Page 17 of Texas Christmas

“Come back after work,” I said, desperate to keep her close. “The county offices are closed on Christmas, right? You can come back here tomorrow night after work, and then after you work on Christmas Eve you can come back again to spend the holiday with us.”

“We are actually closed on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I’m on call though. I always volunteer so other people who have families can have Christmas off.”

The fact that she never had a reason to celebrate Christmas broke my heart. I wasn’t an overly sentimental person, but Christmas was special. Magic. A time for family and loved ones. I was determined to have my newest loved one right next to me at Christmas dinner.

“Can you take the emergency calls from here?” I asked.

She nodded thoughtfully. “I don’t see any reason why not. I’ve only gotten one call in all the years I’ve done this.”

“Good, it’s settled then. You’ll stay over here and then spend Christmas with your new family.”

I saw a flash of something on her face. Maybe fear. Maybe disbelief. Whatever it was, I was determined to prove to her that she had a place to belong. Here with us.

She laid back down and I pulled her close, pressing my lips to the top of her head. After a few minutes she relaxed against me, and her breathing evened out as she fell asleep.

We both got up early the next morning, and Abby insisted on helping me with the animals before she left for work. We made a good team. She was strong and knew just as much about what they needed as I did. More even.

The injured goat seemed to be on the mend, and Abby deemed him okay to return to the pen with his goat family.

She left about ten in the morning, giving the roads some more time to clear, though the grass was still covered with a layer of snow. I couldn’t get her out of my mind all day.

“How’s it going with your girl?” my father asked me as we spread new hay in the barn later that day.

I looked at him in surprise. My father only asked questions about the ranch and sports. I couldn’t think of a single time when he’d ever asked me a personal question.

“It’s going great,” I said. “She’s a bit guarded, but I’m determined to show her that she belongs with me.”

“You know, I fell for your mama the moment I saw her.” His face softened with the memory. “She thought I was crazy, of course, but I just kept coming around until I wore her down. And of course Allen fell for Clara in an instant, even if they weren’t able to be together for so many years. Men in the Jeffers family, when we find the one we’re meant to be with, well, we just know.”

I hadn’t known any of this, probably because as much as I loved them, I had a tendency to keep myself separate from the rest of my family.

“Thanks, Dad, that’s helpful to know.”

He clapped me on the shoulder. “You’ll do all right, son. Now that you found her, I told your mama to stop worrying about you.”

“Why would she be worried about me?” I asked, puzzled.

“No man should be alone, Peter. You’ve always been a lonely soul, but it looks like you found another lonely soul and together, you’ll do all right. I just know it.”

Abby

I second guessed my decision to spend the holiday with Peter and his family about a million times as I went through my day. Everything had seemed good, really good, while we were together yesterday, but what if Peter came to his senses while I was away?

Plus, I was sure that Peter’s brother Allen and his girlfriend Clara were going to be there for Christmas. They might not like a stranger joining them for the holiday. Even if they were okay with it, I knew I was going to feel like an outsider.

I hated feeling like that. I’d worked hard as an adult to never feel like an outsider in someone’s family. In fact, I’d successfully avoided holidays my entire adult life. When guys I was dating invited me to attend a family event like a wedding or a holiday, I always refused to go.

But between Peter and his mother, I would feel churlish turning down the invitation. Mary Jeffers had been so affected by my Christmases in foster care story that she’d gotten teary eyed. I felt like I would be disappointing her by not coming.

And in his quiet way, I knew Peter wanted me to come as well. He wasn’t just inviting me out of obligation, that was clear.

All my swirling doubts disappeared when I got to Peter’s house that night after work. I’d stopped at home to water my plants and pack a bag of my own clothes, prepared to spend the next few days with the Jeffers family if things went well.

I only hoped that they went well.

When I got back to Peter’s after work, I forgot about all my doubts. He looked thrilled that I was there, and to my shock, the man had dinner on the table.

“You cooked?”