Moonlight and Mistletoe

house. The mouthwatering smells of coffee and bacon greeted her. Okay, so maybe she could stomach a bite. Or two.

“Where’s that good-looking husband of yours?” she asked Lindy as she kissed her cheek.

“I sent him out to gather fresh eggs.”

“Amazing how well you’ve managed to train that city boy.”

“Hey,” Travis called out from the mudroom. “I heard that.”

“Did I lie?” Shayna challenged him.

“Nope. I just wanted to make sure you girls knew I was here so you wouldn’t talk about me in front of my back.” Travis deposited the fresh eggs in the sink and stole a kiss from his wife, who was busy rolling out biscuits.

Who would have thought two years ago, when a secret provision in Lindy’s grandfather’s will had forced these two to work on their troubled marriage, that they’d ever be this blissfully-and enviably-happy?

After popping her biscuits in the oven, Lindy wagged a motherly finger in Shayna’s face. “Enough stalling. Tell us what’s going on.”

Assuming that Lindy-who knew all there was to know about Shayna’s background-had already brought Travis up to speed, Shayna jumped right in. “Dr. Walker intends to counter Patty’s blackmail threats by going public with my existence. He’s offering me a million-dollar settlement in exchange for appearing on his talk show so he can play father of the year and compensate me for all my years of poverty and suffering.”

“‘Poverty and suffering’? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Oh, wait. It gets better. In exchange for his compensation, I have to support his bogus claim that he never knew about me and promise to never say anything negative about him, publicly or privately.”

“Are you saying he’s known about you all along?” Travis asked.

“According to Patty, Walker’s talk about having recently learned about me is total fiction. She swears he knew, from the very beginning. And now that she’s threatened to tell the world, he suddenly wants to recognize my existence and ‘make amends’? I don’t think so.”

“Do you have any legal proof that he’s known about you all along?”

“What would it matter?” Her hands started twirling through the tail of her braid. “Digging up proof and fighting his claim would just drag this out, and I certainly don’t want that. I just want them all to leave me-and Daddy-out of this.”

“What does James have to do with this?”

“If I go on national television and make nice with that jerk, it will stir up lots questions, and I don’t have good legal answers for all of them. I’m afraid that when the story gets out, people will persecute Daddy for the decisions that saved my life and made us a family.” How could she possibly betray his love and loyalty by casting suspicions on his actions, by going back on her vow to be his daughter for the rest of her life?

“Shayna,” Travis said gently, leaning forward in his chair. “I won’t deny that when people first learn the facts about your history, James might initially come off looking bad. But,” he stressed as she attempted to interrupt, “those same facts, along with his impeccable reputation, will also exonerate him.”

She exhaled in relief. That had been her hope, but hearing a man with Travis’s experience say the words calmed her lingering fears.

“However,” Travis continued cautiously, not allowing her time to savor his consensus. “You have to know that if you don’t cooperate, Walker will likely escalate this issue until every piece of your life has been made public. A man in his position doesn’t take defeat or disobedience well.”

“Kyle implied that Walker wouldn’t react kindly if I refused his offer. He said the legal agreement was designed to be a win-win compromise and my only good shot of putting this behind me with any kind of speed and moving on with life.”

“I’m inclined to agree.” Travis hefted the legal documents. “This looks like the closest you’ll come to a victory.”

“How? The only winners I see are Walker, who gets to keep his sterling reputation, and Kyle, who earns his partnership. What do I get?” Her shoulders slumped under the weight of her worries.

“A million dollars?”

She shook her head, pulling her hair free from her nervous fingers. “I can get by fine without his guilt money.”

“But with it you can do so much better than merely get by.”

She sat up and stared into his baffled expression. Guess it was difficult for someone with Travis’s background to understand why anyone would choose to live without gobs of money.

“Whether he knew about me all along or not, Walker sees my birth as a huge mistake he can fix by throwing money at me. If I take anything from him, he wins. It’ll be like agreeing that my existence is meaningless.”

Lindy cupped her hands over Shayna’s. “Sweetie, you’re giving that man way too much credit. He can’t change who you are or belittle your life unless you allow it.”

“Lindy’s right.” Travis seconded his wife’s opinion. “I never had the pleasure of meeting your dad, Shayna, but from everything I’ve heard, seeing you so eaten up with ugly, negative feelings would have broken his heart.”

Shayna’s shoulders straightened slightly. “He never believed in holding grudges. He used to tell me all the time that hatred could destroy a person’s soul and that if you kept it inside long enough, it would poison you.”

“He was big on forgive and forget, wasn’t he?” Lindy remembered softly.

Shayna sighed. “Yeah, but some wrongs are too cruel to be forgiven.”

Late Sunday afternoon, Kyle walked the half mile separating the boarding house from the giant discount store that was hosting the Noel Festival Toy Drive. A large white tent had been erected in the parking lot. Shayna, looking as scrumptious as she had last night, stood under the awning, charming the crowds as Ms. Noel.

Last night, she had jumped out of his lap and disappeared faster than the camera’s flash. He’d scoured the nearly deserted hall as well as the dwindling carnival for an hour but hadn’t found her. In the end, he’d taken his borrowed costume and returned to the boarding house. If nothing else, it gave him a great excuse to seek her out again.

Turned out he didn’t have to wait long. Or look far.

Closer to the tent, he saw a huge load of donated toys had already been loaded up in the back of a shiny red truck parked beneath the tent. A festively decorated table held a metal bucket overflowing with cash donations. He slipped a handful of bills in as he passed.

When Shayna noticed his arrival, she broke away from the couple she’d been chatting with and strolled over. “I was wondering if you were going to put in an appearance.”

“Missing me?”

Her skin turned rosy, but she didn’t give him a direct answer. “I wanted to thank you for your help last night. You really saved the day. Thanks.”

“No problem. In fact, I enjoyed myself.”

“I could tell, but I must admit, you don’t come across as the kid-friendly type.”

Thinking of all the other neglected kids he’d hung out with on the streets, as well as the ones he’d lived with in group homes and foster care, Kyle shrugged. “You’re not the only one who drew a raw deal in the parent lottery, Shayna. It can leave a hole you never outgrow. Guess that gives me an edge when it comes to relating to kids.”

“Yeah, it helps to understand that childhood isn’t all about baseball games and birthday parties, especially when dealing with the kids who are stuck in the system.” At the tentative touch of her fingers against the back of his hand, he nearly jumped out of his new boots. He’d never experienced chemistry this intense.

“I also wanted to apologize for overreacting after Patty’s phone call and for being so harsh Friday morning.”

At the moment, they were alone, but standing in the middle of the Noel Festival Toy Drive. He didn’t figure that would last. Cupping her elbow, he steered her to the tent’s far corner. “Shayna, I don’t know what your mother said to you, but I swear I never laid a hand on her.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve never thought you were scuzzy enough to be involved with Patty.”