by Liz Isaacson
“She’s a lead,” Micah said, smiling at Simone. “Don’t let her be modest, Momma. She’s phenomenal.”
Simone threw Micah a look, but Momma couldn’t decide if it was playful and appreciative or communicating to him that he needed to stop talking. Now. Women’s looks could be two-sided, and it might take Micah a while to learn all of Simone’s.
Momma, in her advanced age, didn’t see everything that she used to. But Simone let her lead her into the living room, and Momma finally felt like her circle was complete. Well, if Ivory were there, that was.
“Merry Christmas,” one of her sons bellowed, and a cheer went up in the kitchen. Not long after that, Jeremiah called them all together for dinner, and they gathered round the big table as a family.
Momma looped her arm through Gideon’s and leaned into him. “Look at them, Gideon,” she whispered. “Aren’t they wonderful?”
“They sure are,” he said back. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and she leaned right into the touch. “I love you, Penny.”
“I love you to the moon and back, even if you have over sixty miniature horses now.”
Gideon started to chuckle, and Penny couldn’t help laughing with him.
“What’s so funny?” Wyatt asked, but Penny could only shake her head.
Forty-nine years with Gideon Walker. That was what was wonderful, and funny, and full of love.
“Nothing,” Gideon said, still chuckling. “Who’s sayin’ grace?”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Mal woke early on Christmas morning, a habit she’d developed over the past eleven months of getting up while the world still slept. She could take a nap later, and for Christmas Day breakfast, Skyler had proposed the bright idea to have the entire Walker family to Casa Skywalker.
She slipped away from Skyler, who breathed in slowly and then out. She liked listening to him in his sleep, and sometimes he had a nightmare that woke her. She’d lay very still for a moment, trying to work out what he’d said, but he was mostly unintelligible. Then he’d wake, and he’d reach for her. Mal would roll into his side and place her hand right over his heartbeat, imagining that her touch could soothe whatever plagued him.
He normally did settle right back to sleep after that, and he’d never mentioned anything about what he nightmared about.
This morning, she quietly pulled the door closed behind her and glanced at the bedroom across the hall too. That door was closed, too, and she hoped Gideon and Penny slept as long as they wanted.
Breakfast wasn’t until ten, so she didn’t head into the kitchen to cook. She tiptoed into the kitchen and flipped on the light right above the sink, which cast quite a bit of light throughout the space. She opened the drawer next to the sink and pulled out an envelope she’d been keeping there for a few weeks now.
Skyler had taken twelve hundred head of cattle to market on their anniversary. They hadn’t taken a trip afterward, because the work on a ranch never ended, and Skyler had wanted to coordinate everything for his father’s release from the hospital and his return to their family.
But Mal wanted to show him how much she loved him. How grateful she was that even if their marriage had started out as a favor, it was definitely more than that now. She stood in the wee morning hours, staring at the envelope, wondering if she and Skyler would’ve ever gone out if she hadn’t filed the wrong paperwork.
She’d like to think so. They did get along extraordinarily well, and her love for his hardworking manner and good spirit grew in the semi-darkness.
She opened the envelope and took out the brochures she’d requested. She’d always wanted to see the northern lights, and she and Skyler could go to Fairbanks in Alaska to do just that. She’d been saving her money at the bakery, and she’d talked to Jeremiah in the barn for quite a while as he checked his calendar.
Seven Sons was right in the middle of calving season, and Skyler worked every day. Even today, the cowboys would be out in the barns and fields to make sure the pregnant heifers didn’t have trouble giving birth. Every cow was money for the ranch, and though the Walkers were all billionaires, Skyler and Jeremiah had it in their heads that the ranch should support itself.
She brought up the origami how-to videos Heidi had shown her, and she got to work folding the brochures into swans and dogs and even a squirrel. With the few things folded and ready, she looked up, trying to decide where to put them so Skyler would see them. She could leave them on the counter for him, next to the coffee maker. He’d see them there.
But he’d obviously been up later than her, playing Santa Claus, as their Christmas tree had several more gifts under it than it had when she’d gone to bed last night. There would definitely be a brief gift-opening ceremony, and she wanted him to get this gift when they celebrated by the tree.
She opened the drawer again and rummaged around for a moment. She kept a needle and thread in almost every room in the house, because she never knew when she might need it. She hadn’t been sewing as much as she would like, because of her work at the bakery, but that was okay. She’d bought the sewing machine for something to do, and her life in Three Rivers barely gave her a spare moment for a hobby.
She was busy at the bakery, or around the house, or napping, or learning to ride a horse with her husband. A smile came to Mal’s face, intensifying when she finally found the needle and thread.
Getting them working together quickly, she pierced the top of her little animals and made ornaments out of them. She moved over to the tree and hung the three paper ornaments on the boughs of the Christmas tree, which they kept lit all night.
She admired the lights and looked down at the neatly wrapped presents, a sense of pure gratitude flowing over her. She loved Christmas and always had, but this year, it held something special.
“Thank you,” she whispered, hoping the Lord would know exactly what she was thankful for. Was it too vague and not special enough to not be able to identify specific things?
She hoped not. “Thank you for everything,” she whispered.
“Hey,” Skyler said, and Mal jumped about a mile.
“You scared me.”
A soft smile came to his mouth. “Sorry. What are you doing out here?” He reached her and wrapped her in his arms. “Couldn’t sleep?”
“Yeah.” They rocked back and forth together, and Mal closed her eyes and moved with him.
“Did you get the money off to your family for the holiday?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said again, tipping her head back. “Thanks, Sky.”
“No thanks needed,” he said, smiling softly at her. “They’re family, and we can send them whatever they need, whenever they need it.”
Mal marveled at the goodness in him, something she’d suspected lived in him, dormant somewhere. But now she saw it every time she looked at him, and she tucked herself against his chest again, absolutely content and full of pure joy.
Hours later, Skyler and Mal had walked over to Jeremiah’s to watch JJ open his presents. Clara was still too little to really get what was going on, but Whitney put the baby’s gifts in her lap and let her rip at the paper until the toy or stuffed animal was revealed. Penny laughed and took a million pictures, and Gideon couldn’t stop smiling through it all.
Then they went back to Casa Skywalker while Whitney and Jeremiah cleaned up and got their kids ready.
“Okay, we have some presents too,” Mal said. “I know it’s kind of boring with just adults, but well, it’s Christmas.” She moved over to the tree and knelt down to start handing out the presents. “In my family, my father would hand out all the gifts, and we had to wait until everyone had their pile. Then we’d go around and open them one by one.” She handed out the gifts and realized they’d done exactly what she said.
“We don’t have to do that.” She looked at Skyler for direction.
“I like it,” Skyler said with a smile. “Let’s let Momma go first.” He looked at his mother, who picked up one of her gifts. She ripped the paper off
with a smile tainted with anticipation to reveal a binder.
“Mal,” she said, drawing the name out.
Giddiness pranced through Mal, but she just smiled.
“Is this what I think it is?”
“Open it,” Mal said, and Penny flipped open the front cover of the binder. A gasp followed, and she looked up, her eyes glassy.
“It is,” she said. “Your family recipes. Look, Gideon, all the things Mal comes from.” She got up and hugged Mal, and once again, Mal held her tight, imagining her own mother to feel and smell the same as Skyler’s momma.
“I love you, Mal,” she said, and Mal’s throat closed.
“I love you, too, Penny,” she said. She cleared her throat and glanced at Skyler, who watched with that sexy, joyful smile on his face.
“Your turn, Gideon,” she said. He opened a kit Skyler had found at the antiques expo in town.
“It’s a knife-making kit,” he explained, getting up and going over to bend over his father and show him the instructions. “You pick the wood you want for the handle, see? And the blade. And you put it all together. This one is supposed to be the best one for someone who has horses, and you have a million of those, so.”
“It’s great,” his dad said. “Thank you, son.”
Around and around they went, until they’d opened all the presents.
“Thank you, everyone,” Penny said. “What an amazing day already.”
She started to get up, but Mal said, “We have one more.” Mal jumped out of her seat and went over to the tree. “Sky, this one’s for you.” She plucked one of the ornaments from the tree. “And this one. And this one.”
“Would you look at that?” He took the folded origami figures from her. “I see what you were doing in the middle of the night now.”
Mal just smiled at him and sat next to him on the couch. “Open them.”
He did, carefully unfolding the dog first. “The northern lights.” He looked at her.
She nodded to the next one. He opened the next one and smoothed it on his leg. “Fairbanks.”
“I can’t really travel to Iceland,” she said. “And they might not be great this year. Apparently, 2017 was the best year for the northern lights for a decade.”
“I’m sure it’ll be great.” He picked up the squirrel. “What is this? A monkey?”
“It’s a squirrel,” she said, swatting his arm as she smiled. “And that one’s the most important.”
“Why’s that?” He started unfolding the squirrel’s tail.
“You’ll see.”
He finished opening it and scanned it. “We’re going in two weeks?”
“Yep.”
“Calving—”
“I talked to Jeremiah already,” she said, pointing to the bottom of the sheet. “Look, Jeremiah-approved.” He’d signed the paper for her, and Mal grinned.
“Jeremiah-approved,” Skyler repeated, taking in the signature. “You had him sign it?”
“I want to go on an anniversary trip with you,” she said. “So yes, I made him promise that you would go, no matter how many cows go into labor the night before. Rhett can come help. Or Liam. Or Tripp. Or Wyatt. Or—”
“Okay,” Skyler said, laughing. “Point taken. Someone else can help.”
“That’s right.” Mal leaned forward and kissed him. “Merry Christmas, Sky.”
He kissed her back, his way of saying Merry Christmas.
Mal didn’t let the kiss go on too long, because his parents were sitting right there. She turned toward them and said, “And don’t worry. Micah is going to come stay here with you.”
“Oh, we don’t need—” Penny started, but Skyler cut her off with, “Momma, yes you do.”
She didn’t argue again, and Mal got up. “Okay, we better get started on breakfast, Penny. Everyone will be here soon.”
They stepped into the kitchen together, and Skyler got his father up and out of the house for another walk. When they returned, he gave his father his medicines, set him up with a piece of toast and a cup of coffee before he came into the kitchen and started getting out the plates and silverware.
When ten o’clock arrived, so had every other Walker. The kitchen was hopping, as Mal had had to figure out how to get enough tamales in the steamer baskets to feed everyone. Not only that, but they were serving fried eggs, and everyone wanted one straight from the pan. At least Mal did.
“Welcome to Casa Skywalker,” Skyler said, and everyone started to gather in the kitchen. Men and women bounced babies. Mothers and fathers tried to get their older kids to come closer. Skyler waited for Daddy to get to the corner of the counter and rest his hand on it.
“We have so much to be thankful for this year,” Skyler said. “I know for me, this year has been twelve months of spiritual growth, and I just want to say how grateful for I am for the Lord.” He paused for a moment. “And all of you.” He nodded. “Mal and Momma will explain the food, but I know we have a tradition of announcements at Christmas dinner.” He glanced around. “So, who has an announcement?”
Everyone looked around at everyone else.
“Everyone knows our news,” Evelyn said. “I mean, I’m the size of a bus.”
Rhett put his arm around Evelyn as the family chuckled. No one raised their hand. No one said anything else. Mal distinctly remembered Skyler’s announcement last year, and surely there wouldn’t be anything as drastic as a secret wife.
For some reason, she looked at Micah, but he said nothing. He stood next to Simone, but he wasn’t touching her, and Mal glanced away.
“Nothing?” Skyler said. “All right, Mal. Take it away.”
“Okay,” she said. “We have breakfast tamales. There are some with a little spicier sausage called chorizo. Those are the ones with the orange masa.” She held her hand over one of the baskets. “There are more mild ones that have scrambled eggs and bacon and cheese. If you get one of the chorizo ones, we have fried eggs for the top.”
“Mal also made Mexican hot chocolate,” Momma said. “And we have French toast sticks for the kids.” She smiled at everyone, and Mal was grateful she’d let Mal incorporate some of her traditional dishes into Christmas morning.
“I have an announcement,” someone said, and Mal’s pulse jumped.
Micah stepped forward, and she wondered what he could possibly say. “I think most of you know, but Simone and I are seeing each other again.”
“That’s not an announcement,” Wyatt said with a laugh.
“It is for me,” Simone said, stepping next to Micah and claiming his hand. She nodded at him, and Mal thought they were just perfect for each other. There was definitely an air of tension there too, and she hoped they’d be able to find their own happily-ever-after.
“I have an announcement too,” Daddy said.
“Gideon?” Penny asked.
“I’ve decided to sell the miniature horses,” he said.
“Daddy, they’re fine at the Shining Star,” Liam said.
“Gideon, you don’t have to get rid of the horses.”
More voices joined the fray, and Mal stayed out of the way. The tamales would keep, and it felt like a conversation they needed to have.
“I just can’t be a burden,” Gideon finally said. “Anymore. I’m already living with my son, and he has to get a babysitter for me so he can go on a trip with his wife.”
“Daddy,” Skyler said. “You’re not a burden. The horses are fine.” He looked at her, and Mal felt their trip to Fairbanks slipping away from her.
She didn’t want to, but she said, “We don’t have to take our trip,” she said, stepping to his side and linking her arm through his. “You are not a burden. We love having you here.”
He looked at her, and Mal tried to convey without words how much she wanted him around.
“Okay,” he finally said. “Okay. Let’s eat.”
“Daddy—”
“I’m fine. Let’s eat. The eggs are getting cold.”
None of the sons pr
otested again, and Skyler said, “Okay, Wyatt will you say grace?”
Later that night, Mal sat on the front steps with Rosie watching the sun set. Penny and Gideon sat in the swing on the porch, and the constant squeak of it behind her reminded her of how important family was to her.
Rosie sat up and looked next door as Skyler came out the front door.
“Go get ‘im,” she said to the dog, and Rosie streaked across the lawn and driveways to greet Skyler. He laughed and bent down to scrub the dog, and then they both continued toward them.
He groaned and sighed as he sat next to her on the front steps.
“All good?” Mal asked.
“Yeah,” Skyler said. “I should go to medical school for how much I’m taking care of people.”
Mal linked her arm through his. “I don’t think going to the store and getting pain medication is quite the same thing that doctors do.”
“No?” Skyler grinned at her.
“No.” Mal laughed as the sun dipped lower. Jeremiah had called and said all four of them next door hadn’t felt well that day and they were out of children’s fever reducer. So Doctor Skyler had gone to the grocery store for them.
“It’s so beautiful here,” Skyler said.
“It sure is.” Mal leaned her head against his shoulder.
Skyler kissed her, and the moment was so sweet. “Love you, sweetheart.”
“I love you too.”
Keep reading to find out if another Walker brother can get his happily-ever-after in Three Rivers! Now that Micah and Simone are openly dating, can they make this fourth attempt at a relationship work? Chapter one and two of MICAH’S MOCK MATRIMONY are next! Keep reading!
I really connected to Skyler and Mal as they struggled to find their place in the family and with each other. I’m thrilled everything worked out with them! If you liked this book, please leave a review now.