Sunrise

  The kids picked up speed as they traipsed down the hallway, and they barreled into the room with a chorus of “Merry Christmas!” and “Wake up!”

  Katy watched as the kids sprang up and landed on every available spot on their parents’ king-size bed. Ricky nestled in between Jim and Jenny, and the other kids sat on the edge of the mattress or in the middle on their knees.

  Jim wasn’t completely awake, but he waved his hand at the crowd of kids. “A herd of elephants! We’re being attacked by a herd of elephants!”

  “Save me!” Jenny opened one eye, then pulled the covers over her head.

  Ricky snatched the sheets and touched his nose to his mother’s. “Merry Christmas, Mom!”

  “Yeah.” Justin tickled her toes. “Time to get up!”

  A sharp squeal came from Jenny, and she kicked her feet free of further attack. She sat up and squinted at her kids. “Isn’t it still the middle of the night?”

  “Nope!” BJ leaned his head back and raised both fists in the air. “It’s Christmas morning! The best day of all.”

  Jim sat up next. “I thought for sure you were a herd of elephants.” He reached for Shawn, sitting closest to him, and rubbed his knuckles against the top of his head, while the boy laughed, delighted. “I was ready to take you on!”

  “I’d just take you on back.” Shawn wrapped his arms around Jim’s waist and tried to push him back to the bed.

  “No wrestling.” Bailey gave her dad and brother a warning look. “Christmas morning shouldn’t have wrestling.”

  “Until after the presents are opened!” Ricky giggled. “Right, Dad?”

  Jim winked at his youngest boy. “Postpresent wrestling is definitely allowed.” He sat up again and pretended to dust himself off. “Okay, who has the Bible?”

  Bailey found it on the nightstand and handed it to Jim.

  “Katy, come join us.” Jim nodded to the padded bench at the end of the bed. “We have to all be together for the story.”

  Suddenly Justin gasped. “Cody! We forgot about Cody!”

  An avalanche of children tumbled from the bed and landed on their feet, racing down the stairs toward Cody’s room. Katy stayed with Jenny and Jim, laughing as they heard the pounding feet headed for Cody’s bedroom door, directly beneath Jim and Jenny’s room.

  “Merry Christmas!” the kids shouted. The sound was so loud that Katy wished she would’ve made the trip downstairs just to see Cody’s reaction. In seconds, they heard the kids marching up the stairs, and as they entered the room again, BJ was dragging a half-awake Cody.

  “Ugh . . . is it really morning?”

  “Come on, Coleman!” Jim laughed. “We let you sleep in.”

  Cody sat in the chair near the fireplace, and when the chatter and excitement died down, Jim opened the Bible and turned until he found what he was looking for. “Every year we do this,” he told the kids. His eyes shone. “And every year we always will.” He looked at the open Bible page. “I’m reading from chapter 2 of the book of Luke.” He took a breath. “‘In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. . . .’”

  Katy watched the faces of the Flanigan kids. Even Cody Coleman’s. Despite a few yawns, their eyes were bright and alert, engaged in the story. And it was an amazing story, really. A young pregnant girl with visions of angels in her head and her frightened, confused betrothed heading by donkey on an arduous journey to register for the census.

  Had the people at the inn known that the King of kings was about to be born? that though they turned away the young pregnant girl, the child she bore would turn away no one?

  “‘Today in the town of David,’” Jim was saying, “‘a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. . . .’”

  Katy couldn’t help but silently thank God for the scene playing out before her. Would that every family across the nation might pause on Christmas morning and first remember the reason for the celebration. She wished Dayne could be here, but she would tell him about the Flanigans’ tradition later. He was having breakfast with John this morning, and then he would join her.

  Jim was finishing the story. “‘But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.’” He closed the Bible and met the eyes of each of his kids. “What are you pondering in your heart this Christmas morning?”

  Katy smiled. She loved this part, too. Every year since she’d lived with the Flanigans, Jim ended the story with that verse and then turned the question to the kids. Sometimes their answers were sweet and poignant. Other times they said things that the family would laugh about for days to come.

  “I’m pondering how come Mary wore a long dress if she was riding a donkey all that way.” Justin made a face. “I mean, a long dress? Wouldn’t pants and a sweater’ve been more practical?”

  “That’s what they wore back then. Men and women wore garments with sashes at the waist.” Jenny had her arms around Ricky and BJ. “But that’s a good ponder.”

  “I’m pondering if baby Jesus got splinters laying in a wooden box.” BJ flashed an anxious look. “That would hurt a baby a lot.”

  Jim’s eyes grew more tender than before. “Jesus was a man who understood the pain of wooden splinters in His back. Both as a baby and later on . . . at the cross.”

  They all thought about that for a few seconds. Then Shawn pondered whether the animals would’ve known that the baby was actually God, the Creator who made them, and Ricky wondered why people gave presents to each other when it was Jesus’ birthday.

  “Jesus set the example.” Jenny rubbed her son’s shoulder. “He gave us the greatest gift of all when He came to earth as a baby. Now we give gifts so we can remember what sort of God we serve.”

  Bailey seemed distracted when she gave her answer. “I’m pondering what that star must’ve looked like over Bethlehem.” She gave them a dreamy look. “And whether it was anything like the stars over Bloomington.”

  “Um . . . something bigger, I’m guessing.” Jim made a face at her, and everyone laughed.

  Katy studied Bailey a minute longer, even after the attention was off her. The comment probably had something to do with her fascination over Bryan Smythe. The guy was always talking to her about how the stars didn’t compare to her eyes. That kind of thing. If he turned out to be genuine, then fine. Bailey was certainly entitled to be starry-eyed this Christmas morning. But Katy had doubts. She would talk to Bailey later for a report.

  When the kids had each taken a turn, when Jim had finished teasing Bailey about the size of the Bethlehem star, an expectant silence hung over the room.

  Jim raised his brows, his eyes dancing. “Are we ready to go downstairs?”

  A round of cheers and hoots came from the kids, and everyone jumped off the bed and headed for the door.

  “Wait!” Jim’s voice boomed the way it did on the football field. When the kids stopped and faced him, he smiled and pointed at Jenny. “Your mother needs to go first. She’s the picture taker.”

  The kids bounced in place while Jenny took her camera bag from the dresser and hurried down the stairs. After a minute she yelled up, “Okay, I’m ready!”

  And then the kids broke free and raced down the stairs. Gone were the wide-eyed angel faces and the earnest comments on pondering the birth of Jesus. Now they were a whole lot more like what Jim originally thought they were.

  A thundering herd of elephants.

  Ashley didn’t really believe it was possible, but she had to find out. She was three weeks late, and if she didn’t take the test, she’d spend every minute wondering. Last night after the Christmas Eve service they’d stopped at the only market open in town for milk and eggs. With Landon waiting in the car with the boys, Ashley also bought a test.

  The directions were still familiar, since it wasn’t so long ago that she’d taken the last one. First thing in the morning, the test would be more accurate. Now, with the boys and Landon still asleep, Ashley crept out of bed, found the te
st package beneath her bathroom sink where she’d hidden it, and followed the simple steps.

  Five minutes later she was staring through teary eyes at a small white stick with two pink lines. She was pregnant! Devin was eight months old now, and she and Landon had talked about having more kids. But they’d never come to any real decision, never taken steps to plan their next baby.

  So God had planned it for them.

  Her hand trembled, and there, on the cold bathroom floor, she lowered herself to her knees. She didn’t deserve any of what God had given her. Nine years ago she had walked into an abortion clinic in France intent on destroying life. But God had grabbed her and changed her mind at the last possible moment. She was grateful every time she looked into Cole’s blue eyes.

  The tiles pressed against her knees, but she didn’t mind. She sat back on her heels and covered her face with her fingers. The pregnancy test was still in her hand. Lord, another child . . . I can’t believe it. New life forming inside me even now, this Christmas morning. Thank You isn’t enough. She thought about Cole and Devin, about the bond they were forming. She blinked and hot tears hit her cheeks. Let this baby bring another shade of sunshine to our home. Thank You, God. . . . Thank You. She wanted to add, And please let it be a girl. But she didn’t dare.

  Any child would be a delight, a miracle. Especially when she considered the distance she’d come from standing at the doorway of the abortion clinic to kneeling here in the bathroom of a home she shared with Landon, Cole, and Devin. As she finished her prayer and eased herself to her feet, the pieces of the past few weeks fell into place. No wonder she’d been tired and sick to her stomach.

  An idea hit her then. She tiptoed back through her bedroom, past Landon—still sleeping—and out to a closet in the hallway. She opened it and pulled out a few pieces of tissue and a roll of wrapping paper. In a hurry, she wrapped the stick and found a red and green bow for the top. On the tag she wrote the simplest message.

  To Daddy . . .

  Dayne arrived just as the Flanigan kids had finished opening their presents. When the doorbell rang, Katy was in the corner buried under a blanket and surrounded by wrapping paper.

  Bailey sprang to her feet. “I’ll get it.” She ran into the entryway, and Katy could hear her sigh as she opened the front door. “Okay. So do you know how many girls would like to open the door on Christmas morning and find Dayne Matthews standing on the front porch?”

  Katy quietly laughed to herself. Bailey was right, of course. Being in Bloomington this past month had almost made Katy forget that the man she loved was admired by women all over the world. Even so, Katy could hear the teasing in Bailey’s voice.

  The fireplace separated the entryway from the living room, so it was only a few steps until they came into view. Dayne grinned at Katy, and then he seemed to take in the magic of the room—the twelve-foot Christmas tree in the corner and the wall of windows that went all the way to the vaulted ceiling. Snow lay on the ground outside, and the house smelled like monkey bread—a secret cinnamon roll recipe Jenny always made at Christmastime. The kids waved hello to Dayne and then continued giggling and marveling over the presents they’d opened.

  Katy waited until Dayne looked at her again. She could feel her eyes dancing as she lifted her hands. “You haven’t seen Christmas until you’ve seen it here.”

  Dayne laughed. “I guess not.” He found a chair across the room near the fireplace, and for the rest of the morning they shared in the Flanigans’ Christmas.

  Katy wasn’t sure which she enjoyed more. The time together with everyone as they moved into the kitchen for coffee and eggs and monkey bread, watching the way Dayne saved a seat beside him for Ricky, or how the other boys gathered around Dayne to show off their new remote-control race cars.

  She’d seen him on the set in Hollywood and here in Bloomington when he was on location—the Dayne Matthews the world knew. But here with the Flanigans on a cozy Christmas morning, he looked and acted as if he’d found his way home, as if life without the craziness and rushed pace, without the paparazzi and people pulling at him, was all he’d ever really wanted. And no wonder. He could breathe, be himself here.

  “I’m loving this,” he whispered as she walked past him to her seat next to the boys.

  Katy smiled at him, and their eyes held longer than usual. “Merry Christmas.”

  Dayne looked like he wanted to kiss her, but the look was enough. “I thought Christmases like this were only in the movies.” He was flirting with her, enjoying the brief moment. “I lived in Hollywood all my adult life, and I never had anything like this.”

  “That’s because—” she touched his arm—“the good stuff Hollywood writes about really happens in places like Bloomington.”

  After breakfast, when the excitement died down, everyone gathered in the family room to watch It’s a Wonderful Life. When they reached the part of the movie where the entire town comes together to convince Jimmy Stewart that his life had mattered to countless people, Dayne leaned close to Katy. “That’s you . . . with all the CKT kids.”

  His comment touched her and reminded her that the students in CKT did indeed count on her. Already Bailey had told her that a few of the older kids had talked. They were worried that Katy might not stay at the lake house after she married Dayne and that she’d move to Los Angeles and get involved in making movies and forget about CKT altogether.

  Katy couldn’t see that happening. Not when her passion lay here. But after the meeting at the coffeehouse the other day, she had to admit that they might be facing the end of CKT. And if Katy went to Hollywood every few months while Dayne filmed or if—by some remote possibility—she even did some acting, then someone else would have to replace her at CKT. If God allowed a developer to buy the theater, the group wouldn’t have a place to perform.

  She couldn’t think about that now—not when everything about the day was going so well. She snuggled closer to Dayne.

  When the movie was over, Katy and Dayne went to the Baxters’ for dinner. Everyone was seated at two tables except Erin and her family since Sam had just two days off. The atmosphere was warm and full of laughter and conversation—much as it had been Thanksgiving weekend. Dayne’s dad made hot cider in a huge pot, and the smell of fresh cinnamon filled the house.

  Katy noticed Ashley and Landon whispering to each other during dinner. She and Dayne were sitting across from them, and she wondered what Ashley was up to. Her friend was so spontaneous, so full of life. Maybe she was going to present a painting to her dad—something she’d talked about working on a few months ago.

  Katy studied the faces around the table, the people who would very soon be part of her family. She couldn’t imagine sharing holidays and birthdays and the seasons of life with anyone other than Dayne, the Baxters, and the Flanigans, who would always be like family.

  Her gaze settled on Kari and Ryan. Ryan was helping little RJ with his potatoes, and Kari was talking to Elaine. Kari still didn’t look right—a little too pale and not as lively as usual. She’d had the flu the same time as Ashley, so maybe that was it.

  Katy leaned closer to Dayne. She could live a hundred years and never get used to the feeling of him by her side, the warmth of his muscled arm or the sound of his voice. She gave him a quick smile, and he did the same. He was talking to Luke and Reagan, who were at their table too.

  Luke raised an eyebrow at Dayne. “I received an interesting e-mail from your agent the other day.”

  “Yes.” Dayne laughed. “About Katy?”

  Luke grinned. “I wasn’t sure I was supposed to say anything. He sounded pretty sure about it.”

  Katy set her fork down. “What about me?”

  Next to her, Dayne put his arm around the back of her chair. “My agent’s figuring out the paperwork. If you get the part, he’d like to be your agent too.” He winked at Luke. “Which means Luke’ll have two clients instead of one.”

  Swirling emotions filled Katy’s soul. Dayne was more serious than s
he’d thought. She was still thinking about the coming months—the play run of Oliver! with CKT, the wedding and honeymoon, and then the movie—when Ashley and Landon moved to the front of the room. Landon had been upbeat and animated all evening, but now he looked ready to burst. Whatever they were about to say, Katy had the feeling it was something big.

  Landon put his arm around Ashley. “We have some news.” He smiled at Ashley, and it was as if there were no one else in the room.

  At the other table, Kari uttered a soft gasp, and she and Ryan shared a curious look.

  Landon turned his attention back to the others. His eyes glistened, and his pride was undeniable. “Ashley and I are going to have another baby. . . . I found out this morning.”

  “The baby should be born in August.” Ashley’s eyes were damp. “We thought this was a good time to tell you.”

  The family laughed, and a round of congratulations came from both tables.

  Dayne glanced at Katy, and in his eyes was a reflection of everything she was feeling. That it would be amazing to stand among this family one day and share news that they were going to have a child. The idea was enough to take her breath. But before she could say anything, before anyone had the chance to even move beyond the applause, Kari and Ryan rose slowly from their seats.

  A second silence settled over the room.

  “We were going to wait until after dessert.” Ryan chuckled.

  Next to him, Kari brought her hand to her mouth and stifled a burst of giggles. “I can’t believe this.”

  “Wait a minute. . . .” Luke’s voice held a level of astonishment that reflected how they were probably all feeling. He looked from Kari to Ashley, then back at Kari. “Don’t tell me two of my sisters are pregnant at the same time!”

  “I found out a few days ago.” Kari shrugged and put her arm around Ryan’s waist. “We’re due in August also!”

  The announcement brought squeals from Brooke, Reagan, and Ashley and cheers from everyone else as it moved people out of their chairs.