Christmas on My Mind by Janet Dailey Page B

added detergent to the dishwasher and switched it on. By the time she’d finished wiping off the counter, she could hear music from the living room. Someone must’ve put a CD in the boom box that sat on one of the shelves. A soft Christmas melody, a jazz piano version, drifted to her ears.
    Drying her hands on her jeans, she crossed the open hallway. The stately tree stood in front of the window—lush, emerald green, and almost as tall as the old house’s nine-foot ceiling. Ben had made the right choice. It was perfect.
    Ben stood next to the tree, surrounded by a fortress of boxes. With a glance at Jess, he opened the nearest one. “This might take a while. These lights go on first—but not until after we’ve untangled them. Here, take the end and back up while I try to unravel this mess.”
    As he passed Jess the string of lights, Clara rose, yawning. “Just thinking about you doing all that work wears me out,” she said. “If you’ll excuse me, I believe I’ll toddle off to bed and leave the decorating to you youngsters. Good night—and have a good time.”
    With that she made her way down the hall to her bedroom and closed the door.
    â€œDo you think she’s all right?” Jess asked.
    â€œI’m guessing she’s just tired and wants to curl up in bed with a good book,” Ben said. “I’ll check on her before I turn in. I always do.”
    â€œShe’s lucky to have you.”
    â€œI was lucky to have her growing up. I could say it’s payback time, but I could never repay her for all she did.”
    â€œYou mentioned your father when we were in the old house. What happened to him?” Jess straightened the cord he fed her, leaving the untangled part lying loose on the floor.
    â€œMy dad died when I was nine,” Ben said. “He taught science during the school year. In the summer, he raised hay on some farmland he owned south of town. But his real dream was to fly. He got his license, bought a used plane and started a crop-dusting business to pay for it.”
    â€œAnd . . . he crashed?”
    â€œThat’s right.” Ben finished unsnarling the light cord and plugged the end into an outlet behind the tree. The long string lit like magic, bathing the room in a soft glow of color.
    â€œI don’t think Mom ever forgave him for flying and getting himself killed,” he said. “But she never stopped loving him. She was a pretty woman, and smart. She had chances to get married again, and maybe make life easier for us. She never did.”
    â€œBut you must’ve managed all right.”
    â€œWe were lucky. Dad had a little insurance, and we sold the farmland. The house was already in Mom’s family, so there was no mortgage to pay. And she managed to get a job at the library.” He studied the tree with a thoughtful frown. “Mostly we did fine. But I never stopped missing my dad. That’s why I do my best to be there for Ethan, even if it’s by long distance a lot of the time.”
    He shrugged, dismissing the conversation. “Stand over there, on the opposite side of the tree. We’ll wrap the lights from my side to yours and back again.”
    â€œYou’re in charge.” Jess took her place. “Tell me what to do. I don’t remember decorating a Christmas tree before.”
    He laughed, with that belly-deep resonance that tickled her to her toes. “Trust me, there’s nothing to it. By the time we’re finished, you’ll be an expert.”
    The string of lights was long, the tree very tall, but Ben knew exactly where the lights should go. By the time they reached the last of them, he was standing on the kitchen step stool to twine the end of the cord around the topmost part of the trunk.
    â€œOh—” Jess stepped back to admire the lit tree. “It’s so pretty this way. We could stop now.”
    â€œNo, you don’t. We’re