Santa In Montana (Calder Saga 11)

“No, she’s already left for the barn,” Chase told her.

“I’m going too.” As Sloan backed out of the opening, two things registered—the ballpoint pen Chase was holding and the open checkbook beneath his hand.

There was only one conclusion she could draw from that, Chase was writing another check to Wade Rogers. For what? And how much this time?

The questions nagged Sloan all the way to the barn. Her first thought was to find Trey and let him know what she’d seen. But one look at the crowd in the barn and Sloan knew this wasn’t the time or the place to talk abou

t her suspicions. Sloan settled instead for locating her son and getting him into his costume. To do that, she had to find Jessy, who had volunteered to keep an eye on Jake while Sloan went to locate his sandals.

Scanning faces, she started working her way through the throng. A second later, she spotted Jessy and altered her course toward her mother-in-law.

“You found them!” Cat’s voice came from her left.

Sloan paused to reply as Cat closed the gap between them. “In the pajama drawer. Thanks for the hint.”

Cat smiled away her thanks. “Jake is his father’s son.”

“True.” Sloan found it impossible not to notice how incredibly alive and happy Cat looked. She looked radiant and positively youthful. It didn’t call for any great deal of imagination for Sloan to guess why. “I noticed that Wade made it here after all.”

“I know.” Cat fairly beamed. “He volunteered to bring Dad down when they were finished. Hopefully that won’t be too long.” Her glance strayed to the barn’s entrance.

“It better not be, or Chase will miss the children’s program. Which reminds me. I need to get Jake in his costume.”

“Good luck,” Cat said with a laugh.

On her way to Jessy, Sloan spotted Jake playing with two of his friends not far from where his grandmother stood. Jake looked anything but happy when he saw the sandals in her hand. Grudgingly he let Sloan lead him to the tack room that served as a string room for the Christmas program’s props and a changing room for the children. With ill grace, he removed his cowboy hat and boots, trading them for the sandals and turbaned headdress, then donned his shepherd’s robe.

Sloan all but dragged him out of the tack room. “How come I had to change now?” Jake grumbled. “It isn’t even time yet. See.” He pointed to his friend. “Dan doesn’t have his costume on yet.”

“He soon will,” Sloan assured him, then noticed Chase standing next to Jessy. Wade Rogers wasn’t with him. “Your Greypa’s here.”

Chase was quick to greet the boy. “Well, Jake, I see you’re in your costume already. Good for you.”

“No, it isn’t,” Jake declared. “My toes are cold.”

An eyebrow arched in mild reproof. “I don’t hear any of the other boys complaining, and you shouldn’t either.”

“I guess,” he mumbled. He heaved a big sigh of resignation and made a big show out of lifting his downcast head. Abruptly his expression lost its disgruntled look. “Hey, Greypa, there’s Aunt Cat. She’s with the husband you got her.” He pointed to the couple a short distance away from them.

“Now, he isn’t her husband yet,” Chase corrected.

“But he just put his arm around her. That means he likes her, doesn’t it?”

“I’m pretty sure he likes her,” Chase agreed.

“I bet it’s a special kind of liking, the same as me and Becky.” Jake nodded in certainty.

“Who’s Becky?” Jessy wanted to know.

“A girl. She’s in the play, too.”

Chase exchanged an amused look with Jessy. “Really?”

“What part does she play?”

Jake thought for a second. “She’s supposed to be Mary. She has really long hair and a blue dress.” He looked down doubtfully at his burlap robe. “Is this a dress? It’s scratchy. Aren’t shepherds s’posed to wear jeans?”

“I’ve never seen one in jeans,” Chase stated.