Epilogue

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas morning

 

It took Colt and Brent the rest of the morning to go through the van and make sure it wasn’t set to trigger more explosives.

“I hate people who ruin my Christmas,” Brent grumbled. “I could be home with my kids.”

“I called Wally to tow this van away. I want it out from in front of the house before Tibby wakes up. I don’t want her reminded of this guy ever again. Go on home to River. I’ve got this.”

“You sure?”

“I told you Wally’s coming in a few minutes to tow away this piece of crap. Go home. Be with your family.”

Naomi appeared on the porch with two cups of coffee in time to see Brent climb into his cruiser. “That’s one exciting Christmas Eve, soldier. All we needed was rockets going off. You really know how to show a girl a good time.”

For the first time in hours, Colt grinned. “I saw this warrior standing at the corner of the house putting out a fire. For someone who’s afraid of it, you looked pretty fearless.”

“I didn’t even stop to think. I just reacted and so did Tibby.”

Colt dropped down beside her on the steps and took one of the cups out of her hands. He downed the contents before looking over and wiping soot off her cheek. “Did Tibby finally get off to sleep?”

“Yeah. But this is so different than how things turned out with my family…back when…that August night so long ago. This time you got the bad guy, Colt. Our hero. For real.”

“Maybe. But you were the one I saw when I looked up from the driveway. There you were standing with your garden hose, putting out the fire yourself. You weren’t running anymore, Naomi. Neither of us is running.”

“Nope, that’s for sure.” She laid a hand on his knee. “I like it here…a lot, but I truly love that spot of land on the cliffs even better.”

Colt cocked a brow. “Wait. What are you saying? What about living in your ideal farmhouse?”

She looped an arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder. “Things change. The farmhouse will always be here, waiting for us whenever we need a glimmer of the past.”

“What are you suggesting? We can’t all live in the cabin, Naomi, it’s too small and needs too much work. And I know how you feel about remodeling. You’re a very impatient woman.”

Naomi frowned. “I can handle renovations, especially when you’re the one in charge.”

“I think you can handle pretty much anything.”

She turned into his chest. “You’re right. I can. I saw you talking to Russell after the parade the other day. Guess who I bumped into at Gretchen’s party last night? He wandered over to me and let it slip that I might be getting a huge surprise for Christmas. Imagine that.”

Colt narrowed his eyes. “I’m not buying that. How did you get the information out of him?”

“I plied him with Gretchen’s punch spiked with Jack Daniels. It loosened his tongue quite a bit. And don’t forget the rum cake Emma Colter brought. I’m pretty sure Russell was closing in on a coma when he caved and told me everything.”

“Jeez, can’t anyone keep a secret until Christmas morning?”

“Technically it is Christmas morning.”

“But I wrote it all out on a card and dropped it in your stocking, explaining everything.”

She drilled a nail into his ribs. “That’s another thing. Something tells me we don’t have to hang our stockings on the bookcase ever again. I see an actual fireplace in our future.” She looked up at the sky brightening in the east and the fading moon. “It’s time to fess up to what my big surprise is.”

“Okay. Fine. I made Russell an offer on his land, ten acres that go all the way back to the woods. He accepted. I had this idea that I’d knock down the cabin and build us a house right there with that beautiful view of the cliffs. I just wasn’t exactly sure how you’d feel about it, about living there versus here.”

“I’ll be happy living anywhere as long as you’re there with me. I know that now. It doesn’t matter if we’re crammed into a cabin or living here until you get it built. I don’t care anymore as long as I’m with you.”

Maddie came bursting out the door onto the porch still wearing her tutu. “Where is everybody? It’s time to open presents. I saw my stocking and it had stuff in it. Come on, what are you guys doing out here?”

Colt rose and helped Naomi to her feet. “Did she sleep through this entire thing?”

“Maddie never even budged when Eastlyn came roaring up blaring that loud siren.”

They followed Maddie inside to where the tree stood and watched the five-year-old begin to shuffle the gifts around to find the ones belonging to her. She pulled several aside and ran down the hallway to Tibby’s room, banging on the door.

The two girls appeared together, one full of energy, the other only half awake. But Tibby was very curious about how the night had ended. “Did you get Hudson locked up?”

Colt smiled. “Forget about that guy. You don’t ever have to think about him again. Sit down and open your presents.”

“Okay.” Getting into the mood, Tibby began to search for a small box that might hold a cell phone.

But Naomi had been sneakier than that. She’d put one into a larger box to fool Tibby into thinking it was something else. In fact, she moved it over to the chair with her foot so that Tibby would open it up last.

Naomi and Colt sat back with coffee in hand and watched the girls rip off wrapping paper and tear into boxes. The living room soon became a sea of discarded Christmas bows and paper.

Maddie was thrilled with her stuffed unicorn, white and fluffy, with a purple mane. She also took to her life-like baby doll with black hair and several outfits to go with it. There was a stroller and a doll bed, and she immediately began to fuss over everything like a mommy-in-training.

Tibby, however, had turned quiet.

Naomi took pity on her and pointed out the last box. “Looks like you missed one, Tibby.”

“Where?”

“The one behind the chair.”

“Oh.” She tore into the paper, only to see a plain white cardboard box. Pulling off more tape, she finally reached the surprise inside and let out a squeal that only a pre-teen girl could fully appreciate.

“It’s a barebones phone,” Naomi began to explain. “No frills. No huge download limits. But…”

Naomi was wrapped up in a bear hug. “Thank you! This is exactly what I wanted.”

“It does play a few games,” Colt pointed out, and got a hug in return.

“Why aren’t you guys opening your presents?” Tibby wanted to know.

“It’s like this,” Naomi said. “This is our best Christmas ever. We just wanted to watch it unfold and take it all in, so we wouldn’t miss anything.”

“That sounds…sweet, like the two of you are in love,” Tibby drawled.

“I hope so,” Naomi cracked.

Maddie came running in from the other room and skidded to a stop in front of Colt. She held out a red envelope. “A man said for me to give this to my daddy.”

Colt went on alert and sat up straighter. “What man?”

“The ghost man, he was at the party last night. The ghost man gave me your present. And I put it in my bag with Gertie for safekeeping. The ghost man, he’s also an angel who looks out for everybody. But he doesn’t fly. I asked.”

Colt stared at the red envelope. “I’m almost afraid to open this.”

Tibby scooted closer. “But you aren’t afraid of anything.”

“Sometimes I am.”

“Might as well rip the Band-Aid off,” Naomi suggested. “Let’s hear what it says.”

“Read it aloud,” Tibby urged.

The words were written on a green piece of paper in a cursive scrawl that was hard to decipher.

Colt cleared his throat and began reading.

Dear Colt,

What if I told you about your parents? This is my Christmas gift to you. I know who your parents were. Their names were Joseph and Marianne Del Rio, a young married couple, both only twenty years old, who were deeply in love with one another from an early age. They got married at eighteen and then had a baby boy whom they adored.

They didn’t have a lot of money but worked very hard at one of the major resort hotels in Albuquerque. During the day, they left their baby boy in the care of a sitter, a sitter they’d used since he was born.

One day, they got up to go to work like any other. But this day would be different. This day, they wouldn’t make it back to pick you up. The awful day it happened, you were fourteen months old. The reason they never made it back to the reservation is because they were involved in car accident on I-40. The little car they were driving was a Nissan. It never stood a chance up against a tractor-trailer rig. The semi totaled the car and your parents were both killed instantly.

Joseph and Marianne Del Rio are buried in an unmarked grave near the reservation. You were loved, Colt. You were their pride and joy.

You must remember that things change on a dime. Circumstances change. They didn’t abandon you because they didn’t love you, they died before they could make it back to pick you up that fateful night.

But to this day, they live inside you. Their spirit has always been looking out for you. No matter where you were in the world, they were with you. For what it’s worth, you flourished and survived a hellish childhood, but look at all you have now. Cherish your new family. Your parents would be proud.

Signed, Scott

Naomi spotted the tears running down Colt’s face about the same time the girls did. All three went over to him, arms out, and surrounded him with love.

“I was loved,” Colt muttered. “My mom and dad died in a car accident. I got dumped in the orphanage because I became a ward of the state, not because they didn’t love me but because I had nowhere else to go.”

Tibby sat down beside him and rested her head on his. “I know exactly how you feel. It sucks, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it does.”

Maddie put her arm around his neck. “Is your momma dead like mine?”

“She sure is, honey.”

“We’ll take care of you. Momma, Tibby, and me.”

“I’m counting on it, honey. I’m counting on all of you.”