Christmas in the Air Read Online Free PDF Page B

Livia focused her attention on the stained-glass window, barely visible in the dim light. It was her custom to read the Bible and pray before she went to sleep at night. Since there wasn’t enough light for her to read, she was thankful for the Scriptures that she’d memorized. Inspired by the picture of Jesus holding a lamb in His arms, she remembered the Twenty-Third Psalm, which she’d learned as a child.
    â€œâ€˜The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want,’” she whispered, and meditated on the rest of the psalm. She repeated quietly the verse that seemed to be the most pertinent tonight.
    â€œâ€˜Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.’”
    Perhaps at no other time in her life had it been necessary for her to put this promise to the test. Her life up until now had been relatively carefree. Except for her secret liking for Quinn, never before had Livia encountered any crisis when she didn’t have her family to lean on.
    Fortunately, their lives weren’t at risk, but their situation would have been dire if God hadn’t directed them along this isolated road to the Sheltering Arms Church. If they’d stayed on the interstate, they might easily have been in a deadly accident. Livia believed when anyone was wholly committed to the will of God,He directed that person’s daily walk. In spite of her sorrow at missing Christmas with her family, Livia’s uneasiness lessened. Whatever His reason, she believed that she was in the place God wanted her to be tonight.
    Kneeling, Livia rested her head on the pew, finding comfort in being in a place where people had worshiped long ago.
    God, thanks for Your protection on this stormy night. I pray that You will give my parents peace of mind. I know they are worried about me. I’m thankful for this opportunity to witness Your love and goodness with my dear friends, and the ones I’ve met tonight for the first time. And about Quinn, Lord? When no other man has ever been able to replace him in my heart, does that mean he’s the one You’ve meant for me all along? Is that the reason we’re snowbound? Whatever the outcome, Lord, I praise You for Your watchful eye, yesterday, today and forever. Amen.
    Livia was warm enough in her heavy clothes, so instead of wrapping in the blanket, she folded it under her head as a pillow. She didn’t remove her boots when she stretched out on the hard pew. She wasn’t a large person, but the only way she found any comfort was by turning on her left side and curling up in a fetal position. Sleepily, she wondered how anyone the size of Quinn or Allen Reynolds could find rest on these narrow benches.
    Livia felt as if she’d just gone to sleep when Quinn touched her shoulder. Stiff from lying on the wooden bench, and tense from drifting in and out of sleep forthe past several hours, Livia could hardly move. She struggled to a sitting position, rubbed her eyes and moved quietly to sit on the bench beside the stove, which Les and Allen were now vacating.
    Les opened the door of the stove and laid several chunks of coal and two sticks of wood on a glowing bed of coals. “You probably won’t have to do anything for an hour,” he whispered.
    â€œWe’ll be fine,” Livia assured him, keeping her voice low so that she wouldn’t disturb anyone who was sleeping. “You rest and don’t worry about us.”
    Livia propped her feet on a coal bucket because the cold from the floor seeped through her boots. She tried to relax, although that was difficult, with Quinn sitting beside her, his shoulder touching hers. She unzipped her coat. Was it the heat from the stove, or Quinn’s presence that caused the sudden flash of warmth?
    Quinn hadn’t been able to decipher Livia’s feelings toward him. Was she angry because he’d ignored her