by June Faver
Angelique turned to look at Leah. “That sounds expensive. Do you think it will be all right?”
“Your dad wants you to get geared up. He’s not a penny-pincher. Buy some presents, too. I bet you want to get something special for Derrick Shelton. He’s such a great guy…and not hard to look at.”
Angelique tried not to react. “Nooo, he’s not,” she said slowly.
Leah glanced at her and then back at the road. “Am I hearing trouble in paradise?”
“No… No, we just…” She took a deep breath and blew it out forcefully. “We’re taking a break. It really wasn’t a big deal.”
“Really? I thought the two of you made a great couple.”
“Me too.” Angelique turned to gaze out the window, hoping Leah would not have more questions.
* * *
Derrick drove into Langston and pulled up at the sheriff’s office with Smokey sitting beside him, his ears perked up, seeming to enjoy the ride. The dog had been hungry and thirsty, too, but Derrick had made sure to hydrate everyone as best he could before the Lawsons were taken away in the ambulance. The dog was in better shape than the humans.
When he parked in front of the office and opened the door, Smokey jumped out with him. “Okay, boy. You gotta stay with me. I can’t be responsible for losing the Lawsons’ dog. Just hang out with me for a while and chill.”
Smokey sat down in front of him, as though he agreed.
“Come on inside. You can stay warm in here.” He thought about the Lawsons running out of propane and how there might have been a tragedy had he not decided to check on them.
Smokey followed him into the building, where the two deputies had to make a big deal about the dog. Carl squatted down to pet Smokey, while Larry was offering a piece of ham from his lunch.
Derrick noted a decent-size tree had been set up near the front door. It had several sets of lights, but not much else in the way of decorations. “You fellows been visited by some Christmas elves?”
“Aw, my mama wanted to make sure we had Christmas.” Larry shrugged and offered a grin. “She sprang for the tree, and all of us rounded up the lights.”
Derrick gave him a slap on the shoulder. “Good idea.” They stood admiring the tree for a few moments. “I think we need to check on all the elderly and ill people in the county,” he said.
“How are we going to know who they are?” Larry asked.
Derrick gazed down at the two men now sitting on the floor with Smokey. “Start with people you know. Call the churches and ask for a list of their elderly people who might be sick and alone. I’m going to call Doctor Ryan. I’m sure her staff will get on board.” Derrick patted his thigh, and Smokey followed him into his office and settled under his desk.
When he called Doctor Camryn Ryan’s office, he spoke to her office manager, Loretta, and then to her rather crusty nurse, Reba.
“Thanks for the heads-up, Sheriff,” Reba said. “But you can depend on Loretta and me to check on all our elderly and sick patients.”
“That would be great, Miz Reba. We appreciate it.”
“And Loretta said that she and I will do a phone check on all our patients. We’re not that busy today. If we can’t reach any of our especially delicate folks, we’ll let you know.”
“Good deal, Miz Reba. We appreciate your help.”
Reba let out a less-than-ladylike snort. “We appreciate you giving us a kick in the pants. We should have thought of checking on our fragile patients first.”
When he hung up, Derrick felt a little rush of pride for living in a community where people cared about people.
Chapter 10
“Yew young ladies jes’ set yerselves right down there an’ I’ll fix us a lil’ afternoon snack.” Fern Davis gestured to the table in Leah’s cheery kitchen.
Angelique took a seat and folded her hands on top of the table, which was topped with a Christmas-themed tablecloth.
“How ’bout a nice cup o’ hot cocoa to start off?” Fern called.
“That sounds great, Gran,” Leah said. “I’m still a mite chilly from hauling all our loot inside.”
“Me too.” Angelique rubbed her hands together. Her fingers were cold. Although Leah had insisted she buy some leather fleece-lined gloves, she hadn’t worn them because she wanted to carefully remove the tags, afraid she might damage the gloves should she just rip the tags off.
They had brought all the packages they had purchased inside, hoping to wrap the presents before Angelique took her own haul to the Garrett ranch house. “Leah, your house is so lovely.”
“Thanks. I never thought I would have a place so nice, but when we got married, Big Jim gave us the land, and Tyler immediately set about making sure we had a home to raise our children in.”
“You have a good man there.” Angelique felt a twisting in her gut. She had had a good man in Remy, who unfortunately had an evil father.
And now she was losing her heart to Derrick Shelton, a man she thought was invincible, but he was afraid of Big Jim Garrett, her own father.
“Here we go!” Fern announced. “I made a batch of my muffins. Thought they would go purty good with hot cocoa.” She placed a plate with muffins between the two young women and served each a cup of cocoa topped with marshmallows.
Angelique inhaled, sighing appreciatively. “Heavenly. Oh, that is heavenly.”
Fern grinned, her face crinkling up in the process. “Jus’ wait ’til you taste those muffins. Yer lil’ taste buds gonna jump up an’ down, they’s so happy.”
Angelique reached for a muffin. It was still warm and smelled of spices she couldn’t identify. When she took a bite, she closed her eyes and uttered a soft moan. “Oh, this is delicious. What’s in it?”
Fern took a seat across from them, her small hands cradling her own cup of cocoa. “Aw, this is my own special recipe. I always done ’em this way.” She nodded at Leah. “Yore grandpa sure loved ’em.”
“I remember,” she said.
“I hope you’ll share the recipe,” Angelique said. “I know Gabrielle would gobble them up.”
Fern giggled. “I’ll send some home with yew.”
After their snack, the three of them got busy wrapping the presents Angelique had selected for the various members of her new family, plus the presents she had selected for her daughter. She didn’t let Leah know that one of the sweaters she had supposedly purchased for herself was intended for Leah, who had admired it.
When they got back in Leah’s truck, they added a big trash bag filled with wrapped presents to the haul of personal things Angelique had purchased for herself and Gabrielle. She hoped Big Jim didn’t fall over in a heap when he got the bill.
* * *
Big Jim was actually having a great time playing with his grandchildren. Only Ava was absent, but he knew she was being well cared for.
“Giddyup!” Gabrielle dug her little heels into his sides to demonstrate that she had indeed mastered the fine art of horsemanship…or piggyback-riding one’s grandfather.
Gracie giggled. “Hold on, Gabi. That big horsey might be hard to handle.”
“I widing my horsey,” she insisted. Her hands were locked in a death grip around Big Jim’s neck, and he had a good hold on her ankles.
He let out a remarkably realistic whinny and pawed the floor impatiently with his right “hoof.”
“Giddyup, horsey!”
He took off again, giving her an exciting ride around the spacious den, and then they progressed through the dining area and on to the front entry. Then once around the room his wife had called the “parlor” and back to the den where Gracie was laughing while Gabrielle giggled hysterically. They finally stopped in the kitchen.
“Whoa!” he said. “This horsey needs a drink of water. Time to dismount, Miss Gabi.”
Gracie helped remove Gabrielle from Big Ji
m’s back, letting her slide to the tiled kitchen floor. Gabrielle was still excited and jumped around holding onto Gracie’s hands.
Big Jim got a tall glass out of the overhead cabinet and filled it with ice from the door of the big refrigerator. He turned to see that Gabrielle was watching him in fascination. “Your horsey needed to take a break and go to the watering hole.” He reached inside the refrigerator to remove a pitcher of tea and poured some over the ice.
He found it amusing that Gabrielle was so fascinated by this simple act. She had reached up to the countertop, her eyes wide as she followed his movements. He hadn’t been the object of this much scrutiny since his sons had been that age. “Want some iced tea, Gracie?”
“No thanks, Grandpa. I was thinking about some hot cocoa, but I’ll make it.”
He watched as she set about gathering the necessary items. He felt a surge of pride that his adopted granddaughter was so completely at home in his house.
“Maybe in the spring you can pick out a calf to raise. You can show it if you want.”
“Oh, Grandpa, that sounds great. My chickens are looking really good.” She flashed a grin. “The Buff Orpington is really gorgeous.”
He nodded. “That’s a really showy breed, honey. Glad you chose that one.”
“And the Hollands are doing well too.” She gave him a knowing look. “They are supposed to be good layers.”
They heard a clinking sound and turned in unison.
Gabrielle had pushed a chair in front of the refrigerator and was gleefully pushing the bar of the ice maker. Each time cubes were ejected, she giggled and then pushed it again, sending ice cubes crashing to the tile floor.
Big Jim jumped into action, closing the distance to reach Gabrielle in a matter of seconds. He scooped her off the chair and held her close. “No, Gabi! Don’t climb on the chair.” He scooted the chair back under the table. “The tile floor is hard. Don’t wanna crack your pretty little skull, now, do you?” He set her on her feet.
Gabrielle’s eyes welled up with tears, and her lower lip jutted out.
Gracie busied herself picking up the ice from the floor. “Oh, Grandpa. She doesn’t understand what you’re saying. Just tell her ‘no-no.’ Gabi knows that.” Gracie discarded the ice in the sink and mopped up the water with a sponge.
Big Jim regarded his wise granddaughter with renewed respect. “How’d you get to be so darn smart, anyway?”
Gracie shrugged. “My mom says it’s in my genes.”
“She’s probably right.” He turned to Gabrielle and pointed to the chair. “No-no, Gabi. Don’t climb on the chair… No-no.” He fixed her with a stern expression.
She still looked pouty, frowning back at him.
“No-no. Climbing on the chair is a no-no.”
“Hey, Gabi,” Gracie called. “Do you want a cookie?”
Gabrielle’s face morphed into a smile, and she happily accepted the cookie Gracie offered.
“That’s a good girl,” Gracie said. “Now, stay off the chair. It’s a no-no.”
Gabrielle pointed to the chair. “Is a no-no.”
Big Jim chuckled. “It’s in the genes, all right.”
* * *
Derrick finished his chores at his own ranch and headed inside.
Smokey seemed to be adapting to his new temporary environment. He had stayed close to Derrick’s boots as he made his way around, feeding the cattle and horses, bedding the latter down in the stable.
Derrick had checked on the Lawson couple. Mr. Lawson had been discharged to a rehabilitation facility to recover after his fall, but Mrs. Lawson remained in the hospital because she had become dehydrated. They expected her to join her husband when she was stable enough to leave.
Fortunately, Derrick and Smokey were doing well together.
Derrick made himself a pot of coffee and considered the contents of his pantry. Dismal at best. Then he remembered the leftover jambalaya in the fridge.
He swallowed hard. Recalling the last evening he’d spent with Angelique brought a tightness to his chest.
God, he wanted her!
Not only physically, but there was that, and it caused an aching emptiness in his core.
Her full, sweet lips were built for kissing. Her pale skin contrasted with her dark hair. She was a rare beauty, but the one feature that tore the heart out of him was recalling the look in her amazing blue eyes when he’d left her at Big Jim’s door. Her pain was palpable…as was his own.
Like a robot, he removed the containers from the refrigerator and spooned leftover rice into a bowl, topped it with the leftover jambalaya, and nuked it briefly. While it whirled around in the microwave, he took a longneck out of the refrigerator and popped off the top.
He heard a growl and turned quickly to see Meow, her fur standing on end and back arched, growling at Smokey.
Uh-oh!
Although Smokey was larger, Meow was tougher, and her fur standing at attention caused her to appear even bigger. The poor dog was shaking, glancing anxiously back and forth between Derrick and Meow.
“Sorry, Meow. I should have realized bringing a dog into your house would upset you.” He picked up the mass of fur, holding her to his chest. Her super-fluffy tail smacked against his side as he tried to calm her. “C’mon. Be a good hostess. This poor dog is a temporary orphan. His mom and dad are in the hospital, so we’re babysitting. Calm down, girl.”
He felt her slowly relax in his arms and eventually start purring. “See? You’re still the queen of the castle. No harm done.”
Derrick put the cat down and retrieved his food from the microwave. The taste of the jambalaya brought back all the pain of his parting with Angelique. At the time, it had seemed as though he had to choose between loyalty to the family he had been raised alongside and the woman he had fallen in love with.
But the three Garrett brothers he had grown up with had found their perfect mates and were happily married. Some with children. All living with Big Jim’s blessings.
He had to wonder what happened to men who fell in love with their best friend’s sister. And why had Big Jim suddenly become the mega dad, frowning at the man who wanted to take her out…at the man who wanted her.
Unfortunately, he had slammed the door on that relationship. He scooped a spoonful of jambalaya into his mouth, wondering how he could get back into Angelique’s good graces after being such an ass. Loneliness wrapped around him like a cold, dark blanket, bringing his spirits even lower.
Merry freakin’ Christmas!
* * *
Big Jim had been surprisingly unconcerned when Angelique tried to return the Visa card. “When I get a job, I’ll pay you back, Dad.”
“No, you keep that card. It’s for you to use, and you alone.” He tucked it back in her hand and closed her fingers over it.
“But I kind of overspent… I mean, I’ve never in my entire life spent so much money at any one time.”
“Honey, it’s not a problem. I would have spent a lot more on you if you’d grown up here, so indulge me. Okay?” He spread his arms wide, inviting a hug.
Angelique hesitated for a second, then leaned in, allowing herself to be enfolded in a giant’s arm span. It felt good. Really good.
“Now, I just gotta get you used to riding horses.”
Angelique drew back, her mouth open.
“In the spring. We’ll go riding in the spring, when the wildflowers are blooming. You won’t believe how beautiful the place is when the bluebonnets are in bloom.”
She swallowed hard. “Sounds beautiful.”
“And Indian paintbrush. They’re kind of a coral, and when I see them mixed in with the bluebonnets, it just makes me wanna cry, it’s so amazin’.”
“I can’t wait. Warm weather and wildflowers.”
He gave her a wide grin. “You betcha. What more can we ask?”
“I hope Gabrielle didn’t give you any trouble.”
“Nah! The little ones are taking a nap in the den, with Gracie playin’ little mama.”
Leah came bustling into the room, tossing her hair. “I rearranged the presents under the tree. Looks better now. Remember there are a bunch in the corner behind the tree, but I didn’t want people passing by to trip.”
Big Jim laid a kiss on her forehead. Actually more like on top of her head as she smushed him with a hug. “That’s really sweet, darlin’. I could have done that for you.”
“I better get going. Ty is going to be home soon.” She pulled on her down jacket and wrapped the scarf around her neck.
“Where has that rascal been today?” Big Jim asked.
“Dallas. He drove down to develop a project with his friend Will. They’ve been working on a new arrangement in Will’s sound studio. Ty’s on his way home now.”
“That’s good. I worry about him driving around in bad weather.” Big Jim’s brow was furrowed.
“But the weather is fine. Sunshine, even.” Leah pointed to the bright, sunny outdoors through the windows. “See, the snow is melting.”
Big Jim’s lips compressed in a thin line. He let out a huff of displeasure. “If you don’t mind, can you give me a call and let me know when he gets home? I’ll be worried until I hear from him.”
“Aw, Dad. I know you love us and worry about us like we’re little kids.” Leah hugged his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll make sure Ty calls you the minute he gets home.” She gave Angelique a hug, too, and headed to the rear of the house to gather her children. She reappeared a few minutes later, carrying her son and with Gracie zipping up her puffy down-filled coat behind her. “Gabrielle is still sleeping.”
“Bye, Grampa.” Gracie gave Big Jim a hug. “You’re going to love my present. I made it especially for you.”
Big Jim returned her hug. “If you made it, I know I’ll love it.” He waved goodbye as Leah and her children headed out.
Angelique went to the back of the house to the combination kitchen, dining, and family room. It was a cave-like room, and Gabrielle was sound asleep on her back lying on a pallet on the floor. Angelique lay down beside her, content to be with her daughter after being apart for most of the day.
