FALL IN LOVE AT CHRISTMAS

          Kaleb Brantley hated December and everything that had to do with it. The days were too short, making the nights seem as long as forever. It was colder than hell and dark…          But, most of all, there was the incessant Christmas badgering. Lights, trees, carols, and an ever-increasing barrage of commercials urging you to shop, spend, buy. And every reminder of the holiday season ate at the edges of his soul and heart like drops of acid.          He scowled at the roaring flames in the fireplace, slapped one hand on the mantel, and rubbed his fingers over the polished edge of the wood. With his gaze locked on the flames, Kaleb told himself that if he could, he’d wipe the month of December from the calendar.“If you wish, you can’t stick your head in the snow and pretend Christmas isn’t

          ‘Hello, Mr. Scrooge!’ Sparkle thought… ‘Well, this is starting off well.’“Thank you very much for the info,” she said, desperately trying to hang on to the smile curving her mouth as well as her optimistic attitude. “But I’m not lost. I’ve just come from town.”          If anything, his frown deepened.“Then who are you and why are you here? What do you want?”“Nice to meet you, too,” Sparkle said, half tugging Hayzel behind her.          Not that she was afraid of him but why subject her little girl to a man who looked like he’d rather slam the door in their faces than let them in?“I repeat,” he said, “who are you, and why are you here?”“I&rsqu

          For now, all he wanted was a shower and a huge sandwich. Kaleb opened the kitchen door and stopped in the doorway. Sparkle was sitting at the table with a glass of wine in front of her and turned her head to look at him when he walked in.“You’re late.”          That niggle of guilt popped up again and was just as quickly squashed. He closed and locked the door behind him.“I don’t punch a clock.”“I don’t expect you to. But when we say dinner’s at six, it’d be nice if you showed up.”          She shrugged.“Maybe it’s just me, but most people would call that ‘being polite’.”          The light over the stove was the only illumination and, in

          His mouth twitched and Kaleb shook his head.“People think I’m weird.”“I don’t.”          Sparkle said it quickly and wasn’t sure why she had until she saw a quick gleam of pleasure in his eyes.“Be sure to tell Martha,” he added, and left, still shaking his head.“Bye, Kaleb!”          Hayzel’s voice followed him and Sparkle was pretty sure he quickened his steps as if trying to outrun it.“Mommy, you think Kaleb is mad at us?” the little girl asked.“No, baby,” Sparkle replied caressing her face. “Why would you think that?”“He looked at me a little funny and he didn’t want to eat your pancakes.”“I’m sure he’ll ask for them

          Late at night, the big house was quiet, but not scary at all. That thought made Sparkle smile to herself. She had assumed that a place this huge, with so many windows opening out onto darkness, would feel sort of like a horror movie. Intrepid heroine wandering the halls of a spooky house, alone, with nothing but a flashlight… until the battery dies.          She shook her head and laughed at her own imagination. Instead of scary, the house felt like a safe haven against the night outside. Maybe it was the warmth of the honey-toned logs or maybe it was something else entirely.          But one thing Sparkle was sure of was that she already loved it. Big, but not imposing, it was a happy house. Or would be if its owner wasn’t frowning constantly. But he’d smiled with Hayzel, she reminded herself as she heade