by Vivian Arend
“You want solutions, or you just want to talk it out?”
Alex chuckled. “I said that to someone the other day and instantly thought of you.”
“Good to know something sank in,” his dad teased. “This to do with that sweetie of yours?”
“Yep. Things are going well, or at least I think they are. She’s pretty special, Dad. I’m sure we’re right for each other. But one moment it looks as if it should just be smooth sailing, and then…” Alex took a deep breath. “I’m not asking you for dating advice, though. Definitely not.”
A loud burst of laughter escaped his father. “Then I’m definitely not giving you any.”
“Because you and Mom have been together forever, but that doesn’t mean that you can shove my feet the right direction.”
Alex could picture his father shaking his head silently, wondering if he should pull out a two-by-four to help get things through his son’s solid head.
“This is me not giving you any advice. You thinking it’s right is not enough. Do you know this woman? Does she know you? Are you growing and learning together? That’s the part that makes it last. That’s what you need to work on."
“I’m trying.” Alex wasn’t about to list all the things he was doing. But still, his father’s voice carried on, and the words stole deep.
"Are you listening to what’s important to her?" Hans asked.
Yvette had shared so much over the past week. All of it important. All things Alex had tried to support her—
Creighton.
“Oh.”
On the other end of the line, his dad cleared his throat, amusement clear. “What was that? You swallow a fly over there?”
Alex nearly held up a hand to keep his father from talking before he lost the thought. “I’ll call you back.”
He hung up, certain his dad was laughing hard and shaking his head right now. But that wasn’t the thing to focus on.
Creighton. Yvette had said something in passing while they were talking about her family. How she’d prefer to be spending her energy helping local people. She’d been doing her best to deal with the old man—which had nothing to do with being professional.
For some reason, she cared about him. Cared about making a difference.
Didn’t matter that Alex didn’t get why this particular individual had become such a thing, but he was. What’s more, wanting to help the old man was her pushing forward in a relationship setting. An area that made her uncomfortable, but she had stuck with it.
Seems she was attempting some self-therapy all along.
Which meant a good boyfriend should encourage her with that task. Maybe even lend a helping hand.
Not that he wanted to take over, but there were all the questions currently buzzing around town. He and Yvette suspected the old man was quietly dropping his animals off with others.
Why?
Ignoring everything else, Alex bundled his way out of his bunkhouse room and headed up the mountain.
The temperature was well below freezing. While it was supposed to warm up by the afternoon, the frigid cold from the night lingered, and it wasn’t until Alex spotted the thin thread of smoke rising from Creighton’s chimney that a little of the worry inside eased. Whatever else was up, the old man was at least keeping up with day-to-day activities.
Alex had barely put his knuckles to the door when Creighton hauled the door open.
“Get in here before I lose all the heat,” the old man grumbled.
One of the dogs who’d usually acted as part of the greeting committee looked up from the pillow in the corner of the room, tail beating out a rhythm as he stared hopefully at Alex.
But he stayed put until Creighton called him over.
Alex used the excuse of petting the dog to look away from the old man. “It’s cold. I figured I’d come and make sure everything was all right.”
The man returned to the table and pulled a straight-backed chair out, the back legs dragging over the wooden floor. “Bullshit.”
Alex motioned the dog back to the corner and joined Creighton at the table. “What makes you say that?”
Creighton pushed the coffee urn toward him plus an empty cup. “Because I’ve lived here for a hell of a long time, and you’ve never come to check up on me before. Which makes me think it’s that woman of yours who put you up to it.”
Alex shrugged. “You’re a smart man but only partly right. First, it’s more like she’s the one in charge, and I belong to her. Second, she didn’t put me up to anything, but I know she’s thinking about you. So I figured I’d do her a solid and save her a trip up your god-awful road.”
Creighton grinned. “Didn’t take you for a wimp.”
“Did you lose a bet when you were building it?” Alex drawled with amusement. “Because, hell, that road just makes no sense to nobody.”
The old man took a shaky breath, unexpected in the midst of the good-natured teasing. He stared at the table. “It’s all going sideways.”
Alex waited.
Creighton pressed both palms to the table. “I thought I could soldier on. I like living out here. I like my place and everything I built with my two hands. Even my god-awful road, but it’s all falling apart.”
“Falling apart, or getting to be too much?” Alex asked simply.
Then, dear God, if Creighton didn’t start crying. A thin sound escaping him like air from a balloon.
The dog in the corner was there in an instant, head resting in Creighton’s lap, tail wagging.
Alex sat quietly, drinking his coffee until the old man got himself back together.
Wrinkled hands traced a smooth pattern over the dog’s head, again and again. Even the trembling in the man’s fingers said something—he cared. He cared a hell of a lot.
Creighton wiped the back of his hand against his eyes. “Didn’t see that Hunter was feeling down. And then the vet says I should take better care of him. Felt like a slap, but when he died a few days later, I realized she was right.”
Alex laid a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Yvette told me Hunter was old, and there wasn’t much you could do. He had a good life. Bet he enjoyed chasing a hell of a lot of rabbits over the years. Don’t you put yourself down about it being his time to go.”
“Fine, but it was a wake-up call. If I can’t take care of them, I’ve got no right to have the beasts.”
“You’ve been dropping them off at various places in town, haven’t you?”
The old man nodded. He glanced up at Alex. “She’s a good one, that lady of yours. I’m not the easiest to get along with, yet every time she came up here, she’s been respectful and smart. Wish I had a daughter like her.”
Alex honest-to-God grinned. “Hearing that would make her proud. I know she likes you too, cranky bastard that you are.”
Creighton snorted. “I don’t know if I like you at all, though.” But he smiled.
It was time for the next thing.
“What do you need?” Alex asked.
The old man leaned back slightly in his chair, still patting the head of the old dog, the beast staring at him with absolute adoration. “It’s time I got my own carcass somewhere a little simpler to handle. I’ve had my name on the wait list at the seniors’ home down in Heart Falls. Seems they’ve got room for me and Tex—a private apartment. I still get to take care of myself best I can, but if I tip over the line, there’ll be people to help me up.”
Alex stared at him in amazement. “You’re moving to the Heart Falls senior lodge? Just like that?”
“Yup.”
Holy hell. Not that he wanted to jinx this or anything, but still. “You’re acting awfully reasonable,” he pointed out cautiously. “I figure I’ll be peeling my father’s fingers off the farmhouse doorframe to get him to leave when it’s time.”
A gentle lift of the old man’s shoulders indicated his acceptance of the idea. “You just said it. When it’s time. It’s time. I’ve seen the writing on the wall.”
Well.
There wasn’t much more to be said then.
Alex slapped his hands together. “Okay. You let me know what I can do to help you.”
Creighton pushed back his chair and pointed toward the door. Two suitcases and a couple of boxes were stacked to the right. “There’s my stuff. I’d be obliged if you’d give me a ride.”
“Right now? Today?”
A chuckle rose from the man. “You’re not quite as quick on the uptake as your girl, are you?”
“I’m just surprised,” Alex admitted. “How did you know I was going to show up?”
Creighton pulled on his coat, slipped on boots, and put his cowboy hat in place. “Didn’t. I was going to give Yvette a call in a bit. So you saved her a trip up that god-awful road, just like you hoped.”
Wonders would never cease. Now the man was teasing him.
“You need anything else from here?”
Creighton shook his head. “Later. I left an envelope there with instructions. Let’s get this over with. They said I could join the chow line tonight. It’ll be the first time somebody else has cooked for me in more years than I can remember.”
Alex stacked the boxes in the back of the crew cab, returning for the final suitcase.
Creighton pivoted slowly on his front porch, nodding as he took a final look around. Then he pulled the door shut behind him and made his way to the passenger seat of the truck. Tex curled up at his feet, head resting on Creighton’s knee.
The trip to town was quiet. Not that Alex didn’t have a million questions he wanted to ask, but he figured Creighton deserved to be able to have a say in his own time.
They were just about at the seniors’ lodge when Creighton cleared his throat. “You don’t mess things up with that young lady. You hear me? You treat her good.”
“I plan to,” Alex assured him. “As far and fast as she’ll let me.”
A satisfied grunt escaped the other man. Then they were carrying boxes into his modestly furnished apartment.
Alex’s phone was burning a hole in his back pocket, and he wanted to check in with Yvette and let her know the astonishing changes of the day. But he focused on Creighton, because that’s what she would’ve wanted. Helping bring in his things and getting the old man settled. Or at least started on the way.
Creighton gave him an assessing stare. “Seems there’s one more thing I need you to do.”
“Anything,” Alex offered.
Creighton then pointed to one of the hardback chairs at his new table. An actual ear-to-ear grin brightened his lined face. “You’re going to need to sit down for this one.”
Yvette could not find hide nor hair of Alex. He wasn’t answering her calls, and her last text messages had gone unanswered.
She grumbled as she slid into the Heart Falls Auto Shop in search of Brooke. “Not much good having the afternoon off when I can’t find the man.”
Her friend popped up from behind the desk, wiping grease from her fingers on a not-too-clean rag. “You lost someone? Oh, I know. Old Saint Nick—you’re trying to track him down so you can ask for the perfect Christmas present.”
“More like trying to figure out what to give for the perfect Christmas present.” Yvette shook her head in annoyance. “I can’t believe it, but it’s two days before Christmas, and I still don’t have anything for Alex.”
Brooke blinked in surprise. “Really?”
Guilt rolled in again, but this time Yvette figured she was allowed to embrace the emotion. “I’m a terrible girlfriend.”
Her friend’s smile flashed back into place. “From the way he was raving about you to Mack the other day at the fire hall, Alex is pretty happy with you as a girlfriend.”
Which sent a lovely quiver off in her belly. “You did hear the part where I don’t have a present for him and Christmas is in two days. Yes?”
Brooke gestured her around the side of the counter. “Did you guys talk about presents at all?”
Yvette settled in a waiting room chair hard enough, it groaned. “Oh, well, no. Even though every single day, I’ve been opening a gift that he gave me.”
A light smack on the back of her arm brought Yvette’s attention up to see Brooke giving her the evil eye. “That whole gift calendar thing is cool, but it’s not the same as you realizing you want to give the man something special, which is what I think I’m hearing you say.”
“I should’ve clued in earlier—”
Yvette interrupted herself. An echo of a voice inside insisted she’d been inconsiderate. Thinking only of herself.
A voice that sounded suspiciously like her mother or her sister.
But it wasn’t true. Yvette had been thinking, only every time she’d come up with an idea, it hadn’t been right. It hadn’t been the thing that was going to make Alex the happiest.
Time to buckle down. Yvette dipped her chin firmly “We need to focus on a solution and not me beating myself up.”
Brooke squeezed Yvette’s fingers. “That’s my girl. Tell me what you’ve put on the reject pile, and we’ll come up with something good.”
The sparkle in her friend’s eyes as they worked through a list was another layer of proof that Yvette had made good choices. Coming to Heart Falls, finding people she cared about and who cared about her—it was right. It was good, and she was going to enjoy every minute of it fully.
Including scrambling last minute to put together a present that Alex would truly appreciate.
She knew the minute they nailed down the idea. “You realize I now have to go talk to Ashton.”
Brooke waved her off. “Go. I love you too much to make you sit here when you look excited enough to fly with the reindeer.”
Stopping at Silver Stone and tracking down Ashton only took another fifteen minutes. He was currying his favourite horse, the long peaceful sweeps of his arm mesmerizing to watch.
Yvette cleared her throat. “Mind if I interrupt?”
He paused then dipped his chin. “You need my full attention, or can I finish working on Happy-Go-Lucky here?”
“Keep working. I need some information on Alex,” she said quickly. “Personal stuff, which I know you can’t usually hand out, but I’m really hoping you’ll be okay bending the rules a little.”
Ashton hesitated for a second before his fingers went back into motion. “Personal?”
Yvette glanced around to make sure no one else was in hearing distance then explained, finishing up quickly with, “What do you think?”
He breathed in deep, letting it out slowly. “Let me finish. I’ve got that information on file.” Ashton flashed a rare grin, amusement rising. “I take it he’s convinced you to keep going past December?”
“It was kind of hard to not be convinced. Not when the man pretty much started out telling me he thought we were supposed to be together.”
Ashton’s expression went serious. “Was that all it took?”
Yvette wasn’t ready to explain further. Not before she’d told Alex the truths she’d discovered.
But the man looked honestly interested, and for one moment, she thought of Sonora and Alex’s cryptic comment that maybe it wasn’t Ashton holding back.
She considered hard then shared the one thing she could. “What I thought I needed a month ago is not what I truly needed. Alex has given me the time to figure that out, all the while making it very clear what he needs. We’ve still got stuff to work out in the future, but I think we plan to do it together.”
The older man’s gruff expression didn’t change much, but he did brush his hands off and motioned toward the door. “Let me get that info for you.”
Only minutes later, she crawled into her truck and made a nerve-wracking call. She’d just finished when her phone vibrated.
A text message from work, which sent her driving back across town to her house and the veterinarian office that was closed for the holidays, except for emergencies.
“Josiah? You in?” Yvette stepped toward the back of the clinic.
He wandered ou
t from the examination room, smile brightening as he spotted her. “Yvette. Great, thanks for stopping in. I need you to do a run for me to Creighton’s. Something about one of the dogs he’s worried about.”
“Okay.”
He paused. “You’re not going to complain?”
She shrugged lightly. “We’ve been getting along. I actually have something for him.”
She’d gotten Creighton a Christmas present even while she’d been struggling to find one for Alex.
Josiah let out a relieved sigh. “Thank you so much for doing this. With the temperature finally rising and snow on the way, Lisa’s family is having us out to Red Boot ranch for tobogganing. I didn’t want to miss it.”
“Of course not. Glad I could help,” Yvette insisted.
He headed toward the door. “I have something for you. I’ll tuck it in the back of your truck. You can grab it later.”
The snow Josiah had mentioned arrived with a vengeance between her pausing to grab Creighton’s gift and heading out.
Huge, puffy flakes swirled downward like someone was shaking feather pillows over the landscape, turning it into a winter wonderland. It didn’t matter that, underneath, there were miles of yellow-brown stubble in the fields. Couldn’t tell that a week ago, the roads had been a muddy mess, rutted and slimy.
This was the time of year where brand-new beginnings arrived with each fresh snowfall. A glittering white surface to start afresh.
She didn’t get suspicious until she drove into the yard and discovered Alex’s truck parked just past Creighton’s beater.
The two younger dogs came running to greet her, bouncing in circles until she tossed them treats. Then they beelined it back to the barn. Neither of them looked as if they needed veterinary attention.
She climbed the steps up to the porch and knocked. “Creighton? It’s Yvette. I’m coming in.”
The door swung open, a rush of heat and the scent of gingersnaps sliding over her. But it wasn’t her cranky old farmer waiting for her in the cozy little cabin.
It was Alex.
14
The expression on Yvette’s face made Alex grin all the harder. “As Creighton would say, come and sit a spell.”
