The Wishing Tree by Cheryl Pierson Page B

… but that ready grin had hidden a deep-seated pain Josh could never share with anyone – not even his brother.
    Pete pulled the door shut behind him, then slowly sat down in the chair behind the desk. Depression had taken hold of his brother as nothing else in the world ever could, until there was seemingly no way out of its grip. It managed to convince Josh that he was somehow unworthy of living, and he'd ended it all.

Chapter Two
    A knock sounded at the door, jerking Pete out of his black thoughts. He glanced at the clock as he stood up. Time had slipped away from him as he sat, brooding, inside the trailer. Nearly an hour had passed … an hour that seemed no more than a few minutes.
    The knock sounded again, and he stepped around the desk and reached for the door to open it. He was surprised to find himself looking into Maria Sanchez's beautiful dark eyes once again.
    "Hi … again," she said.
    The pleasure was so unexpected he could only hope he'd managed not to look too surprised. In the next moment, Maria's son stepped out from behind her.
    "I hope you don't mind – we wanted to look at your trees."
    "No … I – of course I don't mind."
    Maria and her son both took a step back as Pete joined them, closing the door behind him.
    "What kind of tree were you looking for?"
    Maria cast a doubtful glance at her son, who gazed up at Pete steadfastly. Before she could answer, the boy said, "A beautiful one. The best one you have."
    Maria gave an embarrassed chuckle. "Something affordable … on a low budget. Miguel doesn't yet understand about money – or the lack thereof."
    Pete grinned at her. "I'll bet we can find something in your price range—" He looked at Miguel. "— and beautiful."
    "Our place isn't all that large," Maria told him. "So we don't need a big tree—"
    "But one that almost touches the ceiling," Miguel interjected, stopping to cast a critical eye on one of the Scotch pines nearby. "It has to be perfect when we put the star on." He turned to Pete. "It blinks. It has all different colors and the lights go off and on."
    Pete nodded. "I've seen stars like that. I know just what you mean."
    "I … wish we had those little lights that blink all over the tree."
    Maria glanced at him quickly. "We have lights, Miguel."
    "They're big, though. I like the little ones."
    "How about this one? Would it be too tall?" Pete asked the question of Miguel, who stood back, cocking his head to one side.
    "Maybe … not tall enough ."
    "Remember, you're going to have it in a stand."
    "Oh … yeah."
    Maria laid a hand on Pete's arm. When he looked at her, she asked, "How much?"
    Pete hadn't marked the tags of this last row yet. He shrugged, turning the tag over to show her there was no price. "I guess it's free today."
    "Oh – oh, no. I couldn't possibly just take it—"
    Pete let go of the tag. "This is free today for beautiful ladies who have sons named Miguel."
    "And that's my name, all right!" Miguel piped up.
    Maria laughed. "I can't argue with both of you at once. Now, how are we going to get it home?"
    "I can carry it, Mama! I'm strong!"
    Maria ruffled her son's dark hair. "I know you are, m'ijo , but this tree might prove a little much for you."
    "I'll bring it down to you after work today," Pete heard himself volunteering. "I get off at five—"
    Maria shook her head. "I can't ask you to do that."
    "You're not asking. I'm offering."
    Silence fell between them for a moment. When she looked up into Pete's face, he knew he had to guard his heart carefully. He was already in danger of losing it. "Look – I know you don't know me, but I swear you have nothing to worry about…" Had he said that right? He didn't want to scare her. In this crazy world, you never knew about people … especially being a single woman— A thought flashed through his mind as sobering as a bucket of cold water being dashed in his face. Was she single? Maybe that was the cause of her refusal … a husband, or boyfriend at home.
    "I know.