AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do you think Theron is ready to be introduced to another person?” Stevie asked.
“He went with Lucas to get the decorations, so he’s getting acquainted with Sonny and Pearl,” Vada replied. “And if he gets nervous, Lucas can take him out to the barn and let him talk to Buttercup or the alpacas.”
“What about bringing Cody?” Stevie asked.
“Let’s give it a try,” Vada said. “Theron is into all things cowboy right now, so maybe…”
“If you think it’s too much for him, just give me a signal, and we’ll leave,” Stevie said.
Vada cocked an ear toward the door. “I will, and Stevie, he’s laughing, so I guess things went well at Sonny and Pearl’s house.”
“Good sign. See you later,” Stevie said, and the screen went dark.
Who was this child coming in out of the cold with a cardboard box in his arms? He looked a little like her son, Theron, with his blond hair that needed cutting, but his blue eyes sparkled with joy. How could a horse cause such a fast turnaround in a kid?
It wasn’t the horse,her granny answered her questions.It was the fact that he decided he wanted to get better.
Lucas carried three boxes into the bunkhouse right behind Theron. “There should be enough stuff here for our tree and the one out in the barn. This kid says that he wants to do both trees tonight, so we’d better get busy.”
Theron set his box on the kitchen table. “This one has cookies, some fudge, and part of a chocolate cake. Pearl says I’m supposed to call her Granny and Sonny is Poppa. Is that all right with you, Mama? It’s not disrespecting my real granny, is it?”
“Your real granny would be glad that you have found a new granny and poppa,” Vada assured him. “I can almost feel her smiling.”
Theron frowned as he opened the box and took out a sugar cookie. “How do youfeela smile, Mama?”
“How does it make you feel to brush Buttercup after you walk her around the corral?” Lucas asked.
“All warm inside,” Theron answered without hesitation.
“That’s what a smile feels like,” Lucas explained.
“Thank you. Now I understand. All of this is really new to me, but I like it so far,” Theron said and bit off a chunk of the cookie.
Vada felt as if her feet were floating six inches off the floor. “A tree needs presents under it. Do you still want boots and a hat?”
“Yes, I do, and gloves like Lucas has,” he replied. “I want to ride Buttercup after Christmas, and I need a new external hard drive to keep all my pictures of the ranch, and the horses, and the bunkhouse on.”
“If there was a Santa Claus, what would you ask him for?” Lucas asked.
“I would ask for enough money to buy this ranch, so I never had to leave it,” he said. “Now can we put the stuff on this tree. I can’t wait to see what Buttercup and Winnie think of the one in the barn. And, Mama, tomorrow I’m going to meet the twins and Mia. I think I’m ready.”
“Stevie and Cody might drop in for a few minutes tonight to see our tree,” Vada said.
“Could they come to the barn and see that one, too?” Theron asked with a long sigh. “Lucas says I can fix it up all by myself.”
Vada wouldn’t have cared if he wanted to decorate forty trees. To hear him excited and asking for boots and a hat even before something for his computer put a big smile on her face. “I think Stevie and Cody would love to see your barn tree. I’ll call her and tell her to meet us out there.”
“Is Cody a cowboy?” Theron asked.
“Yes, he is,” Lucas answered as he opened the first box and took out a strand of lights. “This is a two-person job. I’ll feed them to you, Vada, if you’ll get them situated.”
Theron plopped down on the sofa and frowned. “Why would you feed lights to my Mama? They are made of glass. Humans do not digest glass.”
Lucas bit back a chuckle. “That’s just cowboy talk that means I will put the lights around my arms and let your mama pick them off, one at a time, to put on the tree branches. We won’t do lights on the barn tree because it might spook the horses. We’ll just put garland and unbreakable ornaments on that one.”
“Unbreakable?” Vada asked as she began helping get the lights on the tree.
***
