Cedric shook his head. “I don’t know how you can turn any of it down. I have to walk and go without supper today but I’m having some of everything. I’ve got lots of stuff but will power isn’t on the list, not when it comes to Tilly’s cooking.”
Jade grinned at Tilly when she saw her blush with pleasure. “He’s just trying to get out of loading the dishwasher, the old smoothie.”
“Works, doesn’t it?” He ducked when she threw her napkin at him.
“I’d be glad to do dishes for you, Tilly. I’d like to contribute something.” Matt gave her a wonderful smile.
“We’ll empty the washer, put that stuff away, and rinse the dishes before we put them in. It’s your turn to relax.” Jade nodded her agreement.
Tilly’s smile was huge. “That’s right nice of you two. If you’re sure—“
“We’re sure.” Jade stood up and took some turkey scraps out to Glory and Slick, the cat.
When she came back in, the other three were laughing. “Okay. What did I miss?”
Matt looked a little sheepish. “Your uncle was trying to get me to tell him what you were making him for Christmas. I told him I didn’t know but he doesn’t believe me.”
“He accused Matt of making a chamber pot for him, using his new ceramic process. That would serve him right for being so nosy,” Tilly said.
“Okay. I give up. I feel really silly for hiding what I’ve been doing. I’m sorry to disappoint you but I’m not making your presents. I ordered some of them and they’re not here yet. I’ll show you what I’ve been up to and you can even laugh if you want to.” Jade went to her office and took the carving out of her locked drawer and took it to the kitchen. “There. My secret’s out. The person who can guess what it’s supposed to be gets a gold star.”
“It’s Ebenezer!” Matt looked as pleased as if she had won a prize.
“Well, I don’t know.” Cedric turned the carving around and looked at it from every angle.
“Cedric Watson, don’t you dare criticize Jade’s fine work. Why, you can’t even peel a potato.”
“I can so! I was the fastest guy at KP they ever had at boot camp. I was just about to say that she’s indulging in wishful thinking. I didn’t think he was that pretty any more. This looks like him when he was a young sport.” He winked at Jade and handed the carving back to her.
She laughed when she realized she could not stop smiling and two tears sneaked out of her eyes. “Thank you, all of you. I worked like a dog on this and it never seemed quite right.”
“Don’t let your perfectionism keep you from carving, love. It really is good. You should be proud of it. We all have that trouble. I threw away my first two glass art works before Gordon pulled me aside and told me that the next time I threw my work away he was going to throw me on top of it. When we first start creating art we want it to be like what someone else did but it shouldn’t be. It’s yours. It should be a surprise, even a little crazy. We need to watch ourselves grow but don’t ever let what other people do or think stop you from doing your own thing. It’s important.” The intensity in Matt’s voice and the fierce look on his face almost scared Jade.
Cedric and Tilly looked spellbound, as if they were holding their breath.
“All right, I’ll keep that in mind. And, I expect you to follow your own advice. I’m looking forward to your first pots. Dibs on the very first one. We just won’t tell Rafael.”
Matt sighed and glanced down. “Rafael doesn’t own me and he’s not likely to. I’m willing to show up when his hot shop needs repairs after I build it. I’ll offer him a shot at my freelance design projects but I’ll do art commissions for other people any time I please. I’m sure that my attitude won’t suit him. All the same, I won’t hold you to accepting my first pot. It may be a fizzle.”
“I don’t believe it. By the way, Delta sent me a gorgeous photo of her latest work. You’ll love how she used the stuff Lee found for her. And, Rafael is planning to visit here and look at Winks’ place sometime before summer.”
Cedric gave her a sideways glance. “Are you cooking up some scheme to get Winks out of your hair?”
Jade smiled and flexed her eyebrows. “Wish me luck, Uncle. I would love to get that oversized buffalo out of here.”
“What could a man who’s already rich want with a cattle ranch? All they do, half the time, is lose money.” Cedric looked completely confused.
“He could probably use a tax write-off.”
“More than that,” Matt said. “He could build a hot shop here and keep it open in the summer. Winks’ place is bigger than he needs but Rafael likes too big a whole lot better than too small.”
On Saturday afternoon the extra packers all showed up and the load was out the door by a quarter to five.
Jade looked around and smiled. “Great work, everybody! Matt’ll be here in a couple minutes with the food. Let’s clean up a little and we’ll all meet in the conference room. Guys, if you’ll follow Wolf he can show you where the extra chairs are kept and we’ll all have a place to sit.”
She got the teenagers to compromise with the country music crowd by finding a radio station which played cool jazz and the conversation settled into an easy buzz while everyone tore into the pizzas and soda.
“Well, there goes my diet,” Betty shook her head and put her cowboy boots on the copy paper box in the corner.
“Aw, come on. Don’t tell me you actually dieted on Thanksgiving, Aunt Betty. That’s un-American.”
“Okay, I won’t tell you that. Well, Matt, you been here for three weeks now. What do you think?”
“About Favorite Specialties?”
“No, silly! About the Mishap area. You think you could be content here? Most you world travel arty types come here to take a few pictures, paint one or two, and then you’re off to some city or other.”
“Watch out, Matt! She’s after your bod. You know your record, Bet. He’s probably another guy with two other wives.” The big man who was teasing her was almost bald and sported a full beard and a t-shirt which said, Santa, hell! I’m the kissing Christmas burglar!
“Oh, dry up, Ralph! He belongs to the boss. I just want to make sure he isn’t going to break her heart.”
“Thanks, Betty, but I can take care of myself. Besides, how do you know I don’t have a guy stashed in San Francisco?” Jade gave her a scolding look.
“I don’t. Sounds like a great idea to me. You get tired of either one of them, just let me know.”
Matt shook his head while several people laughed.
The next two weeks were total chaos. Even laid back Jack Cooper seemed on the verge of burnout two weeks before Christmas. “I don’t know, Jade. I could swear that all of our customers went out and got two relatives to sign up with us and they all ordered Bruce shirts, Hush Puppies, and Gerstbacher toys. I tried to find some more storage space for Wolf and I came up empty.”
“Relax, Jack. I think I’ll go over the stuff up in the attic. You and Matt can haul it off to the thrift store and we’ll store the extra shipments up there for a few days. I bought enough new decorations that the old stuff can go.” Jade kicked her feet off the box next to her desk and looked for her gloves. “Let’s go.”
The men pulled the folding ladder down so Jade could lead the way. The first thing she did was to open the window enough to let in some fresh air without letting the rain come in. “Whew! We don’t want to be up here long unless we wear dust masks.”
“I’ll get them. They’re stashed in my office.”
While Jack was gone Matt stole a kiss from Jade and got one in return.
“Oh, oh! We have company.”
Jade turned, expecting to see Jack, but saw a luxurious gray tail instead. “Oh, no. Matt, I’ll bet she has babies up here. No, wait! It’s only December so she’s just getting ready for them. We’d better get her out of here.”
Matt used a piece of cardboard to scoot the angry squirrel out the window before he began to peek into various boxes in the
search for the squirrel nest.
Jack joined in when he handed out the masks. “Here! I see it in the corner. That board must’ve rotted out or someone tried to break in here.”
“This is the oldest part of this building. It’s what’s left of the old house before they converted it to a nut packing plant. The walls might be crumbling by now. You know I’m glad we came up here. This may not be safe anymore. I’m going to have to think about a new location, as much as I hate to.” Jade sighed and added the item to her list of things which needed to be done after the holidays.
Jade spent the following Sunday morning with the vet while he checked Ebenezer. The horse had been coughing a lot and didn’t seem to be eating as much as he had before. The old bay horse seemed to trust the vet. He patiently leaned against the shed wall while the vet pressed on his chest and stomach with his stethoscope and examined the horse’s eyes, ears, and mouth. Finally, the red haired man stood back and let his breath out. “Jade, according to our files Ebenezer is twenty-seven years old.”
“That’s pretty good, isn’t it?”
‘That’s quite good for a horse and he still looks good, too.”
“But?”
“But, he’s got the horse version of TB, I think. I’ll have this blood sample tested but I think you better be ready to put him down, if I’m right. It gets pretty painful for the animal, after awhile.”
Jade could feel her chest close up. She had ridden him every summer from when she was twelve until she graduated from high school. “It’s because I haven’t been riding him enough, isn’t it? I feel so bad.”
“I honestly don’t think so. Horses get it easier in a damp climate like this one and it’s possible the stuff was in the grass from another horse. Winks runs his horses in the next pasture, sometimes, doesn’t he?”
“Yes, but they’re fancy and spoiled.”
“That doesn’t mean they couldn’t have picked up something in Texas before he brought them here. That’s not necessarily how it happened. Old Ebbie may have developed this all on his own.” The vet raised his hands in a helpless gesture. “I’ll let you know as soon as I find out.”
During the next week Jade made sure that Ebenezer got extra attention, some of his favorite sour apples, and plenty of carrots. He seemed to enjoy the apples but he barely touched his carrots and seemed to have no energy. It was obvious he enjoyed the extra attention.
Every night, after dinner, she polished the detail on her carving of the old horse while Matt worked in the shop.
A week later the vet called. “It isn’t the stuff I thought it was, Jade, but it’s just as bad. It’s a tough kind of pneumonia that old horses get because they have trouble chewing their food. That last kid I had work on his teeth maybe didn’t do as good a job as he should have. I’m not sure. Anyway, I stopped over there today and gave him a shot and left some antibiotic tablets with your uncle. He said he’d see to it the old boy got one night and morning. I’ll be out there again the day before Christmas. I’ll know then.” The vet mumbled something about wishing he could do more and then hung up.
Jade decided she wanted to be able to relax the day before Christmas while she wrapped presents and sent out late Christmas cards. “Okay, everyone, let’s ship everything out on Friday so we can all enjoy Christmas Eve as well as the day after. That means we pack morning to night for the next two days. You up for it?”
Betty, Jack, Wolf, and Velma smiled and held up their thumbs. There was a cheer after they filed out of the office. Jade took that as a sign that the packers liked the idea of getting done early.
When she and Matt drove into the yard at seven o’clock on Friday night Jade saw the vet’s big pickup and felt a chill shoot through her. “Oh, no.”
“Easy, love. Maybe he decided to check on him early, instead of tomorrow.”
When they found him in the shed, the vet and Cedric were kneeling down and talking low over the reclining horse. Ebenezer was still wearing his bright blue blanket and his manger was full of hay. The vet looked over at them when they walked up to him. His eyes looked anguished. He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Jade. The old boy was having a real tough time breathing so I put him to sleep. Cedric said you didn’t want him to suffer.”
Jade nodded but she turned away to hide her tears. Matt gathered her against his shoulder and rubbed her back. “I’m sorry, love. I know how much he meant to you.”
“I just hope I didn’t neglect him in some way.”
Cedric stood up and put his hand on her shoulder. “Truth be told, girl, your grandfather would accuse you of spoiling the hell out of the old boy and he enjoyed every minute of it. Clark and I will load him up and take care of him. Why don’t you two go to the house and get something hot to drink. It’s miserable out here.”
Dinner was a dismal, silent affair until Jade looked up to see everyone worrying about her. Even Cedric was quiet as a mouse. “I’m sorry I’m taking this so hard. Maybe I just didn’t grow up and Ebenezer let me keep one foot in my childhood.”
“Nonsense!” Tilly waved the notion away and set a plate of warm cookies on the table before refilling everyone’s cider mugs. “You’ve known that animal a long time and any time something like that dies we all feel a little too mortal for our comfort. You’ll feel better in a few days, especially with that fine memorial you made for him.”
Jade gave Tilly a puzzled look. “Memorial?”
“Why that lovely pine carving. You’ve oiled it and rubbed it to a fair thee well and it’s pretty as it can be. You should be very proud of it.”
Jade smiled and bit into a cookie. “Thank you. By the way, since Matt and I are free tomorrow, is there anything I can do to help you, Tilly? The tree looks terrific and I feel like I haven’t done my part this year.”
At that moment the phone rang. Cedric answered it and handed it to Matt. “It’s your mom.”
“Merry Christmas, mom. I was going to call you tomorrow. Oh, no. I’m sorry. I know you really liked him. That’s unfair!” Matt’s face turned dark red with anger. “She had no right to do that. We’re coming down there to get you tomorrow. Are you sure? Well, of course we will. Tilly was just saying how much she wished you would join us for Christmas. She wants to meet you. All right. We’ll be there. Yes.”
“Is it Russell?” Jade could feel the intense anger emanating from Matt.
He nodded. “He was cold when she went to wake him for breakfast and his medicine. I guess his daughter was really awful to her when she came to the house. She told Mom to leave immediately and she was going to inspect her luggage before she left.”
“Why that vicious brat! Sari was devoted to that man.” Jade wanted to reach out to touch Sari and reassure the kind little woman.
“I wanted to throttle her but I guess the son showed up while Sari was packing and there was a shouting match between him and his sister. He had met Sari and the sister hadn’t set foot in the house for a couple of years. Anyway, he took Sari and her things out to his car without a word to his sister and took her to a nice hotel out by the Sacramento Airport and paid for it and a ticket to Eugene. Her flight leaves in the morning and should get her to Eugene about ten-thirty or so.”
“Well, I’m glad someone in that family has some sense.”
“Now, don’t you worry.” Tilly had her lips pressed together. “My guest room is ready to use and she’ll be just fine there. That is if that’s okay with you, Matt.”
“Fine, but won’t that be inconvenient for you and Cedric? Three’s company, you know.”
“Never stopped us before. But it’s nice to know a young sport who still thinks I’m alive and kicking.”
Tilly turned bright red. “Why, Cedric Watson, you conceited man! What will they think of us.”
“We think you’re both alive and kicking, Tilly.” Jade laughed and began to clear the table. “Since we held up dinner and you were so kind to wait for us, I’m going to clean up here. You guys go relax.”
“But, Jade, with all y
ou’ve been through you should rest.”
Matt gathered the cups and took them to the sink. “I’ll help her.”
“Tilly. I’m fine. I’ll feel better when Sari comes tomorrow, too.”
By the time she finished wrapping her presents, in her office, it was late. She crawled in beside Matt without disturbing his gentle snoring and instantly fell to sleep, dreaming of days of riding Ebenezer when he was a young and spunky gelding.
* * *
When the passengers from Sari’s flight came spilling into the gate waiting area, the graceful little woman did not look as depressed as Jade had feared she would. “Sari, it’s a relief to have you here. I’m sorry about Russell.”
“You’re as bad as my soft-hearted son.” She patted Jade’s hand. “I’m fine. This was actually for the best. He didn’t seem very comfortable the last couple of days and there was nothing else I could do for him. I guess he and his daughter didn’t get along very well. I think it was her guilt that made her so mean. Anyway, her brother was very nice to me and I’m glad to be out of there.”
“We’re all glad to have you here. Tilly can’t wait to meet you. I hope you’ll relax a couple of days before you look for a job.” Jade hoped Sari felt welcome.
“I don’t have much choice. I have to start over now.”
“Don’t worry, Mom. We’ll help you find something in Eugene. With you so close I won’t worry about you.”
Tilly and Sari found they had a common love of old fashioned flowers and seemed to be old friends in a short time. When everyone gathered together in front of the tree to exchange gifts, after dinner, Jade was delighted to find that her present from Matt was a set of two clear glass vases that he had made with his new process. The small vase resembled a curling leaf. It was studded with petals that were blue or red or purple. They seemed to hang in mid-air and looked like sweet pea petals. “How did you do that? Are they real?”
He laughed and shook his head. “They’re raw silk. I slipped them in the half cooled glass. I thought this was the right size for your sweet pea bouquets in the Spring.”
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