Santa In Montana (Calder Saga 11)

“Had to wear my hat,” Laredo drawled. “I needed to keep my head from getting cold.”

“Too bad you didn’t have your camera, Mom.” Laura smiled in regret. “That picture would have been pinned up on every bulletin board on the Triple C.”

“Might have been a bit hard for Jessy to take a picture,” Laredo pointed out, an impish gleam lighting his blue eyes, “considering she was in the tub, too.”

As gleeful laughter broke out, Jessy smiled along with them and shook her head in mock reproach. “You just had to tell ’em.”

“I think they would have figured it out,” Laredo said with a wink.

“Now that picture would have been priceless,” Quint stated. “No doubt about it.”

Jake came running up and threw himself across Trey’s legs. “Can I open one of my presents early. ’Redo got to.”

“Nope.”

“Aww please.” He dragged the word out in a soulful plea.

“You heard your father, Jake,” Sloan put in, adding her weight to Trey’s refusal.

He swung around to scowl at her, arms akimbo. “How come?”

Sloan fell back on the tried and true answer. “Because we said so.” Jake’s shoulders slumped in defeat.

About then Josh found rolling a ball on the floor much too tame, and gave it a swat, sending the ball flying into the den. With a squeal of glee, he took off toward the dining room at his fastest version of a run.

“Josh, come back here!” Dallas pushed off the love seat’s arm to go after him. But Cat was already on her feet. “I’ll bring him back.”

As she started toward the dining room, Jake took off for the stairs. Trey sat up, and swiveled around to watch him race up the steps.

“Why’s he going upstairs?” He eyed Sloan, a curious and wary line creasing his forehead.

“Who knows?” She shrugged and redirected her attention to the photo album on Laura’s lap.

“Quint,” Chase began, turning a thoughtful look on his grandson. “Did you ever notice the hair color that boy of yours has? In a certain light, it’s as orange as a carrot. If he was any smaller, a rabbit might try to eat him.”

“Bright, isn’t it?” Empty agreed. “It’ll darken up as he gets older. Dallas’s did.”

Chase ran an appraising glance over the rich copper sheen of her hair, and decided, after some consideration. “That’d be all right.”

Laredo gave her a thumbs up. “You passed inspection.”

Cat reappeared, shooing a giggling Josh in front of her. As if on cue, Jake clumped down the stairs with something in his hand. No one had a clear view of it until he reached the bottom.

“What are you doing with that rope, Jake?” Trey immediately wanted to know.

“I’m gonna use it t’catch Josh the next ti

me he runs off,” Jake asserted, extremely pleased with himself for coming up with the solution.

“Oh, no, you’re not, young man,” Sloan said with a quick shake of her head. “Ropes aren’t for catching people. Only horses and cattle.”

“But it’d be good practice, Mom.”

“Bring me the rope, Jake.” Trey snapped his fingers and motioned to him. Feet dragging and the corners of his mouth turned down, Jake walked over and laid the coiled rope in his father’s outstretched hand.

“What goes around, always comes around,” Chase declared, looking directly at Trey and Quint. “And seeing that reminds me of you two when you were his age, always up to something and inches away from being in trouble. It’s amazing how parents get to raise a replica of themselves.”

“So that’s where Jake gets all his wild ideas.” Sloan nodded in sudden understanding while sliding Trey a teasing look.