A Merry Little Christmas by Catherine Palmer Read Free Book Online

towel. Peter rushed to control the dog. The door blew open, and seven teenagers—all talking at once—burst into the house.
    “This is it,” Daniel announced proudly, “the place to be! This is Peter and Tabitha, and Wisdom and Justice.”
    “Hey, Mr. Maddox!” one of the girls sang out.
    “It’s Dr. Crane!” a boy said. “What’s she doing here?”
    “Let’s all go over to your basement, Ben. There’s not enough room here.”
    “Hold on. I want you to meet everyone.”
    “Why don’t we order some more pizzas?”
    “I want mushroom. No anchovies this time. I mean it.”
    “Cute dog! What breed is he?”
    “What kind of names are Wisdom and Justice?”
    Lara grabbed her purse. She was slipping into her coat when a hand clamped onto her arm. Swinging around, she saw Jeremiah Maddox—howling baby in a squirmy bundle on his shoulder—glaring at her.
    “Where do you think you’re going?”
    “Home.” She patted the baby’s little round bottom. “Have fun.”
    “Hold on a minute. You can’t abandon me here.”
    “You don’t have to stay, either.”
    “Yeah, but I—” He lifted Tobias from his shoulder and pushed him at Lara. “Take this baby.”
    “No,” she said evenly. “You picked him up. He’s all yours.”
    “He’s not mine. Nothing here is mine. I didn’t ask for any of this.”
    “Jeremiah, we have an agreement. I will check on the Muraya family twice a week and send you a note informing you that I’ve been here. Otherwise, I’m out of the picture.”
    “But this is not okay. There’s soda all over the floor. And a puppy. And—”
    “And teenagers and pizza and a whole lot of fun. Enjoy!”
    She waved the tips of her fingers at him and hurried toward the door. Sidestepping sprawling teenagers and somersaulting little boys, evading an anxious mother and dodging a puppy with springs in its legs, Lara made it across the room. She turned the doorknob, stepped out into the chill November air and pulled the door shut behind her.
    Thank God! Looking up at the stars, she felt a ripple of blissful praise well up inside her. This was going to be great. The Lord had solved another problem. Jeremiah’s boys would be wonderful for the two little Murayas, the puppy would add just enough havoc to keep things lively, Peter and Tabitha could make a happy home and Jeremiah…well, he was in for a shake-up of the tidy, comfortable world he had built for himself. Exactly what the man needed, in Lara’s opinion.
    She passed Peter’s badly dented car and lifted up a petition that God would keep him from having any more “smashing” moments. And then she turned her prayers toward the host of other matters pressing for attention. A student from Ivory Coast had suddenly lost e-mail and phone contact with her entire extended family. Political instability in the West African nation didn’t bode well. As Lara approached her car, she asked the Lord for a breakthrough in communication for the frightened young woman.
    Then there was the Indian student she had spent hours with that morning. His two older brothers had breezed through Reynolds University and were working on doctorates in other states. This poor kid, on the other hand, was a lost lamb. He was failing most of his classes and in danger of losing his student visa. And then there was the young man from Brazil on a tennis scholarship who had managed to break his leg….
    “Lara.”
    The word brought her to a halt. She knew it was Jeremiah even before she turned.
    “Can I help you?” she asked.
    “Yes.” He stepped closer. “You can tell me why you thought it was okay to walk away the minute everything in that house started getting out of hand.”
    Clenched fists at his hips and the stern set of his jaw caused Lara to back into the side of her car. “I didn’t walk out on you. I would never abandon anyone. I simply needed to head for home.”
    “You walked out of the cottage and shut the door on me.”
    “And I’ll be back. I will