Forever Santa (6 page)

CHAPTER FIVE

Gracie yawned as Trent drove into their garage. They’d just dropped Jordan off at the bunkhouse and carefully made their way back to the main homestead.

It had been snowing while they were in Bozeman. Gracie had been thankful Trent was driving. With snow swirling across the windshield and everything pitch black beyond the beam of the truck’s lights, it was the kind of weather her nightmares were made of.

“It was a great night,” Trent said softly as he turned off the engine.

“It was nice seeing all of your relatives again. Jeff’s still smitten with your mom.”

Trent unclipped his seatbelt and walked to Gracie’s side of the truck. He held the door open as she slid off the seat. “How do you feel about Jeff?” she asked.

“He’s a nice guy.”

“But not your dad?”

“No, not dad. But he doesn’t have to replace him. It’s not like Jordan and I were babies when dad died. We’re grown men. Mom deserves to be happy, and Jeff makes her happy.”

No matter how happy Jordan and Trent wanted their mom to be, it must have been hard to know she was dating another man. “That’s very mature of you.”

“That’s me.” Trent grinned and Gracie felt the stirrings of a very happy ending to their night. “There are a lot of good things that come with getting older.”

He swung her up into his arms and she smiled. “I love you, Trent.”

“Love you, too, short stuff.” He shouldered his way through the mudroom, stopping in front of a big box on the kitchen counter. “What’s in there?”

Gracie wiggled until Trent set her on her feet. “It’s not your Christmas present.” She laughed at the pout on his mouth. “Part of your present doesn’t come in a box.”

“Does it come gift wrapped with a big red ribbon?”

Gracie felt a blush work its way across her face. “That could be arranged.” She patted the box in front of her. “These are my Christmas decorations from New Zealand. Jordan got them out of the attic this afternoon.”

Trent looked between Gracie and the brown cardboard box. “Do you want to put them on the tree now?”

“It’s too late to put them all up, but maybe we could put a few on the lower branches?”

Trent flipped the flaps open. He carefully unwrapped the top decorations. Two stars, a sparkly Cinderella coach, and a glass slipper stared back at them. “They’re pretty,” he said as he unwrapped another golden star.

Gracie took a deep breath and watched Trent unwrap another decoration. “Emily’s meeting me in town tomorrow. Our tree’s a lot bigger than the one we had last year, so I’ll buy more decorations and finish off my shopping.”

“Makes sense to put these up now, then.” Trent kissed the side of her face. Within seconds he had the decorations sitting back in the box. “Come on, Gracie. Let’s create some new Christmas memories.”

He walked through to the living room and Gracie followed, staring at their beautiful tree. She frowned at the twinkling lights. She was sure she’d turned them off before they’d left. “Trent, did you turn the Christmas tree lights on?”

“No,” came a deep voice from the sofa. “That was me.”

“What the…?”
The box of decorations rattled in Trent’s arms and Gracie ran across to the light switch.

She knew who their late night visitor was, and it wasn’t Santa Claus. “Jacob? What are you doing here?”

Gracie stared at the frown on her half brother’s face. Two years ago she didn’t know she had a brother, let alone two. She’d come to Montana to search for her birth father and found a ready-made family.

Her dad already had a wife and two sons by the time she’d been born. After she’d found her dad, her new family had welcomed her into their lives with open arms.

“One of the ranch hands unlocked the back door for me. I got a call from mom and dad.” Jacob looked worried, more worried than Gracie had ever seen him.

“What’s happened?”

“It’s Alex.”

And just like that, her world started spinning out of control. Alex was her other half brother and four months older than Gracie. He was a three time World Bull Riding Champion, and one of the nicest guys she’d ever met.

“Alex was competing in Vegas at the National Finals. He was bucked off a bull and trampled.”

Gracie felt her knees wobble. She reached for Trent. He was right behind her, holding her upright. “Is he okay?”

“He’s in surgery. Dad’s going to call us in the morning after he’s spoken with Alex’s doctor.”

Trent picked Gracie up and carried her across to the sofa. “How long do they think he’ll be in the hospital?”

“I don’t know. The bull did a lot of damage. The surgeon’s are screwing his femur together and doing some work on his right hip and knee. It doesn’t sound good.”

Gracie pushed herself out of the sofa. “I need to go to Las Vegas.”

Jacob shook his head. “I’ve already tried, Gracie. There aren’t any seats left on the flights heading there before Christmas. The weather has grounded a lot of flights, so the chance of any cancellations coming up are practically non-existent. The best we can do is stay in Montana and wait for dad’s call.”

“Why did you come all this way to tell me about Alex? It’s a long trip from Great Falls in this weather. You could have had an accident.”

“I wasn’t in Great Falls. I was at mom and dad’s ranch dropping off Alex’s Christmas present for them. I didn’t want to tell you about him on the phone, so I drove down here as soon as dad called me.”

Gracie stood beside her brother. “You can stay here, sleep in one of the downstairs bedrooms. Stay for Christmas.”

“Thanks, Gracie. I’d appreciate a bed to sleep in tonight, but I told dad I’d look after the ranch while he’s in Vegas. If mom and dad don’t look like they’ll be home for Christmas, I’ll come back and stay for a couple of nights.”

Trent glanced at Jacob’s backpack. “Do you want to borrow any clothes?”

“I’ve got everything I’ll need.” With a smile he added, “Unlike my sister, I travel light.”

Gracie decided to ignore his suitcase humor and gave him a hug. “Thank you for coming all this way to tell me.”

Jacob hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head. “You’re welcome.”

She took a deep breath and stepped back. “Have you had dinner? Would you like a hot drink?”

Jacob shook his head. “I’m fine, Gracie. I had something to eat before I left mom and dad’s place. Somewhere to sleep is about the only thing I need at the moment.”

Gracie held his arm. “You can use one of the bedrooms down here. If dad calls you before I wake up, our room is at the top of the stairs.”

“I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything.”

Trent gave Jacob a hug as he passed him. “If you need anything, just let me know.”

“Thanks.”

Gracie took Jacob to the room with the biggest bed. She might only be five-foot-one, but Jacob was well over six foot tall. She grabbed an extra pillow and blanket out of the closet and left them on the end of the bed. “Next door on the left is the bathroom. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen.”

She looked around the room, hoping he had everything he’d need.

“I’ll be fine, Gracie. Try and get a good night’s sleep.”

She gave Jacob another hug before leaving. Trent was waiting for her in the living room.

“Alex will be okay, Gracie. He’s in the best possible hands.”

“What if he can’t ride again? He lives and breathes the rodeo.”

Trent held her hand as they walked upstairs. “The surgeons will do everything they can. He’s alive. Anything after that is a bonus.”

Gracie knew Trent was right, but that didn’t stop the worry. Alex could be left with a permanent injury. Choosing to retire from the rodeo was one thing. Leaving because you couldn’t ride was a whole different story.

***

Gracie rubbed her eyes and stared at the alarm clock. It was six o’clock in the morning. Too early to have heard from her dad, too early to give her dad a call. She rolled over and buried her head against her pillow, saying a silent prayer for Alex.

A soft knock sounded on their bedroom door and Gracie bolted out of bed. Jacob stood on the landing, looking as though he’d had even less sleep than her.

“Did I wake you up?” He whispered.

“I’ve been awake for ages. Have you heard from dad?”

“He texted me. Alex’s surgery went well and they’ve transferred him to a ward.”

“What did the surgeon do?”

“He’s got a titanium rod in his thigh, a reconstructed knee, and torn ligaments in his pelvis. It’s going to take a few months to get him back on his feet.”

Gracie leaned against the door frame and closed her eyes.

Trent propped himself up on his elbow and watched Gracie and Jacob. “He’s okay?”

Jacob nodded. “As soon as he’s able to be transferred, mom and dad will bring him home. They’ll be in Vegas for Christmas. Dad said to give him a call when we wake up.”

Trent hauled himself out of bed and grabbed his sweatshirt. “Let’s call your dad from the kitchen. I’ll start the coffeepot.”

Gracie picked up her robe and pulled on her fluffy green socks. “Wait for me.”

“We aren’t going anywhere without you, short stuff. Take your time.” Trent waited on the landing with Jacob.

Gracie could hear their voices, low and steady, talking about what had happened in Las Vegas. They looked up when she joined them. “Have mom and dad talked to Alex since the accident?”

“Not yet,” Jacob said as they walked downstairs. “He’s doped up to his eyeballs with Morphine. He should be more with it by this afternoon.”

“He’s going to be upset.”

“You can say that again.” Jacob pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called his dad. “He won’t know what to do with himself.”

Jim Green answered the call after three rings. “Jacob? Have you got Gracie with you?”

“She’s right here with Trent. We’re on speaker-phone.”

“Are you okay, dad?” Gracie asked.

“We’ve had better days.” Gracie could hear the exhaustion in her dad’s voice. “They took Alex to the orthopedic ward a few hours ago.”

“How’s mom?” Jacob asked.

“Sleeping. It’s been a long night. I’m just glad we decided to come to Vegas to see Alex compete. God knows how we would have got here otherwise. I’m sorry we won’t be home for Christmas.”

Gracie sat on a kitchen stool and stared at the phone. “It’s okay, dad. Jacob’s going to spend Christmas with us. We can have dinner together when Alex gets home.”

“I’m looking forward to it, Gracie.”

“Have the doctor’s told you when Alex will be able to come back to Bozeman?” Jacob asked.

“Not yet, but I don’t expect it to be soon. He’s pretty beat up.”

Gracie leaned against the counter. “Do you need anything, dad?”

“Not at the moment. Kristina said she’ll buy whatever we need later today.” Her dad hesitated before continuing. “Alex hasn’t been injured like this before. The reporters and television crews are standing around like vultures waiting for information. I’ll be pleased when we can bring him home.”

“So will we, dad.” Gracie left Jacob to talk about the ranch with their dad. She walked back into the living room and stared at the Christmas tree. Everything was changing so fast.

One minute they’d been about to hang decorations and the next minute Jacob was telling them Alex had been seriously injured. And then there was Jordan, his broken heart, the barn conversion, and a new business.

“He’ll be okay.” Trent walked into the living room and gave her a hug.

Gracie held on tight, needing the quiet strength that only her husband could give her. “I’ll be happier when I hear Alex’s voice.” She took a deep breath and kissed Trent’s chin. “We’ve got some tree trimming to do. I’m supposed to meet Emily in a couple of hours.”

“You’re still going shopping?”

“I might as well. I can’t do anything for Alex and I really need to go into town.” She picked up the cardboard box full of decorations and sat on the floor. “Can I pass them to you and you hang them?”

“You mean you trust me to put them in the right place?”

The grin on Trent’s face made Gracie smile. “No place is wrong. Once we’ve got the decorations on the tree I’ll know how many more I need to buy.”

“I’ll space them out then.”

Gracie laughed. “And we may just have enough.”

“Maybe, but I’m sure you’ll find room for one or two new decorations.”

Gracie looked at the tree and sighed. After today it might not just be new decorations they had to make room for.

***

Gracie had never lied to Trent. Except when she’d told him she didn’t love him. But that didn’t count because he’d gone and married her anyway. The drive-through Elvis Chapel might have made some women’s hearts sing, but it had left her hunting for a divorce on the streets of Vegas, too tired, grouchy and hung-over to appreciate the man that had become her husband.