For your holiday enjoyment




Return to Christmas Anthology
Copyright © 2009 by Lorelei Confer
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Cover design by Maureen Sevilla
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Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Dedicated to my husband for his patience and support and to my good friend and critique partner Maureen Sevilla. Thank you for your sincere loyalty, honesty, and encouragement 
A Country Christmas
A young family can't be late with their mortgage payment again. So two days before Christmas, at the onset of a blizzard, he goes to town leaving his wife and two young sons alone to endure a blackout on the 24th of December. Will he make it back? In time for Christmas?

Christmas Promises
When a young newlywed soldier recently returned from Iraq tells his young wife he has to work Christmas Day she goes ballistic. He had promised her they would never have to spend another holiday alone. When she wakes one morning she finds his things removed from the apartment as well as all the furniture and fixtures not the ones they had picked out together. She cries herself to sleep on the 'new' couch and wakes up to discover the true meaning of spending the holiday together. 

Christmas Salvation
A widower and a younger woman get to know each other better but not until after he accepts the concept that 'life goes by in a flash and you don't want to miss anything'.

Christmas Awakening
A young family travels from the northeastern United States to the hot sweltering south for a better way of life. Sunny days, sandy beaches, and summer heat. Their dreams are squashed when neither can find jobs and their surplus of money from the sale of their house is down to their least pennies. Until Christmas Eve!
A Country Christmas
Chapter 1
Two days before Christmas Lisa Williams stood at her kitchen window watching her husband Bill and their two boys, Jake and Chance drag the Christmas tree out of the woods and across the yard to the back porch. She couldn't help the knowing smile that lifted the corners of her mouth. With their rosy cheeks, runny noses and snow-covered clothes, she could clearly see the evidence of their snowball fights.
As the boys stomped their feet on the outside porch, she heard Bill say, "Go on in and ask Mom to get the hot chocolate ready. I'll be in as soon as I get the tree stand on the bottom of the tree." 
She rushed to the door to help the boys out of their snow covered scarves, mittens and boots, laying their wet clothes by the fireplace to dry. "Hurry. Go change into clean clothes while I make a pot of hot chocolate and Jake, please try and help your brother get dressed, okay?"
She had just set the table when her husband opened the door, dragging the tree inside. The room quickly filled with the scent of fresh air and woodsy pine. 
"Why does our tree have a hole without any branches on one side? When we looked at it in the woods I didn't see it then," Jake the older of the two boys asked. 
The tall but scraggly tree looked best with the bare spot turned to the wall as Bill pointed out to his sons. "Every Christmas tree has a hole on one side of it so it fits better against the wall. Otherwise, it would stick out in the middle of the room. The reason you didn't see it in the woods is because you and your brother were trying to kill each other with snowballs and giggling too hard to take a close look." 
"I think it looks perfect, don't you Chance?" 
"It sure does Mom, but can I have some hot chocolate, now?" jumping up and down, looking toward the stove.
"Hon, it really is a beautiful tree but not as beautiful as you." He leaned in to her to nuzzle her neck. She turned to wrap her arms around his neck and kissed his masculine, but soft lips. 
"I'm just glad my three boys are home. It was way too quiet here for me while you were gone." She rubbed his cold rosy cheeks and ran her fingers through his unruly dark curly hair.
"We were only gone a couple hours." Bill held her tight around the waist, so she couldn't move away from him.
"Two hours too many. I like it when we're all together. You know that, Bill." She gave him another kiss.
Bill kissed her and released his hold on her so she could deliver the much-sought-after-drink. 
As they sat around the kitchen table, Lisa asked, "So who won the snowball fight?" 
Both boys looked at their dad while he studied his cup, lifting his laughing eyes to her face only when he lifted his mug to take a sip. 
"Dad did," Chance finally answered. 
"That's what I thought." 
***
The boys, warmed by the heat of the kitchen and the fire in the fireplace, had drank their full and were beginning to fade from tiredness. Bill studied his wife's face. 
"When we're finished here, I'm going to get ready and go into town. When I get back I'll get the tree decorations down from the barn and we'll trim the tree. How does that sound, boys?" 
"Yeah! Trim the tree. But can we do it now Dad, please?" Jake asked.
"No, the little bit of snow we got last night is the edge of a bigger storm and I need to get to town to get our Christmas ham at Momma and Pap's before the storm gets any closer. We'll have plenty of time when I get back, I promise." as he looked at the concern on his wife's surprised face. 
"Why don't you boys go lie down in your beds and read some Christmas stories? I need to talk to your mother before I leave." Both boys got out of their chairs, kissed and hugged their Dad and ran to their room.
Chapter 2
"I know what you're thinking, hon, but you know I have to go. We can't be late with the mortgage payment again. I think I can make it to town and back before the big storm hits. The old pickup has four good tires and four-wheel drive. It should be able to get through any amount of snow. But if it gets really bad I'll stay over with Mom and Dad, and come home in the morning when the roads are clear." He got up from the table and carried his cup to the sink. 
He turned around to face her, leaning on the edge of the counter. She sat regally in the high back wooden chair, her slim figure with curves all in the right places, trying to put on a brave front. He loved to run his hands through her thick, dark-auburn hair, which she had pulled back into a ponytail today. He wished he could take the time right now to show her exactly how much he loved her and everything she did for the family they had created together. But he didn't. 
When she turned and looked at him with her sparkling-with-tears blue eyes she gave her true feelings away. He would do anything for her and hated to see the fear and hurt in her eyes. 
"Come here, baby." He opened his arms to her. 
***
Within seconds she was in his arms and crying on his big strong shoulders. 
"Do you have to go, Bill?" 
"You know I do, hon. I swear, I'll be back. It won't be like your Dad. I will not leave you and not come back. I love you and the boys way too much. Remember that always." He consoled her, rubbing her back and kissing her neck.
She turned her face to him and kissed his lips.
"I love you, Bill. I know you'll be back as soon as you can," straightening her back, found her reserve of strength and stepped out of his embrace. 
While he got his coat, boots, and gloves together, she made him a thermos of coffee. Only an hour's drive to town and his folk's home but they both knew with the snow on the roads it would take longer going both ways. 
Chapter 3
Lisa watched from the sun-drenched window seat, as Bill expertly maneuvered their old beat-up pick-up truck down the long snow-covered dirt road slipping and sliding all the way. The bright blue sky reminded her of summer six months ago when they had first moved to the country. A city girl herself, she and Bill both worked too many hours and when they started a family, she wanted to experience the solitude of nature where Bill had grown up and they wanted to provide the same kind of life for their boys. They decided she should stay at home with the kids, and giving up her income had come with some sacrifices.
She thought about the meager Christmas presents she had hidden away throughout the house for the boys and hoped they wouldn't be disappointed. Past Christmases with two incomes had provided the boys with lots of soon-to-be-broken or forgotten toys along with lots of clothes. This year the emphasis would be on family, caring, sharing and giving from the heart, homemade gifts and not so much receiving.
They had spent every penny they had on the little cottage-like house, the land that came with it and tried to get the most out of both. A few gallons of paint and a little sewing for comfortable cushions made the house more homey. 
The large garden they had all toiled in all summer produced enough bounty for the four of them to last through the winter except for milk and butter. She had learned how to bake bread from scratch, can green beans, corn, tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, and peas, and watched the huge sunflowers grow and bloom. 
And when Bill and the boys brought home chickens from the neighbor about three miles away, she learned how to feed them and gather eggs. When Bill's parents gave them two cows they fixed the leaky roof of the barn so they had a dry place to stay at night. They helped neighbors bale hay in lieu of hay to feed the two horses they had gotten at a really great price at a sale. 
"Momma, where are you?" Eight-year-old Jake hollered from the bedroom.
"I'm right here in the kitchen. Are you boys rested and ready to get up?" She made the way down the short hall to their small bedroom.
"Can we go out and play in the snow again?" five-year-old Chance asked. 
"No, dear, not again today. I have a better idea. Let's make some Christmas cookies." She tousled their heads as they ran past her to the kitchen, yipping with joy at the aspects of eating Christmas cookies more than the baking.
"Okay, what's the first rule to baking, Chance?" They started pulling their assigned chairs up to the counter in their designated spots. They had been helping her mix, and bake since they were able to stand on a chair at the counter and knew their jobs well. 
"Wash our hands, right mom?" Chance answered.
"That's right. So scoot now to the bathroom and get washed up," she said as she started to assemble the needed ingredients and implements on the kitchen counter.
Soon the delicious scents of butter, cream and vanilla filled the house along with evergreen from the Christmas tree. Lisa kept glancing out the window and down the lane hoping to see headlights at any moment. The sun had gone behind some nasty looking clouds and daylight began to recede quickly. She hoped the storm would hold off until Bill arrived home safely.
Chapter 4
The boys soon became bored so they left to play in their room while Lisa finished the baking and started to prepare a light supper for the three of them. She decided to have all their favorites: macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, and green beans. 
As she set the table, she called for the boys to wash up. They arrived at their chairs in record speed and just as she prepared to say the daily blessing the lights went out Leaving them in complete darkness.
The boys jumped in their chairs, "What happened, Mom?" 
"The electricity went out, probably heavy snow on the power line somewhere but it'll be fixed real soon, just as soon as the snow blows off. Just stay in your chairs. I have a surprise for you," She made her way into the kitchen in search of candles and matches. 
At the table, she struck a match to get their attention. "You are such lucky boys tonight." She leaned forward and whispered, "And do you know why?" 
Their bright eyes were riveted to the flame as she lit the candle. 
"Because tonight, you get to eat by candlelight."
She left the boys to ooh and aah over their new dinner plans to put another log on the fire. She looked out the window at the snow-covered lawn and shivered. 
This is not the night to be without heat, not without Bill to warm me.  
"When you're finished eating, I want you both to put on your warmest pajamas and brush your teeth, okay?" Lisa asked the boys.
"Okay, but when are we going to trim the tree?" Jake asked.
"Your father told you he would get the decorations down from the rafters in the barn as soon as he got back and I'm sure that's what he'll do," she reassured them.
"Mom, it's dark in the bathroom. How are we going to brush our teeth in the dark?" Chance asked.
"I'll hold the candle in the bathroom for you and I'll get your PJ's for you. You can change in there. Then we'll cuddle up in front of the fireplace together and we can sing songs and read stories by the light of the fire. It'll be kind of like camping out. It'll be fun," truly thinking it did sound like fun to her too. 
Chapter 5
Later, the three of them curled up in front of the fire, having exhausted themselves singing and reading, the boys began to get sleepy.
"When's Daddy coming home Mom?" Chance asked nuzzling close to her.
"He'll be here as soon as he can. I'm sure he would love to be here right now burrowing with us under all these soft, warm blankets. He would probably even start a tickle fight, wouldn't he?" Lisa said. 
But both boys had dozed off.
Lisa added another log to the fire every hour or so, thankful for Bill's foresight to stockpile wood inside the house. She lay spooning between her boys, listening to the wind howling around outside the house, the new fallen snow deafening any and all other sounds.
She had relaxed just enough to doze off when a loud thump at the back door brought her right back to consciousness. She sat up, thankful it hadn't awakened the boys, jumped off the couch and made her way to look outside. She looked out the window onto the fresh snow and didn't see any tire tracks along the lane from their truck. She heard another loud 'krrthunk', and 'thunk' as she made her way slowly to the back door. They had seen a bear and bear scat earlier in the year so she knew bears shared this land with them but she expected them to be hibernating this time of year. She knew Bill kept a loaded rifle in the coat closet by the back door and her hands shook as she reached in for it, careful not to make any noise that would disturb the boys.
She held the rifle along her right side as she strode to the door, her knees about to buckle, her hands shaking. She knew for certain she couldn't hit the broad side of the barn if she had to but she would die trying to protect her boys. She looked out onto the porch. She couldn't see any animal or human tracks in the fresh snow. She only saw the wide sweep made from the screen door attempting to take flight across the porch, having escaped its hook from the blustering wind. She quietly opened the inside door, grabbed the one outside, forcefully pulling it closed tight and securing it. At least now she knew where the sound came from, should she hear it again. Maybe then her nerve endings wouldn't be so jangled and frayed.
Chapter 6
The dark, gloomy morning filled her with a sense of foreboding she couldn't shake. It had never stopped snowing which meant the roads were impassable. She said a silent prayer, hoping with every fiber of her being that Bill had stayed at his parents. 
After a cold cereal breakfast, "I know daddy said he would get the tree decorations from the barn when he got back but we can start on some of our own before he gets here. I saw popcorn on a tree at the Mall one time that looked 'yummy'. We can pop it in the fireplace and then make strings of it for on the tree." She opened kitchen cupboard doors and drawers to get all the necessary supplies.
"Show us how, Mom," Jake said, "I really want to see the tree with some decorations."
"Me too, me too," yelled Chance, not to be outdone by his older brother in anything.
"Okay, let's get this corn popping and I'll get a needle and some thread. And I also have some red cranberries we can string and put on the tree," she said thinking nobody likes cranberry sauce that much anyway.
"Mom, in school we made these circles with different colored paper and put on the tree. Can we make some of them too?" Jake asked.
"Jake, that's a wonderful idea. You show Chance how to make them while I finish threading the last of the cranberries and popcorn." She glanced out the window toward the lane for the fifteenth time in the last five minutes. 
Still no sign of Bill and she began to feel the same unease again. What could have happened to him? She let out a quiet sigh, blinking away the tears in her eyes. Christmas Eve, and she was about to do something for the very first time. 
Make plans for a supper without Bill. 
Chapter 7
Lisa stood by the window watching the snowflakes taper until they finally stopped. The storm had lessened in its intensity and the sun shone bright on the pristine white crystals of ice. They had decorated the cookies this morning and hung some on the tree and it looked very festive. But as she looked around the small house, she realized there were no other decorations except for the Christmas tree.
"Boys, come on, I have an idea." She jumped up and ran to the closet to get their coats, boots and gloves. 
"Let's go play in the snow and while we're out there, I'll show you the special place I found this summer that grows 'trailing pine'. We can get some and decorate the mantel with it and it will make the house merrier. What do you think?" 
Lisa, looking forward to an escapade in the snow, glanced at the boys, who had already started to bundle up. As they made their way up the slight incline to the wood line, she took a deep breath of the clean fresh scent of pine-absorbing it as much as the quiet solitude. The snowstorm, leaving behind an additional twelve inches of snow on top of the three inches already on the ground made it hard going, especially for the boys, so Lisa forged ahead first, laying tracks for the boys to follow. She was reminded of the song 'Good King Wenceslas' and began singing. Before long the boys were singing their own renditions of 'Jingle Bells' and 'Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer'.
Upset by the disturbance of the peace and tranquility a squirrel chattered overhead in the tall trees, their branches overburdened with snow. A large black crow 'cawed', flapping it's large wings as it flew overhead looking for a small bunny or field mouse for its late afternoon meal. 
When they reached the area where trailing pine grew, she knelt and started digging through the deep snow. The boys, seeing it as a game, quickly joined her and before she knew it, they had collected more than enough to decorate their small mantel as well as the tables.
They carried their treasure back to the house while dark clouds replaced the sun and the wind began blustering around them, swirling and drifting the snow, quickly covering their footprints.
Chapter 8
Lisa left the trailing pine out on the back porch to dry off while she helped the boys out of their wet winter clothes and into soft and warm pajamas. After putting another log on the fire, she bundled up once more and made another trip to check on the animals in the barn.
She put soup on the stove for dinner and began decorating the mantel and the table. A richer and more pungent pine scent permeated throughout the house.	
After dinner as they lay together in front of the fire admiring their handiwork upon the tree, Chance said, "Mom, something's missing." 
"I know dear, but daddy will be here anytime now. He promised he would come back and he will. We need to be patient," She kissed the top of his soft hair.
"No, Mom, I know dad will be home soon. Something's missing on the tree," Chance said.
"Well, let's look it over again. What could it be?" she asked.
"I know," Jake said quickly, jumping up to stand on the couch. "The star is missing from the top of the tree. Maybe if we can make one bright and shiny it will help Daddy find his way home through all the snow." 
"Yeah, Mommy, that's it," said Chance, "can we make a big, shiny star?"
Lisa, surprised because her boys hadn't said anything about Santa Claus coming, or Santa Claus finding them in the snow or what Santa Claus would bring them. They only wanted to light the way for their daddy to come home. At that moment her heart overflowed with such love for these two little boys who looked and acted so much like their father, her eyes filled with tears.
In the kitchen, she found a large piece of cardboard and cut it into the shape of a star. Then, with the boys helping her, they wrapped the star in shiny aluminum foil. When they finished, they stood back and admired their artwork.
"Now, we need to put it on the top of the tree," Lisa said. "Who wants to do it?"
"Mom, let Chance do it this year and I'll do it next year. And he's smaller and you can still lift him. Next year Dad will lift me up." Chance nodded in agreement and clapped his hands.
Lisa lifted Chance up as far as she could while he adorned their beautifully decorated Christmas tree with the bright shiny star. They bundled on the couch, under every blanket in the house, with a fire roaring in the fireplace. Their tree was sure to shine bright throughout the night to light the way for Bill's quick and safe return.
Chapter 9
Lisa woke up during the night to find the fire needed more wood. She climbed out of her warm cocoon of blankets to put another log on the starving fire. She listened to the howling wind as she made her way to the window, distressed by the amount of snow that continued to fall. 
And still no sign of Bill. 
She found the presents she had hidden for the boys and placed them lovingly under the tree, the tree they had all decorated together with love, like their lives, sharing and caring for one another. She returned to the couch and gathered the two boys close to her. Enveloped in their warmth, she finally fell asleep.
She awoke a little before dawn, just as the fire began to die down. She added another log to the embers and made her way to the window overlooking the dirt road, sure she already knew what she would see. Nothing! 
Standing at the window, she couldn't stop the tears streaming down her cheeks. Her heart was full of fear and worry for her beloved husband. She could barely tolerate the wait and the not knowing.
A noise broke the silence; a whirring noise that quickly grew in intensity. She looked down the lane and saw lights, too many lights to be Bill's truck. She closed her eyes against a sudden wave of fear. When she opened them again, she found herself staring in shock at a line of snowmobiles-close to a half-dozen or more. 
Lisa started to wake up the boys then thought better. What if the snowmobile riders were bringing bad news about Bill? 
How can I tell my boys their father won't be coming home? Her worry increased as she watched the snowmobiles approach. She decided she would tell them about their father the same way her mother had to tell her about her father when he left for Desert Storm, breaking his promise to return. Somehow, she would get through this just as her mother before her.
Chapter 10
The sun began to peek over the mountaintop and she could just begin to make out figures on the snowmobiles. On the first one she recognized Bill in his red plaid winter coat with his tan wool scarf flying in the wind behind him. Her loud whoop of relief woke the boys, who ran to her side. 
"It's Christmas and we've just received the best present ever! Daddy's home." She hugged them and tousled their hair, anxious to throw herself in Bill's arms and make sure she wasn't dreaming. 
"Daddy saw the star, I know he did," Chance exclaimed.
Jake ran for his boots and winter coat and flew out the back door, Lisa and Chance close behind him.
"Daddy, Daddy," they said in unison as he turned off the snowmobile and walked quickly to the porch, holding his arms wide open for a big hug. 
"You saw the star on the tree, didn't you Daddy?" Chance asked. 
***
Bill hugged and kissed Lisa, not wanting to let her go. He looked at his boys, his family, and exclaimed, "I sure did boys. A bright light shone right over our house so I knew exactly where to go." Home. 
Chapter 11
Lisa looked at him and smiled at his response to the boys. "So tell me, what happened?"
"Some of the townspeople, you know how my old friends are, and my parents as well, wanted to make sure I made it home for Christmas. They made me wait out the storm with them. This morning before we left to come back here, we loaded the snowmobiles with all the trimmings? for the best Christmas celebration ever." 
 Hand in hand, they turned to look at the sunlight streaming through the window. The early morning rays kissed the branches of the Christmas tree and illuminated the hand-made star. 
The bright, shiny star that led the way home.
Christmas Promises
Chapter 1
"Work? Are you telling me you have to work on our first Christmas?" Elyse Donnelly's eyes flashed, partially with anger, mostly with disappointment. Her husband, Nick, sat down slowly at their small breakfast table with a sigh. 
Without waiting for him to answer she continued with her tirade. "You haven't even been back from Iraq four months, I've been dragged across the country, we're miles away from family and friends, and you're telling me you can't be with me for Christmas?"  
"I don't want to spend the day alone in this tiny apartment by myself. You'll have to get out of working, that's all there is to it," she said with finality.
"Honey, it doesn't work like that and you know it. When you're in the Army and they tell you to work on Christmas Day, you work on Christmas Day. And, that's all there is to that. Come here," he said as he opened his arms to her.
She turned away from the kitchen sink, took two steps and he lifted her onto his lap. He nuzzled her neck and kissed her cheeks, then her lips.
"We'll just have to make the best of it. At least we're in the same country this year, and..." He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "...the same bed every night." He nuzzled her shoulder, kissing his way down to her breasts. "Mmm, nice."  
Elyse moaned, trying to maintain her anger and catch her breath. Her breasts were so sensitive, her heart raced full of love and affection for this man, the love of her life. She returned his kisses, savoring the one-and-only taste of this man who was her husband. 
"I know sweetheart, but this year is special, our first married Christmas alone as a couple. I can't bear the thought we won't be together and you promised," she whispered. She swallowed back the lump in her throat and blinked her tear-filled eyes trying to keep them from trickling down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry, honey, don't cry. I'll still be home at night and we'll still celebrate. It'll be okay. Don't worry," he said as he kissed away her tears.
She jerked her head away from his and jumped off his lap returning to the kitchen sink. She busied herself, scraping leftover hamburger bits from their plates and loading the dishwasher, unable to look at her husband. 
She waited until she heard his chair scrape the floor as he left the table. Hearing the sounds of the TV she began clearing the table of the remnants of the meal they had shared in their small apartment off post of a military base in Virginia. 
As she washed the dishes stacking them in the sink to dry, she remembered last Christmas when Nick was in Iraq. He had promised her if he made it back from his tour in Iraq it would be the very last time they would be apart, especially for the holidays. And now he was breaking his promise.
They had been high school sweethearts, both coming from very humble beginnings, growing up on farms. They had eloped and gotten married about a eighteen months ago between Nick's two tours of duties in Iraq. This year was special. This year would be their first married Christmas alone, just the two of them, and she had a big surprise for him. 
She had planned on giving it to him on Christmas Day. Now all her plans were ruined and she began to think they would never have a regular old fashioned Christmas together. Like the ones she had as a kid, with all the family gathered around the beautifully decorated Christmas tree, passing cups of eggnog and sharing freshly baked cookies. Excitement filling the room with the anticipation of the thoughtful gifts they would give and receive from their beloved family and friends. Were those memories only a dream for her?
Now, instead of a special day together she would be alone. Alone in a stifling small apartment they had moved into just three short weeks ago. Alone in a strange town with no friends or family nearby.  Alone on Christmas Day.
Chapter 2
Money was short, like every other month, but it felt worse in December. Six months worth of car insurance, and their recent purchases to 'set up' housekeeping put a big dent in their small savings. They had bought three rooms of furniture, piece by piece, spreading the payments over six months, but it took a big chunk of their paychecks every month. Now, with Christmas just days away, they would need to buy a tree, decorations and presents. Spend. Spend. Spend.
And as the days drew closer to Christmas, Elyse became more disappointed, her heart filled with trepidation and loneliness. She couldn't get the picture out of her head of sitting alone on Christmas day while the rest of the entire world celebrated with family and friends. And the one and only person she wanted to be with, her husband, wouldn't be home.
Elyse could picture the big family gathering at her parents festively decorated home, with all the aunts, uncles and cousins coming from far away to spend the holidays. Bright Christmas lights and ornaments adorning every house on the block, carolers going door to door, neighbor to neighbor, spreading cheer and goodwill, sharing stories of Christmas's past while drinking hot cocoa or sipping eggnog around a warming fire.
She slammed the silverware drawer closed after taking out a spoon to stir her hot tea. She picked up her cup and made her way into the living room and sat on the chair across from her husband. 
"Come here, honey and snuggle with me like you always do," Nick said as he placed his arm across the back of the couch as usual. Elyse sulked. She ignored him picking up a magazine, and began looking at other people's beautifully decorated holiday homes. Wishing it could be hers, and then everything would be okay. Right?
Chapter 3
Nick stood and reached out a hand to her.  "Are you comin' along? I'm going to bed?"
Without looking up, Elyse said, "Not now, I'll be in later." She ran her hand through her long brown hair, pushing it behind her ears, while Nick stood waiting. After what seemed like minutes but really only amounted to seconds he slowly walked to their bedroom.
"Have it your way," he muttered under his breath.
She heard running water in the bathroom as he brushed his teeth, but she still didn't move. This would be the first night they didn't go to bed at the same time and make love since he returned from Iraq. But she had to convince him to change the rules for her. She wanted him home on Christmas Day.
She turned the pages in the magazine without even looking at them, so preoccupied with her own thoughts, her own desires, her own needs. She slowly drank her tea, not in any hurry to get to bed.
An hour or so later, she closed the magazine and threw it on the coffee table. So much for breaking him down, she thought. She quietly got ready for bed and lay down beside him. She had grown accustomed to his snoring and it usually didn't bother her but tonight she didn't want to hear it. She elbowed him in the ribs and when he reached for her she scooted away. She wanted to be left alone.
Chapter 4
The following morning he was gone when she woke up. He usually woke her up to kiss her goodbye before he left for work but not this morning. And that was fine with her.  
She got ready for work, preoccupied with her thoughts of Nick breaking his promise. She arrived at her part time job as a grocery store cashier about 5 minutes late. She talked to so many people throughout the day, buying party platters, and Christmas cookies for office parties, their kids excited about Santa Claus coming and all the presents they were going to have under their tree come Christmas morning. As she checked out customers with turkeys and hams along with chocolate chips and baking goods the time flew by quickly and her shift was over.
She dreaded going home because she didn't want to hurt. She didn't want to feel the disappointment of his breaking his promise every time she looked at him. Her anguish showed on her face as she stood at the employee door waiting to go to her car. Another cashier Carrie Woodring, just coming on duty, noticed her droopy face.
"What's the matter girl?" 
"Nick has to work on Christmas day and I can't bear the thought of us not being together for Christmas," she blubbered to the young woman. "He broke his promise to me just like my father did. My father promised me he would be home in time to walk me down the aisle but he wasn't. His tour was extended and he didn't dome home for another four months."
Carrie was filled with wonderment. "Well, it's only one day for heaven's sake. One day out of many years you and Nick will have together. One day just like any other day. And what about the night before Christmas and the night after Christmas and all the other days and nights you'll have together? I wish Bob had made it back from Iraq so we could have just a couple more minutes together. What I wouldn't do just to be able to say "I love you" to him one more time. But I'll be spending Christmas with him anyway, so it doesn't really matter, does it?" Carrie asked.
"What do you mean? I thought you just said Bob didn't make it back. How will you be spending Christmas with him?" Confusion on her face, her eyes wide with concern for her friend.
"Oh, no he didn't. But he's still with me every minute of every day and every night. Right here, where it counts." She thumped her hand against her chest where her loving heart lay beneath.
"Oh, right." Elyse shook her head to clear the clutter of what Carried had just said. "Well, I want Nick with me on Christmas Day. He promised me and I expect him to keep his promises. And that's all there is to it. Right now I can't see it any other way," Elyse said with finality.
"Oh Elyse, I'm so sorry. You just don't 'get it'.  Christmas is a special time of year, when you reach out to those in need. It's the happiest time of the year, especially for you since it's your first Christmas together. I can't believe you're going to ruin it by being miserable," Carrie said as she sauntered off to her work station.
Chapter 5
When Elyse arrived home and walked in the door, she smelled something good cooking. Nick must have gotten off early and made dinner, she thought, as she skipped a step in her excitement. Then she caught herself. She walked into the kitchen to see her handsome husband, wearing her apron with tomato sauce splatters all over the front, his blue eyes smiling at her. 
"What are you doing?" 
"I thought I would surprise you and make spaghetti for dinner. You've been looking a little tired lately."
"Well, I'm not hungry for spaghetti. You can eat it yourself. And you need to get the kitchen cleaned up. I'm not doing that either," she whined.
 Nick followed her into the bedroom. While she changed her clothes, he grabbed her from behind and tried to kiss her ear but she pulled away from him. She didn't want anything to do with him until he made sure he would be with her on Christmas day. She quickly left him standing, dumbfounded in the bedroom and made her way to the kitchen. She grabbed a yogurt from the fridge and ate it while looking at a magazine in the living room. 
Nick made himself a big plate of spaghetti and ate alone at the table. The table they had deliberated over buying for days. The table they had agreed they and their children would eat all their meals at together. The table where Nick sat alone, befuddled by his wife's cold attitude toward him.
Chapter 6
For the second night in a row Elyse went to bed angry. And alone since Nick fell asleep on the couch. She tossed and turned all night and Nick was gone when she woke up the next morning. Still tired and sick to her stomach. She didn't need to go to work today until noon so she stayed in bed until the sickness abated. 
Filled with loneliness she cried while she showered. Her nerves were frayed and her emotions all jumbled up. She missed Nick. She missed him kissing her neck, and whispering in her ear as they watched TV. She missed his smile every time he looked at her. She missed his caresses and their passionate lovemaking. And she missed their conversations, sharing their days and their nights.
She hardly recognized the woman looking back at her in the mirror. There were dark circles under her swollen green eyes and her cheeks were mottled red from crying. Pulling her hair back into a pony tail she glanced at the clock. No time to primp today or she would be late for work again.
Arriving at work at the same time as Carrie they greeted each other as they punched their cards into the time clock. 
"How are you today?" 
"I'm fine. How about you?" 
"Did you make up with your mind yet or are you still wasting time?" Carrie stunned Elyse with her bluntness.
"What do you mean?" 
"I meeeanan the longer you're not talkin', you're not lovin' and it doesn't matter whether it's Christmas or not. Some of us want to get as much of both done as we can in this lifetime. We never know when it'll end and we'll come up short." Carrie walked away to start her shift, leaving Elyse to look after her in wonder.
Chapter 7
December 23
Elyse worked the three to nine late shift and arrived home later than usual. The lights were out in the living room and the apartment was dark. Instead of Nick waiting up for her as usual he had already gone to bed. He had an early day tomorrow and just as on every other day, he would be up before five AM and gone before five-thirty AM. 
She heard his gentle snoring as she tiptoed into the bedroom and undressed in the dark. Oh, how she wanted to lie down beside him and feel the heat from his naked body next to hers but she couldn't. What other promises had he made to her that he had broken or would break because he couldn't keep them?
She had trouble falling asleep, again tossing and turning, thinking about so many things said and unsaid, done and should be undone. Or couldn't be unsaid or undone. 
When she woke up, she was alone. She reached over to Nick's side of the bed finding it cold, practically undisturbed. She looked around the bedroom. It seemed different, smaller and bare somehow. Nick's robe didn't hang on the hook on the back of the bedroom door. She couldn't smell his favorite cologne that always seemed to linger in the room, even when he wasn't there. When she glanced at the dresser the bottle of his favorite cologne, along with the gold watch she had given him as a wedding present were gone, replaced with a bottle of expensive perfume and a string of pearls. Neither of which they could afford. 
She jumped up and rushed to the closet and opened his side of the double doors. Empty. Only her side had any contents.
She ran into the kitchen and checked the coffee pot. Nick always made a pot and had two cups in the morning before he left for work, sometimes taking the last cup with him. There was no coffee waiting for her, in fact there was no coffee maker on the counter at all. No dirty mug in the sink. No evidence he had been there. 
She began to panic and raced into the living room. His boots were not at the front door where he always left them. Nor was his favorite magazine on the coffee table any longer. The coffee table wasn't the one they had picked out together nor was any of the other furniture in the room. There was no sign Nick lived in this apartment, which wasn't where they lived. Everything was different, small and empty. Just like her heart.
She began to cry, throwing herself onto the unfamiliar couch. Her heart filled with dread, aching with loneliness, her chest hurting with emptiness, her heart racing as it tried to reach her throat.
What had happened to their home? To their marriage? What had she done? Her arms flailed and her legs kicked at unseen objects as she tried to rid herself of the nightmare consuming her.
Chapter 8
When Elyse woke up, she was in her own bed, her eyes swollen and her stomach sick. She lay still until the nausea receded then slowly made her way to the bathroom. As she passed the dresser she got a whiff of Nick's cologne and backed up. His bottle of cologne sat on the dresser, where it always did, along with his gold watch. She raced to the kitchen, assailed with nausea as she inhaled the aroma of coffee, looking into the sink and finding a dirty mug. She sighed in relief. 
She hurried to the bathroom and through her shower and dressed. She had to get to work. She had some catching up to do.
Because she had been in such a snit for the last few days she had not done any shopping except for their families and had shipped them earlier in the month. She at least wanted to get a present for Nick. 
What about a tree? They could still get one and decorate it tonight. She had to work till six tonight, when the store closed for the holiday, but she and Nick would have all evening and all night. And then tomorrow night, and the next night and the next night...
Excitement flowed through her as she raced through the Mall making her last minute purchases and hurried on to work. She ordered a ham she planned to take home and bake for dinner tonight and while it baked they would decorate the tree and exchange presents. 
Tomorrow would go by quickly, and soon Nick would be home and in her arms once more, loving her, she was sure. And she never wanted to feel the fear and anguish of Nick not being in her life ever again. She would do whatever it took as long as she knew he would be there, in the same house, in the same room, and in the same bed.
Busy at work, the hours sped by and her shift was over. As her coworkers wished everyone good tidings she returned the greetings and hurried to her car. She had big plans for this evening. 
When she arrived in the apartment complex she noticed there weren't any lights on inside. Nick was usually home by now. AAH! Maybe he had some last minute Christmas shopping to do as well. She hurried inside with her groceries, changed her clothes putting on a red lounging set and started the preparations for dinner. While the ham was baking she dug up some Christmas lights and ornaments her mother had given her last year when they had put away her mother's Christmas tree. They would work perfect on their first Christmas tree. The one they would go and get together as soon as Nick got home.
She glanced at the clock on the wall in the kitchen. Eight o'clock! How could it be so late? Nick should have been home long ago. 
She quickly ran to the bedroom, smelling his cologne as she reached the doorway but checked the dresser anyway to make sure the bottle still sat in its usual place. It did.
What could be taking him so long? The Mall would be closed by now, as well as most all the other stores. She sat on the corner of the bed with his bottle of cologne in her hand. She lay down on his side of the bed, putting her head on his pillow and inhaled. She could smell his scent, the scent belonging only to him. Tears formed in her eyes and soon overflowed, running down her cheeks and onto the pillow. She soon dozed off.
Chapter 9
Nick arrived home shortly after midnight with a small Christmas tree tied to the top of his small car. After leaving his message on their answering machine he decided to surprise Elyse with the tree and had even bartered for some lights and decorations. As he parked the car and strode up to the front door he saw the house was dark. He thought for sure Elyse would be happy to see him and would be waiting up for him but she had been so tired in the last few weeks and out of sorts he couldn't figure her out anymore.
He quietly opened the door so he wouldn't disturb her. The aroma of baked ham permeated his nostrils, reminding him he hadn't eaten any dinner earlier. After removing his coat and boots, leaving them by the door, he tiptoed to their bedroom. The bright moon cast a glow through the window and onto the bed, spreading onto Elyse's face. 
She was so beautiful with such radiance about her. He admired her body shape, noticing she had filled out some since high school and especially since they had gotten married and settled down in their own home. She must be content. 
He sat down on the bed with care so he wouldn't startle her. He ran his fingers gently, caressing, over her cheekbone wiping away a lingering tear. He closed his eyes and lowered his face to hers, taking in her scent, concentrating on her soft skin, touching her and tasting her with his lips. He gently kissed her ear, making his way along her neck until he reached her mouth. When she began to respond to his kiss he opened his eyes and stared into hers, wild eyes full of fear but quickly replaced with love.
"You came back. Oh, Nick, I'm so glad you came back. I'm so sorry I've been so mean and self-centered about you being with me on Christmas day. But you promised and I was just being stupid."  She pulled him close and hugged his neck.
He hugged her close not wanting this feeling to end. It had been a long, lonely week. One he didn't want to repeat. 
"Honey what you are talking about? I didn't leave. Didn't you get the message I left on the answering machine?"  He pushed away from her to look into her confused face.
"No, I didn't even think to check the machine. I haven't been myself the last few weeks, I'm so sorry for being so selfish. Will you forgive me, please?" she pleaded with him.
"Honey, I never left. I've been going to work early every day and then today I worked a double so I could be home with you tomorrow on Christmas. I left you a message so you wouldn't worry. I even brought home a surprise."
"Oh, Nick, I love you so much. I know we'll have to be apart some of the time but you'll always be with me in my heart."
"I love you too, honey, but I'm starved and the ham you baked smells so good..."
"Oh my god, the ham. I completely forgot. I guess I lost track of time," she said as she scooted off the bed and hurried to the kitchen.
"I have to go to the car to get my surprise. I'll be right back, sweetheart," Nick said as he hurried out the door shaking his head. Women! He would never understand them. 
He made quick work of untying the tree, gathering together the decorations and was about to open the door when it opened from inside. 
Elyse's eyes sparkled as she giggled at the sight of her husband loaded down with a tree and sacks of ornaments, looking very similar to Santa Claus.
While Nick got the tree set up Elyse put the finishing touches on dinner, so excited about giving her present to him she could barely contain herself. 
Chapter 10
After dinner and trimming the tree they sat close to each other on the couch holding hands like lovers do. 
"Okay, where's my present? Did you hide it?" Nick asked.
"Well, it's kind of hidden but its right here," she said as she looked into his eyes, while taking his hand and placing it on her abdomen. His eyes grew wide with confusion, then excitement.
"We're going to be a family, Nick. I know it's sooner than we planned but..." She couldn't finish her sentence because he was kissing her, covering her mouth with his lips. When he pulled away he looked intently into her eyes and asked, "Wha, what do you mean a 'family'?"
"We're going to have twins, sweetheart. There will be two more mouths to feed next Christmas this time, and I'll still want to have you here on Christmas day but I'll take you whenever I can get you. After all, we want to get the most out of this lifetime, 'cause we never know when it'll end." 
Christmas Salvation
Two weeks before Christmas
Chapter 1
John Watson put his cup of coffee down on the granite countertop and reached over to answer the wall phone, "Hello?"
"Hi Dad. How are you?" 
"I'm fine, Jen. How's the weather there in sunny Florida?" he asked as he picked up his cup of coffee and took a leisurely sip.
"We're all fine, Dad. But I have some bad news. Since I took so much time off from work when Mom was sick, then more for the funeral, and Thanksgiving, my company won't approve any more time off for me. They've already had to make some cut backs due to overall economics, too. So Cameron and I talked about it and we're not going to be able to come home for Christmas this year. Dad, I'm really sorry," she said, rushing her words.
He thought he heard some hesitation in her voice and pulled out a chair to sit at the table. "I understand dear. With the price of gas and air fare these days, I don't think as many people will be traveling for the holidays as before." He stared out the window watching a Cardinal settle at the bird feeder for breakfast, surprised the bird was still hanging around this time of year.
"Well, the kids are getting older now too, Dad, and you know how that goes. They want to stay home and be with their friends." The slight annoyance in her voice was obvious.
"That's good too. It's about time you and Cameron started making some of your own holiday traditions anyway. Don't you worry about me, if that's your concern." He took another sip of his coffee.
"Dad, why don't you come here for Christmas? I know how you hate those brutal Ohio winters." 
He chuckled. "I would, but you know how hard it is to get away from the farm. These cows don't feed themselves." 
"Have you heard from Rob and Linda?" 
"Not for a couple weeks. But they're in the same boat as you and Cameron are where economics are concerned. He missed a lot of work when your mother first got sick, and he mentioned something at Thanksgiving when everyone was here that he didn't know if they'd be able to make it back for Christmas. Air fare isn't cheap from California either," he said tapping his fingers on the table.
"Dad, I'm really sorry." 
"Now, I told you. Don't worry about me. We'll talk on the phone, and it'll be just like we're all together, okay?" he said consolingly.
"Okay, but it won't be the same. I'll talk to you soon, Dad. I love you."
"I love you too. And give my love to the kids."
"I will. Bye Dad."
"Bye, Jen." He hung up the phone, watching the cardinal at the feeder and drummed his fingers harder on the table while he fell into deeper thought. 
In nine months a baby can be conceived and born and in nine months a lifetime of companionship erased. Nine months since his wife Liz had given up the fight to cervical cancer. Nine months of loneliness, missing a woman he had spent the last 40 years of his life with, raising a family. Nine months of long days and even longer nights.
Chapter 2
John poured his second cup of coffee for the day, picked up the paper and sat down in his easy chair in the living room. He had fed the few remaining cattle he had and after next Saturday's sale, he'd be out of the cattle business. It had been waning for years and he'd lost interest. Now, instead of constant upkeep on the barn and farm equipment, he would spend time cooking, cleaning and laundry. None of which he minded. After all, how much food could he eat? How many dirty dishes or clothes could one man create?
Taking a sip of his too-bitter coffee he heard a knock at the back door and turned to get up. A smile lit up his face.
"Well good morning, Mrs. Stevens. How are you?" he asked as he opened his back door to his neighbor. The attractive middle aged woman had given her older home to her son and his family and moved into the house up the road a piece about eighteen months ago to take care of her elderly mother. She had met Liz during one of her hospital stays and had become a good friend to her during her illness.
"Good morning and please call me Lydia," she said as she tried to gather her fly-away hair with her hand. 
"Then, you call me John. Come on in out of the cold wind and sit a spell. I'll make some fresh coffee," he said as he started to make his way to the sink in the kitchen.
"Well, I'll come in for a couple minutes, but, please no coffee for me. I wanted to stop and drop off this plate of Christmas cookies I baked," she said as she took a heaping plate filled with all sizes, shapes, and colors of cookies out of the huge brown paper sack. "I remember Liz telling me about how much she used to bake and with all your family coming for the holidays I thought you could use some extra," she said as she handed him the plate.
"T-Thank you, L-Lydia." Embarrassed by her kindness and generosity, he said, "You are too kind. But as it turns out neither one of the kids are going to be able to make it this year, what with gas prices and everything." He placed the cookies on the table and pulled out a chair for her.
"Oh, I'm so sorry they won't be able to come. To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure why I did so much baking this year. Course I did send some to my son Russell in Iraq, and this year his wife and kids are going to her folks for Christmas and I haven't heard from my daughter in a while," she said as she pulled a strip of her long dark hair and pushed it behind her ear. "I'm actually on my way to church. I promised I would help sew the costumes for the pageant this year. I don't know why I volunteer for these things."
"Well, I know why you do, because you're a good person. You gave up your house to take care of your ailing mother, and you do all kinds of volunteer work. We need more people like you."
"John, I have an idea," she said her eyes widening. "Come along with me today. You can help some of the kids with their lines." She clapped her hands together. "With the pageant only a week or so away there is still so much to do, painting and making the sets. We need all the help we can get," she said as he shook his head back and forth. "But why not? And what better way to get into the Christmas spirit?"
John let the bird feeder catch his attention. He didn't know how to respond. He didn't want to admit he wasn't ready to be around people. He wanted to be left alone. Alone and in his own misery. "L-Lydia, I'm not up to being around people so much right now. It's only been-"
She interrupted him. "I know. It's only been nine months since Liz died. I lost a spouse too, remember, only I didn't have as many years with my husband, Jeff, as you did with Liz. I remember the first Christmas without him; seems like only yesterday," as her eyes took on a dreamy look, "a single mom with two kids. I didn't know what to do with myself. All the usual traditions just didn't work anymore, I couldn't feel anything. The spirit of the season wasn't there."
"What'd you do?" 
"Oh, I did a lot of crying and had some big pity parties. I spent most of my time alone. I shipped the kids off to my sister's or my brother's or my parents, anyone who would take them actually," she laughed, "I think the kids thought crying and visiting aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents was what Christmas is all about."
"Well isn't it?" 
"It became that but not for another year or so. I had to let go of the past before I could move on into the future. That first year I didn't even know my kids were around and I didn't care. The next year I wanted to be around them a little bit more and then the next year I didn't want them to go visiting so much. That's when our new tradition began. I went with them visiting and family became everything. During the holiday season, every event and activity was spent all day, all night, every day, and every night, with family."
"What's wrong with that?" John asked a little befuddled and confused.
"It only lasted a few years." 
He raised an eyebrow in question. "Kids grow up," she said, laughing again.
He smiled and nodded his head in understanding.
She noticed his pale blue eyes lit up when he smiled. "They want to spend time with their friends at first, and then they have spouses and in-laws, then children and before I knew it they had their own lives and I only get visits once every year or so," she said smiling.
"I guess that's the way it goes, then," John said as he stared out the window.
"That's the way it went for me, John, but it's not the way it has to be for you or for anyone else," she said with all seriousness.
John looked at this woman with new eyes. Her long dark hair graying around her ears, large understanding doe-eyes and her effervescent, bubbling personality fascinated him. "Let me take your coat and put on a fresh pot of coffee." 
"No, I'm sorry, I really need to get going. I have more cookies in the car I want to drop off on my way to church. Are you sure you don't want to come with me today? We sure could use your help," she said as she stood up, preparing to leave.
"No, not today, but I'll think about it, okay?" 
"Okay, but don't think too long. The holidays come and go in a flash and you don't want to miss anything, do you?" she asked as she made her way to the car. She opened the car door and waved good bye.
Chapter 3
He rubbed his face with his hands and shook his head. What was that all about?
He found his way to his Lazyboy and settled down to read the paper. After a couple of freezing, blustery trips to the barn to check on the animals, and after doing a load or two of laundry, he sat down for a bowl of left over beef stew and buttered some bread for his evening meal. 
His conversation with Mrs. Stevens, no, Lydia, continued to run through his head. What did she mean when she said 'The holidays come and go in a flash and you don't want to miss anything' and what was that other thing she said, oh yeah, 'That's the way it went for me, but it's not the way it has to be for you'. How can I control how things turn out? 
He finished his light supper and settled in front of the TV but couldn't find anything interesting enough or worthwhile to watch. He kept thinking 'the holidays come and go in a flash and you don't want to miss anything'. What could I miss? Nothing going on in my life.
He tried to read a farming magazine, but most of it was full of ads for the spring planting season. He couldn't get interested in that either. 
He decided to call it a night and went to bed. He fell asleep early but woke up about two AM. The moonlight streamed through his window onto the empty side of his bed, where Liz used to lay. He reached his hand out and placed it on the cold pillow. 
"What would we be doing for the holidays if you were still here?" he asked the blank space. "What if gas or air fare were cheaper so Jen and Rob and their families could drive or fly all the way from Florida and California to the frozen tundra of Ohio? Would my grandkids even want to come here anymore, now that they're older and had boyfriends and girlfriends? Maybe I should think about going to Jen's for Christmas? I won't have the cattle anymore to worry about and I would enjoy the warmer weather. But then Rob would want me to come to California and I really can't afford to go to either place. No, maybe next year I'll go. This year I need to find something to keep me busy, so I'm really tied when I go to bed I don't have time to think about missing you. I mean so I'm really tired at the end of the day. But what?" he asked himself as he dozed off.
John woke up early the next morning, before dawn, feeling great and wasn't sure why. There was something he couldn't remember. There was something he had to do today. Oh well, I'll remember it sometime. 
He still had cows to feed and he needed to get going. He poured his first cup of coffee and carried it to the barn. He loved the smell of the fresh and clean winter mornings, steam coming off his coffee. 
 A storm had come through overnight dropping about three inches of snow on the ground so he would need to do some shoveling. He reached the barn and made haste of feeding and watering his few remaining cattle. 
As he made his way back to the house for breakfast he looked at the pristine bright snow on the ground. It reminded him of the moonlight he had seen across his bed. The moonlight had been so bright. He remembered something about talking to Liz during the night and needing to find something to keep him busy.  
Chapter 4
After breakfast John sat with his second cup of coffee, reading the paper at the kitchen table when he heard a car pull in the driveway. He looked out the window to see Lydia making her way up the newly shoveled walk. He went to open the door for her.
"Hi John, how are you this morning?" she asked bubbling with excitement.
"Good morning Lydia, I'm fine, Come on in," he said as he stepped aside and opened the door wider. "Take your coat off and I'll get you a cup of coffee. It's still fresh," he said making his way to the kitchen. "Go ahead and have a seat," he said glancing back, glad to see she had removed her coat.
He returned to the table with a cup of coffee for her and the pot to fill his cup then set the pot on the table. Neither said a word as they stirred cream and sugar into their coffee. Lydia broke the silence.
"John, I have to apologize. I am so sorry for some of the things I said to you yesterday. I just don't know what came over me. I guess I was feeling lonely and sorry for myself," she said, only glancing up from her cup to meet his eyes once or twice. 
"Nothing for you to be sorry about. You needed to talk and I needed to listen. Actually it got me to thinking. I think I would like to help with some of the activities at the church. I need to keep busy so I can sleep better at night," he said remembering his moonlight rendezvous with Liz.
"Oh, that's great. I've seen some of your handiwork around the house and I know you would be great helping with the sets. I'm actually on my way there now if you want to come along and just take a look and meet some other helpers," she said as she looked casually about the house, trying not to appear too pushy.
"Oh, I guess I could tag along. Can you give me a minute to change into something else?"
"Sure, go ahead. I'll go get the car warmed up and wait for you there," she answered as she made her way to the kitchen sink, with both their cups in one hand and the empty coffee pot in the other. She grabbed her coat and put it on as she made her way out the door to the car.
At the church, John knew almost everyone there except for some of the kids. He shook hands and said 'hello' to everyone then asked, "Well, where can I help? I understand we have a pageant to get ready for?" One gentleman spoke up, "I could use your help painting," while another said, "I could use you to help me build this fence," while one of the older kids said, "I need help with my lines, I have a lot of them." John looked at all of them trying to decide which to do first. 
"Well, let's see," he said as he looked at the kid who needed help with his lines. He reminded him of Jen's boy Wade. "Why don't you come with me while I help paint? While I'm painting I can help you with your lines. And then while the paint's drying, in between coats, I'll help finish up the fence. How does that sound to everyone?" he asked. They all nodded their heads and agreed, thankful for any help they could get.
The day passed quickly, with a short break for lunch of homemade vegetable soup and fresh baked bread from the Ladies Auxiliary. Lydia found John at the end of the day painting. "Are you about ready to call it a day? I'm pooped" she said as she plopped herself down on the floor beside him while he finished the last coat of paint on the fence.
"Just another minute or so. I think we got a lot done today so maybe you won't need to put in as many hours in the next week."
"Oh, but I have to. I need to keep busy. That's why I bake all those cookies, and why I sew all the costumes. I guess I've made these people my family so I feel like I'm doing it for them," she said, looking off to the side, a dreamy look in her eyes.
He stopped painting and looked at her. "I think I understand what you were saying the first time we talked."
"You do? Maybe now you can explain it to me," she laughed as he offered her a hand up, and she stood.
They gathered their coats, making their way to the car. Neither said a word on the ride home, the space in the car soon becoming confined, filled with unspoken words. As they reached John's house and pulled in the drive, he made no effort to get out of the car.
John turned in his seat and looked at Lydia. "Thank you Lydia. Today filled my day and busied my hands." 
"You're welcome, John. I'm sure we'll have a few more days like this until the pageant," she answered without looking at him.
"Well, I'll talk to you soon then. Lydia... Thanks again." He got out of the car and waved at her as he made his way into his house.
Chapter 5
Days passed, more snow fell and so did the outside temperatures. But while the outside temperatures dropped, the inside temperatures heated up. John and Lydia spent a few days together preparing not only for the pageant but for the holidays. She asked him to help her bring in a Christmas tree from the roof of her car. He did, of course, then stayed to help decorate it. While they decorated, he consumed her delicious tasting 'real' eggnog.  
The next day, she dropped off more cookies, the ones he liked best, before she helped him trim his mantel and breakfast table with greenery pieces cut from her tree. The decorations spreading the scent of Christmas cheer throughout both their homes. 
They walked in freshly fallen snow between his house and hers, hand in hand, talking and singing Christmas carols from the pageant. They knew most of them by heart from hearing them so often during practice. And at night, sleep came easy.
***
Christmas Eve, the day of the pageant, arrived. John showed up early back stage and rehearsed lines with a few of the kids, checking to make sure no one else needed his help, then quickly left to find the best seat in the house-up front, in the middle, right beside Lydia.
As he and Lydia watched the pageant of the Christmas story unfold, his heart filled with gratitude and wonder. He looked over at the Music Director and nodded his head, thinking about all the details, planning and preparation he had been doing for so long. So many people volunteered to sew on sequins, paint and learn lines. It actually took a large teamwork of people to make the pageant the huge success it was going to be. So many people working tirelessly on the sets, costumes, ques and lines, giving freely of their time. 
After the pageant John and Lydia walked to the small cafeteria and admired the great job every one had done on the table decorations. Poinsettias, candles, and evergreen accompanied the fruit punch and cookies. 
John smiled at the boy walking toward him who he had helped with his lines. 
"Hi Mr. Watson. Did you hear me? I didn't forget the word 'frankincense'," he said as he stood tall with pride.
"I sure did. You were great and I'm very proud of you. You worked heard learning your lines and it showed," John said as he and Lydia were joined by his very proud parents. 
Soon the room filled, just as hearts had filled during the performance. Accolades were exchanged among the participants and guests alike, dressed in their Christmas finery. They shared baked-with-love Christmas cookies and enjoyed the scents of cinnamon and pine while sounds of Christmas Carols played from a nearby speaker. Holiday wishes were bandied about before everyone headed home to be with their extended families. 
***
But for John and Lydia their family had grown from within, as their hearts and souls were filled with the spirit of Christmas. They wanted it to last all year long.
On the ride home, John remembered their first earnest conversation when Lydia said, "That's the way it went for me, but it's not the way it has to be for you or for anyone else." He understood he had to reach out to others to get back what he had lost. And he especially needed to remember, 'the holidays come and go in a flash, like life, and he didn't want to miss anything'.
Christmas Awakening
Chapter 1
Heather wrapped a china bowl in newspaper, packed it into a box, and looked around the living room. Once, beautifully decorated and filled with laughter now the dusty room contained only memories and boxes. Boxes of all shapes and sizes--some open, some closed, some stacked, some packed, some empty-all in disarray.
Over Labor Day weekend, when most families would be having a final cookout or pool party to end the summer before starting back to school, and before the fast-pace of the holidays sucked the life out of them, they'd be packing and moving thousands of miles away from their family, friends and their childhood homes.
She leaned against the wall and slowly sank to the floor. Tears trickled down her cheeks. What are we doing? Since Gene lost his job, nothing's been the same. What if this is the wrong decision? And I'm scared. I'm going to miss my family so much.
She overheard her husband talking to his parents as he finished loading the truck. "Do you want my garden tools? I've got a good hoe and a yard rake here if you want them. I won't need them in an apartment building in Florida."
"Sure, I can always use extra tools. What are you going to do with the sleds?" His father chuckled. "I'm certain you won't be using them." 
"Heather told the neighbor boys they could have them. They'll be coming later to get them." 
"Good, at least they'll be put to good use." 
Heather slowly got up off the floor and wiped her eyes with her hands. Enough negative thinking. She had plenty of packing left to do. 
Chapter 2
Trent and Troy had packed their own rooms, excited about their new adventure. They kept out the 'special' things they wanted with them during the long road trip. 
Gene, with the help of his parents, relatives and anyone else he could wheedle assistance from, packed everything into a U-haul truck over the weekend. They gave away anything they didn't think they would need and left behind whatever they had promised to friends or family. 
Their parents and friends stood in the driveway, watching with hopeful expressions. Gene's mother's eyes filled with tears. 
"We'll be home often, Mom. Don't cry. And you can always come for a long vacation, too," Heather said. Gene wrapped his arm around his wife's waist. He gave her a tight squeeze, as they waved good-bye to their parents as they left for their respective homes. 
While Heather showered she tried one final time to let out all her trepidations in tears, behind the shower curtain where no one would know. She scrubbed her face and wished she could wash away the apprehension she felt toward their new adventure as easily as the dirt.
Losing the support of close family members scared the hell out of her. Leaving behind her family and everything she'd ever known for this new adventure had better be worth it. She would do anything, go anywhere for Gene. He had been her high school sweetheart, then the love of her life, and now the center of her world.
Tonight they'd sleep on a bed of blankets she made on the floor in the living room. Once they snuggled down for the last night in their house, Heather listened to the night sounds of the house. The house she and Gene had made into the home of their dreams. The house where they'd planned to raise their children, grow old together and retire in. The house they could no longer afford. 
Chapter 3
She should be happy Gene had gotten the job offer in Florida, right? After all it could have been somewhere in the cold mid-west. But Florida, with its sun, sand, and warm winters should make up for her loss. 
Early the next morning Heather helped the boys into the front and only seat of the un-air-conditioned U-Haul truck while Gene made one final check on the house. After another trip around the truck, checking the hitch and the connections to the car they were towing, Gene jumped in behind the wheel of the truck.
"Everybody ready to go?" Gene asked. 
The boys bounced up and down and shouted, "Yes, Yes."  
Gene reached for Heather's hand and squeezed. 
"Are you ready, honey?" He looked into her love-filled eyes. 
"I'm ready. I'd follow you anywhere, Gene, and don't you forget it. Let's get this truck on the road!" She squeezed his hand as she settled back into the seat.
With the few thousand dollars from the sale of their house safely tucked away, Gene drove the truck out of the driveway leaving the rural northeast behind, heading to the mid-west coast of sunny Florida. 
Concentrating on a fresh start, the new job waiting for Gene, more money, sandy picture-perfect beaches, sunny days and cool nights, Heather shared her thoughts with her family. She told stories to the boys to help escape the boredom. Her excitement became contagious and soon their inquisitive minds were asking all kinds of questions and making up stories of their own.
On the second day into the trip, as they approached the Florida border, the air got hotter, and then really hot. They rolled down the windows of the truck to cool off, but even the moving breeze left them all sweltering. Three year old feverish Trent began vomiting. Heat prostration!
Heather found the thermometer in the first aid kit and took his temperature. "103 degrees. Wow! We have to find some place soon to stop and cool him down."
Heather and Gene met each other's eyes over top of the boy's heads. She moved her head back and forth so he would know they had to get Trent cooled off and soon, or he might die. They took the next exit they came to, pulled into the parking lot and found a motel room.  While she filled the tub with cool water, Gene stripped the clothes off Trent and carried him to the tub. Heather bathed him, sponging his head with a cool wash cloth and read as he rested. They spent the remainder of the day refreshed by the refrigerated air. 
"Unfortunately we had to spend more of our savings on the unplanned motel bill," Heather said.
"We had no choice." 
Trent's temperature remained stabilized in the cool night air. Again they piled into the truck and began their journey south, driving all through the night, finally arriving at their destination about mid-morning.
As they reached the apartment complex, the anxiety they'd all hidden surfaced. 
Impatient, Heather and Gene got the keys, rounded up the boys from the playground outside the rental office, and found the apartment where they'd be living, at least for the next year.  
While Gene fumbled with the key in the lock, the boys elbowed each other trying to be the first one in the door. When the door opened, the boys rushed in, Trent falling to his knees. 
Heather felt a blast of hot air hit her as she entered the room. She walked straight to one of the glass sliding doors to let in some air. Only humid, stagnant air drifted in through the opening. 
Gene checked the thermostat, then a light switch. Nothing happened. 
Disappointment soon replaced excitement as they made their way back to the office to report the utilities hadn't been turned on, no water and no electricity therefore no air conditioning. 
"Didn't we make arrangements for the power and water to be turned on a day ahead of our arrival date?" Gene asked the woman manning the front test.
"You sure did, Mr. Williams, and if you wait one minute I'll be glad to return your check to you. There must have been some kind of mix up because we can't do it for you, only you can open the accounts and pay the deposits. We kept the check in your file."
****
Gene parked the truck in a safe place and unhooked the car from the hitch. No need to drive a big truck towing a car around in all the traffic. 
They all buckled up in the car and headed into traffic, unknown territory of roads and streets never traveled by them before and in the heat of the day. They left the apartment complex searching out and soon located the electric and water companies. To their horror they discovered after making the necessary deposits, it would still be a couple days before the utilities were available to them. 
They needed to find a place to rest and spend the night or nights until the utilities were turned on. Once again they had to spend more of their meager savings at a nearby motel.
The following morning, Gene, hoping to start to work right away, called his new employer. "Hi, Tom, it's Gene Wilson." 
"Hi Gene, where are you? Did you make it here?" Tom Anderson asked.
"We made it here fine, Tom, but we don't have the utilities turned on yet. They should be on tomorrow, and then I need to unload the truck and get my family settled. I'll probably be ready to start work by the end of the week, first of next week for sure," Gene explained. 
"Well, I'm glad you had a successful trip, but unfortunately I have some bad news. We filled all the available positions, and we don't have any other openings right now. That could change, of course, but I have no idea when or what type of job it would be," Tom explained to Gene.
Speechless, Gene's heart, along with the phone sank to the floor of the phone booth. His shirt was plastered to his back with sweat, some was from the heat, the rest was from sheer panic. I'll find another job, a better job, one that pays more and one I'll like more. 
He left the phone booth to tell his wife the news.
Chapter 4
A day or so later, once the utilities were finally turned on, Heather and Gene began to unload the truck. The truck cost three times as much as they'd budgeted, since they hadn't returned it within the two to three days they'd planned. 
More money spent from their small reserve. 
Their new neighbors introduced themselves and helped them unload the bigger furniture pieces while another neighbor made a huge pitcher of iced tea and shared it with them. The neighborhood families understood about moving, especially far away from loved ones. One family had recently moved to Florida from Oklahoma, another from Ohio, while one had come from within the middle of the state of Florida. They all had kids too, kids of similar ages as their own kids. Kids who had already started school three weeks earlier than the kids in the northeast. And their oldest son, Troy, had already missed almost three weeks of school.
Heather checked the boy's seat belts to make sure they were secure while Gene got into the driver's seat of their car. Still trying to find their way around a much larger metropolis than their rural roots, they set out for the court house to file the necessary paperwork to have school records transferred, health records found and copied, bus route and school locations. Then they had to find their way back to their apartment.
Troy, started second grade, and had his first experience trying to understand a teacher with a heavy southern accent. When he came home from school upset one day and explained, "My teacher told me everything had to done in standard 'farm'. Mom, I don't know anything about a standard 'farm', just the farm Momma and Poppa live on up north. I'm gonna fail. Mom, what am I gonna do?" He wailed his concern for all the nearby neighbors to hear. 
"I'll take you to school tomorrow, and we'll talk to the teacher. I'm sure it's something very simple," Heather said, rubbing her son's back for reassurance and support. 
The following morning Heather and Troy met with the teacher and found out the teacher had meant standard 'form' as opposed to 'farm' and Troy, good student that he was had no problem after all.
Without Gene's job and his income, Heather began to look for work. After a couple weeks with no luck for either of them, Heather became desperate. She visited the Unemployment Office and filed the paperwork for Unemployment from the last job she had before they moved to Florida. They would at least have some income, she hoped so anyway.
Chapter 5
While the leaves turned an array of colors in the northeast and frost sprinkled the ground, mid Florida was still stifling hot and humid. Gene looked for a job every day. 
October rolled around and the reserve funds dwindled. 
Troy came home announcing another 'A'. Heather was relieved he was adjusting so well in school and making friends. But she was worried. Trent couldn't be outside for more than an hour or so in the heat or he suffered the symptoms of heat exhaustion. 
Almost every night as the sun went down the family took bike rides and watched beautiful sunsets in the cool early evening hours. 
Troy came in second in the Halloween contest at a party the boys attended at the club house. Up north they would have been ringing doorbells and shouting 'Trick-or-Treat' to neighbors, friends and relatives.
Every day Gene continued to look for work, and Heather read the classified ads looking for any means of making money from home to avoid day care costs.
The boys thrived, riding their bikes with friends on the sidewalk, playing football at the playground, swimming in the community pool. Up north, they would have been inside, sedentary, and trying to stay warm as November approached.
Chapter 6
November came quickly and the money dwindled further. Gene had not found a job and Heather had not received an unemployment check or found a job. Thanksgiving and the memory of family gatherings was always present on their minds. They bought a small turkey for Thanksgiving Day and celebrated by watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on TV and football games. The boys enjoyed being outside throwing some wayward football passes to their Dad in the side yard.
Chapter 7
December arrived and with it a slight, somewhat relieving, cold front. Heather needed to make sure the boys wore sweaters outside. Christmas was coming whether they wanted it to or not. Carols played on the radio. Christmas lights, wreaths and decorations adorned the apartment doors in their complex. They dug out their Christmas decorations, hung a wreath on the door, and put some fake greenery and candles on the tables. They couldn't afford to buy a Christmas tree. Up north they had always gone for a long walk in the woods near their house and cut down their own tree. Free.  
They barely had enough money for food each week let alone any presents for the boys. Heather sewed and made homemade picture frames to put the boys' school pictures in as a Christmas gift to their grandparents. Instead of making numerous batches of cookies she and the boys mixed up a batch of sugar cookies and cut them out. Then they each cut out dough using their hands as stencils. They sang carols, watched Christmas shows on TV, wrote their letters to Santa Claus. The boys talked about what they wanted Santa to bring them for Christmas.
Chapter 8
December 23, Gene and Heather hadn't found jobs or received any money. Heather watched for and checked the mail diligently every day in hopes she would soon receive an unemployment check, but only received bills and a couple of Christmas cards from family and friends up north. 
They used the last of their money to buy a small turkey for Christmas. 
"I'm so depressed, Gene."
"What's the matter?"
"Everything's the matter! This venture to Florida was supposed to be the land of opportunity. We were supposed to be able to get good jobs, make more money, and live life to the fullest. Now we can't even afford to buy our kids a present for Christmas? And what'll we tell the boys on Christmas morning?"
"Sweetheart, things will get better, I know they will."
"Gene, why don't we hock my engagement ring. We can take it to a pawn shop and see how much money we can get for it. Then we can get it back as soon as you get a job. In the meantime we'll be able to get a couple things for the boys at least, and buy food."
"No, honey, I won't even consider it. Let's hold off for a bit. I have two promising offers of work, if we can just get through the next two weeks," he said as he pulled her close to his side and kissed her wet-with-tears cheek.
Heather wondered how they could postpone Christmas. 
Chapter 9
December 24th, Heather saw the mailman finish his last deliveries before the holiday. Despite feeling forlorn and desolate, Heather made her daily pilgrimage to the mailbox to collect the mail, and quickly perused the envelopes. There were a couple of greeting cards from family members up north and the envelope she'd been waiting for from the state's Treasury Department. Finally, an unemployment check! 
Heather ran back to the apartment, so excited with her news she didn't bother to look through the remainder of the mail. As she handed it to Gene she was overcome with joy. She said with excitement, "We can still make it to the Mall. I heard they're open late tonight. We can get a present for each of the boys and still have money for food until I get another check next week."
Gene looked through the mail and a big smile appeared on his face. "Honey, you not only got one unemployment check but four checks. We can have a nice Christmas and even have enough money left over for food until I can get a job. Things are gonna be different after the first of the year. I can feel it," he said as he hugged her, lifting her off her feet and swinging her around. 
"Let's go shopping," he said, "but we're only spending one check on Christmas presents. The rest will be our 'reserve'."
"Yeah, let's go shopping. Boys, come on. Let's go see if Santa is still at the Mall," 
Heather stuck her head in the boys' room where they were playing and said, "Let's go see Santa Claus. Even though you sent him your letters he might still be there and you can sit on his lap, and tell him in person what you really want for Christmas. We can look at all the decorations and lights too." 
At the mall, the boys waited patiently in line for their turn to sit on Santa's lap. Gene and Heather listened intently to what the boys had to say, making a mental list of places they needed to shop before leaving. 
Chapter 10
Heather and Gene took turns watching the boys at the Mall. They left for home when they'd finished their shopping and had had enough excitement for one afternoon.
But they had to make one more stop. The boys yelped with excitement when Gene pulled the car into a 'tree lot' to buy a tree, one of the last couple of trees remaining. They tied it on the top of the car with rope and drove home. 
As Gene brought the tree inside it filled their home with all the familiar 'scents of the season'. They decorated the tree with the lights and ornaments left over from last Christmas. 
When Gene plugged in the tree lights to admire their decorating handiwork in the dark, the boys oohed and aahed over the beautiful tree. 
Gene wrapped his arm around Heather's waist while they stood together admiring their loving family.
Chapter 11
December 25, Christmas morning, the boys woke up early, excited to see if Santa had come to their house. They had worried he wouldn't be able to find them since they had moved. 
Imagine their surprise when they found under the tree, not one but two of the many things they had asked for while sitting on his lap. Troy was thrilled with his remote control car and new pajamas, and Trent with his make-believe flying helicopter and new hooded sweatshirt. The boys didn't know about the financial turmoil their parents had been facing.
Heather and Gene weren't worrying about paying bills, not today. They just loved watching and feeling it all, the excitement on their children's faces and the spirit of Christmas filling their hearts. They felt content knowing they would somehow survive this hard luck Christmas, as long as they were all together. 
Heather had to admit the joy and merriment of the season had given her back her faith.
Excerpt from: Nowhere to Hide?My Heart
The intruder came to a quick stop in front of him. A petite young woman, with a heart shaped face like an angel had a body made for sin. The image of her in her dirty tattered blue jeans, and a ripped shirt posed a ridiculous backdrop as she stood before him with a knife in her hand. The threatening pose failed when her body trembled. She froze in mid-breath when he moved the papers aside and sat up.
 He looked into her beautiful, liquid green eyes. Mystified, he felt like he could drown in them. She appeared so nymph-like, but real to him, he began to think he might be having a hallucination. He knew exhaustion played tricks on the mind but...
"Please, please help me!" She whispered. They're coming after me. They're going to kill me. Help me, please, please hide me." 
Her voice jolted him back to reality. She was real. She could talk. He knew then she could not be a figment of his imagination. He threw the paper aside and stood up. He observed her forlorn and frantic state, the desperate fear in her eyes and the knife she held. He immediately grasped reality.
As if on cue, he heard shouting followed by a loud banging on the front door. 
"What the hell?" he asked to no one in particular as he retrieved a remote control from on top of the trunk and entered some numbers. 
"Please, you have to hide me. If they find me, they'll kill me. Please, I'm begging you," she pleaded as the banging on the door grew louder. 
They both looked back and forth between the direction of the noise and each other, then glanced around the room, searching. Earlier in the day, Wyatt had opened the large glass sliding door on one wall to allow the warm fresh spring air into the room but had closed and locked the screen door. It would be their only protection for now. 
"I just activated the alarm system so if anyone enters any door or window the police will be here immediately," Wyatt answered her with a calm voice.
 His professional training took over and keeping them both safe became his main concern. He grabbed her arm and took the knife away in one swift movement, tossing it across the room onto his desk.
He wanted to keep her out of sight in case anyone ventured to look in the large glass sliding door--he didn't want her recognized especially until he could find out more about her. He wanted to protect her, to take care of her but he wasn't sure why. 
He grabbed her arms and began pushing her across the room into the corner behind the blinds. She protested at first, wriggling, trying to get away and screaming, "Let me go," but he quickly subdued her when he put a hand over her mouth and pushed his gun in the middle of her back. 
"I'll remove my hand from your mouth if you swear you'll be quiet." Wyatt whispered close to her ear. "Don't say a word, just stay behind me. I'm trying to protect you." 
He could smell her special scent, feel her warmth, and hear her quick breathing. 
She nodded her head and he removed his hand. 
"Now, stand close behind me and don't make a sound. Not one sound," he said as he held his fingers up in front of his mouth. "They're coming along the side of the house."
Wyatt heard a man's voice as if in a tunnel. "Where the hell is she?" He heard footsteps in the grass and stones outside the open sliding glass door. He held his breath, intent on listening to every sound, every noise, and every reverberation.
"We have to find her-she's worth too much money to let her go now." The man's voice had turned into a loud yell.
As the sounds of sirens blasted in the distance, Wyatt turned his head to see two people running across the back yard. Wyatt watched them, as they wasted no time, scampering across the yard, into the woods, and into the darkening night. 
He closed and locked the sliding door, put his gun in his desk drawer and made a quick phone call.
He turned to her, realizing she hadn't moved an inch from where he had put her. "You're safe now. It's okay. I'll protect you," he said as he walked closer to her. He saw her body trembling as he reached out to her and pulled her up against his body to help her feel safe.
Desire surged through him. Raw. Direct. He smiled and winked at her. Both could scarcely breathe as time stood still. The only sound was the beating of their hearts, their own labored breathing. 
Her short dark hair feathered onto her fair skin making her eyes appear even larger. Dried blood from the bruise at the corner of her mouth riled him to his guts. He left her alone for a moment and returned with a warm, wet washcloth, handing it to her. "Here, hold this on your mouth. It will help."
He looked into her fear-filled bright eyes, at her soft lips. He thought about how much he wanted to kiss away her pain. Something about this woman brought out his protective instincts. 
He sat down a short distance from her on one end of the couch, watching as she held the warm wet cloth against her lip, softening the dried blood. He almost relaxed until he saw her body shaking, tears streaming down her cheeks. When her eyes darted around the room, first toward one doorway, and then to the stairway, then back again, looking for a way out, he tensed.  He had seen the same look many times before during his years of interrogation experience. She was going to bolt. 
Lorelei Confer
I live on the mid west coast of Florida with my husband, two cats and my long haired Chihuahua, AJ. I've been writing since I was in fourth grade and wrote a play my teacher produced for the students as well as parents.  
I now write romantic suspense and have completed four full length novels along with too many to mention short stories. You can read excerpts at my website: www.loreleiconfer.com. You can also check out my blog at loreleiconfer.blogspot.com and email me at loreleiconfer@tampabay.rr.com. I'd love to hear from you.
I belong to Tampa Area Romance Association (TARA), Romance Writers Associations (RWA), Pro, Crime Scene Investigations (CSI), as well as many others.