A Little Country Christmas

by Carolyn Brown

  “Sure you don’t want me to fix her an i-c-e c-r-e-a-m instead?” she teased.

  “Shhh!” Landon put a finger over Dixie’s lips. “She’s so smart she can probably already spell that word. And the answer is no, thank you very much.”

  “Then a sugar cookie will have to do.” Dixie grinned.

  She’d just slid the second two batches of cookies into the oven when, suddenly, Landon caught her by the hand, twirled her around, and kissed her. The whole world stopped moving when his lips touched hers, and then it started spinning at warp speed. Heat flowed through her body like hot lava and she wanted more than just a steamy, hot kiss. Then the kiss ended, and she didn’t know what to say to fill the awkward silence.

  “What…,” she started, but the words wouldn’t come out of her mouth.

  Landon’s eyes twinkled, and he pointed up to the mistletoe that hung right above them. “Don’t know why I haven’t taken advantage of that before now.”

  “Me either, cowboy.” She smiled up at him.

  “Whew!” He wiped his brow in a dramatic gesture. “I didn’t know if I’d get slapped or booted out the door.”

  “Neither one,” she said. “You better have some supper, though, so you’ll have the energy to decorate cookies with me.”

  “I’d rather use my energy to make out some more.” He got a plate from the cabinet and helped himself to some roast, potatoes, and carrots.

  “Is that what you want for Christmas more than a puppy?” she teased.

  “It’d be a close decision.” He winked at her.

  “Well, when it’s the thing you want the most, we’ll talk about it,” she told him.

  While he ate, she whipped up several colors of icing to decorate cookies shaped like Christmas trees, Santa faces, and even Rudolph and Christmas stockings. Hopefully, they could get six dozen done, then the next night, they could make snickerdoodles, gingerbread squares, and lemon cookies so each person would get a variety. She’d made a list, and she needed about thirty plates to give out on Christmas Eve morning.

  “That’s more friends than I had in my whole life before I moved here,” she said.

  “What? Are you talking to me?” Landon asked.

  “No, to myself,” she answered. “I was thinking about all the people I want to deliver cookies to. And that’s more friends than I had all combined in my whole lifetime.”

  “Do I get a plate of cookies?” Landon asked.

  “Of course. You are my friend.” She patted him on the head and smeared a bit of icing on his upper lip. “And for helping me decorate them, you get to taste the icing. Have you ever decorated cookies before?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” His tongue flicked out and licked the icing from his lip. “Mama and I used to make them every year. I’m an artist when it comes to Christmas cookies.”

  “Really?” Dixie asked.

  “Oh, yeah.” He smiled up at her. “I call my work Christmas abstracts. The only way you can tell it’s a Christmas tree is by the shape.”

  He finished his food and rinsed the plate before putting it in the dishwasher, and then he took Sally out of her high chair and turned her loose on the floor. She crawled over to the quilt on the floor and opened one of her books to read.

  “Here’s the first three dozen.” Dixie set the cooling racks on the table and then brought out the small bowls of colored icing.

  “How long until the next batch is ready?” Landon asked.

  She checked the clock on the stove and said, “Five minutes.”

  He pulled her down onto his lap, tilted her chin back with his fist, and kissed her. The first time their lips met, there was steam. The second time, he deepened the kiss and a blaze built up in her insides that all the fire trucks in Bowie and Sunset combined couldn’t put out. Her breath came in short gasps, and she couldn’t force herself to get up to check the cookies, not even when the timer dinged. One more minute wouldn’t hurt. They might be a little browner around the edges, but they could cover that up with extra icing. She quit paying attention to the clock and then she smelled smoke.

  “Sweet Jesus!” She finally twisted free of his arms and hurried to the stove.

  “No, just plain old Landon Griffin,” he said.

  “We burned three dozen cookies.” She threw the oven door open and smoke billowed out into the room. The smoke alarm went off, and Landon grabbed a chair, hopped onto it, and did something to stop the loud noise. Dixie set the pan of cookies in the sink and turned on the cold water, then ran to the kitchen window and opened it. Landon hopped down off the chair, picked up two tea towels, and threw one her way. Both of them began fanning the smoke out the window while Sally pointed at the now silent smoke alarm and jabbered in baby language that Dixie was sure had cusswords in it.

  “You didn’t freeze up,” he said. “There was smoke, and you acted like a fireman.”

  “I did, didn’t I?” she gasped.

  “It won’t take long for the smoke to clear,” he said.

  “Lan-Lan! No! No!” Sally frowned at him.

  “Guess we heated the kitchen up too much,” he chuckled.

  “Those were some hot kisses,” she agreed.

  “It was worth it, wasn’t it?” he asked.

  “Yes, of course it was, but you do realize that every one of those kisses is just going to make it harder on me when you go back to the other side of Texas?”

  “What if I didn’t leave, but I just stayed here and worked for Levi?” he asked.

  “Don’t tease me, Landon, and don’t even talk to me about that until you know for sure.” She couldn’t bear to get her hopes up and then have them crushed, so she changed the subject. “I haven’t burned a cookie in all the time I’ve been working here.”

  “How many times have you made out with a cowboy while you were baking them?” He shut the window.

  “I don’t kiss and tell.” She sat down across the table from him and applied green icing to a Christmas tree and handed it to him. “Now you can put the rest of the decorations on this.”

  He took the cookie from her and added sprinkles and some crisscross lines to represent garland.

  She covered a Santa hat with red icing and pushed it across the table toward him, then turned to check on Sally. She had crawled over to the Christmas tree, reached for the squirrel ornament from a bottom limb, and set up a howl. Landon was the first one to her, but Dixie wasn’t far behind him.

  “What’s the matter, princess? Show me what hurt you.” Landon checked her fingers one by one and finally found a tiny piece of dried cedar sticking out of her palm.

  “Damned old tree has got some dead stuff on it. It’s gone dry.” He gently pulled the thing from her hand. “We need to get some water in the pan so it’ll last until Christmas. I’m so sorry, baby girl.” He kissed her hand a dozen times.

  He might not be so good at cleaning up an ice cream mess, but he sure knew how to take care of a boo-boo. Boyfriend who didn’t yell at her for burning food. Father who comforted Sally over a tiny little wound. Yes, sir, this was the good life.

  She tried to take Sally from Landon to check her finger, but the baby shook her head. “No! No! No!”

  “It’s not bleeding, Mommy. I think she’ll be fine,” Landon whispered.

  “Lan-Lan down,” Sally said.

  He put her on the floor, and she pointed her finger at the squirrel. “No! No! No!”

  Dixie giggled.

  “What’s so funny?” Landon asked.

  “She thinks the squirrel bit her. She probably won’t mess with that ornament again,” Dixie said.

  “Things sure aren’t turnin’ out like I’d planned them,” Landon said.

  “Folks plan, and then God laughs,” she said.

  “Ain’t that the truth,” he agreed.

  Chapter Seven

  Landon had sat beside Dixie in church a couple of times before, but the Sunday morning of the Christmas program was a whole new experience. Maybe this new feeling was a result of the
kisses they’d shared the night before. His heart swelled with happiness, and, suddenly, the excitement of California beaches paled in comparison to the joy of sitting in church with Dixie so close to his side that air couldn’t have found a way between them.

  “Packed church today, ain’t it?” Dixie whispered.

  He leaned over close to her ear. “Folks come out for entertainment and food more than they do for preaching.”

  The preacher left the front row of pews and took his place behind the pulpit. “We’re glad to see such a good turnout today. The Lord does love to see every pew filled. Welcome to all y’all this morning, and please, remember that the ladies have planned a potluck in the fellowship hall right after our morning Christmas program. I’ll turn this over to the preschool Sunday school teacher at this time.”

  “Just think, in only three years, Sally will be up there singing with that age group,” Dixie said.

  “She’ll be the prettiest one up there too!” Landon’s heart clenched again at the thought of not being around to see the baby grow up.

  “Look at that little girl on the end with her blond curls. I hope I can get Sally’s hair to do that when she’s big enough to have a part in the program,” Dixie said.

  I believe I’m falling in love with Dixie, Landon finally admitted to himself.

  Falling? Levi’s voice popped into his head. I believe that ship done sailed and you’ve fallen already.

  Okay, now what do I do about it? he asked.

  Figure it out, just like the rest of us had to do, the voice told him.

  Landon enjoyed watching the little kids doing their parts with simple Christmas songs, and the next group did a fantastic job playing the Christmas bells. As smart as Sally was, he could imagine her with a serious expression on her face and ringing her little red or yellow bell at just the right time. The older kids came on the stage next and did a skit and sang a couple of songs, then the teenagers presented the story of Christmas with verses from the Bible and a nativity scene. Would Sally ever play the part of Mary, and would her boyfriend be Joseph?

  The idea of her having a boyfriend with no father around to protect her bothered Landon so much that he squirmed in his seat. Worse than not having a father would be having a stepfather like the one Dixie talked about having when she was growing up. What if Dixie made another bad choice and ended up with a loser like Sally’s biological father? He shuddered at the thought.

  Dixie nudged him with her shoulder. “You okay?”

  “Just letting too many thoughts run through my mind,” he admitted, “but I’m fine.”

  “The Fab Five are up next,” she said. “I can’t wait to see what they do.”

  The curtains opened, and all five of the elderly folks were sitting in rocking chairs around a decorated Christmas tree. Patsy, Bess, and Sarah wore long red-flannel nightgowns, with green dust caps covering their hair and big fluffy house slippers on their feet. Larry and Otis wore red long-handle pajamas and cowboy hats and boots. The music started and they chimed in at the right time with “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree.” When that song ended, they hopped up out of their chairs, joined hands, and sang, “All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth.” They ended the program by putting on long coats and singing “Let It Snow” before finally taking a bow.

  “That was so cute.” Dixie clapped and stood up to give her friends a standing ovation. Everyone in the church followed her example, and then the crowd all started toward the fellowship hall for the potluck dinner.

  Landon took Dixie’s hand in his and led her in the opposite direction toward the nursery. “I bet our baby girl is ready for us to come rescue her.”

  “Probably so,” Dixie agreed. “She’s around adults most of the time, so she’s kind of shy around other children, even the kids out at the ranch.”

  He didn’t even realize his mind was made up until they reached the nursery and Sally reached up her arms and said, “Lan-Lan!” He picked her up, and then retrieved Dixie’s hand. This felt right, and he would never look back with regrets.

  * * *

  If only…

  That’s where Dixie’s thoughts were as they went from the nursery to the fellowship hall. On one hand, she couldn’t wait to see all her friends again. On the other, she wished that she and Landon could sit down on a back pew of the now-empty church and just enjoy some time together.

  If only she would never have to face a day without Landon in her life. If only he would stay in Texas, and they could get into a serious relationship that involved more than a perfect Christmas and a few kisses.

  Dixie was so deep in thought that she was surprised when she looked up and realized they’d already crossed the sanctuary, and Landon had opened the door into the fellowship hall for her. The buzz of the conversation was such a contrast to the few minutes of quietness she’d just experienced that it took a moment for her to adjust to the noise.

  “Well, don’t y’all just look like the perfect little family.” Sarah touched her on the shoulder.

  “The Fab Five was my favorite part of the show.” Dixie avoided responding to the comment. “I loved that rocking chair scene. It was so cute.”

  Sarah took a bow and raised up with a wicked little grin on her face. “When you and Landon are old and gray like us…”

  “Speak for yourself.” Patsy fluffed up her kinky dyed hair with both hands.

  Sarah gave her the evil eye. “Okay, smarty-pants,” she quipped before turning her attention back to Dixie. “When you and Landon are old like us, you can do that scene, and we’ll put it in our will that you inherit our rocking chairs.”

  “Thank you, but—”

  Landon butted in before she could finish. “We’d love to inherit the rocking chairs.”

  The preacher tapped on a glass with a spoon and cleared his throat.

  “If everyone will bow their heads, I’ll say grace and then we can start digging into all this good food,” he said.

  The noise level dropped from practically raising the roof to total silence. Landon let go of her hand to remove his cowboy hat and held it over his heart. In the next few brief minutes while the preacher gave thanks, Dixie felt the loss of his touch and wanted it back again.

  “Amen,” the preacher said.

  “Amen!” several of the elderly folks echoed with a nod. Cowboy hats were settled back onto several of the guys’ heads, and a line started at the long tables that were filled with food of every description.

  “What did you bring?” Landon asked Dixie.

  “You brought it in before services began,” she reminded him.

  “All I saw was a dish all covered up with aluminum foil,” he told her.

  “It’s what Sarah calls Watergate salad. I thought it would go well with the ham and turkey that the Fab Five cooked for today,” she answered.

  “Point it out when we’re going through the line,” he said. “Anything you make has to be good.”

  That comment alone was a huge Christmas present for Dixie. She could scarcely even imagine a life where she’d hear things like that every day.

  “We’ll save y’all a place beside us,” Levi said, turning around. He had Wyatt in one arm and the other was thrown around Claire’s shoulders.

  Claire was short, but standing beside Levi, she looked even smaller. She and Dixie were pretty close to the same height—five foot three inches in their bare feet. Being outside in the summer had put natural blond highlights in Claire’s brown hair. Her brown eyes were filled with love when she looked up at her husband.

  Dixie wondered if she looked at Landon like that and couldn’t help but steal a glance up at him. They locked eyes and then he whispered, “Sometimes I feel like you can see right into my very soul.”

  “I feel the same way about you,” she said, “and to tell the truth, it’s kind of scary.”

  “Not for me.” He draped his free arm around her shoulders. “I like the feeling that we can talk to each other without words.”

&n
bsp; When it was their turn to go through the line, he removed his arm and reached to pick up a plate. She shook her head. “You’re holding Sally, and she’ll be grabbing for your food. I can fill both our plates and take them to the table. You just tell me what you want.”

  “Yes, ma’am…” He nodded.

  Retta and Cade, one of the three couples living on the Longhorn Ranch, came up behind her and Retta whispered softly just for Dixie’s ears. “Are y’all a couple now?”

  “I don’t know,” Dixie answered, but she could hope.

  Chapter Eight

  Like a lot of men, Landon always waited until the last minute to do his Christmas shopping, not that he was lazy, but most often simply because he couldn’t figure out what to buy. That was especially true this year. Dixie was making cookies for all her friends, and that was a bit of a new idea for him. He and his mother had made cookies, but they had never given any of them as gifts.

  He’d racked his brain trying to come up with something when the guys at the bunkhouse asked if he wanted to be a part of what they gave the ranch families every year. Each year, they all put in a few hours of their own time and chopped a rick of firewood for each of the five married couples. They delivered it on Christmas Eve—just before they all left to celebrate the holiday with their own relatives.

  That took care of the ranch bunch, and he could chop an extra rick all by himself for the Fab Five, but he needed something very special to give Dixie and Sally. He had four days to come up with an idea, and he had begun to feel the pressure.

  He was busy loading feed into the back of his truck when Hud showed up in the barn that morning. “Got your Christmas shopping done yet?” he asked.

  “Nope,” Landon said. “Do you?”

  “Not yet,” Hud said. “Have you made up your mind to stay on at Longhorn?”

  “Yep,” Landon repeated. “But I’m not telling anyone just yet.”

  He’d spent time with Hud and his wife, Rose, as well as with Tag and his wife, Nikki, but he didn’t know them as well as he did the folks from Longhorn Canyon. He was aware that Tag and Hud were Emily’s younger twin brothers, but something told him that morning that Hud wasn’t there to talk about Christmas.