morning for winter break, and there was no after-school care today. Thankfully her neighbor, Caroline Krantz, had children of her own, including a son, Jonathan, who was Gabe’s age, and Gabe enjoyed going there. Today, however, he obviously had a different agenda.

      “But it’s been so long since I saw him and I want—” “I know. I’m sorry, Gabe. But Christmas will be here soon,” she said, cutting him off.

      “Do you think Santa’s going to bring me my robot?”

      “We won’t find out until Christmas, will we?” she said, ushering him along. At the school, she bent down and kissed his cheek. “Remember, you’re going to Mrs. Krantz’s house with Jonathan after school.”

      “Yeah,” he said, kicking at the sidewalk with the toe of his boot.

      “Call me at the office when you get there, okay?”

      “Okay.”

      Holly watched him walk into the building and then half ran to the subway station.

      She was jostled by the crowd and once again had to stand, clutching the pole as she rode into the city. Her weekend had been everything she’d hoped for. Jake had stopped by on Friday night, arriving later than expected. She’d assembled the small artificial tree, which she’d bought years before; she would’ve preferred a real one but didn’t want to spend the money this year. Then she’d draped it with lights, and she and Gabe had carefully arranged the ornaments. They were almost done by the time Jake came over, and Gabe insisted that he place the angel on top of the tree. Holly wasn’t sure how he’d react to that request. At first he’d hesitated until she explained it was an honor and that it meant a lot to Gabe. Then he reluctantly set the angel on the tree.

      Maybe it wasn’t up to her to change—or try to change—his feelings about Christmas, but she hoped to coax him by creating new memories and by reminding him of happy ones from his own childhood.

      On Friday, after school and his playdate with Billy, Gabe had been exhausted by ten o’clock. Holly tucked him in, and then she and Jake had cuddled and kissed in front of the television. She couldn’t remember what TV program they’d started to watch because they were soon more focused on each other than on the TV.

      Thinking about Friday night with Jake made her tingle with excitement and anticipation. Bill could have his Tiffani. Holly would rather be with Jake. Their relationship held such promise….

      Unfortunately, Jake was so busy at the store on Saturday that a couple of quick phone calls had to suffice. On Sunday evening he came to the apartment, bringing a take-out pizza and a bottle of lovely, smooth merlot—the best wine she’d had in ages. Jake had been full of tales about the store, and especially how well Intellytron was now selling. Rumor had it that Finley’s was the only place in Manhattan that had the robot available, and customers had flooded the store, many of them going straight from Santa’s throne to the toy department. No one else had guessed that Intellytron would be one of the hottest retail trends of the season.

      While Holly was thrilled for Jake, she was still concerned that there wouldn’t be any left once she could afford to make the purchase. Jake had again assured her she didn’t need to worry; he’d put one aside for Gabe. It was safely hidden away in the back of the storeroom, with a note that said it wasn’t to be sold.

      Holly dashed into the office just in time. She saw Lindy Lee glance at her watch but Holly knew she had three minutes to spare. While Lindy Lee might not appreciate her new work habits, she was well within the bounds of what was required. Before Gabe’s advent into her life, she’d often arrived early and stayed late. That wasn’t possible now, and she was paying the price for her earlier generosity, which Lindy Lee had quickly taken for granted. Still, she enjoyed her job and believed she was a credit to her employer, even if Lindy didn’t agree.

      “Good morning,” she said to her boss, sounding more cheerful than she felt. Holly was determined not to allow Lindy Lee’s attitude to affect her day.

      At noon, Holly began to check her watch every few minutes. She kept her cell phone on her desk, ready to receive Gabe’s call. He should be phoning any time now; school was out, and he’d be going home with Jonathan. At twelve-thirty Holly started to worry. Gabe should be at the Krantzes’. Why hadn’t he called? She felt too anxious to eat the crackers and cheese she’d brought, too anxious to do anything productive. She’d give him until one-fifteen and then she’d call.

      At one-thirteen, her cell phone chirped, and she recognized the Krantzes’ number. Holly heaved a grateful sigh. “Hello,” she said.

      “Holly?” It was Caroline.

      “Oh, hi. Did everything go as scheduled? Did Gabe and Jonathan walk home from school together?”

      “Well, that’s the reason I’m phoning. Gabe didn’t come home with Jonathan.”

      A chill raced down her spine. “What do you mean?”

      “He told Jonathan there was something he needed to do first, so Jonathan came home by himself. I … I feel really bad about this.”

      “Where is he?” Holly asked, struggling not to panic.

      “That’s just it. I don’t know.”

      There was a huge knot in Holly’s chest, and she found it difficult to breathe. How could she tell her brother that Gabe had gone missing?

      Panicked thoughts surged through her mind. He’d been abducted, kidnapped, held for ransom. Or even worse, simply taken, never to be seen or heard from again.

      “I’ll call you if I hear anything,” Caroline told her. “I’d go look myself but I can’t leave the children. If he’s not here in an hour, we’ll reassess, call the police. In the meantime, I’ll phone some of the other kids’ parents.”

      “Yes