It's a Christmas Thing (The Christmas Tree Ranch 2)

After promising to pick up the little girl in forty-five minutes, Tracy finished doing her hair and makeup, checked on Mama Cat and her lively brood in their box, and paused in the living room to pet Murphy and give him his meds.

Her gaze lingered on the framed photo, taken on a Galveston beach with a younger, more active Murphy. Fit and smiling in their swimsuits, she and Steve looked like a poster for the perfect young American family—with a dog in place of a child.

A shadow darkened Tracy’s thoughts as she remembered what the photo hadn’t shown—the doctor visits, the temperature charts, the fertility drugs, and the disappointments, month after month. When Steve had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, the need for some part of him to go on had become urgent. But their time had run out—time made bitter by the reality that the fault wasn’t with him; it was with her.

Chapter 6

Driving south on the highway, Tracy kept an eye out for the sign that said CHRISTMAS TREE RANCH. She’d heard people talk about the ranch and the beautiful, fresh Christmas trees that could be bought here and at Hank’s Hardware. But she’d never visited the place. Last year, when they’d opened for business, she’d had no interest in buying a tree. She wouldn’t be buying one this year, either, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t curious.

Face it, I’m curious about anything connected with Dr. J. T. Rushford.

After turning off the highway by the sign, she drove down the narrow lane and pulled through the open gate. The house, a dilapidated one-story frame with a broad front porch, certainly lacked a woman’s touch. But someone had hung light strings along the roofline and wrapped them around the supports that held up the overhanging eave. Cut trees leaned against racks in the front yard. Tracy inhaled their fresh fragrance as she climbed out of the car. From somewhere beyond the rolling pastures and snow-covered hills came the whine of a chainsaw biting into wood.

Several vehicles were parked in the side yard. Tracy didn’t see Rush’s Hummer, but she’d already been told that he’d had an emergency call. Never mind, Rush wasn’t the reason she’d agreed to come here.

Travis came out onto the porch to greet her. She’d met him a few months ago when he’d come by the city building to take Maggie to lunch. Maggie had hit the jackpot with the tall, soft-spoken ranch owner. The two of them seemed to be made for each other.

“Hi, Tracy,” he said. “Have you come to pick up the princess?”

“If she’s ready.”

“Oh, she’s ready, all right. She’s been over the moon about meeting you and shopping for new clothes. Come on in and meet her.”

Tracy mounted the porch and walked through the door he opened for her. The little girl who stood in the living room was dressed as Disney’s Sleeping Beauty in a pink princess gown, with high-heeled plastic sandals on her feet and a rhinestone tiara on her pretty head. With dark hair and big, dark eyes, she looked as if she’d stepped out of a fairy tale.

She wasn’t exactly dressed for a trip to Shop Mart, but as long as she was happy and got what she needed, Tracy was willing to play the game.

Spreading invisible skirts, Tracy dropped a curtsy. “Your Highness,” she murmured.

The little girl giggled. “That’s not my name. My name is Clara.”

Tracy rose, a bit awkwardly, from her curtsy. “I’m Tracy, Clara. I’ve come to take you shopping. Are you ready to go?”

“Uh-huh. I just need my coat. It’s in my tent.” Turning, she headed for a blue nylon dome tent that was pitched in the living room. “Do you like my tent? I’m camping out.”

“What a good idea,” Tracy said. “You won’t even get cold at night, or be kept awake by coyotes.”

Clara unzipped the tent and stepped inside. While she was rummaging for her coat, Travis handed Tracy a credit card. “Rush says the sky’s the limit,” he said. “But she’ll need a warmer coat and some boots and gloves, as well as the basics like jeans, underwear, and socks.”

“Leave it to me,” Tracy said. “I’ll get her everything she needs, and we’ll have a good time.”

“Oh, one more thing.” Travis picked up a booster seat that had been left on a chair. “Rush wanted to make sure you had this in your car. If you don’t mind waiting a minute, I’ll go out and install it in your backseat.”

He picked up the seat and strode out to her car. Maggie had mentioned that he was a former highway patrolman. It made sense that he’d be safety-conscious. But he’d seemed genuinely concerned about getting Clara the right clothes, too. He and Maggie would make wonderful parents, Tracy thought. With luck, they’d get married and have a big, happy family.

Rush, too, seemed to have the makings of a good father. Tracy had seen for herself that he was gentle, kind, and responsible. Maggie had passed on Travis’s comment that he adored his little stepdaughter, even though she wasn’t his biological child. Maggie had hinted that there was more to the story. But unless Rush chose to tell her, that was none of her business, Tracy reminded herself.

Surely, Rush would want children of his own someday. That would put her out of the running from the get-go. Besides, she and Rush barely knew each other. Today she was repaying a favor. That was all.

Clara emerged from the tent wearing her blue, quilted coat, which looked slightly lopsided because of the way she’d buttoned it. Turning, she zipped the tent flap shut. “If I leave it open, Bucket could come in all wet and dirty and roll around on my bed,” she explained. “Okay, I’m ready to go shopping now.”

Tracy looked her up and down, from her shiny tiara and misbuttoned coat to her long princess skirt and plastic high-heeled sandals. She looked like an adorable misfit, but everything was manageable except the shoes. Those shoes would have to go.

“Don’t you have any warmer shoes, Clara?” she asked. “You’ll freeze your toes in those sandals.”

“I’ve got sneakers,” she said. “But these are my princess shoes. Princesses don’t wear sneakers.”

Little fashionista. Hiding a smile, Tracy tried to look stern.