“Second year out here,” Tara said, slipping an arm around Jace’s waist.
“That makes it tradition,” Ginny declared.
“That it does,” Jace agreed, ruffling her hair.
“Maybe we’ll get a repeat of last year’s white Christmas,” her brother Austin added hopefully.
“Your mouth to God’s ear,” Mary Alice laughed.
It was good to see them happy. When their father had gone to prison for burglary, Tara had left college to become guardian to her two half-siblings. Mary Alice knew better than many the tough road they’d travelled. She’d had several conferences with Tara last year. It seemed that after a rough start, they’d finally found their groove as a family.
As a minivan pulled up, Jace nodded toward it. “Austin, you want to handle this one?”
“On it.” The boy headed for the family piling out of the van, a broad smile in place and the spiel clearly ready on his tongue.
Tara pulled something from her coat pocket and handed it over to Chad. “Before I forget.”
He held up the little scroll tied in Christmas ribbon. “This wasn’t what I left you.”
“My version is better,” she said. “You don’t get an artist involved in your scheming and not expect her to fancy it up a bit.”
Mary Alice folded her arms, narrowing her eyes at Chad. “What are you up to?”
“We’re going on a scavenger hunt.”
“A scavenger hunt?” She grinned at the idea of it. She hadn’t been on one since she was a kid at camp. How on earth had he put together something like that since yesterday afternoon?
“You’ve been working your butt off this week, so I thought you could do with an adventure. I had to recruit a little help. Thanks for that, by the way,” he said to Jace and the others.
“Anytime, man. You saved my dad’s life.”
“Is he taking it easy, as ordered?”
“Mom’s got an eagle eye on him. He’s grumbling a lot and doesn’t think much of the heart healthy diet, but he’s doing better.”
“Good to hear.”
“Y’all should be getting on,” Tara said. “You don’t want to lose daylight before you’re ready.”
“The plan calls for being out here after dark?” Mary Alice asked.
“You did promise the day.”
“So I did.” Now that she knew what he’d been up to, she understood why that day had started later than expected.
He handed over the scroll with a flourish. “Your first clue, milady.”
Mary Alice slid off the ribbon and unrolled the parchment to find a few lines of gorgeously rendered calligraphy. She read the clue aloud.
“My branches are lovely, or didn’t you hear?
Santa’s helper is waiting, and I don’t mean his reindeer.
(Though their number will give you the right row.)”
She laughed. “It’s a tree farm. Everything is trees planted in rows.”
Ginny did a little dance. “It’s—”