A Little Country Christmas

by Carolyn Brown

  “You are a genius, and now it doesn’t matter if she takes the ornaments off and plays with them.”

  “What do you mean, ‘if’?” Dixie pointed at the baby, who had already taken several of the little balls from the lower limbs.

  “We can always put them back on each evening,” Landon told her.

  “And now it’s time for Sally to have her bath and go to bed,” Dixie said.

  “And I get to rock her to sleep after her bath?” he asked.

  “She always loves for you to put her to sleep,” Dixie said. “Sure you’ve got time to stick around that long? It’s getting late.”

  “I can always make time for you and Sally, and besides, your foot has to hurt, so I’ll take on the bedtime duty tonight.” He grinned. Dixie picked up the baby and carried her into the bathroom.

  Help with supper. Help with the baby. Help with decorating the tree and then rehanging the ornaments that Sally kept taking off without even scolding her. That was more than she’d ever seen her father, her boyfriend, and her stepdad all do combined.

  “Lan-Lan,” Sally said when Dixie set her in the tub. “My Lan-Lan.”

  “No, mine.” Dixie played along with her. Sometimes she would say “my mama,” or sometimes it was “my baby” when she wanted her favorite doll in the bath with her.

  Sally drew her chin down to her chest, and she looked up at her mother from under blond lashes. “Mine.” She pointed to her chest.

  “I can be both,” Landon said from the doorway. “I kind of like being y’all’s Lan-Lan.”

  Heat flooded Dixie’s face so fast that she didn’t have time to even attempt to control the blush. “Trouble is that tomorrow it might be that we’re arguing over whose baby doll or whose mama is hers.”

  “That’s all right,” Landon said. “Tonight, right now at this moment, I get to be her Lan-Lan and I like it.”

  Sally reached up and flashed a bright smile. “Lan-Lan hold?”

  “Yes, I will soon as your mama dries you off and gets you ready for bed. I get to read to you tonight too. Isn’t that great?” Landon said.

  He didn’t say that he had to read to her, but that he got to read to her. His tone and his sparkling eyes left no doubt that it was a privilege, not a chore to rush through. Dixie’s heart swelled with happiness and sucking on a lemon couldn’t have wiped the smile off her face. She could really get used to this kind of arrangement.

  Every night while Dixie brushed the tangles from Sally’s blond hair and put sweet-smelling baby lotion on her body, she gave thanks for all her blessings. That night when she put pink pajamas on her daughter, Landon Griffin was on the top of that list. When she finished getting the baby dressed and carried her out of the bedroom into the shop, Sally reached out to Landon and said, “My Lan-Lan.”

  “That’s right, princess.” He took her from Dixie and went straight to the rocking chair. “I’ve picked out four books. Which one do you want me to read first?”

  Sally pointed at the one with a squirrel on the front of it and settled down with her head on his chest. Before he had finished reading half the book, her eyes fluttered shut, and she was asleep.

  “That didn’t take nearly long enough,” he whispered. “Does she always fall right to sleep like that?”

  “She’s had a really big evening.” Dixie left the table where she had just finished making the star for the top of the tree. “Slip her over into my arms and I will…”

  “No need for that,” Landon said. “Just lead the way, and I’ll put her in her crib.”

  Ever so gently, he stood up with the toddler still in his arms and followed Dixie down the hallway. He noticed a door to the left that led into a room with a huge machine. That had to be where they made their quilts. Then she turned right into a bedroom with a crib only a few feet from a big four-poster bed. He laid the baby down on her back, and Dixie covered her with a blanket that looked like it had seen better days.

  “It’s her favorite, and she’ll fret if she doesn’t have it next to her face,” Dixie explained in a soft voice.

  Landon bent forward and kissed Sally on the forehead. “Sleep tight, princess. Dream of squirrels and Santa Claus and puppies.”

  “Why puppies?” Dixie headed out of the room.

  “Because that’s what I dreamed about my whole life. I asked Santa every year for a yellow puppy, and I also asked my mama for the same thing. I would have traded all the toys I ever got, and even the fancy bike with the special wheels, for a dog, but Mama said that she wasn’t having an animal in or around the house,” he explained as he followed her back to the shop part of the house. “If I ever have the privilege of being a father, the first thing I’m getting my child is a puppy.”

  “So, you think fatherhood is a privilege?” Dixie asked.

  “Just one of the greatest in the whole world,” Landon answered. “One of my favorite memories of my dad is the time he took me to the rodeo. I wasn’t much more than five, and I wanted to be a real cowboy when I grew up. The only sporting event my dad liked was golf, and he hated anything to do with animals. Looking back now, I can see that was a really big sacrifice for him to take me.”

  If only. Dixie stopped her thoughts right there. She wouldn’t live in the past.

  Landon bent and kissed Dixie on the forehead. “Thank you for a wonderful evening. I’ll be by tomorrow right after work to build a snowman out in the backyard if that’s all right with you.”

  “You ever lived in a place where you could build a snowman?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “How about you?”

  “Nope, but I think it would be fun.” She grinned. “Oh, and don’t eat supper before you come over.”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice. Can I bring anything?” he asked.

  “Just a healthy appetite.” She walked him to the door.

  “Will you wait to put the star on the tree until I get here?” he asked. “I want a picture of Sally’s face when we first put it on the top.”

  “Sounds good.” She didn’t want him to go. What she wanted was another kiss or two, maybe even a little south of her forehead.

  When he’d closed the door behind him, she slumped down in the rocking chair and touched her forehead to see if it was as hot as it felt. Surprisingly enough, it was cool.

  “I can’t go there,” she muttered. “I can’t afford to get my heart broken twice. That was just a friendly kiss, not a romantic one, and I won’t make it into something more, no matter how much I want to do just that.”

  She pushed up out of the chair and went to the cutting table where she deftly cut a green tree from a remnant of fabric and appliqued it to a twelve-inch quilt square. When she finished, she cut out a tiny little gold star and carefully stitched it to the top of the tree. After that, she created a red square with a snowflake in the middle and carried both appliqued squares to her bedroom.

  “Day one,” she said as she tucked them away in a dresser drawer.

  She took a quick shower and was in bed by eleven o’clock but tossed and turned until midnight. When she finally fell asleep she dreamed of a yellow puppy, with a red bow around its neck, chasing a squirrel across the yard toward a tree all decorated with cloth ornaments.

  Chapter Four

  Good mornin’.” Sarah threw her coat and gloves on a rocking chair when she entered the shop. “How’s my girl? Oh. My. Goodness. When did you get a tree?”

  “Lan-Lan!” Sally said proudly.

  “Landon says we need the whole Christmas experience,” Dixie said. “So, we cut down the tree and made ornaments last night, and tonight we’re going to build a snowman. Then we’re going to go see the Christmas lights and make cookies.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Sarah said. “You should talk him into staying in this part of the world. Cade says he’s the best hired help he’s ever had, and that he could be a foreman of the Longhorn Canyon within a couple of years if he stuck around.”

  “Not me.” Dixie shook her head. “W
hat if he stayed and then resented me after a while?”

  “Miracles happen during Christmas.” Sarah cocked her head to one side and then the other. “That is one ugly-ass tree. We’ve got an extra one at our house you could use.”

  “Sally picked it out,” Dixie explained.

  “Then it’s the right tree even if it isn’t the prettiest,” Sarah said with a smile. “Patsy threw a fit about me driving down here in the snow, but I told her that I used to ride a four-wheeler to gather up the cattle in worse weather than this. Besides, I want to play with Sally and eat some cookies right out of the oven. I smell cinnamon. Are you making snickerdoodles this morning?”

  Dixie nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I don’t expect many customers in this weather, but Claire and I always have cookies and coffee ready just in case. I bet Patsy had a smart-ass remark about you on a four-wheeler, didn’t she?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Sarah opened one of the baby’s books. “She said that she used to ride a mechanical bull, but that didn’t mean she was stupid enough to do it now.”

  Dixie could visualize Patsy popping her hands on her chubby waist and telling Sarah that she was too old to drive a quarter of a mile in the snow. “You sure you only need one yard of this fabric? Better get as much as you need while you’re here. You might have to whip Patsy to get to drive down here again.”

  “By damn, I’ll walk if she hides my keys,” Sarah declared. “Right now, I’m going to enjoy some one-on-one time with this baby girl before I eat some of those cookies. You got coffee made?”

  “Pot is almost full. I’ll bring you a cup,” Dixie offered.

  “Thank you,” Sarah answered and then started reading a book to Sally about a puppy who was all alone at Christmas.

  “I dreamed about a puppy last night,” Dixie said.

  “Every kid needs a pet. When you get your own place, I’m going to go to the shelter and adopt a puppy for y’all,” Sarah told her.

  “I’m sure Sally would like that, but it’ll be a long time before we save up enough to get our own place,” Dixie said as she handed Sarah her coffee.

  “If you’d let us help, we could rent you that little place next to ours, and then we could babysit this sweet little girl every day while you work,” Sarah said.

  “Thanks for the offer. I really appreciate it, Miz Sarah. I love all of you, but I need to do this on my own.” Dixie cut Sarah’s fabric, made up a ticket, and laid it to the side. With icy roads and bad weather, this might be her only sale that day. She was returning the bolt of cloth to the shelf when the phone rang.

  “The Quiltin’ House. Merry Christmas,” she answered.

  “Is Sarah there?” Patsy asked.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Dixie answered. “You want to talk to her?”

  “Nope, but please call me when she leaves,” Patsy said.

  “Be glad to,” Dixie told her. She had barely put the phone back on the stand when it rang again. This time it was Claire.

  “Hey girl, I’m not even going to try to come to the store for the next few days unless you need me,” Claire said.

  “I can hold it down. I doubt that we will have many customers, and we’re all caught up on orders until after the New Year.” Dixie thought about the throw she was making for Landon and kind of hoped for a couple of slow days so she could finish it. “Oh, and we put up a tree in front of the window in the shop. Is that all right? Landon cut it down for us, and I made ornaments from scraps.”

  “Sounds cute. Take a picture of it with your phone and send it to me. I don’t know why I haven’t thought of doing something like that before now. Can’t wait to see it,” Claire said.

  “It’s not quite finished yet, but sure. I can take a picture of it now,” Dixie told her.

  “Great! Then I’ll see you in church Sunday if not before. Right now, I’m just staying in with the baby. He’s cutting teeth and so cranky it’s not even funny,” Claire said.

  “I’m in the same boat with this girl of mine. See you in a few days,” Dixie said.

  The call ended and Dixie made a mental note to send a picture as soon as she got the first batch of cookies from the oven. She put a dozen on a tray and took them to the little table in the living room where Claire always had cookies ready for the customers.

  Sarah reached for a cookie and dipped it into her coffee. She pinched off a small corner for Sally before she put it in her mouth. “Good, ain’t it, baby girl? Just a little coffee with a snickerdoodle makes it a thousand times better. Those are the cutest ornaments on your tree. So original and fitting for a quilt shop. Love the little squirrel. Are you going to make more animals?”

  “Plannin’ on it.” Dixie told her the story of the squirrel. “I’m too cheap to buy a tree or ornaments.” She snapped two pictures of it from different angles and sent them to Claire. “That’s money that can be saved up for a car so we can be more independent, and before you say anything, I need to do that on my own too.”

  “You’re as stubborn-headed as Patsy,” Sarah said.

  Dixie giggled. “Thank you. I want to grow up to be just like the Fab Five.”

  “Oh, honey, if you mixed us all up together and put us in one little ole thing like you, it would be more dangerous than a box of dynamite.” Sarah laughed with her. “Now why don’t you get busy and make some more ornaments? If you cover it up with stuff, it might look like something other than a Charlie Brown tree. What are those two pillowcases covering up, anyway?”

  Dixie nodded in agreement. “The flowerpots from the porch are under the sacks. Sally can’t get into the dirt inside them that way, and they’re propping up the tree so it won’t fall over again. I’ve got to admit, even though the tree isn’t beautiful, the experience of getting it and sharing time with Landon was amazing.”

  “That boy really likes you,” Sarah said.

  “I really like him, but…,” Dixie began.

  Sarah held up a hand. “There are no buts in relationships.”

  Dixie wanted to believe that, but she’d had too many disappointments in her life to let herself think such a thing.

  “Would you look at the time? It’s my day to make lunch so I’d better get on home. If you change your mind about the tree,” Sarah said as she picked up her coat and hat, “just let me know, but it is looking better with each thing you hang on it.”

  Sally stuck out her lower lip in one of her famous pouts when Sarah walked out the door.

  “Turn that frown upside down,” Dixie told her little girl as she scattered toys out on a quilt on the floor that Dixie used for a play mat. “We’ve got lots of fun things going on, like working on Landon’s throw. What do you think, sweetheart? Let’s put a snowman on a quilt square today since we’ll be making one out in the yard tonight.”

  “Lan-Lan, snow.” Sally nodded and picked up a stuffed donkey that Sarah had bought for her back on her first birthday. “Lil Bit, snow?”

  “No, Little Bit won’t be here to play in the snow with us, but we’ll go see him again, soon.” Dixie made a snowman out of white satin, sewed small buttons on his face for a nose and eyes, and even appliqued a red-and-green scarf around his neck. Then she designed a square with a string of Christmas lights tangled up in the middle.

  * * *

  The day dragged by for Landon like a snail trying to go from the barn to the bunkhouse in the snow. He spent the morning hefting fifty-pound bags of feed onto his shoulders and carrying them from the truck to the troughs for the cattle and trying not to think about the feelings he’d had when he was with Dixie and Sally the night before. No matter what he did, he kept going back to the aura that surrounded him in the barn when the three of them were all reaching between the old wooden rails of the stall and petting Little Bit. Not even when his mother was alive and the two of them were enjoying all the events of the holiday season had he ever known such peace. Could it be an omen that he was supposed to stay in that area and find what Dixie called his passion right there? He checked the time on his phone and sighed l
oudly when he saw that it wasn’t even noon yet.

  You are so excited about seeing Dixie again tonight that you are wishing away the hours. His mother’s voice was loud and clear in his head. Why are you leaving this place when you care so much for her?

  She’s a friend, he argued.

  Just a friend doesn’t make you feel like this, my son, she said.

  “She’s had a tough life,” he muttered out loud. “And I want to give her the kind of Christmas you always gave me. This is for her, but it’s also therapeutic for me.”

  He crawled up into the cab of a tractor. In the next two hours he hauled six round bales of hay from where they were stored in one pasture over to another one where a hundred head of cattle had been brought up closer to the barn.

  The day lasted a week, or so it seemed, but finally it was quitting time. He rushed through the bunkhouse, took a quick shower and changed clothes, and drove to the Quiltin’ House. He parked his truck and jogged across the yard. He cleaned his boots on the welcome mat and then knocked on the door.

  Dixie threw it open a minute later. “Come on in. You don’t have to knock. This is a business, you know.”

  “But it’s after business hours, so now it’s your home.” He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

  “That’s sweet,” Dixie said. “I’m glad you’re here. The first thing Sally said this morning was your name, and every time the door opens, she thinks you’re here.”

  “Lan-Lan!” Sally started toward him.

  “I made spaghetti for supper,” Dixie said. “I hope you haven’t eaten.”

  “That sounds great, but let’s go build our snowman first before we lose the light,” he said. “We don’t have enough to build a big one, but we can build a snowball man, and take pictures of our girl with him.”

  “You’ve given this some thought, haven’t you?” Dixie went to get their coats from the bedroom. He’d said our girl, but did he really mean it? she wondered. Or had it just been a slip of the tongue, so to speak?

  “I’ve been working alone today, so yes, ma’am, I’ve thought about this all day,” he admitted. “This will be my first snowman, too, so it doesn’t matter if it’s not as big as King Kong. I can’t wait to send pictures back to Mav and Pax. They don’t have a bit of snow out there, and they’re going to be so jealous. If we take a picture from the right angle, we can make it look like it’s six feet tall.”