Cowboy Boots for Christmas (25 page)

Maybe she’d think it was a Christmas miracle and not fuss at him too much.

The four kids marched single file through the doors behind the choir section of the church. It was their day to shine, and the pew seemed empty with only Polly, Gladys, Verdie, Finn, and Callie and no fidgeting children.

The preacher took his place behind the pulpit, but the buzz didn’t die down until he cleared his throat the second time. “And y’all blame the pre-service noise on the children.” He smiled. “Must be the excitement of the holidays upon us, but I do believe y’all are louder than the kids. Today’s program ends our month of Christmas and is put on by the youngsters who are twelve and under. For you newcomers, we used to have a school program and a church program, but with the busy time of year, we decided a long time ago to combine them. Shhh.” He put his finger to his lips. “Don’t tell the FBI or whoever thinks we should separate church and state. Up here in Burnt Boot, we kind of do things our own way. Now I’ll turn this over to Tamara Johnson, the secretary at our public school, and she’ll narrate today’s program. Merry Christmas to each and every one of you, and may the Lord bless and keep you in the New Year.”

Finn laced his fingers in Callie’s hand and whispered, “I called my folks last night. After the first initial shock, they are excited. You just have to set the date.”

She cupped her hand over his ear and said, “I was just late, not pregnant. You don’t have to do this.”

He squeezed her hand. “Look, our kids are the first ones. Martin is Charlie Brown and Olivia is Lucy. They’re doing Charlie Brown’s Christmas. Look at their smiles. And, darlin’, I’m disappointed, but there’s always next month.”

The children lined up and sang “Christmas Time Is Here.” Callie’s heart swelled with pride when all four children delivered their lines perfectly in between verses of the song.

“It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” was their next song, and Snoopy popped up from the choir loft to sing with them.

“It’s Ricky,” Finn said proudly. “Guess those dogs taught him how to walk on all four legs.”

Then Snoopy picked up a cardboard guitar. Adam, who was playing Schroeder, scooted a tiny toy piano to center stage from behind the Christmas tree, sat down in front of it, and popped his knuckles. The music started for “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” and all the kids started doing their version of the Christmas dance. Adam played a mean piano, and Ricky got down with a rock guitar. Charlie Brown and Lucy both had some fine dance moves.

Polly leaned forward and asked, “Wonder where they learned how to do swing dancin’.”

Finn laughed hard but not as loud as the three old women on the other end of the pew. Verdie didn’t care who heard her when she said, “Those are my grandkids.”

“Please tell me that you’ll tell her no when she wants to put a real piano in the living room and buy a guitar,” Callie said.

“No need to buy a guitar. I own three and play them all. I can teach Snoopy how to play if he really wants to.” He grinned.

She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. Finn really would make a wonderful father, and all four of those kids needed him, so why was there still a tiny doubt in her mind?

It’s not about Finn. It’s about me
, she argued with the voice in her head.

***

“Did we do good, huh, huh, huh?” Martin bounced around in the van like a puppet on a broken string. “Did we surprise you? Did you see that I got to be Charlie Brown? I never got to play the big part before we moved to Burnt Boot.”

“And I was Lucy,” Olivia said.

“Well, I was Snoopy and we decided this morning to name the new puppies Snoopy and…” Ricky stopped for a breath of air.

Adam picked up where he left off, “Snoopy and Linus. We was going to name them Snoopy and Schroeder, but Linus is easier to spell. Granny, I saw you clapping for us. Did you like the play?”

Verdie held up a palm to quiet them. “It was the best one of the whole season. And y’all did so good, I think we should celebrate. Finn, you think this van can get us all the way to the McDonald’s place in Gainesville? And maybe afterward we could go do some shopping at the Dollar Tree. I heard that’s a real good place to do some serious present buying.”

“I bet if the kids would sing their songs one more time, this brand-new van might go that far,” Finn said.

“But we left our money at home,” Olivia groaned.

“I’ll pay for your presents, and you can pay me back when we get home,” Verdie said.

Verdie nodded at Ricky. “Okay, Snoopy, you get to lead us in the first song y’all did this morning.”

The song started kind of shy-like, but by the time they got into the second song, the van was filled with loud singing, and Verdie was singing right along with them. Finn kept time with his thumb on the steering wheel and shot an occasional wink toward Callie.

“You like this, don’t you?” Callie asked.

“Love it, darlin’. Reminds me of when we used to get out the stringed instruments and sing under the shade tree on Sunday. Us kids got to sing right along with the adults, and soon as we could play an instrument, we got to relieve them when they needed a break. You’re going to love the O’Donnell family.”

“But are they going to love me?” she said softly.

Finn reached across the distance separating the two bucket seats and patted her on the knee. “Yes, they are. It’s the season of love, darlin’.”

“Did I hear that your family is coming for Christmas?” Verdie yelled above the singing from the seat right behind Finn.

“Maybe after Christmas. Callie and I are still working out the details,” he said.

“Won’t that be fun? If they’ve got travel trailers, we’ll line ’em up in the backyard. If they don’t, we’ll put the kids in the living room in sleeping bags and give them the bedrooms, right, kids? We could put a bunch of them in the old bunkhouse if y’all will shift all your gym stuff to the side. It sleeps about twenty, or double that if they bring sleeping bags and line ’em up on the big living area floor.” Verdie had already started making plans.

Olivia stopped singing. “Do they have kids?”

“Oh, honey, the O’Donnells bring a whole bunch of kids,” Finn answered.

“Then Christmas won’t be the end but the beginning,” Martin said.

“You got that right,” Finn told him, but he was staring into Callie’s eyes when he said it.

***

Shopping with the kids was a whole new experience. Since the store was so small, Verdie organized the whole affair. Finn and Callie would take all but one kid to Walmart to buy dog and cat food for the animals while she shopped with Olivia. When they returned, she swapped out kids until each one had time to do their shopping. At the end, they sent Verdie and Finn across the street to get a cup of coffee, and Callie took all four of the children into the store to shop for Verdie.

It took a couple of hours, but when they were finished, the back of the van was full of bags. Verdie had bought a box of labels at the Dollar Tree and slapped a sticker on each bag so the kids could identify them when they got home.

“And now,” Finn said when they were all back in the van, “is this wagon train ready to go home, or would we like to go to the Braum’s store for an ice cream cone? You kids probably won’t be coming back to town before Christmas, since Granny Verdie decided to shop today instead of next week. So…” He paused and winked at Callie. “If you have any idea you might get hungry for one of those big old waffle cones filled up with soft ice cream, you’d better let me hear something from the backseat.”

“Ice cream, ice cream,” Verdie started the chant.

“Do we have four kids or five?” Callie asked.

“Right now I think it’s four, but maybe we can make that number grow in a couple of years.” Finn laughed.

She slapped him on the arm, and Verdie leaned up as far as her seat belt allowed. “Did I hear something about adopting more kids, or was that more cats and dogs? I’d rather have more kids if my two cents means anything.”

“I think those four are keeping you busy enough,” Finn answered. “But if you want us to go over to the Walmart parking lot and see if anyone has tossed out any kittens or puppies or maybe a kid or two, we could go back,” Finn said.

“Don’t you be sassy with me.” Verdie grinned.

They were pulling off the road and into the lane at Salt Draw when Finn heard a gasp from the backseat.

“We’ve got company. I wonder who it could be,” Verdie said.

“You won’t let Amanda take us away before we get our presents wrapped, will you?” Olivia asked.

Verdie patted her on the leg. “Honey, nobody is taking you anywhere. We’ll see who gets out of the truck, and if we don’t like his looks, we’ll send him or her on their way.”

Finn parked and waited for someone to crawl out, but no one did. He raised the hatchback on the van so the kids could unload their bags and then opened the truck’s passenger door to see a backseat full of suitcases, boots, and a very familiar saddle.

“Sawyer O’Donnell,” Finn said.

A tall cowboy rounded the end of the house with Snoopy and Linus at his feet. “In the flesh. I checked out the bunkhouse. Good-looking gym you got in there. But there’s plenty of room for a tired old cowboy to rest his achin’ bones.”

“We’ve got a spare room in the house,” Finn said as the two cousins bypassed the handshakes and did a man-hug right there in front of four gaping kids and two women.

“Everyone, this is my cousin Sawyer. Sawyer, this is Verdie, Martin, Olivia, Adam, and Ricky, and this right here is Callie. Remember me talking about her when we did the cattle run last year?”

“I do, and I’m right pleased to meet the whole bunch of you.”

Verdie stepped forward first and opened the front door. “Ain’t no use in standin’ out here in the cold. I bet you’d love a cup of decent coffee and some cookies. Then you can unload your things. You’ll have a choice of the old nursery. It’s got a twin-sized bed in it, or there’s one spare bunk bed in the boy’s room. But for now you bring your gear inside, and we’ll get all this Christmas shopping unloaded, and then we’ll sit down and get acquainted.”

The kids all raced inside with Callie right behind them, directing traffic to separate rooms to wrap their presents. Olivia would be in her own room. Martin could have the bunk room, Adam would be in the living room, and Verdie offered her room to Ricky. Callie was glad she didn’t have to give her bedroom to anyone, because she wasn’t sure that Finn had taken all his clothing with him that morning when he left.

Sawyer was as tall as Finn, but a slightly toasted look to his skin said there was probably some American Indian or some Latino blood in there somewhere. His eyes were deep dark brown, and his hair so black that it had a blue cast in the sunlight.

“Looks like you’ve been a busy man.” Sawyer followed Finn down the hallway to the old nursery.

“Little bit.” Finn set the boot bag inside the bedroom door. “Mama sent you, didn’t she?”

“Oh, yeah, she did.” Sawyer grinned. “And I’m to report back to her by Christmas morning. Done your shoppin’ yet?”

“Just got a little left to do. Why?”

“Well, since I’m going to be here until after Christmas, I guess maybe I should do some shopping for the folks in the house, and you’re going to help me,” Sawyer said.

Finn crossed his arms over his chest. “What makes you think I’m helping you? You didn’t even tell me you were coming to visit.”

“You are happy, Finn O’Donnell. I swear to God, you are happy. Never thought I’d see you like this again after what happened in Afghanistan. It’s written all over your face. To answer your question, you’re going to help me shop because I’m the one who’s talkin’ to your mama every evening. I already called her and told her that there are two big old pups in the barn, that the horses look great, that you’ve got a damn fine gym and a shitty shootin’ range that I’ll have to help you build up, and that Shotgun is happy. I didn’t know about the cat and the rat-dog in the living room, or I would have reported on them as well. Tonight I’m telling her about Callie and the kids and Verdie. She reminds me of Grandma O’Donnell.”

“Callie?” Finn asked.

“No, Verdie reminds me of Grandma. I can’t believe that little bitty beautiful woman was your spotter. Lord, I expected a woman who was at least six feet tall and maybe weighed in at two hundred pounds, not one who looks like Jennifer Lopez’s sister or cousin.”

Finn chuckled. “I guess I forgot to tell Mama what she looks like. I could send a few pictures of Callie, Verdie, and the kids.”

“It might be a good idea. It would put your mama’s mind at ease,” Sawyer said.

“So you’re really staying until after Christmas?” Finn asked.

“Is there a problem with that? Truth is, my old girlfriend is back in town, and I don’t want to deal with her, not after the stunt she pulled, breaking up with me and marrying someone else when we were on that cattle run.” Sawyer removed his black felt hat and ran a hand through his jet-black hair.

“No problem at all. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like. You interested in relocating permanently?” Finn sat down in a rocking chair and set it in motion.

“You offering me a job?”

Finn shook his head. “I got a crew that’s working out pretty good right now. But Gladys Cleary has a nice little spread and the general store here in Burnt Boot. I heard she was looking for a foreman, but I got to warn you, there’s a feud goin’ on here, and believe me, right now it’s hot as hell between the families.” He went on to tell Sawyer what had happened in the last few weeks. “The Gallaghers and the Brennans pretty much own the land in Burnt Boot. Only other three folks who have any property to speak of is Gladys, who has Fiddle Creek Ranch, and her sister-in-law Polly, who has the bar and runs a few cattle on her small acreage.”

“A feud, huh? Got any good-lookin’ women in this Hatfield and McCoy mix?” Sawyer asked.

“Dozens of them. And both sides want Fiddle Creek to get at the water rights, but I don’t reckon that would have to worry you none. You’d be working for Gladys if she hired you.”

“It’s something to think about. I’ll talk to her this week,” Sawyer said. “You like it here for real? Be honest with me.”

“Love it, and it would be nice to have an ornery old spy cousin around,” Finn said.