Lone Star Christmas

“The outlets don’t work.” Ethan was back to staring at his phone. He frowned. “This place is ancient. Is there even electricity?”

“Of course, there’s electricity. This house was built in the early ’70s. We just need to dust everything off.” He flipped a switch, but the massive antler chandelier didn’t light up. He walked to the other wall and flipped everything on the panel. Nothing.

Jackie had her phone out. “I’ll call Mabel Horten at the co-op. She’ll know if it’s been turned off.”

His little brothers were opening cabinets and drawers and exploring with delight. At least they hadn’t complained about being hungry in front of Jackie. He needed to get food.

“Boys, be careful.” They ran to the door that went to the back part of the house. “Stay where I can see you. No telling what could be living here after years of being empty.”

“Cool!”

“Hi, Mabel...I need a favor. I’m out at the Delgado place...Yes, Max is in town...No, no wife. They’re his brothers...Yes.” She chuckled at something the person on the other end said. “Yeah, I know.” Then she shook her head. “No. We’re in the main house, and the lights aren’t working.”

He hated the thought that strangers were talking about him and the boys.

“Okay. Thanks...Yes, I’ll be at the church Wednesday night. Bye.” She turned to him. “It hasn’t been disconnected, so maybe it’s the breaker.”

“I think it’s in the washroom.” Bits and pieces of the house returned to his memories. Cutting across the dining room and through the vast country kitchen, Jackie followed him. He glanced back to make sure the boys were okay.

“Wow, I love this kitchen.” Jackie ran her hand over the old counter. “Just a few updates, and this would be a stellar place for a family.”

“We’re not staying that long.”

The boys had gotten quiet, so he checked the living room. Ethan had pulled out a box of old record albums and flopped in a leather armchair. Isaac and Tomas crowded around him.

Going back to the kitchen, Max found Jackie standing at an open door. He followed her into the large butler’s pantry. The door that led to the washroom was at the far end.

Behind the washroom door, he found the metal panel. Inside, taped tags curled, and some of them had fallen off. He flipped the longest row of switches. A loud pop came from below, and sparks flew. He threw his arm up to cover his face, and a sharp pain from his injured collarbone ran through his whole body.

Jackie gasped. “It’s on fire.”

Small flames danced along the wires that ran into the ceiling. Jackie ripped off her jacket and started swatting at the fire, trying to smother it. He took off his denim jacket, but she had it out before he could get his bum arm free.

She stepped back and scanned the ceiling. “That’s not okay.”

With the flames out, he checked the panel and made sure it was all turned off. What was he going to do now? It was getting colder, and with no heat or lights, they couldn’t stay here. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I’ll call Sammi,” Jackie offered.

“Your little sister?”

“Not so little anymore. She’s a genius when it comes to fixing things like this.”

“Max! We’re starving!” Great. Bored with the old LPs, the boys were back to being hungry.

Ethan stood behind them. “I think it’s colder in here than outside.”

Jackie looked at the boys. “Want to go into town to get some food? And maybe some of the best hot chocolate in the world?” She looked up at Max. “The Hill Top Café has great burgers. That’ll give Sammi some time to see if she can get this working.”

The boys nodded. “Yes! Please, Max?”

Ethan joined them. “I’m starving, and my phone is dead. I’m sure the restaurant has electricity.”

Wow. Ethan had strung two whole sentences together. Max pushed back his hair. “I don’t know. I had planned to drive to Uvalde for supplies. I thought we could get something there.”

Jackie narrowed her eyes. “That’s an hour away. What’s wrong with buying your supplies in town? The local businesses would appreciate your shopping in Clear Water.” She crossed her arms. “My family owns the local hardware store and lumberyard. There are also ranch supplies at the feed store.”

With his brothers and Jackie watching him, there wasn’t one single excuse he could come up with to avoid town. She was the main reason he had planned to hide out on the ranch anyway.

First the barns weren’t sound, then Jackie showed up, now the house had no electricity. Even if it did, it wasn’t habitable. And he was out of food. He was pretty sure Parenting 101 said something about feeding kids on a regular basis.

“Okay. Let me unhitch the trailer and we can follow in my truck.”

In unison, a groan rose up from his brothers, and the matching glares from all three sets of brown eyes looked at him with the same disapproval he remembered from his father.

Jackie moved to stand next to the boys. “I came out to discuss a project we have planned for the original town buildings. Why don’t you let me drive? We can talk, then order supplies. I’ll text Sammi to look at the wiring. If she can’t do the work, she knows who can.”

“Yes. Yes! Please, Max. We’re starving. We can’t last another minute!” one of the boys pleaded with Max.

The other one joined in. “I’m so cold I’m turning into a icicle.” Were his brothers always this dramatic? Maybe this was normal for them. He didn’t even know what was normal for five- and six-year-olds. Especially when they’d lost both parents. He remembered feeling so lost and alone when his mother died, and all he had wanted was his dad. That hadn’t happened. But he could be here for his brothers.

“Okay. Okay. We’ll go into town with Jackie and get you fed. We’ve got a lot of work to do. Let’s at least wash up.” He went to the kitchen sink and turned the faucet. Did they even have water? The pipes sputtered and groaned, then an explosion of water came through and splashed him. Brown water.

Joining him, Ethan made a face. “Man, that’s gross.”

Jackie grimaced. “You might want to have the well and tank checked before you use that water. You can wash your hands at the restaurant. Sound like a plan?” She looked at him, waiting.

He gave in. “Yeah.”

With a nod she turned, and his brothers fell into line, two with huge grins, and one with a bored expression. Max didn’t like what he was feeling. He was surprised by the strong emotions seeing her had stirred up. He felt like a teenager again. Not cool.

All he had wanted was to get some practice in, get to know his brothers, and avoid Clear Water and anyone with the Bergmann name. Less than a day—less than three hours—and he was getting in to Jackie’s car and heading in to town to have lunch with her.

The one person who probably had the power to expose his weaknesses was now sitting next to him. Coming to Clear Water had been a mistake. He would just say no to whatever she wanted and send her on her way.

Chapter Two

Jackie’s hair flew across her face as she got out of the car. All the way in to town she had tried to focus on the reason she drove to the Delgado Ranch in the first place, but sitting next to Max, the guilt of the past crowded out all other thoughts.

Seeing him was more confusing than she could have imagined. It had been so many years ago. She was surprised how disappointed she had been when he had called her Danica.

People confused her and her twin all the time, but coming from Max, it had hurt. Even on the first day they had met as teenagers, he had been able to tell them apart. That had been the best summer of her life. Either they were riding or he was writing poems for her. She had been so in love and couldn’t have imagined anything but a bright future for them. Until her father had found them together and she had learned who Max was. More to the point, she had discovered who his mother was.

She didn’t deserve for him to remember her. Her father had unfairly blamed his mother for the accident. His hurt expression was still so clear in her mind. He hadn’t said a word as her father reamed him out along with his whole family.

Not only had they both lost their mothers, they had lost them in the same car crash. She closed her eyes to block the memory, but the look of betrayal on Max’s face still took up too much space. He had just stood there. Alone.

Her father had made sure that had been the last time she saw him. That was a long time ago. They had been kids, and he obviously had gotten over her. If she wanted to have access to the original settlement, she would have to bury the past.

The buildings. From the records and her mother’s letters, there was an old church, school and general mercantile, along with several other buildings. She needed his permission to move them off the ranch to the land the city had granted for the project. What would be the best angle to get Max on board with her plan?

One step ahead of her, he went to open the door. A short gust of wind pushed it out of Max’s hand as they hurried inside. “The weather’s getting worse.” His voice was muffled in the zipped-up Carhartt jacket.

“Too cold to stay out at your place without heat.” The air burned her throat with each breath. “You might need to make plans to stay somewhere else tonight. The Pecan Farm has cabins. I could call Maggie for you.”

“A cabin?” Ethan sounded suspicious.

“We’ve always wanted to go camping. Are there bears by the cabin?” Isaac hopped around. “That would be so cool. Right, Tomas?”

Jackie laughed as she moved past him. “No. No bears, but there are deer, raccoons and a river where you could fish. If this weather keeps up, we might have ice fishing for the first time in Texas.” She pointed out the bathrooms before leading them to her favorite booth in front of the large window.

A young waitress with a huge smile brought a basket of tortilla chips and a bowl of salsa. The boys attacked the food like they hadn’t eaten in a week.

“How are you, Kelsey?” Jackie was looking at the girl, but Kelsey was glancing at Ethan from under her lashes.

“Hi, Ms. Bergmann. Is it cold enough for you?” She never took her gaze off the teen. He didn’t seem to notice. He was frowning at his dead phone.

Rubbing her hands together before tucking them in her jacket, Jackie smiled up at her. “I don’t remember it ever being this cold in November.”

“Yeah, it’s a record breaker. What a cute crew you have with you today. What can I get for you to drink? Coffee and hot chocolate?”

Jackie leaned closer to the young brothers. “I recommend the hot chocolate. That’s what I’m getting.”

The little ones looked at Max. He nodded. “Three hot chocolates and one coffee.”

Ethan looked up from plugging in his charger, and when his eyes widened, Max raised a brow.

The teen’s expression took Jackie right back to the summer with Max. Ethan looked so much like him. The Delgados definitely had a look.

He pushed his hair back and grinned at the waitress. “Hi, I’m Ethan. I’d give anything for a Mocha Frappuccino with organic, unsweetened almond milk.”

“Hi. I would love to have one, too, but all my mom serves is plain coffee. Plain cream and sugar are the only options. I could put some Cool Whip from the desserts on top.”

“We want whipped cream on our hot chocolates!” Isaac pointed to his brother. Tomas nodded in agreement.

“Sure.” She looked back at Ethan. “I make the hot chocolate myself with real ingredients. It’s my favorite.”

Max’s brother blushed. “I’ll take one of those.”

“Good. So, are y’all visiting or moving to town?” It seemed as if everyone else at the table had disappeared as the two teens stared at each other. “Are you gonna go to school here? Everyone’s out for Thanksgiving break, but Monday we start again.”

Jackie cleared her throat. “Kelsey, this is Max Delgado and his brothers—Tomas, Isaac and of course Ethan. They’re in town for a short break, and right now they’re hungry. Could you give us the menus?”

A red flush covered Kelsey’s face as she tucked her chin. “Sorry. I’ll get the drinks.” She laid laminated menus on the table and hurried away.

A short time later, the owner of the café sat chips and salsa on the table. She didn’t look happy, but then again Sally Pryce was famous for good food. Friendliness? Not so much.

“Hi, Sally. Max, this is Sally Pryce, the owner and Kelsey’s mother and my cousin. Sally, this is—”

“Yes, I heard a Delgado was back in town. I’ll be serving your table while you’re here.” She narrowed her eyes at Ethan. “Kelsey is my only daughter, and she has five older brothers. And since you’re just going to be here a short time, I recommend you take care of the ranch. I hear the thistle is out of control. I’ll have your drinks out soon.”

As soon as she had her back to them, Ethan narrowed his eyes at Max. “What was that about? Did Dad or Uncle Rigo do something to make the people here hate us?”

Max looked at Jackie. “It’s complicated, and it’s the reason I wanted to go to Uvalde. No one hates us there.” Max leaned in and looked straight at Ethan. “Our father and uncle made some decisions that weren’t popular here, along with a few other issues.” He looked at Jackie, but quickly glanced away.

Jackie folded her hands in front of her. “It’s not just your father and uncle. It goes way back before anyone here was even alive. There’s been bad blood between the Delgado family and Clear Water for as long as anyone can remember. It has to do with the old land charter for the town. Most recently, everyone blames y’all for the thistle outbreak.”

“Thistle outbreak? Is that some sort of disease?” Ethan stared at her.

“No, it’s a plant that is prickly and large. It has a thousand little seeds that will take over a pasture and kill off the grass.” She looked at Max. “Rumor is that your mother had over a hundred bird feeders around the house and barns. The birdseed she ordered from Kerrville had it in the mix. With the land not being tended, it’s become a battle on the other ranches.”

Max’s mouth fell open. “You’re serious? They blame my mother? She’s been gone for twenty years.”

Jackie didn’t know how to answer that. The guilt she already felt over his mother’s death didn’t help. “Small towns have long memories.”

“That’s not fair.” Ethan leaned back and looked out the window. “Not that it’s a big surprise they hate us. We don’t even like each other.”

“We like you.” Isaac smiled at his brother. Tomas nodded, but his heartbreakingly sad expression tore at her heart.

Ethan glared at the younger boys. “You don’t even know me.”

“You’re our brother.” They both looked confused. To them it was simple. They were family.

“You’re too young to understand anything. This is so lame.” The teenager threw himself against the cushioned back of the booth and crossed his arms.

Max pinched the bridge of his nose.

Jackie wanted to reach out and hug all the boys close to her. To tell them that God loved them and that was all that mattered, but she didn’t even know where they were in their faith. Maybe she could help by refocusing them. “You’re right, Ethan. It’s not fair. This is one of the reasons I came out to the ranch. I have a plan that might help restore goodwill for the Delgados here in town.”

Ethan and Max made an identical grunting noise at the exact same time.

Biting her tongue to stop the laugh, she had to smile at their matching sullen expressions. She leaned closer to Max. “The original town church and school are on your property. I would love to move them into town and restore the buildings. The city has land set aside. I don’t need anything from you other than permission. It’s what our mothers were working on when—”

“Sorry.” Max cut her off. “My uncle asked me to get the ranch ready for sale, and I have orders to clear out the pastures and tear down any old buildings. He wants the old wood sent to him.”

Adrenaline rushed through her heart. Her brain rebelled at the horror of tearing down the buildings. But before she could protest, Dub Childress walked over to their table.

His glare fixed on Max. “You’re the oldest Delgado grandson. Maximiliano, right?” He pronounced it with the Spanish accent.

Max stood and held out his hand. “Yes, sir. These are my brothers. Ethan, Isaac and Tomas.”

He nodded, shaking Max’s hand. “Are your father or uncle coming into town?”

“No, sir. My uncle has obligations that keep him in Dallas. My father passed away last month. Boating accident.”

Dub’s face tightened. “Sorry to hear that. Are you making plans to clear out the thistles?”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Sally came to the table with a tray full of hot drinks. Dub nodded and moved back to his seat. “Now, what can I get y’all to eat?”

Max looked at his brothers. “Are burgers and fries good for everyone?”

They all nodded.

With the joy gone out of their faces, Isaac and Tomas took the mugs and just stared at the fluffy white topping. It wasn’t their fault. Jackie wanted to help them but wasn’t sure what to do.

She tucked her hands under her thighs. “I’m sorry.”

Max stared into his black coffee. “Not your problem. It goes with the territory of being a Delgado.”

Silence fell over the table after Sally left with their orders. Ethan had gone back to staring at his newly charged phone. Max laid his arm on the back of the bench as he sipped his coffee.

She had to try again. “Surely your uncle doesn’t actually want to destroy the buildings.”

“No. He’s opening a new store north of Dallas in Flower Mound. It’s not just the ‘biggest’—” he made air quotes “—Western store in the country. The newest Delgado Cowboy Central will be an experience. He wants to re-create an authentic Western town inside the store. I wouldn’t even call it a store. It’s more like a football stadium, a destination.”

“But those buildings belong here in Clear Water.”

Tomas and Isaac started jostling each other. If they’d driven in from Dallas today, they must have been sitting a long time. Her nieces would have been going crazy by now.

“Do you guys like old-fashioned arcade games?”

The corner of Max’s mouth lifted. “I’ve been known to do a pretty mean pinball. Hey, guys. You want to go old-school and play in the arcade?” He reached for his wallet and took out some cash.

“Like stuff from the ’80s?” Ethan looked up.

“Probably.” Max and Jackie answered at the same time.

With a lopsided grin, Max nodded to Ethan. “Will you take your brothers while we wait for the food?”

Before Max could move out of the booth, the boys crawled under the table and ran to the back room. Ethan followed with much less energy.

“Walk,” Max yelled after them, but they didn’t seem to hear. “I have no idea what I’m doing. I thought it was time we got to know each other, spend some time together. I’m starting to think this was a very bad idea. I get so angry at my father. He created this mess, and now I can’t even yell at him. I don’t know anything about kids, especially grieving ones.”

“No, your brothers need you. They’re young. They don’t understand what’s going on. Ethan, well, he’s a teenager. They’re not good at expressing what they need because they’re confused in general. You’re doing the right thing.” Without thinking about it, she reached across the table and covered his hand with hers. “You’ve all had a loss, and they need family right now. So do you.”

He snorted. “My father didn’t build a loving community with his kids. It was more or less every man for himself. People are easily discarded in the Delgado clan.”

“You can make your own choices.” She remembered the sensitive boy she had fallen in love with. “I know you’re not your father, Max. Do you still write?”

“No. You don’t know me anymore. We were kids back then. We didn’t know anything, let alone who we were.”

She pulled back. “If you don’t like the way your father was, then change. God created you in His image. You don’t have to carry on your father’s legacy. With God, you can start new, you and your brothers.” She looked down. He didn’t want to be preached at. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” His gaze stayed focused on the slow-moving town outside the window. “Pastor Wayne said pretty much the same thing.” A cold wall fell between them that had nothing to do with the weather outside.

The hard jaw flexed as his attention touched her briefly before moving away again. “Listen, I know what you want, and I can’t deliver. My uncle is in charge now, and he wants the wood salvaged and sent to Flower Mound. More people will see them there if that makes you happy.” He shrugged. “That’s where they’re going, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

She pulled back. What had she been thinking? Maybe everything her father said about the Delgado family was true and Max wasn’t the sweet boy of her memories. It was all about what they could sell or who they could use. They didn’t care about their history.

Leaning forward, she crossed her arms and looked him straight in the eye. He was going to learn what it meant to be a Bergmann. “I’m not giving up that easily. Get me in touch with your uncle. I’m sure we can work out some sort of deal. Maybe some positive PR.” Her heart pounded in her ears. This was her gift to her mother. To finish the work her mother had started. So many years working on this project. It couldn’t come down to one simple no.

“Max, the history is so important to protect and preserve. It won’t cost y’all any money. I have grants and city support. I’ve been working on this a long time. I just need the buildings. They belong to Clear Water. It’s what my mother—” she bit her lip “—and your mother wanted.”

“Don’t go there. What does it matter anyway? Saving the buildings won’t bring them back.”

Leaning closer, she looked him right in the eyes. A couple of inches separated them. “History is how we remember where we came from.”

He rested his arm on the back of the booth, trying to act as if he didn’t have a care in the world, but she could see the pulse at the base of his neck, in the space near his collarbone. “There’s your problem. With my family’s past? I would rather forget. My parents are gone, and I’d rather plunge in to the future. History belongs behind us.”

She wasn’t sure what to say to that. “How can you not want to honor them?” Her voice sounded rough to her own ears. “I’ll never forget my mother. This was important to her. And to yours.” He had to understand. “The boy I spent that summer with would have understood.”

“That boy is long gone.” He pinned her with a stare. His once-warm eyes now stared coldly at her, as though they were strangers. “Jackie, some rotted-out buildings are not going to bring them back. Is that what this is all about? Our mothers?”

Yes. No. She couldn’t think. Before she could respond, Sally was passing out plates full of giant burgers and hand-cut fries. “Anything else I can get y’all?”

Jackie smiled and thanked her, her face stinging from embarrassment and unshed tears. She had lost her appetite. There was no way she could eat a bite. “Yes, I’d like a to-go box.”

Max stood. “I’ll get the boys. If we could get it all to go, that’d be great.” He glanced at Jackie, then looked off to where the boys had gone. “You can take us back to the ranch. I’ll go to Uvalde for our supplies.”

Sally shot a frown his way, and a few of the people around the café cut hostile stares at him as he walked to the back to get the boys.

She wasn’t going to feel sorry for him.

Once and for all, Max Delgado was out of her heart and gone from her thoughts. He had been hiding in the deepest part of her subconscious without her even being aware he was there. It was good that he was here and she could let go of any teenage fantasy.

She could focus on what was important. Getting those buildings restored. Their mothers had wanted this for the town and their families. She wanted this for them, so they would never be forgotten. Maybe some of the guilt would finally fade away.