Snowbound with the Soldier

Kara clasped her notepad to her chest. “She did. Depending on what time I get home, we’re supposed to finish trimming it.”

“There’s no need for you to hang around here tonight,” he said, deflated by the fact that she hadn’t extended him an invitation. “I’ve got all the files I’ll need. Go home and

enjoy the evening.”

Her green eyes widened. “Are you sure? The reopening isn’t far away.”

“Positive.” He wanted this Christmas to be special for their daughter, whether Kara let him share it with them or not.

She hesitated at the doorway. Was she having second thoughts about inviting him over? Hope rose in his chest. Christmas still wasn’t one of his favorite holidays, but for Samantha’s sake, he could learn to like just about anything.

“Did you need something else?”

She nodded and pulled an envelope from the back of her notebook. “I need you to read this.”

Disappointment hit him hard and fast. He struggled to keep his poker face in place as he held out his hand. “Is it something I need to go over tonight?”

She worried her bottom lip. “Time is of the essence.”

“Pass it over and I’ll give it top priority.”

When he glanced at the envelope and saw the return address, he groaned. Now he knew why she was acting so strange—it was from his father.

“Kara, take this back.” It’d be filled with more accusations about how he’d failed as a son. He couldn’t—no, he wouldn’t let that man inflict any further pain.

“You said you’d read it. You said you’d make it a priority.” Her brows scrunched together as her eyes pleaded with him. “You can’t pretend he doesn’t exist. And you’ll regret it if he dies before you have a chance to make peace with him.”

Jason didn’t want to hear any of this. “I’m the injured party here. My father was the one who pulled away after my mother died. He’s the one who turned to a liquor bottle for comfort. He never thought of me or my needs.”

“I’m so sorry, Jason. To lose your mother and then for all intents and purposes to lose your father, too, must have been devastating for you. But it’s not too late to try and undo some of the damage.”

“Why is this so important to you?”

“This will be your father’s last Christmas.” Her voice cracked with emotion. “If a person can’t forgive, they can’t know real love. It’s a lonely life. Is that what you want for yourself?”

“You think I can’t love?”

She shrugged. “Joe wasn’t always a bad father. You told me.”

Jason’s jaw grew rigid. She was a good talker, but he just couldn’t put himself out there for his father to throw all his misdeeds back in his face.

Jason held out the letter, but she turned her back and walked out of the room.

With a sigh, he leaned back in his chair as her last comment settled in. It was true. His father hadn’t always been a bad man. In fact, Jason could remember a few fishing trips to the state park. They’d hardly caught a thing, but his dad hadn’t seemed to mind, as the two of them talked a lot about sports. Jason had just been glad to have his father pay some attention to him.

Then his mother had gotten sick and there were no more fishing trips. It was at his mom’s bedside that he first saw his father cry. That was when Jason knew his mother was never going to get better—and that was when he’d really needed a father. But his dad retreated to his study and wouldn’t let anyone in. Bottles of Jack Daniel’s and Jim Beam had kept him company, putting him into a numbed, drunken stupor.

“Damn.” Jason threw the envelope on the desk.

Since the first night he’d run into Kara, she’d been on this blasted campaign to reunite him and his father. And no matter how much Jason wanted to please her, he couldn’t do what she asked of him. Too many damaging words had been inflicted. The deep emotional wounds had festered over time, not healed. It was best to leave them alone.

He shook his head, trying to chase away the unwanted memories. His teeth ground together. This was Kara’s doing—unearthing his past. She’d wanted him to remember, but it wouldn’t work. This was one Christmas miracle even she couldn’t pull off, with all her good intentions.

But if she truly thought he couldn’t love, she was wrong. As much as he wanted to deny it, she had a permanent spot in his heart. And as for their daughter—he’d fallen for her at first sight.

Now he just had to find a way to show Kara that he wasn’t the heartless creep she imagined him to be.

CHAPTER ELEVEN