Claire dressed four times that evening before she finally settled on a straight denim skirt that skimmed her knees and a bright red Christmas sweater with crossed candy canes on the front. She put a few bouncy curls in her long, dark hair and applied a little more makeup than usual.
“When can I have makeup?” Zaylie asked as she watched her put on mascara.
“That’s between you and your daddy, but I’m thinkin’ maybe when you are twenty-one,” Claire answered.
“That’s forever,” she groaned.
“Yes it is, and I hope it goes slow. I like you as a little girl,” Claire said.
A hard rap on the door sent Zaylie out of the room, her ponytail flying behind her like a frayed flag of victory.
Levi’s deep drawl floated into the bedroom. “Well, now, you sure do look just like a princess tonight.”
Claire checked her reflection one more time. She’d give a year’s salary to be at least six inches taller and ten pounds thinner, but that wasn’t happening. She slipped her feet into a pair of red high heels and went out into the living room.
“Well, good evening, beautiful.” His eyes started at her feet and traveled up to her hair, made a trip back down—stopping at her chest for an extra second—and then making one more sweep back up to her eyes.
“Is she a princess too?” Zaylie asked.
“No, darlin’, she’s the queen,” Levi answered.
“Thank you, but I’m really just Claire.” She smiled at him.
He picked up her coat and held it out. “To the rest of the world, maybe, but to me you are the queen of my heart.”
Zaylie handed him her jacket. “And I’m the princess, right?”
“You got it.” Levi buttoned her coat and pulled the hood up over her hair. “I’m takin’ the two prettiest girls in Montague County to the singing tonight.” He straightened up and escorted Claire outside.
Warmth penetrated all the way to her insides, and yet a shiver danced up her spine. Would Levi’s touch always affect her like that, or would it someday get to be old hat and she wouldn’t feel a thing?
The nursing home was only a fifteen-minute drive from the house, but Zaylie wiggled and asked how much farther it was at least a dozen times. When they arrived, Retta and Cade parked right beside them, and she could hardly wait to get out and put her hand in Retta’s.
“Looks like I’m losin’ my place,” Claire said.
Levi laced his fingers in hers. “Darlin’, you’ll always be number one with me.”
“Is that a pickup line?” she asked.
“No, ma’am, it’s the gospel truth,” he answered. “But if it was, would it work?”
“Maybe,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been number one with anyone. I kind of like the feelin’.”
The lobby of the nursing home was filled with old folks on sofas, chairs, and even in wheelchairs. The glee in their wrinkled faces said that they were as excited to have children in the house as the kids were to be there. Claire and Levi found two empty chairs at the back of the room and settled into them. He helped her remove her coat and then took her hand in his again, resting it on his knee.
She tried to take in the whole, huge room with one glance, but it was impossible. Decorations were everywhere—from coloring sheets from the local school kids taped to the walls to bright-colored garland looped around the windows. A tree that had to be eight feet tall was placed in one corner and had every kind of ornament imaginable adorning it, from cartoon characters to plain red and green bulbs.
Someone from the nursing home staff tapped on the microphone and introduced Retta and the kids. Then the piano player sat down behind the old upright piano and hit a few keys. The little girls gathered up around the microphone, and Retta sat down on a chair in front of them.
“I understand that the lady playing the piano could have been your wife if you’d played your cards right,” Claire whispered to Levi.
“Glad I didn’t. Something better came along,” he said.
“And if something better than me comes along in a few weeks?” she asked.
“Impossible. You can’t get no better than perfection.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Silent night, holy night,” the little girls started. One of the elderly ladies joined in and then several more. Before long they were singing louder than the girls.
When that finished, the older four girls started singing “Jingle Bells.” The younger ones like Zaylie shook ribbons with jingle bells attached to them every time they sang the words. She was in her element up there with all those kids.
“I’m just glad that she’s not substituting the words to ‘Tennessee Whiskey’ to any of the carols,” Claire told Levi.
“Might liven this crowd up even more,” he said, and chuckled.
“Could give them all heart attacks,” she said out the corner of her mouth.
“You ever think about a place like this when you get old?” he asked.
She shook her head. No, she didn’t want to be tucked away in a nursing home. She wanted to make her quilts and have so many kids that they’d fight over who got to have her in their home when she was old. She wanted a close-knit family, not one like she’d grown up in, but one like Levi had known.
“Me either. When I’m old and gray, I want to sit on the porch in a rocking chair and laugh at my great-grandkids playin’ in the yard.”
She nodded. “Or sit on a quilt under a shade tree and reminisce about a night in the tack room?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said.
“And that’s all of our program,” Retta said. “But we’ve got cookies and punch in the dining room for everyone. Our girls made the treats special for you folks, and they’ll be serving y’all.”
The old folks applauded loudly, and Zaylie bowed twice before she ran back to Claire and Levi. “Did I do good?”
“Yes, you did, and now you’ve got to go with Retta and help give out cookies and carry punch,” Claire told her. “Want me to go with you?”
“No, I want Levi. I don’t know them people, and he’ll rescue me, ’cause he can walk on water,” Zaylie answered.
“Wow!” Levi barely got out one word.
“Don’t let your head get too big for your hat. She got that from that song about a grandpa walkin’ on water,” Claire informed him.
“Ouch!” he said.
Zaylie grabbed his free hand and tugged. “Come on. We gots to help Retta now.”
“Yes, ma’am. Can Claire come with us?”
“Okay,” Zaylie said. “Did you take pictures for Teresa?”
“Retta had a camera set up at the front, and she’s going to let me have a copy. It’ll be better than what I could do.” Claire followed her and Levi down the hallway to the dining room, where Christmas carols were playing on a CD player and a table had been laid out with cookies, punch, and finger foods.
She wasn’t surprised that Zaylie intermingled with the elderly strangers. The child had, after all, been raised close to a grandmother and with Franny right next door. But she did notice as she helped take small plates to the folks in wheelchairs that Zaylie made sure Levi was close enough that she could see him at all times.
In that moment, Claire was glad that Grant was coming home. Zaylie needed a daddy in her life on a permanent basis. Keeping her had been a delight, and Claire would miss her so much, but she’d be able to drive up to Randlett any evening or Sunday afternoon that she wanted.
Her phone rang, and she pulled it out of her skirt pocket. “Hello, Franny. What’s going on?”
“Just makin’ sure that you’re comin’ to Randlett in time for church this next Sunday. You bringin’ that cowboy with you?”
“Plannin’ on it.” She told her where they were right then.
“That’s great. But I hear something sad in your voice. What’s wrong?”
“Even though I’m happy for my brother and the new little family, I’ll still miss Zaylie. She’ll have a new mama and a sister, and there’s even a possibility she’ll have more siblings later on down the road. I’ll just be her aunt from now on. How can a person be sad when there’s so much happiness about to happen?” Claire asked.
“Honey, she’s always going to love you, you’ll see. But right now I want to hear more about Levi. How are things going?” Franny asked.
“Going well. We’re dating or in a relationship or we’re a couple. I never really know what to call it,” Claire answered.
“Well, holy smoke, girl. Don’t stand there talkin’ to me. Go on over to wherever he is and stand next to him. I been in them nursing homes, and the girls who work there is goin’ to flirt with him if they don’t know he’s a marked man,” Franny said. “I’ll look to see you on Sunday, and bring pictures of Zaylie singing so I can see them. Good-bye.”
She didn’t even have time to say good-bye back to Franny when the call ended.
“Grant?” Levi asked.
“No, Franny checkin’ to see if we were comin’ to church with her on Sunday.”
“It’ll mean gettin’ up a little early after the ranch party. Maybe I should have a sleepover at your bunkhouse so we won’t oversleep,” he teased.
“Oh, honey, we wouldn’t sleep at all if we did that,” she said.
“That’s what I was countin’ on. I haven’t had time to talk to you alone since last night,” he said.
With a wave of her hand, she took in the whole room. “You call this alone?”
“The best place in the world to be alone is in a crowd of people who aren’t a bit interested in what you are sayin’. I dreamed about you last night and woke up frustrated because you weren’t in bed with me,” he said.
“I woke up afraid that you’d have second thoughts about things,” she admitted.
“Not me. You?” he asked.
“Not a single one. Do you really think we can make this work? I won’t be right here on the ranch and we won’t see each other every single day.”
“Anything, darlin’”—he brought her fingertips to his lips and kissed each one of them—“is possible with a little work.”
“I believe you. After all, you can walk on water.” Her fingers could sure use a little dousing in ice water about then.
“Not until I’m a grandpa, but don’t tell Zaylie.” He grinned.