Lone Star Christmas

Sammi chuckled and headed into the kitchen. “That sounds entertaining, but I need to get back to the lumberyard. Sorry I wasn’t more help.”

They followed her into the large kitchen. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a small pad of yellow paper. With a pencil, she wrote something out. “Here’s the name and number of a guy that can help you with the wiring. I’ve also added Danica’s number. She does animal rescue, so she’ll know the best way to move the family in the attic.” Handing him the paper, she tucked the pad back into her pocket. “With the house in this shape, I don’t think you’ll be in before the holidays. With it only being five days away, it’ll be hard to find people to come out. What are your plans for Thanksgiving? It’ll be a hard one. The first family holiday without your father.”

Max shook his head. “I don’t remember ever spending Thanksgiving with my father, but I’m worried about Tomas and Isaac. They’re little and haven’t had time to be ignored by him yet.” He looked at Ethan. “What do y’all normally do?”

Leaning on the counter, the teenager frowned. “I don’t know what they do. I was three when my parents divorced, and I’ve never been invited to spend it with the Delgados.”

Sammi laid her hand over her heart. “Oh, no! That’s not right. My family might be a little rough around the edges, but we’re always together for the holidays. You should join us. Our nieces are about the age of the boys. No one should be alone for Thanksgiving. Jackie, they should come over, shouldn’t they?”

Jackie’s heart picked up speed. Max couldn’t come to her house. But not a single good reason came to mind and just saying no made her sound petty.

The corner of Max’s mouth went up. “She’s trying to think of a polite way to not invite us. Thanks, Sammi, but I’m pretty sure your father would barricade us from your home.”

“Daddy can seem pretty grumpy, but we have an open-door policy.” Sammi smiled at Ethan. “My father can’t hold what your uncle and father did against you, and he would never deny kids a real Thanksgiving. We have all the trimmings and always twice as much food as we need.”

All the problems formed a wall in Jackie’s brain. And they weren’t entirely about upsetting her father: Joaquin would be there. “Sammi, what about Joaquin?” Jackie couldn’t believe her sister would put her best friend in such an awkward situation on Thanksgiving Day. Everyone in town knew Rigo Delgado was Joaquin’s biological father, even if the man refused to acknowledge it. As far as she knew, he was still married with two daughters about the same age as Joaquin. And that man had the nerve to hold a grudge against Clear Water. No one in town would welcome him.

Sammi’s eyes went wide. “Oh.” She glanced at Max.

“Joaquin? Someone I know?” he asked.

Her sister’s features stiffened, but she shook her head at Max and answered her sister. “He’s actually a big fan of Max’s. He’s followed his career.” She turned back to Max. “Joaquin Villarreal. Do you know who he is?”

Jackie watched his expression. He didn’t react.

“Is he PBR, too?” Max had a look of total confusion on his face.

Jackie glared at her little sister. “He’s a family friend who works for our dad when he’s not riding the circuit. He’s a PRCA cowboy,” she glanced at Ethan. “That’s Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association, but he hasn’t made it into the top twenty.”

“Yet.” Now Sammi sent a hostile look back at her sister. “He’s been close.”

“Does he ride bulls? I need to get some practice in. Maybe we could join up.” Max cleared his throat. “I feel there is something I should know. What am I missing?”

Should I tell him? She sighed. It was Joaquin’s business, but it was just one more reason her father didn’t like the Delgado family.

Instead of answering him, Jackie moved to the living room, where the little boys were curled up under her blankets. “Do you need any help getting a cabin at The Pecan Farm?”

He was right behind her. “If you can give me a number, I’ll call. I have a few more things to do around here, then we’ll head out.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Thanks for the invite, Sammi, but I think we’ll stick to a quiet dinner.”

Jackie tried to hide her relief, but from the twist of Max’s mouth she might not have been as successful as she hoped. She hated being rude, but having Max there would bring up too many raw emotions for too many people.

Then again, the idea of them eating sandwiches in a lonely cabin tore at her heart.

Max moved closer, less than six inches from her. The scent of leather, denim and autumn surrounded her. He even smelled like a man without trying.

Lifting her chin, she met his stare. “You can bring the boys over if you think they would enjoy a big family Thanksgiving.”

“I doubt they’ve ever had an experience like that.”

“Ohh.” Heavy sadness dripped from Sammi’s one word. “You have to bring them.”

He moved away from Jackie and went to the living room. Bending over the sofa, he checked the boys. “We came out here to spend time getting to know each other. A simple dinner is perfect for us. It’s just another day in the scheme of things.” Facing the sisters, Max rested on the back of the couch and crossed his ankles. “Thanks for the help, Sammi. I’ll make sure to call those numbers.”

She grabbed her coat. “Anytime. And if you need anything, don’t think twice about calling me. You can find whatever you need at the lumberyard. If we don’t have it, we can order it.”

Jackie wanted to stay but didn’t have one single reason she should.

She looked at the old fireplace. Without a fire it was cold and empty. “You might want to find some wood if you stay much longer. It’s too cold in here for the boys. A fire would warm it up nicely. I saw some on the back porch.”

He grinned at her. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Okay then.” She tightened her scarf. “Please let me know what your uncle says about the buildings. If there is anything I can do to change his mind, you know I’ll do it.”

He nodded but didn’t say anything. There was a gleam in his eyes, as if he knew she was confused by him.

She stood over the boys. Tomas had kicked the blanket off his feet. She tucked him back in. “Do you want me to bring lunch after church tomorrow?”

The right corner of his mouth went up. “No. I promise I’ll feed them.”

“Of course. I could still bring out some lunch, and maybe I can go see the site of the old town?”

“Jackie, without talking to my uncle I can’t promise you’ll be able to have the buildings. He might still want me to take them down.”

“I understand. But if I could at least see them and take some pictures for the records I’ve put together on their history.”

“You know, they might not even be standing.” He stuffed his hands in his jacket. “But if you’re sure you want to go, we can drive out there in the afternoon.”

“Thank you.” She turned to leave, trying to walk calmly as if she wasn’t running for her life, but the pounding of her heart could probably be heard across the room. “Bye, Ethan.”

The teen glanced up from his phone. “Bye.”

Max followed her out and stood at the edge of the porch, watching as she climbed into her car.

She started the engine but just sat there for a moment. Head bowed, she prayed. God, this is the closest I’ve been to these buildings. It’s been so heavy on my heart. Please open the Delgado family to seeing what I see. Not understanding her feelings for Max, she didn’t even know what to pray for when it came to him. She needed to stay focused on the buildings.

If she could make this work, this would be the year those buildings could be part of the Christmas celebration. The way her mother had envisioned it. Max’s mother, too.

It was all written out in her mother’s journals. The women had been working together against Max’s father and her father’s wishes. Now she was the one who had to make it right. Her father might grumble that he didn’t want her to do this, but when he stood together with her sisters, he’d see it was all worth it.

She glanced in her rearview mirror as she drove off. Max stood alone.

Just like the day her father took her away from the dance. It had been total selfishness on her part. She’d rather have seen the hurt in Max’s eyes than the hatred she’d known would have been there if she’d confessed to him the reason his mother lost control of the car.

Selfish coward.

How different would their lives have been if she’d listened to her father? It wouldn’t have taken any time to put her toys away instead of leaving them in the car.

If her father, sisters and Max knew the truth, they would all hate her. She had destroyed two families. Please, God, let me at least finish the dream our mothers started.

She could never make it completely right, but if she preserved these buildings that meant so much to them, it would honor their memories.

Chapter Four

Standing up from working on the fence, Max tried to roll his shoulder, but the pain was too much. It was taking him longer to recover from broken bones than it had in the past. Age was not a bull rider’s friend.

He went to his truck and dug around in his bag until he found the painkillers. Pills were not his first choice for controlling the pain. Too many cowboys started relying on them to live. Depending on anything but himself was a no go for him.

After throwing back three pills, he swallowed and glanced around the barn area for the boys. Ethan was standing with the two horses, but he didn’t see Tomas or Isaac anywhere. He glanced at his watch and was surprised to see it was way past one o’clock. Jackie should have been here. She didn’t seem like the kind that would be late.

“Ethan. Where are the boys? It’s time to head back to the house.”

“Yeah.” He pointed to the barn. “They were in the old tac—”

A scream came from the loft area. BAM! Something hit hard.

“Tomas! Max!” Incoherent yelling from Isaac followed.

With Ethan right behind him, Max raced into the barn. Tomas was in the middle of the floor. Shattered pieces of wood surrounded the small body. He wasn’t moving.

Falling to his knees beside the still figure, Max put his hand on the slight shoulder.

Tomas cried out. Okay. That meant he was breathing. That was good. Max said a silent prayer of gratitude. He was alive and conscious.

“Tomas. Where does it hurt?” He removed his work gloves and scanned the area for blood as he assessed the boy.

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