10. Rhett
10
RHETT
20th December
I wake up at dawn, the threadbare curtains covering the windows doing little to block out the morning light. Not that it would've stopped me from being awake. I've always been an early riser.
Rolling over, I move in close and wrap my arms around my still-sleeping wife, the soft sounds of her breathing filling the quiet room.
I didn't know what to expect when we arrived at George's rental cabins last night but they're surprisingly cozy, if not a little basic. Luckily that's just the way I like it though. It's how I spent many months living on the road while on the bull riding tour.
Being careful not to wake Cora, I slide out of bed and quickly use the facilities before moving to the kitchen to start some coffee on the gas cooker. After that, I chuck a small log on the fire to take the chill off the air.
While I wait for the water to boil, I pull back the curtains in the front room and take in the snow-covered landscape outside. We're totally surrounded by tall white-tipped trees, the early morning light streaming through giving it an almost ethereal glow. If I look closely I can just see the next cabin down the long driveway, but each property feels private, just as Red and Mags described it.
Hearing Cora slowly stirring, I quickly move to the kitchen, turning the gas off and shifting the coffee pot off the heat before making my way back to my warm bed with even hotter wife.
Her eyes flutter open, the soft morning light illuminating her face as she smiles at me. “Mornin' cowboy.”
“Mornin', princess',” I reply, planting a kiss on her soft pink lips before snuggling back under the covers with her.
Cora stretches her muscles out, her movements graceful and enticing. If we didn't have plans already I'd be working hard to get her smiling for other reasons. But alas, we have a Christmas to organize.
“What time is it?” she asks.
“Early yet. Coffee's on if you want some.”
She nods, sitting up in bed and wrapping a woolen throw around her shoulders before padding barefoot to the kitchen area. I follow behind her, appreciating the view–and the fact that she's mine–my heart swelling with love for the woman that I never saw coming, but who turned my world upside down in the best possible way. My reward.
Cora glances over her shoulder, catching me staring, and grins before pouring two mugs of cowboy brew. She hands one to me, her fingers brushing mine in a simple yet intimate gesture that never fails to send a shiver down my spine.
“What's the plan for today?” she asks.
“We're all meetin' at the front cabin where Mags and Red are stayin'. Then we'll all go into town to inventory the decorations they've already got, and see what needs to happen between now and Christmas Eve,” I reply, leaning a hip against the counter.
She smiles brightly. “It's goin' to be so much fun.” Her shoulder brushes mine as she looks out the window at the snowy vista I was admiring earlier. “I can't wait to see how it all turns out. This town is so charmin'. It reminds me of the little villages back in England we used to visit as kids. As soon as the December hit, everyone would go Christmas crazy. There'd be all these local markets filled with crafts and knick-knacks and the yummiest sweets,” she says, her British accent still as fascinating to me as when we first met.
No longer wanting to resist—and why would I want to—I lean in for a delicious, coffee-tinged kiss, loving the way Cora smiles against my lips.
“What was that for?” she asks breathlessly.
I lift my hand to swipe my thumb over her bottom lip. “Do I need a reason, Princess?”
She grins. “Definitely not.”
“Good.” Surely we could squeeze some time in to enjoy this cabin…
Just as I go to suggest that very thing, a loud and fast slapping noise comes from the front porch. Something akin to webbed feet thudding along wood and a sinking, all-knowing feeling comes over me.
“What was that ?” Cora asks, moving toward the door to investigate.
“Don't think I wanna know,” I grumble as I follow behind her. There's no way…
“It sounded a lot like–”
I quickly but gently rush up behind her and cover her mouth, meeting her wide but amused stare. “Don't say it. It's like the boogey monster. If you speak his name, he will come.”
She grins against my hand before reaching up to move it away. “C'mon, Rhett. We're hundreds of miles away from Bull. There's no way he's out there. That noise could've been anythin'. A bird?—”
“Yeah, one called Doofus,” I deadpan. We hear the noise again and I jump into action, moving to the door and swinging it wide open, ready to scare the bejesus out of that damn stalking bird. “ See! ” Except it's not Duck Norris I find. Instead, it's a wide-eyed Miss Frankie standing on the stoop with her arm hung mid-air as if she was about to knock.
“Did you hear a quack?” I ask, poking my head out and looking around for any sign of the menace duck.
“A quack?” Miss Frankie asks, her petite brows bunching together. “Can't say I did. Then again, my hearin' ain't what it used to be.” She giggles and I can't help but relax at the sound.
“You here to collect us?” Cora asks, resting a hand on my back.
“Sure am. We thought we'd all follow on in a convoy into town again. Ruthie's excited to get started,” Miss Frankie tells us.
“I am too,” my wife replies. “We'll meet you at the front house in ten minutes if you'd like.”
Miss Frankie smiles. “That sounds lovely, my dear.”
“Let me help you down the stairs. The snow has made everythin' a little slippery, I bet,” I offer, kissing Cora's cheek before reaching for Miss Frankie's hand.
“Such a gentleman,” the old lady says. “You've got yourself a good one, Cora.”
“Don't I know it. See you soon,” Cora replies, eyeing me in a way I hope Miss Frankie doesn't see—but in a way I'm goin' to utilize later.
“Be back in a minute, princess.”
“Look forward to it, cowboy.”
Then I take Miss Frankie's arm and help her down the stairs to where the rest of the Sallys are waiting for her.
An hour later, we're all gathered outside the old storage shed behind the Fire Station/Sheriff’s Office/City Hall building that George and his friends told us about.
“I'm not sure just what's left in here—” George says.
“Or what state it's in,” Larry adds.
George winces. “Yeah, that too. But I'm sure there'll be things we can still use.”
“I'm sure there'll be a lot of things,” Red replies. “Between the lot of us, we should be able to do somethin' with it or recycle it.”
“OK,” George says, sounding reassured. “And you can use whatever you need from the hardware section of my store. My wares are your wares.”
“Only if you let us pay our way,” I say, speaking up. What's the point if we're taking things for free from his place of business?
George opens his mouth as if to argue again, but Red steps up. “George, you're a man who's used to givin' to everyone. This is our chance–the town's chance–to give back to you . You've gotta let them do that and let them have that same good feelin' you get when you help others. Yeah?”
George stares at Red with wonder before nodding.
“You deserve this, buddy,” Barry says, clapping George's shoulder. “Now let's see what we've got to work with.”
From there, we work together to form an assembly line of sorts, passing things out until we've got a decent-sized pile of Christmas decorations and supplies. Cora is in her element, buzzing around with excitement as she organizes the group and delegates tasks effortlessly. I watch her with a mix of admiration and adoration.
As we start to sort through the decorations, memories flood back to me of Christmases past. I remember the joy of decorating the tree with my family, the warmth of the fire crackling in the hearth, and the smell of cookies baking in the oven. I hope that after this week, George and the townsfolk of Rainbow Springs have similar memories to treasure just like me and my family do.
“Do you think it's goin' to be enough?” George asks as we all stand around looking at what we've uncovered.
“Absolutely,” Miss Aggie exclaims, her eyes already alight with ideas.
“Look what I found,” Toby pipes up, huffing and puffing as he carries a huge chair out from the back of the shed. A huge cloud of dust follows behind him as he sets it down in the middle of the group.
“A chair from Christmas past?” Landry teases.
“A throne from Aragon?” Dee suggests.
“It almost looks like a chamber pot chair from yesteryear,” Ruthie snickers.
But George's eyes widen before a knowing smile curves his gray-haired lips. “That chair used to be put in a makeshift Santa's grotto my granddaddy would create every holiday season for the kids in town. The night before Christmas, he'd dress up in a homemade Santa suit that my Nan had sewn by hand, and they'd fill a sack full of juicy red apples. Then, for every Christmas wish a child would tell him, they'd get an apple.”
I swear all of the women in the group sigh as George tells his story.
Cora steps forward, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Let's do it. We can set up Santa's grotto in the bandstand in the middle of the town square. The one right at the end of Main Street. I'm not sure if the kids would want apples but we could get some and give them with all the gifts we brought with us.”
George nods. “We could take photos too. The kids, Santa?—”
“That's still me, right?” Toby asks.
“ Yes , Tobes. You're the only one who wants to be Santa,” Dottie replies, patting his arm placatingly.
“I bought my Polaroid camera from home. We can use that for the Santa photos,” Dee offers.
“That's a brilliant idea!” Miss Aggie says, clapping her hands together. “This is all comin' together brilliantly.
George nods, a nostalgic smile on his face. “It would be a wonderful way to carry on the tradition my granddaddy started.”
“Is that why you told me about your Christmas wish?” Gramma Ruthie asks.
George nods, a small smile appearing.
“Gosh darn it,” Miss Aggie says. “Just when I think we're exactly where we're meant to be and doin' what we're meant to do, you go and prove it all over again.”
Everyone murmurs their agreement. “Here, here,” Red adds.
“Sounds like we've got the start of a plan. That chair definitely needs some TLC.” I look it over. “How about we start cleanin' everythin' up then we'll know if there's still things we need or if we've got enough. Is that OK with you guys?” I ask George and the Arrys.
George seems so overwhelmed that all he can do is nod. I think I would be too if I was so close to getting the Christmas I've always wanted. Lucky for me, since Cora came into my life, every day is like Christmas for me.
“While y'all are doin' that, Austin and I have a date with a tree,” Harry announces, looking over at my brother. “You still want to come out and get it with me, right?” The man looks so damn hopeful I know there's no way Austin will turn him down.
“For sure,” my brother answers.
“And by the time y'all bring it back into town, we might even have somewhere to put it,” Charlie says. “Then we can all decorate it.”
Harry's expression turns thoughtful. “We might need a few more hands though. The tree I've got in mind ain't small.”
“We will,” Frankie and Dorothy say in unison, almost as if they'd planned it. When all eyes—including mine—snap their way, they both grin like Cheshire cats.
Harry and Austin's mouths open and close a few times before they look to each other for guidance.
Thankfully, Mags enters the fray. “I have another mission for you Sallys.” That gets all of their attention.
“You do? ” Frankie asks.
“Yep. You could even call it a mission,” Mags replies with a twinkle in her eye that tells me she knows she's got them hook, line, and sinker. The Sallys can do many things at their advanced age but traipsing through the woods to fell a giant pine tree is not one of them.
“Thank you,” Austin mouths at Mags, earning a wink in return. “Charlie, Lee, Colt, you want to come find the Rainbow Springs Christmas tree with us?”
They all nod.
“OK. It sounds like we've all got our assignments. Are we gonna get to it?” I say. “Santa's on a schedule, remember?”
“Anyone would think you're excited Rhett,” Toby says with a knowing grin.
“Maybe I am, Tobes. Or maybe I'm plottin' to steal the role of Santa from you.”
He gasps. “You wouldn't. ”
Now I'm the one smirking. “If you hurry up, you won't have anythin' to worry about. Will ya?”
Wouldn't you know it, I think that's the fastest I've seen Tobes jump into action. Funny that.