The Cowboy's Christmas Plan

by Shanna Hatfield

  “Right you are, honey,” Viv said.

  Suddenly a thought struck Cass and she sat up straight in the booth. “What about Sunday. You aren’t open on Sunday.”

  “How about if you come in the afternoon Sunday like you usually do? I’ll be here just in time for you to take off a link. How does that sound?”

  “Great!” Cass ate another cookie and wore a broad smile.

  When Cass finished her treat, Viv packed a box of “scraps” and sent the child home.

  Tears stung her eyes and Cadence watched Cass run across the road. She turned to her aunt, anger straightening her spine.

  “How could Micki do something so mean? Cass is just a baby. How could her mother be so cruel?” Cadence asked, knowing her aunt wouldn’t have an answer.

  “I don’t know, honey, but some people have hurts too big to handle on their own. When they don’t let God help them, they do things they normally wouldn’t. Micki isn’t a bad person she just doesn’t know how to get past Frank dying.”

  Cadence tried not to judge Micki, but it was so hard when Cass bore the brunt of her mother’s pain and anger.

  “Did you have fun today with Denni?” Viv asked, giving her an odd look. “I just noticed you got your hair cut. It looks lovely.”

  Cadence smiled, dragging her thoughts back from Cass.

  “I had a blast. Denni is so fun and I had no idea you could get so many great deals that early in the morning,” Cadence said. She told Viv about some of the things she purchased for Cass and herself. “We had lunch at a tea shop and then went to a spa. It was beyond marvelous. Have you ever gone to a spa?”

  “Nope.” Viv sipped her coffee.

  “We’ll definitely have to do something about that one of these days,” Cadence said, already making plans in her head to take her aunt for an indulgent experience.

  “Now, don’t go getting any ideas. Maybe in the spring.” Viv glared at her niece over her coffee cup.

  Cadence glanced at the clock on the wall and decided she had better get home or dinner would be late.

  “I’ve got to get home or the boys will eat leftovers for dinner, provided they didn’t clean them up for breakfast.” Cadence pulled on her coat and gloves.

  Viv walked her to the door and kissed her cheek.

  “You look real pretty, honey. Having a day to play in the city did you a world of good.”

  “Thanks, Aunt Viv. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Cadence hurried home and barely stopped the car when Trent jogged over from the barn and Trey walked out of the house.

  “We started to think Mom kidnapped you,” Trent teased, grabbing an armful of bags.

  “Did you have a fun day?” Trey asked, admiring the color in her cheeks and the way her hair tumbled around her shoulders. Before he could stop himself, he brushed a lock back from her face and tucked it behind her ear. “I like your haircut. It looks nice and so do you. ”

  Cadence couldn’t believe he actually noticed. “Thanks. I had a great time. Your mom was so much fun and quite the shopper.”

  “Glad to hear it.” Trey held open the mudroom door for her as she led the way into the kitchen.

  Trent piled bags on the kitchen table and headed out for another load.

  “Did you two buy out the stores?” Trey teased, placing more bags on the table.

  “Almost.” Cadence grinned. “I’ll have to show you what we found for Cass.”

  Trey’s eyes softened at the mention of the little girl. When Trent came back in with her overnight bag and the last of her purchases, she told them what had happened that afternoon.

  “Short of kidnapping her, I don’t know what else to do,” Trey said. “She’s already been turned in to the department of human services more times than you could count. If a caseworker shows up to investigate, Micki cleans up her act long enough to convince them nothing is wrong and the cycle starts all over again.”

  “So how are you going to give Cass these things? Micki won’t let her keep them,” Trent said, bringing up a point they all knew to be true.

  “I don’t know, but your mom and I decided to worry about those details later. We just couldn’t keep from buying her a few things.”

  Trent and Trey smiled, knowing their mother on a shopping excursion was a force to be reckoned with.

  Plopping down on barstools, Trent and Trey hung their hats from their knees and looked at Cadence expectantly.

  “Well, let’s start the show and tell,” Trent said.

  “Show and tell?” Cadence removed off her dress coat and looked at the Thompson brothers.

  “Mom used to pile everything on the table and would show us all the great deals she got, except the stuff she bought for us, of course. She would hide those things in the back of the parlor closet which we would find at some point before Christmas and know everything we were getting.”

  “You two are pathetic.” Cadence shook her head, feigning disappointment. “And ornery. I think Santa should stiff you this year, for being naughty little boys.”

  Trey laughed and waved his hand at the table. “Let’s see what you got, darlin’.”

  Cadence showed them the clothes she bought for Cass along with a few storybooks. She passed around the gifts she bought for Viv and Joe and her parents, and the sign she bought for Neil for his cabin. She didn’t show them her dress or the gifts she’d picked up for them.

  When she was done, they helped her pack everything back to her room including the bags of gift wrap, ribbon and tags. She thought she’d use the guest room across the hall as a gift-wrapping station. Trent and Trey wouldn’t mind and they could use it as well, if they had anything they wanted to wrap.

  Hurriedly stashing the gifts in her closet, Cadence pulled out the teal dress and held it against her as she looked in the mirror. It was fancy and lovely, and completely impractical for life in Grass Valley. But she loved it and hoped she’d find some special reason to wear it.

  After hanging it in the closet, she quickly changed into jeans and a sweatshirt before returning to the kitchen, ready to make dinner.

  Trent and Trey sat at the table reading the paper.

  “So, what sounds good for dinner to you guys?” Cadence slipped an apron over her head and tied the strings in back.

  “Nothing,” Trent said, not looking up from the sports page.

  “Pardon?” Cadence said, sure she heard him wrong.

  “Nothing, Cady.” Trey gave her a sheepish glance over the top of the paper.

  Stepping around to the table, she put a cool hand on Trent’s forehead.

  “No fever, you aren’t flushed. Are you two sick?” she asked, concerned.

  “You better check my forehead, too,” Trey said, trying to look ill. He felt fine until Cady’s skin connected with his. Her hand definitely caused a fever where it settled on his head, and searing heat flooded through him.

  Quickly grabbing her hand and kissing her palm, he leaned back in the chair and grinned. “We’re just fine, darlin’. We may have over-indulged in the leftovers today, though.”

  Cadence snatched her hand back from Trey and marched to the fridge. She opened the door and was surprised to see the twosome had worked their way through a considerable amount of food.

  “Is there anything you two didn’t eat?” she asked, hoping to see a little remorse on their faces. None was forthcoming.

  “Broccoli,” Trey said, returning his attention to the newspaper in his hand. “We left the broccoli alone.”

  She had been planning to use some of the leftovers to make dinner for the hands. Now she’d have to whip up something else.

  “I can see the wheels spinning in your head and the only person you need to worry about feeding tonight is you,” Trey added. “The hands have the rest of the weekend off and goodness only knows what kind of trouble they’ve gone off to find. They’ll be back for breakfast Monday.”

  Cadence poured herself a glass of milk and sat at the table, picking up the lifestyle section. �
�Good to know. Do you two want your usual breakfast tomorrow?”

  “No, ma’am,” Trent said, as he turned the page. “I’m not sure I’ll want to eat anything for a few days.”

  “What exactly did you two eat?” Cadence asked.

  “I told you - everything except the broccoli,” Trey said.

  Cadence couldn’t believe they could be that juvenile. “Seriously?”

  Trey leaned forward, his arms on the table, hands folded in front of him. He couldn’t keep a twinkle from sparkling in his eye. “Here it is, Cady. You told me no cake for breakfast, so we each had two pieces of pie and some of that layered pumpkin stuff you made. By the way, it was really good. Then we had a snack of brownies and some of the cookies Nana left behind. For lunch, we made sandwiches with the leftover turkey, piled on potatoes, gravy, dressing, sweet potatoes, and even had a spoon or two of the salad so we could say we ate our vegetables. We had another snack this afternoon with the cake you forbid us from eating for breakfast and some of that caramel sauce you made stirred into the vanilla ice cream. That was way beyond awesome. Just before you arrived home, we went through the same routine as lunch but used ham instead of the turkey. We are stuffed. Full. Gorged, even.”

  Cadence laughed uncontrollably while Trent had the grace to blush.

  “You two are complete pigs,” Cadence said, when she could speak again. “Can’t you control yourselves at all around food? Do I need to enroll you in some overeater’s anonymous program?”

  “Now see here…” Trey snapped upright in his chair. The motion produced a groan from his full stomach. “We’ve never had this much good food left unprotected in the house before. Lois and Mom wouldn’t let us get away with snitching whatever we wanted and you weren’t here to stop us. Besides, you’re a better cook than both of them put together.”

  “So what you’re saying is the two of you need a babysitter to dole out your meals,” Cadence teased.

  Trey shot her a glare and moved from the table to his recliner in the gathering room. Trent followed, flopping down on the couch and stretching out with a pitiful moan.

  “If we fall asleep here, just turn out the light and throw a blanket on us,” Trent said.

  Cadence shook her head then went off to the parlor to sew. She had no idea grown men could act like such ill-behaved children, or maybe it was just the Thompson boys.

  Chapter Nine

  It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.

  Eleanor Roosevelt

  “Just what do you think you are doing?” Trey walked into the barn and caught Cadence climbing up the loft ladder.

  Startled, Cadence would have fallen if Trey hadn’t been right behind her and held her steady with his hand pressed to her back and his face against her rump.

  “I … um...” Cadence clutched the ladder, unable to think with Trey’s hand hot on her back. She thought it might burn a hole right through her sweater.

  “You what?” Trey asked, enjoying the view in front of him much more than he should.

  “I wanted to get down the Christmas decorations today and I couldn’t find you or Trent to help me.” Cadence tugged her thoughts back together as she stepped down off the ladder.

  “What did I tell you about going up into the loft when you were by yourself?” Trey was slightly annoyed that she hadn’t taken his warning seriously. Cadence didn’t even have on a coat. Just some soft sweater thing that felt wonderful beneath his hands.

  Pig-headed, insane, stubborn woman.

  Cadence sighed. “Not to do it, but…”

  “No buts, Miss Greer, except your very cute one standing down here while I bring the stuff down. Got it?” Trey hurried up the ladder and turned to look down at her, giving her a roguish wink when he caught her ogling his jean-covered backside.

  “Got it.” Cadence felt a prick of shame to have been caught disobeying a direct order as well as studying his retreating form as he shinnied up the ladder.

  Trey could be bossy when he wanted to be and right now was one of those times. Cadence was all set to get irritated over his high-handed man-ways when she realized what he had said about her posterior. That immediately dissolved any anger she was building.

  When Trey leaned over the top with a box and handed it to her, she sent him a dazzling smile that nearly made him lean too far over the edge and lose his balance.

  “Confounded woman,” Trey muttered to himself as he pulled box after box out of the storage room. “Thinks she can smile and make everything fine. Dang if she isn’t right.”

  It didn’t take long for Trey to hand the boxes down, close the storage room and hustle down the ladder. He wasn’t going to tell Cadence, but the day he found her stranded up there, he’d personally nailed the ladder to the wall with spikes so big, it would take Paul Bunyan to yank it loose.

  He assumed if Cady wanted something from the loft, she wouldn’t stand around waiting for him or Trent to fetch it for her. As annoying as it was, he had to admire her spunk.

  Spying Trent in the machine shed, Trey hollered at him to come help pack the boxes into the house. The two men carried boxes in while Cadence unpacked the treasures inside. When the plunder covered the table and the kitchen counters, she asked them if they had any preference in how she placed the decorations. They didn’t really care, so they told her to do whatever she pleased.

  Leaving a box of decorations in the mudroom for the tree they still needed to get, they hauled the rest of the empty boxes back out to the barn.

  Cadence spent the entire morning decking the halls and enjoying the wonderful decorations the Thompson family had collected over the years. Unable to stop herself, she called Denni and asked her thoughts on where to place the fat snowman or how she usually displayed the group of carolers.

  Denni was thrilled Cadence had thought to call and took her on a holiday stroll down the Thompson family’s memory lane.

  “I should have invited you to come out to help,” Cadence said, as she draped fake pine boughs above the fireplace mantle in the great room.

  “Maybe we can plan it for next year, honey,” Denni said. “I’m not sure I would have had the energy to help you today after our full day of shopping.”

  Cadence told her about Trent and Trey being carried away with the leftovers.

  Denni laughed hysterically. “Tell them no more treats until Christmas if they can’t behave any better than that.”

  “Will do, Denni,” Cadence said with a grin that carried through in her voice. “I better get this finished up. Stop by next week when you come for church and see if I did okay with the decorating.”

  “I will,” Denni said. “And I’ll bring Nana along. She so enjoyed meeting you.”

  “I enjoyed meeting her and spending time with you yesterday. Thanks again, Denni.”

  After hanging up, Cadence fixed herself a turkey salad for lunch, finished the decorating then went into her room and brought out a Christmas music box that had been in her family for years and years. Her dad said his grandfather purchased it as a wedding gift for his bride. Placing it in the gathering room on the big coffee table, Cadence stood back and admired her morning’s work. Everything looked festive and lovely.

  As she inhaled a deep breath, she realized the house even smelled like Christmas from the sachets Denni had tucked into the storage boxes.

  Quickly yanking on her coat and boots, Cadence took down the paper chain over the kitchen sink and went out to start her car, surprised to find it had started snowing.

  When she pulled out of the driveway onto the highway, the snow turned to sleet and the road appeared icy.

  Cadence had never driven on bad roads, but supposed she would have to learn how if she planned to spend the winter in Grass Valley. She’d heard enough talk to know they had real winters there with wind, ice, and snowstorms. It looked like she was about to get first-hand experience with the snow and ice.

  Gingerly driving the few miles into town, Cadence had a greater appreciation for the four-
wheel drive gas-guzzling pickups most people in the county seemed to drive. Her car, while handy to zip around and run errands, was not easy to maneuver on slick roads. As she rolled into town, she slowed down and applied the brakes to pull into the parking lot at Viv’s Café.

  Instead of stopping, though, her car began to slide and fishtailed across both lanes of traffic. Convinced she was going to die if the semi truck that was bearing down on her slammed into her out-of-control car, Cadence sent a prayer heavenward as her car slid off the road and came to rest just inches from the café’s front window.

  Still holding the steering wheel in a death grip, Cadence took a deep breath then another before she opened her eyes. Turning her head, she stared into Trey’s eyes as they shot hot blue sparks at her through the window.

  She opened her door and barely had time to unfasten her seat belt before Trey grabbed her out of the car and pulled her into a tight hug.

  “Are you crazy, woman?” Trey hollered, hugging her tighter. “Do you have a death wish? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

  “No,” Cadence whispered, clinging to him. After her wild ride, her pulse hammered in double time and her knees had all the strength of a strand of over-cooked spaghetti.

  “Well, only a crazy fool would drive your car on slick roads.” Trey rubbed his hands comfortingly across her back and up and down her arms.

  “Trey, I…” Tears stung the backs of her eyes and a lump filled her throat.

  Aware of the tears forming, Trey planted a kiss on Cadence that had Aunt Viv and every patron in the café pressing their noses to the glass to get a better look. Passion mingled with fear as their lips joined in a fiery exchange.

  Trey finally broke away and exhaled a sigh. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.” His voice rumbled close to her ear. “I lost ten years off my lifespan when I saw you slide in front of that semi. Please, next time you need to come to town and the roads are bad, take one of our trucks or find someone to drive you.”

  Cadence still couldn’t speak. She was in shock over her near-accident, dazed by Trey’s yelling, and emotionally derailed from that kiss. Glancing over, she noticed the faces in the café window intently watching them.