Three Nights before Christmas by Kat Latham Read Free Book Online Page B

opportunities to develop his skills, build his strength and not be held back by his injuries.
    And that was why Austin was freezing his ass off, losing an argument to a young girl. He redoubled his efforts. “Santa will be visiting Copper Mountain every day in the week before Christmas. He’ll have lots of fun things for you to do. You can visit his workshop, meet some of his elves, take a sleigh ride through the snow, and eat yummy food.”
    “And ride in a steam train!” Josh shouted, his voice overflowing with excitement.
    The kids gasped, spinning to give him their full attention. Austin and Gabriel shared a worried cringe over their heads.
    “Uh, Josh—” Gabriel started.
    But—typical—the boy wouldn’t listen. His hands moved a mile a minute as he wove a story for the younger kids. “Gabriel and my new uncles have an old steam train. It used to bring copper down from Copper Mountain, but it hasn’t been used in almost a hundred years. They’re fixing it, though, and it’ll take you up to Santa’s Wonderland. Wanna go?”
    Shouts filled the air and the group of excited kids jumped up and down.
    Heart sinking low in his gut, Austin tried to temper their enthusiasm. “Actually, we’re not sure whether—”
    “Want to buy a ticket for the train?” Josh asked.
    The kids shouted, “Yeah!”
    Josh pointed at the table. “Go line up, and I’ll be right there.”
    Nausea burned Austin’s throat at the prospect of disappointing not only Josh but all these kids. When they’d dashed to the table and formed the most orderly line he’d ever seen, he rubbed his hand across his throbbing forehead.
    Josh grinned. “And that , gentlemen, is how you sell tickets.”
    He rolled off with a flourish and settled behind the table, where he handled the transactions. Austin, Gabriel, and Molly formed their own little huddle of adult realism on the edge of the crowd.
    “What are the chances of the train being finished on time?” Molly asked, her voice hushed.
    Gabriel glanced at him, since Austin had volunteered to project manage this part of the fundraiser.
    Austin grimaced. “I’ve hit some snags. There were a couple of replacement parts that took longer to source than I expected. And some of the mechanical problems stumped me, so I’ve had to find experts but it’s tough to describe problems to them over the phone, even if I video call them and show them what I’m talking about.”
    “Sooo…” Molly said, “the chances are…?”
    “Not great.”
    She nodded. “We’ve overcome much worse. I know you’re busting your behind, Austin, and that’s what matters most.”
    No, it wasn’t. He’d busted his ass, yes. But he would do anything for Josh—and for countless kids he hadn’t met yet who deserved a chance to ride horses and do ropes courses and all the things he’d taken for granted as an adolescent.
    “I’ll get the train finished, Molly. I promise.”
    “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
    “I don’t.” He squeezed her shoulders and dipped his head to meet her eyes. “The Copper Mountain Express will be finished in time.”
    Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Lacey hoisting a baled tree onto her shoulder and sliding it into the back of a mom’s pickup truck. He’d eaten a lot of crap in his life. Pride was going to be the hardest to choke down.

Chapter Five
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    T he rev-rev-rev of a chainsaw split the peaceful mountain air. Lacey laid its teeth against a spruce’s bark, feeling the saw’s bite in the way it tried to leap from her hands. She held her grip steady and slowly fed the metal through the tree’s trunk. The saw’s eager, throaty growl turned into a high whine as it slid through the wood before jerking out the other side with a triumphant roar.
    “Timber!” she shouted, even though Joel and Tony were cutting and baling trees far enough away that they were in no danger. She quickly flipped off the saw and stepped out of the falling tree’s path, watching