Sea of Christmas Miracles by Christine Dorsey Read Free Book Online Page B

south... and started the school.”
    When she finished her explanation, Thomas
stood staring at her. Then his hands came up, bracketing her face.
She seemed surprised when he lowered his head, but she didn’t back
away.
    Kissing him was even better than the images
that had been floating through her head. She grasped his forearms
and gave herself up to the magic of his mouth. When he pulled her
closer, she went willingly, eagerly. Opening her lips and nearly
swooning from the enormity of the feelings she had for him. She
moaned when he separated them enough to study her face.
    “Tell me, Maggie.” he said as his thumbs
caressed her cheeks. “Do you believe in miracles?”
    “Well, I—”
    “How about a voice from nowhere and happily
ever afters?”
    Margaret couldn’t answer for laughing when he
grabbed her about the waist and twirled her around the room. “You
will, Maggie mine. You will.”

    “Are you certain that’s enough?”
    Devon draped his arm around his wife’s
shoulders and gave her a quick kiss. “If we pile anything else on
that wagon the horses won’t be able to pull it.”
    Margaret had to agree with Thomas’s father.
He was a large man, handsome, with brown hair and green eyes. That
his son favored him wasn’t the only reason Margaret liked him.
“Really,” she said, smiling down at them from the wagon seat. “This
is enough... more than enough. I never imagined...” Margaret looked
across the seat at Thomas, unable to continue.
    “She’d only been able to purchase the
children some peppermints,” he explained.
    “Oh, that reminds me.” Felicity turned to her
oldest granddaughter, a redheaded beauty named Alice. “Run inside
and fetch that basket of oranges off the hall table.”
    “Now, Mother, we don’t want to take
everything.”
    “Don’t say another word, Thomas Blackstone.
You know very well, we’re giving what we want to give. Isn’t that
right, children?”
    To a one they agreed, but Margaret wasn’t
sure Merry and Andrew’s younger offspring weren’t voicing what
their elders expected from them. Still, each of the children had
voluntarily given up one toy to be taken to the orphanage.
    While they were packing those on the wagon,
the older Blackstones rummaged through their wardrobes, looking for
blankets and scarves, and warm woolen hats. Felicity had entered
her larder like a general waging war. When she emerged, there were
hams and flour and enough rice to feed the children till
Eastertide.
    “Are you sure you won’t stay the night and
start off first thing in the morning? It will be dark before you
reach the King plantation.”
    “We’ll be fine, Mother.” Thomas lifted the
reins to start the horses, then stopped. Handing them over to
Margaret he jumped from the seat. He hugged his mother first, then
his father. Merry was next and Andrew. Then he went down the line
of nieces and nephews.
    Ten-year-old Ben preferred a handshake to a
hug, but Thomas ruffled his blond hair anyway. “I’m sure the paints
will be much appreciated.”
    “As will the doll.” Alice was more than happy
to hug him.
    The twins, Janey and Jean, had given up the
dollhouse built by their grandfather. Devon confided to Thomas that
he was starting on another the following morning. Thomas was
equally determined to replace all the toys given up by his sister’s
children. But for now he allowed them to bask in the unselfish
emotion of helping someone less fortunate than themselves.
    Five-year-old John jumped into his arms when
Thomas approached him. “You’ll tell those children I’ll come and
play with them, won’t you?”
    “I will,” Thomas assured. “Then they can
thank you in person for the hoop.”
    “Some little girl will just love the rag
doll, Nancy,” Thomas told his three-year-old niece.
    “Betsy... her name is Betsy.”
    “I’ll be sure to tell them.”
    The youngest child was in leading strings and
hadn’t voluntarily given up anything, but Thomas lifted him up