Bearly Christmas

by Becca Fanning

  Well at least she wasn’t dead in the ditch. Although looking at the damage now, Willow guessed that they would have had to go out of their way to be fatally wounded in this crash.

  “Rosemary Elizabeth Davenport where the hell are you?” Willow screamed.

  “I’m here you loud, over protective, anal sister of mine!” Rosemary yelled back. She was walking along the side of the road.

  “Where the hell have you been?”

  “Along the road aways,” Rosemary said. “I got the jerk’s license plate.” She held up her phone. “Got it while he was bumper kissing us.”

  “That’s great! But you should’ve stayed close to the car!” Willow said taking her sister into a hug. Rosemary hugged her back.

  “You have a flashback?” she asked. “Of mom and dad’s accident?”

  Willow nodded and they hugged each other tighter.

  “It’s okay you know,” Rosemary said pulling back. “We’re fine. This was hardly an accident at all.”

  “I know that,” Willow said.

  They looked at each other for a moment.

  “I guess we should get Aunt Vanessa out of the car,” Willow said and they turned as one woman to see their Aunt having hysterics in the passenger seat.

  “How are we gonna do that?” Rosemary asked biting her lip.

  Willow shrugged, “I push, you pull?”

  Rosemary jabbed her sister in the ribs but they were smiling at each other.

  Just then there was the sound of an engine, and a big silver truck pulled up next to them. The window rolled down with an electric whine and a head popped out.

  Willow grabbed Rosemary’s arm tightly as she felt her knees involuntarily go numb. The head had to belong to an angel she thought. And then it smiled and she corrected herself. This was no heaven dweller, this was the face of a fallen angel, who had enjoyed the trip and would gladly do it again. For kicks.

  “Morning,” the young man said, smiling brightly. He had very fair hair that flopped into his eyes a bit, and a goatee that was clearly painstakingly styled. The smile was bright and fueled by genuine happiness. “Might we be of some assistance?”

  “Um,” Willow said staring with her mouth open.

  Rosemary looked at her sister and shook her head, “Hi, yeah we would love some help.”

  “Great, we’ll just pull over and then see what we can do,” the man said.

  He maneuvered his truck so that it was parked close by, and well off the road. Then he got out. He was tall and broad shouldered. Sizing him up, Willow realized he was a good head and shoulders taller than she was. Suddenly she thought she knew what it felt like to be a dwarf.

  “Hi, I’m Tyler,” he said extending a long fingered hand. “And that fine specimen of a man over there, is my good friend, Kyle.”

  Willow looked at exhibit B and swallowed hard. Oh this one was trouble and no mistake. He had honey blonde hair that hung messily around his head like a halo, and his smile was downright naughty. He raised a hand and waved.

  “Hi,” Kyle said, shaking first Willow’s and then Rosemary’s hand.

  “Well, I’m Willow and this is my sister, Rosemary,” Willow said smiling.

  “Willow,” Tyler said smiling with a faraway look on his face. He said it again as though he were tasting it. “That is such a pretty name.”

  “Thank you,” Willow said and regarded her boots until her heartrate slowed.

  With the introductions out of the way, they made their way down the embankment to the SUV. Willow was terribly aware of Tyler as he walked next to her. He smelled fresh, like newly mown lawn almost, but not quite. It was that kind of smell, sweet and earthy.

  And then her foot slipped on the grass and she went crashing down. Flinging out an arm Willow grabbed Tyler. He must have lost his footing too because they landed in a heap with Willow beneath him.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” Willow said blushing like a neon lobster.

  “I just want you to know I don’t generally end up in this position with someone until at least the fourth date,” Tyler said and winked at her. “Just a little joke.” He offered her his hand and pulled her to her feet. “I have to fight them off by the second.”

  Willow didn’t usually like men who said things like this. She found them to be shallow, using bastards who would date you, sleep with you, and then leave you just like that. But there was something about Tyler, something that oozed off him. And despite her misgivings, she realized that even with that sense of humor, she was beginning to like him. She found herself smiling at him, totally forgetting her embarrassment.

  Kyle was at the SUV already peering into the window.

  “Is she okay?” he asked.

  “That’s Aunt Vanessa,” Rosemary said walking over to him. “She’s in a state, you see, this car is her baby. Part of her settlement from the last unlucky Mr. to marry her and then dip his nib elsewhere. We’ll get her calmed down in a moment. We just have to get her out of the car.”

  “Right,” Tyler said and in a flash he was standing in the ditch, his leather boots getting wet. Slowly and calmly he opened the door.

  “Ohmygod! Ohmygod!” Aunt Vanessa was repeating like a mantra, while tears made her mascara run. She held up red nailed hands to fend him off. “Who the hell are you? Get away from me!”

  Willow was by his side in a shot.

  “Aunt Vanessa,” she said soothingly. “This is Tyler, he stopped to help us.”

  “Is my car damaged? Are my girls alright?”

  Willow was a little annoyed that she and Rosemary came second to the car, but at least they were in the top two. Anyway Aunt Vanessa could see they were fine.

  “We’re good,” she said, “and the car is just a little stuck. That’s all. But you need to get out.”

  Aunt Vanessa stopped freaking out so suddenly it was like a switch was flipped, and she went from crazy older lady, to sane older lady in a nano-second.

  “Get out in that?” she asked looking, with a wrinkled nose, at the mud. “But these are my good boots.” She displayed them on her feet, waggling them so Willow and Tyler could see them.

  “And what fine boots they are,” he said with a gentlemanly bow. “May I offer my services ma’am. I promise that you won’t get those lovely boots even a little dirty.” And then he smiled.

  Willow knew it was the smile that closed the deal. Aunt Vanessa melted, visibly.

  “Well what a kind young man you are,” she said and allowed Tyler to lift her out of the seat and place her gently on dry ground.

  With all three women out of the way, sitting on the embankment, the two men set to work to get the SUV out of the ditch. It took quite a while and they ended up towing it out by attaching a line from the truck to the SUV, and then using brute force to free it. Once the SUV was free they checked it out as much as they could, and pronounced it a miracle. The car was dirty and it would need a wheel alignment, but other than that, it appeared to be just fine.

  “Thank you so much,” Willow said, shaking Tyler’s hand. “I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t come by.”

  “It was our pleasure,” Tyler said and turned to walk back to his truck. Then he seemed to think better of it and turned back to her. Willow’s heart almost stopped. For some reason she was hoping he would ask her out.

  “Could I have your number? And then I’ll send you mine, you know just in case something happens with the car up the road and you need a tow again,” Tyler smiled.

  Willow nodded, “Sure.” She gave him her number, and felt her phone vibrate a moment later when he sent his contact info to her.

  “Well thanks again,” she said and climbed into the driver’s seat. She started the engine and drove off.

  “Oh holy shit, they were so cute!” Rosemary exploded in the backseat.

  “I know! Right?” Willow said clutching the steering wheel.

  “And that Tyler is so into you Will,” Rosemary said smiling.

  “You think so?”

/>   “Sure! I mean really, let’s swap info in case you break down?” Rosemary clutched her hands to her chest. “Oh my, whatever shall I do?” she said in her barmaid voice.

  That had Willow and Aunt Vanessa in stitches.

  They drove along for a while and took the turn to Homestead Farm. The drive up to the house was rutted from the rain and traffic that had clearly been on it lately, but it was fine. And in minutes they stopped outside the old farmhouse.

  The old farmhouse stood in an open patch of land with the mountains to the left, ringed by their ridge of forest. In the bright, but gentle sunlight, the house looked grand, like a stately old lady. But when the eye got used to the site, there were telltale signs of neglect and disrepair.

  Weeds clustered around the steps leading to the wraparound porch, and some of the paint was peeling on the wooden slats that made up the walls. But the house also has signs of being loved. Next to the front door a wooden plate had been hung. It too, was somewhat faded, but it still clearly pronounced for anyone to see, that the Swayers lived here, and that love was to be found under this roof.

  Willow stood behind her Aunt as Vanessa knocked on the door. Rosemary was hanging back in the front garden, sizing the place up. There was a flower bed along the front of the house, but it was thick with weeds and this late in the season, only a few flowers poked their heads out of the mess.

  “Well I’ll be…” Rosemary said putting her hands on her hips and turning to look at Willow.

  Willow looked at her sister and then up the drive, where the sound of an engine alerted her to another vehicle pulling up. It was a silver truck.

  “It can’t be,” Willow said walking back down the steps to Rosemary. The sisters proceeded out to the truck together.

  “Well blow me down with a whisper,” Tyler said as he emerged from the driver’s seat. “You never said you were coming here.”

  “You never asked,” Willow said eyeing him. “Are you stalking us?”

  “Nope,” Tyler said smiling and shaking his head, “We’re just interested in the land.”

  “Uh huh,” Rosemary said eyeing them both with great mistrust. “Well we plan on buying it.”

  “So do we,” said Kyle.

  “May the best man, or woman win,” Tyler said.

  “Thanks, we intend to,” Willow said and turned sharply on her heel. Rosemary followed suit and they marched back to the porch and up the stairs, just as a middle aged man opened the door. A man and a woman stood behind him. They were dressed formally, her in a pencil skirt and blouse and him in a suit.

  “Thank you,” the woman said and shook the middle aged man’s hand. “We hope to be hearing from you.” And with that she and the suit pushed passed Aunt Vanessa, Willow and Rosemary and walked out to the yard. Willow watched them get into a black SUV and drive off. She hadn’t even seen it parked under a huge tree on the edge of the drive. Rosemary flicked her phone on, swiped through some pictures and finished on one of most recent snaps. She leaned toward Willow, showing her the image of the license plate she’d taken earlier. Willow’s eyebrows raised in anger and surprise.

  “Bastards,” she breathed.

  “Well hi there,” the middle aged man said extending his hand. “I’m Malcolm from Unreal Realtors, here’s my card.” He handed a small square of cardboard to Willow. She looked at it, distractedly, still mostly glaring after the departed SUV. There was a graphic of a triangle and a square that were supposed to represent a house and his name and details printed on it. Yup his name was Malcolm alright.

  “Hello there yourself,” Aunt Vanessa said, springing into action as the still young for her age aunt, who is up for round four on the grab a husband game. “I’m Vanessa Marsh, and these two lovely young ladies here are my nieces, Willow and Rosemary Davenport.”

  “I am so pleased to meet you,” Malcolm said. He had a round boyish face that was quite line free under a thatch of grey hair. His smile was really dazzling and his handshake firm and mercifully dry. His clear, sharp blue eyes sized them up in a second. Willow could see his attention gravitating to Aunt Vanessa as though he were an errant asteroid and she a big shining sun. “And you’re here to look at the house,” he said. “Well, let’s just wait for those two gentlemen and then we can all go on a tour together.”

  “Oh goody,” Rosemary whispered to Willow. It was meant to be sarcastic, but fell short. Anyway Willow didn’t mind Tyler and Kyle hanging around. Maybe when Aunt Vanessa bought the place she could convince her to rent a parcel of the land to the boys, after all the hotel and restaurant wouldn’t need the full farm. And it would be a great residual income, something show biz folks were always thinking about. After all, no one could sing and dance forever.

  The tour was quite long. Willow and Aunt Vanessa looked at every room with the eye of people who have a plan, and want to see how the floorplan fits. The house was a double story with six bedrooms upstairs. They were huge and all en suite. Downstairs was a TV lounge, a den, a dining room, and a massive well-appointed kitchen with an herb garden just outside the door. There was also a massive living room with doors that opened onto the porch. It was truly lovely.

  At the end of the tour they found Sally-Anne Sawyer sitting quietly in the swing chair on the porch. Aunt Vanessa waved to her and Sally-Anne beckoned her over. Willow and Rosemary followed.

  “Well Vanessa, I thought you’d come by,” Sally-Anne said turning a wrinkled face to her. She smiled and patted her grey hair. “I still think my Charlie should have married you all those years ago, and not that horrible stick insect he did marry.”

  “That is real kind of you, Sally-Anne,” Vanessa said, “But we both know Charlie hates the theatre and it’s my life.” She smiled and so did Sally-Anne.

  “So, I’m giving up the old place,” Sally-Anne said sadly. “Can’t keep it up. Not without my darling Hank by my side. And my daughter Annabelle, she’s decided I have to go live with her in Vermont.” She said it like it was a dirty word. “I don’t want to live in Vermont. But anyway, I suppose that’s the way of the world. One minute you make the decisions for your kids, and the next they’re making them for you.” She shook her head. “Time is a bastard.”

  “Amen to that,” Vanessa said taking a seat next to the old woman.

  Feeling that they were intruding on this conversation, Rosemary and Willow melted away.

  Malcolm was talking to Tyler and Kyle over by the far corner, and they silently sidled over that way.

  “It’s a lovely piece of land,” Tyler said. He was looking out from the porch across the fields that started almost from the back steps.

  “That it is,” Malcolm said. “We can take a drive around it if you like?”

  “Not necessary,” Kyle said. “We both worked this land when Mr. Sawyer was still with us. We’re cow hands by profession.”

  “Is that so?” Malcolm asked. Though he smiled, Willow got the impression that he really didn’t care what other people did for a living. “So will you run the ranch as a ranch or do you have other plans, should you decide to purchase of course?”

  Tyler regarded the man for a moment, “We have plans.”

  Just then Malcolm’s phone rang, an annoying jangle in the still air, and he stepped aside to answer it.

  Willow and Rosemary reached the porch railing and stood looking out over the land. Nothing but rolling grassland stretching all the way to their own fence which was far in the distance and not visible. The theatre was on a parcel of land that could be called a plot. It was big enough for the theatre, the small house they all lived in, as well as the gift shop, and the outdoor area where people could have a picnic on fine days. But it was a small piece of land compared with this. They would only need another slice and it would be enough.