Page 47 of His Christmas Star
“I trust you won’t,” he said, standing up and putting his coat on. “I will make you a second pair once we have these dialed in the way you like them. I saved all the patterns, and it’s surprising how easy they are to make from the smaller pieces of leather I can rarely use.”
“Let me pay you for the supplies, though,” I said. I would never insult him and insist on paying him for his time. “I know how expensive this medical stuff is, and that shouldn’t come from your pocket.”
“It didn’t. Miss Heaven took care of all that. It wasn’t too expensive anyway. Both of those cost less than five hundred dollars, which is a whole lot less than your old ones.”
“My goodness, yes,” I agreed. “And the quality is three times what those are. I’ll thank Heaven too. Christmas came early, and I couldn’t be more thankful. The mitts too, Beau. Seriously, your visit today has changed my life. I can’t wait to tell Joe!”
His laughter filled the room as he stepped into his boots. “I’ll expect a text from him later when he wants to buy me a beer.”
I couldn’t stop the laughter that escaped my lips. “Joe needs to buy you a case for these.” I stood and took an unaided step, totally shocked when I was steady as a rock. “So amazing,” I murmured before I threw my arms around him and hugged him with all my might. “Thanks for giving me a little bit more hope this holiday season.”
No one ever said I listened well. That was why I was in the barn wearing my new feet and getting Dolly and Jolene ready to test out the sleigh. They’d brought it over for me a few days ago to prepare it, and on Christmas Eve, Dolly and Jolene would pull it over to Bison Ridge. Hopefully, that is, as long as the test rides went well.
“Tobi,” Heaven said as she walked into the barn with what I’d come to call the girl squad. This time, there were three extra little girls with their moms.
I turned from the horses and smiled at the group assembled in the barn. “Hello, everyone,” I said, signing hello to Poppy Rose at the same time. Sign language was complicated with my hands, but I could manage the simple signs. “Are you here for the maiden voyage?” I asked, motioning at the sleigh.
“No, it’s too cold for the babies tonight, but I heard the sheriff was on his way over, so maybe he’d like a ride,” Dawn said as she swayed with Sammy in her arms.
I huffed and threw my hand on my hip. “Who did you hear that from?”
“Santa,” she said with a grin. “We also heard you liked your Christmas presents.”
“Unbelievable,” I said before I hugged Heaven tightly. “Thank you for covering the cost. You didn’t have to do that. I would have paid for them.”
“I know you would have,” she said, patting my back. “But then they wouldn’t be a present.”
I chuckled when I released her. “Good point. They are wonderful and so unbelievably comfortable.”
“Beau said you’re supposed to be car—”
I held up my hand, and it was Amity’s turn to laugh as she hugged Eden. “I am being careful, but you guys have to remember that without the inserts, I can’t walk at all. Trust me when I say that even though these are new, there are no pinch points or areas of concern yet, which beats out the old pair by a mile.”
Heaven squeezed my hand gently. “We trust you. You know your body. It’s just that we’re only a few days from the dance, and we don’t want you to develop more blisters.”
“I know, and I won’t. I’m incredibly aware of how my feet feel, and I’ll stop when I get tired. Once the horses are hitched, I’ll be sitting in the sleigh tonight. I already have a couple of hands who will hitch, unhitch, and put away the horses for me, so I’m not on my feet too long. I’m using big brain,” I promised, tapping my temple.
“That’s good enough for me,” Amity said with a wink. “Have you heard from Joe about Daddy Nash’s service?”
I shook my head with my lips pursed. “No, and I’m not going to push him. He brought the urn back to the ranch, so with time, he’ll be ready. He’s probably waiting until after the holidays now.”
“Well, if he needs anything, you’ll let us know?”
“I promise, Amity. He’s in an okay place with it, and I guess that’s all we can expect right now.”
“Does that okay place have to do with him being here every night for the last week?” Heaven asked.
“I mean, is that a problem? I can ask him to leave.”
She shook her head, but I could see the mischief in her eyes. “I don’t have a problem with it. You’re an adult. I trust your judgment.”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine!” I said on a huff. “We admitted we love each other. Is that what you wanted to year?”
The squealing, laughing, and cheering that ensued for the next three minutes was ridiculous. Then the high-fiving started, so I knelt and hugged Poppy Rose rather than participate in their silliness. Poppy patted my cheeks and smiled at me, her eyes sparkling with happiness. She didn’t know what was going on, but she could sense things, and whatever she saw in me, it was lightness and not darkness. I couldn’t make the I love you sign like everyone else, so instead, I always pointed at me and then pointed at her and then hugged myself. She knew what it meant, and she always waved the I love you sign and rested it against my chest for a moment. Poppy was the brightest light on this ranch and we were so lucky to have her.
“We’re happy for you, Tobi,” Cece said, taking Poppy’s hand. “We’re not trying to bust your chops, but we don’t want you to think you have to hide it either. Be in love. Be happy. Tell the world.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” a voice said from the barn door, and my cheeks heated immediately. Joe walked in and hugged Heaven before he got a hug from Poppy Rose. He walked to me and kissed me right there in the middle of the barn with everyone looking on. When it ended, he turned to them. “I assume no one has a problem with me being in love with your cowgirl?”
