Cowboy Christmas Jubilee

by Dylann Crush

  “Even snakes?” Jinx eyed the woman.

  “’Specially snakes. I’ve got a rattlesnake farm. Tastes like chicken.” She moved toward the ladder and put a well-worn steel-toed boot on the first rung. The ladder shook. “Come here, you little bastard.” Sage extended the stick to poke it into the branches.

  “Are you getting the snake?” Kenzie piped up from the second-floor landing. “Is it a big one?”

  “Don’t know yet. Stay upstairs, okay?” Jinx closed her eyes, shuddering with every shake of the ladder.

  Sage crept from rung to rung, finally stopping a few feet below Jinx. “This about where you saw it?”

  “I don’t know. I think so.”

  More strangers walked through the front door. How many people did it take to catch a snake? Jinx trembled on the ladder while the guys below stood around giving each other fist bumps and watching Sage poke around in the tree. Hendrix ran between their legs in a new outfit Kenzie had put on him. He had on suspenders and holiday-printed shorts over his bottom half.

  “Kenzie, can you get Hendrix and take him upstairs?” All she needed was for her dog to become a snack for a hungry rattler.

  “This what had you shakin’ in your boots?” Sage reached a hand into the depths of the tree. Jinx cringed, trying to climb even farther up the ladder, anticipating the worst. Instead, Sage pulled out a snake.

  It dangled from her hand, about five feet down. Jinx hadn’t really seen a snake that big in person, but she expected it to slither or strike. Or at least do something besides just hang there.

  “Is it dead?” she asked.

  Sage dropped it to the ground. The tough guys who’d been watching each took a quick step back. The snake lay on the hardwood floor, not moving.

  “Wasn’t ever alive,” Sage said. “That’s a bummer too. That size would have made for a few good meals.”

  Jinx shuddered at the idea. “What do you mean it wasn’t ever alive?”

  “It’s rubber. Fake.” Sage climbed down the ladder and kicked it with her boot. Hendrix grabbed hold of it, growling and snarling as he dragged it around the room.

  Jinx’s stomach rolled over. “Are you sure there’s no real snake?”

  “I been up and down this tree twice now,” Sage said. “The only snake you’ve got was made in China. Besides, it’s too cool out. Pretty unlikely to find a snake in a tree to begin with, but especially this time of year.”

  “It’s just a fake snake?” Kenzie walked down the steps, her disappointment evident. “Who would put a fake snake in our Christmas tree?”

  Jinx held tight to the ladder. Hendrix continued to drag the snake around the room, ripping chunks out of it. Only one person had had access to their tree besides the three of them. It had to have been Presley. The Walker brothers had taken their holiday pranking one step too far.

  Tippy and the other spectators shook their heads, clearly amused at her mistake. If she could disappear inside herself, Jinx would have chosen that moment in time to vanish. Maybe transport herself somewhere where snakes didn’t exist. Like Antarctica.

  * * *

  Cash pulled off the blacktop onto the long gravel drive. It would be good to be home. He’d have enough time to cuddle with Kenzie before she went to bed, then lose himself in Jinx’s arms. Hospitals creeped him out. Something about the smell of death and illness mingling with antiseptic and alcohol. Made him feel like he was coming down with something every time he passed through the automatic sliding glass doors.

  As he approached the house, he eased his foot onto the brake. What in the hell was going on? Tippy’s truck sat out front, lights flashing like at a crime scene. Two other vehicles he didn’t recognize sat in the driveway. If something had happened to Kenzie… He wouldn’t let himself think about it.

  He raced from the cab, not even thinking to turn off the engine. The front door of the house sat cracked open. Cash burst through, running smack-dab into a woman on her way out.

  “Damnation!” the woman cursed.

  “Somebody want to tell me what the hell is going on in here?”

  Kenzie stood at the bottom of the stairs. “Curse jar.”

  He’d stuff the damn curse jar with hundred-dollar bills as long as his baby was okay. He raced through the door to pull her into his arms. Had to make sure she was safe. “You okay, Tadpole?”

  “Hi, Daddy. Jinx is having a—what did you call it, Tippy?”

  “Hey, Cash.” Tippy clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Welcome home.”

  “What the damn hell is going on?” He thrust a palm toward Kenzie before she could call him out again. “I know, I know. I’m overriding the curse jar for a few minutes.”

  “Ain’t it obvious?” Tippy’s head shook from side to side. “Your girlfriend got treed by a snake. Or I guess she got laddered by a rubber snake.”

  Cash screwed up his brow. “Say what?”

  “There was a snake.” Jinx stood at the top of the extension ladder. “Before you tell me I’m crazy, I know what I saw.” She could have killed Tippy with the sour look she gave him. Full of piss and vinegar. May as well have been fire shooting from her eyes.

  Cash felt the heat from her stare burn right through him as she turned her gaze on him.

  “It was a rubber one, Deputy.” The woman—he recognized her as Sage, the snake farmer from a few ranches over—held a long rubber snake up with Hendrix dangling from the end.

  Tippy held his hand to his mouth and winked at Kenzie. “Nervous breakdown. That’s what I called it.”

  “I am not having a nervous breakdown!” Jinx yelled from the ladder.

  Cash took a step toward the ladder, but Tippy caught his arm. “Careful. You don’t want to get bit.”

  “Thought you said it was just a rubber snake,” Cash said.

  “I didn’t mean by the snake. I meant by her.” Tippy pointed to the top of the ladder, where Jinx clutched the sides in a death grip.

  “Very funny, Tippy. Remind me to put coal in your stocking this year.” Jinx glared. She was like a treed cat—nervous and frozen with fear.

  “Can everyone go on and get out of here, please? I’ll handle things from here on out.” Cash ushered the spectators from his family room. “Except you.” He put a hand out to stop Tippy from leaving.

  “Need me to take a hoe to that snake for you?” Tippy joked.

  Cash ignored him, figuring he better step in and take control of the situation before Jinx lost it even more than she already had. “Why don’t you come on down from there?”

  Her grip tightened. “Your brother’s taken it too far this time. What else do you think he did to the tree? Rigged it with explosives?”

  “Jinx, you can’t stay on the ladder all night.” But the set of her jaw and the determined glint in her eye said different. This wasn’t how he’d pictured his homecoming. “You really think Presley did something else to this tree?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. But either that tree goes, or I go. You choose.”

  Cash shook his head. “Fine. Tippy, help me haul the tree out of here, will you?”

  Tippy looked like he’d been enjoying the entertainment until Cash pressed him into service. “Hey, there could really be a snake in that tree.”

  “Not likely.” Cash bent down to unhook the trunk from the complicated rigging system he’d installed.

  “But what if there is?” Tippy shifted from foot to foot.

  Cash almost felt sorry for the guy. Back when they were kids, they used to try to trap the snakes that slithered out to sun themselves on the hot asphalt. Tippy gave that up when he got bit by a nasty copperhead. Ever since then, he’d steered clear of anything that slithered.

  “Snakes are more scared of you than you are of them, right, Daddy?” Kenzie called from the steps.

  Tippy muttered under his breath, just low enough th
at Cash had to strain to hear him, “Not really.”

  “But what about our tree?” Kenzie stomped her foot.

  “I’m so sorry,” Jinx called down. “We’ll get a new tree, one that doesn’t have anything slithering inside it, okay?”

  “Okay.” Kenzie crossed her arms over her stomach and sat halfway up the steps.

  With a lot of heaving and hefting and more than a few four-letter words, Cash and Tippy managed to get the tree through the front door. By the time Cash returned to the living room, Jinx had climbed down from the ladder. She and Kenzie stood at the top of the steps.

  “I’ve got to sit down.” Jinx lowered herself to sit on the top step.

  Cash took the stairs two at a time. “How are my girls?”

  “Hi, Daddy.” Kenzie wrapped her arms around his legs. He hefted her onto his lap as he took a seat next to Jinx.

  “You okay?”

  She rested her head on his shoulder. “No.”

  “I’m sorry about the fake snake.” His arm went around her shoulders. Kenzie snuggled between them.

  “Three hours. I was on that ladder for three hours. This prank thing needs to end. Your brother is going to pay.”

  “So you think it was Presley?” Cash asked.

  “Who else could it have been? He’s the only one who’s been over here since we got the tree.”

  “That’s true. All right, we’ll retaliate, then call it quits on the whole thing.”

  “Good. Hey, how’s your dad doing?” Jinx asked.

  Cash bounced Kenzie on his knee. “There’s good news on that front. Should be home by Christmas.”

  “That’s great.”

  “Yeah, Mom’s freaking out about everything that needs to be done. I told her we’ll figure it out. She needs to worry about Dad right now.”

  “So Papa’s going to be okay?” Kenzie asked.

  “Better than okay. He’ll be just fine.” He kissed his daughter’s soft cheek. She smelled like Jinx’s lotion. “What did you girls do while I was gone?”

  “Look, Daddy. Jinx painted my fingernails.” Kenzie held her hand out, twisting it back and forth so the sparkles on her fingernails caught the light.

  “Wow. That looks great.”

  Kenzie nodded. “And I did hers.”

  Jinx held her hands out for him to see. Red and green fingernail polish covered most of her nails and a good portion of her fingertips too. He tried not to laugh. Seeing Kenzie bloom under Jinx’s care was just the kind of holiday cheer he needed. It had become obvious his daughter benefitted from having the soft touch of a woman around. Not that Jinx looked like she had very many soft edges. But he’d figured out something pretty important about the woman he was falling for. She was kind of like that fire-roasted mango salsa his mama made. The first bite made his eyes water, packed a punch, and made his tongue feel like it was on fire. But if he made it past that initial burn, he was rewarded with a sweet, lingering aftertaste that always made him go back for more.

  Tippy interrupted their little reunion. “Need anything else, Deputy?”

  “Nah, I think I can handle things from here.” Cash stood and met his coworker at the bottom of the stairs.

  “Hey. How do you want me to code this one? Domestic disturbance?” The smug smirk gave away Tippy’s twisted sense of humor.

  Cash scoffed. That’s all he needed. “Can’t you tag it with something like a wildlife intervention?”

  “Whatever you say. See you at the office tomorrow.” He clapped Cash on the back, then headed toward the door.

  Cash watched him step around the tree they’d abandoned halfway down the walk.

  “Want me to turn off your truck?” Tippy asked.

  Cash had been in such a hurry to get inside, he’d left the driver’s side door open and the engine running.

  “Yeah, thanks.”

  Tippy climbed inside, cut the engine, and tossed the keys to Cash. “Have a good night now.”

  “Thanks, you too.”

  Cash had promised Kenzie a Christmas tree this year. With his mom still in Tulsa and their fresh-cut pine sprawled across the front lawn, he’d let Presley know it was now his responsibility. His brother would have to come through so Cash could keep his word.

  But first, he needed to surround himself in the warmth and love of his two favorite females—even if one of them hadn’t been able to acknowledge the newfound feelings between them yet.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Jinx had been on edge all night. It didn’t help that she’d been rendered motionless for an entire afternoon thanks to Cash and his brothers and their stupid pranking tradition. It was hard to stay mad at Cash. He seemed so happy to be home, so relieved about his dad’s progress.

  And now she needed to figure out an alternative tree, something without serpent-appealing branches, so that Kenzie could have a Christmas tree. Cash’s idea to heft the responsibility to Presley wouldn’t pan out. That meant it was up to her.

  As she mulled over where to get a tree in a town the size of Holiday, her phone rang. Why would Geri be calling? Jinx hadn’t heard from her since she had left LA. She’d sent a text to let Geri know she had settled in Texas for a bit, but that was the only communication they’d had. Dread bloomed in her gut. This couldn’t be good.

  “Hello?” Jinx tucked her phone between her ear and her shoulder while she attacked a cup crusted in cocoa and marshmallows with a sponge.

  “Jinx, is that you?” The panic in Geri’s voice kicked Jinx’s heart into high gear.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Oh, honey. It’s so good to hear your voice. Are you okay? Things are good down there?”

  “Geri, what’s going on?”

  “I didn’t want to tell him, I promise.” Geri’s voice wavered like she was trying to hold back tears.

  “Tell who what?” Jinx immediately fast-forwarded to the worst. She pulled her hands out of the sink and wiped them on her pants. Wade must have figured out where she was. By now, he’d know the gift cards were missing and assume she’d taken them. It didn’t take much to get him all riled up.

  “Wade. He knows where you are. He was going to turn me in to the Humane Society, honey. I couldn’t lose my cats.”

  “Oh, Geri.” Jinx knew how much she cared about her rescue kitties. But why now? “What happened?”

  “He made me tell him you were in Texas. Then he left town a few days ago but didn’t say where he was going. I should have called you then, but my calico had her kittens, and her milk didn’t come in, so I’ve been feeding them all with a dropper for the past couple of days.”

  “It’s okay. What makes you think he’s coming here?”

  Geri blew her nose, then continued. “Last night, he called in to talk to the new girl he hired, Shelby. She works the taps but also does a lot of stuff back in the office.”

  Jinx could picture the kind of work Wade probably had her engaged in, and it didn’t have anything to do with ten-key skills. “Go on.”

  “I picked up the extension and heard him say he’s going to find you and take care of the problem right away, before it gets out of hand. Why else would he head that way unless he’s coming after you?”

  Jinx staggered to the table and dropped into a chair. Why else would he head that way unless he’s coming after you? looped through her mind. Just when she thought she’d found a safe place to settle down. She couldn’t—no, make that wouldn’t let Wade kill what she had with Cash before it even had a chance to grow.

  “Okay, I’ll figure something out. Thanks for telling me.”

  “I’m so sorry, hon,” Geri keened into the phone.

  “It’s okay. Everything will be fine.” Jinx disconnected. It was time to tell Cash about Wade. He’d know what to do.

  While she waited for him to put Kenzie to bed, she paced the kitchen. How
should she start the conversation? Hey, remember how I told you I worked at a bar in California before this? Well, my ex-boss, who also happens to be my ex-lover, is a major drug dealer and is probably tracking me down because I accidentally stole several thousand dollars’ worth of the gift cards he’s using to pay off his drug runners…

  No, that wouldn’t do. While she ran through her options in her head, her phone pinged, so she took a quick peek at her incoming text. A picture of Kenzie with a stocky Santa in a crappy red suit had been sent from a number she didn’t recognize. Something about the eyes underneath the gray-tinged eyebrows and the cocky smile looked off.

  The picture had to have been taken at Kenzie’s school. She could see the brick wall in the background and the flower beds out front that always looked like they needed weeding. It couldn’t be from Kenzie’s teacher—she wouldn’t have Jinx’s number. A cold knot formed in her gut. Wade. Under the beard, mustache, and thick, fake eyebrows, Wade mocked her. But how had he gotten to Kenzie?

  She called the number. Voicemail picked up.

  “Thanks for calling, Jinx. Do I have your attention? Cute kid you’ve got here. Funny how I was able to just walk right into her school. No security system, nobody checking IDs. Makes me wonder about what kind of job your new boyfriend is doing protecting the good citizens of Holiday, Texas. Now before you get any ideas about calling him for help, listen up. You meet me at ten o’clock Thursday night at that old dairy on the outskirts of town. Bring my cards. Fail to show up or get the cops involved, and somebody’s going to get hurt. I just hope it isn’t sweet Kenzie.”

  The message ended with a loud beep. Jinx stepped out the back door and stood on the concrete stoop. “Now you listen, you sorry sack of shit. You touch one precious hair on that kid’s head, and I’ll kill you. This is between you and me. Keep everyone else out of it.”

  Cash opened the door, spilling a wedge of light out onto the stoop. “Everything okay?”

  She clicked her phone off. “Yeah.”

  “Who were you talking to?”

  “Just somebody who had a question about my last job.” She hated lying to him. But Wade didn’t make idle threats. He might have been a huge asshole, but when he issued a warning, she knew he’d always follow through.