GABRIEL'S GIFT: A Lost Hearts Christmas Story Read Online Free PDF

felt so stupid. She was right. Why hadn't he seen the truth? That was exactly what he was afraid of. "Yes. Yes. Yes. What if I'm like my father, so uncaring I can father five sons and not love any of them? What if I'm like my mother, seething with hate, cruelty and abuse?"
    "You're not like that now," she pointed out.
    "Everyone says, 'It's different when it's your own.' They mean I'll love my own kids more if I change their diapers and rock them to sleep and tell them stories. But what if that means I'll hate my own kids because they're always there and talking and there's never time alone and I have all that responsibility and I'm a bad parent?"
    "Are you a bad person?"
    "No." He was sure of that.
    "Then you can't be a bad parent. You might have bad days, or say the wrong thing, but if you love your family, they'll help you. You just have to try to do the right thing."
    Whoa. "You're pretty smart."
    "Yes. This running away thing has taught me a lot." She shivered. "You're right. I don't want to be alone. I don't want to be a foster kid."
    "I think your mom is probably worried to death about you. Don't you?"
    "No. She said she doesn't want me anymore."
    "I think she may have said more than she meant to. Like you did. But since you said it first, you'll have to apologize first."
    Arabella curled into a tighter ball.
    "I had to apologize to Hannah before she would forgive me," he reminded her. "If I can do it, you can do it."
    She turned her head and pinned him with a critical gaze. "You're right. I almost called Mama on your phone and asked if I could come home. I dialed and everything. I wanted to, so bad. But I hung up because I thought when she heard my voice she would hang up, and I couldn't stand that."
    "You should have talked to her. I'll bet that would be the best Christmas gift you could give her."
    "I could call her now."
    He got up, grabbed the home phone off the table and handed it over.
    Arabella eagerly dialed her number.
    It rang and rang.
    When voice mail picked up, her face fell and she handed the phone back to Gabriel.
    He hugged her shoulders. "We'll get you back to her, sweetie."
    "But not by Christmas," she said dolefully.
He wanted to assure her they would. But he couldn't, not with travel as busy as it was today.
    Arabella started sniffling again.
    Then with a bang, the front door blew open, and Kate and her three kids ran in on the chill north wind. Kate was brisk and efficient, pretty and kind. She opened her arms and embraced Gabriel. She kissed Arabella like she was a beloved relative, and wiped the remnants of tears off her cheeks.
    Her children stood under the tree and squealed with excitement, then Kate chased them all upstairs to unpack. Arabella went too, looking back at Gabriel, then up at the kids, then back at Gabriel.
    He made a shooing motion, and when they had all disappeared, he turned to Kate. "What news?"
    "Can you believe it? The kid stowed away on a plane from Philadelphia to Dallas."
    Incredulous, Gabriel asked, "How does anybody stow away on a plane these days?"
    "According to the airport cameras, she crowded up close to a family and got through security, then boarded early with them, then sat in a middle seat in the back row. The plane wasn't full. No one was in the seat. She sailed right through." Kate's blue eyes snapped with excitement.
    Gabriel tried to say something that made sense of the situation, then faltered to a stop. Nothing made sense of this situation. "How the hell did she get out here?"
    "I imagine she pulled the same stunt on a bus to Hobart. I do know she caught a ride to the ranch with Melissa Cunningham." In a droll voice, Kate said, "Melissa thought she was one of ours."
    "Melissa Cunningham. Of course. The town busybody."
    "Susan's mother was frantic, calling the police, appealing to her ex-husband — who is a spectacularly uncaring jerk — trying to talk to that guy on the news who fixes everybody's problems." Kate pushed her hair off her forehead. "Then