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His manner became more deferential. “Sure. Okay. As you can see, there’s a lot to do. We were hoping to save this wall, but the plaster was cracked. So we had to tear it out and replace it with this sheetrock. When it’s spackled and painted over, you won’t know the difference. We’ll do the same to the ceiling. It’ll be good as new. You’ll see.”
“What about the other rooms?”
“The other bedrooms won’t need much, just some patching and paint. And the bathroom is done. Go on in and take a look.”
The bathroom was across the hall, the door closed. Jess’s FBI training kicked in. If the man had any ideas, that small room could be a trap. “I’ll take your word for it,” she said. “Right now I need to be going. I’ve got some people who’ll be out looking for me if I don’t hurry home. My name is Jessica Graver, by the way. You can tell your boss I was here.”
“I’ll do that. And if you see him first, you can tell him that Ed McCoy was working when you came by, and he treated you like the lady you are.”
“I’ll do that.” Jess had gone cold.
Ed McCoy. I know that name. I just talked to your wife and saw what you did to her face. And I know your stepson, who’s going through a struggle because of you. Get your gear and get out. I don’t want you in my house.
The words flashed through her mind, but she left them unspoken. At least he was working. And any anger she might rouse in the man was bound to be vented on his poor wife.
Driving to Buckaroo’s to get the pizzas, she tuned the radio to some cheerful Christmas music and forced herself to sing along. She’d be picking up Maggie in a few minutes, and she didn’t want to dampen the little girl’s excitement.
Still, she couldn’t help remembering Ruth McCoy’s bruised, stricken face and her own encounter with Ruth’s abusive husband. What kind of Christmas would that family be having? Would they even have a tree, or presents?
Experience and training had taught her that Christmas was a time when dark emotions tended to surface. Suicides, robberies, murders, and domestic abuse all became more common. She’d sensed a violent streak when she’d faced Ed McCoy. The thought of where it might lead would worry her all through the holidays.
Having Maggie in the car helped to raise her spirits. The little girl chatted and sang all the way to the ranch. By the time they drove into the yard and saw Cooper, Trevor, and the dog waiting for them on the porch, Jess was ready to celebrate with her own small, borrowed family.
After leaving the pizzas in the warm oven, they unpacked the tree stand from the box Jess had brought, attached it to the base of the tree, and set it up in the corner of the living room. Trevor added some water to the reservoir in the stand. The aroma of fresh pine drifted through the house.
“Doesn’t that tree smell heavenly, Uncle Cooper?”
“It does,” Cooper conceded. “Kind of like being in a forest. Maybe we should leave it like this. It’s so pretty and green. Why does it need a bunch of tacky old decorations on it?” He caught Jess’s eye and gave her a private wink. So he was teasing with his whole Scrooge act, making it fun for Maggie. She couldn’t help liking him for that.
“Stop it, silly!” Maggie gave him a play-punch above the belt. “It wouldn’t be a Christmas tree without decorations—just a plain old tree.”
“The tree can wait,” Trevor said. “Right now, I’m starving. Can we eat before we decorate?”
“Good idea,” Jess said. “I’ll get the pizzas out of the oven. Trevor, you can get the sodas out of the fridge.”
They sat in the kitchen, eating pizza off paper plates and sipping cold sodas. Jess could sense the warmth around the small, plain table—almost as if they were family. Not that they were anything of the sort. They were more like separate pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that didn’t quite fit. But for now it was nice.
“How’s the work on the sleigh coming?” she asked Trevor.
Trevor reached for a third slice of pepperoni pizza. “We’re almost finished. Abner will be out of town, visiting his married daughter for a few days, so we won’t be working. But when he comes back, we’re going to turn the sleigh over and attach the runners. After that we can hitch up the horses and take it for a test run.”
“But there’s no snow,” Jess said.
“I know. For now, while there’s no snow, we’ll have to use a ramp and put the sleigh on the hay wagon. We’ll need your help with the wagon and the horses, Dad.”
“Fine,” Cooper said. “We’ll just have to make sure the sleigh is securely fastened to the wagon—maybe by bolting it down. Is Skip still helping you?”
“Yup. He’s a good worker, too. Abner’s even offered him a job after Christmas, coming by to help out on the farm.”
“That’s good news,” Jess said. “I know he and his family could use the money.”
“He’s a lot stronger than I am,” Trevor said. “Abner has a bad back, so Skip does most of the heavy lifting. We’ll need him when it comes time to flip the sleigh and put the runners on.”
“You’ll need me, too,” Maggie said. “I’m the best at getting tools and things and handing them to you.” She frowned. “But we still don’t have a Santa. I’ve talked to my dad about it, and he says he’s taking care of it. But I do worry. Dad could get busy and forget. And we can’t just have an empty sleigh in the parade.”
“Then I’d say leave it to him, Maggie,” Jess said. “When Sam Delaney says he’ll take care of something, it gets taken care of. That’s why he’s mayor. Now what do you say we finish off this pizza and get back to decorating our tree?”
* * *
