The Christmas Room

by Catherine Anderson

  As always, Father Merrick stood on the front steps after the liturgical procession from the church. He liked to chat with all the parishioners as they departed, and no matter how ugly the weather, he never shirked that duty. Sam knew the priest well. He’d been at St. Anne’s for years, far longer than was usual. Sam guessed that he hadn’t been relocated because of his age. Normally priests were shifted at least every ten years. Maybe the Church made exceptions for elderly clerics. Back before Annie died, Sam had considered the priest to be one of his best friends and had invited him to the ranch for dinner frequently.

  When Sam stepped out onto the porch, Father Merrick beamed a grin at him and shook his hand with a strong grip that belied his advanced years. “Well, hello, Sam!” he said jovially. “It’s so good to see you again.”

  Sam sensed that his daughter and the others had bunched up behind him. “Don’t rub it in, Father. I just took a sabbatical.”

  Father Merrick laughed, the sound deep and jovial. “Priests take sabbaticals. Laymen fall away from the Church. But never mind that. You’ve come home now, and you’ve been sorely missed.”

  Kirstin stepped forward. “Hi, Father. How are you feeling after that bad cold?”

  “Great!”

  Sam sent his daughter a questioning look. She smiled and leaned toward him to whisper, “One of the places I sneaked off to behind your back was mass.”

  Once in the truck, Maddie raved about the old mission church. “It’s not only beautiful, like a chapel of old, but there’s a fabulous sense of community in its small confines, a feeling of neighbors praying with neighbors, which was not the case in the big church we attended in Northern California.”

  Sam thought to himself that none of his Catholic neighbors would bear him any goodwill, but he’d be attending mass anyway. People could glare at him all they liked. As Father had said, Sam had come home, and he believed it was high time.

  Caleb piped up from the backseat. “You were right, Gram. It felt good to attend mass.”

  Maddie reached back to pat his knee but couldn’t reach it. “It always does, honey.”

  When they got home, everyone gathered in the kitchen to make a big breakfast. Fasting before Communion had a way of sharpening appetites. Sam peeled potatoes and got them diced for the skillet. Cam put the bacon on to fry. Sam kept yelling at the dogs to find a place, saying they were trip hazards. Soon all the humans were gathered at the table, stuffing their faces. Caleb downed three large glasses of cold milk, making Sam consider getting a dairy cow. He quickly pushed aside the idea. His ranch already required a full crew, and he could barely keep it going with only Kirstin and Miguel to help him. He sure as hell didn’t need to add milking a cow morning and night to his list of chores.

  Toward the meal’s end, Kirstin announced, “It’s time to get Christmas trees up!”

  “Trees?” Sam frowned at his daughter as he doled out bacon to the canines. “You mean more than one?”

  She nodded. “One for here, and another one for my house. Stop glowering, Dad. We’ll have decorating parties, and it’ll be a lot of fun.”

  Sam remembered how fun decorating a tree had been, with Annie and Kirstin complaining that he hung Christmas balls any old place and never stepped back to look for balance. In his opinion, it was only a tree, not a science project. The quicker the damned thing was laden with sparkly shit, the better.

  He tried to remember the last time he had erected a tree in his home. Then he immediately ceased in his attempt. The memories were too sad, and he didn’t want to feel gloomy today. He’d been to church, received Communion, and was turning over a happy leaf.

  • • •

  On Tuesday night after the tree-decorating party at Sam’s house, which Cam was able to participate in sans cane, Cam asked Sam to take a stroll with him to the barn. Sam had no clue what Cam needed to speak to him about privately, but he suspected that the younger man, bent on doing things the respectful and old-fashioned way, even if it meant he’d get the shit kicked out of him, meant to ask Sam’s permission to marry his daughter.

  Instead Cam surprised him after they got situated on the hay bale that Sam had sat on after he hurt his toe kicking Rickie’s bucket of rocks. He said, “As you can probably see, I’m strong enough now to take my family back to our Hillbilly Village, Sam.”

  Sam’s heart caught. That meant Maddie would be leaving, and he wasn’t ready for that yet. Maybe he never would be.

  “Anyway,” Cam continued, “as ready as I am, I hate to do that to my mom and Caleb. It’s dropping to below freezing every night, and sometimes it’s plummeting to well below twenty. The water lines in the trailer, our only place to shower, are probably solid ice by now.” He raked a hand through his pretty-boy hair. “You were right, Sam. I was a dumb ass. But in my own defense, there were multiple delays in construction, and I never planned to be camping out in the dead of winter.”

  Sam felt a rush of relief. “You and your family are more than welcome to stay at my place until your homes are finished, Cam, if that’s what you’re about to ask.”

  “It is. We won’t have real places to live in until possibly the first part of February, and I can’t help but feel that the holidays will be more fun for my family if their living conditions aren’t so rudimentary.” He splayed his hands. “I’m no longer broke now that I’ve closed that first sale. I can pay you rent and help with groceries. Utilities, too. Three extra people living in a home cost a heap.”

  Sam shook his head. “I can’t take your money, Cam. It’d be like charging family. I’ve enjoyed having you guys. I’ve grown fond of you all.”

  Cam looked Sam directly in the eye. “I’ve noticed that. You seem to be particularly fond of my mother. So I’ll ask straight out. Do you have designs on her?”

  Sam chuckled at the old-fashioned way Cam put that. “I sure would have liked to meet your old man. He must have been a pistol.”

  Cam didn’t get sidetracked that easily. “I asked you a question. I shot from the hip with you about Kirstin and got my face messed up for my trouble. The least you can do is level with me.”

  Taking his time before he answered, Sam bent forward to give Bingo a scratch behind the ears. The Aussie had taken a liking to him and followed at his heels whenever he wasn’t inside with Maddie. “Okay, straight from the hip. Your mother isn’t in the market for a romantic relationship, but she and I have become good friends. And I won’t shine it up for you. I wish she’d offer me more, so I guess I do have designs on her. But unless I can convince her otherwise, I’ll settle for friendship.” Sam gave the dog a final pat on the head. “At our age, having a companion is comforting. Would I marry her? If she’d have me, absolutely. But even in that event, we have both had the great loves of our lives. Now having someone to talk to and do things with is more important than anything else.”

  Cam’s shoulders relaxed. Then he gave a self-derisive laugh. “I’ve been feeling off-balance. I tried so hard to be a good son and be there for my mom. Now she acts as if everything I did wasn’t enough, and I guess I’m feeling a little jealous of you. I don’t want to lose her or have to hand her off to some ornery old codger who’ll be difficult more times than not.”

  It was Sam’s turn to laugh. “Oh, shit. Do I hear a familiar echo in that? Don’t go there, Cam. It’s a nasty trail to walk.” He shook his head. “I understand exactly how you’re feeling. Maybe it’s a man thing, and we’re wired to protect our womenfolk. I’ve felt jealous of you, too. That’s my baby girl you’ve fallen in love with.” He sighed. “You’re treading on my turf.”

  “And you’d like to tread on mine.”

  Sam nodded. “You’ve got two free shots coming. I’ll let you punch my lights out.”

  “I’ll never act like you did that night. I love Kirstin too much to make her unhappy. Otherwise you would have a bloody nose and a busted lip.” He winced and then frowned.
“I’m sorry. Forget I said that. It wasn’t very respectful.”

  Sam guffawed. When his mirth subsided, he said, “You’re still shooting straight from the hip, and I’ll be damned if I don’t respect you for it. Never thought I’d say this, but you’re a good man, and I couldn’t do better for my daughter if I’d handpicked you myself.”

  “Thank you. That’s a fine compliment.”

  “Yeah, well, don’t get a big head. It took me a while to appreciate your fine points. I’m sorry for the way I behaved that night. I was upset and angry and feeling threatened. I was afraid I was losing my girl. That’s no excuse, I know, but it’s where I was, seeing red. You were the no-good bastard who was stealing her away from me.”

  “I knew that. And you won’t lose her, Sam. For one thing, she loves you dearly, and for another, I was raised to respect family ties.”

  “Right back at you. I’ll never come between you and your mom. Couldn’t if I tried. From where you’re standing, you may think what you’ve done for her wasn’t enough. But your support meant everything to her, and it still does. If you walked out of here tonight, she’d be right behind you.”

  Cam took his turn petting the dog. “So, Sam, you going to kick my ass if I tell you that I’ve proposed to Kirstin without asking for your blessing?”

  “Nope. I was about to ask when you meant to make an honest woman of her.”

  “Done. She’s been hiding the engagement ring from you so you don’t go ballistic again.”

  Sam pursed his lips. “I won’t say I’m above it. I’m still learning my way back to sanity with a lot of help from your mom. But if you popped the question and she accepted, it’s okay by me.”

  “Good, because she’s dead set on getting married on Christmas.”

  “You’re shitting me.” Sam gaped at his prospective son-in-law. “Not this Christmas, surely. Isn’t that rushing things?”

  “I think it’s a little quick, too,” Cam confessed. “But she has always dreamed of being married on Christmas, and waiting a year won’t work. She’s afraid to take the pill because of her mother’s ovarian cancer. I don’t know if she has any reason to worry about that, but I sure as hell don’t want to put her at risk. Even though we’re using other protection, I don’t think you want to take the chance that your grandchild could be born out of wedlock before next Christmas. I think every woman should experience the wedding of her dreams, even if it’s tough to pull off. Don’t you? It’ll be her big day, and she’ll treasure the memories for the rest of her life.”

  “If you knock her up and wait until next Christmas to marry her, I’ll—” Sam broke off and grunted. “That’s the old me talking. I won’t smack you, but I sure won’t be happy.”

  “I pretty much figured that, Sam. But she says it’s Christmas this year or Christmas next year, no other options. I had protected sex with Caleb’s mother one time when I was seventeen, and the condom tore. What were the odds that she’d get pregnant? I’m older now, but I don’t think my sperm count has diminished much. The same thing happened with Kirstin, and I was worried sick until her period came.”

  “Dear God, are we bonding?”

  Cam rolled his eyes. “Can you stay on track and not be an obnoxious smart-ass for once? Will you support a Christmas wedding? Simple question.”

  “Yes.” Sam took over the job of petting the damned dog. “But how will we pull it off? We’ve got very little time for all the trimmings I’m sure she’s wanting. Shit. I need a magic wand.”

  Cam stretched out his legs and crossed his ankles. From the corner of his eye, Sam saw him rubbing his right thigh. “She isn’t asking for big. She says the church is decorated every Christmas with three beautiful trees on each side of the altar. Only family and friends will be invited, and she’s keeping the list really small.”

  Sam squinted to see the other side of the barn. It was getting dark. “The list of friends will definitely be short. Nobody will come. I don’t have any friends left. There’s another sin to add to my account when I go for confession. I drove them all away.”

  “Some of them will come, Sam, not because they give a shit about you, but because they love your daughter. Can I limp back to the damned house and tell her she can take the engagement ring out of her shirt pocket and wear it in front of you, or not?”

  Sam didn’t answer the question. “It better be a big chunk of ice. I know how much money you made on that sale. If you got her something I need a magnifying glass to see, I’ll kick your ass.”

  • • •

  Kirstin felt as if she were floating on air. Before leaving to feed his horses on his family’s land, Cam had informed her that her father had given his blessing for them to get married. She could finally wear her beautiful ring in front of her dad without endangering her fiancé’s life.

  She quivered as she slipped it onto her finger. A few minutes later, Maddie, who had retreated to her bedroom to work for a short while, returned to the kitchen. Kirstin said nothing about the ring as she visited with the older woman over a glass of wine at the dining room table. Fluttering her hand as she talked, she waited for Maddie to notice. It was such a beautiful setting, and it glistened brighter than midnight stars on a clear night. How could anyone fail to notice it flashing on her finger?

  Finally, Kirstin shoved her fist toward Maddie’s face and held it steady until Maddie focused. “Oh, my!” the older woman exclaimed. “Does this mean what I think it means?”

  “I’m sure Cam meant to tell you, but we had to keep it a secret until he talked to Dad, and then he rushed over to feed his horses.”

  “Wise decision about your father, and I completely understand.” Maddie got up to wrap her arms around Kirstin. “I’m so happy, not just for you, but for myself as well. I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather have as a second daughter!”

  As they resumed their seats, Kirstin said, “Caleb proposed first. It was the sweetest thing, Maddie. He asked me if I’d be his mom. How fabulous is that?”

  Maddie looked bewildered. “My son. Doesn’t he know kids should be left out of the equation when a man proposes? It’s supposed to be the most romantic moment in a woman’s life.”

  “He’s such a devoted father, and he wanted Caleb to feel included. And, oh, Maddie, it was the most romantic moment of my life. So far, anyway. With Cam, I’m sure there will be others. It was all so perfect that I cried.”

  They heard someone come down the stairs, and both of them turned, expecting Caleb to appear. Instead Cam came into the room. “When did you get back?” Kirstin asked.

  “A few seconds ago. I went upstairs to check on Caleb before joining you two.” He hugged his mother and then circled the table to kiss Kirstin. “My son is still up there texting. I’m afraid he’ll get radiation poisoning on the end of his nose.”

  Maddie chuckled. “I’m as pleased as punch that he’s made friends, so leave the boy alone.”

  Cam poured himself some wine and joined them at the table. “I take it that Kirstin told you our news. I’m sorry for leaving you out of the loop, Mom, but I was afraid Sam might be difficult.”

  The sound of the front door opening and closing drifted through the dining area. Kirstin knew it must be her father entering the house. She reached across to squeeze Cam’s hand. In a low voice, she said, “It was so brave of you to talk to him for me. I was scared to do it.”

  “Did I hear someone say my name?” Her father followed the bellowed question into the dining area. With his usual straight-to-the-point manner, he circled the table to study her ring. Then he looked at Cam. “Barely on the right side of chintzy, but it’ll do.”

  “Sam!” Maddie cried. “It’s a beautiful engagement ring.”

  “I measure rings with dollar signs,” Sam replied, “and he didn’t break the bank on that one.”

  Cam winked at Kirstin. “Why am I so happy that I’ve signed on for a l
ifetime of this?”

  “Daddy, this is a special time for me. Can you try to be nice, just once?”

  Sam bent over to hug her. She loved the feeling of her father’s strong arms around her. “Okay, for you, I’ll be so sweet it’ll make your teeth ache. Congratulations, honey.” He bent his head to whisper in her ear, “If he ever lays a violent hand on you, I’ll hog-tie him in Satan’s pen and kill a jug of whiskey while I watch him get trampled to death.”

  He opened a second bottle of wine, poured a measure into a goblet, and sat beside Kirstin at the table. She rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying the blend of scents that emanated from his worn and faded blue shirt. He smelled like her childhood memories of hay, horses, and cows, with a faint touch of equine sweat. He reached up to settle his callused palm over her hair. His touch conveyed the words that he didn’t seem able to say.

  “I’m happy for you, Kirstie mine. You found yourself a good man. I only have one question. How in the hell do you think I can pull off a wedding on Christmas?”

  Kirstin curved her lips in a smile. “Father Merrick has posted the banns. He talked with Cam, who was raised in the church, so he waived premarital counseling. I already ordered my gown, Dad. I found a place online that makes them to order. I sent them a drawing, and I paid extra to rush things along. Cam and Caleb have an appointment to be fitted for tuxedos as well.”

  “What about me?” he asked.

  “I figured you’d just walk me down the aisle with horseshit on your boots.”

  • • •

  Sam mentally gnawed on all the complications of a rushed wedding. He wanted the day to be perfect for his daughter. “Kirstie, is there any possibility that we can wait and have the wedding next year on Christmas?”

  Kirstin shrugged. “Fine, Daddy. We’ll wait until next Christmas. But don’t get all ticked off if I present you with a grandchild born out of wedlock before then. Gossip will fly, and everyone in Rustlers’ Gulch will be whispering.”