Sweetwater Springs Scrooge: A Montana Sky Holiday Short Story (The Montana Sky Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

sometimes attended church on Sundays because his mother would turn in her grave if he didn’t, and, if truth-be-told, Reverend Norton’s sermons usually gave him food for thought. But more often, he went for the bittersweet torture of catching a glimpse of Mrs. Harold Williams.
    Through the years, he’d seen his Marian Hutchinson—the woman he thought would be his bride—attend the services with her husband and then, a year later, with the daughter who should have been his. He’d watched young Juliana grow up and become the spittin’ image of her mama, marry, and move away. Then the pew held just Marian and Harold, until her husband died, leaving Marian to sit alone.
    Last year, he’d overheard a mention of Juliana’s death and hadn’t attended a service since, for such a great loss surely should be personally acknowledged to Marian. Yet he couldn’t find the words to break the thirty-year silence between them in order to express condolences. For as much as he’d never said a thing to the girl, never even acknowledged her presence, he keenly felt Juliana’s absence in the world, and could only imagine the depths of Marian’s pain.
    Yes, Elias was out of the habit of expressing himself, and he certainly hadn’t been a great hand in doing so before. Or surely he and Marian would have resolved their differences at the time.
    Nervously, he pulled at his cuffs. Today I have to be different. He’d spent hours thinking of what to say to Marian, and could only pray he’d actually get the words out of his mouth, and that she’d hear him out.
    Today when he entered the church building, instead of hiding in the back pew, Elias moved to the center to sit across from Noah and Marian on the other side of the aisle.
    When Noah saw Elias, the boy straightened from his slouch against the side of the pew and gave a happy wiggle, his eyes sparkling. He raised his hand in a slight wave.
    Elias nodded back, conscious of astonished eyes on him. A few people wished him good morning, and he dipped his chin to them as well—a bigger gesture than the usual faint bob of his head, which, in the past, he’d only given out when forced to for the sake of politeness.
    As he sat, Elias felt the stares of the people in the back rows boring into his neck, causing the fine hairs there to prickle. For a moment, he regretted his choice of seat, wishing for humble obscurity in the last pew. But then he glanced over at Noah and saw the boy nod in approval, looking as though he was the elder and not Elias.
    Elias wanted to laugh. Noah certainly is a character. But he held in both the chuckle and the shake of his head. No use in encouraging the boy, especially in church with all eyes upon him.
    But somehow, Noah’s optimism seeped into Elias and gave him hope.
    ~ ~ ~
    Marian could not have been more shocked seeing Elias, his hair and beard trimmed, nod and smile at her before taking a seat in a center pew across from them, than if a grizzly bear dressed in human clothing had attended Advent service. Her heart skipped so rapidly she wanted to press her hand to her chest, as if to slow the beat. But she didn’t want to draw attention. Plenty of older members of the congregation hadn’t forgotten she and Elias used to be engaged.
    The church was already decorated for Christmas. Evergreen and holly boughs lined the bottoms of the windows, unlit red candles in glass holders gleaming in the weak sunlight. On Christmas Eve, they’d glow through the windows, representing the light of God shining into the bleakness of the world.
    Although she’d dutifully tried to concentrate on the church service, watching as Micah Norton, the grandson of the minister, carefully lit three of the four candles of the advent wreath on the center of the altar; absently singing the words “Oh Come, oh Come, Emmanuel,” which she knew by heart; and listening to Reverend Norton’s sermon—Marian found her attention straying to the man in the pew across from them. Not