The Cowboy Who Saved Christmas

by Jodi Thomas

  “Mrs. Nelson said a lot of men don’t want no one else’s children. We’d be good, and he don’t have to like us,” Katie added.

  It seemed to Clint that Mrs. Nelson had a whole lot to say on the subject. “Girls, there’s not a man I know who wouldn’t be happy to have two girls like you.”

  “I guess Ma could always marry Casey,” Annie mused.

  Casey. Clint remembered that was the man at Amelia’s ranch.

  “We’ll talk to our pa. I’m sure he’ll want your ma,” Boone offered.

  Clint didn’t like the sound of that. “You children need to leave things like this up to the adults.”

  Boone looked up at Clint. “You don’t think Pa would like their ma?”

  Clint couldn’t lie to the boy. “That’s not what I’m saying. But in situations like this, women like to make up their own minds if they want to marry again.” Clint questioned his own motives for objecting to a hypothetical union between Amelia and Whitt.

  “Do you have a wife, Mr. Mitchum?” Boone asked.

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Then why don’t you marry their ma?” Bo asked.

  Chapter 4

  Throughout dinner, Clint thought about Bo’s question. Thankfully, the Nelsons’ grandchildren joined them at the creek and the conversation turned from marriage to Christmas. The children reminisced about past Christmases, when times were not so dire. Clint could hear the excitement in their voices as they recalled happier times in their homes on Christmas morning.

  “Ma told us we’ll celebrate this year having dinner with good friends,” Katie stated.

  “We’re lucky we still have family, even if none of us can afford presents this year,” Mark, the Nelsons’ grandson, commented.

  Clint asked the children what they would ask for if they could have one present this year.

  “No one gets presents this year,” Bo reminded him.

  “I know, but I’d still like to hear what everyone would want if they could receive one present.” Clint thought he would get them started by saying, “I’d like to have new martingales for my horses if I could have a present this year.”

  “I’d just want Lucy back, even if your ma couldn’t make her beautiful again,” Annie told him.

  “Who is Lucy?” Clint asked.

  “My doll.”

  Until that moment, Clint had forgotten about the doll he’d stuffed in his saddlebag when he’d left his ranch. It was Annie’s doll.

  “I’d like a puppy,” Katie shared.

  “Have you ever had a dog?” Clint asked.

  Katie and Annie both shook their heads. “Casey always said we couldn’t afford to feed one.”

  Clint refrained from commenting on what he was thinking. If they were his girls, they’d have a dog no matter what. He wondered if Casey had plans to replace their father.

  Clint ruffled Bo’s hair. “And what would you dream about having?”

  Bo chewed on his lip for a moment before he responded. “I want a billy goat.”

  The girls seemed to like Bo’s response, saying they had never seen a goat before.

  Boone agreed with his brother. “I want a goat, too.”

  Clint looked at Hannah and Bonnie. “And what about you two pretty little ladies?”

  Hannah wanted a new dress and Bonnie wanted a doll.

  “Mark, what would you like to have?” Clint asked.

  “A new pair of boots. All I ever had was my brother’s hand-me-downs, and they are too small now. Maybe next year we can ask for a present.”

  Clint had already noticed the condition of Mark’s well-worn shoes. “My ma always told me that we should always believe in the magic of Christmas.”

  Annie furrowed her forehead. “What does that mean?”

  “I think the magic of Christmas means many things. It’s having a family who loves you and friends to share a meal. When you are older, you will have fond memories of family and friends and the times you spent together. Sometimes dreaming of things you want is the fun part. It also means that anything is possible at Christmas.”

  “But everyone is so sad now,” Katie remarked.

  Clint understood how difficult it was to think of anything but what was lost. “That’s true, honey. But you still have people who love you, and you are making more friends now. We all have so much to be thankful for.”

  Annie placed her small hand in Clint’s. “Mr. Mitchum, I hope you get the nightingales for your horses.”

  Clint chuckled and gave her tiny hand a gentle squeeze. “Martingales. I’ll show you what they are later.”

  * * *

  During dinner, Clint sat near Amelia and the girls. He listened to Annie and Katie tell Amelia about their conversation that day. To his surprise, they remembered what all the children wanted if they could have one present for Christmas.

  “And what did you wish for?” Amelia asked.

  “I miss Lucy. All I want is Lucy,” Annie replied.

  Amelia touched her daughter’s cheek. “I know you do, honey.”

  “I want a puppy,” Katie added.

  “A puppy would be nice,” Amelia agreed.

  “Mr. Mitchum wants nightingales for his horses.”

  “Nightingales?” Amelia glanced at Clint, and he grinned at her.

  Katie corrected her sister. “They are martingales, and Mr. Mitchum is going to show us what they are after dinner.”

  Amelia patiently listened as Annie and Katie recounted their entire conversation with Clint. Instead of sounding disappointed there would be no presents this year, they seemed content to believe in the magic of Christmas. As the girls prattled on about Clint, Amelia found herself glancing his way. All the boys were now surrounding him, asking him question after question and hanging on his every word. Like the girls, the boys were just as smitten with the tall cowboy. And who could blame them? Clint was the type of man she’d dreamed of meeting one day. Of course, that was before she’d married, before her fanciful dreams had faded away. While she didn’t regret the choices she’d made, she still wished she’d known the love of a man. A man like Clint. Everyone told her that few men would want to marry a woman with a ready-made family. She loved the girls with all her heart, and if she had to spend the remainder of her life without a husband, she would still have her girls.

  The magic of Christmas. How nice that sounded. She was thankful that Clint had given the children hope. If she believed in those things now, she’d dream of a man like Clint falling in love with her. A man who could put a smile on the faces of children; a man who encouraged children to dream regardless of the discouraging facts of their situations; a man who made the children feel safe. Clint managed to do this in a short period of time even though he was dealing with his own worries about his mother. Men like Clint were few and far between in her opinion.

  Katie and Annie didn’t really know their father. Amelia doubted if he’d ever spent more than five minutes alone with the girls in their lives. It wasn’t his fault; he’d been away at war, and when he came home, he was ill until the day he died. The girls hadn’t known a man like Clint, a man who would take the time to really talk with them. Amelia smiled to herself, thinking about Clint walking back from the lake tonight with Annie sitting on his shoulders, laughing as though she was having the best time of her short life.

  * * *

  Annie and Katie were helping Amelia clean the pans after dinner when Clint approached them, his saddlebag slung over one shoulder. “Miss Annie, I have something in my saddlebag you need to see.”

  Looking up at him, Annie’s eyes widened in surprise. “What is it?”

  Clint opened the flap on the saddlebag and held it down for her to look inside.

  “Lucy!” She reached into the saddlebag and pulled out her doll. “Where did you find her?”

  “She was sitting in the rocking chair in front of the fireplace at my home.”

  Annie clutched Lucy to her. “Thank you for bringing her to me, Mr. Mitchum!”

&n
bsp; “How did you know the doll belonged to Annie?” Amelia asked.

  “I didn’t, until Annie mentioned her earlier today. I had forgotten I put the doll in my saddlebag when I left the ranch.”

  Amelia gave Clint a warm smile. “She’s really missed her doll.”

  * * *

  Later that night when it was time for the girls to go to bed, Amelia found them with Clint, watching him care for his horses.

  When Amelia joined them, Annie pointed to a well-worn leather strap hanging across a log. “Ma, that’s a nightingale.”

  “Martingale,” Katie corrected.

  Amelia smiled, replying, “I know.” She stayed with Clint and the girls a few more minutes before she told them it was their bedtime. “It’s time to say good night to Mr. Mitchum.”

  “ ’Night, Mr. Mitchum.” Annie walked to him and yanked on his shirtsleeve. When Clint looked at her, she whispered, “Can I kiss you good night?”

  A lump formed in Clint’s throat as he leaned over. “I’d be honored.”

  Annie kissed one cheek and Katie kissed his other cheek.

  “Good night, girls. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Clint finished with his horses and walked to the fire. He saw Amelia and the girls placing their blankets near Bo and Boone, who were already asleep. Whitt was sitting by the fire, drinking coffee.

  “The boys must have worn themselves out,” Clint commented to Whitt as he poured himself some coffee.

  Whitt laughed. “I’m surprised they haven’t worn out your ears.”

  Clint sat down near Whitt. “I’ll admit I’ve never been asked so many questions.”

  While Whitt talked about the gold he’d found that day, Clint tried to hear what the girls were asking Amelia. One question in particular from Annie caught his attention.

  “Ma, will we ever have another pa?”

  Clint wished Whitt would be quiet for a moment so he could hear Amelia’s response. As it was, he only caught her last few words.

  “. . . count our blessings that we have one another.”

  In the next instant, Whitt walked to the fire and poured himself more coffee, and Clint heard Katie say, “Mr. Mitchum doesn’t have a wife.”

  “Hmm,” Amelia murmured.

  Clint wondered what “hmm” meant.

  “We heard Mrs. Nelson say that Mr. Mitchum is real handsome. What do you think, Ma?” Katie asked.

  “Girls, where do you get these questions?” Amelia glanced Clint’s way.

  “We just thought you might want another husband, so we can have food and stuff. Mrs. Nelson said a woman needs a man’s help to survive out here,” Katie explained.

  “Well . . .” Amelia couldn’t finish her reply because Annie spoke up.

  “Mr. Mitchum would make a good pa. He talks to us.”

  “What about Mr. Newcombe? He’s nice, and Bo and Boone are really nice too—for boys. Do you like him better?” Katie asked.

  Clint glanced at Whitt to see if he was listening to their conversation. He was.

  Amelia leaned over the girls and covered them with blankets. “They are all very nice. Now, it’s time for you to get some sleep. Enough questions for one day.”

  Exchanging a look with Whitt, Clint shrugged and lowered his voice. “We’re nice.”

  Whitt laughed. “But you’re handsome and nice.” Whitt eyed Clint, trying to gauge his reaction to Amelia. “You seem mighty interested in what she had to say.”

  Clint took a drink of his coffee. “Aren’t you?”

  “She’s a fine woman, but I just lost my wife.”

  “Don’t you think the boys will need a mother?”

  “Maybe one day, but not right now. It’s not that easy to get over the loss of the woman I’ve loved since I was sixteen years old.”

  Clint thought of his parents and how in love they had been. It had to be tough on his mother to lose not only the love of her life, but her children as well. “I’m sorry, Whitt.”

  “Me too.” Whitt glanced Amelia’s way, then smiled at Clint. “Besides, it seems to me that she looks your way fairly often.”

  Looking across the fire at Amelia, Clint shook his head. “She’s probably going through the same thing you are, losing her spouse.”

  “According to Mrs. Nelson, she lost her husband a few years back.”

  Clint turned to look at him. “You mean he didn’t die of the fever?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  * * *

  Once the girls fell asleep, Amelia walked to the fire and poured herself a cup of coffee. She held the pot out to the men. “Would you like some more?”

  Whitt declined, but Clint held out his cup to her. After she filled his cup, she sat down near him.

  “Did you think they were going to stay awake all night?” Clint teased.

  Amelia laughed. “They’ve had an exciting day.”

  Whitt excused himself to check on his horses, leaving Clint and Amelia alone.

  Clint figured Whitt left on purpose to give him time alone with Amelia. He’d have to thank him for that later. “Those girls are something special.”

  “They think highly of you. It seems you have won two hearts today.”

  Clint was just about to say he’d lost his heart to them, but he heard horses approaching. He held out his hand to Amelia, indicating she should stay seated as he stood and gripped the butt of his pistol.

  Three men reined in opposite the fire, but they didn’t dismount.

  “Can you spare some of that coffee?” the man in the middle asked.

  The first thing Clint noticed was that the strangers were all wearing sidearms. They didn’t have packhorses, which told him they were either outlaws on the run or had a camp somewhere else and were out looking for trouble. Either way, they were up to no good. He’d spent a lot of hours on the trail, and he often had to make quick decisions about men who approached his camp late at night. Some strangers he’d invite to stay and have coffee, others he didn’t. He didn’t like the looks of these characters, and he particularly didn’t like the way they were staring at Amelia. “Sorry, we just finished the last of the coffee.”

  “Can’t you make some more?” The stranger pointed to the man on his left. “My friend here don’t feel too good.”

  Clint spared a quick glance at the sickly man. It was a cool evening, but the man was sweating profusely. “Why are you out here at this time of night looking for coffee?”

  The man doing the talking stared at Amelia and grinned. “What are you two doing out here?”

  Clint glared at the man. “Mister, I suggest the three of you ride on out of here.”

  “Is that your wife?” the man asked.

  Clint took a step forward, blocking the man’s view of Amelia. “Maybe you didn’t hear me. You need to ride out.”

  “Why don’t you introduce us to the little lady?” The leader’s eyes darted to his men.

  Quickly calculating which man would be the first to draw his weapon, Clint chose the right man. The leader reached for his pistol, but Clint was much faster, pointing his gun at the man’s head before his pistol cleared his holster. “I think that would be a big mistake.”

  “There’s three of us and one of you,” one of the other men reminded Clint.

  “Mister, if you’re looking for trouble, you just found it,” Clint told them.

  The three men exchanged a glance before the leader smirked at Clint. “You can’t take three guns.”

  “He probably can, but I’m here if he needs me.” Whitt walked from the brush with his rifle pointed at the men.

  The leader glanced at his companions and holstered his pistol. “Let’s ride, boys.” Before they turned their horses around, the leader gave Clint a hard look. “I’ll see you again.”

  Whitt lowered his rifle and joined Clint by the fire. “What do you think they had in mind?”

  Clint holstered his pistol. “Nothing good. I think we need to sleep in shifts in case they return. If you think you can
sleep, I’ll take first watch.”

  “Sounds good.” Whitt stretched out on his bedroll and covered his eyes with his hat.

  Amelia stood and poured two fresh cups of coffee. “I’m so nervous, I don’t think I can sleep. Do you mind if I keep you company for a while?”

  Clint couldn’t think of a better way to stay awake. “Not at all. I’ll pull over my bedroll closer to the girls’ so we don’t disturb Whitt.”

  After placing his bedroll near Amelia’s blanket, Clint gathered more wood for the fire. Once he had the fire blazing again, he saw Amelia had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. “Cold?”

  “A little, but the fire feels wonderful.” She watched Clint check his rifle and position it within easy reach before he sat down. “What do you think those men wanted?”

  “Probably looking for someone to rob. I’m sure word is out that people are panning for gold here.”

  Amelia shivered. “I didn’t like the looks of them. I’m glad we’re here with you and Mr. Newcombe. I think Mr. Nelson is too trusting; he might have invited them into our camp.”

  Clint stared at her, thinking she looked so lovely by the light of the fire with her flushed cheeks and her long, beautiful hair draped over one shoulder. When his gaze moved to her lips, he had an almost irresistible urge to kiss her. He reminded himself that she may not have recovered from the loss of her husband. His eyes drifted back to hers. “I’m glad you and the girls are here with me.”

  Their eyes remained locked for a few seconds more before Amelia nervously glanced away. “Do you think we should warn the other families in the area to be on the lookout for those men?”

  Clint immediately regretted that he’d allowed the moment to pass without making a move. He thought of the old proverb; fortune favors the bold. It won’t happen again, he promised himself. “I’ll ride to tell the other folks in the morning. When I’m not around, I want you and the girls to stay close to the men.”

  Chapter 5

  Early the next morning, Clint was saddling his horse when Amelia joined him. “Please be careful, Mr. Mitchum, and give my best to the Wilburn family.”