The Forest Ranger's Christmas. Leigh Bale

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       Chapter Three

      Two days later, Josie stood with her shopping cart at the back of the only grocery store along Main Street. The place also served as a hardware store. Christmas songs blared over the loudspeaker, but she didn’t hum along. The scent of freshly popped corn filled the air, along with the happy chatter of shoppers. In spite of all this, it still didn’t feel like Christmas. Not to her. Not with Gramps in such a sour mood.

      Looking down at her shopping cart, she studied the boxes of colored Christmas lights she’d selected. No matter what Gramps said, she was determined to hang them on his house. After what had happened with the ranger, he needed cheering up.

      So did she.

      Turning, she perused two fake Christmas trees. The pictures on the outside of the cardboard boxes were quite small and difficult to make out. A Douglas fir covered in heavy white flocking, and a spindly spruce. Both were poor imitations of natural Christmas trees. She could take one home and figure out how to assemble it, she had no doubt. But Gramps wouldn’t like either tree in his living room. And she couldn’t blame him. He’d had a real tree every year of his life and would settle for nothing less.

      “You’re Frank’s granddaughter, aren’t you?”

      Josie turned. An elderly woman with cottony white hair, too much facial powder, and a merry dimple in each plump cheek smiled up at her.

      “Yes, I am.”

      The lady’s grin widened as she propped one hand against her thick waist. “I knew it. I’m Thelma Milton, one of Frank’s friends down at the civic center. You and I have met a couple of times, but you probably don’t remember me. I knew your grandma well.”

      “Yes, of course I remember. You were at Grandma’s funeral.”

      “That’s right. I was sorry to hear about your breakup with your last fiancé.”

      Josie tensed. No doubt Gramps had shared the news with all his cronies down at the civic center. The reminder hurt and made her wonder if she was doomed to spend her life as an old maid. How she wished she could meet just one man she could trust. A man who would love her unconditionally for herself.

      “Frank told me,” Thelma confessed. “And I say it’s for the best. If a man really loves you, he wouldn’t let a little thing like your work come between you, believe me. A beautiful girl like you deserves better.”

      Josie nodded, wishing it was that simple. But she’d rather never marry than end up in an ugly divorce like the one her parents had put her through. Of course, she wasn’t about to discuss her broken relationships with a stranger.

      “Yesterday, Frank and the ranger brought me the most beautiful tree. Frank even set it up inside my house.” Thelma batted her eyelashes like a coy girl.

      Josie swallowed a choking laugh. For some inane reason, she found the situation quite comical. True to his word, Clint had picked up Gramps and the two of them had driven over to the civic center, where they’d handed out all the confiscated trees. Josie had remained at home, sorting through piles of debris littering Gramps’s house to find the mop bucket and vacuum cleaner. His absence had given her some time to clean house. It had also made Gramps feel better, though the stress of learning to read had settled over him like a fat rain cloud.

      “I’m glad you got your tree up,” Josie said, wishing she had a tree for Gramps. Too bad the ranger had confiscated all of the trees he’d cut down.

      Thelma stepped closer. “Frank tells me you’re a pharmacist in Las Vegas.”

      “That’s right.”

      “Do you like your work?”

      “Yes, I love it,” Josie answered truthfully. “And as I remember, you own this store.”

      Josie showed her most friendly smile. After all, this was one of Gramps’s friends and the woman obviously liked him.

      “Yes, I do. Frank is so proud of you. You’re all he talks about. I’m so glad you came home for the holidays. He needs some family around now that Vi’s gone.”

      Vi. The name many people used for Viola, Josie’s grandmother.

      “I’m happy to be here, too.” The bite of guilt nipped at Josie’s conscience. She should have come to visit more frequently. She missed Grandma so much. And it dawned on her that losing his spouse must have devastated Gramps. He didn’t say a lot about it, but inside, he must still be shattered by grief. Josie didn’t want the end of his life to be sad. She wanted them both to be happy. And Josie wasn’t. Not anymore. Not while she was alone. But so far, she’d failed to find a man willing to commit to her permanently.

      “I sure wish we had a pharmacy here in Camlin,” Thelma continued. “I order my prescriptions through the mail. It’s a real pain if they arrive late and I run out of my hormones.”

      “I’m sure that could be a big problem.” Josie laughed.

      “You could always open up a pharmacy here in my store. I wouldn’t charge a lot of rent,” Thelma offered.

      Josie СКАЧАТЬ