Christmas on the Ranch

by Arlene James

  “She’s of the opinion that I work too much,” he divulged with a wide smile, “and she’s so pregnant that she can barely reach the stove.”

  Dixon couldn’t help wondering if Meredith Burns cooked half as well as Fawn... What was her last name, anyway? He asked as he sat down to the table.

  “Ambor.”

  “Amber?”

  “Ambor. O-R, not E-R.”

  “Ambor. Does that mean something?”

  “No idea. I’m told it’s Welsh, but my father’s given name was Piero. His mother was Italian, so...” She shrugged.

  Dixon chuckled, thinking what an exotic character she was, and wolfed down his food. Worrisomely, his mother didn’t come to the table. He was almost glad to find his dad waiting to talk to him about her when he finally got to the house in town.

  “I’ve been thinking, son,” Greg said. “You should spend your birthday with your mom this year. I can join you later in the evening with the rest of the family. What do you think?”

  The bottom dropped out of Dixon’s stomach. “I don’t know, Dad. I’m sure Mom would like for me to spend the day with her. Could be awkward, though.”

  Greg clapped him on the shoulder. “We can make it work.”

  “I mean, really awkward.”

  “Come on, son. Have a little faith. None of us are teenagers any longer, and we all love you. If you can’t trust your own parents with this, though, trust God. He’s got this. Okay?”

  All Dixon could say to that was, “Okay.”

  “Now,” Greg said, smiling, “about that soffit in the master bedroom here...”

  That started an old argument about wallpaper versus texture and paint. Dixon barely even noticed when he eventually lost.

  Chapter Seven

  “Today?” Fawn repeated, trying to keep the dismay out of her voice. “His birthday is today?” She dropped the dish towel on the counter, asking, “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  “I never dreamed he’d spend the day here with us, that’s why!” Jackie gushed. “Honestly, I was prepared to ignore the whole thing. I thought he’d go off to work as usual then spend the evening with his dad.”

  As if she could have ignored her son’s birthday. Fawn wanted to shake her, but that wouldn’t accomplish what needed to be done.

  “We need a cake,” Fawn thought aloud, pushing up the sleeves of her tunic, “and presents. And a special meal. What’s his favorite?”

  Jackie wafted a hand in unconcern. “Anything Mexican. Oh, and he loves chocolate chip waffles. As for cake, his favorite is strawberry.”

  Strawberry? Just before Christmas? “I have to go into town. I’ll go when Dixon goes out to hay the cattle, and I’ll take Bella with me. Will the stores be open that early?”

  “Store,” Jackie corrected. “There’s just the grocery, but it carries a little bit of everything. Oh, and the Feed & Supply just outside of town. I suppose they might have something there. Both should be open by seven.”

  “That’s good.”

  “I have a little money,” Jackie said, “and I’ve noticed that his everyday belt is showing some wear.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Beaming, Jackie practically danced out of the kitchen, more energetic than Fawn had seen her in days. Meanwhile, Fawn’s mind raced with plans for an impromptu birthday celebration.

  At least Dixon took his time coming to the table. That allowed her to have his chocolate chip waffles ready. Thankfully, she found chocolate chips in the freezer. He took one look at his plate and grinned at his mother.

  “You remembered.”

  “Of course I remembered! Happy birthday!”

  “I haven’t had these in years,” he said, digging in. He popped the first drippy triangle into his mouth, and hummed his approval before proceeding to demolish the entire plateful. Afterward, he had a leisurely second cup of coffee then geared up to hay the cattle and take care of the animals in the barn.

  “I’m sorry you have to do this on your birthday,” Jackie told him, but he just shrugged.

  “This ice won’t last much longer and the cattle can go back to fending for themselves,” he said. “I actually like working with animals, but I can’t help worrying about the sick or injured ones.”

  “That seems right to me,” Fawn commented, going to gather up his breakfast things.

  “Guess so.” He chuckled and set his hat onto his head. He looked quite mature and capable under that hat, as if turning twenty-nine brought gravitas to his character. He also looked pleasantly relaxed and pleased. He passed her on his way to kiss Jackie on the cheek. Then as he headed for the door once more, he said, “Thanks for the waffles.” And as naturally as buttoning his coat, he planted a swift kiss on Fawn’s cheek, too.

  The electric contact knocked them both back. He jerked sideways, and she knocked into the chair. He looked as shocked as she felt.

  “Uh. Welc...um... S-sure.”

  Jackie’s snicker made Fawn glare at her, but Dixon put his head down and strode swiftly out the door. Quickly straightening her smile, Jackie mumbled that she’d get Bella dressed and left the room.

  Fawn took a moment to catch her breath then loaded the dishwasher and gathered her things, telling herself the entire time that an off-hand kiss to the cheek meant absolutely nothing. Jackie had Bella ready by the time Fawn had the car warmed up. They went out by the front door just in case Dixon returned sooner than expected. Jackie promised to kick back in the game room recliner and rest there until Fawn returned.

  Following the GPS directions on her phone, Fawn drove into War Bonnet. When they’d initially arrived, they’d driven into the ranch from the opposite direction. Jackie had been so tired after the nearly five-hour drive from northeastern Oklahoma that Fawn had seen no reason to continue into the tiny town, especially as they’d come well provisioned, thanks to her grandmother.

  The community lived up to its billing. About two city blocks long, it offered just two retail establishments, a diner and the grocery, not counting the Feed & Supply just outside the city limits. Fawn went to the Feed & Supply first. She filled up her car with gas at the station on the corner then parked, took Bella from her safety seat and carried the baby inside the store in front of the massive silos.

  To her surprise, she found some nice leather goods on offer. She’d noticed that Dixon had no hatband, so she bought that. The heavily tooled belt had a smooth place in the back for embossing, but the belt would have to be sent away for that particular service. The hatband was a simple plain leather strip, but it matched the belt in color.

  She also took the opportunity to buy three small items as Christmas gifts, a pair of tiny moccasins for Bella, a bookmark embossed with a cross for Jackie and a handsome, protective watchband for Dixon. Imagining his surprise on Christmas day pleased her. She just couldn’t let the holiday pass without gifting him in some way, letting him know in some measure that she cared.

  The grocery yielded cards and wrapping paper, as well as everything necessary to bake a strawberry cake with strawberry buttercream frosting. The berries themselves weren’t great, but to her surprise she found chocolate in which to dip them. More surprising still, in a case in the front of the building she found a package of faux turquoise stones set in silver studs perfect for leatherwork. She didn’t have her leatherworking tools with her, but she could carve and split the leather with a sharp knife if she was careful. The trick was going to be keeping Dixon out of the way while she worked. Still, it was a small project.

  Finishing her purchases, she hurried out to the car, clicked Bella’s carrier into the safety apparatus, stowed her goods and drove back to the ranch. Dixon met her at the door, scowling as he took Bella’s carrier from her.

  “I could have made that trip into town for you.”

  “
No, no,” she said, turning back to the car. “It’s your birthday. Get Bella to your mom, will you?”

  He frowned, but he did as she asked. When he dashed out to the car to help haul in the purchases a few moments later, she had the important bags in hand and was able to take care of them herself without him being any the wiser. She quickly stashed what she needed to keep hidden then prepared a bottle for Bella, which she dispatched a few minutes later with him. She got the cake in the oven, then joined the others in the game room, where Jackie and Dixon were playing a board game while Bella slept in her carrier.

  Chuckling at the colored money and property deeds scattered across the game table, she shook her head. “Really?”

  “You’d think she’d let me win on my birthday, but nothing doing,” Dixon complained good-naturedly.

  “Yeah, right now it’s a draw. We see how much pity you have on your poor, sick mama.”

  Fawn went over and picked up the remote to the sizable flat-screen television on the wall. “Maybe when you get tired of that, you’ll watch a movie,” she suggested. Pointing the remote, she turned on the set and went through the steps to download a movie. When she found a certain title, Dixon exclaimed, “Oh, man, I love that one! Haven’t seen it in years.”

  Fawn started the download. “It’ll be ready when you are. I’ll bring in lunch later. First, though, I’ll put Bella Jo to bed.”

  She picked up the carrier with the baby, who reacted with a deep sigh.

  “Sometimes I wonder if that kid’s deaf,” Dixon remarked lightly. “She can sleep through anything.”

  “She’s not deaf,” Jackie assured him, sounding amused. “She’s just acclimated to having sound around her.”

  “Where she came from, she had to be,” Fawn remarked.

  “Where was that?” he asked.

  “My grandmother’s.”

  “Rebecca Weller’s is a household of women,” Jackie said, “and you know what they say about women.” Dixon shook his head. “Research says the average woman speaks twenty thousand words per day, while men use seven thousand on average.”

  He pointed at Fawn and said, “Well, this one is way below average then.”

  Jackie laughed. “Her twin makes up for it!”

  “Then I’m glad I got the right twin,” Dixon quipped, grinning at Fawn.

  They were still discussing the matter when a blushing Fawn left the room. She quickly got to work on the hatband, which was very simple, then managed to show it to Jackie when she carried in lunch a little later. Jackie gave her an enthusiastic two thumbs-up when Fawn whispered that she wanted to do a similar thing on the belt.

  Dixon remarked that something smelled great. Thinking quickly, Fawn replied that it must be popcorn, though she hadn’t yet popped any. “Can’t watch a movie without popcorn, right? I forgot to ask. With or without butter?”

  The suggestion worked.

  “With,” he answered. “Definitely.”

  “Coming right up.”

  She hurried back to the kitchen and popped the popcorn, which covered the aroma of strawberry cake nicely. Between that, dipping the strawberries to decorate the cake, embedding the stones in the belt, sneaking a peek at Jackie, getting everything wrapped and starting dinner, she didn’t even hear the baby until Dixon showed up with her in the kitchen.

  “Somebody’s ready for a bo—What’s all this? Wow. Look at that cake!”

  Fawn turned from placing the last strawberry atop the cake, flicked off the burner under the rice and lifted both arms. Really, she was surprised she’d gotten this far with the arrangements. “This is...your birthday.”

  He glanced around. “You didn’t have to do this.”

  “Your mom wanted you to have a real birthday.”

  “That smells like Mexican food.”

  “Nothing fancy. Tacos and rice.”

  He grinned. “I really did get the right twin.” Suddenly he smacked himself in the head with the heel of one hand. “Oh, no. I should’ve told you sooner. My dad and the rest of the family are coming over.”

  That information widened her eyes. “When?”

  “Soon.”

  Closing her eyes, she pinched the bridge of her nose. This last-minute stuff was getting to be a habit. “Yeah, that information would have been nice to hear, like, two hours ago. Or yesterday.”

  He grimaced. “Sorry. I didn’t think about dinner.”

  “Obviously.”

  “Put it back. We’ll eat after they leave.”

  She shook her head, thinking of Jackie. “I’ll...” Inspiration struck. “I’ll make a dip of the rice and taco meat, throw down some chips and tortillas, put together a salad.” She tapped her chin. “I think I can come up with queso, and there’s salsa. We’ll serve it buffet style.” She spread her hands. “It’ll have to do.”

  “Sounds fine,” he said, smiling. He nodded at the two-layer cake topped with chocolate-covered strawberries. “At least we have plenty of cake. Strawberry is my favorite.”

  “Jackie told me,” she said, her irritation fading in the face of his delight. “Take Bella to your mom while I fix a bottle then come help me get this all on the table.”

  He did as instructed, carrying dishes to and from the dining table as Fawn prepared them. She was pouring corn chips from the bag into a bowl when a knock landed on the front door. Dixon glanced at her before going to answer it. Only when she looked over to find Jackie standing in the doorway to the game room did Fawn realize that Dixon had also failed to inform his mother that they were to have guests. She thought Jackie would faint dead away when Greg Lyons stepped through that door.

  It had to be Greg Lyons. No one else could look that much like Dixon, from the hairline and eyebrows to the lay of his ears and curve of his jaw. Fawn had thought Dixon resembled Jackie until she saw Greg, but no one could doubt who had fathered Dixon Lee Lyons.

  Fortunately, Jackie pulled herself together. She even managed to look as if she was lounging in the doorway rather than leaning against it for support. Dixon shot his mom an apologetic, slightly panicked look before turning a bright smile on his father and those crowding in behind him. Fawn saw a tallish, slender woman with long dark, curly hair and rimless glasses. Two boys, very much like Dixson but with sharper features and darker hair, stood directly behind her. Both had bright blue eyes and were tall, one of them taller than Dixon and their father. Neither were quite as broad-shouldered. They stared at Jackie with open curiosity.

  Dixon threw his arms wide then pointed to the table. “Hope you’re hungry! Fawn’s laid out a buffet. And wait until you see the cake!”

  All eyes swung to the table—and landed on Fawn. Greg’s eyebrows went straight up. His wife beamed. The boys, for Fawn could see that they were only teenagers, bugged their eyes and started elbowing each other. Bella squawked just then, and Jackie took control of the situation.

  “Son, would you bring your sister in to meet everyone? I’ve changed her, so at least she’s dry. If not as presentable as I’d like.”

  Dixon blushed, red creeping up from his throat to his cheeks. He flashed a weak smile around the room, bobbed his head and rushed over to slide past his mother and into the game room. Fawn offered up her own smile, which felt none too robust, and went forward with outstretched hands.

  “Can I take your coats?”

  People immediately began shedding their outerwear. Greg wore a heavy jean jacket lined with sheepskin. His wife handed over a long brown wool coat, beneath which she wore plain jeans and a simple red sweater. She kept her large, patchwork leather bag with her. The boys both wore leather. The taller one offered to help her with the coats.

  “She doesn’t need help, Bass,” Dixon barked, re-entering the room with Bella nestled in the crook of one arm.

  Because she was practically staggering under
the weight of the men’s coats, Fawn sent him a frown, then she upended it when she faced his brother again. “Thank you, anyway. And please help yourself to the food.”

  Bass grinned, and, oh, was he going to be a lady-killer in his day.

  She turned to carry the coats to the bedroom, scowling at Dixon when he scowled at her. Lucinda was making goo-goo eyes at Bella, while Greg homed in on Jackie. Fawn prayed that Jackie wouldn’t let pride get the better of her. She needed to sit down and relax. Hopefully Dixon had sense enough to realize that. But then he hadn’t had sense enough to warn her that his father would be showing up with his family in tow!

  Dumping the coats on her own bed, Fawn hurried back to the living room to find Jackie sitting on the couch with Bella in her arms, the current Mrs. Lyons next to her, Greg occupying the chair at the end of the couch, Dixon nervously hovering over the lot of them and the boys grazing the table in the dining area. When Fawn joined them, Dixon finally realized he hadn’t made the necessary introductions.

  “Uh, Fawn, I don’t think you’ve properly met my... Everyone. Fawn Ambor. And this, of course, is my father, Greg Lyons, and my st—” He shot a glance at his mother. “Uh, Lucinda Lyons. And those two knuckleheads over there stuffing their faces are my brothers, Bass and Phillip.” He relaxed marginally as everyone smiled and nodded, adding, “You really ought to eat something, Dad. Fawn’s a great cook.”

  “I look forward to it,” Greg said, staying right where he was.

  “You’re a nice surprise, Fawn,” Lucinda told her, smiling. “We didn’t know Dix had a girlfriend.”

  Shocked at the assumption, Fawn leaped to correct it, but not before Dixon did.

  “Oh, we hardly know each other.”

  “I’m here with Jackie. I drove her and Bella down from Miami, Oklahoma.”

  “She’s helping out,” Dixon said, as if she hadn’t made it plain enough.