She glanced at Cooper and saw a worried frown crease his brow. He let out a curse, and Lacey looked again out the windshield to see red taillights getting rapidly larger.
Cooper, who had instinctively slowed his already crawling rate of speed, reacted immediately and carefully. Coming down on the brakes too fast could jack-knife the trailer and even overturn the entire rig. The red lights seemed to grow larger right in front of his eyes.
The damned car was stopped in the middle of the road!
He applied the brakes as hard as he dared. The trailer began to skid back and forth across the narrow strip of road, dragging the truck with it. Then, in frustrating slow motion, despite Cooper’s frantic turning the wheel, the truck left the highway and plowed its way down the sloping ground, sending snow up and out in a giant wave.
The truck came to a gentle rest, snugged all around in the snow.
“Lacey…Lacey, you all right?” He ran his gaze over her, and relief surged through him when she appeared only mildly shaken.
She nodded and jerked around. “Anna? Jon?”
The children came scrambling forward, not scared but excited as all get out, the way kids could do. Cooper let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll have a look.”
“I wanna go,” Jon said, eagerly throwing Cooper’s coat at him and scrambling not to be left behind.
Cooper knew beforehand, though, that there would be no getting the truck up on the road again without help.
They got back into the cab along with cold wind and swirling snowflakes.
“What about that car in the road? Are they all right?” Lacey asked.
Jon answered. “The stupid car’s gone, Mom.”
Looking thoroughly disgusted, Cooper got on the CB and began calling for help. Quite quickly the answer came: Help would be sent as soon as they could get through. For now, wait.
“I’m hungry,” Jon said.
“I’m cold,” Anna said.
“Guess I agree with both,” Cooper said, a dry grin twisting his lips.
Lacey laughed, and laughed again. Suddenly she was absurdly happy. “I think I can fix both things,” she said.
They were all safe, just as she’d known they would be. Thanks to her motherly inclinations, they had plenty of refreshments. The truck’s engine continued to purr, putting out heat, and they had plenty of clothes and blankets. They were snug as could be.
From the big tote bag, Lacey pulled cookies and sweet rolls that she had Jon pop in the microwave oven. As she passed out napkins, her hand brushed Cooper’s. Their eyes met.
For the first time in years, Lacey thought, she was sharing the company of her children with a handsome man she had come to care a lot about.
For the first time in years, Cooper thought, he was not spending Christmas Eve alone and lonely.
* * * *
After they’d all eaten, Lacey tucked herself and the children into the warmth of the bed. When Anna began worrying about Santa Claus, Lacey tried to divert her by telling stories about both children when they had been babies. She succeeded in getting Cooper to smile, while he appeared not to listen.
Soon Anna and then Jon fell asleep. Lacey laid her head back, lulled by the gentle rumbling of the diesel engine. Idly she gazed at Cooper smoking a cigarette up in the driver’s seat. She let her eyes roam over him, wondering how they had come to this point together.
When she noticed him rubbing his arms as if cold, she said, “Might as well join us. There’s room.” She wriggled herself and Anna over, indicating the empty space at the end of the bed.
Cooper looked at her, then sort of grinned. “Think I will. We’ve got a long night ahead.”
Lacey leaned toward Anna, trying not to get too familiarly close to Cooper. It was impossible, of course.
Cooper slipped an arm around her shoulder. “It’s okay. I promise I’m not a man to take advantage,” he said, and then added sweetly, “At least not in front of witnesses.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Lacey decided she wasn’t a person to miss an advantage. She settled into Cooper’s offered shoulder.
It felt good, almost remarkably so.
She realized that she had never before experienced such a feeling as she was at that moment, relying on Cooper, totally.
She wondered what he felt, if anything. What was he thinking? His heart beat against her arm, and he was so wonderfully warm. She drifted off into the sweetness of the moment, a special Christmas gift.
* * * *
Motion and hushed whispers woke her. Good heavens! She had fallen fully asleep. Cooper was gone from beside her, and Jon was shaking her leg with some urgency.
“Mama…” Jon said in an uncertain tone.
“Santa!” That was Anna in a strange voice.
“Well, I’ll be dogged…” That was Cooper.
Lacey struggled to get to her feet and into the cab, peering around Cooper and Jon to see what everyone was staring at out the passenger-seat window.
Santa Claus.
Santa Claus?
Yes, it was. The faint glow from the cab spilled out upon his very jolly and white-whiskered face. Light snow fell on the velvet and fur cap on his head. He was grinning and peering back at them.
Anna rolled down the window. “Hi, Santa! Hi! Do you have my puppy?”
“Oh, missy, it’s too cold out here for a puppy,” Santa said.
Lacey thought maybe she was dreaming.
The Santa was saying, “Let’s see…puppy…” He pulled a paper from his pocket and looked at it. “Yep, one puppy for…” he peered at Anna, “…for Annie.”
“Anna,” Anna corrected.
Now, how did he guess so close? Lacey would have bet a month’s tips that his beard was real, as was his near shoulder-length white hair. His coat was black, but the pants beneath were deep, royal red.
“That’s right. And you’ll get him, but it’ll be a little later. Live puppies are a tricky present. I always have to work that out. He’s comin’, but right this minute you need to get out of this cold, yes you do, missy. There’s Mountain View Lodge just up the way about three ‘r four miles. I can get you there, but I got to hurry. I got lots to do tonight, don’t cha’ know.”
Several yards away sat Santa’s odd-looking wagon-sleigh, pulled by two draft horses blowing steam in the cold air. Lacey heard bells. Peering harder, she realized they came from bells on the horses’ harness.
Anna wanted to know where Santa’s reindeer were. “Where’s Rudolph?”
“He’s takin’ a break. He’s been workin’ for eight solid hours, darlin,” Santa told her heartily. “And in this area, ol’ Jim and Tom know the way. I borrowed them from a friend, while my reindeer eat a bite.”
By then Cooper had his coat and hat on and was getting out of the truck. Anna started after him, and Lacey had to pull her back and get her bundled up and gather their bags. Anna would hardly be still and kept straining to see Santa, who had gone over to his sleigh with Cooper.
Cooper and Santa returned together. Santa took a very excited Anna to his sleigh, and Jon followed along, cueing Santa by saying, “I told her all about your magic sleigh that can go faster than anything on earth, and how the world turnin’ like it does works in your favor.”
Cooper helped Lacey get her bags down, then began to shut down and lock up the truck. Lacey was struggling toward the sleigh, when Santa returned to help her.
“Who are you?” she asked the pink-cheeked man in a whisper.
“Don’t you know, Missy?” he answered. Then, “Oh, I see you don’t believe I’m Santa.”
“Well, yes...yes, I do...but...who are you?”
There actually was a storybook twinkle in his eye so bright that she could see it in the dimness. In fact, there was a magical quality about him. Although, she found anyone coming to their rescue right then quite magical.
He said, “Darlin’, maybe you could accept the explanation of an old cabinetmaker who enjoys makin’ sure that the ty
kes up in these back hollars—them that sometimes don’t have much—don’t get forgotten at Christmastime. And it ‘ppears that this year I’ve had a bit of search and rescue thrown in, too. I’ve already hauled five people out of various predicaments. Gettin’ behind schedule...I hope he knows...” His voice trailed off.
“Busy night for Santa,” Lacey said.
“Yep…but not a one hurt, thank God. And the most fun I’ve had in twenty years.” The man chuckled in a very merry fashion.
“Would you…” Lacey lifted the travel bag containing her presents. “Could you give the children and Cooper their gifts for me?”
“You betcha’. You just leave it all to me. That’s my job, after all, you know.” His cheeks were rosy in the dim light still shining from the cab.
The curious wagon-sleigh had lanterns on each of the four corners. Anna was tucked beneath a thick blanket in the front seat next to Santa, while Lacey and Cooper, with Jon between them, managed to sandwich themselves into the second seat, with all of their bags around their feet.
Looking behind the seat, Lacey saw the area filled with something that was covered with a blanket and tied in with cord.
“Gee-haw,” Santa called to the horses, and the sleigh was off through the night, with bells jingling on the harness and snowflakes falling softly upon them. Anna chatted happily with Santa about what she and her friends wanted, and he told her about children he had already visited. Cooper’s arm came around behind Jon, and his hand took hold of Lacey’s arm that was holding onto Jon, who repeated again and again, “Man, this is cool. Just too cool.”
Lacey silently agreed. It was a magical experience she would share with her children long after they grew up and she grew old. She was so glad that she had made the trip, just to have this experience.
Nevertheless, when the lights of the lodge finally shown through the snowfall, she was glad to see them. She was frozen clear through. When they came to a stop beneath the wide portico, she found she leaned heavily on both Santa and Cooper to get out of the wagon and stand straight
“Now, let’s see what we have here,” Santa said, producing a red corduroy bag from beneath the wagon’s front seat and crouching to Anna’s size in a manner that seemed that of a much younger man, Lacey thought.
Cooper felt a rush of pleasure when Anna squealed over the stuffed dog he’d bought her, and Jon insisted on trying on his red jacket right then and there. But mostly it was the wonderment in Lacey’s eyes as she held the crystal ball snow scene that moved him. The eyes she turned to him had tears in them and were filled with so much pure happiness that he had to look away.
When Santa began handing out wrapped packages, Cooper realized that there were more presents than the ones he’d given the old man. With amused amazement, he realized Lacey had done the same as he. His amazement tripled when Santa place a small package into his hands.
Lacey had bought him a present!
He stared at the bright red package with the gold ribbon. He hadn’t had a real present for years. There’d been precious few of them throughout his entire life. He looked up to find Lacey gazing at him, a trembling smile on her lips. Feeling a whole lot the way he had when he’d lost control of the Kenworth, he smiled back and stuffed the package into his coat pocket. He would wait until he was alone to open it.
It turned out that Santa had his own presents for Anna and Jon. Her arms full, Anna looked at Santa. “What about my puppy?”
Like I told you, that that there’s a special present, little Miss Anna. You can’t be haulin’ a puppy all over on vacation. You’ll be gettin’ it a bit later, when you’re on your way home.”
Lacey wished he had not promised an exact time. She cleared her throat in a disapproving manner, which was all the satisfaction she could allow herself.
“O-kay,” Anna said to Santa, with a trace of disappointment, but clear, trusting eyes.
Santa ruffled her hair, bid them all good-bye and climbed into his sleigh. With jingles and creaks and a thunderous “Merry Christmas!” he drove away.
Cooper stood beside Lacey and watched the wagon-sleigh be swallowed up by the night. He felt a tug on his coat. It was Anna.
“I told you there was a Santa Claus,” she said solemnly.
“Yes, you did.”
“Do you believe now?”
“Yes, I believe.”
“That’s why you got a present,” she said pertly, and broke into a run for the lodge’s lobby. “I want to open my packages!”
“Watch the steps, Anna!” Lacey called. Then she murmured playfully, “How do you suppose Santa knew where to find us?”
“Santa knows everything,” Jon said with his usual know-it-all expression.
* * * *
There wasn’t any time to be alone and talk, not in the way she wanted to talk to him. Not that she really knew exactly what she would say to him. She needed to thank him for the snow globe, but she could not seem to get the words out. Every time she thought of the gift, she felt awash with emotion and was afraid she might even start crying. It was silly, really, and probably it was best that the children were there all through a meal in the restaurant and then going to their rooms, which they were really lucky to get in the storm. In fact, the clerk said they were the very last two rooms, far in the back and a bit mildewy smelling.
At his door, he said, “Goodnight,” and across the hall at her door, she said, “Goodnight,” and they went into the rooms and shut the doors, each giving a resounding clack!
* * * *
She kept looking at the snow globe. Shawn had given her a few presents, things like kitchen knives, a blender, a decorative tissue holder. Good grief, life had just moved along, day after day, and she had ended up here, a woman entering her thirties with no worthwhile romantic memories or gifts, until now.
Thanking Cooper took upper place in her mind. She sat on the side of the bed and reached for the phone to call his room and express her gratitude, which was the polite thing, after all.
Then she dropped her hand.
She did this same action three more times, while the kids got their baths and played all around with their Christmas toys. They were higher than kites.
That Cooper did not call her began to annoy her. The least he could do was call, after she had given him a gift, too.
All of a sudden the phone rang and about scared her to death. She snatched up the receiver as if it were an emergency. It was Cooper, of course. If she had been alone, she might have danced.
After they exchanged hellos, there was a long pause, and then he said, “Are the kids asleep yet?”
“Oh, no...they’re too excited, what with a crash, a ride with Santa, and gettin’ their gifts. They might be awake all night.”
“Oh,” came the response and a sigh of the disappointed sort, which was gratifying. “I asked a couple of people down at the desk if they could tell me the name of our Santa. Thought I might send him some money, you know, for all the help. But it seems no one has heard of him.”
“Really?”
“Seems that no one knows of any Santa who goes around givin’ gifts to kids around here. I wish I’d gotten his name.”
She got up and moved to the window, putting distance between her and the children. They were so into their cutting up, though, they were not likely to hear. “I don’t think he wanted us to have his name. I asked, but he just put me off.
“I kind of like it like this, anyway,” she admitted, daring to add, “I’m awfully glad we came on the trip with you. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this...but I hope your truck is okay. I wouldn’t want...”
“Oh, the rig’s fine. Just stuck. I’ve already been makin’ some calls. The storm is lettin’ up, and we’ll get back on the road quick as we can tomorrow. I’ll get you and your kids to your family, Lacey.”
“I know you will.” She had this moment where she realized she had forgotten the entire reason for the trip.
Then Anna flung herself and her big stuffed dog onto
Lacey’s bed, saying, “Ma-ma...maaa-ma.”
“Just a minute, honey. Oh, not you, Cooper—I was talkin’ to Anna.”
Jon came and threw himself down beside his sister, and both children regarded Lacey with the expectancy of children requiring attention.
“I guess I better go. They’re gettin’ tired.”
Cooper said he would see her in the morning, and the line clicked dead before she hung up on her end.
Jon said he was hungry, and Anna asked to sleep with Lacey.
* * * *
The room was faintly lit by a light from the dim bulb in the bathroom that fell through the thin opening of the door and cut across the room. Anna slept deeply, with a little wuffling snore. In the other bed, Jon was a tangled knot somewhere beneath the blankets.
Lacey, curled on her side beside Anna, gazed at the snow globe. It sat on the nightstand, in front of the clock, which read one-sixteen. The glowing red digital numerals seemed to light the globe, like a prism.
Reaching out, Lacey gently shook the globe, then lay there watching the sparkles drift and float magically downward. The angel atop the tree shimmered as if alive.
* * * *
Across the hall, Cooper sat on the edge of his bed, working to change out the buckle on his belt for the one Lacey had given him. His belt was custom-made from a leather maker in Santa Fe; the tooled leather far more valuable than any of the buckles he ever used with it, which could be could be changed by a snap. Only the snap was proving resistant. Cooper had to pry it open with his knife.
He got the old buckle off and put the one Lacey had given him in its place. He gazed at it. Antiqued brass, it was inexpensive, but his style. She had bought him something that was his style, he thought, holding it out to look at it.
Memories marched across his mind of about the one hundred times over the past few years that he had gone into Gerald’s and Lacey had greeted him and served him his meal. She always smiled at him and asked how he was. He most generally answered, “Fair to middlin’. And you?” She would say, “Better than I ought to be,” in that chipper way and with that smile that lit up the room. She brought him everything just the way he liked it, waiting until his coffee cup was nearly empty before filling it again, telling him how the chili or the steak was that day. He had seen her cut her hair short and grow it out. He had seen her a hundred times plug coins in the jukebox, playing snappy tunes by Alabama and dancing across the room, and when she seemed melancholy, an old ballad by Don Williams to which she would hum. He had seen her habit of tucking her hair behind her ear, and the graceful way she walked, and the extra care she gave people.
Miracle on I-40 Page 9
