Christmas Miracle: A Family by Dianne Drake Page A

play.”
    “Are we talking about my Tyler? The little boy who breaks things? That’s the Tyler who offered to teach you how to play?”
    “One and the same. We had a talk earlier, have a little bet going that he’ll beat me.”
    James blinked hard. “Amazing. I can’t even get him to talk to me, and here he’s offering to play games with you? How’d you do that, Fallon?” He was surprised and, admittedly, a little hurt at the same time. Tyler wanting to teach Fallon was a good thing, but it would have been nice if Tyler had made the same offer to him. Of course, Fallon was Fallon, and everybody responded to her that way. He had. So why should Tyler be the exception?
    She tossed James a sassy wink. “I’ll never tell.” This time she was the one who spun away from him.
    As it turned out, Tyler was sound asleep when James finally got back to his room. So he stayed but a moment, pulled the covers up over him, gave him a light kiss on the forehead then returned to Fallon. When he found her, she was carrying a stack of IV set-ups to the central supply area. He took them from her then she was off to take a break. Like a whirlwind, James thought. Damn, he loved that whirlwind.
     
    “You OK?” James asked.
    She was studying the choices of soft drinks in the vending machine, trying to decide between the orange andthe strawberry. She’d been standing and staring blankly at them for the past several minutes, almost too numb to think. “I’m fine. Just ready to call it a night and go home. Everybody has been seen, we’ve transported a few people to Salt Lake City, most of the volunteers have left. So, after a sugar boost from one of these cans, I’m out of here.”
    “And your friend Edith?”
    “Good. Giving me hell for being so stubborn. But good. I’m going to make arrangements to send her to her sister in Florida for a few weeks. Edith needs some warm weather and sunshine, I think. She asked me to come along and be her private duty nurse.” An intriguing idea, and a tempting one. But she’d had to turn it down because, well…she wasn’t sure. Somehow she just couldn’t bring herself to leave White Elk. Funny thing was, just a few days ago she’d have probably jumped at the chance to get away for a while. Now she couldn’t. “All expenses paid. Beachfront cottage. Amazing restaurants. A dream come true.”
    “And?”
    “And I turned it down. Arranged for Jessica Walthers to go in my place. She’s a retired nurse, widowed. I thought the warm weather would do her some good.”
    “It wouldn’t do you any good?” James asked, the corners of his mouth turning up.
    Fallon looked away. “I have a job now.”
    “But Gabby’s not in a big hurry. Besides, most of what you’re doing to get her hospital set up could probably be done from a warm, sunny beach in Florida.”
    “I don’t fly any more. Edith is going to fly.”
    “Take a train and meet her there. I’ll bet it would be a nice, relaxing ride across country.”
    “So how’s Tyler?” she asked, turning back to the drinks machine, trying to change the subject, trying to ignore what James was hoping to get her to admit—that she wasstaying because of him, because of Tyler. “Last time I looked in on him he was busy playing his game. Doing really well with it, too. He taught me a couple of things, then turned around and beat me. And had the audacity to laugh at me.”
    “I’ve never seen him laugh.”
    “I’m sorry, James. I never…”
    “Don’t be sorry. It’s good he’s comfortable with you. God knows, he’s not with me. But if it’s not me, I’m glad it’s you, Fallon. I trust you with my son.”
    His words were like a sharp knife through her heart. Words that were meant well and turned into bitter, deep pain. “I, um…I want to go home,” she said. “Get some sleep.” Get away from James. Get away from the reminders.
    “Then I’ll drive you. And if you don’t want me there, I’ll come back and sleep in one of the