A Merry Little Christmas Read Online Free Page A

to Kenya and help rebuild its sagging infrastructure.”
    “That’s great, but five people…” Jeremiah looked down at the blue bundle in his arms. Solemn brown eyes in a small round face stared up at him. Eyes like chocolate bonbons shone, encircled by long, curling black lashes.
    I’m holding a baby, Jeremiah thought. I haven’t done this for eighteen years. I don’t hold babies. I’m an architect. I design buildings.
    “Tabitha is a great mother.” Lara Crane’s voice broke into his reverie. “She and Peter spent several years apart while he studied for his graduate degree. She practically raised Wisdom and Justice by herself. Then the family was able to be reunited, and nine months later, along came Tobias. He’s been a great blessing to all the Murayas.”
    As if on cue, the baby’s face suddenly broke into a broad grin. That was when Jeremiah saw it. A tooth. One tiny white tooth barely poked through the gum on Tobias’s lower jaw. Instinctively, Jeremiah placed his index finger on the tooth…and sure enough. There it was. The baby’s first tooth. Tobias let out a gurgle and clamped down.
    “Ow!” Jerking away his finger, Jeremiah looked up sheepishly at Lara Crane.
    “They do bite,” she said.
    “I’d forgotten. It’s been a long time.”
    “Kids grow up fast. Your sons are great, by the way. I was very impressed with Daniel when he visited my office the other day. I think Wisdom and Justice will enjoy being around older boys. I’m sure it will be a positive influence—both ways.”
    Jeremiah regarded Lara. He now saw that she had green eyes and a sprinkling of freckles across her nose. Evidently, she had tried to conceal the freckles with makeup. It hadn’t worked. Despite his determination to resent the woman and her interference in his life, he couldn’t deny the delightful effect of those freckles. Dr. Lara Crane was downright cute.
    “So, how many international students live at your house?” he asked her.
    “The university doesn’t allow the students to live with anyone except their own family members. We do pair those in our program with area residents for fellowship and the benefit of cultural exchange, but we’ve found it doesn’t work well to place students in private homes.”
    “This situation wouldn’t be against the rules?”
    “Your guest cottage is a separate dwelling.” She turned her shoulder on him and started strolling after the group. “Mr. Maddox, you really won’t need to have much interaction with the family if you’d prefer to keep a distance. If I were you, though, I would welcome the opportunity to introduce my sons to another culture.”
    “If you were me, you’d know how hard it is to raise kids without taking on a whole extra family. How many children do you have, Dr. Crane?”
    “Please call me Lara. I’m single, but I spent the best two years of my life working for a hunger relief agency in Sudan. It changed my whole perspective.”
    “Maybe so, but you can’t possibly understand my situation.” Jeremiah accompanied Lara as she rounded the corner of the garage and headed down a path leading to the cottage. “I’ve had sole custody of my sons for the past ten years, and it hasn’t been easy.”
    “Peter Muraya would understand that kind of challenge. The Murayas have been trying to raise their children on two different continents and with a very limited income. Peter is not from a wealthy family in Kenya. His father was able to pay school fees only for his oldest son. Peter has four younger brothers and two sisters. So he is the focus of his parents’ dreams and hopes. He was able to get academic scholarships and grants to pay for his schooling, but he also holds down a job as a janitor at Reynolds. In Kenya, Tabitha crocheted bedspreads for a women’s cooperative. She was able to be home with her children and work at the same time. But here, her visa won’t allow her to have a job.”
    “Wait a minute. You’re telling me that a