Married for Christmas (Willow Park) Read Online Free PDF

by First Presbyterian Church in Willow
Park and used as housing for the pastor—was charming, built about a hundred
years ago, with original hardwood floors, a big front porch, and two big
willows in the backyard.
    Jessica had always loved the house. She couldn’t believe she’d
actually be living in it soon.
    She couldn’t believe she’d be living in it with Daniel.
    They’d been engaged now for two weeks, but she still had trouble
wrapping her mind around that fact.
    Since they’d finished walking through the first floor, they
headed upstairs to the second. Several years ago, the church had turned two
small bedrooms into a master suite, and there were three other bedrooms down
the hall.
    Jessica was hit with the vision of having children in those
rooms. All her life, she’d wanted kids, and she’d started to lose hope that
she’d ever have them.
    She shook off the tempting daydream. She didn’t want to
assume that everything would work out according to her plans.
    But she couldn’t help but see them. She couldn’t help but
hope.
    “You okay?” Daniel asked, evidently noticing her
distraction.
    “Yeah. Good.” She smiled at him, trying not to look too
ridiculously happy. Most women she’d known were excited about the romance part
of the marriage. She could definitely understand that. She didn’t have the
romance—but she’d have all the other stuff.
    And that was still a lot to be excited about.
    She added, “I’ll make one of these bedrooms my office, if
that’s okay.”
    “Of course. Which one do you want?”
    She stepped into the bedroom with two big windows, one that
looked out onto the back yard. “This one, I think.”
    Daniel eyed the room assessingly.  “I like it. You could put
a desk in that corner, so you’d have a view of both windows.”
    “My desk wouldn’t work in that corner.”
    “You could get a new desk. Didn’t you find yours at a yard sale,
anyway?”
    She walked out to look through the second window. If she
turned her head right, she could catch a glimpse of the charming, tree-lined
street. “I’m not going to spend money on a new desk. Yard sale or not, the one
I have is still fine.”
    He didn’t argue. Just looked out the windows for a few more
seconds and then wandered out of the room and down the hall to the master. She
followed him, since there was nothing else to see in this room.
    He stopped before he walked in and cleared his throat. She
suddenly realized his expression was slightly self-conscious.
    “What were you thinking about the bedroom situation?” he
asked.
    She gulped, feeling a wave of self-consciousness washing
over her, much stronger than what she’d just seen in his face. They were both
adults, though, and there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Not really.
“Well, I guess we should probably share the master if you’re okay with it. I
mean, it’s going to look strange to everyone if we have separate rooms.”
    “You’d be all right with that?”
    “Why wouldn’t I be?”
    “I didn’t know if you’d want me all in your space.”
    “I’ll have plenty of space, since you’ll be working at the
church most days. If we’re going to be married for real, then we might as
well…” She trailed off. Couldn’t bring herself to say the rest.
    He didn’t answer, and she didn’t have the nerve to look at
his face. It might be hard for him—moving on after Lila, even just moving on to
a half-fake marriage.
    The flood of sympathy at the thought compelled her to raise
her eyes. His face looked stiff, a little lost.
    She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. “We don’t
have to share a room if you’d rather not. We can work it out with how everyone
else might view it.”
    “No. You’re right. We should share the bedroom.” He gave her
a half-smile, his mood suddenly lifting. “Besides, if we had separate bedrooms,
I’m sure you’d insist on claiming the master, and I’d be stuck in one of those
cubbyholes.”
    She giggled,