All I Want for Christmas: A Kinnison Legacy Holiday novella

by Amanda McIntyre

  All I Want for Christmas

  (A Kinnison Legacy holiday novella)

  By

  Amanda McIntyre

  Chapter One

  Liberty glanced at the sweet, gooey cinnamon bun Betty had placed before her. There was a day when she could’ve downed two in rapid succession without so much as a flinch. Today, however, was different. She checked her cell phone for the hundredth time, seeing that she still had a good twenty minutes to wait.

  “Would you like another warm-up of your coffee, hon?” Betty asked. The woman looked down at her, with concern in her soft brown eyes. She was the quintessential “mother” to many in the little town--certainly had been to Liberty since her controversial arrival a couple of years before.

  “Maybe I should have a to-go box, Betty. I’m not sure I’m ready for this.” She chewed on the corner of her lip, studying the picture Ellie Harrison at the shelter for women and children in Billings had given her. Ellie, a social worker, had moved to Billings from Chicago about a year ago and now ran the safe house for victims of abuse and violence toward women and children. She’d asked if she and Rein might be interested in being temporary foster parents to a child whose mother had been placed in jail awaiting sentencing for possession of drugs. Though they were often at the safe house helping out and had met the child in question on more than one occasion, having him twenty-four-seven was bound to be different.

  Betty took a quick assessment of the late afternoon crowd in the café, then slid into the booth across from Liberty. “You and Rein are perfect for this. It may not be something you’d wish to do forever, but it might provide you both with a bit of a pleasant distraction from…you know.”

  Liberty placed her phone on the table. Betty was, of course, referring to the fact that she and her husband had been in the throes of trying to conceive after miscarrying. “You know, maybe I have to accept that I’m not supposed to have children, Betty.” The thought twisted her heart. Ever since she’d discovered she had two stepbrothers—Wyatt and Dalton Kinnison—her life had completely changed. Seeing the love and warmth they’d created at the Last Hope Ranch, meeting the folks in End of the Line, and falling in love with Rein Mackenzie had given her hope of one day having a large, noisy family of her own.

  Betty took her hand and patted it. “I’ve never known a woman more deserving of being a mother than you, honey. Sometimes these things take time. Meanwhile, being a foster parent allows you to share all that love with a child who desperately needs it.”

  She pushed away the fear that she and Rein might never have children of their own. “I understand that logically, Betty. And part of me is more than ready to step up and do that. But the other part is afraid that doing so will serve as a painful reminder to Rein of what we don’t have.”

  “Aw, hon, Rein isn’t that like that. He’d lasso the moon for you if you asked him for it--you know that.”

  Liberty nodded.

  “And the man is for certain determined to have a family. He was an only child before the accident and when Jed took him in, raising him alongside Wyatt and Dalton, he came to realize how important having family really is.”

  Betty’s affirmation of what Liberty already knew to be true made her smile. Currently, her husband had been busy along with Clay, Dalton, and Tyler in the process of renovating and updating the old building next door to launch Betty’s new addition, the Sunrise Bakery, in time for its grand Christmas opening. And while there were days when he was so exhausted he simply fell into bed, she had to credit him with somehow finding the drive to make her feel wanted each and every day—sometimes twice a day.

  Betty stood. “Speak of the devil.”

  Rein walked through the café door, sending its newly added sleigh bells to jingle merrily. “Hey, Betty,” he said as he removed his Stetson and gloves. “Can I get a cup of coffee, please?”

  “Comin’ right up, darlin’,” she said as she skirted through the maze of tables.

  Liberty turned her face up to accept Rein’s kiss, his lips chilled from working in the hollowed-out building next door. They had hoped to have everything enclosed by Thanksgiving, but they’d run into multiple code issues as they took down walls and set to repositioning water and electrical lines.

  “How’s it going over there?” she asked. Liberty had been waiting patiently, reconfiguring her plans with Betty each time a new problem arose.

  Her husband’s clear blue eyes captured hers, as they had on a daily basis since the first day they met at the bus station in Billings. She’d looked far different back then, her brittle persona still raw from the bad blood she’d left behind and wary of the new family she was about to walk into. How quickly life can change in a couple of years, she thought.

  “Getting there. Tyler’s rerouting the plumbing and that’s forcing a delay in Julie and the boys moving into the apartment upstairs.” He sighed and gave Betty a grateful smile as she placed a steaming white mug in front of him. “Sorry, Betty. I’d really hoped to have you up and running by Christmas. It may take a miracle to accomplish that with all the delivery delays we’ve had.”

  Betty patted his shoulder. “Honey, I’ve seen what a little faith can do. If I’ve learned nothing else running a café seven days a week, it’s that patience often reaps its own rewards.” She offered Liberty a wink before scooting away to serve another customer.

  “What was that all about?” Rein asked with a curious expression. He blew across the top of his coffee to cool it down.

  “Support. I maybe got a tad panicky earlier…about all this.” Liberty looked out the window, pressing her lips together to prevent her concerns from spilling out again. It was a frosty late November evening. The scent of snow was in the air, though no weather station had mentioned it in the forecast. Then again, End of the Line quite often fell between the meteorological cracks, being up in the mountains. Despite the overcast skies, she’d seen a great white owl while climbing into her car that morning. Without thinking, she’d waved a friendly greeting to the stately looking bird. “Hello, Jed,” she’d called out. The owl’s large gold eyes blinked twice before he’d spread his wings and soared from the tree near their front porch to the roof of Rein’s woodshed barn. The owl, spotted by members of the Kinnison clan and the local community, was no longer considered a mystery but now a legend. It was a common belief among both Kinnsion family members and close friends that the owl possessed the spirit of Jed Kinnison, stepfather of Wyatt and Dalton, as well as to Rein Mackenzie, his nephew. The three had been thrown together under Jed’s care after tragedy struck each of their young lives. Those boys, now men with families of their own, were making sure Jed’s legacy lived on in the historical, once-mining town.

  “Are you having second thoughts?”

  Rein’s voice jarred Liberty from her thoughts. He reached for her hand. “Sweetheart, we don’t have to do this. Not if it’s going to be too hard on you.”

  The bells over the door jingled again, pulling her attention to the familiar woman who’d just entered, a little boy, barely over four, clinging to her hand. Ellie felt that meeting publicly might be best. It would give the boy a chance to warm up to Rein and Liberty before they took him home.

  Her heart squeezed at the sight of his small face, framed in a bright red knit stocking cap. His cheeks were flushed from the cold, his blue eyes filled with caution. Liberty watched him scan the patrons, an adult wariness replacing the joy that one would normally see in a child this age. There was no sparkle, no childlike wonder. Only an apparent vacancy. She grabbed Rein’s hand as they both stood to greet Miss Ellie.

&nb
sp; “Hello,” Ellie said, her gaze sweeping from Liberty to Rein and then to the table. “Have you already ordered? Maybe we could sit down and join you.” Without waiting for a reply, she bent down to help the child from his outer coverings and ushered him into the booth before removing her own coat and scooting in beside him.

  Rein nudged her and Liberty slid into the booth across from their dining companions, making room for Rein to sit beside her.

  “This is Cody Ross.” The kind woman placed her arm around his tiny shoulders. “Cody, you remember Mr. and Mrs. Mackenzie from the house?”

  The young boy ducked beneath Ellie’s arm, shielding his face in her shoulder.

  She smiled and hugged the boy. “It’s okay, Cody. They are some of my best friends and I know they’d like to be yours, too. Why, I bet if you wanted, Mr. Mackenzie might even take you to see his horses at the Last Hope Ranch.”

  The boy peeked at Rein.

  “It’s true,”. Rein said with a nod. “We have a lot of horses and one of our dogs just had a litter of puppies. Do you like puppies?”

  The boy glanced at Liberty, then back to Rein and nodded. He cautiously extracted himself from Ellie’s embrace.

  Liberty’s eyes stung from unshed tears. She wanted nothing more than to scoop up the little boy and hug him. Her fear of whether she could love a child not her own was immediately replaced with that of whether she’d be able to let go of this one when the time came. “Do you like Christmas trees, Cody?” Liberty asked. “We’ve been waiting to put ours up.” She didn’t add that the reason had been her melancholy about the holidays in general. Liberty hadn’t been able to muster much Christmas spirit, despite being very happy for friends and family in the throes of having children—starting their families.

  “I never had one,” he said softly. He rubbed his small fist down his cheek and glanced at Ellie, seemingly unsure if that was the appropriate answer.

  Liberty smiled encouragingly. “Then this will be a very special tree indeed. One that you can pick out. How about that?”

  His eyes narrowed briefly, followed by a barely noticeable nod before his gaze fell on the giant gooey cinnamon roll that Liberty had ordered.

  “Would you like to try a bite? Betty makes the best cinnamon rolls on the planet.”

  “It’s true,” Betty said with a grin for the boy. “At least, that’s what they tell me.” She placed a cup of coffee on the table for Ellie. In front of Cody she put a small mug of hot cocoa. “You looked like a marshmallow kind of guy. Here,” she said, “you’ll probably need a spoon.”

  Cody accepted the spoon, then tentatively reached for the pastry.

  “Oh, here. Let me help you with that.” Liberty sliced off a piece and placed it on the small plate Betty had brought.

  Cody picked up the bite with tiny fingers and took a nibble.

  Liberty held her breath, awaiting the little boy’s reaction.

  “Do you like that?” Ellie asked, finally cutting the tension.

  He thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

  Rein leaned back with a grin as Cody quickly devoured the rest and reached for more.

  “How about we get some bacon to go with that? Then maybe Mrs. Mackenzie will share a bit more with you,” Ellie offered. “Would you like that?”

  The little boy nodded. For the next thirty minutes Liberty watched entranced by how the young boy’s demeanor changed from sullen to seemingly content. She wondered what kind of things those soulful little eyes had seen. Images of her childhood drifted into her thoughts, remembering things that no child should have to experience.

  Ellie caught her gaze and smiled as though understanding the sum of Liberty’s thoughts. She turned to the boy. “Cody, how would you like to go with Mr. and Mrs. Mackenzie to see their house, and stay for a short visit? Maybe you could help with the new puppies?”

  “They’re only a few weeks old and you’d have to be very gentle. Could you do that?” Liberty took his tiny hand in hers. The mere touch produced a strange lump in her throat.

  Cody drew his hand away and, pushing to his knees, whispered in Ellie’s ear.

  She smiled and glanced at Rein and Liberty. “Mr. Mackenzie isn’t your father, no, but he and Mrs. Mackenzie have offered to let you stay with them for a while. But I’ll be up to visit you in a day or two.”

  “We’ve got a special room ready for you, buddy,” Rein said. “You’ll have your own bed. Your own toys.”

  “Tractors?”

  Rein blinked, then grinned. “Sure, absolutely. John Deere. And when the weather clears we’ll go down to my brother’s ranch and see the horses.”

  “I like horses,” Cody piped up without reservation.

  “Then we’ll need to get you a pair of real cowboy boots, I’m thinking. What do you say?”

  “And a hat… like yours?” He pointed to Rein’s perched on the hook by the booth.

  Liberty caught Rein’s eye and grinned. The little guy wasn’t the least bit shy once he felt comfortable.

  “Well, then, Cody, I guess let’s go get your things out of the car,” Ellie said.

  Rein stood. “I’ll go take care of the bill. Liberty can go with you. I’ll be right out.”

  Ellie handed the boy’s coat to her. “Into the deep end, girlfriend.”

  That’s what I’m afraid of. She knelt in front of the little boy. A million questions and concerns spun in her brain. Only one kept swirling to the forefront. Can I do this? She glanced up at Ellie as she stood.

  Ellie smiled. “It’s going to be fine.”

  Liberty looked down at the little boy who stood holding his mitten-clad hand out to take hers and her heart took a tumble. “Come on, let’s go get your things.”

  ***

  Rein sifted through the bills in his wallet as Betty waited.

  “She looks like a natural.”

  Rein glanced over his shoulder and saw that Liberty had picked up Cody and held him in one arm as she accepted his little backpack from Ellie. He’d never seen anything quite as beautiful as the woman he loved holding a child. As much as he knew they’d care for Cody, he couldn’t help but wish for a child of his own. “Thanks, Betty. We’re both a little nervous, I guess.”

  She waved away his concern. “You two will be the best thing that little tyke needs right now. Your Uncle Jed would be so proud.”

  Rein stepped out into the wintry dusk. Snow had begun to fall by the time they’d said their goodbyes to Ellie and pulled into the home that he and Liberty had designed. It had been built in record time with the help of the entire community. After Rein’s and Liberty’s tumultuous beginnings—including a sizzling summer affair, a fire that partially destroyed the old main Kinnison home, Liberty having to testify against her gangster ex-boss in Vegas, and Rein’s gunshot wounds--they’d married the day the trial had ended.

  By then, Rein’s brother Wyatt had already started construction on their home located on the Kinnsion property. It was a short drive to the ranch, where Aimee and Wyatt now lived with their daughter, Grace. Dalton, the next oldest in line, and his wife, Angelique, also lived on another area of the extensive Kinnison land, closer to the mountains they so dearly loved. A true native to the area, Angelique’s Crow culture flowed through every facet of her and Dalton’s life with their daughter, almost nine, and a new baby boy, Sawyer, born this past June. The three men were raised together solely by Montana rancher Jed Kinnison after tragedy had struck each of their lives when they were teens. Wyatt and Dalton had been adopted after their mother abandoned them, and Rein had come to live at his uncle’s ranch after his parents had been killed in a car accident—his mother had been Jed’s only sister. Together, Rein, Wyatt, and Dalton had created a strong, unbreakable bond that had thus far weathered a multitude of storms. With families of their own now, they furthered that bond with the tradition of rotating Sunday family dinners at each other’s houses.

  Rein turned off the ignition and glanced back at the boy strapped into the new car sea
t. They had researched dozens before deciding on this one—one they felt was safest for his size. A strange yet familiar tug pulled on his heart. Was this how Jed must have felt when he looked at the three misfit teenage boys fate had bestowed on him?

  Liberty followed his gaze. “Are you okay?” she asked. “You haven’t said much on the way home.” Together they paused, watching the slumbering child. Outside the snow fell in soft, giant flakes. “We should probably get him inside. I don’t think freezing him is wise.” Liberty patted his shoulder.

  He grabbed her hand and leaned over to kiss her. “I love you.”

  She cupped his cheek. “Hold that thought. You get Cody, I’ll get his bag.”

  Rein loved how effortlessly they seemed to work together as a team to get the sleepy child ready for bed.

  Liberty plugged in the small lamp with a muted light so if he woke, he wouldn’t be afraid of the dark. On the nightstand were two framed pictures—one of him and his mom in better days, and a smaller one of Rein and Liberty with their dogs.

  Liberty bent down and brushed a wisp of hair from the child’s forehead before placing a kiss there. She then joined Rein, who stood at the door waiting for her. “Do you think I need to sleep in here tonight?” she asked him.

  A low, mournful hoot—that of an owl—sounded from outside the window.

  Rein chuckled. “Jed’s keeping watch.” He rubbed her shoulders. “Come on, I’m still hanging onto that thought like you asked.”

  A few moments later, he lay in bed and watched Liberty go through her nightly routine—she washed her face, brushed her teeth, would start to climb into bed, have an afterthought and go back to check the bedroom window to be sure it was locked—everything she’d done nightly since they’d married. Tonight, he couldn’t put his finger on the odd emotions playing inside him as he watched her checking the locks. “Darlin’, you know that Antonio and his men will be locked away for a very long time, and I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  She folded her arms, tossed him a glance, and looked back at the snowy night.