“Chase, it’s good to see you,” He let me go to hug Briar, and helped carry the presents into the house. “Honey, Chase and Briar are here.”
My mom came out of the kitchen, and ran across the room to wrap both of us in a hug. She didn’t say much, but it was more than clear she’d missed us terribly. And it was such a good feeling to know that she accepted us now. She and Briar were still getting to know each other, but I had a feeling that, as time went on, they’d grow close enough to be friends.
“How was your flight?” she asked, looking at Briar. “I know Chase hates flying, but I figured with you along it would be easier for him.”
“Oh, we had a great flight. Penny was even allowed on the plane with us since she’s so little.” Briar patted the little blond spaniel I had tucked under my arm.
My mom held out her arms for her and planted a kiss on her fuzzy head. “Such a sweet baby.”
Todd grinned. “Hey, Amy, come see what Chase and Briar brought you for Christmas.”
My little sister peeked shyly around the kitchen door. Her pigtails had red and green ribbons in them. She looked at all of us, but then her gaze zeroed in on the puppy, and her shyness was completely forgotten. “For me?”
My mom held Penny out. “Yes, isn’t she sweet? She loves you.”
Penny licked her face and yapped excitedly. Amy set her on the wood floors and she followed her around the house, playing chase with her around the staircase and into the living room.
“I think it’s a good match.” Todd nodded, watching them with a big smile. “I only hope Amy will be okay sharing him.”
I eyed my stepfather, and then looked at my mother’s pink cheeks.
“Chase, you’re going to be a big brother again!”
“You’re having a baby?” Briar clapped and hugged my mom. “That’s wonderful!”
“Congratulations.” I gave Todd a hug, and kissed my mom on the cheek.
“It seems we’re destined for girls,” my mom said, winking at Todd. “I found out yesterday it’s a girl, and I already know what I’m going to name her.”
This seemed to be news to Todd and he waited, cocking his head and rubbing his chin. “You’ve decided?”
My mom nodded. “Abigail, after your mother. We’ll call her Abby for short.”
“My mom’s going to like that.” He grinned. “Abby and Amy. Sounds good to me.”
We went into the kitchen to help prepare lunch, but instead of sitting at the table, we gathered in the living room to watch Amy play with Penny. It really was a good match. The family was coming together, and really connecting. It felt real and good. The only thing that would make this Christmas better, would be Briar’s parents setting aside their vain ways and embracing the love and happiness we all felt.
One day, I hoped it would happen—that we could all be together.
I knew it would take a miracle, though.
Briar
Being at Chase’s mother’s house was much more comfortable than being at my own. His mother was really starting to warm up to me. Last time I saw her—the Fourth of July—she was all for me packing my bags and heading home. She didn’t want me to make the same mistake she had by becoming a rancher’s wife. But I wasn’t making a mistake. I knew what Chase’s life was like, and I loved it. Unlike her. She’d been out of her element since the first day she stepped on McCree property. It had only been a matter of time before she got sick of it and left.
We had a nice lunch with his parents. I got his mother and stepfather a package to a spa my mother loved for a day of relaxation. Chase and I got tickets to Disney from them. Amy loved her new puppy.
All in all, it was a great day, and that night we had a pretty good dinner with Grandma and Grandpa. Everything was really good.
Except for that darn turkey.
Grandma was so proud of it, she didn’t want to save it for Christmas. She was set on serving it early and having a ham instead. She had been so excited about her concoction that I couldn’t disappoint her by not choking down some of it.
Much to our surprise—and shock—the turkey didn’t turn out half bad. It was very moist, and Chase went back for seconds. Everyone loved it.
“I am so excited!” Grandma had cleared us out of the dining room to sit around the tree in the family room. It was a white tree with a string of green lights and homemade ornaments we’d crafted over the years. Some were made of yarn and Popsicle sticks, other’s out of clay we’d put in the oven and painted.
Grandma loved to make homemade decorations, but she also loved shopping.
There were several boxes under the tree. I sat next to Grandpa once they were passed out.
“You first.” Grandma handed a large box to Chase.
“Thanks, I really appreciate it.” He opened the paper and lifted the lid. The expression on his face stayed neutral. I could tell by the slight twist of his lips that he was pretending to love whatever Grandma had put in the box. “I’ve always wanted a sweater like this.”
I tried not to laugh as he pulled out a bright green sweater. It had three reindeer smiling on the front, and on the back, Merry Christmas was written in glittering letters over their butts.
Chase pulled it over his head, and although the fit was a little snug, he thanked Grandma again.
I loved that cowboy.
When I opened my present, I was rewarded with the same style of sweater, only mine had sparkly snowmen, with soft carrot noses that poked out of the fabric. It went on, and fit perfectly. So we sat in the living room, all wearing crazy sweaters, and having one of the best Christmases I’d had in a while.
“We got you guys something,” I said, setting a box we’d brought from Montana in Grandma’s lap.
She ripped through the packaging and squealed. “It’s a five-o’clock-somewhere margarita maker!”
Chase shook his head, grinning, and whispered in my ear, “We’re enablers.”
I kissed him. “She’s always wanted one. And it makes her happy.”
Grandpa got excited over it, too, reading the directions about how to operate the blender properly.
“Oh,” Grandma rubbed her hands together. I have one last thing.” She reached under the tree and produced a tiny black box. “It was my mothers.”
I pulled off the lid. “Oh, no. I can’t take this from you.”
“No, I want you to have it.”
I lifted out a slim gold band with one tiny diamond in the center.
“My mother got that as a gift from her sister when she had me. She wore it always, on the middle finger of her right hand.” Grandma wiped her eyes. “Your father doesn’t know I still have it.”
I slipped it on the middle finger of my right hand. “I’ll never take it off.”
She hugged me. “It’s made for a woman. It wouldn’t look good on him anyway.”
I glanced over at Grandpa, who was putting together the new blender. “Want to make a few drinks?”
He nodded excitedly. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Grandma and Grandpa were well liquored up, snoozing away as Chase and I cleaned up the wrappings and gift boxes later that night. I’d peek at him from behind the Christmas tree, and he’d steal a kiss. We were doing our best not to wake them up.
“I can’t wait to give you your present.” He slipped around the tree and touched his nose to mine. “I spent a month trying to find the right thing.”
I wound my arms around his neck, went in like I was going to kiss him, then grabbed the little box sewn into the back of his sweater and hit the switch.
The reindeer noses lit up.
He stared down at the front of his chest, and his whole body shook with laughter.
“We should wear these on Christmas Day for Millie and Jerry.” I said, flipping the switch on my sweater too. The snowmen’s noses glowed bright orange.
“I love your Grandparents, but I’m never wearing this out of the house.”
I kissed him. “It’ll be our little secret.”<
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Chase pinned me against the wall by the tree and had just swooped in for another kiss, when I heard something strange in the other room. He heard it too. We walked through to the living room, and found Grandpa groaning and grumbling in his chair.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him.
Grandma appeared over my shoulder and nudged me out of the way. “He’s having trouble. The dinner must have been too rich for him. I need you kids to help me get him upstairs.”
Chase helped Grandpa stand, and we got him halfway up the stairs before he started complaining about being able to walk on his own. He was a grown man, after all. But he didn’t have it in him to make it all the way.
We got him to his room and propped up in bed. Grandma flitted around him, peppering him with questions. She stopped long enough to give me one order. It was the last thing I expected to come out of her mouth.
“Call your father.”
Chase
I made the call, since Briar did not want to speak to her father. I expected Dr. Thompson to be upset, and to wonder why we called him so late, but he simply said he’d be right over.
After her father arrived, I paced the floor while Briar sat on the floor outside the bedroom He didn’t say anything to us, except, “Thank you for calling.”
I was worried as hell. No one was telling us anything, other than to stay outside.
Eventually I sat next to Briar and she slumped against me. I wasn’t going to wake her up to tell her what was happening, but I began to pick up on things people were saying in the bedroom, and it didn’t sound good.
“Chase.” Briar’s father came out a while later and gave me a halfhearted smile. “You can get some rest. My father is fine. Nothing but an upset stomach.”
From my place on the floor, I tilted my head back and locked eyes with him. He looked stressed out, and his gaze wavered. A fake smile appeared, and I go the feeling he was lying to me.
“What’s really going on?”
He shook his head. “Nothing you need to know about.”
I slipped my arms under Briar and lifted her with me as I stood. “It’s not good.”
He looked away. “I think we can talk about this in the morning. I’ll be here for the night to keep an eye on him. If I’m correct, you have a flight to catch tomorrow.”
So that was it. He wasn’t going to tell me anything, yet.
I turned and headed for my room, taking Briar with me. I kept her close the whole night, but I tossed and turned. I knew something was wrong. Her father wouldn’t spend the night with his parents unless it was bad. An upset stomach hardly warranted an overnight stay from the hospital’s best surgeon.
When the first rays of light fell across the bed, I got up and showered. Briar was coming around, but I left her to sleep a little longer while I made a pot of coffee. There was some already made when I got down, and I poured a cup without seeking out who had done it.
On my way upstairs I caught a glimpse of Dr. Thompson sitting in the living room, reading over a few papers.
“Sir?” I cleared my throat and stayed back, but he looked up and acknowledged me. “How’s Grandpa?”
“Fine.” He looked down at the papers and frowned. “Is there something I can do for you, Chase?”
“Love Briar.”
His head snapped up. “Excuse me?”
“Love her,” I said. “Or at least…pretend to.”
He pulled off his glasses and threw them on the coffee table. “I do love my daughter, and you need to stay out of this.”
“It’s a strange kind of love, making her feel like she’s not good enough, and kicking her out of her own home because she stood up for herself.”
“How I discipline my child is none of your business. She has to understand that she represents this family, and her behavior is uncalled for.”
“She’s not a child.” I turned for the stairs. “Dr. Thompson, I think you need to take a close look at how you treat people. When you’re old and sick like Grandpa, you’d better pray that your superficial expectations haven’t pushed Briar so far away that you rot alone in a nursing home. When it’s your time to go, you’d like to be surrounded by people who love you. Not your uptight friends, or someone doing their job to collect a paycheck.”
“I keep telling you—” Grandpa slammed his fist on the tray in front of him and glared at the nurse Briar’s father had brought in to take care of him. “—I ain’t eating that damn Jell-O. I want a steak, rare, and a scotch on the rocks.”
I held in my laughter as the nurse rolled her eyes and walked out of the room. “Just be happy you’re not confined to the hospital.”
Grandpa poked the Jell-O with his fork. “I’m a man. Men eat meat.”
Briar fluffed his pillows and opened the curtains by his bed. “You’ll be able to eat whatever you want once your stomach isn’t so tender.”
Grandpa crossed his arms and looked to me for help. “Maybe you could sneak me up a little juice? Come on, it’s Christmas Eve. Spread the holiday cheer.”
Grandpa loved his booze just as much as Grandma. “Sorry, sir. I’d love to, but I don’t want to make you any sicker than you already are.”
“Norm, this is what happens when you get old.” Grandma poked her head in the room. “First they treat you like a baby, and then you start acting like one.”
I glanced between the two old folks, wondering if what she’d said had sunk in in.
It hadn’t.
“Crazy old hen.” Grandpa smiled at Briar. “How’s my favorite girl?”
Briar frowned. “You can’t butter me up.”
“I got a twenty-dollar bill with your name on it.”
“Bribery won’t work, either.”
Now that really riled him. He wouldn’t look at any of us, and decided he was going to pout until he got a steak and a drink. The nurse was onto him, though she didn’t let Grandpa know, and even told Dr. Thompson when he arrived. She followed orders, and gramps wasn’t getting away with anything, not even the square of chocolate he fished out of the bedside table.
“Hey Dad.” Dr. Thompson sat on the side of the bed to look his father over. “How are you feeling?”
“Like a child.” Grandpa glared. “Damn Nazi nurse and her damn pills. I keep telling everyone, I’m fine. Healthy as a horse.”
“I know you are, Dad, but I just want to make sure you’re all right. You can’t blame me for that.” Dr. Thompson glanced back at Briar and me, and nodded toward the door. “Now, you sit comfortably until I get back.”
I followed Dr. Thompson out of the room. Briar kept to my side. We didn’t ask questions, because he was going to tell us what was going on. It couldn’t be too bad; after all, the old guy seemed to be doing just fine. He was up and alert and his eyes were a lot brighter than they’d looked yesterday. He’d be back to his old self in no time.
We gathered downstairs around the dining-room table. There was a jar of ginger cookies in the center, and we snagged a couple, but no one seemed too keen on talking. It took a few minutes, but Briar finally broke the silence. “Dad, we know there is something wrong with Grandpa, and I know it’s not good. Just tell us, please.”
“Grandpa has cancer. We’ve known for a few months now, and we have been keeping it secret, hoping that we could get through the holidays and then break it to the family. It’s spread from his stomach…everywhere.” Her father drew a deep breath. “All we can do is make him comfortable. He’s too old and too frail to fight it.”
I put my arm around Briar, silently offering my support. “How long does he have?”
He shook his head. “We don’t know enough yet, but I’d like to hope he has at least six good months left.”
“Grandma knows?” Briar’s voice cracked. She was barely holding it together, and I was almost right behind her, as far as breaking down. I hadn’t known Grandpa long, but how could anyone not love the old guy?
“She’s in denial,” he said. “As tough as my mother is, this will deva
state her. Briar, I think it might be best for you to stay with her. Come home from Montana, and spend time with Grandpa.”
“Bullshit.”
We all turned to look at Grandma hovering in the kitchen doorway.
“Mom, I’m sorry, I had to tell them.” Dr. Thompson stood, his face paling in shock.
His mother put up her hands. “I know Norm is sick. I’m not in denial. Damn, I’m probably sick, too. But you are not—hear me now, son—not using my husband as a way to get your daughter to come home. She made her choice, and she’ll damn well stick to it if it’s the right one for her.”
“But Grandma,” Briar cried, “I don’t want you to be alone. Dad’s right—I should be with you.”
“What a load of malarkey.” Grandma braced her hands on her hips. “What are you going to do, sit here and watch an old man die? It’s your job to be young and free and happy, and that’s what I want you to do.”
“But—”
“No buts, cookie. We all know Grandpa lost his noodle long ago, and if he knew you were going to leave Montana to watch him wither away, he’d be pissed three ways from Sunday.” She gave a nod and rubbed her hands together. “So here’s how it’s going to go. Briar and Chase will head back to Montana today, as scheduled. It’s Christmas Eve, for crying out loud. They can visit as much as they want. My darling, conniving son and his duck-lipped wife are going to step up to the plate and take care of their elderly parents. In fact, why don’t we all move in together? It’ll make things a hell of a lot easier, and I do love gardening and tracking dirt all over those lovely white carpets Duck-Lips cherishes.”
We watched, shocked, as Grandma grabbed a cookie out of the jar and hobbled out of the room. The bells on her socks jingled cheerily with each step she took.
Grandma
Things were changing. When I was younger I hated change. Norman was fine with it. He said it was the way of things. It was something to embrace and love.
I wasn’t sure about the changes coming my way.
Some days I’d wake up and look in the mirror, and I wouldn’t recognize that wrinkly old face and puff of white hair. But then I’d remember I’m Grandma. I had a sense of humor about getting old.
A McCree Christmas (Chasing McCree) Page 5