A Season of Angels Page 0,62

eyes averted.

His laugh came unexpectedly. "Good girl," he praised. "I knew you could do it."

Jody laughed then too, because it was rather silly of her to hold out against the obvious.

Timmy returned breathless and excited. "The door's open," he announced, eager to help in any way he could.

Her son was a marvel, Jody mused. Rarely had she seen him more animated. He'd laughed and chatted incessantly, until she was convinced he was going to drive Glen nuts. For a man who wasn't accustomed to being around children, the attorney had been marvelous.

"Mom got the tree stand and all the decorations out last night," Timmy told Glen, for about the fifth time. Actually Jody had lost count of the number of times Timmy had felt it was necessary to clue Glen in to this information.

Together, the three of them carried the Christmas tree around to the backyard.

"We're going to need to cut off a couple of inches from the bottom," Glen said, once they'd got the tree to the patio and recovered. The trunk was too wide for the stand. "Think you might be able to help me saw it off?" he asked Timmy.

It was like asking the boy if he liked popcorn. Timmy beamed with pride as he solemnly nodded his head. "Sure, I can do it."

"I know you can," Glen said, affectionately patting his shoulder.

"While you're busy with that, I'll put on some hot chocolate," Jody said, pushing open the sliding glass door. The tears that stung her eyes were unexpected. She wasn't entirely sure what prompted them, nor was she sure she wanted to know.

The changes in Timmy had been revealing. Yes, it was Christmastime and yes, he was excited, but it made her realize how rare those times were. Generally Timmy involved himself in his video games and didn't show much enthusiasm for anything else - with the one exception being baseball, which he dearly loved.

Between sniffles, she brought the milk out of the refrigerator and set a pan on the stove, furious with herself for the weakness of tears.

Glen appeared unexpectedly and she twisted her head away, praying he wouldn't notice. "That's quite a boy you've got there," Glen said. "I swear he's another Paul Bunyan."

"He's certainly had the time of his life." She was grateful that the hot chocolate gave her an excuse to keep her back to him.

Glen moved behind her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. Jody froze, unaccustomed to a man's touch.

He bent forward and kissed the side of her neck.

"Where's Timmy?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Putting the saw away." Glen turned her so that they faced each other. He frowned when he saw her tear-bright eyes and slid his thumb across the high arch of her cheek. "Bad thoughts?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Let me help." Then, before she could protest, he lowered his mouth to hers. It was hardly enough pressure to call it a real kiss. Gradually he increased the intensity, deepening the contact. Jody felt like a rag doll, limp and unresponsive. The kiss was sweet and undemanding, but Glen was the first man to touch her since Jeff. Doubts blew against her with hurricane-force winds until she pressed her hands against his chest and broke the contact. Later she'd analyze her feelings toward Glen, but for now it was too new.

Glen sighed softly. "It would be very easy to fall in love with you." He continued to hold her until he heard Timmy's approach.

Once her son was back, Glen carried the tree into the house, and with a good deal of ceremony, set it in the living room. When it was in place in front of the large picture window, they sat back and sipped hot chocolate.

Unwilling to rest, Timmy sorted through the boxes of decorations. It seemed with every one, he found something he needed to show Glen. Each discovery involved a lengthy explanation.

Glen's patience surprised her, and she told him so.

"He's a great kid," Glen said. "Who wouldn't like him?"

"Can we decorate the tree now?" Timmy asked, standing in the middle of three strings of lights. Wires were wrapped around his feet and another strand was draped over his shoulder as he grinned broadly in their direction. "You aren't going to make me wait until Christmas morning to see my presents, are you? I'm much too old to pretend I believe in Santa Claus."

"It's tradition," Jody said, as means of an argument.

"Oh, phooey. I still have to pretend I believe in that silly