Page 3 of Christmas Eve at Bluff Creek

Chapter Two

Winnie had only herself to blame that she was riding with Rascal instead of Bear. When Sarah was planning the teammates, she’d asked Winnie if she wanted to ride with Bear. Winnie had been worried she wouldn’t be able to keep her feelings for Bear a secret tonight, so she’d told her no.

Don’t get her wrong, she loved Rascal but holding on around his waist or holding onto his shoulders just wasn’t the same, which is why she was thankful he’d brought his trike tonight. She still had to balance sometimes but not like if she was on a smaller bike. Rascal had bought the 2013 Harley Davidson Triglide Trike in red the second year before Christmas Eve. He’d said it was because he was getting older, but she knew the creation of the Santa Slay MC had been a way for him to have a special bike for Christmas Eve. He had lights he’d added to the tires, so when he rode, the lights spun.

She was guessing Rascal would be a little more relaxed playing Santa’s helper than Bear would be tonight. She remembered the second year they’d done it. She’d been excited and nervous at the beginning of the night. She’d been partnered with her dad. Her mom had done one delivery, but then her dad had taken her home because her mom didn’t have the strength to do more. By the time she’d delivered her last sack, she’d been incredibly grateful for all her family was blessed with.

Her last family of the night that year had been a single mom with two kids who’d recently moved to Coldwater, a town twenty miles from Bluff Creek. Winnie couldn’t remember if her husband had left her or died, but she’d been in desperate circumstances. No job, two small kids and no money. She’dcalled one of the local churches for help two days before Christmas, who had then contacted Regina.

When Winnie and her dad walked up to the door to deliver, the woman opened the door without turning the light on. She’d allowed them in because she’d been expecting them. A candle was burning for light and there was a fire in the fireplace. Her dad had delivered the presents with a smile on his face but then directed Winnie to chat with the kids who’d been bedded down on the couch.

Her dad had found out that their electricity had been shut off the day before. He’d patted the woman’s shoulder and said to give him a minute. While he’d walked outside, Winnie had answered questions from the kids. The four-year-old boy had wanted to try on her cut, so she’d taken it off for him to check out. She would have done anything to help him feel better.

When her dad came back in, he’d smacked his forehead and shook his head. He’d proceeded to tell the woman and her children that they’d got the delivery wrong. He wasn’t supposed to bring the presents to them, part of their gift was staying in a cabin for Christmas. He asked the mom if she needed help packing items for a week, just what she and the kids needed because food would be provided for them. He’d said they’d stick around until their vacation vehicle arrived to pick them up.

Winnie remembered helping the kids pack their clothes in garbage bags. Regina and Beth had opted to stay with her mom and help coordinate from the house. It had been a blessing. Regina and Beth had prepped the garage apartment her dad had built onto the Bail Bonds garage. He had wanted it for anyone from the company who needed it, but it hadn’t been used yet.

She remembered the family stayed over two months while her parents helped the mom start her life again. Even as sick as her mom had been, she’d wanted to help people to the very end.

“Okay, let’s go make some kids happy.” Rascal waited until she’d gotten off before getting off the trike, removing his helmet and adding his Santa hat. She unhooked the Santa bag with the correct address and handed it to him.

Then she opened the bag she’d brought and hooked the lit Christmas tree bulb necklace around her neck, flicking the switch on. She pulled her phone out and started the song. Rascal did a little hop and dance as he walked down the street toward the driveway asHere Comes Santa Clausplayed.

“Girl, I knew you and I would have fun tonight. Ready to help some people?”

He knocked on the door, and it was opened by a man as tall and as wide as Rascal, whose one arm was in a cast. He had a neck tattoo and a full sleeve on the arm not in a cast. His eyes were tired, as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Rascal led the way in, wishing the family Merry Christmas as he walked in. A painfully thin woman in a robe sat in a rocking chair in the corner of the room closest to a fireplace.

“We really appreciate this, but we know there are people more deserving than us,” the man whispered.

She’d read his note sheet before they’d left tonight. His wife had a chronic illness, and he was a mechanic. A piece of equipment had fallen on him when he’d been working alone in his garage. She wondered how they’d survive until he could work again.

“Ahh, we’re here because everybody needs a helping hand sometimes. I think we got everything. I didn’t see your name until we got here. So what happened with the arm?” Rascal placed the presents under their tree, giving the man time to reply.

“I was hurrying because I was behind. My last worker quit, and I was all alone. I’m so behind. Now, I’m even more so.”

Rascal walked over and touched the man on the shoulder. “Why didn’t you call? We’ve been friends for years. At least, I figure we must be friends ‘cuz you let me stick a needle in your body and put my designs on you.”

“Rascal, I just never thought we’d be in this situation. I’ve always saved for a rainy day, but it seems like it’s a monsoon this year. The medicine, the hospital bills. I feel like a failure.”

His voice got shaky, and Winnie held her own tears back, seeing this big man brought so low.

“Baby, you’re not a failure. You’ve held us all together the best you could,” the woman rasped from her chair, a single tear tracking down her cheek.

“Well, Santa’s Slay MC is not letting the monsoon win. We can’t take care of the health issues, though I wish we could.” Rascal pulled a checkbook out and started writing while still talking. “This should tide you over at least until the New Year. You all need to just take a break this Christmas and spend time together. January second, you, me and Baron will meet to chat about your business. We’ll do whatever it takes to keep you going. You be thinking if you just need some of our workers over to help for a couple months or if you want the MC to take over running your garage for a set amount of time, like two to six months or whatever idea you have. Friends help each other, and that’s what’s happening tonight.”

Rascal handed him the check.

“I can’t take this. It’s too much,” he replied, showing his wife the check. Her eyes widened.

Rascal reached into his pocket and pulled out four one-hundred-dollar bills. “This is for any incidentals until you can get the check deposited. It’s not too much. Man, we’ve known each other for years. Do you remember when your old man ran the garage, and we’d had that break-in at our garage?”

“Yeah.”

“I bet what you didn’t know was your dad wouldn’t let us pay for the parts he gave us. He said friends lend a helping hand when needed. This is me, your friend, saying, take my helping hand and let some of the stress slide off your shoulders.”

He nodded, and Winnie’s heart was full. This is what her mom and Regina had envisioned. Making a difference one life at a time. Slaying despair and replacing it with hope. Hope for a brighter future and the possibility of not worrying about where your next mouthful came from.

Rascal walked to the door. “You call if you need anything, and I mean anything, before the first of the year. Winnie and I have to get on the road so we can complete our schedule, but tell me, you get me.”

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