Page 12 of Soldier’s Christmas Crush (Trinity Falls: Home for Christmas #4)

WILLOW

W illow walked around the Open-Air Market the next day, trying to focus on all the fun at hand instead of obsessing about the events by the fire with Jensen last night.

The market’s huge model train set was up and running, and children and their parents had gathered around to watch it. It had attracted such a crowd that she couldn’t really see what was happening. But from the reactions of everyone gathered there, she could tell it was a hit.

She had been manning the first aid station for most of the day so far, but when Sam sent another volunteer over to sit in the booth for a little while, Willow had taken the chance to stretch her legs and get something to eat.

In the unlikely event that there was some kind of medical emergency while she was gone, she was only a call and a quick jog away.

I wish I had someone to walk around with, Willow thought to herself, her mind going to Jensen and her brother, as it so often did.

She could have texted Mal and her friends, or anyone else she’d known growing up in town. But somehow last night had left her feeling like a sailboat in a big storm—tossed around too much to focus.

Something about the frosty air, the cozy feeling of cuddling a bundled-up Henry, the glow from the fire, and the twinkling of the stars had put her in a trance that had apparently been some kind of truth serum for her.

Why did I tell Jensen I used to have a crush on him?

Whatever the reason, he hadn’t reacted the way she expected. She’d thought he would roll his eyes and chuckle, or maybe tease her a little. Instead, he’d given her that intense look that made her cheeks heat. And now she kept replaying it, wondering what it meant.

He isn’t interested, she reminded herself. You had a crush, but he didn’t. He got married to someone else, and they had a child. He was probably just surprised, that’s all.

But it hadn’t looked like an expression of surprise, not exactly. And the way he practically growled her name and reached for her hand…

When Judy and Mrs. Lennox came down before she had a chance to find out what he was about to do next, Willow had wanted to cry in frustration and relief all at once. But then the way he’d been for the rest of the night, so distant and cold, told her all she needed to know.

I can have a million other crushes , she reminded herself sternly. But I only have one brother.

She’d been keeping an eye out for Ransom all day today, but chances were slim that anyone would stop by the First Aid booth unless something went wrong.

I’ll go see him soon, she told herself. And I’ll make more cookies.

Jensen hadn’t been around today either. She had thought he would be here working the sound system, but so far, he was nowhere to be found. Maybe he’d show up later, when the performances on the stage started, and maybe the icy wall that had sprung up between them last night would melt.

She thought back to his behavior after they had all headed back to the house. Once he’d put Henry to bed, they’d all enjoyed a nice dinner together.

But Jensen hardly looked at her during it.

When it was time to go, she figured he would at least walk her out to her car and maybe she could apologize for telling him about the crush. But he didn’t even offer, and his dad ended up accompanying her outside instead.

“It’s so good to see you again, sweetheart,” Ron had said. “Don’t be a stranger.”

The problem was that she was starting to feel like a stranger, even in her own life. She had expected that to a certain extent. After all, she had been gone a long time.

But if friends weren’t friends anymore, and family wasn’t family, what was the point of being back here at all?

It’s my fault.

She should never have told Jensen about her crush last night. Whatever his initial reaction, it was clear that he really wasn’t cool with it. And for heaven’s sake, he was a widower. He was probably still grieving for his wife .

Guilt twisted in her chest again, and she fought back the tears that prickled her eyes.

If he would just give her a chance to apologize, she could maybe move on from it. Instead, she figured she’d be replaying her stupid confession on a loop for the rest of her life.

She spotted Mal’s booth up ahead and hurried over, hoping to maybe bend her ear. But her friend was clearly doing too much business to chat, so she just stood in line and bought a snack instead.

When she got to the checkout, there was a little sign that said the booth was donating all of today’s proceeds to a children’s hospital, and she couldn’t help but smile.

There was one reason to be back. Only in Trinity Falls would a business owner decide to turn over such a huge day of sales to charity.

“That’s really nice, Mal,” she said, nodding to the sign as she paid.

“Least I can do,” Mal said, shaking her head. “You okay?”

Willow cursed her face for always showing all her emotions.

“Totally fine,” she said. “I just need this pick-me-up.”

She would have said more, but there was a big line behind her, so she just thanked her friend and headed back toward her own booth.

Another high school friend waved to her from across the market and she waved back as best she could with her hazelnut coffee in one hand and a pumpkin muffin in the other .

I’ll feel better after a little caffeine and something to eat, she told herself.

The rest of the day melted away without any medical incidents other than a lightheaded older lady needing to sit for a few minutes and have something to eat, and a man who slipped and fell in the parking lot but was absolutely fine, thank goodness.

The action on the stage had started around noon with a local children’s choir, then the Trinity Falls ukulele band, followed by some kids doing a musical skit.

Being near the stage gave Willow a front row seat to the performances, so she wasn’t as bored as she might have been.

The musicians all seemed to have their own people taking care of the sound, so she figured she wouldn’t be seeing Jensen today after all.

In between the acts, the local radio station came on the speakers. WCCR played all Christmas music all the time from November to New Year’s, so the festive sounds continued even during the breaks.

Another live band was on the stage now, playing acoustic versions of all the holiday rock songs. People were singing along and swaying to the music.

As the sun sank, someone turned on the twinkle lights and thousands of tiny bulbs filled the space with a magical golden glow. The crowd let up a collective sigh of appreciation at the sight, which was followed immediately by the wailing of a child .

Willow was on her feet instantly. She wasn’t sure how she knew this wasn’t just the tired cry of a little one who wasn’t getting their way, but she did. It was the sound of a small child in pain.

She was halfway through the crowd when she spotted Henry sitting on the concrete floor of the market, tears flying out of his sweet little face. Jensen crouched beside him, speaking low, one arm wrapped around the boy.

“Oh dear,” Willow said calmly. “It looks like you fell down, Henry. Did you hurt your hands?”

Sure enough, the little one lifted up his hands to show her a pair of scraped up palms, the right more than the left.

“Oh, that does hurt, doesn’t it?” she said, feeling relieved that it probably wasn’t anything worse. “Would you like to come to my station and choose some special Band-Aids to help you feel better?”

Henry had stopped crying so hard while she was talking. Now, his solemn gray eyes met hers and he nodded up and down.

“Okay,” she told him. “Do you want your dad to carry you? Or do you want to walk?”

But he made a third choice, lifting his arms to her instead.

“You want me to carry you?” she asked.

He nodded again, so she slid her hands under his arms and scooped him up. He settled on her hip and leaned into her neck, as if she had been carrying him around all his life.

For the first time, she glanced over at Jensen. His eyes were on his son, slightly widened, as if he was surprised .

“Okay, here we go,” she said, tearing her eyes away from Jensen.

She wasn’t the only one who had heard Henry’s howl. The crowd parted, allowing her to carry him swiftly back to her booth.

“I’m going to put you down on the bench, okay?” she asked. “You can sit with your daddy while I get my nurse things ready.”

Henry didn’t reply, but he allowed himself to be placed on the bench without any complaints. Jensen sat right down next to him.

“The first thing we have to do is get your hands clean,” Willow told him. “It’s going to sting, but only for a second because I have magic spray that helps take away the hurting.”

Henry looked up at her, his eyes still so solemn.

“Stay here for a minute?” she told Jensen. “I have an idea.”

Normally, she would have brought the boy into the bathroom to wash his hands in the sink.

But he was so small and sad that she figured it might be better to just fill a basin with warm soapy water and bring it back out for him instead.

She grabbed her basin and got right to work, returning a moment later with the bath for his hands and a sealed bottle of cold, clean water.

“Okay, Henry,” she told him. “First, I’ll look at your hands and then we’ll give them a bath.”

“Hold them out, buddy,” Jensen murmured. “So she can see them.”

Henry hesitated, but she didn’t say a word. A few seconds later, he held out his little hands. The abrasions on his palms were angry and red, but there didn’t seem to be anything embedded in them, thank goodness.

“Oh yes,” she said. “I know that hurts, but you’ll be able to get them nice and clean.

Are they ready for their bath? Remember, when you put your hands in here it will be nice and warm, but it will sting a little.

As soon as you pull them out, we’ll rinse them with cool water and use the magic spray. ”

Jensen rolled Henry’s sleeves up almost to his elbows.