The Christmas Catch

to the boy’s dad, that was even worse. John wouldn’t be touching that with a twenty-foot pole.
    John pushed back his parka hood and shook his head, attempting to clear it. Maybe the December air had gotten to him, because here he was, thinking all sorts of crazy thoughts about a woman he didn’t even know. From the way she’d been totally thrown by the landscape and the tags on the rental SUV, she wasn’t a local resident anyhow, just someone passing through. Chances of seeing her around were minimal. But what did that matter to him? The most important thing was that she and her son got to where they were going without running themselves—or anyone else—off the road again.
    “What did you think, old boy?” he asked, patting the retriever’s head.
    The dog barked loudly.
    “Yeah, they seemed like city slickers to me, too.”

    Christine pulled the SUV to the side of the road and double-checked the address. Just ahead of them sat a classic farmhouse nestled in a snowy field behind a split-rail fence. She stepped into the biting cold to wipe the snow off of the sign dangling from a post at the head of the drive. WINTERHAVEN appeared in stenciled lettering. Winds whipped up as Christine battled her way back to the SUV, shielding her face with her coat sleeve. She clambered into the driver’s seat with a shiver and cranked up the heat another notch.
    “Looks like we’re home,” she said softly to Tyler, who snoozed in his car seat. They’d paused for a potty break ten miles earlier then he’d promptly passed out from exhaustion. Not even the chill of the wind on his face woke him up as she carried him toward the house.
    Moments later, Christine carted her sleeping boy over the threshold of the old-style structure. The great room was cozy yet elegant, with exposed wood beams and a large stone hearth. A fire had been laid for them in advance, a neat stack of logs and extra kindling sticks piled in a box nearby.
    “Nice,” Christine said to herself.
    She decided to let Tyler rest on the sofa while she settled in. After laying him down and covering him with a handy throw blanket, she perused the rest of the place. The kitchen was expansive and well equipped, and the three bedrooms upstairs were every bit as comfortable, with four-poster beds and huge down comforters. From each window, visions of a winter wonderland beckoned her to run outside and play. Christine felt her inner child delight in the thought of making snowmen and snow angels, then racing indoors to hot cocoa and homemade cookies. Maybe Ellen was more right about this trip than she knew. A fresh change in scenery and limited interruptions could set just the right stage for quality Mommy and Tyler time.

    A little while later, Christine sat at the large farm table near the front of the great room sipping her coffee and studying directions to the local market. Tyler stirred, then sat up and rubbed his eyes, yawning.
    “Where are we?” he asked, clutching Jasper.
    “Winterhaven.”
    “Huh?”
    “It’s where we’re staying, baby. What do you think?”
    He looked around, still a little dazed.
    “Where’s the TV?”
    “I don’t think there is one.”
    His small lips pulled into a pout.
    “What’s there to do?”
    “Plenty! There are puzzles over there in the cupboard. Legos, Lincoln Logs…”
    “Lincoln who?” he asked, astounded.
    “I’ll show you, honey. It’s fun.”
    Unconvinced, Tyler scooped his little backpack off the floor and extracted a portable video game. Next, he dug out its charger, settling back on the sofa to survey the surrounding lamps. “Least there’s ’lectricity.”
    Christine studied her son, thinking he was a tad too modern for his own good. She had to admit, though, that even she’d forgotten about old-fashioned fun stuff like roasting marshmallows until she’d walked in here. “You hungry?” she queried, thinking he must be.
    Dark eyes lit up. “Deep-dish Chicago pizza?”
    “Not here.”
    “Oh,” he said, disappointed.
    Christine folded the map in her hands, noting the snow had stopped outside. It was likely a temporarily lull in the weather. Best to take advantage while they could.
    “I was just reading about the local market. I’m not sure if they’ll have pizza, but they’re bound to have provisions. How about you and I head over there and check it out?”

Chapter Three

    Christine halted her brimming shopping cart in the aisle as Tyler dropped in a huge bag of marshmallows. They