The Cowboy’s Christmas Baby (25 page)

“Grady says they did. I’ve had wonderful father role models. Triple count. And you’ve
had wonderful maternal role models in your mother and aunt. We ought to make real
good parents.”

Natalie was struck speechless. Was he offering to be a father to Joshua or making
a general statement?

“Would you have married Drew if he’d come home?” Lucas asked.

“No,” Natalie said quickly.

Lucas leaned across the baby and brushed a kiss across her lips. “But he’s Josh’s
father and…”

She put a finger over his lips. “And we were best friends who got drunk one night.
I didn’t love Drew like that. I loved him like a friend. We wouldn’t be good together
in a marriage.”

As if Joshua knew that the attention wasn’t on him, he kicked his legs and whimpered.

“You really are spoiled.” Natalie grabbed his foot and removed his sock. “This little
piggy went to market, this little piggy…”

“Angus, sweet cheeks, Angus. Josh is a ranchin’ boy,” Lucas reminded her.

She started all over again. “This little Angus went to market, this little Angus stayed
home…”

Joshua laughed for the first time. It wasn’t a belly laugh like Natalie had ordered
for Christmas, but there was no denying that it was a giggle and not a coo or even
a goo noise.

“Did you hear that?” Natalie stopped before she got to the pinky toe.

“He laughed,” Lucas said. “First time, right? You look like you are about to cry.
Laughing is a good thing, right?” He reached across the baby and wiped the first tear
away from Natalie’s cheek with his hand.

“He won’t be a baby forever, Lucas,” she answered.

“No, he won’t, but you can’t cry every time he does something new. Be happy that he’s
healthy and happy. Henry is going to be so disappointed that he didn’t hear the first
laughter. He’s been doing all kinds of stupid things all week so he could brag that
he got to hear it first.” Lucas said.

“You’d think he was really Joshua’s great-grandpa,” Natalie said.

“He thinks he is.”

“And what happens when you have children of your own bloodline?” she asked.

“Won’t make a bit of difference to Gramps.”

“How do you know?”

He picked up Joshua’s smallest toe and said, “And this little Angus calf… and this
little Angus calf… and this little Angus calf cried moo-moo-moo all the way home.”

Joshua’s eyes lit up and he chuckled again.

“How do you know?” Natalie repeated the question.

“Because it doesn’t make a bit of difference to me. Lying here with you with Josh
between us, I realize that we’ve become a family. He’s not the son of my blood, but
he’s the son of my heart, much like the real baby Jesus was to Joseph,” Lucas said
softly.

Natalie swallowed hard three times before the basketball-sized lump left her throat.
All she could do was nod and wonder where the future went from there.

Lucas heard a gunshot and sat straight up in bed. Surely, he’d been dreaming again.
He looked at the other side of the bed and Natalie was gone.

Another shot and he bailed out of bed, grabbed a pair of pajama bottoms, and was trying
to get his legs in them as he ran down the hall. When he reached the kitchen, she
was taking her coat off in the utility room.

“There’s a rattlesnake about the size of my arm between the porch and chicken coop.
Damn thing zigzagged on me and I wasted a bullet. Don’t tell Momma.”

Lucas melted into a kitchen chair. “Shit, Natalie! You scared me.”

“I guess I did. Your britches are on wrong side out and backward. Is the baby still
asleep?”

Lucas shrugged. “I forgot to pick up the monitor, but I don’t hear him. He’s developed
quite a set of lungs, so I reckon we would have heard him if he was awake.”

“I hate snakes.” She set the basket of eggs on the cabinet.

“Bad as skunks?”

“Almost. Why would one be out at this time of year? They don’t come out of hibernation
until spring.”

“Well, I didn’t take Joshua to see the animals this morning yet.” He smiled.

“From now on, you get that boy out every morning. I’m tired of this shit,” she said.

“It’ll all stop after Christmas.” He chuckled.

“Why’s that?”

“Granny Ella Jo will leave. We’ll…” He stopped before he said
be
married
.

“We’ll what?” she asked.

“We’ll be over this stormy weather. Hazel will be home and everything will be back
to normal, including crazy animal behavior,” he told her.

“Let’s go into Sherman after breakfast this morning. The guys can watch the baby for
us and we’ll have lunch out. We can bring carryout back to them.”

“Why would we do that?”

“Because I love you.”

And
because
I
want
to
think
about
that
marriage
word
with
just
you
and
not
the
whole
family, and I want to think about it before Hazel gets home with her meddling,
he thought.

“And because you shot a big old mean snake and you deserve a morning out away from
the ranch, sweet cheeks,” he said.

She laughed and he knew that he’d won her over.

***

She insisted that the shopping that day would be in the grocery store stocking up
for Christmas baking, and it was noon before they finished buying everything on her
list. The whole backseat of the truck was full when they started loading the two carts
full of food.

“Just looking at all this makes me hungry. Are you ready to eat yet?” Lucas asked.

“I’m starving,” she said.

“Then let’s go down to the Catfish King and get some dinner. It’s not fancy but the
food is good,” he said.

“Good as when you catch it and fry it at home?” Natalie asked.

“Ain’t nothing can compare with that.” He buckled the car seat into position while
Natalie got settled in the passenger’s seat of his truck. “You fish?”

“Oh, yeah! Love to fish and I’ve got my own secret recipe for the breading,” she said.

It amazed her that they could go from sex to grocery shopping, from arguing to making
love, to talking about fishing with such ease. Did that mean that they were a family?
Or maybe that they could be one in the next few months?

He started the engine, adjusted the heat, and leaned across the seat before he fastened
his seat belt. “I didn’t realize how much I do love you until this minute. Too bad
Drew isn’t around so I could shake his hand for introducing us.”

The kiss started slow and soft, but before it ended she had both hands tangled in
his hair and could hardly catch her breath.

***

The next morning, eight days before Christmas, Jack drove to the airport and brought
Hazel home. They arrived at noon, just as Natalie was setting the dinner on the table.
Grady, Jack, and Lucas rushed to the door when they heard the truck door slam and
hurried out to help her. Natalie stood back and waited as they carried her suitcase
and fussed at her to use her cane rather than hanging it on her arm like a handbag.

“Dammit, Jack!” she swore as she entered the house. “I’m not an invalid. I can still
walk and if Willa hadn’t thrown a damn hissy, I wouldn’t even have that damned cane.
Now leave me alone. Where the hell is that baby?”

Natalie pointed to the swing.

“Come over here and give me a hug, lady. I deserve it after that airplane ride and
then comin’ home at a snail’s pace because Jack was afraid to drive fast on the ice.
I swear to God that I could have gotten here faster with a sleigh pulled by a couple
of them Chihuahua dogs.” She opened her arms and Natalie bent to hug her.

“That’s better,” she said. “Now let’s look at the baby. Oh, my goodness! He’s grown
a foot and would you look at that grin. Has he laughed out loud yet?”

“Sunday afternoon.” Lucas smiled.

“You didn’t tell me. I missed it,” Henry moaned.

“He’ll laugh again. I smell lasagna and hot bread. Willa don’t cook nothing that ain’t
good for a body, and I’m starved plumb to death for decent food, so let’s set up to
the table and eat,” Hazel said. “And after that, me and Natalie is going into town
shopping. Henry, you can keep Josh for us so he don’t get drug around from store to
store. I ain’t got a bit of my Christmas bought, and it’s goin’ to get crazy in the
stores.”

“I’ll let Josh babysit me any old time. He and I get along just fine. But Natalie
done laid in enough supplies to last through till next Christmas,” Henry said.

“You think maybe you ought to ask Natalie rather than bossin’ her around.” Lucas looked
right at Hazel.

“Hell, no! My job is to boss until… never you mind how long it’s going to be my job.
But rest assured, Lucas, I will tell you when I pass my bossin’ crown to someone else.
You won’t have to ask. And I’m not going for groceries. I’m going for presents.”

Natalie smiled. “I’d love to take you to town, Hazel.”

“I still have a few things to buy, so…” Lucas started.

Hazel held up a hand. “So, you ain’t going with us! You can go in your own truck and
do your own shopping. This is a ladies’ only party. I’m buying for you and you ain’t
taggin’ along with us.”

After lunch Natalie changed Josh, fixed his afternoon bottle, and handed him over
to Henry’s care. Leaving him, even in such capable hands, still wasn’t easy, but Hazel
was right. It would wear him out to be dragged from store to store. She helped Hazel
get her coat on, picked up the cane and handed it to her, and got a dirty look.

“What?” Natalie asked.

“I hate that stupid thing,” she said.

“Well, you need it. It’s still slick out there and I sure don’t want you to break
a hip,” Natalie told her.

Lucas chuckled.

Hazel pointed a finger at him. “That’s enough.”

“You sure you got that bossin’ crown on tight? Looks like Natalie might be takin’
it away from you,” he said.

“It’s mine until I give it away,” Hazel declared. “Now let’s get out of here before
I take this cane to that boy’s hard head.”

Hazel hopped up into the passenger seat of Natalie’s pickup so spryly that Natalie
wondered if she’d even hurt her hip. It could have been a big setup to keep her on
the ranch when Hazel found out about Joshua.

“Truth,” Natalie said as she started the engine.

“About what?” Hazel drew her dark brows down over her equally dark eyes. She tucked
her salt-and-pepper chin-length hair back behind her ears and straightened her back.
Standing, she barely came up to Natalie’s shoulder. Sitting, she was even shorter.

“Just how bad is that hip?”

“Busted!” Hazel laughed.

“Was it even hurt?”

“You are a smart cookie, Natalie Clark.” Hazel continued to giggle like a schoolgirl.

“How did you…” she asked.

“It
was
bruised, so that helped.”

“Did your daughter figure it out?”

“Hell, no! She wants me to move to that godforsaken city and give up my house. That’ll
happen three days after hell freezes plumb over. I’m leaving the ranch feet first
in a body bag and with a smile on my face.”

“I want to grow up to be just like you.” Natalie made all the right turns to get them
to the highway into Savoy.

“You got a good start, darlin’,” Hazel said. “We’ll go to the Western-wear store first.
All the boys need new white shirts for church. Then we’re going to the bookstore.
Jack reads James Lee Burke novels and Grady likes Randy Wayne White.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Natalie said.

“After that we’ll have to hit the Walmart store for stocking stuffers. They all have
a particular brand of candy that they like, and I always get them funny presents for
their stockings.”

“Such as?” Natalie asked.

“Oh, them fancy boxer shorts with Christmas stuff on them and a toy of some kind.
Movies are always good. I’m buying Henry
The
Bucket
List
. I saw it when I was at Willa’s place. It’s a good movie.”

“It’s been out quite a while,” Natalie said.

“But he ain’t seen it because he would’ve talked about it if he did,” Hazel said.

“What do you want for Christmas?” Natalie asked as she pulled out onto the highway
leading into Sherman.

“I got what I want. There’s going to be a baby in the house and Lucas is happy,” Hazel
said.

“What if he’s just happy with the idea of being happy and in a year he wakes up wishing
there wasn’t a baby in the house? What if that happens?”

“What if the world is hit by a shit storm tomorrow and the gover’ment banned the production
of toilet paper?” Hazel snapped. “I ain’t never seen Lucas this happy. It’s written
all over his face. Now tell me what happened when Sonia found Noah?”

“Noah told Lucas that it was over. And Jack said he heard that she was moving to Dallas,
that she got the offer of some kind of job down there in an oil firm,” Natalie said
and went on to tell her what happened after that.

“Well, halle-damn-lujah! Good riddance. I really didn’t want her living on the ranch,
not even in the hinder parts of it,” Hazel said. “There’s a parking spot right close
to the front of the store. Snag it before anyone else can get it. Oh, and tonight
you and Josh are coming to my house to help me put up my tree. We got a tradition
here. First we go to Lucas’s house and have Christmas presents and breakfast. Then
we go to Jack’s and unwrap what he’s bought for us, then to Henry’s and then to the
bunkhouse where Grady lives. And then we finish up at my house for Christmas dinner
and my presents.”

So that’s why the only presents under the tree were the ones that she and Lucas had
bought. She’d wondered if the guys waited until the very last minute to do their shopping.
Now she understood.

“It’s a round-robin thing. Henry usually gets his turn in the middle of the morning,
and I make sure there’s a platter of Ella’s favorite cookies to nibble on while we
are there.”

“How on earth do you have time to make Christmas dinner if you are running around
all over the ranch?” Natalie asked.

“Organization.” Hazel laughed. “Now let’s go buy some white shirts.”

“And boots,” Natalie said. “I haven’t bought Lucas’s present, and he eyed a pair last
time we were in here.”

“That’s about as romantic as a brick,” Hazel grumbled.

“What would you suggest?”

“Something a lot sexier and more private than boots,” she said.

***

Lucas sat in the parking lot at the mall for ten minutes. Surely a storefront would
jump out and grab his attention if he pondered long enough. He didn’t have a single
present for Josh or for Natalie under the tree and it was only six days until Christmas
morning. Josh was less than three months old and the guys had already outfitted him
with a pony, a saddle, and enough toys to keep him busy until he was kindergarten
age. And they all had presents for Natalie under their trees.

He wanted to do something special for the baby and for Natalie, especially the first
Christmas they were all together.

He should talk to Hazel before he bought anything. She’d have some ideas. She always
did.

He scanned the stores again and saw Hazel and Natalie coming out of the bookstore.
Did he buy a book for her? What did she like to read?

“Big, fat, thick romance books set in castle days,” he said aloud as he remembered
a conversation they’d had when he was still in Kuwait.

He waited until they’d gone into another store and then opened the truck door. A blast
of winter wind hit him square in the face. They were in for more bad weather for sure
with a cold north wind like that whipping through the state. He turned up the collar
of his work coat and accidentally hooked his little finger in his dog tags.

“Oh, yeah,” he said with a broad grin.

He held onto his Stetson until he got inside the bookstore and then removed it. The
lady behind the counter looked up and asked, “Mystery?”

He picked up a basket. “No, ma’am, point me in the direction of the romance section.”

“Next aisle to your right,” she said.

Lucas didn’t have any idea which authors were Natalie’s favorites, so he chose by
cover and title.
When
You
Give
a
Duke
a
Diamond
caught his eye, so he put it in the basket along with
A
Gentleman
Says
“I Do.”
A display of coupons caught his eye and he stopped to look at a booklet filled with
kissing coupons. He flipped through it and his grin got bigger with every coupon.
One said that with this coupon, you get a nonstop body kiss from the top of your head
to the tips of your toes. Another said that the coupon was good for a long and wonderful
kiss under the stars. It was a perfect present, but he wasn’t sure who’d benefit more
from it—Natalie or him.