by Wilde, Lori
“You know, your mom and I are great friends, and maybe something will happen someday…”
“I knew it,” Abby half screamed, jumped up and down.
“Whoa…whoa,” he said. “Let me finish.”
It took a few moments for her to settle. When she finally calmed, Zach said, “But maybe nothing will happen between us, Abby. Let us figure things out on our own. You can’t rush this.”
Abby acted like a balloon with the air let out. She spent the next half hour moping and muttering.
Finally, Zach said, “Don’t do that. If you want to act grown up, learn to accept things the way they are. You can’t force people to do what you want. Let your mother and me determine what’s best for us.”
He wasn’t sure how he expected her to react, and he was glad when she surprised him by nodding. “You’re right. I know I told you this is my Christmas wish, and it is, but you and Mom have to decide if it is your Christmas wish as well.”
“Thank you.”
“I promise to not push on you. I just thought when I saw you kissing that maybe—”
“I know,” he said, understanding her confusion. “But you have to let us figure this out on our own.”
Abby sighed loudly. “Fine. I’ll stay out of it. But just so you know, I’m not changing my Christmas wish, and if Kringle is half as magical around Christmas as everyone says, my wish will come true.”
She might have sounded grown up there for a moment, but she was still a kid at heart. And Zach also hoped her Christmas wish would come true.
* * *
Suzannah looked at the slow cooker sitting on the seat next to her, along with a pan of fresh hot cornbread. She knew her homemade chili was Zach’s favorite, and she’d cooked it with him in mind.
She wanted to thank him for letting Abby work on his ranch, and also for helping decorate for the concert, and just so many things he’d done for them not just recently, but over the last few years.
Even tonight, he was helping to decorate the float for Abby. She wanted to let him know that he didn’t need to help. He’d already done so much.
As shameful as it seemed, until recently, she hadn’t stopped to consider how selfish she and Abby were being so frequently asking for his help. She just assumed he wanted to be around because he’d always been so close to Keith and he never complained.
But now that she was seeing things from his point of view, she felt terrible. Not only had he probably needed more time to spend working on his ranch, but he also might have wanted time to date. Had she prevented him from finding someone sooner, someone to fall in love with?
She had mixed feelings about that thought, but she knew that was selfish as well. She had leaned hard on him over the years, and now she was here to offer chili and an apology.
When she got to the ranch, she parked in front of his red brick ranch-style house. She knew he’d be in the barn at this time of day, so she brought the food inside the kitchen and set it on the counter. Then, she headed toward the barn.
She found him inside working. At the moment, he was standing by one of his horse stalls, talking to Caleb Sutton, a neighboring rancher.
“Hey, what brings you here?” Zach asked. He walked over and without a word, kissed her lightly. “It’s so good to see you.”
Suzannah was both surprised and thrilled by his kiss, and in front of Caleb, as if he wasn’t the least bit embarrassed to have everyone know they were dating.
“It’s good to see you, too,” she said, slipping her arm around his waist as they turned toward Caleb. Like Zach, Caleb was tall with dark hair, but unlike Zach’s deep brown eyes, Caleb had light gray eyes.
“So, I was going to ask what’s new with you, Suzannah, but I guess I can see for myself.” Caleb grinned.
“Yes, a few things have changed. And hey, Abby and I were on your ranch recently. We swung by Kringle Kritters and she adopted a dog,” Zach said.
“That’s great,” Caleb said. “The Millers run a terrific shelter. I’m always glad to hear when a dog gets adopted.”
“Betty is a sweetheart,” Suzannah said. “It’s so nice that you donated the land to the Millers to run their rescue.”
“I love animals.” He shrugged. “Just like Zach. And the Millers are a great couple. They’ve done a lot to rescue and then find homes for hundreds of stray and abandoned animals.”
“It’s a great rescue. Now that Ava’s back, maybe she can help her folks run it,” Suzannah said.
At the mention of Ava Miller’s name, Caleb frowned, but said nothing. Did he not like Ava?
Caleb shook Zach’s hand. “See you in a little while.” With a smile at Suzannah, he added, “And I’ll see both at the parade, and I also hope to see you at Home for the Holidays.”
Suzannah had almost forgotten that the rescue organization was holding a special adoption event on the day after the parade. It thrilled her the event was getting a big buzz. Hopefully, lots of dogs and cats will get adopted.
After Caleb left, Suzannah turned to Zach. “Looks like I shouldn’t have mentioned Ava.”
Zach shrugged. “There’s a lot of history between Caleb and Ava. Time will tell how that works out.”
Suzannah hadn’t meant to step on a sore spot. “I’ll avoid mentioning her. But why was Caleb here? And why is he coming back later?”
“I’m buying another horse,” Zach said. “Caleb has the best horses around. He’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Curious, Suzannah asked, “Why are you buying another horse?”
A broad grin crossed Zach’s face. “I thought Abby might want a horse to ride now that she’s older. She always is so interested when she’s here, and I’d love to teach her to ride if it’s okay with—”
“Oh, my!”
Suzannah couldn’t believe how thoughtful he was. Abby had always wanted to learn to ride. It amazed that he had bought her a horse.
At a loss for how to thank him, Suzannah wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
“Wow,” he said and rubbed his mouth. “I should buy horses for your daughter more often.”
“You are so thoughtful.”
“Thank you, ma’am. Can I surprise her for Christmas?”
Suzannah nodded, and for a second, she almost said that it would be a nice surprise along with getting her Christmas wish, but she still wasn’t bold enough to say that. She was confident enough. Even if she and Zach continued along the path they were on, they might not be ready to decide they were officially a couple by Christmas.
“I think she’ll love Pearl,” he said.
“Pearl?”
“It’s the horse I’m buying for her. She’s Caleb’s gentlest horse, and a real sweetheart.”
“That’s so sweet of you,” she said and kissed him again.
“I could really get used to this.” He grinned. “So why are you here? I thought we were meeting in town later to decorate the parade float.”
“We are, but I thought I’d stop by with some chili and cornbread. Thank you for everything you do for us. I know Abby and I lean on you constantly, and I’m so sorry that I didn’t realize until recently just how much. It’s been unfair to you.”
He seemed surprised. “I appreciate the thought, but I enjoy every second I spend with you. I love you both.”
His words caught her off guard, and she wanted to ask him exactly what type of love he meant, but before she could, Caleb returned with the horse.
“Hope I’m not interrupting anything,” he said, walking in leading a beautiful black mare. “Suzannah, meet Pearl. So named because she’s as beautiful as a black pearl.”
Suzannah walked over and patted the horse. “I hope she’s as gentle as she seems. Abby’s a beginner.”
“She’s the sweetest thing in the world,” Caleb said. “And Zach will teach Abby the right way to ride and care for her.”
Suzannah watched them get Pearl settled in the barn. As much as she wanted to stay, she had to pick up Abby so they coul
d go decorate the float.
“Why don’t you stay with Pearl and forget decorating the float,” she said.
Zach started to protest, but she held up one hand. “You have done so much for us and getting this horse for Abby is a wonderful surprise. You’re an amazing man, Zach Delaney.”
“You’re pretty amazing yourself,” he said, giving her a quick kiss. “Thanks for dinner.”
She laughed, happy beyond belief. As she headed back to her car, she couldn’t help thinking that maybe she wouldn’t need as much time as she’d thought to adjust to this new relationship with Zach.
Every day, she fell a little more in love with him.
* * *
“Thanks again for selling me Pearl,” Zach said. “I know you planned to hold on to her.”
“I did because I wanted her to have a special home, which she now has.” Caleb motioned toward the slow cooker full of chili and when Zach nodded, he helped himself to more of the chili Suzannah had brought. “Man, this chili’s great.”
Zach laughed. “Yeah, it’s terrific. Suzannah is a good cook.”
“Seems like you two have changed your relationship recently,” he said. “I thought you two were just friends.”
“We were,” he said. “Then Abby told us her Christmas wish was for her mom and me to fall in love and get married. Guess it got both of us thinking that maybe our relationship should head in a new direction.”
Caleb nodded, then said, “How’s Edith doing with that?”
“I don’t think she likes it. I know this is very hard for her. Hard for all of us.”
“Keith was a great guy,” Caleb said. “But he’d want everyone to be happy.”
Zach nodded. “Yeah, I know he would, and I think Suzannah feels that as well. For Edith, though, it will be hard because he was her only child. I think she’s worried we’ll forget Keith.”
“Then make sure you don’t,” Caleb said. “Seems like what the two of you have together is worth fighting for. Maybe you should find a way so that everyone is happy.”
Zach nodded slowly, turning Caleb’s words over in his mind. Maybe that was what he needed to do. Make sure that they remember Keith.
But how?
Keith had been a great guy, and he’d deserved better than to die so young. But since he couldn’t do anything about that, maybe he could do something else to help keep his memory alive.
That got Zach’s mental cogs whirling.
Chapter 11
“Mom, that man keeps putting the black dots on wrong,” Abby said, coming over to stand next to her mother. She was speaking about Evan Connor, who Dr. Chloe had recruited to help them decorate the float.
“Abby,” she murmured. “Don’t be rude.”
“We need more black paper,” Abby said. “I’ll go get it.”
Before Suzannah could say anything, Abby darted across the parking lot to where the supplies were stashed in the back of Chloe’s vet van.
What was Abby talking about? Confused, she walked over to the side of the float where Evan Conner was working. She looked at the black dots he’d glued onto the white butcher’s paper they had wrapped around the flatbed trailer. The dots looked fine to her.
“Your daughter told me I’m doing this all wrong.” He straightened and scratched his head. “But the dots look aligned to me.”
“I think she means they might look better scattered around. She’s got an artistic eye, and she’s brutally honest,” Suzannah said. “I’ve been trying to teach her how to be tactfully truthful, but it doesn’t seem to work. She’s nailed the truthful part. Not so much the tactful part.”
“She is right, though. I’m bad at this,” Evan muttered.
“Let’s see if we can move a few.”
Thankfully, since the glue was still damp, they could shift two of the spots so they were no longer in a row.
“That looks better,” Evan said.
After a few moments, Chloe and Abby returned with more black paper. When they reached the truck, Abby said to Evan, “You’re frowning like Scrooge.”
“Bah Humbug to you too,” Evan said, then glanced at Chloe. “Did she tell you that I’m doing a bad job?”
“Abby reported your failings,” Chloe said, sounding stern but undoing the effect by grinning. “I know you warned me that you are bad at this sort of thing, but I had no idea how true that was. Thank goodness Abby was here to save the day.”
Abby beamed at Chloe’s praise and she pointed at the offending spots. “I’m going to help him. I’m good at decorating.”
Evan smiled at Abby. “Is that so?”
Abby bobbed her head. “Yes, I’ve been helping Dr. Anderson since I was little. She says I’m the best worker she has. When I grow up, I’m going to be a vet just like her.”
Suzannah walked over to her daughter. “That’s all Abby’s ever wanted to be, so I guess I’d better save for college now.”
“Yes. You’ll want to get a definite head start,” Evan said. “Vet school isn’t cheap.”
“True.” Suzannah had already put away a little money for Abby’s college tuition, and she got Keith’s death benefits, but she needed to save even more to make sure Abby could attend whatever school she wanted.
Just thinking about it, though, made her nervous. It was a lot of money to save in the next few years.
Her frown must have given away because Evan said, “I’ll give you some investment tips to grow your savings if you’d like.”
“You would do that for me?”
“Any friend of Chloe’s is a friend of mine.” Evan smiled.
“Thank you so much,” Suzannah said.
“In the meantime,” Abby announced. “We’ve got a float to decorate.” She grinned and sat on the cement floor and started cutting out black dots of various sizes.
Seeing that her daughter was happily working again, Suzannah returned to the front of the vehicle.
“So who’s riding in this float?” Evan asked.
“Santa and Mrs. Claus!” She leaned forward and loudly whispered to Evan. “Mrs. Claus is my mom this year, and Santa is Zach Delaney.”
Evan glanced at Suzannah. “Mrs. Claus? Really? Well, you have held up well over the years.”
Chloe laughed. “Suzannah and Zach are good sports to jump in at the last moment. Usually the Millers, an older couple who live just outside of town do it, but this year, they can’t make it.”
“Zach and I are happy to help,” Suzannah said.
Over the next couple of hours, they worked on the Christmas float. On the way home, Abby chattered about her plans of being a vet.
Although Suzannah was listening, part of her mind was worrying about paying for college and then vet school. Abby was serious about this, she was going to need a lot of money, and there was no guarantee that she would get scholarships and she hated for Abby to have to take on astronomical school loans.
Which meant if she and Zach got married, would he feel responsible for helping put Abby through school? She knew he loved her daughter, but it didn’t seem fair to ask him to take on that kind of commitment.
She needed to slow things down. There was so much more to think about having a relationship with Zach than whether they would make a compatible as a couple.
Zach was the kind of man who would say it didn’t matter, but it did. Abby’s college bills would be as high as a hundred thousand dollars or more. She couldn’t ask him to take on a wife with that kind of obligation.
Sadness engulfed Suzannah like a net. She was going to have to think about this seriously. If she married Zach, she became his wife and Abby became his daughter. He might not be legally responsible for Abby, but she knew he was the kind of man who would insist on paying. He might even want to adopt Abby, but Suzannah didn’t see that as possible. Abby needed to stay Abby Owens and know that her father had loved her deeply.
Suzannah was still thinking about it when they got home to find Edith was sitting in the living room, petting Betty.
&nbs
p; Stunned, Suzannah stared at her. Her mother-in-law’s car hadn’t been in the driveway, which must mean Edith had walked the four blocks over to their house.
“Well, there you two are!” Edith said. “I didn’t realize you wouldn’t be home this evening.”
“Grandma,” Abby said. “I’m glad you were careful when you came in. I haven’t gotten Betty trained yet. She might try to run off.”
Edith handed the dog to Abby. “I was careful, but I would not stand outside in the cold waiting for you to get home. I’m still part of this family. Your father may no longer be here, but I am.”
Suzannah didn’t miss the sternness in Edith’s stern, and she almost said something, but she stopped herself. She wasn’t about to scold her mother-in-law with her daughter in the room, but she needed to have a long talk with Edith.
She sent Abby off to play with Betty, and then she sat down across from her mother-in-law. “Edith, you mean the world to Abby and me, but please don’t come into my house when I’m not home.”
Edith frowned. “So now I’m not welcome in my son’s house?”
Suzannah had feared Edith would take it this way, but she had to make her boundaries clear. Taking care to keep her voice gentle, she said, “That’s not true at all. You are always welcome, and you always will be. But Abby and I don’t simply walk into your house when you’re not home. We always knock and wait for you to invite us in. We will always invite you into the house, but we have a right to our privacy.”
“This is so you can date Zach, right? You don’t want me stopping by because you want to have that man over here all the time.” Edith’s frown deepened.
Suzannah took a deep breath. She could see the pain on Edith’s face. She crossed the room and sat next to her. “You mean the world to me, Edith. You also mean the world to Abby. We love you, and we will always love you. But Keith wouldn’t want me to be alone for the rest of my life. You raised a wonderful man, and I miss him desperately every day. But Abby and I need to build a new life for ourselves, and yes, that life may involve me falling in love again.”
