Once Upon a Texas Christmas

by Winnie Griggs

  She smiled. “But Turnabout is growing and the classes have begun to get a bit crowded. At the last town-council meeting there was talk of adding another classroom and hiring another teacher.”

  “That’s good to hear. A growing town is good for the hotel business as well.”

  Always the businessman.

  Then he glanced to the opposite corner of the room. “I see there’s a piano here—does that mean they teach music to the students in this class?”

  He sounded surprised. “Yes, but not during regular class hours. Verity Cooper, the church’s choir director, provides lessons after school three days a week for any student, young or old, who has an interest.”

  “I wonder if I should enroll Jamie in that program as well.”

  Pleased that he was showing an interest in Jamie’s future, she gave him an approving smile. “Certainly, if he has an interest in learning. If not, there’s also a children’s choir he can join. It would be an excellent way for him to make friends with some of the other children.”

  “I agree. In fact, I should probably speak to Miss Bruder about it today while I’m here.”

  “Why don’t we wait to see if Jamie is interested first?”

  He nodded. Then he eyed her speculatively. “Do you play?”

  “Music was a mandatory part of the curriculum at Miss Haversham’s School for Young Ladies. So, yes, I took piano lessons. I was never more than mediocre, though. And I haven’t touched a keyboard since I moved here.”

  She noticed he was studying the instrument with a faraway look. Had he even heard her answer to his question?

  “My mother played the piano.” His voice was thoughtful, as if he was talking to himself rather than her. “I always liked listening to her play. She tried to teach me and Sally how to play as well, but I wasn’t interested. I wish now I’d paid closer attention.”

  There was an unexpected poignant quality to his expression that both touched and intrigued her. What had he been like as a child?

  “We all do—or don’t do—things as children we regret as adults,” she said softly. “It’s nothing to feel guilty about.”

  He met her gaze, and she thought she detected a touch of self-consciousness there. Then he straightened and cleared his throat. “Yes, well, I think Miss Bruder is signaling for us to return.” And he retraced their steps to the front of the room without waiting for her response.

  * * *

  Seth wanted to go back in time and unsay that confidence. Dwelling on the past served no purpose other than to revive bitter feelings. And vulnerability was something he didn’t wear well.

  He tried to push aside those uncomfortable thoughts as they neared the teacher.

  Miss Bruder placed a hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “Jamie seems to be a fine young man. I think he’ll do well here.”

  The teacher spoke of looking forward to having Jamie in class on Monday morning and of a homework assignment that would acquaint him with what the class was currently working on.

  But Seth had trouble focusing fully on her words.

  What was wrong with him? It wasn’t like him to blurt out personal information. In fact, he was usually strict about keeping such information private. When he was in Abigail’s presence, that all seemed to go out the window. And it wasn’t as if she pushed him for the information, or at least not overtly.

  He pulled his thoughts back to the present when he realized Miss Bruder was collecting her things.

  “And don’t worry about not knowing anyone, Jamie. I’ll partner you with Noah Wilder for the first few days. He’s about your age and I think the two of you will get along.”

  He noticed Jamie looked relaxed. That was a good sign.

  Then the schoolteacher turned to him. “And don’t worry, Mr. Reynolds, we’ll take good care of Jamie.”

  “Thank you, ma’am. I’m sure you will.”

  Once back at the hotel, Seth escaped to the office and allowed Abigail to watch Jamie the rest of the afternoon. It was cowardly of him, but he wasn’t quite ready to take on the role of day-to-day caretaker just yet.

  Chapter Nineteen

  After Abigail departed for the day, Seth invited Mrs. Carmichael to join them for dinner, a meal he managed to draw out for nearly an hour.

  Once they finished their meal, Seth sent Jamie to get ready for bed. After saying an awkward good-night, Seth stood in the sitting room that separated their bedchambers and watched Jamie trudge off to his room.

  Should he have gone with him and tucked him in, listened to his prayers? It was something his mother had always done for him and Sally before the fire, and he could still remember the way it had made him feel, as if all was right with the world.

  But he wasn’t this boy’s parent, and he was sure Jamie hadn’t received such coddling in boarding school this past year.

  Still, he couldn’t help but think Abigail would have expected it of him.

  He sat in the sitting room for the next hour, reading an architectural journal. But he didn’t take in much of what was on the pages. He found himself listening for any sounds that might come from Jamie’s room.

  Later, when he went to bed, his mind unexpectedly turned to those long, lonely nights he’d spent at the orphanage and how miserable he’d been.

  Which was ridiculous because this suite was no orphanage, and Jamie was likely sound asleep after the long day he’d had. Still, a little after midnight he tossed his covers aside and padded over to Jamie’s door. Easing it open, he saw the still form of his nephew curled under the covers, his face turned away from the door. Was the boy sleeping or just pretending to be? Seth quietly moved farther into the room until he could hear the soft, even breathing that signaled a peaceful sleeper.

  Feeling foolish for having worried needlessly, he started to leave when something caught his eye. The blanket Jamie was snuggled under—unless his eyes were playing tricks on him—wasn’t the one that had been on his bed earlier. Where had it come from?

  Had Jamie brought it with him?

  He studied the sleeping boy a while longer, seeing hints of his own father in the shape of Jamie’s nose, reminders of Sally in the wave of his hair.

  He left the room, closing the door behind him, and padded back to his own room. Jamie was his blood kin, the only one he had left. Why didn’t he feel closer to him?

  Perhaps Abigail had been right; he needed to try harder.

  Then he grimaced. There was no perhaps about it—he owed it to Jamie, and perhaps to himself as well, to try harder.

  As he crossed the room, Seth made another admission to himself. Abigail was almost always right when it came to dealing with people.

  * * *

  Abigail rose the next morning, refreshed and eager to face the day.

  Truth be told, she’d felt a little apprehensive when she left yesterday. She wasn’t certain who she’d most worried about—the uncle or the nephew. How had the two of them gotten on last night?

  Abigail arrived just as Seth and Jamie entered the lobby from the direction of their suite. Looking at them now, it appeared her worry had been for nothing. If the pair didn’t exactly look cozy together, at least they didn’t look tense.

  She’d been right, all they needed was time to get to know each other better.

  “Good morning, you two. Jamie, it appears you survived your first night here in good spirits.”

  “We’re just going in to breakfast.” Seth swept a hand toward the dining room. “Please, join us.”

  As they approached the table, Seth stepped forward and pulled out a chair for her. His hand grazed her arm as she took her seat and she shivered slightly at the contact. Had that touch been deliberate or accidental?

  Della came up just then to take her order, providing a welcome distraction. “I’ll have a cu
p of tea while we wait on the food,” she said. Perhaps that would settle her down properly.

  * * *

  Seth retrieved his napkin as he sat. He wasn’t sure himself if he’d brushed her arm accidentally or on purpose. In either case, how could such a simple contact spark such feelings?

  But, watching her speak to Mrs. Long and smile at Jamie, it was apparent the reaction was completely one-sided.

  Which was a good thing. Wasn’t it?

  Then she turned and spoke to him, forcing him to push aside those thoughts.

  “Where is Mrs. Carmichael this morning?”

  “She asked to have her breakfast sent up to her room. Darby is going up in about an hour to help her get her baggage to the train station.”

  Seth wondered if the woman was avoiding them or just resting up. Either way, it didn’t matter. It was time for him to get used to being fully responsible for his nephew.

  Her tea arrived and she dropped in two sugar cubes. “How was your first night here in Turnabout?” she asked Jamie as she stirred the sweetened liquid.

  The boy gave her the same “It was fine” response he’d given him earlier.

  Abigail, however, didn’t seem ready to leave it at that. “That’s good to hear. Because, you know, I always have trouble getting to sleep my first few nights at a new place.”

  “You do?”

  She paused to take a sip before responding. “I think it’s because the night sounds are different from place to place. Did you notice?”

  He nodded, shifting in his seat. “But I wasn’t scared or anything.”

  The way he said that gave Seth the impression that he had felt just the opposite.

  She propped her elbows on the table with the cup between her hands up near her face, as if immersing herself in its aroma. “I remember when I first moved here, how unsettling it was. The dogs barking. Having a room to myself, which meant I didn’t hear my roommate’s breathing. The creaks that are different from the ones I was used to.” She smiled. “That sort of thing.”

  Jamie nodded, obviously hanging onto her every word.

  Seth, too, was interested to see where she was going with this.

  “But I got used to it in no time. And it helped that I had one of my mother’s shawls with me. It was something to bring part of my old home to my new home. I still have it.” She tilted her head slightly “Do you have something like that?”

  He nodded. “A lap quilt my momma made for us to use when we went on sleigh rides.”

  So that’s what had been on his bed last night. How in the world had Abigail known about that? Or had she?

  “How wonderful. So you have a little piece of home with you wherever you go, too.”

  Seth felt as if he was more outsider than participant in this discussion. How did Abigail manage to earn Jamie’s confidence and get him to open up to her so easily? The boy was as comfortable with her as if they were old friends.

  “I like being here,” Jamie said. “Even if you don’t have cowboys.”

  “I’m glad,” Abigail said. “And you’ll like it even more once you get the chance to explore a little bit.”

  She sat up straighter. “Speaking of which, do the two of you have plans for today?”

  Seth cleared his throat. “I need to check on the materials that were supposed to come in yesterday but didn’t. And I also need to go through the invoices and review the progress to schedule.” Even to his own ears it sounded dry and uninteresting. Not that he would have noticed that a month ago.

  She rolled her eyes. “So, it’s to be a normal Saturday for you.”

  Was she poking fun at him?

  Then she turned to Jamie. “What about you?”

  “Uncle Seth says I can sit in his office with him or stay in our suite and prepare for class on Monday.”

  She made a face. “Neither of those sound like much fun. I tell you what. I’m planning to run a few errands around town this morning. Would you like to join me? It’ll give you a chance to see more of Turnabout and perhaps meet some of the townsfolk.”

  She’d never made him an offer like that.

  Jamie sat up straighter. “Yes, ma’am.” Then he glanced toward his uncle. “If that’s okay?”

  Seth nodded. At least Jamie would be taken care of for part of the morning. “Of course. Just make certain you mind Miss Fulton and don’t get in her way.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

  Fifteen minutes later he watched the two of them exit the hotel, hand in hand. Was that a twinge of jealousy he felt, a tug to join them in their outing?

  Whatever it was, he needed to push it aside and maintain focus on the all-important Christmas deadline.

  There would be plenty of time later for him and Jamie to get to know each other better.

  Chapter Twenty

  Abigail’s first stop was the dress shop. Her wallpaper samples had finally arrived and she wanted to hold them up to her fabric choices to make certain everything was going to go together as well as she’d envisioned it.

  As soon as they walked in the dress shop, she saw Hazel’s adopted daughter, Maggie, was there, playing on the floor with both a dog and a cat.

  Sending a smile of greeting Hazel’s way, Abigail took a moment to introduce Jamie to Maggie, then left the two children to get acquainted while she turned to her business with Hazel.

  Ten minutes later, she and Jamie were back out on the sidewalk. “Maggie is lucky,” Jamie said as they left. “She has both a cat and a dog.”

  Abigail took his hand. “Have you ever had any pets?”

  The boy shook his head forlornly. “No, ma’am. But I always wanted a dog.”

  What would Seth think if she found a pet for Jamie? She grimaced as she thought of his probable reaction. She probably shouldn’t test those particulars waters. “Perhaps someday you’ll get your wish.” Then she gave his hand a squeeze. “But for now, I need to stop by the restaurant.” She gave him a conspiratorial smile. “And perhaps we can talk Daisy in to giving us a slice of her special pecan pie.”

  “I like pie,” he said eagerly, his previous disappointment apparently forgotten.

  She ruffled his hair. “Then by all means, let’s get some pie.”

  * * *

  Seth looked up when his office door opened. Jamie and Abigail entered, though Abigail had paused at the threshold.

  “We’re back,” she said unnecessarily. “I need to check on some things in the kitchen so I’ll leave Jamie with you.”

  She turned to the boy with a smile. “Thank you for keeping me company this morning.”

  Jamie returned her smile, obviously enamored with the never-too-busy-to-play Abigail. “I had fun.”

  She squeezed his shoulder, waved goodbye to Seth, then exited, closing the door behind her.

  Which left him alone with Jamie. He leaned back in his chair. He probably should try to make conversation before going back to his work. “How did your walk through town go?”

  “It was fun,” Jamie repeated as he came around to the side of the desk. The boy’s tone was enthusiastic and his expression animated. “We stopped at lots of places. I got to play with a cat and a dog. And we went to Miss Abigail’s friend’s restaurant and I had pecan pie. And there was a photography studio where the lady showed me how her camera works. Oh, and we went to a shop where they sell lots of different kinds of candy.” He held out a parchment-wrapped confection. “We brought you a piece of maple taffy.”

  Seth accepted the slightly sticky gift, oddly touched. “Thank you.”

  “And Miss Abigail took me by the stable so I could pet one of the horses.” His nephew eyed him hopefully. “Do you think I could learn to ride a horse while I’m here?”

  “Perhaps.
”

  The answer, vague though it was, seemed to please the boy.

  “It certainly sounds as if you’ve seen quite a bit of the town.” More than he himself had.

  “What did you do this morning, Uncle Seth?”

  Jamie’s question caught him off guard. Was the boy really interested or just being polite? “I checked with the builders this morning and helped with some of the work. For the last hour I’ve been checking material inventories and trying to figure out how we can get things done faster.”

  “Wouldn’t that mean hiring more workmen?”

  It was a reasonable question, especially coming from an eight-year-old. “It might. But having additional workers doesn’t always make things go faster.”

  “Why not?”

  The boy seemed genuinely interested, so Seth took the time to answer seriously. “Well, if you’re working in small spaces, then having extra people might actually slow things down because they would get in each other’s way. Or if the work needs to be done sequentially—that means in a certain order—then having extra workers might mean some folks are just sitting around while they wait for earlier jobs to get done.”

  Jamie seemed to think about that a moment, then slowly nodded. “Like when Momma used to make bread. She couldn’t put it in the oven until the dough had risen, no matter how much you wanted to hurry it so you could have a piece.”

  “That’s a very good analogy.” Apparently the boy had a good head on his shoulders. Seth glanced at the clock, then stood impulsively. “Mrs. Long will have lunch ready for us in about thirty minutes. In the meantime, would you like to see what the builders are working on?”

  Jamie nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, sir!”

  Seth put his hand on his nephew’s shoulder as they exited the room and was gratified when the boy looked up at him with shining eyes. He was also the tiniest bit worried that Jamie might want something that he wouldn’t be able to live up to.