Caitlyn's Christmas Wish

by Laura L. Walker

  “At least Scott’s giving you a break, sis.”

  Sierra sat on a stool next to Ridge. “Yeah, he’s the best. Deal me in.”

  They played a few more rounds of Uno with Caitlyn dodging Brody’s attempts to grab her cards before Ridge gathered them into a pile and handed it to Sierra. “If you ladies want to continue, be my guest. I’ve gotta run.”

  “Early day tomorrow?” Sierra asked while she shuffled the cards.

  Ridge’s eyes darted toward Caitlyn and then Brody. “Yeah.”

  In that moment, Caitlyn saw a vulnerability that she hadn’t seen all night, the same closed-off expression he wore when she first met him. Understanding dawned. Ridge’s daughter had been almost a year old when she died of an aneurism. They’d been in-between doctor appointments to see what could be done about a lump at the base of her skull when one bump against their coffee table as she was learning to walk had set off a seizure. Amelia rushed her to the hospital while Ridge was attending a college class. She hadn’t been able to get a hold of him until it was too late.

  Caitlyn didn’t know much more than that as Grant hadn’t elaborated when he’d told her, probably because he himself didn’t know, she realized in retrospect. Grant always seemed detached in a way that puzzled her. If she’d been given a family like his, she would’ve never let go.

  Caitlyn cleared her throat. “Thanks for the pizza, Ridge. And for helping with Brody.”

  Ridge’s almost imperceptible smile turned into a frown. “No problem. He’s a keeper.” With a hard twist on the doorknob, he was out the door in a flash.

  Chapter Three

  In the awkward silence that followed, Sierra dealt the cards. “You go first,” Sierra offered. Caitlyn laid down a card. Sierra then surprised her by saying, “He’s running away.”

  “Pardon?”

  “Ridge likes Brody—a little too much, I think. He reminds him of his own baby.”

  “But she was a girl.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Same thing happened when we had Max. Ridge was happy for us, of course, but still hung back for a long time. It’ll take a while for him to get used to being around Brody.”

  If that was true, he’d done remarkably well holding him earlier this evening. He was a natural with kids. It really was too bad little Hannah hadn’t survived.

  The door whooshed open again, diverting Caitlyn from her musings. A cold pocket of air followed Charles and Jacinda Reel inside. Their arms were laden with several heavy-looking boxes. Jacinda promptly plopped hers on the countertop. “Caitlyn! You made it! My goodness! What a night! My feet feel like blocks of ice and my back is aching something fierce.”

  “But opening night was successful, sweetheart,” Charles said. “That’s all that matters.”

  “Yes, and we managed to put out the few fires that cropped up.”

  “Like what, Mom?” Sierra asked.

  Charles chuckled. “A few strands of lights blinked out and Santa couldn’t find his hat and had to run to the dollar store to get another one. Just little things.”

  “Yes, but when you’re in a production such as this, those little things add to the stress of having everything ready on time.” Jacinda eyed Caitlyn expressively. “How are you, Caitlyn?” She came around the island to squeeze Caitlyn in a warm hug. “Ooh, and look, Charles. Here’s little Brody.” Jacinda reached for him and kissed his cheek before handing him over to her husband, whose face conveyed his uneasiness over holding the baby.

  “Here.” Caitlyn stood. “I’ll take him so you can relax. I’m sure it’s been a long day for you.”

  “It sure has.” Jacinda sank down on the stool that Ridge had emptied and reached over for a slice of pizza.

  “It’s cold now but we can reheat it.”

  “No, no, dear. This is fine. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.” As if unaware of everyone watching, Jacinda bit into her slice and closed her eyes. “Heaven,” she murmured.

  Caitlyn couldn’t resist a chuckle. In all her growing up years, she’d never seen her former beauty pageant queen mother take a single bite of the “calorie-rich concoction”. And although Caitlyn rarely indulged in the gooey mess herself, tonight it had been a treat.

  Charles said, “If my guess is right, we made quite an impression on the newspaper reporters. We’re drawing tourists into our community, and that’s going to be great for the lagging economy.”

  “I’m sorry it’s been lagging lately,” Caitlyn said.

  “Oh, well, we’ve got lots of ideas percolating. Haven’t we, dear?” Jacinda took another bite of her pizza.

  “Sure do.”

  “Like what?” Sierra asked.

  “A fly fishing contest in March and a triathlon in June for starters. We’re still pitching ideas.” Charles reached for a slice of pizza and placed it in the microwave. “I’m sure any ideas you ladies can come up with will be better than mine.”

  Sierra snorted. “Yep. I mean, are you really going to have a polar bear plunge tomorrow afternoon, Dad? Please tell me that’s a joke.”

  “No joke, sweetheart. We’ve got seventeen contestants lined up already. Winner gets a cash prize and a trip to a sauna afterward.”

  Using a stage whisper, Sierra leaned toward Caitlyn. “He’s inviting a bunch of crazies into this fair community.”

  “You know it’s for a good cause, Sierra.”

  “Sure. However, I hope you have good insurance.”

  “All participants must sign a medical release form as well as a liability waiver.”

  “That’s a relief.”

  Just then, Jacinda’s cell phone interrupted their banter. “Hello? . . . Ginger? Hi, hon. Are you ready for Sunday? I’m actually picking up our costumes tomorrow in Casper. I can’t wait to see you in yours.”

  After a pause, Jacinda’s face fell. “Oh, no. You’re not serious! Oh, that’s too bad. Do you have someone helping you out with meals and such? . . . Good. . . Well, I suppose I could find someone else but it is rather short notice.” Jacinda rubbed her temple in a circular motion. “Yes, I can try. Do you have any suggestions for who might be able to take your place?”

  Caitlyn and Sierra shared quizzical glances. Sierra shrugged.

  “Okay, I’ll call her tomorrow. Thanks for letting me know. Take care now. Bye.” When Jacinda ended the call, she faced the group with a heavy sigh. “Ginger Barrows has come down with pneumonia and can’t perform in our Christmas pageant on Sunday.”

  Charles paused while taking his pizza slice from the microwave. “She was going to play the part of Mary, right?”

  “Yes.” For the first time tonight that Caitlyn noticed, Jacinda’s voice hitched in a way that indicated her stress levels of late. “What am I going to do, Charles? We need a woman with a young child.”

  Sierra asked, “You couldn’t just use a doll?”

  “No. Actually, the part Ginger plays in the pageant takes place a year later when the wisemen come to visit the Christchild. So I need a babe who’s older. It’s too bad you’re pregnant or I might have asked you, even though Jacey is a girl.”

  Laughing, Sierra held the sides of her protruding belly. “I’ve never been more grateful to be pregnant. I’m a better fit for Santa Claus, if you ask me.”

  Caitlyn smiled. “Lucky you.”

  The room quieted as all eyes turned on her. A sense of foreboding settled in the pit of Caitlyn’s stomach as, one by one, they tilted their heads toward Brody. Oh, no.

  No, no, no.

  “What about you, Caitlyn? You’re the perfect fit for Mary, although I was planning on having Ginger sing a solo. Do you sing?” Jacinda’s words rushed out as if she was trying to beat Caitlyn’s protest.

  “Not particularly well.”

  “That doesn’t matter,” Charles said after finishing his pizza slice. “We can record someone singing and play it back.”

  “True,” Jacinda agreed thoughtfully.

  A heavy silence followed, the expectation on their faces making Caitlyn squirm.
The Reels had done so much for her. Maybe this was a way she could pay them back. “I guess I could step in. Did I hear you say something about a costume?” At least that was something she was used to doing—dressing in strange clothing and having people gawk at her.

  “Yes, although Ginger is more . . . robust than you are. I’ll call Natasha in the morning and send you over to her shop to try it on. That should give her plenty of time to alter it. Maybe I’ll send Ridge with you since the roads might be slippery. Natasha’s shop is in Casper.” Caitlyn’s lips twitched. After driving here from Las Vegas, she could probably handle a forty-five-minute drive on her own. But she said “Okay” more or less to ease Jacinda’s conscience.

  Jacinda continued without missing a beat. “I’ll watch Brody for you. Do you pump, dear? You’re still nursing him, I presume.”

  Caitlyn bit her lip in response to the indelicate reference to her body. It had been awkward enough when Ridge misconstrued her intentions. She’d fought to keep her body well covered during her modeling years and been labeled “difficult to work with” in return. As natural as nursing a baby was—and she did prefer living a green life—Caitlyn also valued her privacy and was glad to be finished with that part of raising Brody.

  “Not anymore. He takes a bottle, which makes it easier to hand him off to the babysitter when I go to class.” Caitlyn was currently enrolled in a nutritional program at the local university, even though she was financially set for life.

  “Wonderful!” Jacinda clapped her hands together like a small child. The smile that graced her lips let Caitlyn know she’d done the right thing by agreeing. It would turn out all right. At least, she hoped so. “Here’s what I need you to do.”

  ***

  “You want me to do what?”

  Ridge stared at his mom from across his desk. If she didn’t appear so fretful, he would immediately refuse. But her turned down lips and worried brow said it all. Over the past few months, he’d seen more wrinkles appear on her face. She was probably feeling the burn of being the mayor’s wife at a time like this. Ridge would do anything to help her out.

  And Jacinda undoubtedly knew it. She leveled her son with a pointed stare. “I need you to drive Caitlyn to Casper for a costume fitting. Natasha was gracious enough to fit her into her schedule. We need to get her there by ten-thirty. Can you take the morning off to do this?”

  “Sure. Business has been slow lately.” A little too slow, but he wasn’t about to tell his mom that.

  Jacinda beamed. “Great.” Then she sobered. “I mean—”

  Ridge chuckled. “I know what you mean, Mom. Hopefully, it will pick up again after the holidays.”

  “Let’s hope so.” Jacinda paused as she opened the door to leave Ridge’s office. “Oh, and don’t hurry back. Take her to lunch and do some Christmas shopping.”

  Hmm. Did he detect some maneuvering on her part? “We’ll see. She’ll probably want to get back to Brody as soon as possible.”

  “He’ll be just fine,” she said in a tone that twisted Ridge’s gut. Yep. The old woman was definitely matchmaking. Ridge wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

  Less than an hour later, he found himself driving west on I-25 toward Casper with Caitlyn in the passenger seat. As always, she looked gorgeous even with her hair pulled back in a ponytail and dressed down in a sweater and pair of form-fitting jeans. Of course, she had the kind of features that would look good in just about anything. He’d always wondered how Grant had gotten so lucky. Now he wondered how the idiot could have tossed her aside as if she was yesterday’s trash.

  “So what is this costume for? Mom was vague about the part you’re subbing for.”

  Caitlyn shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I’m going to play the part of Mary.”

  “Really? Who’s playing Joseph?”

  She hesitated. “She didn’t mention Joseph. From her instructions I got the feeling that Joseph doesn’t appear in this particular scene.”

  Ridge scrunched his brows. “That doesn’t sound right. Everyone knows that Joseph escorted Mary to Bethlehem and supported her through the birthing and raising of her Child. They even had more children afterward.”

  “I don’t think anyone is disputing the fact that Joseph was an integral part of Mary’s life. All I’m saying is that your mom felt a representation of him wasn’t needed in this particular scene.”

  “Which scene is it?”

  “I can’t tell you. It’s a secret.”

  “Oh, come on. Surely you’re joking.”

  “No, I’m not. Your mom gave me explicit instructions. If I tell anybody, it might ruin the surprise for the entire town.”

  “Huh.” Whatever the two women were cooking up was sure to be interesting. Glancing over at Caitlyn, he was surprised to see that her smile had faltered. “What’s the frown for?”

  Chapter Four

  “Who said I’m frowning?”

  She lifted the corners of her mouth again but Ridge wasn’t fooled. “I know what I saw. What’s going on inside that pretty head of yours?” Her silence prompted him to repeat, “Caitlyn?”

  He hoped by turning his attention back to the interstate that she would feel comfortable enough to answer. He was right.

  “I don’t mind helping your parents out. They’ve worked so hard to put this festival together. Last night, I caught a glimpse of the toll it has taken on your mom. And frankly, all of you have helped me so much to conquer my addiction to diet pills and my eating disorder and feel like a normal human being again that I couldn’t possibly refuse.”

  Ridge silently acknowledged the truth of her statement. Even before Caitlyn married Grant, she’d been a walking stick. Turned out she was fighting an eating disorder that developed from her mother’s efforts to control her weight in order to procure top modeling spots through the best agents in the business. “I’m glad my parents got you into rehab when they did. It could have ended badly.” Caitlyn finally hit rock bottom when she discovered that she was pregnant just after she and Grant divorced. That was when his parents decided to intervene.

  “Yes. It wasn’t an easy road. Without their support, especially Jacinda’s, I wouldn’t have a healthy little boy. I might not even have survived much longer. I got down to a horrifying one hundred and three pounds.”

  Ridge remembered how thin she’d been, remembered warning Grant that she needed help. Grant hadn’t appreciated his interference. Ridge might not know what it was like to go through an addiction on top of an eating disorder, but he knew what it was like to be so mired in guilt that personal care no longer mattered. He’d seen Caitlyn’s destructive tendencies for what they were—a cry for help.

  Caitlyn had worked hard to become physically and mentally healthy once again, which took the better part of her pregnancy to accomplish. “You should be proud of yourself.”

  “I’m not.”

  Her quiet admission nearly caused Ridge to swerve into another lane. A horn honked from his blind spot as he righted the vehicle. “Why not?”

  “Your mother volunteered me to be play the part of Mary. How can I do it knowing that in no way do I exemplify such a pure woman? It will always be a reminder that I fall way short of such perfection.”

  “We all do.”

  “Some more than others.”

  “No.” Ridge shook his head. “We all fall short of our potential because we’re imperfect beings. Only Christ was perfect. He’s the One who will make us perfect if we keep trying our best to be like Him.”

  Caitlyn seemed to internalize that for the next several minutes. Ridge drove in silence, figuring he’d give her the solitude she needed. Before too long, he reached the exit on the freeway and turned off. Using his GPS, they pulled into Natasha’s seamstress shop minutes later.

  Caitlyn unbuckled her seatbelt before turning to Ridge. “Are you coming in?”

  “Do you want me to?” Judging by the scalloped drapes and fancily-dressed mannequins that decorated the windows, it wasn’t really a place fo
r a guy. But he couldn’t ignore the pleading look on Caitlyn’s face.

  “Would you, please?”

  “Sure.”

  They exited the car and entered the lobby where a woman with big green eyes and bright yellow curls was waiting for them. “Hello, I’m Natasha.”

  Ridge shook her hand. “Ridge Reel. Nice to meet you.”

  “The pleasure is mine. Your mother told me you were escorting Caitlyn today. And you must be Caitlyn.”

  Natasha enfolded Caitlyn’s hands in hers while surveying her slender form. “Hmm. A bit on the frail side, I see. But let’s have you try this costume on, anyway, so I can get an idea about what needs to be done.”

  She whisked Caitlyn to the back of her shop. Ridge found a seat and grabbed a magazine from a nearby stand, surprised to see issues of GQ and Off-Road Adventures in the mix. Apparently, more men frequented this seamstress shop than he realized.

  By the time he read one issue cover to cover, he stood and paced. The walls seemed to be closing in on him. Five minutes later, Caitlyn finally emerged and Ridge breathed a sigh of relief. Natasha followed close behind with a heap of clothing and rich-colored fabrics draped across her arm. “Thank you for your patience, Ridge. Tell your mother I’ll have those alterations done by Saturday. You can pick up all of the costumes at noon.”

  Ridge nodded. “Thanks again for seeing us on such short notice. Have a good day.”

  Caitlyn offered her thanks as well. Ridge held the door open for her. The sun was bleakly shining as they stepped outside. She stopped to catch a few snowflakes in the palm of her hand. “Ah, Las Vegas, I love you most of the time. But you can’t give me this.”

  This side view of her infectious smile as she looked up at the sky, her thick lashes contrasting nicely against the cloudy gray, made him want to kiss her. Instead, he caught her in his arms as she slipped on the wet sidewalk.

  “Careful.” Ridge steadied her and asked, “You okay?”

  “Y-yes, thank you,” Caitlyn answered with a self-deprecating smile. “If the tabloids could see me now, they would know that I’m not as graceful as I appear to be onscreen.”