A Cowboy in Her Stocking

by Trish Milburn

  When she heard Jake coming back from feeding the cattle, she stepped out onto the porch and motioned for him to come inside. Thankfully, he didn’t argue and accompanied her into the house.

  “Take off your coat,” she said. “I made a carrot cake, and there’s fresh coffee.”

  She knew just how cold he was by the fact that he didn’t protest. Rather, he hung his coat on a wall rack by the front door and joined her in the kitchen. She didn’t like how worn out he looked, but she didn’t mention it. He was stubborn to a fault, and she knew there would be no convincing him to slow down.

  “If tomorrow is like this, I think we should all burrow inside like bears in their dens,” she said as she looked out the kitchen window, her cup of steaming coffee in hand.

  When Jake didn’t show up for work the next day, Talia thought maybe he’d finally taken her advice about a day off to rest. Or maybe he was doing his Christmas shopping. Being a guy, he probably hadn’t even started.

  Halfway through the day, however, she got a call from Jake. But it was Mia on the phone, and she sounded upset.

  “Wait, honey, slow down,” Talia said. “I can’t understand you.”

  “My dad is sick, and he won’t let me into his room.”

  “I’ll be right over.”

  When she arrived at Jake’s house and Mia allowed her inside, Talia heard Jake coughing beyond a closed door. She motioned for Mia to step back, then spoke through Jake’s bedroom door. “Jake, it’s Talia. Let me in.”

  “I’m sick.”

  “I can hear that. That’s why you need to let me in.”

  “He needs help,” Mia said, sounding so frightened that Talia took a moment to kneel in front of the girl and take her little hands in her own. “Listen, sweetie, your dad knows your immune system isn’t as strong as it could be. He’s worried about you getting sick, too. So I need for you to call India and ask if you can stay with them until your dad gets better.”

  “But I can’t leave my dad alone.”

  “He won’t be alone. I’ll stay here with him until he’s better and you can come back, okay?”

  Mia hesitated, obviously unsure. “Promise?”

  Talia gave Mia her most reassuring smile. “Yes, I promise. I’ll take very good care of him, and he’ll be better before you know it.”

  Mia didn’t look entirely convinced, and Talia didn’t blame her. She’d already lost one parent who’d always been strong. It made sense that she’d fear losing Jake, too.

  When she came to pick up Mia, India glanced at Jake’s closed bedroom door. “You should call Chloe Brody. She’s a doctor now, and I’m sure she’d come out and check on him.”

  “I may do that, thanks.”

  Mia still didn’t appear as if she wanted to leave, but Talia squeezed her hands and kissed her forehead. “You go on now and let me work my magic.”

  When Jake still wouldn’t open up the door minutes later, Talia was beginning to think it was actually going to take magic to heal the stubborn ox. “You’ve got three choices, Jake. You can open this door now, listen to me pester you nonstop until you open this door, or I kick in the door.”

  “I’ll be fine. No sense in you getting sick, too.”

  “Oh, stop being such a martyr, and open the damn door.”

  He said something she couldn’t hear, but she got the distinct impression he was cursing her very existence. When he finally opened the door, he looked dreadful.

  “Well, you were right not to let Mia see you. You look like roadkill.”

  “Remind me why we were ever friends.”

  “Because of my magnetic personality.”

  “Ugh.” He rolled his eyes and trudged back to bed.

  Talia followed him and helped him get tucked back under the covers as he began to shiver. She placed her hand against his forehead. “Good grief, Jake. You’re burning up.”

  “Merry Christmas to me.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “Really, you should leave. Now that Mia is out of the house, I’ll just rest for a couple of days, let this pass.”

  “You might as well save your breath. I told Mia I would stay and take care of you, and I’m not going back on that promise.”

  He finally relented and soon fell asleep. She sat and watched him, shaking her head. The stubborn man had run himself into the ground.

  She left him to sleep and closed his bedroom door behind her. After calling Chloe Brady and arranging for her to come check on Jake, Talia busied herself cleaning then making a pot of homemade chicken noodle soup. By the time she pulled that off the stove to cool, Chloe was knocking on the front door.

  “Hey, Talia,” Chloe said with a bright smile as she stepped inside. In the next moment, she’d pulled Talia into a big hug. “You have no idea how happy I was when I heard you were back in town.”

  “Really?”

  “I know, I should have come to visit you sooner, but we have been so busy at the clinic. Flu season bites.” Chloe took off her coat and gloves and draped them over the arm of one of the living room chairs. “I was on the last volunteer crew that was looking for you when you went missing. We kept looking even after they called off the search.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “I never thought about all the trouble I was causing people.”

  Chloe reached out and grabbed Talia’s hand. “Don’t apologize. I’m sure you had a good reason for leaving.”

  Talia couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “What makes you say that?”

  “Gut instinct. I’m pretty good at judging people, even the ones who think they’re good at hiding who they really are.”

  Talia bit her lip, wondering if Chloe had seen through Bill.

  “Luckily, people listen to a doctor more than they do teenagers.”

  Talia had no idea what to say other than, “Thank you.”

  Chloe nodded. “Now let’s check on this ornery patient of yours.”

  Jake grumbled when they entered his bedroom. “Chloe, you didn’t have to come all the way out here.”

  “Yes, I’m afraid I might deplete the world’s gas reserves by driving five miles to make sure one of my patients isn’t being chronically stupid.”

  “Anyone ever tell you that your bedside manner stinks?”

  “Anyone ever tell you that you’re too stubborn for your own good?”

  Jake eyed Talia. “Occasionally.”

  Chloe laughed then spent a couple of minutes checking his vitals. “Yep, you have the same nasty flu that is going around. You made the right choice sending Mia to stay with India and Liam. But you’ve got to take a few days of rest to get over this. Even though you’re strong and usually in good health, this isn’t anything to trifle with. Stay in bed, rest, stay hydrated, and do what Talia tells you.”

  When he groaned again, Chloe gave him a playful swat on the arm, then headed out of the bedroom.

  After saying goodbye to Chloe, Talia retrieved a bowl of soup and took it to Jake. Though he was obviously weak as he raised himself to a sitting position, he managed to down the entire bowl of soup.

  “That’s good,” he said. “I’m sure it would be better if I didn’t feel like death.”

  “I’ll freeze some of it, and you can have it when your taste buds are in normal working order.” After she was back home in California, searching for a new job.

  Eating the soup had taken all the energy Jake could muster, so she left him to sleep some more. She filled the rest of the night with doing online job searches on her phone and working on the knitted hat for Mia.

  The next couple of days followed the same sort of routine. Jake slept most of the time, but when he was awake she kept him fed and made him drink a lot of water. While he slept, she finished up the hat and used Jake’s aging lapto
p to fill out some job applications. When she was finished with that, she watched TV quietly. While flipping channels, she came upon Miracle on 34th Street. Christmas was approaching fast, though you couldn’t tell by the state of affairs in Jake’s house. Well, that was something she could change.

  After a bit of searching, she found his boxed Christmas tree and ornaments in a storage building. As quietly as she could, she assembled the tree and decked it with every light and ornament she could find. She used several other decorations, everything from a nativity scene to music boxes that played carols, to make the rest of the house festive.

  As she stood back to admire her handiwork, the door to Jake’s bedroom opened. After coming a few steps out into the living room, he stopped and looked at the brightly lit tree.

  “You’ve been busy.”

  “You don’t mind, do you? I needed something to do, and I thought you might like it decorated when Mia came home.”

  “No, you did a good job.” There was something in his voice that had her directing her attention at the tree, too.

  And then it hit her. There were no presents under that tree. He didn’t have to say a word for her to know what he was thinking. He was weighing the cost of presents against the pile of medical bills she’d inadvertently seen on the kitchen counter while she was cleaning. She couldn’t stand the look on his face, as if he blamed himself for not being able to give Mia everything she could possibly want. He wasn’t being fair to himself. He’d given her life, more than once, and an endless supply of love. There were no better gifts.

  In that moment, Talia realized that her problems paled when compared to the load Jake carried. And she was going to do whatever she could to make sure he and Mia had the best Christmas possible.

  “You feel like eating something more substantial?”

  Jake looked at the tree a moment longer before nodding. “Yeah, just nothing too exciting.”

  Talia chuckled. “Mashed potatoes, it is.”

  Though he was still not up to par, he didn’t look as pale and pasty as he had when she’d first arrived. “You appear to be on the mend.”

  “Yeah, thanks to you.”

  “Ah, I didn’t do anything.”

  “Yes, you did. Thank you.”

  They sat at the kitchen table, chatting about Mia, former classmates, their lives since they’d known each other as teens.

  “Hope you don’t mind that I used your computer. Seems I recently became a victim of downsizing.”

  Jake looked up from his half-eaten bowl of mashed potatoes. “You lost your job?”

  She shrugged, as if it was no big deal. “It happens sometimes. The school system is in a tight financial bind.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’ll find something.” At least she hoped so.

  They talked a little more as he finished eating, and then she sent him back to bed. He might be getting better, but he still wasn’t one hundred percent.

  The next morning, Jake assured Talia that he was okay to be on his own now.

  “I’ll go if you promise me you will take it easy until after Christmas. Get totally better, spend some time with Mia, relax.”

  He reluctantly agreed, so she headed back to her own ranch. She started making calls even before she got there, and by late afternoon Phillip Darden, the owner of one of the bigger ranching operations in the county, had agreed to buy her entire herd. She watched as the guy’s ranch hands filled several trailers with cattle and hauled them away. Darden handed her a sizeable check, tapped the edge of his cowboy hat at her then followed in the wake of his purchase.

  It was too late to put the next phase of her plan into motion, so she spent the evening packing what little she was taking back home with her. The house was so empty now that it echoed when she walked. It seemed appropriate since as soon as it sold, the house would be starting a new life from scratch with an entirely new family.

  She had trouble sleeping, but this time it wasn’t the ghosts that kept her awake. It was excitement, and that same excitement had her heading into Blue Falls the next morning as soon as the stores along Main Street started opening.

  It was amazing how quickly a person could spend money when they put their mind to it. By lunchtime, she had a car full of wrapped presents and had made arrangements with India to call her when Jake came to pick up Mia.

  When that call came the next day, Talia raced to Jake’s house and retrieved the extra house key she’d found when she’d been sweeping his front porch and moved a flowerpot. She hurried to get all the presents under the tree. As she drove away, she couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Mia finding all those presents. She’d love to see the girl’s reaction, but Christmas was a time for family. And as much as she might admit only to herself that she liked the idea of being a part of their family, she wasn’t. She wasn’t part of anyone’s family.

  Chapter Six

  “What do you think Santa Claus will bring, Daddy?”

  “I don’t know, sweetie. He’s got a lot of kids to take care of, you know.” It killed Jake that he couldn’t get more for Mia than he had. At least the extra income from working at Talia’s ranch had allowed him to buy a few things before going to pick her up. They were safely stowed in the large toolbox in the back of the truck. When she went to sleep tonight, he’d have to get them wrapped and under the tree.

  “I know,” Mia said. “What did you ask him for?”

  “I’ve already got all I need.” He cupped the back of her head, thankful that he had this Christmas with her, hopeful he’d have many, many more.

  When they stepped into the house, Mia squealed in delight. Jake thought it was because of the tree, but then he noticed all the wrapped presents under the tree. What in the world?

  Mia jumped up and down, a huge smile on her face. “Santa came early!”

  It took a moment for Jake to form a response. “I guess he did. And it looks like you were a very good girl.”

  Mia was already examining the packages. “There’s some here for you too, Daddy.”

  Jake searched for an explanation, and only one made sense—Talia.

  After they ate dinner and Mia curled up in the recliner to watch cartoons, Jake went into his bedroom and called Talia.

  “Hey, Jake. You feeling better?”

  “Yeah.” He paused for a moment. “You left all these presents, didn’t you?”

  “What presents?”

  He wasn’t fooled by her feigned innocence. She was remarkable. Despite everything she’d been through, she’d grown up to be a wonderful person, still kind and giving. It was a miracle, really.

  “Thank you.”

  “I think you should thank Santa Claus.”

  He would, properly, just as soon as he figured out how.

  * * *

  TALIA SPENT CHRISTMAS morning packing her car with the things she intended to take home. All that was left in the house was what she’d need for the next day or two. With the ranch in good enough shape to sell and the cattle gone, she planned to go list the property with the real estate agent in the morning. Then as soon as she said goodbye to Jake and Mia, she would hit the road toward California.

  Her heart ached at the thought of leaving them behind. Mia was a special little girl, and if the dream she’d had about Jake was any indication, she felt way more for him than friendship. Even after all the years apart, she found herself wanting to be with him. But it wasn’t to be, and the longer she stayed the more it would hurt when she left.

  She’d just turned to head back inside when she heard a familiar engine. Jake pulled into her driveway and parked next to her car. As he slipped out of the truck, his eyes went to the box in her backseat.

  “You’re getting ready to leave.”

  “Yeah.” She tried not to read too
much into the look on his face. Most likely, it wasn’t the disappointment she imagined. It was her deepest wish playing tricks on her mind, making her see what she wanted to, not what was really there. “I’ve got to get home and dive into the job hunt. The sale of this place will help me get by for awhile, provided it sells quickly, but I need to find a new position soon. That’s easier if I’m there for interviews.”

  She shifted her gaze to Mia as the girl rounded the front of the truck carrying a cake and a Christmas stocking. “You’ve got your hands full.”

  “I made you a lemon cake, and filled your stocking with presents.”

  “Lemon is my absolute favorite.” She leaned down and kissed Mia on the forehead, eliciting one of the girl’s adorable smiles. It hit her that she loved this little girl and would miss her fiercely.

  “Go on in out of the cold, sweetie,” Jake said. When Mia was out of earshot, he turned toward Talia. “I hope you were going to say goodbye this time.”

  “I was just waiting for you to have a good Christmas day with Mia.”

  “You deserve a good Christmas, too, you know. The kind you provided for us.” He glanced toward the empty pasture. “I’ll pay you back, I promise.”

  Anger boiled up within Talia. “You will not. That’s not what Christmas is about. It’s about giving. It brought me more pleasure to buy those gifts for Mia than I ever thought I could feel in Blue Falls again.”

  “But she’s not the only one you bought presents for.”

  No, she wasn’t. The blue shirt he wore was proof of that. “You are a wonderful father, Jake. You do absolutely everything possible for Mia, and it was time somebody took care of you for a change.”

  Jake lifted his hand to Talia’s cheek. “Who takes care of you?”

  “I do. It’s been so long since anyone else has done it that I can’t remember what it felt like.”

  “Would you ever consider staying here in Blue Falls?”

  His question caused her heart to thump wildly. Why was he asking that? Was it possible that he felt something for her, or was he just feeling vulnerable and thankful to her? She didn’t think she could stand being hurt by someone she cared about again.