“But don’t worry, Mrs. Finnegan,” Frank said. “I’ll be back in time for the traditional Bar None Christmas.”
“What’s the traditional Bar None Christmas?” Kate asked. She seemed oddly surprised about her own family’s Christmas traditions.
“Our tradition is to make the holiday as traditional as possible,” Phyllis said, shooting her daughter a meaningful look.
“Oh, right,” Kate said, as if suddenly remembering.
“It’s hard to say what’s traditional,” Stevie remarked. “It seems to me that everybody’s traditions are very different from one another.”
“Well, what’s important to you about Christmas?” Carole asked. “I mean, aside from getting lots and lots of wonderful presents.”
“Hmmm,” Stevie said thoughtfully. “I think it’s what we have for breakfast Christmas morning.”
“What’s that, Stevie?” Phyllis asked.
“Eggs Benedict,” Stevie said. “I don’t know why. We just always have. Every Christmas. And I’ve got to say, it’s not Christmas without eggs Benedict. The funny part is that I don’t really like eggs Benedict. I mean, I like the eggs and the muffins and the ham, but I don’t actually like the hollandaise. I always scrape it off my eggs. But if I don’t have the chance to scrape the sauce off my eggs, I don’t feel like it’s Christmas.”
“Stevie, did anybody ever tell you you’re weird?” Kate asked.
“Often,” Stevie assured her. “So, what’s everybody else’s idea of Christmas?”
“My mother’s stollen,” said Kate, smiling at Phyllis. “That’s a sweet bread from Germany. It’s got wonderful things in it, like cinnamon and raisins. We have it every Christmas morning.”
“I’ve got to have pot roast on Christmas Eve,” said Lisa. “My mother makes it the best, with a rich, thick gravy. No mesquite flavor, but it’s still delicious!”
“In my family we mingle traditional Native American Indian customs with Christmas,” said Christine. “When my grandmother was alive, she always made us wait to open our presents until she told us the story of the origin of our people. She wanted us to have pride in our past as well as our present and future. After Grandmother died, my mother took on the job. We joke that the tradition in our family is ‘past before presents.’ ”
Everybody at the table laughed. Then Ellen Katz spoke. “Well, we’re newlyweds, so we don’t have any traditions yet. But they won’t be Christmas traditions, because we’re Jewish.”
“But Hanukkah’s already started,” Stevie said. “Do you have a menorah?”
Ellen smiled. “Yes, we do. We brought it with us. And each night after dinner, we’ve recited the prayers and lit the candles. Do you know about this?”
“I sure do,” said Stevie. “My boyfriend’s mother is Jewish, so they celebrate both holidays. I like the biblical story about the oil in the temple lasting for eight days, although Phil says I’m just jealous because he gets presents for eight days, not one! Actually, though, I like the candles.”
“We light candles, too,” Carole said. “But not for Christmas or Hanukkah. My father and I celebrate Kwanzaa.”
“What’s that?” Phyllis asked.
“It’s a celebration of African cultures,” said Carole. “It’s not a religious holiday, but it sort of reminds African Americans where we came from. In a way, I suppose it’s a little like Christine’s grandmother’s story. Anyway, Dad and I have a candelabra called a kinara that holds seven candles. Each of them represents one of the seven principals of Kwanzaa. The most important one is the black candle called umoja, which means unity.” Carole looked over at the Finnegans. “Do you do anything for Kwanzaa?” she asked.
Mrs. Finnegan shook her head. “Oh dear, no,” she said. “We’re usually much too busy at this time of year to do any celebrating at all. It’s just that this year, we all knew we had to take some time off.”
“Time off?” Stevie asked. “From what?”
“Don’t you know us?” Gary asked. “We’re the Finnegans.”
Stevie bit her tongue again. Of course she knew they were the Finnegans, she just didn’t think that was so special except for the fact that they had enough money to rent the Creek—
“Of course!” Carole said. “You’re the Finnegans!”
Stevie was about to ask Carole why on earth she and Gary were babbling such nonsense, since anybody could figure out that people named Finnegan were the Finnegans, but Carole answered the question for her.
“I have all your albums! I love your music! I sing every song along with you—though not nearly as well, of course. Don’t mind my friends. They don’t know anything about country-and-western music, but I’ll set them straight because, well, because you’re the Finnegans!”
Carole’s voice trailed off. She couldn’t say anything else. She was simply overwhelmed.
AS SOON AS the bunkhouse door shut behind the girls, they all started asking Carole questions.
“What do you mean, the Finnegans?” Stevie demanded.
“The Finnegans,” Carole answered. “Don’t you know anything?”
“Not about country-and-western music,” Lisa said. “Are these guys a big deal?”
“Just the biggest, that’s all,” said Carole. “The last time they had an awards ceremony, the Finnegans wore a hole in the carpet going up to the podium to accept little gold statues. They’re great! You don’t know how lucky we are to have them here. And then there’s Gary.”
Stevie had been wondering about him. So she asked. “What about Gary?”
“Well, he’s their son,” Carole began.
“We figured that one out,” Stevie said. “But what about him?”
“He’s just joined their act. I think his parents were waiting for his voice to change or something, but now he performs with them all the time. And all the reviewers say he may be the best part of the act. You should hear how he sings.”
Lisa put her hands on her hips and regarded her friend carefully. “If I didn’t know you better, Carole Hanson, I’d swear you just swooned!”
“I think I did,” Carole confessed. “I know you guys don’t care about certain kinds of music, but, trust me, what the Finnegans do is really great. Maybe we can talk them into performing for us.”
“No way,” said Kate. “They are VIP guests. If they want to do something, they decide to do it. We don’t ask them to do anything.”
“Oh, well,” Carole said. “At least we get to ride with Gary tomorrow. That’s going to have to do.”
Kate stoked the fire in the stove while the girls put on their pajamas. As she changed, Stevie thought about the conversation they’d had at the dinner table.
“You know, we forgot the most important Christmas tradition of all,” she said.
“What’s that?” Lisa asked sleepily.
“The Starlight Ride,” Stevie said. “I suppose you just wanted to ignore it because I’m going to lead it this year?” she teased.
Two pillows hit her simultaneously.
“What’s the Starlight Ride?” Christine asked.
Lisa explained it to her. Christine and Kate thought it sounded like a tradition they ought to start at the Bar None.
“You’re going to love it,” Stevie assured them. She climbed into her bunk.
Normally a night in the bunkhouse meant hours of talk for The Saddle Club. Tonight, however, the time change had caught up with the Virginia girls. They were tired.
Carole pulled the covers up to her chin and closed her eyes. Time to sleep meant she’d have time to dream about the Finnegans … and tomorrow morning’s ride … She was asleep before she could even think the final words of the sentence:… with Gary.
THE NEXT MORNING, Carole was the first one out of bed and dressed. She was also the first one out the door. She had a very important assignment. She’d been chosen by her friends to knock on the Finnegans’ door and ask if Gary really wanted to join them on their ride.
Her hands were shaking when she rai
sed her knuckles to the door. She hadn’t had any problem talking to Gary before she knew he was Gary Finnegan, so she couldn’t think of a reason why she should have a problem now. Still, she did. She meant to knock only twice, but her hand was shaking so hard, she hit the door five or six times.
Gary opened it.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Carole said, blushing.
“For what?” Gary asked. “I was waiting for you to come get me.”
“And here I am,” she said finally. “The others have already gone to the stable. Are you ready?”
“Sure,” he said, smiling at her.
Carole thought Gary Finnegan’s smile was going to make her knees melt. That thought kept her from being able to say anything else until they arrived at the stable. There were six horses waiting for them. Carole was relieved to see Berry. As long as she was anywhere near a horse, she knew what she was supposed to do. She took Berry’s reins from Kate and climbed onto the strawberry roan’s back.
“Your horse is named Spot,” Kate said, handing the reins to Gary. Carole was pleased that Kate had chosen Spot for Gary. Spot was an Appaloosa that Kate had ridden often until she got her own mare, Moonglow. Spot was an excellent horse, well trained, quick, and smart. Any rider would be happy on him.
As they set off in the cool morning twilight, the country looked different than it had the day before in its afternoon winter wear. To the left, in the east, the first hint of dawn made pink streaks in the velvet sky.
“Oh, I’d forgotten how much I love this,” Lisa said. “No matter how cold it is!”
“Ha! You call this cold?” Gary asked. “Why, I remember riding through four-foot drifts of snow in Montana when it was thirty below zero. Now that was tough on the riders!”
“To say nothing of the horses,” Lisa added. “Why were you doing that?” She thought it must have been an emergency to put the horses and riders at such a risk.
“It was pretty country,” Gary said. “I didn’t want to miss the view.”
“If you want a view, then you’re going to have to ride up to Parson’s Rock later on,” Kate said. She pointed at the outcropping to their left.
“What’s the matter with riding up it now?” Gary asked.
“It’s a steep path. It’s too dark right now to do it safely, and it’s too steep to do it bareback. We can ride out this afternoon and we’ll show you the way.”
“I don’t know that I’ll want to ride again today,” Gary said. He tugged Spot’s reins and made the Appaloosa turn to the left. “I want to go up there now.”
“I really don’t think we should—” Kate began.
“It’s okay. I understand why you don’t want to, but I want to do it,” Gary said. “You go on ahead. I’ll follow your trail in the snow.”
“Gary—” Carole began. Kate cut her off.
“If you want to, go ahead. Just please be careful. My parents would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you,” Kate said.
“Mine wouldn’t, either,” Gary said. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay,” said Kate. With that Gary spurred Spot to a trot and the two of them disappeared into the evergreen patch that covered the base of the hill capped by Parson’s Rock.
“Is he going to be all right?” Carole asked.
Kate shrugged. “He says he’s a good rider. He’ll have to be to make that climb. But one thing I know is that if it can be done, Spot will do it. If it can’t be done, Gary’s going to find himself on one stubborn horse! He may or may not make it to the top. He definitely will be safe. Come on, let’s get going. I think we’re going to get the best view of the sunrise from the crest of that hill over there. We may even be able to find the herd again.”
The riders moved forward through the high meadow. They reached the crest of the hill a moment before sunrise. The five of them waited silently for the sun to make its appearance. They didn’t have to wait long. Nor could they see much when it happened.
It hadn’t been easy to tell before the sun came up, but most of the sky was covered with a thick blanket of clouds. The sky brightened in the east as the sun came up, but it was hardly the breathtaking sight they’d seen on cloudless mornings in the summer.
“I think it’s daylight,” Christine remarked. It made them all laugh.
“Well, tomorrow is another day,” Stevie said philosophically.
“I’m not absolutely certain about that,” Kate said.
“About tomorrow being another day?” Stevie asked.
“Well, of course, it is, but look at those clouds. That’s not just an overcast. Those clouds are heavy. They have a purplish cast to them. You know what that means, don’t you?”
“It’s going to rain grapes?” Stevie asked brightly.
“Not exactly,” said Kate, laughing. “It looks to me like snow—and lots of it.”
“Oh, goody! We can build a snowman!” said Lisa.
“Make angels!” Carole declared.
“Have a snowball fight!” Stevie said.
Kate shook her head sadly and looked at Christine. “I guess three girls from Virginia don’t know what a real snowstorm can be,” Kate said.
“Sure we do,” said Carole. “We have occasional snowstorms in Virginia. We had a good inch and a half last week. They even closed school for a day!”
Christine hooted. “For an inch and a half of snow!”
“The streets were slippery,” Lisa explained.
“With an inch and a half of snow!” said Kate. “Wait until you see what happens with fifteen inches of snow!”
“Fifteen?”
“Well, maybe not. But we’ll see. Anyway, expect snow before the day is out. Come on, let’s quit the weather report and get moving. Maybe we can find the herd.” She urged Moonglow forward, toward where they’d seen the herd the day before.
On the way, Kate was pleased to see that her temporary fence was holding and would stay secure until John and his father could come out later in the morning. However, she wasn’t so pleased when she saw that there was a new break in the fence.
“What the?…,” Kate mumbled.
“Again?” Christine said.
“How could that be?” Lisa asked.
“Maybe the winter has just been too harsh for the fence,” Carole suggested.
“Maybe,” said Kate. She didn’t sound as if she believed it, though. Fortunately she had another rope on her saddle horn. Once again she fashioned a temporary fence with the rope and made a mental note to tell the Brightstars to look for two breaks in the fence, not just one.
Kate turned out to be right about the herd. The horses were very near where the girls had found them the day before. They had just moved to another side of the open meadow. It was still early and most of the horses were at rest, standing with their heads lowered. A few were lying down. The stallion looked up as the riders approached but, sensing no danger, lowered his head quickly.
The girls stopped to watch. Lisa scanned the herd, looking for the dun mares and the gelding that had been playing “touch football” the day before. She didn’t see them.
“Where did they go to?” she asked Stevie, who was looking for the same threesome.
“Beats me,” she said. “Maybe the winners went to Disney World?”
“Very funny,” Carole remarked.
“They might be around someplace,” Kate said. “But the herd is a sometime thing. It’s possible that some of the group broke off and went to a new place. We could find them over that hill to the left or beyond the one to the right. If this land were completely flat, it would be easy, but it’s not. They are around.”
Lisa was disappointed. She had felt as if the playful threesome were her new friends. She wanted to see them again.
“There’s the pregnant mare!” Stevie said. It wasn’t hard to find her. She was, if anything, larger than she’d been the day before.
“She looks like she’s about to give birth to a three-year-old,” Carole joked.
They
heard hoofbeats behind them. They turned to see Gary approaching at a lope.
“He shouldn’t be riding that fast on frozen ground,” Stevie said to Lisa. “That’s not safe.”
“Especially when the ground is covered with snow so he can’t see if there are rocks or anything,” Lisa said. She was about to signal him to slow down, but he was already slowing Spot to a walk as he reached the party.
“Did you get to the top?” Kate asked.
“I sure did,” Gary said. “And it was worth every bit of work.”
“Quite a view, isn’t it?” Carole said.
“You bet it is. I watched the sunrise from up there. It was glorious.”
“Well, there are a lot of beautiful things around here,” Carole said. “And I’ll—I mean we’ll be glad to show them all to you.”
“Why, thank you,” Gary said graciously.
“Right now, the most beautiful thing I can think of seeing is a stack of pancakes about fifteen feet high,” Stevie said.
“I think that means it’s time to get back to the ranch,” Kate said. “Let’s go. Carole, you lead the way.”
Carole was pleased to do so. Gary rode next to her, and the two of them were quickly chatting easily about horses and then about country-and-western music.
Lisa rode next to Kate. Stevie and Christine brought up the rear.
“That Gary is a mighty powerful person,” Kate said to Lisa.
“Oh, I guess money and talent can make someone powerful,” Lisa remarked.
“Even more than that,” said Kate.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, at this time of year, I’ve never been able to see the sunrise from the top of Parson’s Rock. I guess that means Gary is so powerful that he can move the sun!”
“You mean he lied about getting to the top?”
“He had to,” Kate said. “In December, the sun rises to the southeast, not the east. There’s no southeast view from up there.”
Lisa laughed. “I guess maybe when you’re rich and famous it’s hard to admit you can’t do something.”
“Personally, I think admitting to failure is preferable to lying, but then I’m not rich and famous, am I?” Kate said.
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