Once Upon a Texas Christmas

by Winnie Griggs

  * * *

  When lunchtime rolled around, Seth tracked down Abigail in the nearly complete guest parlor and invited her to join him and Jamie in the dining room.

  “So how did you two gentlemen spend your time since I left you?” she asked as they took their seats.

  Jamie answered before Seth could. “Uncle Seth took me to see the workmen. And I got to help hammer a board in place.”

  Seth hid a smile at the note of pride in Jamie’s voice.

  “That sounds impressive.” Abigail shot him an approving glance that brought a different kind of smile to his face.

  Then she turned back to Jamie. “Your uncle must trust you very much to let you help that way.”

  Jamie’s chest poked out proudly as he nodded.

  She leaned forward, laying her clasped hands on the table. “Is construction something you’re interested in doing when you grow up?”

  “Building things is fun. But what I really want to do is be a blacksmith, like my dad.”

  Strange, Seth hadn’t known that. In fact he’d never taken the time to learn anything about Jamie’s father. He would have guessed Sally would have married a gentleman of means.

  Uncomfortable with the implications of both those thoughts, he was relieved when Della came by to take their orders.

  When she departed, he decided to change the subject and turned to Abigail. “How is your library coming along?”

  “There’s still work to be done, but I’ve gone ahead and opened it up to the public again.”

  “You have a library?” Jamie asked this as if that was a very odd thing.

  “I do. Do you like to read?”

  He shrugged. “Sometimes. But it’s more fun to have someone read to me.”

  Abigail grinned. “That can be fun sometimes, too. But what I really like is to curl up in a comfy chair, all by myself, open a book and just sink into the story.”

  Seth had a sudden, clear image of how she’d look totally engrossed and it was a picture that appealed to him a great deal.

  Jamie, however, had more trouble with the imagery. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, when you’re reading a really good book, the world around you just sorts of disappears and suddenly it’s as if you’re living in the world the book is set in. You can see the images the writer is painting for you and the people in the book feel as real to you as the people you pass on the street. If something happens to one of them, it’s as if something happened to a friend.”

  She smiled and spread her hands. “That’s what I mean about sinking into a book.”

  “Oh.” Jamie pondered her explanation for a moment, then nodded. “That sounds nice.”

  Della brought out their meals, heaping bowls of a savory beef stew along with a fresh loaf of a crusty yeast bread.

  They said grace and then dug in.

  “What kind of books do you like?” Abigail asked Jamie.

  “I like adventure stories.”

  Abigail leaned back, her eyes widening. “Me, too.”

  Jamie frowned. “But you’re a girl.”

  Seth hid a smile, anticipating what was coming.

  She didn’t disappoint. “What?” There was a heavy note of disbelief in her voice. “You don’t think girls like adventures?”

  The boy wrinkled his nose. “Girls usually like tea parties and silly stuff.”

  She pointed her fork at him. “Tea parties are not silly, young man.” Then she lifted her chin. “I dare say you’d be surprised by how many girls like adventure stories. And I’m a librarian, so I should know.”

  Giving in to her logic, Jamie nodded. “So what are some of your favorites?”

  “I’ve always enjoyed Mark Twain and Jules Verne myself.”

  “I know who Mark Twain is—he wrote about that jumping frog. But who is Jules Verne?”

  Abigail leaned back in her seat, her expressive face reflecting a melodramatic air of shock that had Seth rolling his eyes.

  “You don’t know Jules Verne?” she asked. “The man who wrote Around the World in Eighty Days, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth and more?”

  Jamie shook his head. “But those all sound like grand adventure stories.”

  “They are. But he’s not the only author to write of grand adventures. I remember when I was just a little older than you I read a book about a man who sailed away to faraway places and encountered all sorts of exotic animals—now there’s a story to capture your imagination”

  “I haven’t read anything like that one, either.”

  “Well, we’ll just have to remedy that. I’m planning to do a little organizing in my library this afternoon. Would you like to help me? I can point out some really good books to you while we work.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Seth decided Abigail had found her true calling as a librarian. She’d managed to not only capture Jamie’s interest, but also have him champing at the bit to get hold of one of her books. In fact, she’d come close to convincing him he needed to dive into one of those adventure stories himself.

  Then Jamie turned to him. “You want to come with us, Uncle Seth?”

  For a moment Seth was tempted. Just having Jamie invite him was enough to make him want to say yes. But there was work to be done and he had to keep his eyes on that deadline.

  He shook his head, his regret genuine. “I’m afraid I have too many other things to take care of this afternoon. But thank you for the invitation.”

  * * *

  Abigail was disappointed at Seth’s response. He was getting better in his interactions with his nephew but he still had a long way to go.

  During the rest of the meal, she continued to draw out both of them as much as possible. It was her belief that the more they knew about each other, the easier it would be to make those personal connections. And she knew that if she left it up to Seth to ask the right questions in the right way, it might never happen.

  After the meal, Abigail led Jamie to the library. “Today I’m working on organizing the biographies,” she said as they stepped inside.

  “What are biographies?”

  “They are the stories of real people’s lives.” She lifted a slim book with a dark blue cover. “For instance, this one is about the life of George Washington, our country’s first president.” Then she picked up a gilt-edged book. “And this one is about Jean Laffite, the pirate.”

  Jamie’s eyes widened. “A real-life pirate?”

  She smiled, not surprised by which book he’d focused on. “Absolutely.” She held it out to him.

  “Do you think I could read this one?”

  “Of course. But why don’t you start with something a little simpler and work your way up to this one.”

  They worked for about fifteen minutes with Jamie handing books to Abigail, and Abigail shelving them in their proper places. Finally she called a temporary halt.

  “I need to figure out how I want to organize this next group.” She waved to a nearby table. “That’s where I have most of the adventure stories right now. Feel free to look through them and see if anything interests you.”

  After that, Jamie spent as much time thumbing through books as helping her shelve them. As they worked, she drew him out about books he’d read in the past, discussing what aspects he liked and didn’t like about them.

  Seth had said he didn’t have much time for pleasure reading. Did the man take time for any kind of pleasure in his life? He worked so hard, which he apparently saw as a virtue. But that wasn’t necessarily a positive thing, not if taken to the extreme. And it wasn’t a good example to be setting for Jamie.

  Could she help him learn to strike a little balance in his life, for Jamie’s sake if not for his own?

  One
thing was certain, it was most definitely worth a try.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Near midafternoon, Seth stepped into the library to ask Abigail a question about one of the furniture invoices. To be honest, though, he was curious about how things were going.

  But the sight that met his eyes stopped him on the threshold. Abigail and Jamie sat on the floor looking very much at home. Abigail held an open book in her lap, and she was reading from it with great dramatic flair, her arms gesticulating broadly and her voice taking on aspects of the characters. Jamie leaned against her, raptly listening to her every word.

  It was such a mother-child moment, he didn’t want to intrude.

  In the middle of one particularly dramatic flourish, Abigail glanced up and spied him standing there. Rather than being embarrassed at being found in such an unladylike position, she smiled brightly up at him. “Hello. I’m sharing my love of The Swiss Family Robinson with Jamie. Have you ever read it?”

  “No, I haven’t.” There hadn’t been much reading material at the orphanage, except for bible tracts and schoolbooks. When he’d gone out on his own, he’d focused on learning what he could to make his way and hadn’t had time for leisure reading.

  She shook her head. “My goodness, you must read it. Unless you don’t care for grand adventure stories.”

  Was that a challenge?

  “It’s really good, Uncle Seth. There’s a shipwreck and everything.”

  “Is that so?”

  “We’re only one chapter in, so you haven’t missed too much.” Abigail’s smile broadened as if she’d just thought of something wonderful. She made as if to stand and Seth stepped forward to give her a hand, careful to keep a steadying hand on his cane.

  She smiled her thanks. “In fact, this is perfect. You can read parts of it at night together as a bedtime story.” She held out the book. “Here, you can take it with you.”

  “But what about you?” Jamie sounded disappointed that she was passing the reading time off to Seth.

  “Oh, I’ve read it a number of times. And you and I can discuss what you’ve read each day and share our favorite parts.”

  She moved to a nearby bookshelf. After a moment she reached over and plucked out a book, then turned and handed it to Jamie with a smile. “In the meantime, I think this one you can enjoy all on your own.”

  Seth read the title on the cover and smiled. Aesop’s Fables. A good choice.

  Jamie immediately sat back down on the floor and began thumbing through the pages.

  Then Abigail turned to him. “Did you come here because you needed something, or were you just checking in on us?”

  It took him a moment to remember the invoice. He quickly retrieved it from his pocket. “Yes. I had a question about this statement. Do you have a minute to go over it with me?”

  “Of course.” She led the way to her library desk. After a moment of studying the invoice, she looked up with a frown. “This is for some baking pans for the kitchen. What was your concern?”

  “I just wondered if you authorized the expenditure. It seems unusual to be purchasing pans when we have fewer-than-normal guests to feed.”

  “Of course I authorized it—in fact, I initiated it. I told you I would be working with Della on some new recipes for our menu. These pans are needed to properly prepare some new desserts we’re trying out.”

  “Very well. Just checking.”

  She studied him and he thought he detected the faintest hint of amusement in her eyes. It had been an admittedly thin excuse to come in here, but he wasn’t about to admit that now.

  He retrieved the invoice, then moved toward the door with what dignity he could muster. “Sorry to have interrupted your story time,” he said. “I’ll let you get back to it. I have to get back to my own work.”

  “It wasn’t any trouble,” Abigail said. “Feel free to return any time. Whether you have something for me to look at or not.”

  Yes, there was a definite ring of amusement in her voice.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  That evening, after Jamie had prepared for bed, he brought The Swiss Family Robinson to Seth. “Can we read it now?”

  “Of course.” Seth had taken the time this afternoon to read the first chapter for himself so he’d be caught up with Jamie.

  He’d been surprised by how entertaining he’d found it and had begun to understand what Abigail had meant by sinking into a book. Perhaps, once he had this Michelson property business squared away, he’d give himself permission to spend some time reading strictly for pleasure. Maybe even share some reading time with Jamie.

  Once Jamie had said his prayers and settled under the covers, Seth sat on the edge of the bed and opened the book. Before he started reading though, he lightly touched the coverlet. “Is this the blanket your mother made you?”

  Jamie nodded, watching Seth warily. Was he worried Seth would belittle it in some way?

  “It’s nice” was all he said as he opened the book.

  The boy relaxed, smoothing the blanket with a motion that was almost a caress.

  Before long Seth was as engrossed in the tale as his nephew, so much so that he had to force himself to stop when he reached the end of the chapter.

  When he finally closed the book, Jamie gave a disappointed sigh. “Do we have to wait until tomorrow night to read more of the story?”

  Seth smiled indulgently as he set the book on the bedside table. “I’m afraid so. But in the meantime, you can try to guess what happens next. As Miss Abigail said, make yourself part of that world.”

  Jamie nodded on a yawn. “Wouldn’t it be fun if it was true?”

  Seth raised a brow. “You think it would be fun to be shipwrecked on a remote island?”

  “Maybe. If it was an island like the one in the book.”

  “Such things are fun to imagine, but I’d guess they’re not fun to live out.” Seth stood and gave Jamie an awkward pat. “Good night.” He turned down the lamp, then headed for the door, wondering if this urge to protect and teach, to make things better, was what being a parent felt like.

  Perhaps he could make this work with Jamie after all.

  * * *

  On Sunday, Seth and Jamie attended the service then accepted Abigail’s invitation to join the lunch gathering once again. Jamie was introduced to the other children and was quickly pulled into their activities. Seth watched as his nephew was soon busily engaged in play.

  “Warms your heart to see him so happy and carefree, doesn’t it?”

  He turned to see Abigail at his elbow. “A rather sentimental way of looking at it.”

  “Perhaps, but true nonetheless.” And with a saucy toss of her head, she headed for the kitchen.

  Amused rather than put off by her teasing, Seth turned to help the men set up the tables.

  When everything was in place and they sat down to the meal, Jamie was grinning with a carefree genuineness that Seth hadn’t seen in him before. Perhaps the time the boy was spending here in Turnabout really would be good for him, would allow him to move on from the grief he felt over his parents’ death.

  There was still a stiff sort of awkwardness between the two of them, but so far it hadn’t been too bad and it seemed to be getting better. Once Jamie started school tomorrow, things were bound to go even smoother.

  Later, after the front area of the restaurant had been set back to rights, Seth went in search of Jamie. He frowned when he realized his nephew wasn’t out back with the other boys. Where had he gotten off to? Regina’s son, Jack, indicated he’d seen Jamie headed into the kitchen.

  Had Jamie gone in search of Abigail for something?

  When Seth stepped inside, he found most of the women gathered there cleaning up after the meal. Jamie was stooped down next to the Fulton’s black-and-
white dog, petting him and talking low.

  When he spotted Seth, Jamie scrambled to his feet but he kept a hand on the dog’s head. “His name is Kip,” he told Seth. “And look, he has one blue eye and one brown eye. Isn’t that something?”

  “It certainly is.” The shaggy-looking dog also had a torn ear and a few scars. Not exactly a perfect specimen.

  “He’s real friendly, too. And he can fetch sticks and balls. Kip is just about the best dog I’ve ever seen.”

  Abigail, washing dishes nearby, smiled. “Kip’s pretty special all right. Daisy considers him one of the family.”

  Jamie glanced hopefully up at Seth. “Do you think maybe we could get a dog of our own someday?”

  “Perhaps. When we have a place of our own.”

  “Don’t we have a place of our own now?”

  Before he could stop himself, Seth cast a quick glance Abigail’s way and saw the sympathetic look she gave his nephew.

  Straightening, he turned back to Jamie. “No. This is just a temporary assignment. In a few months I’ll be working another job in another city and you’ll be back in boarding school. Which means neither of us will be able to take care of a pet.”

  Jamie’s hopeful expression turned to disappointment. He stood, his shoulders drooping dejectedly. “Yes, sir.”

  Seth wouldn’t let himself look Abigail’s way—no doubt he would see disapproval in her eyes.

  But he couldn’t—wouldn’t—take it back. It was important that Jamie understand this was a temporary situation. If the boy was allowed to get his hopes up, it would only lead to a much bigger letdown when he faced the truth.

  It was bad enough he was letting Abigail believe there was hope when there was none, he couldn’t do it to Jamie too.

  * * *

  On Monday morning Abigail hurried down the sidewalk. She was hoping to arrive at the hotel before Jamie left for his first day of school in Turnabout, but she was running late. She’d been helping Daisy feed the children breakfast and Danielle had dumped a bowl of oatmeal in her lap, forcing her to change clothes.

  Her thoughts turned to what had happened yesterday. She’d been saddened more than she could say by Seth’s lack of sensitivity in his response to his nephew’s request for a pet. She’d thought earlier that he was making such progress with Jamie.