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“Is that a no or a yes?”
“It’s a yes, if nothing better works out. Okay?”
“Okay.” Clara ate in silence for a few minutes, then changed the subject.
“I know something we can do after lunch. My friend, Gracie McFarland, showed me how to make Christmas cards. Have you got any paper, and some markers or crayons?”
“I think so,” Tracy said. “The paper is just white. Will that be okay?”
“Uh-huh. I want to make cards for everybody.”
Tracy had plenty of white copy paper in her office. The packet of washable markers hadn’t been used in a while, but when she tested them, all the colors worked. By the time she’d found what she needed and carried everything into the kitchen, Clara had finished eating. They cleared the table, wiped it off, and got ready to work.
Clara took a sheet of paper and folded it in half. “See,” she said. “Now it’s a card. You make a picture on the front and you write on the inside.”
“Can you write?” Tracy asked.
“A little. But it’s kind of hard. I’ll make the picture, and you can write what I tell you. Okay?”
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
“This one’s for my dad.” She used the green marker to make a squiggly Christmas tree. “Now you write,” she said. “Merry Christmas to Daddy, from Clara.”
Once they got started the cards went fairly quickly. Each picture was different—a dog for Travis, a horse for Conner, a star for Maggie, a cat for her friend Gracie, and other pictures for the rest of the McFarland family. She even made cards for Cecil and Annie who’d taken care of her in Phoenix. The inside messages were all the same except for the names. Her artwork wasn’t bad for a four-year-old’s, but best of all, she was having fun.
“Are you going to make cards for your parents?” Tracy asked.
“They’re on the big boat. They can’t get my cards there.” Clara shook her head and kept on drawing.
On the last card, she drew a big brown dog with wings on his back. “This card is for you,” she said. “It’s Murphy. He’s an angel now.”
Tracy blinked away a tear.
By the time the cards were finished, Clara was yawning. “Time for a rest,” Tracy said. “Would you like to lie down on my bed?”
“Uh-huh. Can I take Snowflake with me?”
“All right. Just be careful. Pick him up gently so Rainbow will know she can trust you.”
Clara tiptoed over to the chair, eased the white kitten away from the others, and gathered him into her arms. Rainbow raised her head. “Don’t worry, Rainbow, I’ll bring him back,” she said.
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sp; Tracy walked with her back to the bedroom, helped her onto the bed, and covered her with the small quilt. A few minutes later, when she went back to check on her, Clara was fast asleep with Snowflake curled in the spoon of her body.
Moving quietly, Tracy went into her home office and sat down at her computer. Something Clara had said earlier had given her an idea for a gift.
A quick search on her computer brought up just what she wanted—a beautiful snow globe with Santa and his sleigh inside. Using her credit card, she chose express shipping and placed the order. The snow globe would be something that Clara could have in Phoenix. When she made the snow swirl, she would be reminded of Christmas Tree Ranch and the people who loved her.
* * *
It was after 3:00 when Rush parked outside Tracy’s house and climbed the front steps. Between cutting and hauling trees, grooming the sleigh-ride trail, repairing the harnesses, and polishing the hardware on the sleigh till it gleamed, he ached in every joint and muscle. The snow was a blessing to the ranch. But the popular sleigh rides, which would continue through the New Year if the snow lasted, doubled the season’s workload.
He rapped lightly on the door, hoping that Clara would still be napping. This morning’s brief time with Tracy hadn’t been enough.
She opened the door, dressed in jeans and a faded sweatshirt, her hair loose and her face glowing. Just seeing her smile made the drive on treacherous roads worth his time.
He was head over heels in love, and it felt damned good.
