It Happened at Christmas

by Debbie Mason

  “I’m not sure how happy he is, since we’re going to be living in Denver.”

  With a mischievous glint in her eyes, Maddie patted Skye’s knee and stood up. “I think he might have a change of heart before the night is out.”

  “What are you up to?” Skye asked.

  “You’ll just have to wait and see.” She tugged Skye to her feet. “Come on, ladies. Let’s help the kids decorate the tree.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this, Grace? We might make a mess of your tree,” Skye said.

  “Don’t worry about it. With little Jack around, I have a feeling we’ll be redecorating it every other day or so.” Grace gestured to the adorable, dark-haired little boy who was the spitting image of his gorgeous father. Little Jack ran around the Christmas tree with two toddlers chasing after him.

  Maddie and Skye organized the kids with Annie’s help, and Grace handed out ornaments with Lily. Once they began decorating the tree, Nell and her friends called out instructions. Skye was reaching up to put a gold ball on one of the upper branches when warm hands settled on either side of her waist. “Need some help, cupcake?”

  “Keep doing that,” she said when he nuzzled her neck, “and I’m going to drop this ball.”

  “Can’t have that,” he said, putting his hand over hers to hook the ball on the branch. He lowered his voice. “I figure ten more minutes, and we’re good to go.”

  “More like half an hour. After we finish the tree, I have to read the Cake Fairy story to the kids. But don’t worry—I’ll read fast.”

  Liz, who’d been showing baby Connor the Christmas tree lights, turned to her son. “You can’t leave.” Ethan’s mother had been doing her best to avoid Skye. She’d barely said ten words to her all night. Obviously, while Ethan had forgiven her, it was going to take Liz O’Connor some time to do the same.

  “Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas,” Santa said as he arrived in the living room with a large red velvet sack slung over his shoulder. The kids jumped up and down, converging on the realistic-looking Santa. With his full belly and white beard, there was no way this was Gage.

  “It’s Calder Dane,” Maddie whispered as if reading Skye’s thoughts. Rumor had it the older man and Nell McBride had a romantic history. Considering how Nell’s cheeks pinked when she glanced at Santa, Skye thought the rumors might well be true.

  Jack pulled up a chair beside the tree, and Santa took a seat. The children gathered on the floor at his feet.

  “Aw, they’re so cute,” Skye said, looking at the bright anticipation on their faces.

  “You’re pretty cute, too. Wanna sit on my knee?” Ethan asked, drawing her onto the couch beneath the front bay window.

  “Behave,” she said, nudging him with her elbow.

  By the time Santa had given the last of the children a present, Skye was more than ready to leave. Ethan had been doing his best to drive her crazy with his subtle touches and caresses. “Cut it out,” she whispered. “We have an audience.” And they did. Everyone had turned to them with smiles on their faces.

  “Ho ho ho,” Santa said, digging in the bottom of his sack. He pulled out a brightly wrapped present. “Ethan O’Connor, I hear you’ve been a very good boy this year. Get up here, son.”

  Friends and neighbors clapped when Ethan got up from the couch and walked over to Santa. “I’m not sitting on your knee,” he said, looking somewhat bewildered. He opened the present and held up a key at the same time Nell and her friends unraveled a sign that said, “Mayor Ethan O’Connor for State Senate, 2018.”

  Skye’s pulse quickened as her mind raced through the implications. Surely he’d put a stop to this. But one look at his expression as he took in the cheering crowd told her she was wrong.

  “Ethan,” Maddie said, “the town council voted, and we want you take over as mayor.”

  “You can’t say no, and we’re all backing you for another run at the state senate,” Nell McBride told him.

  “Here.” His mother handed him a cell phone. “It’s Claudia. She and Richard are already working on your campaign, and Nell has started a fund-raising committee in town. This time, darling, nothing will get in the way of you winning.”

  Nothing meaning me, Skye thought, a heavy weight bearing down on her chest. She wanted to tell them that he didn’t want this, that it wasn’t his dream but his father’s. To leave him alone and let him get on with his life.

  Instead she got up from the couch. No one noticed as she retrieved her jacket from the overstuffed hall closet, shoved her feet into her boots, and left the house. They were too busy listening to Ethan on the phone, making plans for the next election.

  Hands shoved in her pockets, head bowed, Skye didn’t know how long she’d been walking when a vehicle crunched in the snow beside her. She heard a window go down, then a familiar male voice said, “Where do you think you’re going?”

  She stopped, turning to look at him. “Did you tell them that you didn’t want to be mayor, Ethan? That running for the state senate wasn’t your dream but your father’s? Because if you didn’t, I don’t think we have anything to talk about.” She started walking.

  He cursed and a door slammed. Seconds later, he caught her by the arm and turned her to face him. “What did you want me to do?”

  “Tell them the truth.”

  “Are you sure this is about me and not about you?”

  “Of course it’s about you. It’s always been about you, don’t you get that? You loved your job as ADA, and now you’re going to give up that opportunity to make everyone else happy. Again. You can’t keep doing this, Ethan. You have to tell them the truth.”

  “You were there. You saw how excited they were, how much they wanted this.”

  “They want it because they love you and they think it’s what you want. All you have to do is be honest with them. If you can’t…”

  “If I can’t, what? Are you going to leave me again?”

  “No, but if anyone asks me how I feel about it, I’m not going to lie. I’m going to tell them the truth.”

  “It’s not your truth to tell, Skye. It’s mine.”

  “You’re right, it is. And I hope you do tell them, Ethan, because take it from me, it’s not easy pretending to be someone you’re not. Just so you know, I won’t make that mistake again. If you take another run at the senate, I’ll support you, but it’ll be me, environmental animal rights activist Skylar Davis—not Kendall, and not another Claudia clone. So if you’re going to do this, you better be sure it’s me you want by your side.” She shook off his hand and headed for the SUV. “You’d probably have a better chance of winning if you have Claudia by your side.”

  “She’s already offered her services—but you were there, you know that,” he said as he got in the Escalade.

  “I meant as your wife, Ethan. And I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have to twist her arm.” She looked out the window at the Christmas lights. He didn’t respond, didn’t start the engine, and she glanced at him.

  “How can you say that? You know much I love you, so how the hell can you even say something like that?”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Skye woke up cold and alone in Ethan’s bed the next morning. Which wasn’t a surprise, given how their night had ended. The drive to the ranch had been a silent one. As soon as they got there, she’d gone to bed, leaving Ethan sitting by the fire on his phone fielding calls.

  Thinking over how she reacted last night, Skye realized she’d handled the situation badly. Her intentions were good—she’d wanted to protect him—but it wasn’t what he’d needed from her. He’d needed her support. This was a difficult time for him, and his issues with his father’s death only made it worse. It was really a no-win situation unless Skye could free him from his guilt. Now more than ever, she needed answers, and she needed them quick.

  Skye rolled over and picked up her phone from the nightstand. It was almost ten. She couldn’t believe she’d slept that late. There were a couple of missed texts: two from
Maddie, and one from Ethan. In her first text, Maddie wanted to know what was wrong with Skye. In her second, she seemed to have figured out the problem and apologized. As Skye had realized months ago, Maddie’s loyalties were torn. But it was Ethan’s text that caused a swell of hopeful emotion in Skye’s chest. He hadn’t canceled his meeting after all. Surely, if anyone could convince him to take his old job back, it would be Jordan Reinhart. And if Skye found out what she needed to know before he came home, they could put this all behind them and get on with their lives.

  With a plan beginning to coalesce in her brain, she showered and got dressed, then went in search of Liz. She found her mother-in-law in the barn. “Good morning,” Skye said in a cheery tone of voice.

  Liz, dressed in jeans and a sheepskin coat, leaned on a broom and arched a brow at her. So maybe this wasn’t the day for subtle digging after all.

  Suck it up, buttercup, Skye told herself. She had more important things to worry about than the fact her mother-in-law didn’t like her. But they did bond over horses, sort of. “How’s Bandit doing?” Skye asked as she walked further into the barn, her gaze moving to his stall. It was empty. “Where is he?”

  Liz briefly closed her eyes and shook her head. “He’s gone.”

  “What do you mean, he’s gone? What did you do to him?”

  “We didn’t do anything, Skye. It was Bandit’s owner. If we’d known he was fighting the seizure, maybe we could’ve stopped it. But we didn’t. And when the agent didn’t show up in court to face the owner’s complaint that the search was improper, the judge threw the case out.”

  “So what if the search was improper? Bandit was abused. You should have done something.”

  “Like what? His owner arrived with a court order last week and took Bandit. Ethan’s making sure the Department of Animal Cruelty closely monitors the situation.”

  Skye felt sick at the thought of Bandit in the hands of his abusive owner. If she hadn’t left Ethan, she would’ve been here. She could’ve done something to protect Bandit. “Where’s the ranch? I need an address.”

  “Why? What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to make sure Bandit’s all right. And if he isn’t… I don’t know, I’ll take pictures or something. Surely after a second complaint against the man, they’ll remove Bandit right away.” Tears prickling behind her eyes, she looked at her mother-in-law. “We can’t let him hurt Bandit again.”

  Liz worried her bottom lip between her teeth. “You’re right, but…” She leaned the broom against the wall. “Okay. Come on. We’ll take my truck,” she said. “But you have to promise you won’t do anything crazy or I’m going on my own.”

  Skye sighed as they headed out of the barn. “Despite what you and Claudia think of me, I’m not crazy. Maybe I did some stupid things when I was younger, but I believed in what I was doing. I thought I could make a difference. I just went about it the wrong way. I’m sorry, you know, about the election. When I found out what Bennett was up to, I tried to protect Ethan.”

  As they reached the black pickup, Liz stopped and stared at her. “That’s why you left him… to protect him?”

  “I love Ethan, Liz. I would never do anything to purposely hurt him,” she said, opening the passenger’s-side door.

  “Then I don’t understand what last night was about. I thought you’d be happy for him. Happy to live in Christmas.”

  “I would be if it was what he wants, but it’s not.” This was the opportunity she’d been waiting for, but in telling his mother the truth, she’d be breaking her promise to Ethan. She weighed the consequences, putting herself in Liz’s shoes and then Ethan’s. If he found out she’d told his mother, he wouldn’t forgive her, but for his sake, Skye had to take the risk. “If I tell you something, do you promise to keep it between us? Ethan can never know what I’m about to share with you.”

  Liz cast her a sidelong glance, then nodded as she drove through the wrought-iron gates. Skye hesitated at the thought of breaking his confidence, and then she remembered the tortured look in his eyes. “Ethan blames himself for his father’s death,” she said, and repeated their conversation to Liz. By the time she’d finished, tears were streaming down his mother’s face.

  “I’m sorry,” Liz said and pulled to the side of the road. “I need a minute.”

  Skye opened the glove compartment, found some tissues, and handed them to Liz. The older woman blew her nose, leaning against the headrest. “I can’t believe he’s kept that to himself for all these years. How could I be so blind?”

  “You’d lost your husband. You were grieving.”

  “It’s no excuse.” She covered her face and shook her head. “And as much as I’m angry at myself, I’m angry at Deacon. Damn him for putting all that pressure on Ethan.”

  Skye rubbed Liz’s arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. But now that you know, you can fix this. Did your husband have health issues before his heart attack?”

  “Yes, but he didn’t want the kids to know. He had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Paul warned him it was only a matter of time if he didn’t change his lifestyle. I tried, you know, but he was stubborn. He thought he was invincible. I guess I did, too, or I would’ve pushed him harder.”

  “Don’t blame yourself, Liz. It won’t help Ethan. But I think I’ve come up with a way that will.”

  “How?”

  Skye filled her in on the plan as Liz pulled onto the road. All they had to do was get Dr. McBride on board. Knowing how Paul felt about the O’Connors, Skye didn’t foresee a problem. All she had to do was insist Ethan have a physical. And given that high cholesterol and blood pressure ran in his family, it was something he needed to do anyway. Then Dr. McBride could reveal his father’s medical history.

  “Paul was right,” Liz said, casting Skye a sidelong glance. “You are the best thing that happened to my son. I owe you an apology. I hope we can start over.”

  “I’d like that.” Skye smiled, feeling more hopeful that Liz would keep her promise. But just in case… “Liz, you understand the risk I took telling you, don’t you? Ethan would never forgive me if he found out.”

  “You did it for his own good. Honestly, I can’t believe he didn’t confide in me. He tells me everything.”

  Okay, so now Skye was getting nervous. “But you’re not going to tell him, right?”

  “No, of course not. I hope once Paul makes him understand he wasn’t to blame, that he’ll tell me himself.”

  Good, that was good to hear. And while she was at it, Skye thought she might as well do a little matchmaking. It was a selfish move on her part, really. Skye didn’t want Liz to end up with Richard, because that meant Claudia would be her stepsister-in-law. She shuddered at the thought of years of holiday dinners with Claudia sitting across the dining room table from her. “It’s probably best if you explain the situation to Dr. McBride. I don’t know him very well, and the two of you are so close.”

  Liz turned onto the highway, keeping her eyes on the road. “It might be better if you talk to him. Paul and I aren’t exactly on speaking terms these days.”

  “Really? How come?”

  “We had words the night of the election. I, um, threw a drink at him. I probably should apologize. He said I needed to get a life and stop living through my son.” She glanced at Skye. “Do you think I’m living through Ethan?”

  Um, yes. “No, I mean you were very involved in his campaign, but that’s natural, right? What do you normally do? Are you involved with any committees, local charities?”

  “No, I just pitch in whenever anyone needs me.”

  “I guess you keep busy with the ranch.”

  “Raul likes to run things his way. I help out where I can.” She grimaced. “Damn the man, he was right again.”

  Skye held back a laugh. “I’ve heard you’re a fantastic seamstress. If you’re interested, Betty Jean and I will be hiring in the New Year.” Her amusement faded as Liz pulled to the side of the country road dow
n from a run-down house and barn. “I have a better idea. Open a sanctuary for abused horses and become an advocate.” She turned to her mother-in-law. “This isn’t right, Liz. Look at this place. How could they give Bandit back to him?”

  “I don’t know. And Bandit wasn’t the only horse they took from him. They placed the others with ranches throughout the county.” Liz leaned forward, peering through the window. “Someone’s home. There’s smoke coming out of the chimney. We’re going to have to be careful. I don’t want to get caught trespassing.”

  Neither did Skye. “We’ll be in and out in two minutes. Just long enough to take a couple of pictures.” They both got out of the pickup, quietly closing the doors behind them.

  The barn was past the house. It was also out in the open, which didn’t help their cause. Liz motioned for Skye to crouch down and follow her up the snow-covered driveway. As they got closer to the barn, the smell was enough to make them gag. Liz covered her mouth with her gloved hand. Skye zipped up her jacket and buried her mouth and nose inside.

  By the time they reached the barn, their eyes were watering.

  “I’m afraid to go inside,” Liz whispered. “I’m afraid what we’ll find.”

  Skye nodded. She shared her fears. Taking Liz by the hand, Skye pulled open the door. It was worse than she imagined. There were six stalls, and none of the horses moved when they entered. There didn’t appear to be any water or hay. The cement floor was covered in filth, and a cold wind was whistling through the broken timbers.

  “We can’t leave them here. Not in these conditions.”

  The old Skye would’ve damned the consequences and released the horses. But as hard as it was, she knew they had to go through the proper channels. “We don’t have a choice,” Skye said, taking pictures with her cell phone as she moved toward Bandit’s stall. He lifted his head. Skye nearly started to cry at the dull, resigned look in his eyes. “I’m so sorry, boy.” She reached for him. It took several heartbreaking seconds before he nudged her hand.