A Cowboy Christmas Miracle (Burnt Boot, Texas Book 4) (9 page)

Decorated with blinking Christmas lights all around the windows and the porch posts, the general store looked festive that evening. Garland had been strung around the two gas pumps, and the parking lot was already full when Declan arrived. He found a spot at the back of the store and nosed his truck into it. Weaving his way through the vehicles and people to the porch, where a dozen men huddled together, he was glad that it was cold that night because it brought out the Christmas spirit.

The bits and pieces of comments that he heard didn’t do much for his holiday cheer though. Everyone seemed to be less concerned about lighting trees than they were about what the Gallaghers might do that evening to keep the feud going. If anything was going to happen it would come from them, since the Brennans always got the honor of lighting their tree first. Declan ignored them and made his way into the busy store, where Sawyer and Jill were sitting behind the checkout counter.

A space in the front of the store where the grocery carts were usually parked had been cleared for an eight-foot table. Covered in a festive, red-plaid cloth, every inch was covered with Christmas cookies, finger sandwiches, and all kinds of Christmas candy. Red punch filled a crystal bowl at one end and two tall coffeemakers sat on the other, one with hot chocolate and one with spiced tea. A big pot of coffee sat in the display window along with extra supplies for the party. The store was packed with people, but Declan quickly spotted Rhett and Leah leaning against the counter talking to Sawyer and Jill.

He wound through the crowd and then leaned back, arms on the counter beside Leah. “No shenanigans yet?”

“I’ve been watching for that little hellion that turned the mice loose last year. I can spot that red hair real easy,” Leah said. “But so far, so good. Maybe the grannies have decided to let sleeping dogs lie.”

“I doubt that, but I’m real glad that the food isn’t getting thrown all over the store,” Declan said.

“Me too. I don’t want to clean it up,” Sawyer chuckled. “Another twenty minutes and then we’ll lock the doors and go outside to light up the tree. Did you see the nativity scene they’ve got out there on a flatbed?”

“Granny sprung for a big show this year, since she’s being so stubborn about giving anything to the church. She says when the party is over, she’s taking the nativity scene back to the ranch and leaving it on display until after the holidays,” Leah said.

Declan peered out the window and wondered how in the world he’d walked right past that thing and never even noticed it. True, there was always a flatbed trailer, so whoever was announcing the lighting could stand up there and talk over the noise with a microphone.

The figures were life-size and looked as if they could have been hand-painted. Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus in his manger, three shepherds, three wise men, a drummer boy, and even a star had been suspended from a tree branch to shine above the shed. His grandmother hadn’t said a word about a buying a nativity to him, but then she wouldn’t. She’d have known that he’d have argued that she should give the money to the church, so the whole town could enjoy their traditional program.

“Beautiful, isn’t it, Declan?” Mavis said at his elbow.

“Expensive is more like it,” Declan said tightly.

“Yes, it was, and I’m going to enjoy it for many years, both here and at the ranch. I plan to put it out by the road, so when you drive into the lane, there are lots of pretty lights. That way, folks can drive past it and enjoy it during the whole season.” Mavis smiled.

“It is lovely,” Leah said.

Mavis didn’t even acknowledge that her granddaughter had spoken.

“Granny, Leah made a comment,” Declan said.

“I heard her,” Mavis said before she went straight to the refreshment table, picked up a cookie, and smiled at her new favorite granddaughter, Honey.

Honey was a vision in a white velvet dress that hugged every curve on her tall, thin body. Her dark hair made a halo around a delicate face with bright-red lips and lovely blue eyes. She laid a hand on Mavis’s shoulder and whispered a few words to her. Mavis nodded sorrowfully and kissed Honey on the cheek.

Declan pushed away from the counter and hugged Leah. “It’s okay. She’ll come around someday, and when she does, she’s going to be sorry she treated you like this.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. I have to do what I know is right to live with myself. The rest is up to her. Did you get a cookie?” Leah smiled up at him.

Declan hugged her tighter. “Don’t want one. I can get better cookies at your house.”

“That’s the truth,” Rhett agreed. “And she’s already started making them, so come by anytime.”

How on earth his grandmother could set her heels so hard against someone as good-natured as Rhett O’Donnell was a total mystery to Declan. The man had a little two-inch ponytail, a tat on his forearm, and rode a motorcycle, but that wasn’t a solid reason to hate him, especially when he made Leah so happy. And Leah, bless her sweet heart, had never been unkind to anyone in her life. She deserved to be happy, and Declan had had just about enough of their grandmother treating her like dirt.

Everyone talked at once, and the sheer noise of the conversation echoed around the store until Declan was sure it would bulge the walls and blow out the windows. Then suddenly, everything got quiet, and folks started to file out of the store to watch the lighting of the Brennans’ tree.

“Good evening, everyone,” Quaid said into the microphone. “Isn’t this nativity scene the most gorgeous thing you’ve ever seen? And my grandmother has told me to announce that it will be sitting close enough to the road as you turn up our lane to River Bend that everyone in Burnt Boot can drive past and enjoy it the whole holiday season.”

Declan headed toward the door. “Looks like Quaid has started talking, so they’ll light up the tree pretty soon. We might as well go on out there and join them.”

Leah and Rhett got up slowly and followed him out of the store, with Sawyer and Jill following.

“Feels like we might get a big snow. Wouldn’t it be something if we had two white Christmases in a row?” Leah asked.

“I ordered one special for you because I know how happy it would make you,” Declan said.

Leah flashed him her most brilliant smile and looped her arm through his. “You are the best big brother ever.”

“I smell gasoline. Someone must have spilled a few drops on the ground out at the pumps,” Rhett said.

“It happens sometimes,” Jill said.

Leah pointed at the ten-foot tree, laden with oversize ornaments and garland. “Think those ornaments will withstand the weather for a whole month?”

“They’re tied on, rather than just hung, so maybe that’ll give them a better chance,” Declan answered. “But it always looks pretty bad on New Year’s Day when we come to haul it away.”

Quaid stood beside the tree with a microphone in one hand and an extension cord in the other. “If my cousin Honey will join me, we are going to ask her to do the honors tonight.”

“Is that whiskey I smell?” Leah asked.

“You’re imagining… No, I got a whiff of it too. Raw, cheap whiskey, not the good stuff. It almost smells like moonshine,” Declan said. “Somebody has been celebratin’ early.”

Honey had donned a matching white velvet cape lined with snow-white, shimmering satin with a hood she covered her hair with. She looked every bit the part of an innocent angel up there on the flatbed trailer. “The Brennans would like to welcome you to Burnt Boot and wish you all a very Merry Christmas.” She took the cords from Quaid and snapped them together, and hundreds of sparkling lights lit up the tree.

The crowd applauded.

Leah sighed.

Declan thought maybe a miracle had really happened because nothing had gone awry. Then
poof
. In an instant, the whole flatbed went up in flames. The poor shepherd’s faces melted into scary monsters instead of smiling men dressed in brown. Applause turned to gasps and several children started to wail that someone had killed baby Jesus, so there wouldn’t be Christmas.

Quaid quickly jumped off the trailer and held out his arms to help Honey. She jumped to the ground and hurried inside the store to get away from the smoke, while Quaid ran for the water hose beside the gas pumps. He turned on the faucet and began to spray, but it did little good.

“Alcohol and gasoline. It’ll burn quick. Thank God for this wind. It will blow the stink on down south. And that’s what Granny gets for being mean to you,” Declan said.

“Don’t say that, or she’ll think I caused this,” Leah whispered.

Jill sighed. “And I had a moment when I thought everything was going to go off smoothly.”

“All that will be left is clumps of plastic.” Leah grabbed her nose and ran back into the store as the crowd headed toward the bar, to the Gallaghers’ tree lighting and party. The energy level was higher than ever as everyone now wondered what the Brennans would do in retaliation and would it happen that night or later?

“So what will y’all do to retaliate for this?” Rhett asked.

“I’m not doing a thing. Cookies are all gone, and there’s very little punch left, but I do see a whole platter of ham and cheese sandwiches and lots of hot chocolate. The fire will be burned out by the time the fire department could get here from Gainesville, so let’s lock the door and have a picnic of our own. I’m starved,” Declan said.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Rhett said.

Declan’s phone rang, but he ignored it. He was honest when he said he wanted nothing to do with the payback.

* * *

“Welcome, folks. Come right on into the bar, where we’re serving coffee and doughnuts while we wait on Santa Claus to get here. He’ll be arriving any minute, wearing his cowboy hat and riding a big, white horse this year. He said to tell all you little cowboys and cowgirls that Rudolph is on vacation right now, but he’ll be home by Christmas Eve, and he’ll be in his sleigh that night,” Tanner announced from the back of a pickup truck. “Y’all enjoy the music and the refreshments while we wait. Mercy, what is that smell coming from up the street? Smells like the Brennan party got a little hot.”

Laughter, catcalls, and whistles filled the air. The public had come for a show, and they’d have it, but there was no way the Brennans could top what the Gallaghers had just done. Tanner had even taken precautions in case the Brennans had another cattle stampede lined up. There was no flatbed at the Gallagher tree lighting that night. Tanner had moved his microphone and equipment to the bed of his pickup truck. No way would a bunch of cattle run over Santa Claus while he was lighting the tree if he was safe in the back of Tanner’s big, club-cab truck.

Betsy scanned the crowd for Declan but couldn’t find him. The news of the fire had made her angry and then teary. There were no holiday miracles, and if Mavis didn’t have time to plan something that evening, she would make sure that Naomi got the full brunt of her anger in the next few days. Lord help them, she might even attempt to burn down the main house on Wild Horse.

Christmas music came through the speakers, and Tanner laid the microphone down. He hopped over the side and did some fancy swing dance steps with Betsy. It wasn’t easy to match him step for step in her elf shoes, but she did her best and got a round of applause for her efforts.

“Ten minutes, folks,” Tanner yelled without the help of the microphone. “I heard that Santa will be here in ten minutes. So you kids get your lists all memorized.”

There was more applause as he threw an arm around Betsy’s shoulders. “What do you think the Brennans will do? Have we covered all the bases? I heard through the gossip vine that Mavis spent more than ten thousand dollars on that nativity scene.”

“Were you in on it?” Betsy asked as they made their way back inside the bar. She went to work checking the camera and making sure the computer was ready to print pictures.

“You know Granny. If we’re chosen for a project, we aren’t allowed to kiss and tell.” He laughed. “Did you see Mavis’s face? It melted as bad as those big old statues. One minute she was smiling at Honey, and the next she looked like an alien.”

“Ten thousand plus dollars up in smoke,” Betsy groaned. “Ten thousand dollars given to the church would have let us have all four of our regular programs. And all the little kids were howling because baby Jesus was burning.”

“Well, we’ll make them happy that they have Santa Claus. And that’ll teach those Brennans to run cattle through our party and ruin our Santa suit. We had to burn the costume and buy a new one this year,” Tanner said and changed the subject. “You have a good time with Iris?”

“I always enjoy the time I spend with her,” Betsy said. It wasn’t a lie. When she was with her imaginary friend, there was no feud and no tension.

“Santa! We want Santa!” the chant outside grew louder and louder by the minute.

Tanner fished his phone from his hip pocket and hit the number to call Tyrell. It went straight to voice mail, so he said, “Hey, Santa Claus, your adoring public awaits. Call me and tell me how close you are. I’m going out there to let them know you’re on the way.”

Betsy should have gone out and worked the crowd, handing out candy canes and telling them that Santa would be riding in at any time. But her elf costume wasn’t warm, and the wind was bitter cold. Besides, the soles of her elf shoes were nothing more than felt, and she could feel every rock in the gravel parking lot. She took her phone from the pocket of her tunic and dialed Tyrell’s number, left a message, and looked at the clock. Surely he had the phone somewhere on him, and she had no doubt he could hear the thing ringing.

She waited one minute and dialed him again, then waited another minute and dialed again. Nothing. Nada. Where was he? The crowd was getting restless. Tanner could only appease them so long with promises, and they’d already gotten tired of Christmas music. They needed Santa Claus to wipe the vision of a burning baby Jesus from their minds.

She checked everything again. Camera ready. Printer full of photographic paper. Candy sacks all lined up to give away. All they needed was Santa. The Brennans couldn’t get even until Santa arrived. Unless… She inhaled sharply. That’s the way they were retaliating. They had stolen Santa Claus.