Aria's Christmas Wish Read online

  Aria’s Christmas Wish

  Victorine E. Lieske

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Epilogue

  Sneak Peek of Christmas with the Recluse

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2019 by Victorine E. Lieske

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.

  Victorine E. Lieske

  P.O.Box 493

  Scottsbluff, NE 69363-0493

  www.victorinelieske.com

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Chapter 1

  Kendra gripped Aria’s gloved hand, gently tugging her toward the car. The sun was already setting, and she knew Aria would get cranky if she didn’t get dinner soon. It’s not like they could do more Christmas shopping anyway. She was out of money. “Come on, sweetie. We have to get home.”

  “But I want to make a wish.” Aria slipped out of her grasp and disappeared into the throng of people rushing in and out of the shops on Main street.

  Kendra sighed and pushed through the crowd. She knew where Aria was headed, so she didn’t panic. She gripped her shopping bags and followed after her headstrong five-year-old daughter. “Aria! Come back here.”

  Man, that kid was fast. She was already across the street and headed toward the water fountain in the middle of town square. Aria loved it, and every time they came downtown, she insisted on tossing a penny in and making a wish.

  Kendra slowed as her boots crunched on the snow. Aria’s silhouette leaned over the edge of the fountain. She could see why her daughter thought the structure would grant her wishes. The lights did make it look magical. Plus, the town square was decorated up for Christmas adding to the atmosphere.

  Aria glanced up at Kendra, her blue eyes sparkling with the kind of joy only a child has. “Can I have a penny?”

  “All right,” she said, setting down her shopping bags and digging in her purse. “But you really should stay with me. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “I looked both ways.” Aria rolled her eyes.

  “And I’m glad. But you disobeyed me.” Kendra knelt down so she was eye-level to her daughter. “And I need you to obey me.” She held out the penny, pinched between her fingers.

  Aria tried to grab it, but Kendra pulled it away. “Okay?” she asked.

  Aria huffed. “Okay, Mommy.”

  Kendra gave her the penny and Aria closed her eyes and concentrated. Her little eyebrows furrowed, and her cheeks grew red from holding her breath. Then she tossed it into the water and smiled. “I did it. I wished it so hard, it’s going to come true this time.”

  Oh, no. The poor girl. What had Aria wished for? Kendra had been trying to get her daughter to tell her what she wanted for Christmas, but Aria refused to say. And Christmas was only a week away.

  Kendra crossed her fingers. “Oh? What did you wish for?”

  “Mommy! You know I can’t tell you. Then it won’t come true.”

  Yeah. That’s what she was afraid of. Kendra bit her lower lip. “You can tell me. It doesn’t count if you tell your mother.”

  Aria gave her mom a sideways glance. “Of course it counts. Ellie said I can’t tell anyone, ever. Or it won’t come true. And Ellie knows, so I can’t tell you.”

  “Is it a Christmas wish?”

  “Yes.” Aria took Kendra’s hand and they started toward their car. The poor girl seemed so happy. How disappointed would she be on Christmas morning when her wished-for present wasn’t under the tree?

  Inspiration struck Kendra. “Would you like to ask Santa for it, then? Maybe he will be able to help your wish come true.”

  Aria thought about it before nodding. “Okay.”

  Problem solved. “Perfect. After dinner I’ll help you write out your Christmas list for Santa, and we’ll mail it to him.”

  Aria stopped short causing Kendra to almost stumble. “No, Mommy. Santa knows what I’m thinking. I just have to ask him in my mind. Don’t you know the song?” She started singing ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town.’

  Kendra sighed and nudged Aria along. “All right.” She wasn’t going to win this battle. Maybe she could work it out of her another way.

  Her daughter continued to sing until they got into their car and Kendra cranked the ignition. The radio came to life and Home is Love came on. Kendra instinctively shut it off. She didn’t need to hear the famous country singer Jacob Mitchell belt out how there’s no place like home. Not when his actions spoke so much louder than his words.

  “Hey,” Aria called from her booster seat. “I like that song. Turn it back on.”

  Kendra choked on her saliva, coughing for a moment before she turned to her daughter. “You know that song?”

  Aria nodded. “Yeah. Ellie says it’s the best. Can you turn it on, please? I like it.”

  Kendra stared at her daughter for a second before flipping the radio back on. Jacob’s smooth voice came through the speakers. Every time she heard it, she had the same reaction. Her pulse quickened and a shiver ran down her spine. Not in a creepy, someone’s going to murder you way. No, this kind of shiver was pleasurable. The kind you get when the man you love kisses the back of your hand.

  Unwanted memories forced their way through her mind. Jacob sitting next to her in chem lab. The excitement when he first spoke to her. The song he wrote for her. She blinked back the emotions it all stirred in her. She would not cry. Not in front of Aria.

  “You should sing this song,” Aria said, as she hummed along to the music.

  Kendra’s heart jumped into her throat. If she started singing Jacob’s song, she would definitely be a sobbing, blubbery mess. She shook her head. “Sorry, sweetheart. Mommy’s driving.”

  She put the car into drive and pulled out onto the street. The song ended and she relaxed with relief. She wouldn’t have to think of Jacob again until one of his other hit songs made its way onto the radio. He had so many now, she’d lost count. And she knew each and every one of them by heart.

  Not that she listened to them in public. These were the songs she kept for the times when Aria was asleep, and she was alone. When no one would hear her crying.

  The steering wheel shook and her car made a terrible noise. Kendra gripped the wheel and slammed on the brakes. Oh, no. This couldn’t be happening. She could not lose her only form of transportation. Not when her boss was already upset that she missed work last week when Aria was ill. She guided the car to the side of the road as it sputtered and died. She pressed her hazard lights.

  Kendra reached for her cell phone and found an empty pocket. Sweat broke out on her forehead. Had she left her phone at home? She was always setting that thing down and forgetting where she put it. This wasn’t good. She peered out of the windshield at the stretch of highway that took her to her small, rented farmhouse. There wasn’t much traffic on this r
oad. How long would she and Aria have to sit before some farmer would come along and rescue them?

  “What happened?” Aria’s small voice came from the back seat.

  “Something’s up with the car.”

  “Are we going to have to walk home?”

  “No, honey.” At least, she hoped not. It was a good half-mile walk, and the sun was now down. Aria would freeze. Kendra pushed away the panic threatening to strangle her and got out of the car. “I’m just going to check the engine.”

  She shut her driver’s side door and made her way to the front of the car. Unlatching the hood, she lifted it up. She stared at the components, barely visible in the darkness. What was she doing? She had no idea what she was looking at even in the daylight. How was she supposed to know what to do in the dark?

  She once again stared down the stretch of highway. One way led to town. The other, to the interstate. Surely someone would be coming along soon. Right?

  She rubbed her hands together as the seconds ticked by. It was useless to stand in the cold. At least in the car she’d be shielded from the wind. She climbed back inside, leaving the hood up so whoever drove by would see they were in trouble.

  “Did you fix it, Mommy?” Aria stared at her with her large, blue eyes.

  Kendra huffed warm air on her hands. “No, sweetie. I didn’t.”

  Aria squirmed in her seat. “When will it get fixed?”

  A lump formed in Kendra’s throat. “Soon.”

  Headlights peeked up over the ridge and Kendra breathed out relief. She once again got out of the car and waved her hands in the air when the headlights neared. The car slowed, and then stopped. The driver’s side window rolled down.

  “Thank you for stopping. Something happened with my car and I—”

  “Kendra?”

  The deep voice stopped her heart and she froze as she took a good look at the man behind the wheel. The man who had left her in Highland Falls six years ago. The only man she had ever loved. The same one who had broken her heart into tiny shards of pain. She swallowed, her tongue suddenly made of sandpaper. “Jacob?”

  He stared at her before snapping out of his trance. “What are you doing out here? Did your car break down?”

  Her brain stuttered, then finally registered where she was, standing in the middle of the highway. “Uh, yeah.”

  “Do you need help?” Jacob winced. “Duh. Of course you do. That was a stupid question.” He hopped out of his car and walked over to the engine. He pulled out his cell phone and turned on the flashlight.

  Kendra had been so shocked to see Jacob in Highland Falls that she hadn’t been thinking properly. But as she watched him fiddle around under the hood, she realized she needed to get Jacob away from them. And fast.

  Jacob stood back. “Looks like it’s the timing belt. And from the antifreeze under your car, looks like you blew your water pump. You’re going to need a tow.”

  “You know, if you could just loan me your phone for a second, I can call and get someone over here. Then you don’t have to wait around in the cold. You can leave.”

  He gave her a funny look. “Why would you call someone when I’m right here? I can give you a ride.”

  “No, you don’t have to. You’re headed into town. It would be out of your way.”

  “Why? Where are you going?”

  “The Thomas farm.”

  His eyebrows shot up, and even in the dark she could see the surprise on his face. “You live in that huge house?”

  Embarrassment heated her cheeks. “No. We…I live in the servant’s house.”

  “That old shack out back?”

  Yeah, shack was a good name for it. But it was all she could afford. And she’d fixed it up to the best of her abilities. It actually wasn’t a servant’s house, but that’s what they’d called it as kids. Probably a small house used for farm workers. She nodded and rubbed her arms. Was it getting colder?

  “Sorry. That wasn’t what I meant. I was just…” He toed the snow on the ground. “Look. Let me take you home. It’s just up the road. It’s not out of my way.”

  No. She couldn’t do that. She didn’t want him to see…

  A knocking sounded on the back window and panic shot through her. But it was too late. Jacob had already seen Aria. Kendra opened the door and Aria stared up at them. “When are we going home? I’m cold.”

  Anxiety, embarrassment, and another emotion she couldn’t name wrestled inside of Kendra. “Soon, sweetheart.”

  Jacob pointed. “Who’s that?”

  “Aria.” It came out just a whisper, so she said the name louder. Then tacked on, “My daughter.”

  Jacob stared at the little girl in the back seat. “You have a daughter?” He swallowed. “Is she…”

  “No,” Kendra said quickly. “She’s not.”

  “Then who—”

  “Jacob,” Kendra interrupted. “Can you just take us home, please? It’s freezing out here.”

  Jacob nodded slowly. “Yeah. Sure.”

  Kendra opened her car door and unbuckled Aria. “This nice man is going to take us home.”

  “Finally,” Aria said loudly.

  Jacob chuckled. “Been waiting a long time?”

  “No,” Kendra said at the same time Aria said, “Yes.”

  “You know how children are.” Kendra lifted Aria from her booster seat and wondered why she’d said that. Jacob didn’t know how children were. He’d never had any younger siblings. And now that he was a big star, he probably would never know.

  She shoved those thoughts away as she transferred Aria’s booster seat to Jacob’s car. A rental, from the looks of it.

  “So, how old is she?” Jacob stared at Aria.

  Kendra’s mouth dried out. “Five.”

  “Five?” His eyes widened. She grabbed her packages and locked her car. She didn’t want to have this conversation. Not now. Not in front of Aria. Jacob opened her door for her, and she climbed into the passenger seat.

  He drove to the Thompson farm, the silence in the car deafening. When he pulled up to her house, she reached to open her door, but he placed his hand on her knee. “Stop. Don’t get out yet. We need to talk.”

  And there it was. The words she’d dreaded for the past five years. Her chest ached. This was not what she’d planned to do today. “I need to get my daughter inside,” she whispered.

  “That’s fine. Get her inside. Then please come talk to me.”

  She paused, then nodded. There would not be any putting this off. She had to face it now. Feeling numb, she got Aria out of the car and inside the house. She hung up her little coat and turned on a cartoon. “I have to go talk to that man. I’ll be right outside, okay?”

  Aria nodded, not paying much attention.

  Kendra opened the front door and Jacob was standing on her small porch, leaning against the railing. She stepped out and shut the door, unable to look him in the eyes.

  He exhaled and ran a hand through his hair. “Five years, Kendra?”

  “I got pregnant when I went to Europe.” The practiced lie slipped out with ease. It’s what she’d told everyone. No, she didn’t know who the father was. Yes, it was a stupid mistake. No, she wasn’t going to seek for child support. Yes, she could do this on her own.

  Jacob winced. “But she looks—”

  “Her father had blond hair, like you. That’s all.” Kendra rubbed her hands together, holding her breath that Jacob would take her word for it. That he would leave, thinking there was nothing tying them together. Seeing him was already causing her pain. She couldn’t live through it a second time if he came back into her life, only to leave again.

  Jacob huffed and shrugged. “Okay. I’ll believe you.”

  Relief pooled in her stomach. He wasn’t going to push it. Thank heavens. Now, maybe he’d go away.

  Chapter 2

  Jacob stared at Kendra. Even now, with her in faded jeans and an oversized coat, she took his breath away. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun, tendri
ls falling to the sides of her face. Just looking at her brought back all the old feelings. He shoved his hands into his coat pockets and suppressed them. He knew that ship had sailed. The bridge had burned. All the clichés applied. He and Kendra were never getting back together. “So, what are you doing these days?”

  Her gaze skittered around, landing on everything but him. “I’m just working at the dollar store.”

  He peeked into her living room window. The little girl sat cross-legged in front of the television. Everything about her screamed she was his, from her pointed nose that looked just like his mother’s, to her ears that stuck out a little too much, like he saw in the mirror each morning. He didn’t know why Kendra was lying about it, but he was going to find out the truth. He cleared his throat. “That’s nice.”

  “It’s a job.”

  The girl jumped up and ran into the other room, out of his line of sight. A longing surged inside him and he craned his neck to see if he could catch another glimpse of her.

  “Well,” Kendra said, wringing her hands. “I’d better go inside. Thank you for the ride.”

  “Mind if I come in?” The words just popped out. He couldn’t stop them.

  Kendra looked like she’d been asked to dip her toes in blood. “Uh…”

  “I’d love to catch up.”

  She swallowed and looked around the yard. “I guess...”

  “Great.” He knew she didn’t want him there. But he wanted to see the girl. Possibly his child. He reeled with the thought that he might have a daughter.

  A little girl who didn’t even know who he was. His throat tightened. His own father had left when he was young. He’d spent years hating him for it. Was that how his daughter would grow up? Filled with hate for him? The thought made him sick.