The Nanny's Texas Christmas

by Lee Tobin McClain

  It had all been connected with Flint.

  But had she been wrong about that? The Creator was, indeed, bigger than their small human minds could know.

  Had she misinterpreted what Flint had said? Had she been too sensitive in feeling that he was dumping her?

  She started to replay the scene in her mind but shook off the impulse. Now wasn’t the time. The boys were approaching the stack of presents from the community, a stack almost as tall as the smallest boys’ heads.

  She loved it here. Loved that the community cared so much for these troubled boys. She looked around and marveled at how many adults in town had volunteered their time to make this event a success, to help boys like Sam Clark, who wouldn’t get to go home, have a fun Christmas.

  As Bea and Marnie distributed the gifts, she watched the boys joyously rip into them and exclaim over them. Most of the boys looked thrilled even when the package they opened held a pair of socks or a new bandanna.

  Nostalgia for when she was a little girl rose in her. She remembered that joy. Her family hadn’t been wealthy, and there hadn’t been fancy gifts around the tree, but the festive wrapping and the happy faces of loved ones had made Christmas the best day of the year.

  She had those memories stored up inside her, rendering Christmas blessed and happy even though her parents weren’t here to share the day. Hopefully, these boys would recall this night as a happy memory. They’d focused on the true meaning of Christmas...and they were also getting some fun and desired presents.

  Someone tapped her shoulder, and she turned to see a huge poinsettia plant in a beautiful basket. She reached for it automatically and saw that it was Bea holding it out to her. “This is from all of us,” she said. “Just a token of how thankful we are for all your hard work.”

  “There’s another bouquet over here,” one of the boys called, and then a much smaller bouquet was thrust in her hands. On this one, there was a tag made of notebook paper attached.

  “From Flint,” it read.

  Her heart jumped for a few seconds, and then she realized what was going on and forced a chuckle. “Those mystery matchmakers,” she said to Bea. “Looks like they’ve changed their minds about who I should be with.”

  “They’re smart boys,” Bea said, giving her a meaningful look.

  Lana couldn’t stop the tears that rose into her eyes, so she busied herself with carrying her giant poinsettia to the door, setting it down beside her bag and tucking the other flowers into the pot.

  People were drifting out now, congratulating her on a job well done. A number of the boys were heading to the ranch house to get their things, because they were leaving with their families tonight for the Christmas holiday. Others would be picked up tomorrow, and a few boys would stay over the break, because their situations didn’t permit them to go home for Christmas.

  “Lana.” She heard Flint’s deep voice behind her and turned, her heart flipping over when she saw him walking toward her with intent. This was crazy. She was on such an emotional roller coaster. It was probably nothing, some detail. “Hey,” she said as he reached her side, taking a deep breath and inadvertently inhaling the scent of him. She swallowed hard.

  And then she saw the wrinkles of concern on his brow. “Have you seen Logan?” he asked.

  “Not since his appearance in the pageant.”

  Flint let out a muffled expression of concern. “Neither has anyone else,” he said. “I’m afraid he’s missing.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  It took about five minutes for every person on the ranch who hadn’t already left for the holidays to gather at the barn and organize a search. Most of them were chuckling and rolling their eyes; they all knew Logan’s history of running and hiding, making this more comical than something to worry about. Still, it was nighttime, so they fanned out, some to the ranch house, some to the various barns and play areas, some to Flint’s cabin.

  Flint paced the barn, searching dark corners, overwhelmed with guilt. He hadn’t been watching Logan, but rather wallowing in his own distress about Lana’s leaving. He’d let down his son on so many levels.

  Lana, who’d looked tired and drawn all night, was using her phone to field everyone’s reports. “He’s not at the library. Not at the house with the other boys. We’re still waiting to hear from those who are searching the barns and your cabin.”

  “Thanks.” He grabbed a flashlight, went to the stage, and shone it underneath.

  “He runs away pretty often, right?”

  “Yes, but I thought he was over it. We’re back to square one.”

  “Kids regress,” she said. “The holidays are stressful for them.”

  He nodded, wondering fleetingly why Lana had been so upset-looking all day. Wasn’t she happy about her plan to leave?

  Marnie Binder came in just as Lana reported the next news: no sign of Logan in the barns or the cabin.

  His worry intensifying, Flint grabbed a rake and went over to the end stalls that still had hay in them, raked through.

  “Flint.” Lana came into the stall, grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, and tugged him out into the open part of the barn where Marnie was. “Stop moving for a second and think. You’re the one who knows him best. Figure out where he might be!”

  Flint blew out a breath as the truth came to him: his plan to raise Logan independently, not to need anyone else, was a pipe dream. It took a village. Plus God.

  Bea and Rhetta came hurrying back into the barn. “We didn’t find him,” Bea said quickly. “But we’re wondering—have you seen Cowboy?”

  He hadn’t. Flint put his fingers to his mouth and did Cowboy’s special whistle, piercing enough for the dog to hear anywhere on this section of the ranch.

  They all waited, but there was no answering bark, no excited dog hurtling into the barn.

  “Do you think he might have hidden out with Cowboy somewhere?” Bea asked. “Hey, did anyone check the attic? Because I mentioned that I’d seen a couple of old dog beds up there. I was going to bring one down for Cowboy to use in the main ranch house.”

  “Could he have gotten Cowboy up the attic stairs?” Rhetta asked doubtfully.

  “Let’s go check.” And the two of them were off again, high energy.

  Marnie snapped her fingers. “I’m going to organize folks to call everyone who left earlier. What if he slipped off with one of the other boys? I wouldn’t put it past the little rascal to hide in the back of someone’s van or truck.”

  As soon as Marnie left and they were alone, Lana turned to him. “Come on,” she said, holding out a hand. “We’re going to go search the cabin again.”

  “Good idea.” They could see if Logan had taken food or supplies and get a read on the seriousness of his plan. At this point, Flint was hoping it was Logan’s plan, not someone else’s. There was that shady guy who’d tried to come into the pageant earlier. Flint doubled his pace, outdistancing Lana.

  A quick check of the cabin and immediate surroundings revealed that indeed, he wasn’t hiding anywhere.

  They ran back up the stairs to search Logan’s bedroom more carefully.

  “People are fanning out now, checking a wider radius of the ranch,” Lana reported, looking down at her rapidly pinging phone. “But I have a hunch we’ll figure something out here.”

  Flint nodded, scanning the room. “His backpack. He usually hangs it up on that hook, but it’s gone.”

  “Spider-Man, right? You check up here, I’ll look downstairs.”

  Minutes later, having turned his room and Logan’s inside out, he trotted down the stairs. “Find anything?”

  She shook her head. “It doesn’t look like any food’s missing, but I can’t tell for sure. He could have grabbed some snacks.”

  “His favorite two shirts are missing. And his bear.”

&
nbsp; Lana gasped. “He planned this out.”

  Flint didn’t want to think so, but all the evidence pointed in that direction.

  “This is different from the other times he’s run away, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, and I’m worried.” Flint took one last look around the cabin and then opened the front door. “Come on, let’s head for the main house. He’s not here.”

  They walked quickly up the dirt road. Lana didn’t say much, but she stayed right by his side, and Flint had the passing thought that there was no one else he’d rather have there.

  All of a sudden he spotted something pale, right at the junction where the road to the ranch house diverged from the road leading to the ranch’s exit. He hurried toward it, Lana right behind him.

  There was Logan’s bear, facedown on the dusty road. A band seemed to clamp around Flint’s chest, tighter and tighter.

  “It’s Buster!” Lana exclaimed, immediately recognizing the bear. “Oh, Flint, he must have come this way.”

  “Question is, where did he go from here?” Flint picked up the bear, brushed off the dirt and tucked it under his arm.

  He looked up at the stars. Keep him safe, Lord.

  And then, unable to stand still, he jumped the fence and started hunting the bushes, calling Logan’s name.

  “Flint. Flint!” Lana’s voice pulled him back. “Stop a minute and let’s think.”

  Flint did one last scan of the bushes and then climbed back over to where Lana stood.

  She put a hand on his arm, steadying him. “Where could he be? Think. What’s been going on with him?”

  Flint drew in a breath and grabbed the fence post, impatient.

  “There are lots of people searching. You know Logan best. Where could he be?”

  Off at the ranch house and storage barn, he could hear people’s voices, calling Logan’s name and talking quietly. He didn’t hear the excited sound he was hoping for, the sound of people finding Logan.

  “What made him run away now, tonight?”

  Flint mentally scanned the past couple of days. “He was upset about us fighting,” he said. “About your leaving. Once that was said, he got quiet, and he hasn’t been right since.”

  “Oh, Flint, I’m so sorry.” Lana put a hand on his arm. “I just said that because I was hurt and embarrassed. I should have thought before I spoke.”

  Flint’s heart leaped a little, and he squeezed her hand, taking in her flushed cheeks but not able to focus on the reason for them. “We came out of the barn, and he blurted out that question. About whether we were going to get married.”

  Lana’s face went even pinker, but she nodded, going along with his reconstruction of the scene. “You said no, you weren’t going to marry me.”

  There was something weird about the way she put it.

  “And then,” she continued, “I said I was leaving.”

  Flint snapped his fingers. “We’ve been talking about his mom some.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. I paid attention to what you said, how it shouldn’t be a big forbidden topic. I shouldn’t have let him talk about her!”

  Lana shook her head. “Talking with a loving parent isn’t what causes problems for kids. What did he say?”

  Flint took off his hat and ran a hand over his head. “He actually had a lot of misconceptions about it.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like...” Flint frowned. “Like that it was his fault she left. He’d figured out that Stacie jumped ship right after he was born, so he’d been blaming himself.” He shook his head. “I should’ve seen how much it was upsetting him.”

  “That’s what kids do, Flint. They blame themselves. It’s not your fault. If you think so, you’re acting like a kid yourself.”

  That stopped him cold. She was right. “So if he blames himself for your leaving...” Flint was putting it together.

  “Oh, Flint, how awful for him!” Lana’s eyes filled with tears, shining dark in the moonlight. “Do you think that’s how he interpreted what happened?”

  “Misinterpretation all around. But the question now is, what would he do next?”

  She was tapping her thumb against her bottom lip. “We’ve been talking in Sunday school about taking your problems to God, and praying for forgiveness when you’ve been wrong. But he could have done that anywhere.”

  “Where do you pray in Sunday school?” Flint had a feeling they were onto something.

  “We sit in a circle around the little altar we have in our classroom. But surely he wouldn’t think of going so far as Haven, as the church?”

  “Logan’s used to running. He can get pretty far. And he’s a determined kid.” Flint jumped up and held out the stuffed bear. “Buster was right at the corner where he’d leave the ranch walking. Come on, I’m guessing he’s walking to the church.”

  “Oh, no. It’s so dark!” Lana’s voice was choked. “And cars go so fast on that road. Should we walk or drive?”

  “Drive. He could have been walking an hour, and that boy has some speed.”

  “I’m so glad he has Cowboy with him.” Lana was already texting. “I’m telling everyone what we’re doing.”

  “Come on, I’ll get the truck.”

  “No.” She tugged him toward the parking lot by the main ranch house. “Let’s take my car.”

  “Why?” He started jogging toward the barn where he’d left his truck. “I’ll find him. I gotta find him.”

  Beside him, Lana grabbed his arm again and brought him to a halt. “We’ll find him. We’ll do it together. My car’s low to the ground like Logan is. And Cowboy will respond to your call more than to mine.” She frowned at him, every inch a severe teacher. “Don’t be macho.”

  He blew out a breath. She was right. He squeezed her hand and turned with her to rush toward her car.

  Logan was somewhere out there. “Let’s go,” he said, breaking into a run. “Every minute matters.”

  * * *

  Lana climbed into the driver’s seat of her subcompact as Flint squeezed into the passenger seat. She started the car and backed out, lowering all the windows as they cruised slowly along the road that led to the ranch gates.

  Flint’s fist clenched with what looked like impatience.

  “What? Don’t you think I should go slow?”

  He blew out a sigh. “Yeah. I guess you’re right. I just want to find him fast.”

  “And if we miss him the first time, it’ll take twice as long.”

  “Right.” He leaned out the window of the car as they turned out of the ranch and onto the highway. “Logan!”

  Stars glittered overhead, and the moon peeked in and out of clouds. It was a beautiful night, a little chilly with a slight breeze that ruffled the bushes and trees.

  Beautiful and terrifying, because a little boy was out here alone.

  “Wait!” Flint was leaning out the window.

  Lana slammed on the brake.

  He opened the door and hurried to the ditch beside the road. Lana put the car in Park and got out, too, just in time to see Flint’s shoulders slump. He was poking at the ditch with a stick. “It’s just some old rags,” he said.

  The chorus of frogs, rising and falling, was a little eerie. A car careened by fast, its headlights flashing over them as the vehicle turned a curve and was gone.

  Lana swallowed. To think of Logan being out here somewhere... She gripped Flint’s hand as they turned back to the car. “I’m praying as hard as I can,” she told him as she dropped his hand and hurried back to the driver’s side.

  As she drove slowly along, Flint leaned out the window. He alternated calling for Logan with whistling for Cowboy, and she could hear the stress and fear in his voice.

  She ached for Flint. She ached for Logan
.

  She loved both of them.

  In this bigger framework, this real-world risk, Lana’s own concerns shrank to their appropriate minor size. If Logan could be safe, the world would be good.

  If they could all be together...well, that would be worth everything, and she’d never, ever take it for granted.

  She heard a bark and slammed on the brakes again. “Could that be Cowboy?”

  As they listened, the bark turned into a howl and then into a series of yips.

  “That’s not Cowboy,” Flint said grimly. “That’s coyotes.”

  “He has to be so scared!” As she put the car into gear to drive on, her hands slipped. She had to wipe them off on the sides of her jeans before she could hold on to the steering wheel.

  They crept forward, now almost a mile from the ranch. “Wait.” Flint gripped her arm. “Stop the car.”

  He whistled for Cowboy.

  Out of the night came a black shape, running, hurling itself at the car.

  Lana’s heart thudded fast, and her throat went dry. But as the creature’s claws clicked against the car door and she saw the familiar dark head and lolling tongue, she blew out a breath. “Cowboy!”

  She pulled over carefully and turned off the car, and Flint got out and knelt in front of the dancing, tail-wagging dog. “Where’s Logan, boy?” He reached out to try to grab the dog, catching his collar.

  At that, Cowboy barked frantically, and Flint let him go.

  As soon as Cowboy was free of Flint’s grip on his collar, he danced away, barking, seeming to gesture to them.

  They jogged after the dog, Lana’s heart pounding out of control.

  And then she heard the sound of a little boy’s cry, and Cowboy led them to a clump of tall grasses.

  There, curled into a ball, crying, was Logan.

  Lana gasped in a thankful breath. “Oh, Logan, we found you!”

  “Are you hurt?” Flint demanded, scooping him up.

  “Daddy!” Logan burrowed into Flint’s arms. “I got scared!”