12. Red
12
RED
December 21st
“I swear, if I have to see another ribbon or bow or damn silver bell again in the next twelve months, I'll hike up Bull Mountain and stay there till the holidays are over,” I grumble as I stand at the top of a rickety ladder and hang yet another streetlight decoration.
“They look so pretty though,” Mags says, smiling up at me. “And don't forget about the giant snowflakes you already hung. They look amazin'.
I scoff. “Mmmm hmmm.”
“Aww. C'mon, Red. This is our first Christmas together as husband and wife. Surely you can find some holiday spirit inside of you for me.” She bats her lashes and gives me a look that she knows will work on me every. single. time.
I climb down the ladder and dust off my hands before stepping back to admire our handiwork.
Mags and I have been working down one side of the main street while Austin and Tobes do the same on the other side, slowly making our way down toward the town square. Rhett, Colt, and Landry are also here hanging wreaths on the shop doors and putting out whatever other festive displays we found in the shed.
Tomorrow, we'll all focus on setting up the town square for the big festival on December 23rd, giving us enough time to stay one last night and head back home on Christmas Eve.
Stepping back and taking in the whole street now, I can see how much of a difference it has made. The streetlights are twinkling with fairy lights, silver bells, and the posts wrapped in silver and red tinsel as high as the ladder would take us. It's transformed the sleepy road into a Christmas trail of sorts. Just what the doctor ordered, I'd say.
Even I can admit that it feels a hell of a lot more like the holidays. There's a festive cheer about the place now.
My darling wife sidles up next to me. “See? Isn't it so worth it?” she asks, her eyes sparkling with delight.
I wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her in close. “Yeah, you were right,” I admit.
Her returning gaze is full of amusement. “Wait… can you say that again, I want to record it for future use.”
“Don't push it, darlin',” I say with a chuckle. “But yes. You were right. Doesn't mean I don't feel like I've been in the fields all day throwin' out hay.”
“And it doesn't mean I don't appreciate the hard work, Redmond,” she whispers, her voice dropping to a low, sexy whisper.
“Not as good as mine,” Toby says as he and Austin come toward us. “Not a bad effort, old man.”
“I'll give you old man,” I mutter, earning a smirk. “What's next on the to-do list? Crisscrossin’ some lights across the street? Did we bring those from back home?”
All thoughts of that are lost when I look down the street and spot something outside the mushroom bar–which is actually called The Toad Stool and Axe Bar.
My head swivels Toby's way. “What's that ?”
He rubs the back of his neck and averts his eyes, a surefire sign of guilt. “Ah… what do you mean, Red?”
“There's a neon duck outside the sheriff's office. Know anythin' about that, Tobes?”
“The thing is–” he starts.
“The Sallys said we were giftin' Christmas, and I decided that meant bringin' a piece of home to Rainbow Springs. And what better part of home to give them than Duck Norris,” Landry adds.
“Thought we weren't talkin' , let alone thinkin' about that bird,” I reply.
“It was just one of the many neon displays we brought with us. There's also a goat for Nelly Nosey Parker and one for Bruno the dog and Miss Piggy too,” Landry explains.
I sigh. “Did you have to bring a duck though? I thought I was gettin' a break from that menace.”
“And now the Grinch is back. Thought I'd gotten rid of him,” Mags says, winking. “Guess it's time for a much needed break.
All eyes turn to my wife. “Why?” I ask suspiciously because when it comes to any of the women I know, the world's their oyster in terms of the crazy ideas they can come up with. The fact we're miles from home doing a random act of kindness for strangers says it all.
“The wives of the Arrys and the rest of the women have been bakin' all day for the festival and there's some leftover cookies in need of decoratin'. So, we all decided to turn it into another Christmas contest.”
“Oh yeah?” Toby rubs his hands together. “You know I'm goin' to beat your butts at whatever challenge you throw my way.”
His eagerness doesn't surprise me considering he's batting zero in the contests we've held so far this time. First, it was Cora and Rhett winning the truck decorating challenge, then Landry reigning supreme at karaoke.
“Let's see if you can pack everythin' up first, then you can wow us with your kitchen skills,” Austin says, biting back a laugh.
“You know…” I say to Mags once Austin and Toby have left us to tidy up. “I don't think I'm all that good at cookie decoratin'.” Turning my attention to my wife, I dip my head and rub my nose along the sensitive skin of her neck, loving the way her breath catches as I do it.
“You're not?” She whispers.
“Nope. But there are some things I am good at…”
“Mmmm hmmm.” Mags clings to my arms and melts against me. “You are very good at some things. Lots and lots of things.” The way her voice has roughened confirms she's on the same wavelength as I am.
“How bout we play hooky, and I show you those things…” I say, nipping her ear lobe.
“OK…”
“Enough of that, lovebirds! We've got a contest to get to. If I can't canoodle with my wife, then neither can you two,” Tobes hollers from across the street, making me groan and Mags giggle against my chest.
“And I thought it was the animals that were the ones who co?—”
“ Thwarted alone time?” Mags says, stealing my words and saying them far more eloquently than I would have.
I straighten and grin down at her, my lips twitching. “Yes. There's a lot of thwartin' goin' on and I don't much appreciate it right now.”
Her mouth quirks up, her eyes full of amusement at my disgruntlement. And believe me, I'd much rather be alone with my wife than decorate Christmas cookies. “C'mon, Redmond. We'll decorate cookies, let Toby win, and?—”
“I heard that!” the man in question calls out.
“And then we'll go back to our cabin and recreate the shower scene from when we were in Ninilchik…” Now her gaze is hooded and all I can think about is the day I dropped my towel without thought because I had to check she hadn't hurt herself, giving her an eyeful of a lot more than either one of us bargained for.
“I'll hold you that,” I say, brushing my lips over hers.
“That's what I'm hopin' for,” she whispers with a smile before stepping back and grabbing the toolbox at our feet. “But first, cookies.”
Miss Aggie rubs her chin as she looks down at my cookie. “Not sure I've ever seen such a… unique colored Christmas bell.”
The Sallys along with wives of the Arrys–Delly, Kelly, Mellie, and Jane–yes, I was expecting an Ally, Hallie, or something similar too–are the official judges of our impromptu challenge and they've been taking turns to walk around all of our tables in the bar to oversee the proceedings.
“I tried green, then red, then blue, and then it all mixed together and created… this ,” I explain with a sigh.
“At least you're havin' a good ol' Alaskan try, Red. That's all we can ever ask for. Right?” Miss Frankie adds, glancing at my plate and fighting back a grimace.
“That's exactly what I told him. We can't all be as enthusiastic as Toby,” Mags says, diverting the two ladies' attention over to the table next to us.
“Anyone would think this was the Great British Bake Off or somethin',” Cora remarks.
Rhett smirks. “You'd know, princess. You have me watchin' every episode back home.”
“I'm startin' to think Tobes has been moonlightin' as a cake decorator,” Landry teases.
When I said the man is determined to win, I wasn't lying. Case in point, he's decorated three different cookies, and each is painted to perfection with bright icing matching the shape of each baked good.
One looks exactly like Duck Norris, down to his one leg and mischievous gleam in its eye. The next is a perfect replica of a snow-covered mountain peak, complete with tiny silver sprinkles mimicking glistening snow. And the final one is a miniature cabin nestled amongst trees, smoke curling from its piped icing chimney.
“Wow, Toby, those are amazin'!” Miss Aggie exclaims, her eyes wide with surprise.
Toby preens under the praise, flashing a cocky grin at me and Mags. “Told you I had skills.”
The other members of our family gather around, holding their own wares on plates in front of them. Cora looks from Toby and Dee's table then back to her cookie—a simple green tree with a few lopsided ornaments drawn on with a piping bag. “Well, I can't compete with that,” she says with a shrug while she eyes Toby suspiciously. “Anyone would think you've been practisin' .”
His brows arch. “You think I've got time to paint cookies with all the work we've got to do around the ranch?”
“That's not decoratin', they're works of art with icin'. I remember our attempts at the Holly Jolly Cup last year and they were nothin' like that ,” Star says, pointing to the cabin cookie. “It even has smoke comin' from the chimney.”
Dee jumps to her husband's rescue. “This is supposed to be a friendly contest guys. Just a little fun between couples. Don't forget your Christmas spirit now,” she chimes in, placing one hand on Cora's shoulder. “It's all about spreadin' cheer and helpin' George have a good Christmas. Ain't that right, George?”
“Sure is,” the man of the season says from his bar table. “Voila!” His grey beard is splattered with stripes of different colored icing, but his smile is brighter than ever as he very slowly–and carefully–places his one cookie on a plate and stands up. Then, gripping the plate tight, he walks it over toward us, stopping in the space Mags and I make for him.
When he puts down the plate on Toby's table we all lean in, far more invested in this contest than most of us would care to admit.
“Wow,” Lee whispers.
“George, that's amazin',” Mags gushes.
Toby sighs. “Dammit. Another one bites the dust. George, you have a talent.”
“Really? I think yours are pretty good too, Toby,” the gnomery owner replies. “The kids comin' to the festival are goin' to love them, and isn't that the reason we're doin' all of this? I love Christmas just as much as the next person–” he looks around the group, “as much as all of y'all do. But Christmas is not just about cookies and decorations and trees. It's about this. About spendin' time with loved ones and friends. Cherishin' the moment and makin' memories. That's what I really wanted for Christmas. That's what y'all are givin' to me–”
“Us too,” Harry pipes up, Larry, Gary, Barry, and Cary all nodding in agreement.
“George, you're not just a givin' man, you're a smart one too,” I say, giving him a soft clap on the back. “That's why we're all glad to be here to give you, your friends, and the town of Rainbow Springs this week, this festival. Y'all deserve it.”
“Can't believe I met you a few months ago and now y'all are here makin’ this the best holiday season ever.” George’s positivity is starting to become contagious… even for someone like me .
“Haven't finished yet either,” Rhett says.
“Y'all have already done so much,” George says, his eyes getting glassy–and not for the first time since we arrived.
“And we're goin' to see this through with you, Georgie.” Toby wraps an arm around the man's shoulders and jostles him from side to side until they’re both chuckling. “We're here until Santa comes?—”
“You mean you dressed up as Santa, right?” George stage whispers.
“Shhh. I'm Santa's official representative for the town. It's top secret,” Toby replies, playing along. “But yes. We'll have apples to hand out to the kids and we'll be here to watch you put that special ornament you're makin’ on top of the town tree. We're goin' to visit all the festival stalls and eat all the food—however wonderful or weird they are. This is goin’ to be the best Christmas ever.”
George looks a little overwhelmed but there's no denying how happy he is. He looks to his friends and their wives, Cary giving him a nod before George turns back to the group. “There's somethin' the guys and I want to do for all of y'all to say thank you for your kindness. We were thinkin' we'd all meet out at Harry's land tomorrow night and go from there.”
“Thought we were the ones givin' the gifts this year,” Mags says with a wry smile.
Gary nods. “Let's call this a little bit of us givin' somethin' back to you.”
I nod after everyone from Bull gives their approval. “OK, George. We'll be there with bells on.”
He claps, looking just as happy as the day when we came to surprise him. “Good, good. Just make sure you're dressed for the cold. You'll need it where we're goin'.”
“What exactly have you got planned for us, Georgie?” Toby asks, saying what we're all no doubt thinking.
Then the man laughs and gives us a wink. “I guess that's for me to know, and all of y'all to find out.”