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Chapter Twenty
Jill lifted the lid on yet another box, surprised Ginger had accumulated so many Christmas decorations. She’d never paid attention to how many were put up around the West Wing before, but now that she was doing it single-handedly, she knew how much work it was.
She didn’t care. With the music playing songs about Santa and reindeer, cups of cheer and chestnuts roasting, she didn’t have to think about things she’d rather forget.
She’d put up the main tree in the living room that morning, and tonight, she was going to climb the fence in the front and take a picture of it as it welcomed everyone to the ranch. Hope Eternal had a website, and Jill had volunteered to spruce it up. She’d been learning how to add pictures of happenings around the ranch, and she’d been writing a blog a few times a week, with convenient links to their upcoming programs and events.
Someone had asked if there would be a Santa Claus at the ranch, perhaps wearing a cowboy hat, and that they’d love to have a photo opportunity with a “western Santa.”
Jill had immediately taken the idea to Ginger, who’d given her the green light. Jill had slept little for the past week as she researched what she’d need to set up a photo booth of sorts to create the perfect western Santa experience for children.
She knew what they did at the mall, and she may have gone to town a few days in a row to stalk the mall Santa, talk to the elves managing the camera, and learn how much they charged for the photos.
To sit on Santa’s lap was free, and she thought she could get Ted to don the red suit and say the ho ho ho’s. He was already a big teddy bear, and she could shove a pillow under his coat to make him a bit puffier.
She’d been practicing with her cell phone to get the perfect pictures, and all she needed was the tripod she’d bought to arrive in the mail, and she’d be ready.
It was the day after Thanksgiving, and she’d promised everyone on the ranch blog that she had some exciting news coming the following Monday. Her determination to get the rest of the holiday decorations up ate at her fiercely, and she kept hanging ornaments on the smaller tree in the kitchen. This one was getting treated with various utensils that Ginger had gotten from somewhere, and Jill was going to finish it with plenty of tinsel.
Then she had clings to put on all the windows, and all the little knick-knacks that she’d arrange on the bannister, the shelves in the living room, and the back of the piano. After that, she was planning to drive all the empty boxes to the equipment shed and swap them out for the bigger lawn ornaments.
Ginger had never bothered with those that Jill could remember. But she wanted the light-up deer in the front yard, and the red-and-green elf to stand guard on the front porch. Her first couple of years at the ranch, Ginger’s father had still been in control, and he’d definitely brought out the bigger Christmas décor.
She’d even spied a sleigh and reindeer that could go on the roof. “That’s overkill,” she murmured to herself as Bing Crosby started singing about a winter wonderland. She shook her head. “There’s no such thing as Christmas overkill this year,” she said sternly.
She loved Christmas, and she was going to celebrate it in style this year. Since she’d decided to do that a few weeks ago, she’d been doing some online shopping for the men and women she knew around the ranch. She didn’t have a lot of expendable income, but she could afford a pair of gloves here, and a chocolate orange there.
Jess loved peppermint candy, and she’d bought her a giant bag at the big box store just yesterday. It was a well-spent ten bucks, and Jill couldn’t wait to wrap it in brightly colored paper and put it under one of the trees in the West Wing.
“Something smells good in here,” Hannah said as she came down the hall.
“Don’t get excited,” Jill said. “It’s a hot chocolate candle from Haven.” She turned to greet her friend and found Hannah with a man Jill had never met. “Oh, hello.” She lifted her eyebrows and smiled at Hannah.
Hannah grinned like the cat who’d swallowed the canary. “Jill, this is Chuck Knight. Chuck, my best friend, Jill.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Chuck said with a wide, white-toothed smile. He was very good-looking, and Jill returned his grin easily. She turned her gaze to Hannah, her eyebrows refusing to go down.
“How did you two meet?” Jill asked.
“Look at this place,” Hannah said. “Oh, it’s a baking tree. I remember when Brooke set this up the first time. She put all of her gifts under it, and we all got something for the kitchen that year.”
She’d dodged the question, and Jill let her as she walked over to the nearly finished tree.
“I ate dinner with her family yesterday,” Chuck said, drawing Jill’s attention. “My brother is married to her sister.”
“Ah, got it,” Jill said, turning back to watch Hannah adjust one of the ceramic whisks. “Well, Hannah is a pretty amazing woman. Have you not met her before now?”
He reached up and swept his cowboy hat off his head, ran his hands through his hair, and put his hat back on. “I’ve been serving in the military for a few years, so I haven’t been around.”
“I see.” Jill gave him another grin. A military cowboy. He was right up Hannah’s alley. In the past, Jill might have experienced a dose of jealousy as she thought a military man combined with a cowboy was pretty sexy. Now, though, she felt nothing. Not for Chuck, and no envy whatsoever. “Well, thank you for your service.”
“Ma’am,” he said, and Hannah turned back to them.
“I’m still getting used to your hair,” she said as she rounded the island. “Should I make no-bake cookies?”
“Yes,” Jill said instantly. “And we have all of that ice cream that needs to be eaten. Ginger wants to put those little cups in there for the baby shower, and she said she’ll throw it away if we don’t clear it out.”
“She wouldn’t dare,” Hannah said, freezing as her eyes widened.
