The Forest Ranger's Christmas (17 page)

Josie turned with another question on her lips, but he moved away. He wouldn’t meet her eyes. He seemed stiff and unapproachable. Closed.

“I think it’d be best if you took the dish back,” Josie said.

He shook his head. “No, that would hurt Gracie too much. She wants you to have it.”

Josie accepted his final word without argument, but inside she was screaming. She felt as though she was usurping Karen’s place, and she wasn’t welcome. If Karen was alive and Clint had divorced her, Josie might know what to do. But she didn’t know how to fight against the woman’s memory or Clint’s guilt over her death.

As they finished opening their gifts, Josie was grateful for Gracie’s consuming presence to conceal the underlying tension between her and Clint. But it didn’t escape Gramps’s notice. He shrugged into his new suit coat to try it on. When Josie stepped into the kitchen momentarily to fetch a black plastic garbage bag to stash the used gift wrap in, he intercepted her on the pretense of asking if she thought the coat fit.

“It’s beautiful. You look so handsome,” she told him as she smoothed the fabric over his chest.

He patted her hand, a look of concern creasing his brow. “You okay, muffin?”

“Yeah, sure.” She nodded and pasted a smile on her face, but she couldn’t fool Gramps.

“She’s just a lonely little girl who wants a mommy,” he said.

“I know, Gramps. And I can’t tell you how badly I wish I could be that for her. But there’s no sense in wanting something that can never be. Not if Clint won’t let it happen.”

Her grandfather opened his mouth to say something, but she stepped away and returned to the living room, feeling as though she was merely going through the motions. And later, as Clint bundled Gracie up and prepared for the short drive home, Josie watched him with misgivings.

She longed to tell him that she wanted to be with him. And to ask if maybe he could love her, too. She’d already opened the door, but he hadn’t wanted to step through it. He’d have to reconcile Karen’s death in his own mind, first. If he ever could.

As it stood, a life together wasn’t going to happen. Not for them. And Josie couldn’t help thinking this was the best and the worst Christmas she’d ever had.

Chapter Seventeen

O
ver the next two days, Josie put away the Christmas ornaments, paid the bills, washed all Gramps’s laundry and stocked his kitchen with groceries. As he helped her put the food away in the cupboard, he stared at the cans he held in each hand. Amazement crinkled his brow.

“I can’t believe it.”

“What?” She slid a loaf of bread onto the counter and turned.

He held up the cans, his eyes shining with awe and wonder. “I can read these labels. This one is vegetable beef and this one is chicken noodle. Ma would be amazed if she knew.”

Josie hugged him. “She knows. And I’m sure she’s proud of you, Gramps. I know I sure am.”

He placed the cans inside the cupboard and closed the door. “You don’t have to leave, you know,” he said.

“I know. But I do, Gramps. I have to go back to work.”

His eyes misted and he brushed at them with one hand. “I’m missing you already.”

He pulled her into his arms and held her close. For a few moments, Josie felt like that little girl he’d been comforting all her life.

“You could come visit me in Vegas for a couple of weeks,” she suggested. “It’s much warmer in the winter months. We don’t get much snow.”

“I think I’d miss the snow. It wouldn’t feel like home.”

Yes, he was probably right. But she couldn’t think about it that way. Leaving was hard enough already.

She turned to fold up the plastic bags and put them away in the broom closet. A good excuse to hide her tears. “I’ll be back in two weeks. As the weather gets warmer, I think I’ll thin out the tulip bulbs in Grandma’s garden. It’s getting a bit overgrown.”

“That would be nice. You gonna say goodbye to Clint and Gracie before you go?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. Gracie called me this morning and was in tears over the phone. I doubt a personal visit to say goodbye would make things any easier on her.”

Or me, for that matter.

“You know, sometimes folks don’t seem to know what’s best for them. Sometimes they need a little help to figure things out.”

She tilted her head. “What do you mean by that, Gramps?”

He shrugged. “Oh, nothing. Just the ramblings of an old man.”

He turned and walked into the living room, and she let him go. If he was referring to her and Clint, she’d rather let the subject drop. Pursuing Clint when he obviously didn’t want to be with her would do nothing but bring them both more unhappiness and embarrassment. She didn’t want to go, but she had little choice.

Or did she?

She thought of staying and trying to live on Gramps’s meager retirement funds. Her modest savings account could help supplement them, but she had no idea what they’d do when the money ran out. Gramps needed his medicine. They needed clothes, electricity and food. She’d feel like a freeloader if she cut into his skimpy income without earning her keep. And without a job here in Camlin, she couldn’t earn a dime. Which meant she needed to return to Vegas, where she had a good job waiting for her.

That night, they spent a quiet evening at home, watching TV and chatting together about her return trip in two weeks. It wouldn’t be easy, but she figured she’d have to drive home at least once a month to visit. Long, tiring trips that would sap her gasoline budget as well as her energy. But it’d give her something to look forward to. And it’d be worth it to ensure Gramps had what he needed. In the meantime, she’d call him every other day, just to make sure he was doing okay.

If only she dared call Clint. Just to hear the smile in his voice. To know he was still there. But that would only prolong the pain.

The next morning, she loaded up her car and kissed Gramps goodbye.

“I love you,” she said.

“And I love you, muffin.”

Opening the door, she glanced in the back. A heavy quilt had been spread across the seat. Gramps had mentioned it earlier. He’d put it there, in case she broke down and had to sit in the freezing cold while she waited for a tow truck.

Thinking little of it, she climbed inside, waved and drove down the street. Looking back in her rearview mirror, she studied Gramps’s lone image, trying to commit it to memory. At his age, this could be the last time she ever saw him, and she didn’t want to let it go.

Sudden tears burned her eyes and she brushed them away. She couldn’t help gazing at Clint’s house with longing. Were he and Gracie inside? Or had he gone in to work that morning? How she wished he could let go of his guilt over Karen’s death. How she wished she could convince him to take a second chance on love. To trust the Lord to heal his broken heart.

In an effort to distract her morose thoughts, she turned on the radio. Over an hour later, she was driving through a mountain pass and could get nothing but static. She flipped the radio off and heard a rustling in the backseat. Probably her Christmas gifts settling with the movement of the car.

Focusing on the slick road ahead, Josie paid it no mind, until the noise came again. She glanced back. The heavy quilt bunched and moved, as though something beneath it was alive.

Josie gave a startled yelp. What on earth?

The movement ceased abruptly. What was going on?

Josie pulled over and stopped the car. She got out, sucking back a quick breath as the winter wind cut through her with full force. Her teeth chattered as she stepped over a mud puddle and opened the back door. Reaching inside, she grabbed a handful of the quilt and gave a hard jerk.

“Gracie!”

The girl popped up off the floor. She was wearing blue jeans and her shiny red coat, and her hair stood on end, filled with static electricity from being beneath the quilt.

“Hi, Josie!”

“What are you doing here?”

But Josie didn’t need to ask. In a flash, her mind filled with understanding. And the resulting ramifications.

The little stowaway sat up on the seat and folded her arms, her jaw locked with determination. “I decided if you’re leaving Camlin, then I’m leaving, too.”

Josie shivered in the cold. Waving the girl over, she climbed in beside her and sat down, pulling the door closed so they could talk for a few minutes without freezing to death.

“Your dad will be so worried about you. Does he know where you are?”

Gracie shook her head. “No, he wouldn’t let me come, if he knew.”

Oh, no. Clint must be worried sick by now. And Josie didn’t want him to think she’d kidnapped Gracie. In a few minutes, she’d whip out her cell phone and try to call him...if she could get a connection here in these mountains.

“But if you leave Camlin, what will he do without you? Don’t you love your dad?” Josie asked, trying to get the girl to think about what she’d done.

“Of course I love Dad. But don’t you love him, too?”

What a blunt question for such a little girl. “Yes, I do.”

Why deny it? Gracie knew the truth. Kids had an uncanny way of seeing things adults tried to hide. Everyone thought children were so resilient, but they weren’t. Not really. They just didn’t have a choice. They had to survive what the adults in their life forced upon them. But children knew things. Especially a child as smart as this one.

“I knew you loved Daddy. And he loves you, too,” Gracie said.

If only that were true. “You know I’ll have to turn around and take you back,” Josie said.

Gracie nodded, a satisfied smile curving her lips. “Yes, I thought so.”

Josie stared at her in surprise. Then she couldn’t help laughing. She hugged Gracie, unable to stay angry at her no matter how hard she tried. Especially since they loved each other so much.

“I love you, Josie. I don’t want you to leave.” The girl’s voice was muffled against Josie’s blue sweater.

“I know, honey. I love you, too. I don’t want to leave, either, but sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do.”

Gracie drew back, her high forehead creased with confusion. “Why?”

“Because adults have to earn a living. And my job is in Vegas.” Josie didn’t know how to explain to to her about guilt, fear, responsibility, bills and all the other difficult things she would undoubtedly learn about as she grew older. Or explain that the girl’s father couldn’t seem to heal from the guilt he felt over her mother’s suicide.

Josie took a deep, settling breath. “Okay, climb up front. We’ve got to take you back home.”

She opened the door. A blast of chilling air caused her to hurry. Gracie scrambled overtop the seat backs and slid into place.

With the doors closed, Josie gripped the steering wheel, shaking her head. She couldn’t believe this had happened. No doubt Clint would be worried by now. She reached for her cell phone and tried to call. As suspected, she couldn’t get any reception on this lonely mountain pass.

“Put on your seat belt,” she told the girl.

Gracie complied and Josie started the engine before edging back onto the road. She did a U-turn and headed back toward Camlin.

Minutes passed. The closer they got to home, the more anxious Gracie became—staring out the windshield, shifting in her seat, fidgeting nervously.

“You okay?” Josie asked.

She glanced over with a worried frown. “You think Daddy’s gonna be mad at me for what I did?”

Josie reached out and clasped the girl’s hand. “Don’t worry. He loves you. I think right now he just wants to know you’re safe. So stop worrying.”

A short time later, they entered the Camlin city limits. Josie drove down Main Street and onto Garson Way. She could see Clint’s house a quarter mile away.

The wail of a siren sounded a moment later. She stared into her rearview mirror at the police car coming up fast behind her.

“Oh, no. Not again,” she grumbled.

She pulled over on the side of the road and waited for Officer Tim to get out of his squad car and saunter over. Rolling down her window, she pursed her lips. She didn’t have time for this nonsense. She needed to get Gracie home.

“Hi, Tim. What’s up?” she asked, trying not to be rude.

He bent his head down and met her eyes, then glanced over at Gracie. His face tightened and he moved back. “Can you step out of the car, ma’am?”

Her shoulders slumped. “If you’re going to give me a ticket, just do it. I’ve got to get Gracie home, Tim.”

“So, now you’re into kidnapping, huh?”

“What?” Her mind raced in confusion.

Tim raised his hand to cup his gun holster, his brows lifted in a demanding expression. “Clint called to report Gracie was missing. I need you to get out of the car. Now.”

“Wait! I can explain. She’s a stowaway, Tim. She climbed into my car before I left town. I was an hour down the road when I found her in my backseat. I’m bringing her home.”

She’d never seen Tim like this before. Her mind ran wild with what could happen next. And honestly, she was a little afraid.

Lifting his hands to rest against his hips, Tim jingled the handcuffs. A car whizzed past, the driver craning his neck to see who Tim had pulled over this time. Mortification heated Josie’s cheeks.

“Gracie!”

Josie turned. Clint came running toward them. He must have stepped outside his house, seen the cop car and noticed his daughter inside Josie’s vehicle.

The little girl threw open the door and raced toward her father. In the middle of the street, he scooped her up and hugged her tight.

“Oh, I was so worried about you. I’ve been searching and calling everyone we know. Where have you been?” he asked, kissing her face.

“Daddy, you’re squashing my eye.”

He finally set her on the ground. Josie got out of the car. By this time, Gramps had seen them and was walking toward them at a fast clip.

“Clint, she climbed into my backseat and hid under a blanket. I didn’t know she was there,” Josie explained.

Taking Gracie’s hand, he walked over to her, listening.

“So, this isn’t a kidnapping, after all?” Tim said, looking disappointed.

“No!” Josie, Clint, Gramps and Gracie answered in unison.

Tim raised his hands, as if to ward them off. “Okay, I get it. I’m just glad everything worked out and she’s all right.”

“Me, too. Thanks for helping us find her,” Clint said.

Tim shifted his weight, a cocky smile on his face. “Anytime. That’s what I’m here for. Keeping our city safe.”

Chuckling, the cop walked back to his squad car, got inside and drove away.

“Come on. Let’s get inside where it’s warm,” Clint urged.

While Clint and Gracie walked with Gramps the short distance to his house, Josie hopped into her car and pulled it into the driveway. Inside the comfy kitchen, Gramps got out a pan and glanced at the little girl. “You want to help me make some hot chocolate while your dad talks to Josie for a few minutes?”

Gracie nodded, then leaned close and cupped her mouth to hide her loud whisper. “It worked, Grandpa Frank. Josie brought me back home. But I’ll bet Daddy’s gonna ground me for a year.”

Josie froze, as though her feet were stapled to the floor. “Gramps! Did you know about this?”

He cleared his throat, his face flushing a deep, burgundy red. “We didn’t mean any harm by it. It was the only thing we could think of to get you two to listen to reason.”

At first Clint stared in stunned surprise. Then he threw back his head and laughed deeply. “So, you two planned this together? Unbelievable.”

Josie agreed. But having almost been accused of kidnapping, she wasn’t amused.

“Look, you two love each other and should be together.” Gramps lowered his bushy brows in a stern frown and waggled a finger at them. “Gracie and I know it, and so do you. So stop fighting it. Now go into the living room and figure out a way to work this out between you.”

“That’s right, Dad. You taught me that you can’t run away from your troubles. You’ve got to work things out.” Gracie gave a firm nod.

Oh, boy. Josie couldn’t believe this. She felt like a naughty kid being told to go to her room...by her elderly grandfather and a seven-year-old child. But Josie was a grown woman. And her heart couldn’t take much more of this.

Turning, she went into the living room and sat on the sofa. Her body trembled from nervous energy as well as from standing outside in the freezing cold. She didn’t know what to think anymore.