Western Christmas Wishes. Brenda Minton

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      “Sometimes I miss my mom. She was a bad parent but that doesn’t mean I don’t love her or that she didn’t love me. I can miss her. I learned that from my therapist. I can especially miss her at Christmas, even though she never really did anything Christmassy. I really want to decorate a tree.”

      Laurel gave Rose a minute to collect herself. She poured the girl a glass of milk, checked the muffins in the oven and returned to continue the conversation.

      “I’ll see if I can find the tree. And I’ll take the kitten over to her mother in the barn. And I know it isn’t easy, missing someone.”

      She’d never known her dad, but she’d always missed him.

      “Yeah, okay.” Rose buried her nose in the kitten’s soft fur. “Those muffins almost ready? Maybe you could take Cam a couple and ask if he knows where the tree is?”

      “Cam?”

      “Cameron. You know, the guy that lives in the cottage.”

      “Yes, I know who he is.”

      “He might know where the tree is. Maybe if you take him food, you can ask.”

      “If I see him, I’ll ask him.”

      From the road she heard a car honk. She hurried to the front of the house in time to spot the school bus slowing. She started to yell for Rose but the girl already had her backpack thrown over her shoulder as she was running out the door, waving as she ran down the drive.

      “The kitten is on the kitchen floor,” Rose yelled back to her. “I’ll have muffins for a snack after school.”

      “I was going to drive you,” Laurel called out, but it was too late. She closed the door and then leaned against it. “This can’t be my life.”

      From the kitchen she heard a small mew and then the timer on the stove beeped. She removed the muffins from the oven and picked up the kitten. The tiny gray feline purred and nuzzled against her.

      “You do need your mommy, don’t you? Let’s go see if we can find her.” She would take the kitten back and ask about the tree.

      As she approached the building, she heard music. She slowed, taking cautious steps forward. What she was hearing wasn’t coming from the radio. The strumming of the guitar was soft and the words of the song muffled. She leaned in closer, trying to catch the words of the song. For several minutes she stood listening. The music grew louder, then boot steps shuffled.

      “Are you enjoying the concert?”

      She jumped. Cameron Hunter stood in the doorway of the stable, a tall and imposing figure with his black cowboy hat pulled low and a flannel jacket over a dark T-shirt. A guitar hung from the strap around his neck. Her first instinct was to make an excuse or deny that she’d been listening. But, of course, he knew the truth. A person lurking outside a barn was obviously a person up to something.

      She said the first thing to pop into her head. “I’m looking for a Christmas tree.”

      “Out here?” he asked, a half grin tugging at his mouth. He looked around and shrugged. “I think I’d look somewhere else. Unless you’re planning to cut one down.”

      “No, of course not. I promised Rose I would ask. I also had to bring the kitten back to her mother. Have you seen the mama cat?”

      “She was lurking in corners. Sound familiar?”

      Laurel rolled her eyes at the accusation. “I wasn’t lurking, I was listening to your music. You’re very good.”

      “Thank you. And the mother cat is in the far stall with her kittens. I think she’ll be glad to see that one. She’s been looking for her.”

      “Yes, Rose realized she took her away from her family too soon.”

      He motioned her to the end of the barn. “I think Rose wants something of her own. Even if it’s just a kitten. Having a pet is a sign of permanence.”

      Of course, that made perfect sense. She’d been so immersed in her own thoughts, feeling sorry for herself, she hadn’t thought about Rose. She might be Trouble with a capital T, but she was also a child whose mother was missing and her only real stability was an elderly woman in a nursing home.

      “She seemed sad this morning,” Laurel noted as she walked through the door of the stall to find the mother cat with the rest of the litter.

      He paused at that. “I can imagine. She’s lost everyone, and even though Gladys isn’t going anywhere, I could see that it would worry Rose.”

      “Do you know where her mother is?” Laurel asked.

      “No one knows. Family Services has tried to locate her but she hasn’t made contact in six months. She left Rose on a friend’s couch and took off, supposedly for California.”

      “That’s tough. Poor Rose.”

      “Yeah, it is. But Rose is also tough.” He leaned on the stall door to watch as the kitten reunited with her mother. The orange, black and white calico immediately curled up with her baby and began to give the gray kitten a good bath.

      “Oh, I brought muffins.” Laurel handed him the bag she’d carried from the house. “Rose said I’m required to feed you.”

      “You’re not, but thank you.” He took the bag and opened it.

      She backed away and as she did, he gave her his right side. Did he do it consciously, to make people more at ease? Or was it habit? She started to ask but then didn’t. They weren’t friends. They were barely acquaintances. She didn’t have a right to know his stories. And yet she couldn’t walk away.

      “I’m going to see my grandmother. I promised to bring her lunch.”

      His fingers, long and slim, suntanned from time working outside, strummed the guitar. She watched, mesmerized.

      “I considered visiting her this afternoon. She made me feel guilty the other day. I should visit more often.”

      “I’m sure she understands.”

      “I’ll give you a ride if you think you’ll be ready by eleven,” he continued. The offer took her by surprise.

      “Oh, that would be good.”

      “We can’t have you getting lost.” He winked and she thought he had no idea how lost he could make a girl feel. It had nothing to do with a malfunctioning GPS or a not-so-helpful teen.

      Maybe it was just that he had that unavailable vibe and every girl liked a challenge. Every girl but her. She didn’t want to conquer the walls he’d obviously constructed to protect himself. She didn’t want to know all of his secrets and heal his brokenness. She would leave that for some romantic soul out there waiting to fix a broken man and call him her own.

      Laurel wasn’t that person. She was here for a week or so, just long enough to make sure her grandmother was okay.

      “I’ll be ready to go СКАЧАТЬ