A Baby for Christmas (Love at The Crossroads)

A Bab
y
for Christmas

Book II Love at the Crossroads

By

P
at Simmons

Copyright @2013

T
his is a work of fiction. References to real events, organizations, and places are used in a fictional context. Any resemblances to actual people, living or dead are entirely coincidental.

To read more books by this author, please visit www.patsimmons.net.

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN-13:
978-1494300043
 

ISBN-10:
1494300044 

I love Christian Romance novels and Pat Simmons knows how to unlock the imagination and take it on a quick path of hope, love and Jesus. You will always find some sort of message in her books just like I found in Stopping Traffic. I smiled!

Tamara Gatling, reader

Pat Simmons does it again and again!
 

Another great story from Pat Simmons! What I love about her books is they are all biblically based! She shows how we, as humans, are in need of healing, deliverance, forgiveness, etc. I really like her approach to the dating scene! It is refreshing from some other Christian novels that allow their characters to engage in sexual activity without being married! Thank you, Pat, for giving us some good, pure, interesting Christian materials to read!! I appreciate you! You and a handful of other Christian Authors are rare commodities in these last days
!
LeeLee, reader

Simmons has laid it all out on the line in this installment of the Jamieson legacy. This is pure Christian romance with a touch of heritage. There were moments in the middle that I wanted them to get it together but it turned out better than expected. The personal touch of genealogy is wonderful and will make you think about your own family heritage. Wanted to see more Grandma BB but loved the new character development. Simmons is on top of her genre
...
 
Reviewed by M. Bruner “Deltareviewer” on
Free from Guilt

Free from Guilt may be listed as Christian fiction, but it's so much more. You read about family history, romance and transformation. This is a great read and leaves the reader wanting more, with that being said I'm looking forward to the next Guilty installment.
Reviewed by Melody Vernor-Bartel for Reader's Paradise

Other Christian titles include:

The Jamieson Legacy

Book I
: Guilty by Association

Book II
: The Guilt Trip

Bo
ok III
: Free from Guilt

The Guilty Parties series

Book I
: The Acquittal

Book II
: The Confession (fall 2014)

The Carmen Sisters

Book I
: No Easy Catch (April 2014)

Love at the Crossroads

Book I
: Stopping Traffic

Book II
: A Baby for Christmas

Book III
: The Keepsake (summer 2014)

Making Love Work Anthology

Book I:
Love at Work

Book II:
Words of Love

Book III:
A Mother’s Love

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the
 
Lord
, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Late Christmas Day

Solae Wyatt-Palmer choked back tears as she stared at one of the many gifts from Hershel Kavanaugh—Fire Captain Kavanau
gh. He possessed mysterious brown eyes. Physically, Hershel was muscular with the unbelievable strength of a bear and a soul as gentle as a kitten. She was in love with him.

Despite her hyphenated last name—courtesy of her father—she had never been married. It was a family tradition to keep the name of one particular ancestor who had been born in the 1860s alive. Although her relative had an interesting history, one that Solae couldn’t always remember, the name, Wyatt-Palmer, was requested to be a part of every generation, whether the baby was a boy or girl.

Sitting in her living room, Solae glanced out of the large window from her living room sofa. It had started to snow again. She was glad she had lit a log in her fireplace. The scene outside was surreal as she noted her neighbor’s decorations, lopsided snowbell and the cotton trees she always referred to as the snow of branches.

When her phone rang and disturbed her solitude, she checked the caller ID before answering. Candace Clark’s name appeared. They had known each other since childhood, and their bond was stronger than best friends. They loved like siblings and argued as sisters, but at the end of the day, they were always there for each other.

“I got a diamond for Christmas!” Candace screamed into the phone.

A tear slipped down Solae’s cheek. She wasn’t surprised. As a matter of fact, Solae expected it. They were dating two brothers.

Their life experiences had mirrored each other’s until Candace married Daniel. Candace made Solae a godmother when she and Daniel had a baby girl.  In the midst of joy came disappointment. That same year, at age twenty-six, Solae had a hysterectomy because of gut-wrenchingly painful fibroid tumors. There would be no next generation of Wyatt’s coming from her.

Candace had taken the loss harder than Solae, then heartache hit again. This time, it seemed to be her friend’s turn when Daniel was killed. Solae was just as devastated as if he had been her husband.

In Solae’s opinion, she didn’t welcome misery as her company. While Candace didn’t think love would ever find her again after her husband died, leaving her with an infant, she did. Solae also thought bliss was unobtainable because she couldn’t have children. But through a series of events, she and Candace wound up dating two firefighters, only Hershel had the rank of captain.

“Me too,” she said softly with less enthusiasm.

“We can have a double wedding! Can you believe Royce had Lindsay in on the proposal? It was so romantic...”

When Candace took a breath, Solae broke the news to her. “Hershel didn’t propose.” She took a deep breath and held it. She had just ended a crying spell after spending Christmas at Hershel’s hou
se with his two adorable little sons. As a single father, he did an incredible job of rearing them.

“He gave me the most beautiful teardrop diamond pendant I’ve ever seen.” Solae cleared her throat to keep her voice steady. “Of course, the boys gave me the sweetest little gifts…”

“Oh, Solae. I’m sorry.”

She refused to spoil her friend’s jubilation. It was a good Christmas.
And a sad one if I believed in Santa Claus, because he had messed up big time by not delivering what was on my list.
But she believed in Jesus and He had to remain her focus of the day.

“It’s okay. We’ve only been dating for four months anyway.” The same amount of time as Royce and Candace. “Maybe, he needs a little more time,” Solae said, trying to convince herself and hoping her friend would believe her, too.

“Maybe.” Candace was quiet as the mood became somber. “Well, I know he loves you!” She bounced back.

“Yes, he even said as much in his card.” Solae smiled. She loved him, too. “I should be grateful, right? Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, right? I mean whether it’s around the wrist, neck, or ear—”

“The fourth finger is always better,” Candace stated what Solae was afraid to utter. “Are you going to talk to him?”

“And say what?” Solae wanted to scream, but it would have been directed at the wrong person. She lifted her chin in mock defiance. “You know, I’m not the one to directly or indirectly pressure a man to marry me. If so, I probably would have been a Mrs. a long time ago.”  She paused. There was no lying to her best friend. “Did I sound convincing?”

“Nope, not to me. I’m sorry, sis. I was really hoping we could’ve had a double wedding and everything.” Candace’s voice was definitely drained of excitement.

Shifting on the sofa, Solae pulled her sweater together as if the fire roaring in the fireplace wasn’t warm enough. “Well, you know how brothers are. Maybe he didn’t want to do it on Christmas because Royce was asking you. There’s always Valentine’s Day.”

“Y-yeah…” They chatted for a few more minutes until Royce called and she hurried off the phone, but not before voicing her opinion. “I hope my future brother-in-law doesn’t wait for Valentine’s Day.”

Me either,
she thought as their call ended.

Five
months later on a picturesque May afternoon, Solae glided down the aisle for nuptials. It was her second time as Candace’s bridesmaid.

When Hershel gave her the Godiva heart-shaped box of chocolates and the charm bracelet with dangling gold hearts for Valentine’s Day, her flesh-and-blood heart broke in two.

A month later on her birthday, Hershel seemed pleased with himself for completing her set with matching tear-drop earrings. The moment was touching because the love in his eyes was undeniable. It took everything within Solae not to shed her own tears. There was no ring in sight, or a slip of the tongue about a wedding band. Her hope was fading fast.

She was a woman with a built-in self-preservation that reminded her of her past failed relationships that, when she pressed the men about their intentions, she got truthful answers that she couldn’t handle. Their concerns and their family’s concerns about her not having an offspring proved love didn’t conquer all. Their rejections had crushed her.

Solae was beyond frustrated with Hershel. She wanted to belong to him and be a mother to his boys, so reluctantly, she began to pull away. She couldn’t take another diamond gift that didn’t go on her left hand. Assisting Candace in the planning of her wedding had been the perfect excuse for her absence and lack of availability when he called.

Now her complete road to recovery would begin minutes after Candace and Royce said, “I do”. She would make it official to Hershel that they were over.

“Stop it!” Candace ordered from across the room in the wedding chamber. Her censure was reflected in the floor-length mirror. Solae thought her friend was admiring the simple beige wedding gown on her figure.

There were no ruffles or tulle or lavish lacing. It was simply a form-fitting dress on the hanger, but once Candace slipped into it, the garment became stunning.

Apparently, Candace was watching her. Solae straightened her body that was perched on a chair arm as if the teacher had caught her doodling on a piece of paper instead of in her mind.

“What?” S
olae whined without meeting her eyes. Instead, she focused on her shimmering stockings and lilac stilettos that were sprinkled with rhinestones. Her bridesmaid’s dress was of the same shade and knee-length. Again, it was simple but classy—Solae made sure of it with her fashion sense.

“You’ve got to talk to him,” Candace practically pleaded, spinning around to face her.

“Yeah,” she said dryly. “And say, ‘Hershel, I’m desperate—marry me. I’ll be a good wife and mommy—here’s my resume.’ Or ‘Hershel, I love you with all my heart, I’d never walk away from you and the boys like your ex-wife did. So will you ask me to marry you?’ How pathetic.”