Heather smiled. “Of course we do.”
“I’d like to go, too, if you don’t mind,” Josie said.
Heather agreed at once and so did Cole. John was watching her with an unnerving stare. She didn’t add up to him; a woman with a rap sheet who carried a pistol, a woman he met trying to eat one of his prized bulls who had connections with some very bad people. She swore she was in real estate, but she didn’t have a car. Nothing about her added up and he didn’t trust her. But his parents did, and that was odd because they both had an uncanny ability to judge strangers and they were almost neverwrong.Well, he thought,if she was putting on an act, something would slip sooner or later. He might be able to press some information out of Tanner and Marlowe, both of whom seemed to be on better terms with her than they should have been; another puzzle he had to solve.
But for now, they were going to go get a Christmas tree. The rest could wait. After all, the holiday season was upon them. There was also the private auction to get ready for and Odalie’s appearance at the Metropolitan Opera.
She hadn’t wanted any of them to come up and watch her audition because she said it would make her so nervous she’d faint so they’d all stayed home. She’d called them all excited because it had worked out that she was going to be in one of the productions at Christmas, even though not a lead singer. But she had a good supporting role. She was thrilled.
But John knew her better than the others, and he could tell there was an underlying issue somewhere. She was too nervous. He recalled how she’d throw up before she had to go on stage when she was doing the young artists program and sang opera in front of audiences. She’d been terrified. Therapy hadn’t helped much. He did wonder how she was going to manage night after night on stage in front of an audience of hundreds if not thousands of people. That was a lot of stress. But if that was what she wanted, that was what he wanted for her. She was his baby sister and he loved her. They all did.
In the meantime, however, they had to find a Christmas tree lot and buy a tree. They all piled into the truck with JJ sitting next to John in the cab and Josie sitting next to the door, by design. Being close to John made Josie very nervous and it was better not to tempt fate. She couldn’t afford to get mixed up with John Everett. Not now.
And what a very odd thing to think about, she told herself as they drove away. She didn’t like John. He certainly didn’t likeher. But she would keep remembering that kiss. It had been extremely invigorating. She had to stop thinking about it. She was involved in a very dangerous assignment. She couldn’t afford any distraction; not if she wanted to live.
The Christmas tree lot in Percell—and there was only one—had a surprisingly good selection of trees. Most were cut down but with the environment in mind, several of them were in buckets, their roots wrapped in burlap. And it was to those last ones that JJ and Josie made a beeline.
John and Josie had been looking toward a pine tree about six feet tall and not so thick. JJ had his heart set on a tree that was at least ten feet tall, very thick in between branches and very broad. They started to try to talk him out of it until they saw the brightness of his eyes. The poor kid had lost his father; he was living in a new home with new people. He had to be a little nervous, and he was going to miss his dad at Christmas. So what the heck. Let him have the tree he wanted.
“That’s the one you want, huh?” John asked.
JJ looked up at him with consternation. “Ohh, gosh, I’m sorry. Is it too expensive?” JJ said at once, looking worried. “I know they cost a lot of money. We can get something smaller...!”
“No, it’s not too much,” John said at once. “Not at all.” He went down on one knee and hugged the boy. “You can have anything you want on the lot. Honest. It’s your first Christmas with us, so let’s make it special.”
JJ hugged him back, fighting tears. “Thanks, John. Thanks a lot!”
Josie had to fight tears, too. So often John seemed very self-contained and aloof, but he had a deep heart, and he was a good person. She hated the thought of leaving, but eventually she was going to have to go back to work, once this undercover assignment was finished, one way or the other. She was going to miss the Everetts and JJ a lot.
Josie bent down and hugged JJ, too.
“Thanks for picking this one,” she told the boy. “I love big trees. We never had much Christmas at home. Mama was always working and Daddy was never at home. So mostly it was me and our housekeeper at Christmas. No big Christmas trees. But at least the food was good,” she said, laughing self-consciously as she got back to her feet.
John pretended to be surprised at the compassion she showed for JJ, but he wasn’t really. He’d noticed that Josie was always out around the barn where there were kittens. He came upon her unexpectedly one day sitting in the hay outside a stall with two little kittens curled up in her lap. She was talking to them, telling them how precious they were and how she wished she could have one.But her apartment building didn’t allow pets, so she couldn’t have a dog or even a cat, which meant she had nobody to talk to.
John remembered hearing those words from her. He didn’t like her. He was sure he didn’t like her. But she was making a place for herself in his life. He’d have to do something about that. He’d have to do it soon, before he got too attached.
Twelve
The tree covered a whole corner in the living room once the guys had it set up with the Christmas tree skirt around the trunk. It looked magnificent even before decorations were put on it.
Josie was fascinated by it. Being away from home for several years, this was a totally different experience. The Everetts were so much fun to be around. Even the cowboys who worked for them were funny and sweet and kindhearted.
And watching JJ enthuse over the decorating of the tree was the most fun of all. She wondered how many years it had been since he’d had a proper Christmas tree with decorations on it. Judging by the way his father had been and the very few possessions that JJ had, including not a single pair of boots that didn’t have half the soles off with jeans that looked like they’d come out of a mud pile, they must have been very poor. But JJ looked a lot older than his years. He was a sweet kid and considering his recent bereavement he was well adjusted. He called Heather “Mama Heather,” and he loved being around John. Well, to givethe boy credit he liked rattlesnakes, too. There was no accounting for taste. In days past, Josie had kept cats for pets. It was a good thing she didn’t live near John or bring her cats to visit. Precious would probably have considered them lunch.
Decorating the tree was a family project, despite the assurances that the men in the family would find tasks elsewhere. Everybody participated. Josie had never seen so many ornaments of so many different kinds. Gold bows and silver bows that reflected the colored lights draped around the tree. There were ornaments with light and sound featuring cartoon characters and characters from movies and television shows. Josie’s favorite was an ornament from the movieMoana. It played the title song.
“That was a great movie,” Josie murmured.
“It was,” Heather replied as she noticed Josie’s interest. “Especially the Ocean talking to her at the beginning.”
Josie laughed and her whole face lit up. “It was one of the best movies I ever watched,” she confessed. “I laughed and I cried all the way through it. The only one I liked as much wasLilo and Stitch, and that was hilarious.”
Heather laughed, too. “Yes, it was. Stitch pretending to be a dog hadusin stitches. All three of our kids loved it even though they were adults by then.” She sighed as she hung another ornament. “I loved it when my kids were little. Then they grew up and one by one they had other interests. Except for John,” she added. “He loves ranching, He loves little animals. He even enjoys going to cattlemen’s conferences all over the country and going to various ranches to buy more blood stock. We never thought Tanner would settle down, so we always planned to leave Big Spur to John. It helps that we have more than one ranch property, so that Tanner and John both have their own, alongside the equipment company that John owns and manages by himself. But now, John’s grown, too. And here I am with no babies to cuddle.”
She glanced at Josie. She smiled. “You don’t know what a wonderful thing you did for us by bringing JJ here. He’s the sort of boy any family would be proud of. I’m truly sorry that he lost his father in such a way. But I’m so happy that you were there. Otherwise, he might never have come to live with us.”
“He really is a great kid,” Josie said, smiling. “It broke my heart watching him grieve for his dad. It was a great thing you and Cole did for him. He’ll be safe and protected and he won’t grow up for a few years.”
