Eighteen

 

 

 

 

 

Colt woke to someone lightly patting his face, then harder. “Wake up! Wake up! I can’t find Gertie!”

He bolted to a sitting position. “What?”

“Gertie’s missing,” Maddie said in a softer voice, the pout coming into play again.

Beside him, Naomi sat up on one elbow. “Gertie?”

“The floppy unicorn,” Colt explained, half asleep. Rubbing his eyes, he asked, “Where did you last see Gertie?”

Tibby stood at the doorway. “Maddie, tell them what you did.”

“Okay. I threw Gertie up on top of the ’frigerator. It was an accident. Now we can’t get her down.”

“You go back to sleep,” Naomi muttered. “I have to get up anyway to put the turkey in the oven.”

“That’s okay. I’m awake now. Did you guys eat?”

Maddie bounced on her toes. “Tibby made cereal. But Deke made me spill the milk.”

“She made a mess, but don’t worry,” Tibby assured them, “I already cleaned it up. We might better do a load of laundry later, though.”

Naomi traded looks with Colt. Neither one could actually crawl out of bed yet because they weren’t wearing anything under the covers. “We’ll be out in a minute, girls. Okay? Meanwhile, Tibby, why don’t you turn on the TV for Maddie? The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade’s already started. Probably.”

“Cool,” Maddie hollered, scrambling out of the room.

When the coast was clear, Naomi threw on a sweater and a pair of cropped jeans. “I’ll get coffee started. Want eggs?”

“Anything’s fine.” He grabbed her hand when she passed by the bed and pulled her down next to him on the bed. “You look totally hot in that outfit.”

She giggled like a schoolgirl and ran a hand down his chest. “Don’t get anything started you can’t finish.”

“Oh, I could finish, I just might not be able to concentrate with all that noise coming from the living room.”

She laughed again and lowered her lips to his. “I’ll go adjust the volume. At least on the TV.”

Later, as the washing machine cranked with a full load of laundry, the noise of a football game droned in the background while the four of them got dinner ready.

In the middle of mashing potatoes, Colt leaned over to Naomi and whispered, “Does it seem to you Tibby is a lot quieter than she’s been before?”

Naomi turned to look at the youngster who was pouring Jell-O into a mold for later. “I thought it was just me. Could it be the holiday itself is making her so sad? Memories?”

“Maybe.” He remembered a time about that age when he’d felt so lonely, he’d wanted to die. Which is the reason he followed Tibby out the door when she took Deke out for his walk.

“You don’t have to keep an eye on me every second,” Tibby scolded. “I promised Naomi that I wouldn’t run. I wouldn’t do that to her.”

“But you don’t exactly have a great track record, now do you?”

“I’d say you’re wrong. A track record is what got me here.”

“Look at it from our perspective, trusting you completely will take a while.”

“I could say the same thing about you guys.”

Colt stopped walking and looked down at the girl. “What’s wrong, Tibby? You’re angry about something. Might as well lay your cards on the table before we sit down to eat.”

“Naomi says you were in Afghanistan too, like my dad.”

Colt squinted into the western sky where the sun beamed bright and cheery. “I was in a lot of places. Afghanistan was one of them.”

“Why did you come back from over there and my dad didn’t?”

“Honestly, I don’t know, Tibby.”

“Maybe you were lucky, and he wasn’t.”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe you knew him. Shawn Porter was his name. Sergeant Shawn Porter.”

“I’m sorry, Tibby. But I didn’t know him.”

“I bet you were in a different squad.”

“Unit. I was in a special tactical unit assigned to…get certain things done.”

“Oh.”

Her sad face told Colt she wanted to say more. “What about your mom?”

“She was a nurse, who worked the night shift. She’d just gotten off work that morning when she had the wreck. I bet she was exhausted and missed a turn or something. It had snowed a lot the night before.”

She tugged on the dog’s leash to head back toward the house, but then abruptly stopped. “I have a hard time remembering her voice. My dad’s voice faded away a long time ago. I don’t recall what he sounded like. That’s bad, isn’t it?”

“No. It’s not. There might be times when you won’t be able to recall your mom’s voice or your dad’s, but in your heart, you know without question that they loved you. That’s what’s important to remember…Tibby…in here,” Colt said, tapping his own chest. “No one will ever be able to take that knowledge away from you. That one thing, knowing you were loved, is perhaps the most important thing of all. Never forget that.”’

Tibby sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve. “Why is there so much sadness in the world?”

“I wish I knew the answer to that. All I know for sure is that you have to carve out a chunk of happiness for yourself. And don’t take a minute of it for granted. You love the people who are important in your life and then you remind them as often as you can.”

“Do you love Naomi?”

“I do.”

“And she loves you?”

“I think so.”

“She does. But do you really want me and Maddie around when you could be spending it alone with Naomi?”

“I could bullshit you, but I won’t. That’s a really good question. It’s a good one because Naomi and I don’t have a lot of experience around kids. When you’re out of your element, like we are, it makes you feel uneasy, less confident about things. Am I doing the right thing here? Am I saying the right thing there? Even grownups have bouts of doubt now and again. The thing is, we don’t feel that chunk of doubt about you and Maddie. Maybe it’s because we both had difficult childhoods. I could’ve used a nice home like this growing up.”

Tibby wrapped her arms around his waist, laid her head on his chest. “I don’t want to go back.”

“I know you don’t.” Colt squatted down to her level, lifted her chin. “But you have to show us the same confidence, Tibby. Before school starts on Monday, you need to come clean about your background, all of it, not bits and pieces, not hints, but everything. You know why?”

“Why?”

“Only then will we be able to move forward together…as a unit. Until you come clean, there will be this giant cloud of doubt hanging over your head, not mine or Naomi’s, but yours. Now come on, I don’t know about you but I’m getting hungry for turkey.”

She swiped the tears off her cheeks. “Sure. I could eat.”

Naomi set the table with her good dishes, no melamine today. Tibby and Maddie put out the good silverware, bickering over how to fold the cloth napkins.

Colt carved up the bird while Maddie watched. “I want a leg.”

“A leg you shall have, my little princess.”

“I’m not wearing my tiara,” Maddie announced and hurried off to correct that faux pas.

“That thing’s gonna turn green on her head,” Tibby warned. “It’s not even real metal.”

“It’s real to her,” Naomi said as she stirred the gravy. “Does this stuff look right to you?”

“It’s brown,” Tibby stated. “That’s a good sign.”

“True,” Naomi uttered. “Let’s hope it doesn’t make us all sick.”

When they settled down to eat, Colt looked around the table. “In honor of Thanksgiving, I’m kicking things off by telling each of you what I’m thankful for. First, I’m glad you’re here with me today, eating this delicious turkey Naomi cooked. I’m also thankful to be in California and not back in New Mexico by myself.”

Naomi followed suit. “I’m thankful I’m not still back in my apartment in Omaha listening to my neighbors have all the fun with their huge family Thanksgiving feast. This year, I have my own little family and my own feast. So thank you.”

Maddie bit her lip. Colt thought she might cry, but she pushed past the tears. “I’m thank-ful for my new family. Your turn, Tibby.”

“I’m glad I hit the road and found Pelican Pointe, otherwise I’d be eating peanut butter sandwiches right about now.” She looked directly into Colt’s eyes. “And I’m thankful that you guys let me stay here without hammering me with a bunch of questions like the social worker did. Colt says I have to ’fess up to everything. And I will. I promise. Just not today. Okay?”

Naomi put her hand on Tibby’s. “Fine. As long as you understand we’re holding you to that. If not today, then tomorrow.” 

The meal turned out better than anyone could have predicted. The turkey was tasty, the gravy didn’t kill anyone.

Naomi leaned back in her chair. “Not bad for my first time. I thought it might be dry, but it was actually juicy.”

“Are you kidding? It was wonderful,” Colt stated, giving a nod to Tibby and Maddie to do the same.

Tibby patted her stomach. “Best turkey I ever ate.”

Maddie smacked her lips. “It was…de-licious.”

Naomi started laughing. “You guys are such good actors. Drea told me that her brothers are unloading the Christmas trees tonight from Oregon. Anyone want to go over there and see if we can talk Caleb or Cooper into selling us one?”

“Really?” Maddie yelled. “That’s awesome. A tree! Yessss! We’re getting a tree tonight! Do we get to decorate it?”

Tibby rolled her eyes. “What would be the point of getting it unless we got to decorate it?”

“The Plant Habitat is also decked out in Christmas lights. If we’re really nice to Colt, maybe he’ll string lights around the house.”

“That’s a setup I didn’t see coming.”

Maddie crawled into Colt’s lap. “Please. Please. Can we put lights up? Please.”

“Setup,” he mumbled as he got to his feet. “So while you guys are having all the fun decorating the tree, I’m out in the cold, dark of night, trying to hang lights, is that it?”

Tibby grinned. “Well, if you’re gonna whine, I guess I could help.”

Naomi started clearing the table. “Then what are we waiting for?”

Twenty minutes later, she swung her little CR-V into the tree lot where a huge semi rig sat parked. Brothers Caleb Jennings and Cooper Richmond stood at the back end of the truck, pulling bundled trees out of the trailer and leaning them up against the side wall of the nursery. Another group stood by to clip the netting, slide trees into stands, trim the branches, and bunch them into different varieties.

Naomi found a place to park, a spot near another smaller delivery van filled with a new shipment of poinsettias.

They got out to mingle with the other folks, people who were there already shopping for their tree. Others jammed the store to hunt down the right ornaments and yard decorations. The nursery carried an entire line that looked professional or homemade, depending on the type of scene you wanted to display.

Naomi had learned from Drea that this was the landscaping company’s busiest time of year. Today, it looked like it. With shorter hours, they’d opened at five that afternoon, and already the lines at the registers were long.

“Where do we start first?” Colt asked Naomi as little Maddie slipped her hand into his. He glanced down and saw the girl’s wide eyes. “So do we pick out the tree first or start with the lights?”

“Tree,” Maddie decided.

“Tree,” Tibby echoed.

The foursome milled around but wandered toward the Frasier firs already trimmed to full width with a stand included in the price.

Naomi drifted to one clearly seven feet tall. “We always got this kind,” she said, considering whether it would fit through the door. “What do you think?”

Colt shook his head. “It’s too tall. Stick a topper on it and you don’t have enough ceiling. Either take some height off the top or find a smaller one.”

Naomi scrunched up her nose. “Whacking off the top will ruin the shape. Let’s find one that’ll fit through the door and on top of the car.”

“That’s not an issue since we could haul it in the truck.”

It took another thirty minutes for Naomi to find one fully shaped but a foot shorter in height. “I have plenty of ornaments and lights, but none for the outside. Will you take Maddie and brave the crowds in the store to see what they have?”

“Sure. What will you do?”

“Tibby and I will go pick out a wreath for the front door.”

They split up but while making her way back to the front of the store to meet Colt, she bumped into Cord and Keegan Bennett who stood in the corner of the parking lot trying to generate interest in one of their abandoned dogs.

“She’s beautiful,” Naomi remarked, reaching down to rub the canine’s ears.

“She’s an Irish setter mix who needs a home,” Keegan began, recognizing the woman dating Colt. “This little girl belonged to an elderly lady in San Sebastian who was sent to a nursing home and the family didn’t want to take the dog. She’s only two years old.”

“What’s her name?” Naomi asked, watching Tibby inch toward the lively pooch.

Cord went into his best sales pitch. “Ginger. Note the color of her coat. She’s up to date on all her shots, no diseases, no spine problems, no kid or cat issues. Ginger’s temperament matches her excellent health.”

Colt recognized the voice. “Do you always hang out in parking lots and dark alleyways?”

“It’s always for a good cause,” Cord retorted.

Colt smiled widely and put a free arm around Keegan’s waist. “And here’s the lovely Mrs. Bennett.” He turned to wrap Keegan up in a hug. He held her out away from him and studied the way she was dressed, ski hat on her head, boots on her feet, a puffy jacket to keep herself warm. “You look like a lost ski bunny.”

Keegan hooted with laughter. “Cord said exactly the same thing when I was getting dressed. You two are like twins from another mother.”

Cord leaned over. “Yeah, but I got the height. Shorty here’s been trying to catch up ever since.”

“I hate to tell you this, Keegan, but your hubby here can’t shoot straight to save his life,” Colt fired back. “It’s a wonder the Army didn’t kick him out after boot camp.”

Keegan drilled a finger into her husband’s belly. “There’s truth to that. Just yesterday, Cord tried to shoot a tranquilizer dart into a feisty sea lion, so we could get it into the boat. Took him six tries. I finally had to do it.”

“Hey, that was a tricky shot,” Cord said to defend himself.

Keegan rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t that hard. How’s Deke doing?”

“Deke’s catching a few winks at Naomi’s enjoying a peaceful but rare interlude in a house that’s finally quieted down.”

Keegan noticed the wide-eyed girl who tightened her grip on Colt’s hand. “And who is this? Cinderella? Or maybe Sleeping Beauty?”

“This is Maddie. She’s shy. And that one over there with Ginger is our mystery girl.”

Tibby was so enthralled with Ginger, she didn’t want to let her go. “I promise to walk her every single day and feed her every morning. Just please, please let me have her.”

For Colt’s benefit, Cord felt the need to add, “Ginger’s house-trained and crate-trained. You won’t find a better dog within two hundred miles.”

Keegan looped her arm around Cord’s. “You might have found Ginger’s owner. That child and Ginger seem to go together.” She pivoted toward Colt. “You know, you should bring the girls over to the marine mammal center tomorrow. We have two new baby seals that were born a week ago. You like seals, Maddie?”

“Uh-huh. I like mermaids and dolphins, too.”

“Then you will definitely like our two energetic little babies. Those two are already diving and swimming all over the place.”

“Can we go see them?” Tibby asked, keeping her arms wrapped around Ginger in a tight embrace.

Naomi smiled. “Sounds like fun. But what will we do with Ginger and Deke?”

Tibby seemed to have it all figured out. “Bring them with us of course.”

“What about it, Naomi?” Cord asked. “What’s the word? I see Colt has that deer-in-the-headlights look. He’s useless during these types of situations, always vacillating when it comes to taking on another critter.”

“We’ll take her,” Naomi blurted out in decisive mode. She looked over at Colt. “Two kids. Why not two dogs?”

“Hey, Deke shouldn’t have to go through this bedlam alone,” Colt said, slapping Cord on the back and bulldozing him away from the others. “You did it again, you miserable SOB.”

“Hey, I was just standing here minding my own business when your woman approached me.”

“Yeah, but she has no idea what a sneaky low-life you really are.”

Cord doubled over in laughter, his affection shining through for the other man. “I did it for you, bro. I knew you really wanted another dog. If you ever want to get these girls a ride, I have these ponies south of town with your name on the owner’s slip.”

Colt raised his middle finger in salute. “It may take me a few weeks, maybe even a couple of months, but I’ll get you back for this, I swear I will. And you’ll never see it coming.”

 

 

They arrived back home with Ginger, which Deke had to sniff his way around the front yard, deciding if she was worthy enough to stay.

While the kids ran after the dogs, Colt and Naomi wrestled the big-ass tree from the top of the small SUV through the front doorway and into the living room.

After setting it in place, Colt dropped into the big chair. “I’m done. Sorry. But I didn’t find that many boxes of lights for the outside anyway. I’m told Ferguson’s sells them, though. I promise I’ll make it a weekend project.”

Naomi plopped down on the sofa. “That’s okay. I’m exhausted. The good news is I think the girls are dragging, too. So…which one of us should deliver the bad news?”

Colt caught the sound of giggling girls outside, still full of energy, and amped-up dogs playing chase in the driveway. “Not me.”

“Fine. I’ll let them run down and then I’ll…”

Tibby and Maddie came bounding into the house, skidding to a stop with the dogs in tow.

“That was a close call back there with your friends,” Tibby admitted. “I thought for sure you were going to give me away.”

Naomi stared up at Tibby. “We wouldn’t need to refer to you as ‘mystery girl’ to friends if you’d just open up and tell us the truth. People know we’re covering for you, Tibby. People aren’t that stupid. We’re all trying to give you some time to…trust us. The ball’s in your court, but the clock is ticking down to zero.”

Colt leaned over in his chair to where Naomi sat. “Now’s your chance.”

She cleared her throat. “Look, girls, it’s too late to start decorating the tree tonight. We’ll do it tomorrow. I haven’t even had a chance to dig out the ornaments or the lights or the tinsel. And it’s almost bedtime.”

That decision was met with groans and disgruntled tears. A series of nagging boiled over into shouting, along with several rounds of bargaining. But Naomi stuck to her edict. “You’re only proving my point. You’re both tired and cranky. Now, go run your bath water, Tibby. And then it’ll be Maddie’s turn.”

Tibby stomped off toward the bathroom and Maddie followed doing her best to imitate the clomp, clomp, clomp.

Naomi’s patience had reached its limit. “If you drag your feet there won’t be any time to listen to Christmas music before bedtime.”

Tibby popped her head back around the corner. “We can listen to music?”

“That’s what I said. But if you waste valuable time dawdling, you’ll go right to bed.”

Tibby disappeared into the hallway again. Soon, Colt heard water running into the tub. “Ms. Townsend, Gandhi could’ve used you as a referee.”

“Oh, shut up.”

He cackled with laughter. “I’ll put on Dean Martin. Maybe that’ll put them to sleep.”