Rein pushed away and sighed. “Maybe we should do a pizza and movie night? He likes those. We could watch that movie he likes. The one about the little fish that gets lost.”
“Finding Nemo?” Liberty said. Her heart twisted thinking of just how many times they’d watched that movie, Cody’s attention intently focused on the dynamic between the father fish and his son.
“Yep, that’s it. Why don’t you go ahead and place the order? Since the Git and Go got that new pizza oven, they’ve started a delivery service.” He gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “I’ll go talk to Cody.” He paused, resting his hands on her shoulders. “Hey, it’s going to be okay, sweetheart.” He kissed her forehead.
Later that evening the three sat at the low coffee table in front of a roaring fire in the fireplace and watched the animated movie for what seemed like the hundredth time. They munched on Git and Go pizzas, delivered by a senior that Denise had hired over the holiday break. Liberty had managed to eat one slice of cheese pizza, while the other two annihilated the better part of the double pepperoni pizza they’d ordered.
Sunday ushered in a bank of low, steely-grey clouds as the three of them drove to Wyatt and Aimee’s for noon dinner. To many in the community, it would always be known as the Kinnison ranch, named after the cattle baron who built and ran it for years. After his death, Rein had found his uncle’s journal and realized that his Uncle Jed had wanted to make the ranch a place of second chances, of finding healing through hard work and nature. To set it apart, they’d dubbed it the Kinnsion Last Hope Ranch, to include the set of nine cabins that Rein, his brothers, and friends had constructed for the purpose Jed had intended. Ever since, they’d hosted both horses and individuals passing through End of the Line, as well as offering it as temporary housing to those in need. They’d started riding programs for kids with special needs, and nature outings for the families that lived at Miss Ellie’s house in Billings.
Liberty hopped down from the truck, feeling better than she had a couple of nights before. She grabbed the cheesy potato casserole she’d made as her contribution to the meal, while Rein helped Cody from his car seat. Her eye caught the presence of the white owl seated amid the evergreen of the tall pine that grew between the house and what was once Rein’s wood-working barn. Saved from the fire two years ago that damaged much of the back of the ranch, the tree remained a symbol of Kinnison longevity.
The wood-working barn now stored much of the furniture that Rein had built over the years. It was part of her’s and Rein’s future plans to open an online business for custom-made pieces crafted in the rugged, rustic style that represented their love of repurposing vintage pieces into modern-day usefulness.
She chose not to mention the owl to Rein. While earlier tensions seemed to have been resolved among the three brothers, they hadn’t revisited the topic of Jed’s alleged visitations to his brothers.
Michael Greyfeather, an old family friend of Jed’s and now the head of the ranch’s equine rescue mission, opened the front door to greet them. “Hey, guys, I saw you coming and thought I could help out.” He nodded toward the casserole. “Let me take that for you.” He smiled at Rein and then at Cody. “I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure yet, young man.” He leaned down and held out his hand in greeting to Cody.
Cody shied away, ducking behind Rein’s leg.
Michael smiled and nodded. “I’ll just take this in. Come on, hang up your things. Everyone except Clay and Sally are here.”
Rein hooked his hat on the antler rack that hung in the foyer. Cody stayed close to Rein’s side.
Aimee smiled as she emerged from the kitchen and saw them. Hugging them both, she smiled at the reclusive little boy. “Hi Cody, welcome to our home.”
“Can you say hi, Cody?” Liberty asked quietly.
Aimee smiled, giving Liberty a look that she understood the boy’s shyness. “It’s great that we’re all be together again. It’s been too long.” She smiled. “Then again, I’m spoiled. I love having everyone under the same roof.”
Rein tossed Dalton a wave. He sat in Jed’s old rocker near the fireplace, cradling his son, Sawyer.
Wyatt hugged Liberty and then Rein. “Good to see you. Dad would have been really pleased with how well the parade went.” He was referring cryptically to Rein’s performance as Santa.
“Guess we’re lucky Santa was able to stop by with it being so close to Christmas.” Rein knelt down at Cody’s side as Sadie, the Kinnison’s golden retriever, meandered over to greet the new scent in the house. The dog, almost ten years old now, showed signs of aging. Her brows and chin were graying, her eyes less bright than they once were. Nonetheless, she continued to have approval of who entered her house. She sniffed Cody’s hand, bumping it with her cold nose.
He jerked his hand away and pushed close to Rein. It startled the dog and she backtracked from the boy, unsure of his intent.
“Sadie won’t hurt you, buddy. She’s just smelling you. That’s how she says hello.”
Cody eyed the dog who waited patiently, her tail in jubilant motion as Rein reached out to smooth his hand over her head. “My Uncle Jed brought us Sadie when we were in high school, that was a long time ago. She’s a good old dog. You want to pet her?”
Cody’s jaw set firm. He shook his head.
“Sadie, come, get your supper, girl,” Emilee called out, holding the dog’s dish. Her dark braids fell over her slim shoulders. The young girl looked like her mother, Angelique, with her dark eyes and hair, but as she grew older it was Dalton’s personality that she resembled most. Dutifully, the dog lumbered behind as they walked to the kitchen.
Cody released a small sigh.
A short while later, the large group sat around the massive dining room table. It had been built by Rein years before as one of his first furniture-making endeavors.
Liberty smiled as she had a flashback memory of her first meal at this table. Guarded, cantankerous, and more than a little rebellious, she’d just arrived from her former life as a dancer in a Vegas club. Wanting to escape her life, she’d found her half-brothers and requested sanctuary at the ranch until she could get on her feet.
“What are you thinking about?” Rein leaned over to ask quietly.
“Just thinking about my first morning here.” She met his blue-eyed gaze. “Your critique of my outfit. How I put you in your place.” She gave him a quick kiss. “I think I started falling in love with you that very moment, right here.”
He returned the kiss. “I was an ass back then,” he said quietly so the kids couldn’t hear.
“Back then?” Wyatt smiled as he leaned over to pass the potato casserole.
Rein narrowed his gaze on Wyatt and accepted the casserole.
“Your house looks beautiful,” Liberty told Aimee.
“I agree, Aimee. This is a step-up from those paper snowflakes you tried to teach me last year,” Angelique said with a laugh.
“I had to make them for her,” Emilee interjected.
Aimee shrugged. “Wyatt actually did the majority of it. I was so busy on the town lighting committee that he got tired of waiting. I think” --she leaned over to give Wyatt a kiss--“he did a beautiful job.”
Gracie clapped at the sight of her parents kissing.
“Cheap entertainment,” Dalton muttered, then offered Wyatt a surprised look. “What?”
“Who are you and what did you do with my brother?” Rein asked Wyatt. “Aimee, you’ve worked miracles with this one.”
“I know where you live, buddy,” Wyatt joked.
Baby Sawyer lay in a portable crib placed near Dalton and Angelique. Emilee, unusually quiet this evening, sat between her mother and the Greyfeather’s—Michael and Rebecca, who’d raised Emilee when her mom—their niece—was going through some tough times.
Liberty thought about all they’d been through in the short time she’d been in End of the Line. Yet, together—Dalton, Angelique, Wyatt, Aimee, Michael and Rebecca, Sally and Clay—they’d formed the bo
nds of a family. She dabbed at her eyes, damp from the unexpected emotions welling inside her. She was so grateful to have Rein, to be a part of this family.
Rein reached beneath the table and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. His smile showed his gentle concern. “You okay?”
She nodded. “Just not as hungry as I thought I’d be.” She leaned back and took a cleansing breath. “I just need to slow down and enjoy.”
Rein nodded and patted her leg.
“Has anyone heard from Hank?” Wyatt asked.
He had flown Julie and her boys to Chicago earlier in the week to meet his family and celebrate Christmas. They’d planned to be back here on Christmas Day to join in the gathering that Wyatt had planned. Several close friends, a few community members, and those in Rein’s construction firm had also been invited.
“You know, I’m not trying to pour salt in a wound, but I feel kind of bad for Julie having to put up with Hank’s sister,” Liberty said.
“The woman needs to find a rich cowboy to take care of her.”
“And hope that he has plenty of patience,” Rein added with a shake of his head.
“Hey, if Wyatt can snag someone as good as Aimee, there’s hope for Caroline Richardson.” He tossed his brother a wicked grin and got beaned in the head by a dinner roll.
“Wyatt!” Aimee gasped. “Careful of what you’re teaching your daughter.”
He picked up a roll and held it up to Gracie. “No, sweetheart, this is how I’d teach my daughter.” He leaned down and pointed to Dalton. “Toss this at your…I mean, to your Uncle Dalton. He’s the furry one at the end of the table.”
Before her mother could intercede, Gracie flung the roll and it landed no further than the end of her plate.
“We’ll work on that arm, baby girl.” Wyatt leaned over and kissed her chubby cheek.
“So, what do you have planned for this shindig, bro?” Dalton asked as he calmly buttered the roll his brother had thrown at him.
Wyatt thought for a moment, and glanced at Aimee.
“Hey, as long as Betty and Rebecca bring the desserts and you guys handle the meat, I can provide the rest.”
“Are you having a sleigh ride?” Liberty asked, taking a small bite of her casserole.
“Oh, that’d be fun. We could offer them in shifts.”
“I could handle that,” Michael stated. “Emilee can help me. She’s good with the horses, like her mama.” He grinned at Angelique.
“And you’ve got to read the story. That’s tradition,” Rein offered.
Wyatt nodded. “Yeah, remind me to talk to you about that.” He pointed his fork at Rein.
The remainder of the meal was punctuated with laughter and stories and thoughts about where End of the Line was going as a growing community.
Liberty noted how Cody had picked at his meal, much as she had, but he’d been quiet, only speaking when spoken to and then offering only one-word responses.
After lunch, Liberty walked over to admire the beautiful live, eight-foot tree that Wyatt and Aimee had set up at the end of the great room. It stood in front of the majestic cathedral windows rebuilt to their former state, after the fire. In the daylight, they offered a spectacular view of the snow-capped mountains in the distance.
The tree was decorated with a few store-bought ornaments, but many were handmade by Aimee’s former students. Emilee had been in her second grade class two years before when a blizzard had blown up during an unorthodox field trip to the ranch just before Christmas—back when most of the community had dubbed the reclusive Wyatt Kinnison “the Grinch.” Still fighting the grief of losing her twin sister at the time, Aimee and Wyatt would fall in love in those few days they were stranded with children on the ranch.
Aimee walked up beside Liberty. “Hey, I wanted to ask you something.”
“Sure.” She kept an eye on Cody who’d gone around to the other side of the tree.
“Do I look any different?” Aimee asked.
Liberty studied her. “Different? How?”
Aimee leaned in close and whispered. “I took a home pregnancy test. It came back positive.” She put her finger to her lips. “I’m not going to say anything to anyone else until I know for sure this time.” She glanced at Liberty. “You remember that you called it with Gracie. Before even I knew. I just wondered if you noticed anything.”
Liberty took Aimee’s hand and squeezed it. “Has Wyatt cooked any bacon lately?”
Aimee frowned as though in thought. “No, he hasn’t.”
“I remember you turned green as a gourd at the scent of frying bacon. I can’t say that it’d happen again, but that’s when I first noticed.”
A blood-curdling scream from the other side of the tree stopped Liberty’s heart. She and Aimee darted around the tree and found Emilee, her hand over Cody’s. Both were poised on a miniature John Deere tractor ornament.
Emilee’s gaze was fixed on their hands. She seemed in a trance, unable to break free from whatever the child was seeing in her mind. Her dark brown eyes were filled with terror.
“Emilee?” Angelique rushed to her daughter and knelt beside her. Rebecca followed close behind. Both women knew that it was the young girl’s gift as a ‘seer’ that produced these random events.
“She’s seeing something. Be gentle,” Rebecca cautioned.
Tears rolled down the little girl’s face. Her head moved slowly side to side as though she didn’t want to believe what she saw.
“Em, it’s Mama, darlin’. I’m here, sweetheart.”
Dalton also knelt next his daughter. “Em, dad’s here. Come on back to us, baby.”
Liberty had witnessed snippets of the young girl’s ability to ‘see’ things in the past, but they’d never before been this pronounced, or this emotional.
Dalton laid his hand carefully over Emilee’s, and, after a heartbeat, she looked up at him. Fat tears dropped from her eyes when she blinked. She grabbed Dalton around the neck and hugged him tight. Whatever she’d seen had clearly terrified her.
Cody stood still, his little chest heaving in and out with his labored breathing. If not calmed down, he’d most likely hyperventilate. Rein picked up the small boy and hugged him close, walking away as he whispered softly, trying to calm the child.
“I didn’t mean to see it,” Emilee sobbed into her father’s neck. “I didn’t mean to.”
Rein suggested that maybe they should get Cody home and they’d call later to discuss what happened. Liberty drove home, with Rein, leaning back to hold Cody’s hand the entire way.
Liberty wasn’t hungry, but suggested cold pizza or soup she had in the freezer for Rein and Cody. She wasn’t feeling well and decided to lie down, startled sometime later by the ringing of her cell phone. Angelique, calling to check on Cody.
Liberty glanced at the clock by their bed, and realized through her grogginess that she’d slept much longer than she’d anticipated. It was past Cody’s bath time and well into getting ready for bed. She blinked to clear her head.
“Are you okay? You sound as though you were sleeping.”
Liberty swallowed at the dryness in her throat. “I’m fine. Just a little tired. Cody’s fine, I think. He’s been with Rein since we got back home. How’s Em?”
“She’s better, but still pretty shaken up,” Angelique said. “Let me be honest in saying I don’t know much about this gift my Aunt Rebecca feels my daughter has. She says it comes from my great-grandmother—a full-blooded Crow shaman who had the gift of ‘sight’.”
“The child was terrified, Angelique. What in God’s name did she see?”
There was a slight pause. Enough to cause Liberty to sit up and listen carefully.
“She described a room—she didn’t know where, only that it seemed small. There were four or five people, male or female, she couldn’t decipher,” Angelique explained.
Thus far, it sounded more along the lines of the old, black-and-white scary movies that sometimes Em and her dad would watch together. Dal
ton was an avid fan of old horror movies, where most things looked staged and almost funny in comparison to modern horror films.
Angelique cleared her throat. “She saw a lot of blood—on the floor, the walls, and on the people.”
“Like a murder scene?” Liberty asked, horrified that such a vision would have to be seen by anyone, much less a child.
“That upset her, yes, but what she screamed about was seeing Cody standing there. He, too, was covered in blood.”
She dropped her feet to the floor and sat on the edge of the bed as Rein walked in the room. “Cody—was he?” She couldn’t bring herself to say the word.
“She just said that he was standing in the room, and was screaming for his daddy.”
Liberty’s heart twisted. She felt bile rise in her throat.
“Has Cody ever mentioned a father? Does Ellie know if there is one?” Angelique asked.
Liberty shook her head, jarring loose the disturbing image planted in her brain. “Um…I, no, she’s never mentioned a father figure. You’d think if there was one that cared, he’d have shown up by now, wouldn’t you?”
“Valid point,” Angelique said, and then sighed. “I am going to tell them both no scary movies for a while—I don’t care if Dalton calls them cheesy or not. I’m really sorry, Liberty, but we felt you ought to at least be aware of what Em saw.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that. I’ll call Ellie tomorrow and see if I can find out anything more.” Her eyes rose to meet her husband’s steady gaze. He was the only one she knew of that Cody would call “daddy”.
***
The next morning after Rein left to meet with Wyatt and Clay for breakfast at Betty’s, Liberty waded through a load of laundry and two cups of coffee, fed Cody his breakfast, and then settled him on the couch in the family room with his favorite soft blue afghan to watch his sing-a-long videos.
She sat down, debating whether to call Ellie. Finally, she dialed her number.
“Hey, Ellie, it’s Liberty. Got a minute?”
“Sure, is everything okay?”
Liberty hesitated, unsure of where to begin.
All I Want for Christmas: A Kinnison Legacy Holiday novella Page 6