“Oh, dear,” Heather said, “and he’s just got over pneumonia.”
“She said he went right out this morning and went to work. I may need a length of rope,” Cole sighed. “He’s almost as stubborn as I am. May said he was out trying to break horses this morning, coughing his head off.”
“Threaten to tell Lucy,” John suggested. “It worked last time. He’s terrified of his daughter,” he added, grinning.
Cole chuckled. “It sure did. Nice idea.”
John just grinned at him.
JJ had been standing quietly but he was shifting from one foot to the next impatiently.
“And what’s your problem, my boy?” Josie asked with a smile.
“The tree,” JJ said. “I know we had to get home early last time we went after it. But we still haven’t got one. It’s after Thanksgiving and Mercedes says you always get the tree just after Thanksgiving anyway.” He looked hopeful. “Me and Dad couldn’t have a tree on account of they cost so much money, and we didn’t have money for decorations anyway...” He grimaced and looked embarrassed and turned red.
“Now, don’t do that,” Josie said gently. She got up and hugged him. “I know about Christmas trees. I always put up a little one in my apartment, but I can’t have a big tree because I don’t have room.”
“You don’t go home for Christmas, ever?” Heather asked worriedly.
Josie looked uncomfortable. “Well, no,” she said. “Mama’s not there anymore and my dad... Well, he’s just never home for Christmas, so I’d be all by myself. If I’m going to be alone, I’d just as soon be alone in my own space.”
“You won’t be alone here,” Heather said gently. “And you’re very welcome to be here.”
“You certainly are,” Cole said, and glared at his son before he could open his mouth. “Very welcome. Right, John?”
John almost choked himself to death trying not to let the words out that he wanted to say. So instead, he said, “Right, Dad.” But he couldn’t look at Josie while he said it.
She cocked her head and looked at him. “You could put up a Christmas tree in your room for Precious,” she said. “You might get him a set of false teeth for his present.”
He glared at her. “Careful that I don’t wrap him up and put him under the tree with your name on the tag,” he threatened softly.
“Oh, that wouldn’t work,” she said. “I’d just rattle the box, and it would rattle back and Precious would be airborne almost immediately. Now, you wouldn’t want that, would you? Poorold snake would really need therapy then.” She averted her eyes. “In fact, you might profit from it yourself.”
“I am not in need of therapy!” he said curtly.
“Oh, yeah?” she replied. “Why don’t you walk into the nearest psychologist’s office and tell him you keep a pet rattlesnake? I’ll show you therapy.”
JJ leaned against Josie and slid an arm around her. “Now, Josie, I think it’s really cool that John has a pet rattlesnake,” he told her solemnly. “I don’t know of anybody else who does. Most people have cats and dogs and geese...”
“Geese!” John did a mock shiver.
“Why do you look like that?” Josie asked.
Heather was smothering laughter.
“Sure, you can laugh, Mom. It was your goose!” John muttered.
“Well, I did really mean to cook it. But he was such a sweet goose, and he followed me around everywhere I went...”
“And protected you from your whole family,” Cole said through his teeth.
“In my defense,” Heather said, “nobody ever told me about geese and men.”
Cole’s eyes were dancing with laughter.
“That’s right, Dad, gloat,” John muttered, ramming his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “You bought it for her. And the darn thing didn’t bite you!”
“I told you not to chase him,” Cole said in a droll tone. “Especially not in front of the other geese.”
