A Hickory Ridge Christmas Read Online Free PDF Page A

mirror the day that Todd’s family left for the airport.
    He glanced away and back, and the look was gone. “I’ve waited five years to apologize to you. I’m not leaving until you let me do it.”
    Hannah blinked, her mind racing. A million timesshe’d imagined Todd’s reaction when she told him the truth. Now she only wanted to run and hide with her secret again, to protect her daughter from the fallout and herself from the blame she deserved.
    But she couldn’t run anymore. Todd was right. It was time.
    â€œThen I guess I’d better invite you in.”

Chapter Three
    A s Hannah pulled open the door, Todd released the breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. His foot ached, more likely from standing out in the cold than from where she’d squeezed it in the door, but he didn’t care. He was here, she was here, and that was all that mattered.
    â€œNice place,” he said before he even stepped on the mat and took a look around.
    And it was nice. Though one of the four smallish apartments in a renovated older house, Hannah had made it look warm and homey with overstuffed furniture and soft pillows. It was decorated in earth tones and dotted with artistic, framed black-and-white photographs of children.
    The Christmas tree he’d first glimpsed through the front window radiated warmth, as well, with its homemade ornaments, popcorn strands and spatterof silvery icicles. No hand-blown glass balls and fussy velvet bows for Hannah’s apartment.
    The woman herself looked as warm and casual as her house, dressed in well-worn jeans and a black long-sleeved top. She had fuzzy slippers on her feet. But her expression showed she was anything but comfortable with him in her space, and she looked as if she’d been crying.
    â€œYes, we like it.”
    We? The smile that had formed on his face slipped away as he turned to her. What had he missed? Hannah took a few steps into the living room and motioned for Todd to follow.
    There in the corner that he couldn’t see from the front door was a tiny blond girl, surrounded by baby dolls, blankets and play bottles. For several seconds, Todd stared at the child who was looking back at him with huge, haunting eyes. She looked familiar somehow.
    â€œCome here, honey,” Hannah called to the child. When the little girl stood under her protective arm, Hannah turned back to face him.
    â€œTodd, this is Rebecca. She’s my daughter.”
    Daughter? Hannah had a daughter? He looked back and forth between them, his thoughts spinning. Though their features were slightly different, they both had lovely peachy skin and light, light hair. They were clearly relatives.
    When he glanced away to collect his thoughts, his gaze landed again on the amazing photos dotting the walls on either side of the Christmas tree. Thesubjects of those photos, taken in a variety of natural backdrops, weren’t children, but rather one child—the same sweet-looking little girl standing right in front of him.
    Clearing his throat, he turned back to them. “Nice pictures.”
    â€œThanks.”
    â€œThe photographer did a great job.”
    She nodded but didn’t look at the portraits. Instead, she turned to her daughter. “Rebecca, this is Mr. McBride.”
    â€œHi,” she said quickly before taking refuge behind her mother’s jeans-clad leg.
    â€œHello, Rebecca.”
    Todd shook his head, trying to reconcile the new information. Parts of this puzzle weren’t fitting together easily. Was Hannah married now? Was that what Andrew had been trying to tell him when he’d suggested that healing the relationship might not be easy? If that was it, how could the minister have been so cruel as to let him go on believing…hoping?
    His gaze fell to Hannah’s left hand, the one she was using to lead the child back to her toys and out of earshot of their conversation.
    Hannah wore no ring.
    Suddenly