by Janet Dailey
“And not much of a wind either,” Quint added, “judging by the way those flakes are falling.”
“But it’s coming,” Chase stated grimly and grasped his cane to push himself up from the chair and walk over to look out the window.
When Cat re-entered the dining room, she immediately noticed his chair was vacant and saw him standing at the window. Guessing he was about to retreat to his den, she asked, “Would you like me to take a pot of coffee to the den for you, Dad?”
When he failed to respond, she walked over to his side, thinking he probably hadn’t heard with everyone else talking. She touched his arm, drawing his glance. “Coffee in den?”
“Might as well,” he replied with marked indifference and turned to stare out the window again. That’s when Cat noticed the white flakes.
“It’s started snowing already,” she murmured.
“The brunt of the storm hasn’t hit yet. He still has time to get here.”
She didn’t have to ask whom he meant. Wade was the only one either of them was expecting. “He could,” she repeated, except she knew he wasn’t due until later in the afternoon. And the storm’s fury wasn’t likely to hold off that long. She started to tell Chase that, but one look at her father’s face and she realized he already knew it.
“He’ll have sense enough to stay somewhere if the weather’s bad.” Cat didn’t realize she’d spoken the thought until Chase replied.
“Of course he will.”
That also meant he wouldn’t make it for Christmas. Before any sense of disappointment could take hold, Cat lifted her head, reminding herself that seeing Wade after Christmas was just as good.
She turned back toward the table as Dallas came in from the kitchen, stopped, looked around the room, then shot a look at Quint. “Where’s Josh? It’s time for his nap.”
“I thought he was with you.” Quint pushed his chair back.
“I just saw Jake going toward the living room,” Sebastian volunteered.
“Josh probably isn’t far behind,” Dallas concluded, already moving toward the living room.
“A lot of places in a house this size, aren’t there, Trey?” Chase tapped the back of his chair with the cane, then looked to Empty Garner. “Cat’s going to bring a pot of coffee to the den. Why don’t you join me? It’s bound to be a bit quieter there.”
“Sounds good.” Empty got out of his chair to follow him. “I noticed you had a set of Longhorns on the mantel in there.”
Cat caught Trey’s eye and smiled. Both knew Empty was about to be regaled with the story of Old Captain and that first herd a Calder had trailed north to Montana.
From somewhere in the living room came a whiny protest, “No sleep, Mama. No sleep.”
“Somebody doesn’t want to take a nap,” Cat guessed.
“Sounds a bit like Jake when he was that age,” Trey recalled.
“Something tells me he won’t be any more successful than Jake was at getting out of it,” Cat said and collected the empty coffee cups left on the table, carrying them off to the kitchen.
Josh’s nap proved to be a short one. By two o’clock he was back downstairs, full of energy and raring to unleash it. With the noon dishes all done, everyone had congregated in the living room. Outside, the snowfall was heavier and the wind had picked up, the first rattling gusts hitting the windows.
Chase was in his favorite armchair, which was now flanked by the two wingbacked chairs from the den. Empty Garner sat in one while Laredo occupied the other. Jessy and Sloan were on the couch with Laura seated between them, looking at the photo album Laura had brought with her, full of pictures showing her latest renovations at Crawford Hall. Quint and Trey lounged on the love seat, their feet propped on the leather ottoman while Dallas sat sideways on one of its arms, keeping an eye on her young son, who was being taught how to roll a ball by Cat. Jake was poking through the new presents under the tree, searching for any with his name on it.
After closely examining the tag on a fairly good-sized square one, Jake picked it up and carried it over to Trey. “Is this one mine, Dad?”
Trey glanced at the gift tag and shook his head. “Sorry. Better put it back.”
“But it gots a J on it,” he argued.
“J for Josh, not Jake,” Trey explained.
Jake heaved a dramatic sigh of regret and carried it back to the piles of presents that now encircled the Christmas tree. Trey watched to make sure he returned it, then slid a glance at Laredo.
“I heard you got to open your Christmas present early when you came back to the Boar’s Nest yesterday, Laredo,” he remarked.
“A hot tub is a little big to hide anywhere,” Laredo countered.
“And impossible to wrap,” Jessy added, looking up from the photo album.
“Jessy did put a big red bow on it that was pretty hard to miss.” His voice was strongly laced with both amusement and affection.
“Did you test the water?” Quint leaned forward, to look around Dallas at Laredo.
“Damned right I did,” Laredo declared.
“You should have seen him,” Jessy declared. “Up to his neck, steam all around and wearing his cowboy hat and smoking a big cigar.”
“Had to wear my hat,” Laredo drawled. “I needed to keep my head from getting cold.”
“Too bad you didn’t have your camera, Mom.” Laura smiled in regret. “That picture would have been pinned up on every bulletin board on the Triple C.”
“Might have been a bit hard for Jessy to take a picture,” Laredo pointed out, an impish gleam lighting his blue eyes, “considering she was in the tub, too.”
As gleeful laughter broke out, Jessy smiled along with them and shook her head in mock reproach. “You just had to tell ’em.”
“I think they would have figured it out,” Laredo said with a wink.
“Now that picture would have been priceless,” Quint stated. “No doubt about it.”
Jake came running up and threw himself across Trey’s legs. “Can I open one of my presents early. ’Redo got to.”
“Nope.”
“Aww please.” He dragged the word out in a soulful plea.
“You heard your father, Jake,” Sloan put in, adding her weight to Trey’s refusal.
He swung around to scowl at her, arms akimbo. “How come?”
Sloan fell back on the tried and true answer. “Because we said so.” Jake’s shoulders slumped in defeat.
About then Josh found rolling a ball on the floor much too tame, and gave it a swat, sending the ball flying into the den. With a squeal of glee, he took off toward the dining room at his fastest version of a run.
“Josh, come back here!” Dallas pushed off the love seat’s arm to go after him. But Cat was already on her feet. “I’ll bring him back.”
As she started toward the dining room, Jake took off for the stairs. Trey sat up, and swiveled around to watch him race up the steps.
“Why’s he going upstairs?” He eyed Sloan, a curious and wary line creasing his forehead.
“Who knows?” She shrugged and redirected her attention to the photo album on Laura’s lap.
“Quint,” Chase began, turning a thoughtful look on his grandson. “Did you ever notice the hair color that boy of yours has? In a certain light, it’s as orange as a carrot. If he was any smaller, a rabbit might try to eat him.”
“Bright, isn’t it?” Empty agreed. “It’ll darken up as he gets older. Dallas’s did.”
Chase ran an appraising glance over the rich copper sheen of her hair, and decided, after some consideration. “That’d be all right.”
Laredo gave her a thumbs up. “You passed inspection.”
Cat reappeared, shooing a giggling Josh in front of her. As if on cue, Jake clumped down the stairs with something in his hand. No one had a clear view of it until he reached the bottom.
“What are you doing with that rope, Jake?” Trey immediately wanted to know.
“I’m gonna use it t’catch Josh the next ti
me he runs off,” Jake asserted, extremely pleased with himself for coming up with the solution.
“Oh, no, you’re not, young man,” Sloan said with a quick shake of her head. “Ropes aren’t for catching people. Only horses and cattle.”
“But it’d be good practice, Mom.”
“Bring me the rope, Jake.” Trey snapped his fingers and motioned to him. Feet dragging and the corners of his mouth turned down, Jake walked over and laid the coiled rope in his father’s outstretched hand.
“What goes around, always comes around,” Chase declared, looking directly at Trey and Quint. “And seeing that reminds me of you two when you were his age, always up to something and inches away from being in trouble. It’s amazing how parents get to raise a replica of themselves.”
“So that’s where Jake gets all his wild ideas.” Sloan nodded in sudden understanding while sliding Trey a teasing look.
Abruptly Chase cocked his head at a listening angle. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Laredo asked, coming alert.
“A noise. I thought it came from outside,” Chase replied, then glanced at Cat. “You’re already up. Go see if anyone’s there.”
“I think you’re hearing things, Dad. But I’ll go check.” Like him, Cat knew there was an off chance that Wade might have arrived. The possibility had her walking a little more quickly to the entryway.
Chapter 13
When Cat looked out the window next to the front door, the view was obscured by the heavy snowfall, driven by blustering winds. Through the wintry veil, she could just make out the darker shape of the big-timbered barn in the distance. But there was nothing else, no vehicle and no human.
Any sense of disappointment she felt quickly gave way to relief. Cat didn’t want to think about Wade being out in this storm. Just hearing the muted howl of the wind almost made her shudder at the thought.
She returned to the living room. “It must have been the wind you heard, Dad,” she told him, then included the others. “It’s really getting bad out there. I can just barely make out the shape of the old barn. Visibility is down to less than a hundred feet. I’m glad you all arrived when you did.”
“And so say all of us.” Sebastian raised his glass in a toasting gesture that offered a whole-hearted agreement with her sentiment.
“Personally,” Laura began, “I’m rather glad that we’re suddenly in the midst of a full-fledged blizzard. It snows occasionally in England, but the storms don’t have the violence that Montana can dish out. I’ve missed that a little.”
“Leave it to you to find it exciting,” Trey muttered in a mixture of exasperation and resignation.
“Please, no lectures on the losses the Triple C could suffer from this,” she countered. “I’m well aware of all the problems this will bring. But the storm’s here. There’s nothing anyone can do to stop it, so I’m choosing to enjoy it.”
Trey started to reply, but Jessy broke in. “Let’s not start bickering, you two.”
Sloan supported her by changing the subject. “Dallas, would you like to look at Laura’s pictures of the restoration work they’ve been doing at Crawford Hall? We’re finished with the album.”
Banding with them, Dallas readily agreed. “Yes, I would.”
Laura closed the album and handed it to her.
“What’s the next project you’re going to tackle, Laura?” Sloan asked to keep the conversation going.
“Face it, Trey.” Laura grinned at her twin brother. “We’re outnumbered. We’ll have to do our squabbling when we’re alone.”
“Like always.” He smiled back at her.
“Your next project,” Sloan persisted, slicing a silencing look at Trey.
“I have nothing major planned.” Laura paused and made eye contact with Sebastian, a smile edging the corners of her mouth. “Just some minor redecorating of the bedroom next to ours.”
“Really,” Jessy said with some surprise. “I thought you just did that one last year.”
“We did,” Laura admitted, then paused and glanced again at Sebastian.
He turned his hands in a palms-up gesture, then left the choice to her. “This is as good a time as any to tell them.”
“Tell us what?” Now Cat’s curiosity was piqued.
“That we’re converting that bedroom into a nursery.” She said it with all the calmness of someone commenting on the weather, then laughed when her words registered on the faces of her family.
“You’re going to have a baby.” Jessy was the first to actually say it, in a stunned but happy murmur.
After that everyone chimed in, flooding both soon-to-be parents with congratulations and questions. Foremost among the latter was “When?”
“End of July, first of August,” Laura told them.
“How long have you known?” Jessy gazed at her daughter, still marveling over the prospect of her daughter becoming a mother.
“A couple months,” Laura admitted. “I wanted to wait until we were here to tell everyone. Our own Christmas surprise.”
“Well, I’m surprised, that’s for sure,” Jessy declared.
“Not me.” Trey grinned at his sister. “You’ve always been highly competitive. You couldn’t stand that Quint and I were already one up on you.”
With a defiant and faintly laughing toss of her head, Laura didn’t bother to deny it. “Not for long, you won’t be, because I’m going to go you one better.”
“You’re having twins.” Trey stared at her in amazement.
“Naturally. If I’m going to lose my figure anyway, I might as well provide the proverbial heir and a spare while I’m at it.” Laura was clearly reveling in their stunned but happy reaction.
“You’re having boys,” Sloan breathed in surprise.
“We are,” Laura confirmed.
Chase’s brows pulled together. “You already know?”
“With today’s technology, it’s amazing how quickly they can tell these days, Gramps,” she said, then turned to Jessy, smiling. “In fact, that’s one of your presents under the tree. Framed pictures of the digital sonogram showing the two little rascals.”
“I can hardly wait to see it,” Jessy declared, then laughed. “I sound like Jake.”
“Now you have to start picking out names,” Dallas murmured. “It was hard enough deciding on a name for one. You have to choose two.”
Laura slid a look at Chase. “I already know I want to call one of them Benteen after my side of the family. We still haven’t settled on one from Sebastian’s side.”
Laredo gave Chase’s arm a light poke. “And you think it’s noisy with two great-grandsons running around. Imagine what it’ll be like with four.”
A harrumphing grunt came from him. “Remind me to ask for a pair of earplugs next Christmas,” he said as Jake ducked behind his chair to get away from Josh. Undeterred, Josh dropped onto all fours and crawled after him.
In his haste to elude the toddler, Jake ran into the end table. The lamp teetered for an instant before Laredo reached out to steady it. By then Jake had bounced off a corner of the sofa.
“Did you hear that thump?” Chase swung his head around to stare in the direction of the entryway.
“That was Jake bumping into the sofa,” Cat told him.
“No, not that. It came from outside,” he insisted, scowling his impatience with her.
“Then you probably heard the wind,” she began.
“Dammit, I’m old, not deaf.” Chase grabbed up his cane and levered himself out of the chair. “And I know the difference between the sound of the wind and someone outside.”
“Dad, there is no one out there.” But she was talking to his back as he used his cane to stomp out of the living room. Now totally irritated with him, Cat quickly brushed past her father on her way to the entrance. “Go back and sit down. I’ll go look for you.”
“Take a good look while you’re at it,” Chase called after her, slowing his headlong pace. “Don’t just go through the motio
n of glancing out the window, thinking I’m going to be satisfied with that.”
“As if I can see anything the way that snow’s blowing,” Cat muttered to herself as she crossed to the window, hearing the way the wind battered itself against the house.
Just as she reached the window and leaned closer to look through the panes, the front door burst open. Thinking it had been blown by the wind, Cat reached out to grab it, averting her face from the swirling rush of wind and snow. At the last second she caught a glimpse of a snow-spattered figure stepping across the threshold.
“Sorry.” Wade’s voice reached out to her. “The wind ripped the door right out of my hand.”
He caught hold of it and shouldered it closed, while she stood staring at him in disbelief. He turned toward her, a wet glisten to his face from the melting flakes.
“Dad said he heard someone, but I didn’t believe him,” Cat admitted, still finding it hard to believe her eyes. “I didn’t think anyone would venture out in this storm.”
“I thought I had a chance to make it before the snow hit. It didn’t work out that way.” He tugged off his gloves and stuffed them in the pockets of his wool coat.
“You should have stopped somewhere.” But now that he was here, Cat was glad he hadn’t. And it showed in her face as she moved to help him off with his coat.
“By the time that occurred to me, I was already past the point of no return. And stopping in the middle of nowhere didn’t seem too wise either.”
“You could have ended up in a ditch somewhere.” She made quick work of hanging up his coat.
“I nearly did. More than once.”
“It’s a damned good thing you didn’t,” Chase stated, announcing his presence.
Cat was about to take issue with the gruffness of her father’s voice when she saw the beam of approval and pride in his regard of Wade. He sounded gruff, she realized, because he was overcome with emotion. She wondered if Wade could see it. The way he smiled back at Chase told her he did.
“I told you I’d be here in time,” Wade said simply.
Chase nodded in approval. “And you’re a man of your word.”
“I am.” Wade reached inside his jacket and pulled out an envelope. “Here it is. Signed, sealed, and delivered.” He passed it to Chase.