Sarah moved toward her and ran her finger over the sparkly wreath hanging around the neck of the decoration made from crocheted, white yarn interlaced with metallic-silver threads. “It’s lovely.”
“Do you know where Mom’s recipes might be?” Joanna asked. “And what about her cookie gun? I want to make snickerdoodles and those little colored ones in different shapes.”
“There’s an old, wooden box with a broken hinge in the kitchen cabinet. I think I saw recipe cards in there.”
Joanna tenderly transitioned the snowman from her arms to the round table. “It’s going to be the best Christmas any of us have had in years. I just know it.”
Sarah softly stroked Joanna’s hair. “I hope so, Sweet Pea.”
“I’ll tell ya, Jed, we’d be lucky to have you on a full-time basis here at the Triple Z,” Randy told him as they loaded the bed of his truck with bales of hay. “If you’d have accepted and become my barn manager back when I offered, there wouldn’t have been any more discussion. But Caleb’s working out pretty good, and I don’t have another opening for you. I’m sorry about that.”
“I understand.” A bit disappointed, Jed heaved another bale into the bed, followed by another. Yanking the blue-print kerchief from his back pocket, he wiped his forehead. “I never could have imagined moving on from Tuck’s place, but things have changed since he passed.”
“His girls gonna put the place up on the block?”
“Looks that way.”
“Leaves you and your mama with an uncertain future, I s’pose.”
“It sure does. But you know me. I know there’s a road all laid out. Just need to find the trail.”
“I’ll keep my ear to the ground.” Randy tossed another bale into the truck. “You’re a good man. Any horse farm in the region’d be lucky to have ya.”
“Appreciate that.”
“But nobody ever made money turnin’ a place like that into an old folks’ home for a buncha horses, did they, Jed?”
“Getting rich never was something Marlena Tucker gave much thought to. My old man seemed to think she could keep things on an even keel though.”
“Lot’s changed in this region since your old man’s days.”
“Sure enough.”
Despite his preoccupation on the ride home with the mental checklist of the tasks that awaited him, it wasn’t any one of the hundred line items, or even the hot meal primed and ready, that drew him. No, over and above the growl of his hungry stomach, the crux of his thoughts orbited a solid nucleus of dark, wavy hair and embers flickering inside greenish eyes.
A fragrance that whisked Jed straight back to childhood assaulted him even before he opened the front door of the main house. He paused with his hand on the knob, breathing in the essence of his mother’s cooking, wondering whether he should knock first. After all, they weren’t the only ones around anymore. Before he made the decision, it was made for him. His mother opened the door.
“You comin’ in or do you plan on standing out there on the front porch all night?” She shot him a teasing smile.
Jed kissed her cheek as he passed. “What do I smell?”
“Roasted rosemary chicken,” she replied, pushing the door shut behind him, “glazed carrots, mashed potatoes, and gravy.”
“That’s it? Slacking on the job?” he joked. “Nothing for dessert?”
“Nothing for you. The rest of us are having warm apple crisp with vanilla ice cream.”
He looked around the great room and into the kitchen. “Jo-Jo’s not here?”
Sarah grinned at him and nodded toward the hall. “Upstairs. Why don’t you go tell her we’ve got about ten minutes until we eat?”
Grateful for the mission, Jed took the stairs two at a time. When he reached the top, he spotted Joanna sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor, surrounded by what looked like an eruption of Christmas boxes and bins. When she looked up, a smile spread across her entire beautiful face and set her eyes ablaze.
“Well, look at you,” he said.
“Hi, Jed. How was your day?”
“Long. How about yours?”
“Not long enough. I came looking for a few Christmas decorations, and I’ve been trapped here in this sea of memories ever since.”
“So can I deduce from this Christmas extravaganza that you reached your sisters and suckered them into coming back for the holidays?”
She lifted one eyebrow into a perfect arch. “Well, Sophie turned me down flat. But Bella will probably come in time for Christmas, and I may or may not have used a bit of a dirty trick to reel Amy in.”
“What’d you do?”
“I had a conversation with my nephew Timothy and told him what an amazing time he would have if they came up from Louisiana. I might have even promised him the chance of a white Christmas.” She cringed, and Jed laughed at her. “Just the chance.”
“Shame on you.”
“I know. Toying with a seven-year-old like that.” She tipped her head to the side. “But all’s fair in love and family Christmases, right?”
“I’m not sure that’s how the saying goes.”
“Sure it is.”
“Jedediah?” Sarah called from the bottom of the stairs. “Are you bringing Joanna down for supper?”
He grinned at her. “I forgot. My mother has dinner on the table. You coming down?”
She nodded and extended her hand. “Help me up? I’ve been in the same position for hours. At this point, I don’t even know if my legs will straighten.”
Jed wrapped his hand around her wrist and eased Joanna to her feet. She stretched her limbs, and just before they headed for the stairs, his cell phone hummed. The screen told him the call originated from the Triple Z.
“Go on down,” he said. “This is my other boss. I’ll be right with you.”
Joanna descended the stairs, and Jed answered the call. “Hello?”
“Jed, Randy here.”
“What’s up?”
“I was thinking about our conversation this morning, and I made a call to a buddy of mine. He has a working ranch out in Montana. Couple hundred horses, a thousand head of cattle. Looks like he might have a spot for you out there if you’re up for a move. Is that something you might want to pursue?”
Jed hesitated, taking an instant to enjoy the harmony of laughter coming from Joanna and his mother in the kitchen.
“I’d like to hear more about the details,” he replied. “What can you tell me about it?”
“I’ll text you his number. He’s waiting for your call over the next day or two.”
“Thanks, Randy. Seriously, I appreciate it.”
“Sure thing. See you in the morning?”
“I’ll be there.”
Chapter Five
Pastor Tobin, it’s so good to see you,” Joanna heard Sarah say downstairs. “Let me make you a quick cup of coffee, and then I’ll go and see if Joanna is up and moving around yet.”
Joanna grinned. Not only was she up and moving, but she’d been dressed for hours. In fact, she’d already had her first two cups of coffee and gone for an extended walk down to the stable to spread some love in the guise of apples, sugar cubes, and carrots.
“I’m up here, Sarah.”
“Sweet Pea, can you come downstairs for a moment?”
“On my way.”
Joanna wound the cord around the button on the front of the leather journal in her hands and set it on the settee before standing.
Pastor Tobin. As she descended the stairs, she couldn’t help but wonder who this Pastor Tobin was, and more curiously, why he wanted to see Joanna. She thought perhaps she might recognize him, but as she emerged from the hall and entered the kitchen, the luminous smile of the man across the island from Sarah sparked no familiarity at all.
“Oh good,” Sarah said as she hurried over and took Joanna’s hand. Leading her to the other side of the island, she added, “Joanna, this is Reverend Lucas Tobin. Pastor, meet Joanna Tucker, the youngest of Tuck
and Marlena’s daughters.”
“It’s a pleasure,” he said. “There’s no mistaking it. I see both of them in you right off.”
Joanna reached out to shake his hand. “You knew my parents?”
“Yes.” Then he corrected himself. “Well, I knew your father. But I’ve seen many a photograph of your mother. You have her countenance.”
That seemed like a high compliment. Joanna was just seventeen when her mother was killed by a drunk driver on the interstate, but the woman’s radiant glow had remained with her in all the years since then . . . and with everyone else who ever knew her, too.
“Thank you,” she told the reverend. “How did you know Tuck?”
“He was a member of my church for several years.”
Joanna had trouble concealing her astonishment, but the line of Scripture at the end of his note to her scrolled across her mind. “Tuck went to church?”
“Indeed. He was an active member, in fact.”
She glanced at Sarah for confirmation. “That’s . . . surprising. My mother had deep faith, but Tuck never really seemed to share it.”
“No. He came to faith in Christ after he returned from overseas and retired here in Bluegrass Crossing.”
“I didn’t know.” Joanna fought against the ridiculous urge to cry as her expression broke and both corners of her mouth turned down involuntarily. What was happening to her emotions?
“Tuck spoke of you girls often. In fact, we prayed together on more than one occasion that he would be able to reconnect and make amends.”
Her stomach soured at the words, and the threatening tears turned desert-dry in an instant. She couldn’t help wondering how a man might go about making amends with the daughters he abandoned, leaving them in the care of the wife who adored him, who never allowed a bad word to be spoken about him, who struggled to keep his family’s homestead afloat without a lick of support from him, or even so much as a word.
“Well, that would have been . . . interesting.” The pastor’s somewhat surprised expression checked her heart. “I mean, I can’t imagine how he might have accomplished that after everything. But it would have been interesting to hear what he had to say.”
Sarah reached over and squeezed Joanna’s wrist. “Your daddy loved you girls very much.”
“All evidence to the contrary,” she muttered.
Pastor Tobin took a sip of coffee before setting it in front of him and wrapping both hands around it. “Tuck was a changed man in his later life.”
She wasn’t sure how to respond, so she didn’t.
“I hope you don’t mind me stopping by to meet you,” he continued. “Sarah’s son, Jed, mentioned you’d come home, and I just wanted to look in and see if there’s anything I can do for you. And to invite you to visit one of our services while you’re here.”
“Well, I appreciate the invitation, but I’m not really the churchgoing type.” It struck her how disappointed her mother would have been at hearing those words . . . and how much like her father she sounded. “I mean, I believe in God and everything, but—”
“No, I thought you might find some value in meeting the people in Tuck’s life before his death. In hearing what kind of man he’d become.”
“Oh.”
She considered his words for several seconds and decided to follow what her mother had advised more than a few times in her adolescence. Always choose to be courteous, Joanna. You’ll find life will go much easier once you learn you don’t have to share every thought you have the very moment you have it.
“I appreciate that, Pastor. Thank you for thinking of it.”
“Maybe you can come along with Jed on Sunday.”
“Jed?” Joanna looked to Sarah, who smiled at her.
“Jed is an elder at Pastor Tobin’s church,” Sarah said.
An elder. “What is that, exactly? Like a preacher or something?” She held back the spontaneous chuckle threatening to pop out of her.
The pastor grinned. “Our board of elders helps govern the church. Jed is a peacekeeper and prayer warrior by nature, and he’s brought those qualities to his leadership role. We’re blessed to have him.”
“I know he feels like he’s the one who is blessed to serve,” Sarah added.
Pastor Tobin handed Joanna a business card. “Here’s the information on the times and location. I hope you’ll pay us a visit one Sunday, Joanna. I think you’ll find it very enlightening.” He took one more sip of coffee before standing and putting on his overcoat. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”
“You, too,” she said, not entirely sure if she meant it.
Sarah walked the man to the front door while Joanna remained standing in the kitchen, replaying his visit.
“That was nice, wasn’t it?” Sarah said when she returned.
“Mm,” Joanna replied, not sure what else to say.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t know you were upstairs during breakfast. But didn’t you hear the ruckus of all the boys here?”
“I was probably at the stable. I’ve only been upstairs for the last hour or so.”
“Have you made any headway with finding the Christmas decorations you wanted?”
She nodded. “Yes, but I also came across some non-Christmas treasures. Some photographs and my mother’s diary.” She sniffed and shook her head. “I didn’t even know she kept a diary.”
“Oh, how lovely,” Sarah exclaimed. “How was it, reading what she’d written?”
“I only got started, really. But just seeing her familiar handwriting, hearing her voice through the words on the pages—it makes me feel close to her again.”
“Of course it does,” Sarah said and kissed the top of her head. “Can I make you some breakfast? I have some waffle batter in the refrigerator. Maybe a nice, warm cinnamon waffle and some eggs?”
Joanna chuckled. “How is anyone around this place under four hundred pounds with you on the job, Sarah?”
“I feed them and Jed keeps them active.” She smiled. “It all balances out.”
“Well, a waffle doesn’t sound so bad.”
“I’ll have something on a plate for you in fifteen minutes or less.”
“I’ll just make another cup of coffee and keep you company while you work to make me fatter.”
The afternoon air had grown colder than it had been in recent days. Granted, the calendar had moved Kentucky closer to the winter season, but Thanksgiving had barely passed. It seemed a little early to Jed for this type of cold—the kind with a bite, the kind that turned the barely-there stubble left on his face into crops of tiny, sharp, frozen blades.
He hadn’t intended to have dinner with his mom that night, but instead of going straight home as planned, he steered his black F-150 pickup to the main house and parked there. In addition to wanting to make a sweep of the place in preparation of what might come with sub-zero wind chills over the next few nights, he figured he may as well have a conversation with Sarah about the new developments of the day.
Jed pulled the Stetson low on his forehead and pushed his way through a headwind to the front door.
“Jedediah, I didn’t know you were coming,” his mother said when she looked up from the stove. “Joanna and I decided on a pretty simple supper. Nothing too substantial. But I have leftovers from last night’s chicken if you’d like.”
“Whatever you’re having is fine with me.” He kissed her cheek. “Where’s Jo-Jo?”
“She’s in her room, trying to reach one of her sisters on her computer screen.”
“Have any of them agreed to come for Christmas? She seems really set on that idea.”
“I know she is. I hope she won’t be too disappointed if they don’t come.”
“I’m glad we have a few minutes alone, Mom.” Jed tugged off his gloves and pushed them into his coat pocket before he removed it and draped it over the back of Tuck’s leather club chair in the great room. He rested his hat on its crown before turning back toward her. “I had an interesting phone call today
.”
“Oh?” she said, stirring something in the large, cast-iron pot on the stove.
“I don’t think the girls will have much choice but to sell this place after the first of the year, and it got me to thinking about where you and I will land when that happens.”
“I’m sure our Lord has it all in hand, Son.”
“I agree.” He smiled. “I spoke to Randy about getting hired on full-time at the Triple Z, but he’s already filled that barn manager position and doesn’t have anything else to offer.”
“Oh, honey, I’m sorry to hear that. I know you’ve enjoyed your time working with him.”
“Well, he has a friend with a horse and cattle ranch about twenty times the size of the Triple Z, and he gave his buddy a call to tell him about me.”
“Wasn’t that nice?”
“It was.” He swallowed the hesitation that had haunted him all day. “So the guy . . . made me an offer.”
Sarah tapped the wooden spoon on the inside of the pot before setting it into the spoon rest. “Jedediah, that’s wonderful. Is it something to get you excited and out of bed in the morning like this place does?”
“I think it could be. And the thing is, room and board are included. And a place for you, too, if you’re interested.”
“For me?” She chuckled. “You don’t need to bring your mother in as a package deal. You just find somewhere that will make you happy, and that will make me happy. The good Lord will take care of me.”
“The thing is, Mom, I couldn’t really take this job unless you want to come along.”
Her eyes glazed with curiosity. “Why ever not?”
“It’s in Montana.”
“Montana! You’re moving to Montana?”
“Who’s moving to Montana?” Joanna asked as she joined them, and both Jed and Sarah appeared startled.
“Jedediah has been offered a position at a ranch out there,” Sarah revealed.
The look on Joanna’s face puzzled Jed. He couldn’t read much of anything from her reaction. She remained oddly silent for a good stretch of time. Finally . . .
“That’s a relief,” she said with a lopsided smile. Then she glided past Jed and moved next to Sarah, picking up the spoon and stirring the mystery contents of the pot. “I hate the idea of blindsiding you—I mean, uprooting you—with the sale of this place and you having nowhere to turn. You spent so much of your time and energy mopping up Tuck’s troubles.”
All I Want for Christmas Page 4