Page 21 of Texas Christmas

“I’ve noticed you get kind of clumsy when you’re nervous about something. Or around new people. Like you walked into the wall when I introduced you to our ranch hand and you almost fell over a chair when you met my Mama.”

My mouth dropped open. I couldn’t believe that he’d picked up on that. I’d only realized it myself a few years ago.

Peter used one finger to close my mouth.

“Don’t give me ideas, darlin’,” he teased.

True to Peter’s word, his parents were asleep in front of the television in the living room when we got back to their house. They were both in great shape from their work on the ranch, but they were also in their early seventies so undoubtedly they were slowing down.

Allen, Clara, Peter, and I sat around the kitchen table talking. Peter grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet, and Allen raided the fridge, bringing out cold cuts, cheese, and crackers. As we snacked and sipped at our whiskey, we got to know each other a little bit.

I couldn’t get a good read on Allen, but I liked Clara instantly. She was pretty serious, but she also had a goofy side that came out as she teased her boyfriend and his brother.

She told me about how she and Allen had first met doing response work for Hurricane Rita, then found each other again years later when Allen’s police partner came to the ER with a gunshot wound and Clara was his doctor. It was a weird coincidence, that’s for sure.

“Are you staying for Christmas?” Clara asked me.

I nodded. “Mary asked me to come, yes. I’m on call though, so if anything comes up with Animal Services I’ll need to go.”

“Don’t worry, we all understand having to work on holidays. Between my work at the hospital and Allen’s work as a police detective, one of us is always getting called out somewhere at weird times.” She gave Allen a smile. “But it’s our first Christmas together, so I’m hoping it’ll be quiet.”

After about an hour Peter and I said goodbye and headed back to his house. It was getting late and we’d both been up early to care for the animals, so as much as we wanted to finish what we’d started earlier, we decided to get some sleep instead.

Peter insisted that I should sleep in his bed, and I wanted that too, so I readily agreed. Normally I wasn’t big on sleepovers, but like so many things, it felt different with Peter. When I got done in the bathroom, he was already in bed, bare chested and sleepy looking.

I was falling in love with him. The thought hit me like a freight train. I’d been half in love with him since the moment I’d dropped into his arms. Had that really only been a few days ago? It was crazy, but that’s how I felt.

As I cuddled into his side and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep, my last thought was that I hoped I wasn’t making a mistake letting my emotions get involved.

It was sunny and significantly warmer when I woke up on Christmas Eve. It was ironic that we finally got a good snowfall in Texas, and it melted right before Christmas.

After I got dressed and brushed my teeth, I grabbed a travel mug of coffee and set out to find my guy. Funny how I was thinking of Peter like that now. When I didn’t find him, I headed toward the barn, running into Clara and Mary on the way.

“Oh Abby, good, we were looking for you,” Mary said as she pulled me into a tight hug. “I need to get your phone number so I don’t have to rely on my son when I want to talk to you.”

She shoved her cell phone in my hand. “Here, text yourself from my phone and add yourself to my contacts.”

I glanced at Clara but she seemed unfazed by the exchange, so I went ahead and followed instructions.

“Why were you looking for me?” I asked. “Is one of the animals sick?”

“Oh heavens no. Clara and I are about to make Christmas cookies.”

“By that Mary means she’s going to bake cookies and then give me simple jobs that I can’t mess up,” Allen’s girlfriend clarified. “I’m a disaster in the kitchen.”

“You just need more practice, dear, and then you’ll be just fine.”

Over Mary’s shoulder, Clara shook her head. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well, I’m afraid you’re going to have two remedial students, Mary, because I’ve never baked a cookie in my life. I don’t have the faintest idea how to bake anything.”

Mary looked positively delighted by this.

“Great, you’re a blank slate. Let’s get you baking.”

Peter

When I went home for lunch Abby wasn’t at the house, so I assumed that she’d gotten pulled into something by my mother. Sure enough, I found Abby in the kitchen, getting baking lessons with Clara. Mama loved to make holiday cookies, enough that she could give out to our cousins and the neighbors.