He ignored her comment to focus on his niece, seated at the table with her schoolbooks open in front of her. “Homework?” he guessed.
She nodded. “Science,” she said, her expression and her tone reflecting displeasure. “Dad was helping me, but Mom ordered him to go rest when you showed up.”
“I ordered him to rest because he’s still recuperating,” Annie said in a no-nonsense mom voice.
“Oh, right.”
The exchange struck Bailey as a little odd, but his sister-in-law didn’t pause long enough for him to ponder it.
“Considering that school let out almost five hours ago, I hope you’re not just getting back from the Santa gig now,” she remarked.
“Of course not. Me and Serena went for a drive afterward,” he admitted. “And then we decided to get some dinner.”
“Like a date?” Janie asked.
“No,” he immediately replied.
“Sounds like a date to me,” his niece insisted.
“What do you know about dating?” he asked her.
“Nothing,” she said with a sigh. “Nothing at all.”
“Homework,” Annie said, in an effort to redirect her daughter’s attention. Then to Bailey, “But your non-date with Serena is interesting.”
“What’s so interesting about it?” he challenged.
“Just that, as far as I know, you haven’t dated anyone since you came back to Rust Creek Falls.”
“And I’m not dating anyone now,” he said firmly.
His sister-in-law sighed. “Well, thank you again for filling in for your brother today.”
“How’s he doing?”
“Much better. In fact, he’s in the living room watching TV if you want to say hi.”
So Bailey went through to the living room, where his brother was stretched out on the sofa. Shifting his gaze to the screen, he saw that, sure enough, there was a game on.
“Hey,” Dan said, clicking the mute button on the remote. “How’d it go today?”
“Pretty good,” Bailey allowed.
“Janie said you were a very believable Santa Claus.”
“Ho ho ho,” he said, affecting the persona.
Dan nodded. “Not bad for a Grooge.”
Bailey just shook his head.
“Seriously though, I appreciate you filling in for me again,” his brother said.
“It wasn’t really that big a deal,” Bailey said.
“It was to me. For too many years, when I was living on my own, I forgot what it meant to be part of a family, to know there were people I could count on to help me out.”
“I’m sorry I bailed on you all those years ago.”
Dan shook his head. “That’s not what I’m saying.”
“I’m sorry anyway.”
“We all made mistakes. And it really did mean the world to me that you found your way back to Rust Creek Falls for my wedding.”
“That was just unfortunate timing on my part,” Bailey said, not entirely joking.
“So you’ve said—on more than one occasion,” his brother acknowledged dryly.
“But you and Annie...you really do work,” he said. “Not just as a couple but a family.”
“Coming home was the best thing I ever did,” Dan said. “I only wish I’d found the courage to do so a lot sooner—then maybe I wouldn’t have missed the first eleven years of Janie’s life.”
Yeah, it sucked that his brother had lost so much time with his daughter. And though Bailey didn’t doubt that they’d hit some rough spots as they got to know one another, they were growing closer every day.
If Dan held on to any resentment because his daughter also continued to be close to Hank Harlow, who’d raised her as his own for the first decade of her life—even after divorcing Annie—he was smart enough not to show it. And if Bailey could believe his brother, Dan was sincerely grateful that Hank had been there for Janie during those years that her biological father wasn’t.
“I’m hoping that it won’t take too much longer for you to figure out that coming home was the best thing you ever did, too,” Dan said.
Bailey shrugged, deliberately noncommittal.
When he’d shown up in Rust Creek Falls the previous December, he’d had no intention of staying for any length of time. He only wanted to touch base with his siblings before he moved on again. Almost twelve months later, he was still in town, still trying to figure out a plan for his own life.
He should be on his way, but things felt...unfinished. Though he’d reconnected with all of his brothers and two of his sisters, he knew that there would be a void in all their lives until Liza was found.
Bella’s husband, Hudson Jones, had willingly bankrolled the search for his wife’s missing siblings. Of course, Hudson had all kinds of money to throw around and there was no doubt the multimillionaire would do anything for Bella. In fact, it was the bigshot PI he’d hired—David Bradford—who’d managed to track down their brother Luke in Cheyenne, notwithstanding the fact that a payroll glitch had caused him to be working under the name Lee Stanton at the time.
Bailey had come back to Rust Creek Falls of his own volition a few weeks after Luke. But while the PI continued to look for their youngest sister, he’d yet to make any significant progress in that search.
“Anyway,” Bailey said, not wanting to dwell on past mistakes or current problems, “I’m glad you’ve finally kicked back at that virus or flu or whatever knocked you down.”
“Not as glad as I am,” Dan said. “I don’t mind staying in bed all day if my beautiful wife is there with me, but fever and chills sure can put a damper on a man’s enjoyment between the sheets.”
Bailey held up a hand. “I really don’t want to hear about your bedroom activities.”
“You’re just jealous that I have a love life,” Dan teased.
Maybe he was envious—not so much of his brother’s bedroom activities, but the obvious and deep connection he shared with both his wife and newfound daughter. Dan was part of a family again, and thriving in the roles of husband and father.
Dan and Annie had fallen in love when they were teenagers, and somehow their love had survived not only a dozen years apart but Annie’s marriage to another man during that time. Bailey knew there had been issues for them to work through when Dan finally returned to Rust Creek Falls—and a lot of hurts to be forgiven—and he wondered what it would be like to share that kind of relationship with someone.
Bailey had thought he was in love with Emily and wanted to build a life with her, but it quickly became apparent that he and his wife had very different ideas for their future together. He’d taken a chance and he’d blown it. He had no desire to open up his heart and let it be kicked around again.
But even as he reminded himself of that fact, he found his thoughts drifting again, and an image of Serena formed in his mind, tugged at his heart. She was obviously a lot stronger and braver than he was. She’d suffered the loss of her sister and subsequent breakup of her family, and somehow she still managed to greet each day with a smile on her face. Not only that, but she actually looked forward to celebrating the Christmas season and sharing her joy with others—including him.
“So you didn’t mind partnering with Serena Langley?” Dan asked, breaking into Bailey’s thoughts.
“No, it was fine,” he said cautiously.
“Just fine?”
“What do you want me to say?”
His brother shrugged. “I just wondered what’s going on with the two of you.”
“You wondered what’s going on?”
“Okay, Annie was wondering,” Dan admitted. “You know she and Serena are friends as well as coworkers.”
“I do know,” Bailey confirmed. “And if your wife wants to know what’s going on, maybe she should ask her friend and coworker.”
“Believe me, I wouldn’t be hassling you if Annie had had any success with her inquiries.”
“Maybe Serena hasn’t told her anything because there’s nothing to tell,” Bailey suggested.
“Luke said you danced with her at the fund-raiser—and that sparks were flying.”
“Maybe between him and Eva,” he countered. “But it’s nice to know that my brothers have nothing better to do than gossip about me.”
“Since you don’t tell us anything, it’s the only way we can keep up with what’s going on in your life.”
He wanted to protest that there was nothing to share, but then he remembered the kiss. That kiss had definitely been something, and it made him want more. A lot more.
But that wasn’t something he had any intention of sharing with his brother for Dan to then share with the rest of the family.
Even if it was kind of nice to be reunited with his siblings and to know that they cared.
Serena was waiting for Bailey to pick her up for their shopping trip Saturday morning when her phone rang. She intended to let the call go to voice mail, but a quick glance at the display identified the caller as Janet Carswell, causing her to snatch up the receiver.
“Hi, Grams.”
“I got your Christmas card in the mail yesterday,” her grandmother said. “The pretty winter scene on the front didn’t make me miss the snow, but I do miss you.”
“I miss you, too,” Serena told her.
“How is everything in Rust Creek Falls?”
“Cold and snowy,” she said.
“Nothing new?” her grandmother prompted.
“Well, I saw my mom last week.”
“How is she?” Grams asked cautiously.
“Good,” Serena said, and proceeded to fill her grandmother in on the conversation she’d had with her mother—and on Amanda’s new boyfriend.
“I’m glad to hear that my daughter’s doing well,” Grams said. “But I really want to know what’s been going on with my granddaughter and her new man.”
“You’ve been talking to Melba Strickland,” she guessed.
“Well, someone needs to keep me up to date with the happenings in Rust Creek Falls.”
“I talk to you every week,” Serena reminded her grandmother.
“But you always censor the good stuff.”
She chuckled. “You only think I do. The truth is, there isn’t any good stuff to censor.”
“Maybe that’s why I worry about you, Rena.”
“You don’t need to worry about me—I’m doing just fine,” she assured her.
“You’re alone,” Grams said in a gentle tone.
“Hardly.”
“Your pets don’t count.”
“Don’t tell them that,” Serena cautioned.
Grams sighed. “You’ve got so much love to give, but you’re afraid to give it.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“It’s understandable.” Her grandmother forged ahead as if Serena hadn’t spoken. “You’ve been hurt, and deeply, by so many people who were supposed to love you.”
“You’re the one who always said that whatever doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.”
“I was paraphrasing Nietzsche,” Grams confessed.
“Still, I think there’s a lot of truth in that statement.”
“And I think you’re one of the strongest women I know,” her grandmother said. “With one of the softest hearts. But you don’t let many people into your heart.”
“I let plenty of people into my heart.”
“You know what I mean,” Grams chided. “You’ve hardly dated anyone since you broke up with Bobby Ray.”
It was true. It was also true that she never should have let herself fall for a man who everyone knew was still carrying a torch for his high school girlfriend—notwithstanding the fact that she’d moved on and moved away and was now married to someone else.
But Serena had a habit of falling for men who were emotionally unavailable. Before Bobby Ray Ellis, she’d dated Howard Shelton, a widower with a gorgeous labradoodle. Before Howard, she’d gone out with Kevin Nolan, an attorney from Kalispell who’d been so focused on his billable hours he’d rarely had any time left for her.
And since she was thinking about time, she glanced at the clock and realized she didn’t have much before Bailey was due to arrive.
“I’ve gotta go, Grams, but I’ll call you next week,” she promised.
As she hung up the phone, she couldn’t help but wonder if she was making the same mistake with Bailey that she’d made so many times previously.
She knew that he had an ex-wife, but she didn’t know any other details about his marriage or why it had ended. Was he still in love with the woman he’d married? Was her growing infatuation with the sexy cowboy going to end with more heartache?
Possibly...and yet, she couldn’t stop her heart from doing a happy little dance when she saw Bailey’s truck pull up in front of her building now.
Chapter Eight
Bailey had called Serena on Friday night to confirm their plans for shopping the next day—and to offer to drive. She’d teasingly accused him of being worried that she might actually leave him at the mall, but she didn’t oppose his plan. She did, however, request a slight detour when he picked her up Saturday morning.
“I have to stop at Crawford’s before we head out,” she told him, as she buckled her seat belt.
“You don’t think that whatever you need from the general store could be picked up in Kalispell?”
“No, because what I need is a tag from the Tree of Hope.”
He looked at her blankly. “The what?”
“The Tree of Hope,” she said again. “It was Nina’s idea,” she said, referring to the woman who’d been born a Crawford but was now married to Dallas Traub, with whom she was raising his three sons and her daughter. “It started about five years ago, when families were struggling to recover from the catastrophic flooding that summer, and so many people had nothing left to put presents under a Christmas tree—if they even had a Christmas tree.”
She went on to explain that gift tags marked with the age and gender of the intended recipient were hung on the branches of a decorated tree inside Crawford’s General Store. Customers would choose one or more of the tags, purchase appropriate gifts and return them to the store with the tags. Then Nina—and any other volunteers that she managed to recruit—would wrap and deliver the gifts.
“Rust Creek Falls really does take care of its own,” Bailey noted, pulling into a parking spot near the General Store.
“Sometimes we need a little help from our neighbors,” Serena acknowledged, unbuckling her belt. “After the flood, we were fortunate that a lot of folks from Thunder Canyon came to town to help with the cleanup and rebuild.”
“That’s the second time you’ve mentioned a flood,” he observed as he opened her door for her.
“I guess the news didn’t make its way down to New Mexico.”
“I guess not,” he confirmed.
“It was five years ago, around the Fourth of July. There were torrential rains in the area, and a lot of homes were ruined by the floods. Several public buildings were destroyed, the Commercial Street Bridge was washed away, the Main Street Bridge was impassable, and Hunter McGee, the former mayor, died of a heart attack after a tree crushed the front of his car. That led to a battle between Collin Traub and Nate Crawford to fill the vacant office which, you could probably guess, Collin won, as he’s still the mayor today.”
“I had no idea about any of this,” Bailey confessed.
“The devastation was unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” she told him. “Afterward everyone pitched in to help with the cleanup and rebuild, but it still took months. And that,” she said, passing through the door he held open for her and entering the store, “
is the not-so-short story about the floods that led to the creation of the Tree of Hope.”
Bailey followed Serena to the holiday display and the tree that appeared to be empty of tags. On closer inspection, he found two. “There are only a couple of tags left.”
“It is only a couple of weeks until Christmas,” she pointed out.
He reached for the nearest tag and removed it from the branch to read the information on the back. “Male, seventy-two-years, diabetic, shoe size ten.”
“There are some older residents in town who don’t have any family around to celebrate with, so Nina added them to the Tree of Hope to ensure they aren’t forgotten during the holidays.”
“Do you think you can help me find a gift for a seventy-two-year-old diabetic man who wears a size ten?”
“Sugar-free candy and warm slippers,” she immediately suggested.
He nodded and held on to the tag.
Serena took the last one from the tree.
“What did you get?” he asked.
“Seven-year-old boy.” She approached Natalie Crawford, who was organizing a display of building block sets nearby. “Did Nina happen to put a tag from the Tree of Hope aside for me?”
“Oh, hi, Serena,” Natalie said. “And yes, she did.” She finished stacking the boxes in her hand, then moved toward the cash register. Opening a drawer beneath the counter, she retrieved a tag that had been stored there for safekeeping. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” Serena slid both tags into the side pocket of her handbag, then turned back to Bailey. “Now we can go.”
* * *
“Are you going to tell me what that was about?” Bailey asked, when they were back in his truck and en route to Kalispell.
“You mean the tag that Natalie gave me?” Serena guessed.
He nodded.
“If there’s a three-year-old girl who needs a gift, Nina will put that tag aside for me,” she confided. “I know it’s silly, but—”
“No,” he interjected. “It’s not silly at all. It’s a good way to remember your sister at the holidays, at least until you find her again.”
Bring Me A Maverick For Christmas! (Montana Mavericks: The Lonelyhearts Ranch Book 6) Page 9