Randall Wedding (12 page)

She was embarrassed. She’d bought him a cashmere sweater as a present, and it was blue. Should she take it back and get a red one? No, she decided. She liked him in blue. She’d also bought him a new billfold. A beautiful handmade leather wallet made by a local Native American woman. She’d asked the clerk if the woman ever made little purses. The clerk promised to get a tiny one made with Angel carved on it the next day.

She’d also shopped at Megan’s store and bought several gifts for the adults out at the ranch. A family the size of the Randalls required a lot of shopping, but it was fun. Isabella was finding it a pleasure to search for the right gift for Toby and Elizabeth, Rich and Samantha, Nick and Sarah, and Gabe and Jennifer. She was going to meet some other Randalls at Christmas. They even thought Caroline,
Toby’s sister, might make it home for Christmas. And the ones in university would be home.

A real family Christmas.

Two days before Christmas, Janie called Isabella. “Hon, will you and Russ and the baby spend Christmas Eve night here? Everyone else will be here. We have enough bedrooms.”

“Of course we’ll come for the evening,” Isabella replied, “but why do we need to spend the night?”

“Santa Claus comes in the morning. I’ll admit it gets a little noisy, but it’s also a lot of fun.”

“I’ll bet it is.” Isabella thought of the stiff, formal Christmases she’d had, where money was spent on one gift, usually something “suitable,” rather than something she wanted. The day had been dreary and sad for as long as she could remember. “Yes, we’ll come!”

When she told Russ that evening, he wasn’t as enthusiastic. “Are you sure? It’s a bit overwhelming.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

He started to say something else, but then he simply nodded. “Okay, if that’s what you want.”

She found a recipe in one of her aunt’s old recipe books for an Italian pastry. Christmas Eve morning, she spent hours making the pastry, a cannoli filled with vanilla cream. Then she made some with chocolate cream, since she thought everything chocolate was wonderful.

Russ had gone into town for a little while. When
he came back and saw the results of her cooking, he offered to be a taster. “We wouldn’t want to take something that hadn’t been taste-tested,” he said, his eyes round with mock innocence.

She laughed, feeling especially happy today. “I think they’re safe. But I’ll let you have one after lunch. Then it’ll be time to go to the ranch. Mom said to come as soon as we could.”

“Uh, I explained to Mom that we didn’t have time to shop, so don’t feel embarrassed if we get presents. You’ve had too many things going on in your life.”

“That’s sweet of you, Russ, but I’ve done a little shopping,” she told him. In reality, she was feeling a little guilty. The extra bedroom was so full of presents, you could hardly see the floor.

After lunch, she gathered all the things Angel would need. “These things need to go in the back of the truck,” she said. “And while you’re taking care of that, I’ll bring down the gifts I’ve bought.”

She piled a load of presents in the laundry basket. Then she brought it downstairs and turned it upside down on the rug by the door. Russ came in at the same time and stared in surprise.

“A little shopping, you said?” he asked, staring at her.

“Maybe I got a little carried away, but it was fun,” she said, faintly embarrassed.

He started gathering the packages to take outside while she returned to the bedroom. It took four
trips. Russ was laughing by the time he finished loading everything. “Are you sure we’re not moving in for a month?”

“I know it’s a lot, Russ, but—”

“I’m not complaining, sweetheart. Just don’t forget those cannolis you made. Everyone’s going to call you Mrs. Claus. It’s going to be a merry Christmas.”

She agreed.

Isabella packed two large dishes of cannolis, one for the chocolate and one for the vanilla. She was shy about bringing anything to Red’s kitchen, so she handed them to Mildred when they entered.

“What are these?” Mildred asked curiously.

“I wanted to contribute something to the festivities, so I made cannolis. They’re Italian desserts.”

Russ watched her, knowing she was nervous. But he’d tasted her contribution, so he wasn’t worried. “Maybe you should try one, Mildred, so everyone will know they’re all right.”

“Right here in front of everyone?” Mildred asked. All conversation stopped and everyone stared at her.

Isabella said, “It’s okay, Mildred. You don’t have to.”

“No, of course I will. Are there two different kinds?”

“Chocolate and vanilla, but you may not like the chocolate. The recipe only calls for vanilla, but I
like chocolate.” She reached out to take the large dish of chocolate ones.

“No, you don’t, young lady. I’ll try the chocolate ones. I feel the same way about chocolate.”

“So do I,” Elizabeth said, reaching out for one herself.

“Now, don’t you ruin your lunch,” Red complained.

Elizabeth took her bite first. She closed her eyes as if in ecstasy. Then she said, “What lunch?” And took another bite.

Mildred nodded. “You’ve got a point, Elizabeth.” She turned to Isabella. “Child, you are never to darken our door again—without a plate of…What are they called?”

“Cannolis,” Isabella said with a sigh of relief.

Russ gave her a hug. “I told you that you had nothing to worry about.”

“But Red is such a good cook.”

“I heard that!” Red shouted. Then he smiled. “And I like it!” He selected one of the vanilla cannolis, took a bite and praised Isabella’s effort.

Suddenly there was a rush, and half the cannolis were gone in no time. “No more!” Red ordered, and put the two plates on the kitchen cabinet where he could protect them. “Lunch is ready. First call to the table.”

“First call?” Isabella asked, looking at Russ. “What’s that mean?”

“Children. There are too many people to feed
everyone at once. So you eat according to your age.”

She laughed. “I wondered how they would feed everyone. That makes sense.”

“Yeah. And since we’ve eaten lunch, why don’t we unload the truck? I’ll put Angel in one of those baby beds.”

“Any of them? Won’t someone mind?”

“Nope. Those are kitchen beds for whoever needs one.”

When they came back in with their first load of gifts, some of the adults asked if there were more.

“Yeah,” Russ said with a laugh. “I married a shopaholic.”

“Russ! I am not. This is a big family.”

Everyone was laughing. “We’re not complaining,” Toby said as he got up to help. “We’re hoping we might find something in here for us!”

“It’s possible,” Isabella said, raising an eyebrow, “but no peeking.”

After the gifts were unloaded, Russ, with Rich’s help, brought in their belongings for spending the night. “Mom?” he called. “Where are we sleeping?” He’d already realized there would be a problem. He was waiting for it to hit Isabella.

“This way, son. I’ll show you. You’re one of the lucky ones. You get a bedroom. Of course, most of your cousins are going to the bachelor pad.”

“The what?” Isabella asked. She thought she’d already learned everything about the Randalls.

B.J. leaned over and said, “It’s a bunkhouse we
built for all the boys. They still take their meals with us, but it clears up a lot of bathroom lines and yelling and screaming.”

“I can imagine. That was a good idea.”

Her mind continued to think about the housing problem when everyone came home for Christmas. Then it hit her.

Bedroom. They would only get one bedroom. For the three of them.

One bedroom. One bed. Janie had opened a closed door and Isabella’s eyes immediately confirmed her surmise.

“Sorry we’re so crowded, Izzy. But it’s just for one night. Is that all right?”

Isabella read the concern on Janie’s face. She was afraid her new daughter-in-law was going to make a fuss. And Russ stared at her, too, his gaze calm and reassuring.

“It will be fine, Mom. Thanks for giving us a bedroom to ourselves.”

Janie kissed her on the cheek. “There’s a crib for Angel, too, so big old Russ won’t roll over her.”

“Mom! I wouldn’t.”

“In your sleep you might. Settle in and then come downstairs. Have you had lunch?”

“We have. My wife keeps me well fed.”

“Good. You could use a few more pounds.”

Isabella laughed at the outrage on Russ’s face.

“This family is so much fun,” she said when
Russ turned to protest. “Thank you so much for bringing me into it.”

Janie kissed her cheek again. “We’re the lucky ones, Izzy.” Then she dashed out the door and down the stairs.

Quietly Russ said, “Thanks for not making a fuss about the one bed. Mom was worried about it.”

“I know. I could tell. I can sleep on the floor or—”

“We’ll both sleep in the bed, Izzy. I’m not a monster who can’t control himself. It’s a king-size bed, after all. There’s plenty of room.”

After looking at him for several seconds, she smiled and said, “Okay.”

He relaxed and asked, “How’s Angel? Think she’ll sleep much longer?”

“Yes, I fed her right before we left. I think she’ll sleep for hours.”

“Want to go down and see how big a tree they got this year?”

“I didn’t see a tree,” she said as she opened her suitcase. She took out two baby monitors.

“It’s hidden in the barn.”

She stiffened. “With the horses?”

“Have I marked you for life with my tactics? I promise I won’t put you on a horse, okay?”

“Thanks.” She put one of the monitors in the baby bed beside the sleeping infant. She put the other one in her pocket. “There, we’ll know if Angel wakes up early. I’m ready.”

“You want to wear your mink coat? I put your
ski jacket in the closet downstairs after our last visit.”

“Oh. That was thoughtful of you. I forgot all about it. But it would be better for going to the barn.”

He gave her a quick hug, then stepped away. “I just wanted to say thank you for trusting me again.”

She smiled and offered her hand. He took it in his and they headed for the barn.

“Where are you going?” someone asked as they went through the kitchen.

“To see the tree.” Russ’s announcement got the attention of the college crowd and the little ones. Elizabeth and Toby’s oldest, three-year-old Davy, immediately began shouting, “The tree, the tree!”

His little sister didn’t understand, but she knew she wanted to go if Davy did. Elizabeth’s brother Jim took Davy, and Russ’s brother Casey took one-year-old Steffie. The twins, Gabe and Jennifer’s pair, were too young, two weeks younger than Angel, in fact.

“You know, in a couple of years we’re going to have a herd of little ones,” Red mused. “I can’t wait.”

Rich said, “Ours is down for his nap, or he’d want to go now. And Jon and Tori aren’t here yet with Jonny.”

“Then let’s hurry before they get here,” Russ said with a big grin. Everyone rushed out the door.

Isabella had put on her ski jacket. She followed
them out. Instead of leading the charge, Russ waited for her. “Warm enough?”

“Yes, this is a lovely jacket. I think I forgot to thank you. And the boots are nice, too, but I forgot to bring them.”

“Your hat, too. But I don’t think you’ll need it for a walk to the barn, since it’s not snowing.”

“Does it snow often here?”

Russ laughed.

“What’s funny?” Rich asked.

“My wife wanted to know if it snows often here.”

“Oh, yeah,” Jim said. “But school seldom closes. Just during the blizzards.”

“I hadn’t thought of that. In New York, while the snow is coming down hard, we stay home, but they get things opened up quickly with all the snowplows.”

While they’d been talking, they’d reached the barn where the tree was stored. The adults threw open the barn door and everyone stood silent, staring at a majestic green tree leaning against the back wall.

“Will it fit?” Isabella whispered.

“I don’t know. But the dads are pretty good at picking out the perfect tree. The living room has a raised ceiling,” Russ added.

“It is beautiful. I’ve never seen such a big tree for a house. The one in New York’s Rockefeller Plaza is huge, of course, but it’s outside.”

“We’ve seen that one on television. But I’ve al
ways thought ours was more beautiful,” Russ told her.

Isabella took a deep breath. “It smells lovely.”

“It will smell even better inside. And after Christmas we hang oranges stuck with cloves and slices of apple smeared with peanut butter on the tree and put it outside so the birds can feed on it.”

“Oh! How perfect.”

He hugged her to his side and dropped a kiss on her cheek. “That’s us! The perfect Randalls!”

Rich leaned over. “You won’t think so at six in the morning.”

“What happens then?” Isabella asked, puzzled.

“That’s the earliest the kids can wake anyone up for Christmas.”

“S-six in the morning?” She stared at Rich, and seeing the laughter in his eyes, she said, “You’re teasing me.”

Samantha shook her head. “He’s not. Santa brings each child one big present and they’re not allowed to go downstairs until then. At seven, Red serves breakfast. Then about eight, we all go in and open gifts. That takes several hours, because we try to open one at a time, so everyone can see what everyone else got. It helps the parents, but it doesn’t always work.”

Isabella was picturing the chaos Samantha was describing. “I can’t wait.”

Samantha grinned. “Me, too. I’m as bad as the kids. I didn’t know Christmas could be like this.”

“Me, neither,” Isabella said softly.

She didn’t feel quite so different from everyone else after that. Samantha had felt the same way she did. And Russ understood.

“Russ, can we go see the baby horses again? I bet the little ones would like to see them, too,” she said, watching him.

“You sure you want to?”

“Yes. I’ll get more used to them if I visit them. Samantha, were you afraid of the horses when you first came here?”

“No, Izzy. I started cleaning out stalls when I was five. I was used to horses.”

“She rides as good as me,” Rich bragged, “which comes in handy at roundup when I need everyone I can get.”

“You’ll have me this year, bro,” Russ said, his words a solemn promise. “I won’t leave all the work to you.” Russ smiled at his brother.

Rich gave him a hug. “Good.”

Isabella had never seen so much hugging between men. She liked it. “I don’t think I’ll volunteer just yet. I have a lot to learn before I’ll be of any use.”

“Make cannolis and I won’t have any trouble getting volunteers. There’s plenty for everyone to do.”

She smiled at Rich. “You’ve got a deal. And thanks for making me feel welcome.”

After they visited the foaling barn, oohing and aahing over the gangly babies, they headed back to
the house, only to meet the dads coming for the tree.

“Go clear a path through all those presents so we can get the tree in its place,” Jake ordered. “Your moms are organizing the decorations.”

Soon the entire family, except for the sleeping babies, were gathered in the living room. Everyone was given a decoration to hang on the tree. As soon as each person hung a decoration, he or she came back to the box and got a new one.

Isabella was surprised at how beautiful the tree looked in the end with so many people involved in decorating it. Then they moved the gifts to encircle the tree. The lights were plugged in and everyone fell silent. Then they began singing “Silent Night.”

Tears formed in Isabella’s eyes as she joined the singing. This life was what she wanted for Angel. What she wished she’d had. But now it was being given to her and her little girl. Thanks to Russ. She silently gave thanks for the blessings she’d received.

I
T HAD BEEN
a good day, Russ thought as he and Izzy climbed the stairs. After the tree was decorated and they’d done their traditional singing, they’d all made sandwiches. Red had made tomato soup to go with them. Then last-minute chores for the next day were tackled. Isabella suggested they make popcorn strings to go on the tree when they put it out for the birds, so everyone who didn’t have something
else to occupy their time worked on popcorn strings, and munched a few, too.

When the children were finally sent to bed, the parents started bringing out Santa gifts. Russ had watched Izzy as she’d talked to the other mothers and helped where she could. She fit in perfectly. He thought of Abby, remembering her enjoyment of Christmas. He’d been blessed twice.

Now it was almost midnight. Isabella was barely awake.

“I didn’t know it would take so much energy for Christmas. Maybe you can take a few days off,” she murmured.

“Maybe. I’ll feed Angel tonight. You try to keep sleeping.”

“I’ll take you up on that, Russ. Thanks.”

“We’re sharing the bath with some of the others. But if you hurry, you can be first in line. I’ll go down and make Angel’s bottle.”

When he got back to their room, Isabella was already in bed, sound asleep, her hair was loose and curling around her shoulders. He was glad he hadn’t ruined things.

He decided he wouldn’t go to sleep yet. The baby would be awake in another hour. Since Izzy had left the light on, he guessed it wouldn’t bother her. He found a book left on the shelf and he started reading, sitting in the only chair in the room.

Angel slept longer than he expected. It was almost two o’clock when he heard her stirring. He greeted her with a whisper and offered the bottle
he’d gotten ready. It didn’t take her long to guzzle the contents. He figured she’d sleep until almost eight in the morning. Should he wake her mother to see the Santa presents? He wasn’t sure he’d even get up.

He tucked the baby back into bed and was starting to undress when he heard a knock on the bedroom door.

Hurrying over to keep whoever it was from waking Isabella, he discovered his father waiting.

“Dad, what is it?”