Following her back into the kitchen, we brought out all the food, with Ladd and David’s help.
Chatter quickly filled the house as a group of children came into the dining room, led by Nellie.
“It smells so good!” a little girl with curly blonde hair said as she walked in, holding Lilith’s hand, followed by someone who I assumed worked at the orphanage. The little girl couldn’t have been more than five. My heart ached knowing she was just a bit older than what my own daughter would be. What was she doing today? Was she having fun celebrating the holiday? Were her adoptive parents spoiling her? I closed my eyes and I drew in a deep breath before opening them once again and surveying the kids. They didn’t have any parents or family to love them. I instantly felt a connection withallthese kids.
I walked over and bent down to her eye level. “Hi, I’m Vivianne. What’s your name?”
She smiled brightly. “My name is Logan.”
“It’s so nice to meet you, Logan. And Merry Christmas!”
Bouncing on her toes, she replied, “Merry Christmas to you too! I’m so excited! I heard Santa came and left us gifts in the barn. Is that true?”
I nodded. “It sure is. But first, we have to eat Christmas breakfast. Are you hungry?”
“I am! I’malwayshungry!”
Laughing, I stood and introduced myself to the woman who looked to be about my age. “Hi, I’m Vivianne Pennington.”
“Lily Waters. I work at River Falls Haven.”
“What do you do there?” I asked as we got Logan settled in a seat.
“I’m a teacher.”
My eyes widened. “You are? What do you teach?”
Logan pulled on Lily’s sweater. “Ms. Lily, may I have waffles?”
She bent down. “Yes, darling. You can have whatever you’d like. Once everyone gets their seat, we’ll get up and make you a plate.”
That was when I looked around and saw the kids all sitting down. My heart broke in two. They were all really young, ten years old and younger, if I had to guess.
My hand went to my chest. “Oh dear,” I whispered. “They’re all just babies.”
Lily gently touched my shoulder. “The older kids have their own Christmas celebration that they do back at the center. The Wilde family makes a big donation for food and decorations for their event.”
I noticed she didn’t call it an orphanage. “I’m not surprised to hear that. Did you call it a center?”
Leaning in, she whispered, “I just hate calling it an orphanage.”
I nodded. “Do they not come to the barn?”
“They do,” she replied. “But it’s become a tradition that they all spend the morning together, preparing gifts for the little ones. Even though they know they’ll receive other gifts today, they make them dolls.”
“Nellie told me about the dolls. That is so sweet.”
She nodded, and tears formed in her eyes before she quickly blinked them back. “They all like to have something to hug when they go to sleep. Years ago, kids used to get a doll when they first arrived, but budget restraints eventually made it impossible. So the older kids started making them. They spend most of the year doing so. And it evolved into gifts they give them on Christmas morning.
“With the Wildes now inviting the younger kids over for breakfast, the older ones decided it would be the perfect time to put the dolls on their beds. That way, when the kids come back, it’s like Santa’s left them all a surprise. And with the Wilde family doing Christmas here, the center can use those funds we’d normally use to buy them each a present and put it toward the classrooms. We try to make it feel like the kids have their very own school at River Falls Haven.”
A lump formed in my throat and I pressed my lips together tightly to keep from crying. This information made me fall even more in love with my future in-laws.
Nellie clapped her hands. “The food is all ready, so we’ll have the children come up first and make their plates.”
Turning to Lily, I asked, “How can I help this morning?”
She grinned. “Pick a little one.”
