Page 5 of Christmas Eve at Bluff Creek

Sarah’s laughter filled his helmet.

“I always thought you were the quiet, calm nurturing type, but I’m seeing now that you just hide your crazy better than some of your sisters.”

Chapter Four

Cannon and Jesse stopped at the last house on the list. It was an older farmhouse set back from the road. The house was dark except for one small light in the window. Jesse knocked.

A faint voice called to come in, and Cannon opened the door, checking the room before he let Jesse in. He may be in a stupid Santa suit and a white beard, but he wasn’t allowing her to enter a room he hadn’t checked.

The front room had a rocker that sat beside a roaring fire. The only other piece of furniture in the room was a dusty piano.

“I’m back here,” a voice called from the hall. Jesse didn’t wait for him but walked on back. He’d been irritated when he was partnered with Jesse. They were like oil and water if they were together. If he said yes, then she would answer no, which wouldn’t bother him if he didn’t find her so stinkin’ attractive. Even in those shapeless pink coveralls she wore in the garage, he had to fight his attraction. No matter what, he wasn’t going there with her. It would only end in disaster.

Locks would either hate him or kill him for ruining his little girl because Cannon had specific tastes and any woman who was with him needed to follow his directions.

“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Hall.”

He followed Jesse into a large farmhouse kitchen. A woman who looked to be in her late eighties, possibly nineties, sat at the table with a plate of cookies and mugs of hot cocoa.

“Merry Christmas, Jesse. Did you get the short stick tonight?”

Jesse leaned over, giving the woman a hug. “You know I had to fight my sisters to get your house. I knew you’d have yoursnickerdoodles waiting with hot cocoa. Mrs. Hall, this is Cannon, one of our new teammates at the Santa Slay MC.”

Jesse sat down and kicked the other chair out for Cannon.

“Merry Christmas! Aren’t you a cute one? Even those fake beards can’t disguise how cute you are. Now take it off so you can enjoy a cookie.”

Cannon sat the presents down and slipped his beard off. Taking a seat, he selected a cookie and took a bite. Soft and chewy sugar and cinnamon melted in his mouth.

“They’re even better if you dip them in your hot cocoa.” Jesse demonstrated, then groaned at the taste. Life was definitely not fair tonight with the lovely Jesse giving him a hard-on while sitting at a table with a gray-haired lady.

“I know you’re on a schedule, so here’s what you’re taking back.” She handed Cannon an envelope.

“Mrs. Hall, you know that’s not why we come. We like to see you and drop off your gifts since you refuse to come to Christmas lunch with us.”

Cannon was trying to figure out exactly what was going on.

“You’re not eating more cookies, so why don’t you open the card? Youth is wasted on the young. He’s just sitting there like a lump on a log.”

Jesse’s eyes danced at the woman’s words, but Cannon was a tad offended. He was trying to be nice and not eat all the cookies because they were awesome. Mrs. Hall gave him the same look he’d seen Regina give before. It was that look saying do what I say or else. He slid his finger under the flap, opening the card that saidMerry Christmas and Do Some Good With This. He glanced back up, and she motioned to open the folded check. He opened it, stunned at the amount, and handed it to Jesse.

Why were they doing a late night drop off of presents for someone who just wrote out a check for fifty thousand dollars to Kathryn’s Wings?

“Oh, Mrs. Hall. Do you know how many people we’ll be able to help with this? Thank you so much.” Jesse patted Mrs. Hall’s hand.

“When you’re old and you’ve outlived your children, you have money to help others. If you can keep one person from having what happened to my Julia happen to them, it will be worth it.”

Jesse stood up and leaned over to hug Mrs. Hall. “Can I do anything else for you, Mrs. Hall, before we go?”

She nodded and motioned to the front room. “Will you playSilent Nighton the piano before you go?”

Jesse gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Always, Mrs. Hall. I’d love to see you at lunch tomorrow. Let me know if you want one of us to pick you up.”

Mrs. Hall nodded, and Cannon followed Jesse out to the front room. Jesse opened the key lid as she pulled the bench out to sit down. She sat there a second before playing the first notes of the song. Then she started singing along.

Cannon didn’t think he’d ever heard a clearer or more beautiful voice singing. He listened to her sing the words and closed his eyes. The notes rang through the room, and he remembered Christmas Eve services with his grandma where the lights would be dimmed, and they would all hold candles. As they sang the song, each person would pass the light along to the next person.

It had been years since he’d been in a church, but listening to Jesse sing brought back those wonderful memories of staying at his grandma’s house. Usually at least two or three times a year, his dad would decide he’d had enough and couldn’t deal with Cannon. Not that he did that much for Cannon when his dad had him. Cannon never knew where they’d be bedding down or if there would be food. His dad would drop him at his grandma’s, and for as long as he was there, he had a bed, food, and love in his life.

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