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Jingle Bell Square

By Joi Copeland

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He's gone. Finland Murphy's knees crunched on the hard snow as he knelt in front of his father's grave. Buried a week before, just a few days shy of Thanksgiving, Kent Murphy lost his battle to cancer. What a short battle it had been. His father must've known he was sick. Yet, he didn't say a word. Just let the cancer eat at him until he met his Maker and reunited with beloved wife.
Fin let the tears fall, grateful he'd made it just in time to say goodbye. Fin left everything in Oklahoma to rebuild his life in Pine Tree, Colorado. Cousins, aunts, uncles, and bull-riding. A career he used to love, until he realized it took him away from the people who meant the most to him. One he barely had the chance to hug one last time.
"Fin." His older sister, Holland, wrapped her fingers around his shoulder. "We need to meet the lawyer."
Fin ran the back of his hands over his eyes and stood. Holly's long brown hair hung over her shoulder, hiding half her face. The moisture in her brown eyes trickled down her cheeks. Fin draped his arm around her shoulders and tugged her close.
"Let's go see what he has to say." Fin sighed. "Deni's meeting us there, right?"
Holly nodded as they trekked across the cemetery to his waiting car. Fin held Holly's elbow as she pulled her pregnant body into the passenger seat of his SUV. He closed her door then inched his way across the icy lot.
Once inside his vehicle, he turned the ignition and blasted the heat. "Sorry we had to come here first." He flipped the blinker on and turned onto the street. "I keep hoping it's a bad dream, that I'll wake up and get a call from Dad saying to come home for Christmas."
Holly sniffed. "You sort of did, didn't you?"
"I suppose so." Fin's mind darted back to the phone call he received from his father a week before he passed away. "Though he didn't say come home for Christmas. He said he missed me and wished he could hug me one more time."
He should've known. The texts he'd received, the unexpected phone calls, all pointed to something wrong. Yet Fin ignored the signs. Why didn't he push his dad to be honest with him?
"Don't do that, Finland Murphy," his sister chastised him, drawing him out of his guilt-ridden mind.
"Do what?"
"Blame yourself." She squeezed his hand and then let go. "We've all done it, I confess, but it won't bring Dad back." Holly expelled a heavy sigh. "I won't pretend to understand, but Dad made his choice, refusing chemo and not even telling us he was sick."
"Maybe we will get some answers today." Fin pulled into the parking lot of the lawyer’s single-story office building. "Stay put. Let me come around and help you."
Fin moved around his vehicle and pulled open the door for Holly. His sister grabbed his outstretched hand and looped her arm through his. "Thanks, bro. I'm glad you're here." Her free hand dropped to her stomach. "Jayce wanted to be here, but I told him I'd rather he stay with Rylan and Sebastian." A small smile lifted her lips. "Jayce and Q have their hands full with five boys."
Denmark, with three boys of her own, and Holly following on her heels with the newest addition, filled their father's house with noise and activity. All of which Fin cherished. Holly and Jayce lived with her dad, even after they were married, to help run Reindeer Paws, the family reindeer ranch. Denmark, Quinn, her husband, and their three boys lived in Snow Globe, Montana, a beautiful place Fin helped Denmark move to after the sudden death of her first husband, Cliff.
The door jingled above their heads as they entered the building. Warmth encircled Fin like a blanket. He peeled off his jacket and hung it on the hook, then did the same for Holly.
Denmark, his oldest sister, stood. "Hey, guys." Her once short hair cut in a bob, now layered and longer, swayed with each step she took. Deni kissed Holly's cheek then hugged Fin around his waist. "It's been a tough week, huh?"
"One I wish we didn't have to walk through." Fin let go of his sister. "Is Mr. James ready for us?"
"Almost." Deni returned to her seat and motioned for them to sit beside her. "He's getting the paperwork together."
Right after she finished her sentence, Mr. James flew into the room, his graying hair fluttering atop his head. "Sorry, folks." He eased into his chair. "I wanted to make sure you each had a copy of your dad's trust."
"Trust?" Fin's brow wrinkled. "Is that the same as a will?"
"With less taxes and other jargon we can get into later." Mr. James slid a stack of papers to each of them. "Your dad took great care of you, as well as your children. And future children, Fin." Mr. James tossed him a wink. "He had faith you'd find the right girl."
Fin held in a snort and barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. A topic his dad never failed to bring up whenever they spoke. "In God's time, Mr. James, not my own."
"Indeed, son, indeed." Mr. James flipped open his file and tapped the first page. "As you can see, he left each of you a substantial amount."
Fin glanced down at the paper in his hands. His mouth fell open. "How did he manage to save so much?"
"His life insurance policy as well as his investments were sound. He wanted to take care of his family." Mr. James turned the page, waving his hand for Fin and his sisters to do the same. "He not only wanted to take care of his family, but he also wanted to take care of the town he loved so much, as well as the town you now live in, Denmark."
"What do you mean?" Deni scooted to the edge of her chair.
"You'll see it says he left you each twenty thousand dollars to pour back into the community." Mr. James' eyes roamed over the piece of paper. "Your dad knew you wouldn't be moving back to Pine Tree, Denmark, so he wanted to encourage you to invest in a business, not your husband's mind you, in your own community."
"And we invest in ones in Pine Tree?" Fin ran a hand over his stubbly jaw. "How did he know I'd move back here?"
"Your dad was a wise man, Finland." Mr. James grinned.
Wise, indeed. Fin hadn't decided to move back until he learned his father was ill. How his father knew baffled him, even though Kent Murphy was a wise man. Dad must've known how much he missed his sisters and their families. When Fin packed up his belongings and headed west, he didn't know which state he'd call home. Then seeing his dad and learning he wasn't long for this world made him realize how much he wanted to raise his own family in the small town of Pine Tree, just like his mom and dad had done.
"How are we supposed to decide what to invest in?" Holly asked. "And since Deni can't invest in Q's logging business, I assume my dad didn't want me and Jayce to invest in Reindeer Paws." Holly's cheeky grin brought a smile to Fin's face.
"You are correct, Holland." Mr. James' eyes sparkled. "And your dad told me you'd say that. But to answer your question," Mr. James continued, "he said you should pray about it, do some research, and let God guide you."
"That's it?" Fin sputtered. "Is there a way we can find out who needs help in the community?"
"There's always a way to find out, Finland, even though investing isn't always about who needs help at this moment." Mr. James pulled a few sheets out from his drawer. "Your dad wants it to be done anonymously, as well. The best gifts are given with no strings attached."
A giggle burst from Holly's lips. "I love this idea, and I love Daddy for encouraging us to do this."
A knot formed in Fin's throat. He swallowed, pushing it down. His father, a giving man in life and in death, and always showing him and his sisters how to bless others with what they've been given. A man who sought the Lord, loved unconditionally, and valued each of his children. Fin longed to follow in his dad's footsteps, to be the man God created him to be.
An hour later, Fin dropped his sister off at her home and drove to the house he rented down the road. Pine trees decorated the front of the house. He and his oldest nephew, Rylan, had adorned the trees with colorful lights. Fake reindeer dotted the yard, reminding Fin of growing up on the ranch.
Fin leaned against the headrest in his car and closed his eyes. His dad would no longer greet him with a simple lift of his hand and a smile on his face when Fin drove up to his boyhood home. An ache inched its way into his heart and squeezed. The world seemed a bit dimmer without his father in it. When the hurt would lift, Fin didn't know. He'd try to find joy in the midst of sorrow, just as his dad had done when his mom passed away. And hopefully, Fin could bring a light to the heart of a business owner through the holidays, thanks to his father.

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